KR20140062809A

KR20140062809A - Intelligent plug system and communication system using the same

Info

Publication number: KR20140062809A
Application number: KR1020120129642A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 권혁준
Original assignee: 권혁준; 대구가톨릭대학교산학협력단
Priority date: 2012-11-15
Filing date: 2012-11-15
Publication date: 2014-05-26

Abstract

The present invention relates to a technique of effectively managing standby power, and more particularly, to a plug system including a pair of a plug and a socket, which is capable of remotely turning on/off an electronic appliance by recognizing a kind and a power supply state of connected electronic appliance in itself. An intelligent plug system according to the present invention includes a plug attached to an individual appliance; and a socket connected to an external power source, into which the plug is inserted. The plug includes an appliance identification module, and the socket includes an appliance recognition module and a control module. The appliance recognition module of the plug is a module embedded in an ID information medium in which specific resistance or an identification code applied to each appliance is embedded. The intelligent plug system according to the present invention automatically recognizes the kind of each appliance connected thereto and whether power is supplied and provides the recognized information for a user, so that the standby power can be prevented from being wasted, and the user can remotely control the appliance to be conveniently turