KR20120000031A - Network system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A network system is provided to check electricity charge information, a power using amount, and the operating information and state information of the energy consuming unit through an integration remote controller, thereby controlling the operation of the energy consuming unit. CONSTITUTION: A utility network(10) comprises an energy generating unit. The utility network includes at least one of energy information or additional information except the energy information. The utility network transmits the information to a network. A home network(20) includes at least one energy consuming unit which consumes energy generated by the energy generating unit. The home network receives the energy information.

Description

Network system

The present invention relates to a network system.

The supplier simply supplied energy sources such as electricity, water and gas, and the consumer simply used the supplied energy sources. Therefore, effective management in terms of energy production, distribution, or energy use has been difficult to carry out.

In other words, energy is a radial structure that is distributed from energy suppliers toward multiple demand sources, that is, spreads from the center to the periphery, and is characterized by unidirectional supplier center, not consumer center.

The price information for electricity was not only available in real time, but only limitedly through the power exchange, and since the price system is also a de facto fixed price system, incentives such as incentives to consumers through price changes cannot be used. There was a problem.

In order to solve this problem, there have been a lot of efforts in recent years to implement a horizontal, cooperative, and distributed network that effectively manages energy and enables interaction between consumers and suppliers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a network system capable of effectively managing an energy source and reducing electric charges and / or energy consumption.

A network system according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, the utility network including an energy generation unit, at least one or more of the energy information or additional information other than the energy information, and transmits this information; And at least one energy consumer for consuming energy generated by the energy generator, including a home network capable of receiving the energy information, wherein the energy consumer includes a refrigerator having a plurality of storage compartments. An electric charge saving operation mode in which cold air is supplied to the storage compartment according to priority based on information received from a utility network or a home network is selectively performed.

According to the proposed invention, not only can check the electricity bill information, power consumption, operation information, status information of the energy consumption unit through the integrated remote control, but also can control the operation of the energy consumption unit, effectively managing the energy consumption of the energy consumption unit can do.

1 shows schematically a network system according to the invention;
2 is a block diagram schematically showing a network system according to the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing an information transfer process on a network system of the present invention.
4 is a graph for explaining the form of the electricity bill.
5 is a block diagram schematically showing a first application example of a network system according to the present invention;
6 is a block diagram schematically showing a second application example of a network system according to the present invention;
7 is a block diagram schematically showing a third application example of a network system according to the present invention;
8 is a front perspective view of a refrigerator constituting a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view showing a flow of cold air occurring inside the refrigerator.
10 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart showing a control method of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view schematically showing a network system according to the present invention.

This network system is a system for managing energy sources such as electricity, water, and gas. The energy source means that the amount of generation, the amount of use, etc. can be measured.

Thus, energy sources not mentioned above may also be included in the management of this system. Hereinafter, as an energy source, electricity will be described as an example, and the contents of the present specification may be equally applied to other energy sources.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary network system includes a power plant that generates electricity. The power plant may include a power plant that generates electricity through thermal power generation or nuclear power generation, and a power plant using hydro, solar, wind, and the like, which are environmentally friendly energy.

In addition, the electricity generated in the power plant is transmitted to the power station through the transmission line, and in the power station (substation) to transmit electricity to the substation so that the electricity is distributed to the demand destination, such as home or office.

In addition, the electricity produced by the environmentally friendly energy is also transmitted to the substation to be distributed to each customer. Then, the electricity transmitted from the substation is distributed to the office or home via the electrical storage device or directly.

Even in homes that use a home area network (HAN), they can produce, store, or distribute their own electricity through solar light or fuel cells mounted on a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), The surplus electricity can also be sold back to the outside world (for example, the utility).

In addition, the network system includes a smart meter for real-time measuring the electricity usage of the demand destination (home or office, etc.), and a meter (AMI: Advanced Metering infrastructure) for real-time measurement of the electricity usage of a plurality of demand destinations. May be included. That is, the measuring device may receive the information measured by the plurality of smart meters to measure the electricity usage.

In this specification, the measurement includes not only the smart meter and the measuring device itself measuring, but also that the smart meter and the measuring device can recognize the generation amount or the usage amount from other components.

The network system may further include an energy management system (EMS) for managing energy. The energy management device may generate information about the operation of one or more components in relation to energy (generation, distribution, use, storage, etc.) of energy. The energy management device can generate instructions relating to the operation of at least the component.

In the present specification, the function or solution performed by the energy management device may be referred to as an energy management function or an energy management solution.

In the network system of the present invention, one or more energy management devices may be present in separate configurations, or may be included in one or more components as an energy management function or solution.

2 is a block diagram schematically showing a network system according to the present invention.

1 and 2, the network system of the present invention is constituted by a plurality of components. For example, power plants, substations, power stations, energy management devices, appliances, smart meters, capacitors, web servers, instrumentation devices, and home servers are the components of network systems.

In addition, in the present invention, each component may be constituted by a plurality of detailed components. For example, when one component is a home appliance, a detailed component may be a microcomputer, a heater, a display, a motor, etc. constituting the home appliance.

That is, in the present invention, everything that performs a specific function can be a component, and these components constitute the network system of the present invention. In addition, the two components may communicate by a communication means.

In addition, one network may be one component or may be composed of multiple components.

In the present specification, a network system in which communication information is associated with an energy source may be referred to as an energy grid.

The network system according to an exemplary embodiment may be configured of a utility network (UAN) 10 and a home network (HAN) 20. The utility network 10 and the home network 20 may communicate by wire or wirelessly by communication means.

In this specification, a home means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, as well as a home in a dictionary meaning. And, utility means a group of specific components outside the home.

The utility network 10 includes an energy generation component 11 for generating energy, an energy distribution component 12 for distributing or transferring energy, and an energy storage unit for storing energy. An energy storage component 13), an energy management component 14 for managing energy, and an energy metering component 15 for measuring energy related information.

When one or more components constituting the utility network 10 consume energy, the component that consumes energy may be an energy consumer. That is, the energy consumption unit may be a separate configuration or may be included in other components.

The energy generator 11 may be, for example, a power plant. The energy distribution unit 12 distributes or delivers the energy generated by the energy generator 11 and / or the energy stored in the energy storage unit 13 to the energy consumption unit. The energy distribution unit 12 may be a power transmitter, a substation, or a power station.

The energy storage unit 13 may be a storage battery, and the energy management unit 14 is related to energy, the energy generating unit 11, energy distribution unit 12, energy storage unit 13, energy consumption unit ( 26) generates information for one or more of driving. For example, the energy management unit 14 may generate a command regarding the operation of at least a specific component.

The energy management unit 14 may be an energy management device. The energy measuring unit 15 may measure information related to energy generation, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like, and may be, for example, a measuring device (AMI). The energy management unit 14 may be a separate configuration or may be included as an energy management function in other components.

The utility network 10 may communicate with the home network 20 by a terminal component (not shown). The terminal component may be, for example, a gateway. Such terminal components may be provided in one or more of the utility network 10 and the home network 20.

Meanwhile, the home network 20 includes an energy generation component 21 for generating energy, an energy distribution component 22 for distributing energy, and an energy storage unit for storing energy. storage component 23, an energy management component 24 for managing energy, an energy metering component 25 for measuring information related to energy, and an energy consuming unit for consuming energy consumption component 26, a central management component 27 for controlling a plurality of components, an energy grid assistance component 28, an accessory component 29, and a consumer processing component component: 30).

The energy generation component 21 may be a household generator, the energy storage component 23 may be a storage battery, and the energy management component 24 may be an energy management device. have.

The energy metering component 25 may measure information related to generation, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like of energy. For example, the energy metering component 25 may be a smart meter.

The energy consumption unit 26 may be, for example, a home appliance (a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, a cleaner, a dryer, a dishwasher, a dehumidifier, a display device, a lighting device, etc.) or a heater, a motor, a display, etc. constituting the home appliance. Can be. Note that there is no restriction on the type of energy consumption unit 26 in this embodiment.

The energy management unit 24 may be an individual component or may be included as an energy management function in another component. The energy management unit 21 may communicate with one or more components to transmit and receive information.

The energy generator 21, the energy distributor 22, and the energy storage unit 23 may be individual components or may constitute a single component.

The central management unit 27 may be, for example, a home server controlling a plurality of home appliances.

The energy network assistant 28 is a component having an original function while performing an additional function for the energy grid. For example, the energy network assistant 28 may be a web service provider (eg, a computer), a mobile device, a television, or the like.

The accessory component 29 is an energy network only component that performs additional functions for the energy network. For example, the accessory component 29 may be a weather network antenna dedicated to the energy network.

The consumer handling component 30 is a component that stores, supplies, and delivers the consumer, and may identify or recognize information about the consumer. The consumer may be, for example, an article or material that is used or processed when the energy consumption unit 26 is operated. In addition, the consumer processor 30 may be managed by the energy manager 24 as an example in an energy network.

For example, the consumer may be a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a food in a cooking appliance, a detergent or a fabric softener for washing a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a seasoning for cooking food, and the like.

Energy generation unit 11, 21, energy distribution unit 12, 22, energy storage unit 13, 23, energy management unit 14, 24, energy measuring unit 15, 25, energy consumption unit mentioned above (26), the central management unit 27 may exist independently of each other, or two or more may constitute a single component.

For example, the energy management unit 14 and 24, the energy measuring unit 15 and 25, and the central management unit 27 each exist as a single component, and perform smart functions, energy management devices, and home servers that perform their respective functions. Or, the energy management unit 14, 24, the energy measuring unit 15, 25, the central management unit 27 may form a single component mechanically.

In addition, in performing one function, the function may be sequentially performed in a plurality of components and / or communication means. For example, energy management functions may be sequentially performed in a separate energy management unit, an energy measuring unit, and an energy consumption unit.

In addition, a plurality of components of a specific function constituting the utility network and the home network may be provided. For example, there may be a plurality of energy generating units or energy consuming units.

On the other hand, the utility network 10 and the home network 20 can communicate by a communication means (first interface). At this time, the plurality of utility networks 10 may communicate with a single home network 20, and the single utility network 10 may communicate with a plurality of home networks 20.

For example, the communication means may be a simple communication line or a power line communication means. Of course, the power line communication means may include a communicator (eg, a modem) connected to each of the two components. As another example, the communication means may be zigbee, wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the like.

In the present specification, there is no limitation on the method for wired communication or the method for wireless communication.

Two components constituting the utility network 10 may communicate by means of communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 20 may communicate by a communication means (second interface). For example, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with one or more of the energy management unit 24, the energy measurement unit 25, the central management unit 27, the energy network assistance unit 28, and the like (second interface). Can communicate by

In addition, the microcomputer of each component (for example, the energy consumption unit) may communicate with the communication means (second interface) (third interface). For example, when the energy consumption is a household appliance, the energy consumption unit may receive information from the energy management unit by a communication means (second interface), and the received information is a microcomputer of the household appliance by a third interface. Can be delivered.

In addition, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with the accessory component 29 by a communication means (fourth interface). In addition, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with the consumer processor 30 by a communication means (a fifth interface).

3 is a block diagram showing a process of transferring information on a network system of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a form of an electric charge. FIG. 4A is a graph showing time of use (TOU) information and critical peak pattern (CPP) information, and FIG. 4B is a RTP ( This graph shows real time pattern information.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the network system of the present invention, a specific component C may receive information related to energy (hereinafter, “energy information”) by communication means. In addition, the specific component (C) may be additional information (environmental information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component (breakdown, etc.), in addition to the energy information by the communication means, consumer habit information using the energy consumption unit, etc. ) Can be received further.

The environmental information may include carbon dioxide emissions, carbon dioxide concentration in the air, temperature, humidity, rainfall, rainfall or the like, solar radiation, air volume, and the like.

In another aspect, the information is internal information, such as information related to each component (operation or status information of each component (such as failure), energy usage information of the energy consumer, consumer habit information using the energy consumer, etc.), and other information. Phosphorus can be classified into external information (energy information, environment information, program update information, time information).

At this time, the information may be received from other components. In other words, the received information includes at least energy information.

The specific component may be one component constituting the utility network 10 or one component constituting the home network 20.

As described above, the energy information I may be one of information such as electricity, water, and gas.

For example, information related to electricity includes time-based pricing, energy curtailment, grid emergency, grid reliability, energy generation amount, and operational priority. (operation priority), energy consumption amount (Amount). In this embodiment, the fee associated with the energy source may be referred to as an energy fee.

In other words, energy-related information may be classified into charge information (energy charge) and non-charge information (energy reduction, emergency situation, network safety, generation amount, operation priority, energy consumption amount, etc.).

Such information may be classified into schedule information previously generated based on previous information and real time information that changes in real time. The schedule information and the real time information may be distinguished by predicting information after the current time (future).

The energy information I may be classified into time of use (TOU) information, critical peak pattern (CPP) information, or real time pattern (RTP) information according to a change pattern of data over time. The energy information I may change with time.

Referring to FIG. 4A, according to the TOU information, data is gradually changed in time. According to the CPP information, the data changes step by step or in real time with time, and emphasis is displayed at a specific time point. That is, in the case of the CPP pattern, the general fee is lower than that of the TOU pattern, but the charge at a specific time point is significantly higher than that in the TOU pattern.

Referring to FIG. 4B, according to the RTP information, data changes in real time with time.

Meanwhile, the energy information I may be transmitted / received as a True OR False (TOF) signal such as Boolean on a network system, actual price information may be transmitted or received, or may be leveled and transmitted to a plurality. Hereinafter, information related to electricity will be described by way of example.

When the specific component C receives a TOF signal such as a Boolean, one of the signals is recognized as an on-peak signal (information related to the reduction of energy consumption or energy charge), and the other One signal may be recognized as an off-peak signal.

In contrast, a particular component may recognize information about at least one driving including an electric charge, and the specific component compares the recognized information value with the reference information value to compare the on-peak and off-peak ( off-peak).

For example, when a specific component recognizes leveled information or actual price information, the specific component compares the recognized information value with the reference information value to turn on-peak and off-peak. Recognize.

In this case, the information value related to the driving may be at least one of an electric charge, a power amount, a change rate of the electric charge, a change rate of the power amount, an average value of the electric charge, and an average value of the electric power. The reference information value may be at least one of an average value, an average value of minimum and maximum values of power information during a predetermined section, and a reference rate of change of power information (eg, slope of power consumption per unit time) during the predetermined section.

The reference information value may be set in real time or may be set in advance. The reference information value may be set in a utility network or in a home network (input from a consumer direct input, an energy manager, a central manager, etc.).

When the specific component (for example, the energy consumption unit) recognizes an on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output may be zero (stopped or stopped) and the output may be reduced. The specific component may determine the driving method in advance before starting the operation, or may change the driving method when the on-peak is recognized after starting the operation.

And, if a particular component recognizes an off peak, the output can be restored or increased as needed. That is, when a specific component that recognizes an on peak recognizes an off peak, the output may be restored to a previous state or increased more than the previous output.

At this time, even when the specific component recovers the output or increases the output after recognizing the off-peak, the total power consumption and / or the total electricity bill for the entire operating time of the specific component is reduced.

Alternatively, when the specific component recognizes an on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output may be maintained when the specific component is operable. At this time, the operable condition means that the information value for driving is below a certain standard. The information value related to the driving may be information about an electric charge, power consumption, or operation time. The predetermined criterion may be a relative value or an absolute value.

The schedule standard may be set in real time or may be set in advance. The schedule criterion may be set in the utility network or in a home network (input from a consumer direct input, an energy manager, a central manager, etc.).

Alternatively, when the specific component recognizes an on-peak (eg, a recognition time), the output may be increased. However, even when the output is increased when the on-peak is recognized, the total output amount during the entire driving period of the specific component may be reduced or maintained than the total output amount when the specific component operates at the normal output.

Or, even if the output is increased when the on-peak is recognized, the total power consumption or total electric charge for the entire operating period of a particular component is the total power consumption or total power when the specific component operates at normal output. It can be lower than the electricity bill.

When the specific component recognizes an off-peak (for example, a recognition time), the output may be increased. For example, when an operation reservation is set, a specific component may start driving before a set time, or a component having a larger output among a plurality of components may be driven first.

In addition, in the case of a refrigerator, the output may be supercooled by increasing the output, or in the case of a washing machine or a washing machine, the hot water may be stored in the hot water tank by driving the heater in advance of the scheduled operation time of the heater. This is to reduce the electricity bill by operating in the off-peak in advance to operate in the on-peak to come later.

Alternatively, when a specific component recognizes an off-peak (eg, a recognition time), power storage may be performed.

In the present invention, the specific component (for example, the energy consumption unit) may maintain, reduce or increase the output. Thus, a particular component can include a power changing component. Since the power can be defined by current and voltage, the power variable component can include a current regulator and / or a voltage regulator. For example, the power variable component may be operated according to a command generated from an energy management unit.

Meanwhile, the energy curtailment information is information related to a mode in which a component is stopped or a low energy bill is used. In other words, the energy reduction information is information related to the reduction of energy consumption or energy bill.

The energy saving information may be transmitted / received as a TOF signal, for example, as a Boolean on a network system. That is, a turn off signal or a lower power signal may be transmitted and received.

When the specific component recognizes the energy saving information, as described above, the output can be zeroed (if the stop or stop state is recognized) or the output can be reduced (if the lower power signal is recognized). have.

The grid emergency information is information related to a power failure, and may be transmitted / received as a TOF signal, for example, as a Boolean. Information related to the power outage is related to the reliability of the component using energy.

When the specific component recognizes the emergency information, it may be immediately shut down.

When the specific component receives the emergency information as the schedule information, the specific component may increase the output before the arrival of the emergency time point to perform the same operation as the off-peak operation of the specific component described above. . In addition, the specific component may be shut down at an emergency time.

The grid reliability information is information about the high and low supply electricity or information on the quality of electricity. The grid reliability information is transmitted or received in a TOF signal, such as a Boolean, or supplied to a component (for example, a home appliance). The component may determine the frequency of the power supply.

That is, when an under frequency is detected (recognized) below the reference frequency of the AC power supplied to the component, the amount of supply electricity is determined to be low, and when the frequency higher than the reference frequency of the AC power is detected (recognized), the supply electricity is This can be judged by many. That is, the frequency lower than the reference frequency (underfrequency) corresponds to information related to the reduction of energy consumption or energy bill.

When the specific component recognizes that the amount of electricity in the network safety information is low or the information that the electrical quality is not good, as mentioned above, the specific component to output 0 (stop or stop) in some cases, You can reduce the output, maintain the output, or increase the output.

The excessive amount of generated electricity information is information on a state in which a surplus electricity is generated since the amount of electricity consumed by the component consuming energy is smaller than the amount of generated electricity. For example, the generated electricity amount may be transmitted and received as a TOF signal.

When the specific component recognizes excessive power generation information (for example, when grid overfrequency is recognized or when over energy signal is recognized), the output may be increased. For example, when an operation reservation is set, a specific component may start driving before a set time, or a component having a larger output among a plurality of components may be driven first. In addition, in the case of the refrigerator to increase the output than the existing output supercooled, or in the case of a washing machine or a washing machine, the hot water can be stored by driving the heater in advance than the scheduled time of operation of the heater.

On the other hand, each kind of information related to the energy, specifically, the unprocessed first information (I1), the second information (second information (I2)) that is processed information from the first information, and the specific The information may be divided into third information I3 which is information for performing a function of a component. That is, the first information is raw data, the second information is refined data, and the third information is a command for performing a function of a specific component.

In addition, information related to energy is included in the signal and transmitted. In this case, one or more of the first to third information may be transmitted only a plurality of times without converting only the signal.

For example, as shown in the figure, any component that receives a signal including the first information I1 may only convert a signal and transmit a new signal including the first information I1 to another component.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the signal conversion and the information conversion are described as different concepts. At this time, it will be easily understood that the signal is also converted when the first information is converted into the second information.

However, the third information may be delivered a plurality of times in the state where the contents are converted or in a state where only the signal is converted while maintaining the same contents.

In detail, when the first information is raw electricity price information, the second information may be processed electricity price information. The processed electric charge information is information or analysis information in which electric charges are divided into multiple levels. The third information is a command generated based on the first information or the second information.

The particular component may generate, transmit or receive one or more of the first to third information. The first to third information are not necessarily sequentially transmitted and received.

For example, only a plurality of third information may be transmitted or received sequentially or in parallel without the first and second information. Alternatively, the first and third information may be transmitted or received together, the second and third information may be transmitted or received together, or the first and second information may be transmitted or received together.

For example, when a specific component receives the first information, the specific component may transmit the second information, the second information and the third information, or may transmit only the third information.

When the specific component receives only the third information, the specific component may generate and transmit new third information.

Meanwhile, in the relationship between the two informations, one information is a message and the other information is a response to the message. Accordingly, each component constituting the present network system may transmit or receive a message, and when the message is received, may correspond to the received message. Thus, the transmission of messages and their corresponding responses is a relative concept for individual components.

The message may include data (first information or second information) and / or command (third information).

The command (third information) includes a data storage command, a data generating command, a data processing command (including generating additional data), a generating command of an additional command, a sending command of an additional generated command, and a received command. Commands and the like.

In the present specification, corresponding to a received message means storing data, processing data (including generating additional data), generating a new command, sending a newly generated command, and simply passing the received command to another component. Command can be generated together), operation, transmission of stored information, transmission of acknowledgment character or negative acknowledgment character.

For example, when the message is the first information, the component that has received the first information corresponds to this to generate the second information by processing the first information, generate the second information, and generate new third information, Only third information can be generated.

In detail, when the energy management unit 24 receives the first information (internal information and / or external information), the energy management unit 24 generates second information and / or third information to establish the home network. It may transmit to one or more components (for example, energy consumption unit) constituting. The energy consumption unit 26 may operate according to the third information received from the energy management unit 24.

5 is a block diagram schematically showing a first application example of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first component 31 of the home network 20 may communicate directly with the utility network 10. The first component 31 can communicate with a plurality of components 32, 33, 34: second to fourth components of the home network. At this time, it is noted that there is no limit to the number of components of the home network to communicate with the first component 31.

That is, in the present embodiment, the first component 31 serves as a gateway. For example, the first component 31 may be one of an energy management unit, an energy measuring unit, a central management unit, an energy network assistance unit, and an energy consumption unit.

In the present invention, the component acting as a gateway not only enables communication between components that communicate using different communication protocols, but also enables communication between components that communicate using the same communication protocol.

The second to fourth components 32, 33, and 34 may each be one of an energy generator, an energy distributor, an energy manager, an energy storage unit, an energy measurer, a central manager, an energy network assistant, and an energy consumer. have.

The first component 31 may receive information from the utility network 10 or one or more components constituting the utility network 10, and transmit or process the received information to process the second to fourth components. Can be sent to (32, 34). For example, when the first component 31 is an energy measuring unit, the first component may receive electric charge information and transmit the electric charge information to an energy management unit, an energy consumption unit, or the like.

Each of the second to fourth components may communicate with another component. For example, the first component 31 is an energy measuring unit, the second component is an energy management unit, and the energy management unit may communicate with one or more energy consumption units.

6 is a block diagram schematically showing a second application example of the network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of components constituting the home network 20 of the present invention may directly communicate with the utility network 10.

That is, in the present invention, a plurality of components (first and second components 41 and 42) serving as gateways are included. The first and second components may be homogeneous components or other kinds of components.

And, the first component 41 can communicate with one or more components (eg, third and fourth components 43, 44), and the second component 42 can be one or more components (eg, a fifth And sixth component 45, 46.

For example, each of the first and second components may be one of an energy management unit, an energy measuring unit, a central management unit, an energy network assistance unit, and an energy consumption unit.

Each of the third to sixth components may be one of an energy generator, an energy distributor, an energy manager, an energy measurer, a central manager, an energy network assistant, and an energy consumer.

7 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a third application example of the network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, each of the components 51, 52, and 53 constituting the home network of the present embodiment may directly communicate with the utility network 20. That is, as in the first and second embodiments, there is no component serving as a gateway, and each of the components 51, 52, and 53 may communicate with the utility network.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a refrigerator constituting a network system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a flow of cold air occurring inside the refrigerator.

8 and 9, the refrigerator 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 301 having a freezing compartment 304 and a refrigerating chamber 305 therein, and a front surface of the main body 301. And a freezing compartment door 302 and a refrigerating compartment door 303 provided to open and close the freezing compartment 304 and the refrigerating compartment 305, respectively.

In detail, the front surface of the freezer compartment door 302 may be provided with a dispenser 310 for taking out ice and / or water. In addition, a home bar structure 302 may be provided on the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door 303.

In addition, the storage spaces inside the freezing compartment 304 and the refrigerating compartment 305 may be divided into a plurality of storage compartments 304a to 304e and 305a to 305e by a plurality of partition walls or shelf structures. In addition, cold air outlets 301a may be formed on the rear walls of the plurality of storage compartments, respectively, so that each storage compartment may be individually cooled. In addition, a damper may be installed in each of the cold air discharge ports 301a to selectively supply cold air into the storage compartment.

Hereinafter, the freezing compartment 304 and the refrigerating compartment 305 may be divided into a plurality of storage compartments, and the plurality of storage compartments may be prioritized for cooling by any condition. And, by allowing the storage compartment to be cooled according to the priority, it is characterized in that the efficient refrigeration or freezing is made while reducing the electricity bill.

In detail, if the cooling priority of the storage compartments is determined automatically or by the user, cold air is supplied according to the priority. The amount of cold air is adjusted by adjusting operating conditions of a refrigerator compressor (not shown) and a cooling fan (not shown) according to energy rate information including electricity rate information transmitted from the utility network 10. For example, in an off-peak section, the device operates in a normal cooling mode, but in an on-peak section, the storage compartment is sequentially cooled according to priority. Then, while the amount of electricity consumed in the operation of the refrigerator is reduced, the refrigeration or freezing function is no different from the normal operation mode. In this case, even in the case of other storage bins in which the cold air supply order is not returned, the cold air is not supplied at all, and cold air is supplied to maintain the minimum temperature at which the food can be maintained without being damaged. That is, it will be programmed to properly adjust the degree of opening of the damper. In the following, an operation mode for setting priority and allowing cold air to be differentially supplied as described above will be defined as an electric charge saving operation mode. In addition, a general operation mode, that is, an operation mode in which each of the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment is cooled but the entire storage compartment is cooled, will be defined as a basic operation mode.

10 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the refrigerator 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention communicates with at least the energy management unit 14 of the utility network 10 or the energy management unit 24 of the home network 20 for information exchange. This is possible.

In detail, the refrigerator 300 may include an input unit 140 provided in a button form or a touch screen form, and a signal transmitting and receiving unit 120 that transmits and receives additional information other than energy information and energy information from the energy management units 14 and 24. ), A controller 110 for varying an operating condition of the refrigerator 300 based on the information provided through the signal transceiver 120, and a memory 160 in which information transmitted to the controller 110 is stored. And a display unit 130 displaying a result of the operation processed by the controller 110 or an operation state or condition of the refrigerator, and selecting a driving mode of the user based on energy information transmitted from the energy managers 14 and 24. Warning unit 150 including a notification means for requesting, and the like, a temperature sensor 180 for detecting the temperature inside the refrigerator, and a drive unit 170 including at least the compressor 171, the fan 172 or the damper 173 and the like. ) May be included.

In more detail, the warning unit 150 may include an alarm means using voice or light. For example, it is determined that the current time point is an on-peak interval based on the information transmitted from the energy managers 14 and 24, and a warning sound or a warning is issued by the warning unit 150 to ask the user whether to execute the electric charge saving operation mode. You can have a text or warning light on. Alternatively, when the user is currently performing an electric charge saving operation mode in the on-peak period, and the user wants to switch the operation mode arbitrarily, the warning unit 150 informs the user not to change the operation mode, or does the operation mode be truly changed? At least one or more of a warning sound, a warning letter, or a warning light may be output.

Hereinafter, a control method of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to a flowchart.

11 is a flowchart showing a control method of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, in the control method according to the present embodiment, as described above, the energy related information is received from the utility network 10 or the home network 20, and consumed by the energy consumption unit based on the received information. The purpose is to minimize the amount of power. Specifically, in driving the refrigerator, under certain conditions, the plurality of storage compartments defined in the refrigerator may be cooled according to priority.

First, the user operates the input unit 140 of the refrigerator 300 to select a priority setting mode (S11). Then, a plurality of storage compartments formed in the refrigerator may be displayed on the display unit 130 in a sector form (S12). Alternatively, each of the plurality of storage compartments may be assigned a sequence number, and the number of each storage compartment may be displayed in a form of being listed. In this state, when the user selects the priority of cooling (S13), the priority result is displayed on the screen of the display 130 (S14). Here, as the priority selection method, a method of touching a sector or number of a corresponding storage compartment on the screen or inputting a storage compartment number according to the priority considered by the user can be proposed.

In the state of prioritization according to the above method, energy-related information, that is, energy information and information other than energy information, is received from the energy management units 14 and 24 and transmitted to the control unit (S15). Then, the controller interprets the received information to determine whether the current view is on-peak or off-peak. When the current time is interpreted as an on-peak period, the controller transmits a notification signal asking whether to operate the refrigerator in an electric charge saving mode (S16). As the method of transmitting the notification signal, voice, text, light, and the like, which are presented above, may be used. Accordingly, when the user selects the electric charge saving mode of operation (S17), the speeds of the compressor and the cooling fan are automatically adjusted (S18). In other words, the speed of the compressor and cooling fan is reduced so that the cooling power is reduced. This will reduce the amount of power consumed. If the user does not select the electric charge saving mode operation continues the previous basic operation mode (S22). Then, the cold air generated in the evaporator is supplied to each storage compartment according to the priority (S19). In detail, the dampers formed at the cold air discharge ports of the respective storage compartments are opened completely in the order of priority. The cold air outlet damper of the storage bin that has not reached the rank can be opened slightly so that only cold air is maintained so that food is not damaged. When the cooling of the storage compartment is completed, cold air is supplied to the storage compartment of the next order. That is, the damper of the storage compartment corresponding to the next order is completely opened, and the opening degree is adjusted so that the damper of the storage compartment corresponding to the previous order is only slightly open.

On the other hand, when the electric charge saving mode operation is terminated (S20), it returns to the basic mode operation again (S21). Here, the stopping time of the electric charge saving mode operation may be set to the same or similar time point when the on-peak period ends.

By the control method as described above, in the on-peak section of the high electric bill to reduce the power consumption of the refrigeration cycle to reduce the power consumption, the refrigeration cycle in the normal operation mode in the off-peak section of the relatively low electric bill By driving, there is an advantage that can reduce the electricity bill.

Claims (13)

A utility network including an energy generation unit and including at least one or more of energy information or additional information other than energy information, and capable of transmitting these information; And
It includes at least one energy consumption unit for consuming energy generated by the energy generating unit, including a home network capable of receiving the energy information,
The energy consumption unit includes a refrigerator having a plurality of storage compartments,
And an electric charge saving operation mode in which cold air is supplied to the storage compartment according to priority based on information received from the utility network or the home network. The method of claim 1,
The energy information includes energy rate information and energy fee information. The method of claim 2,
The non-energy information includes a network system including one or more of energy reduction, emergency situation, network safety, power generation amount, operation priority, and energy consumption amount. The method of claim 1,
The additional information includes one or more of environment information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component, and consumer habit information using an energy consumption unit. The method of claim 1,
The home network,
An energy management unit controlling the energy consumption unit;
An energy measuring unit capable of recognizing energy consumption information of the energy consuming unit;
An energy distribution unit for distributing energy generated by the energy generation unit; And
And at least one or more of an energy storage unit storing energy generated by the energy generator or energy distributed by the energy distributor. The method of claim 5, wherein
The utility network,
An energy distribution unit for distributing or delivering energy;
An energy storage unit for storing energy;
An energy management unit for managing energy; And
The network system further comprises at least one or more of the energy measuring unit for measuring the energy-related information. The method of claim 1,
The refrigerator,
An input unit;
A signal transceiver for receiving information transmitted from the utility network or a home network;
A controller which controls the operation of the refrigerator by interpreting the information received through the signal transceiver;
A driving unit including a damper for opening and closing a cold air discharge port formed in the storage compartment; And
At least one or more of the warning unit for outputting the notification signal generated by the control unit. The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit,
The electric power saving operation mode is performed when the current time is on-peak period based on the information received through the signal transmission and reception unit. The method of claim 7, wherein
The notification signal may include a notification signal that asks whether to perform the electric charge saving driving mode,
A network system comprising at least one or more of voice, text, and light. The method of claim 7, wherein
The notification signal may include a warning signal that warns the user when a driving mode switching command is input by the user while the electric charge saving driving mode is being performed.
A network system comprising at least one or more of voice, text, and light. The method of claim 7, wherein
The network system, characterized in that for automatically switching to the electric charge savings operation mode when the on-peak period starts by the control unit. The method of claim 11,
The network system, characterized in that by the control unit at the end of the on-peak period to stop the electric charge saving operation mode and automatically switch to the basic operation mode. The method of claim 12,
The driving unit,
A compressor for compressing the refrigerant,
Further includes a cooling fan for forced flow of cold air,
And a power amount supplied to the compressor and the cooling fan in an electric charge saving operation mode to be reduced than in the normal operation mode.

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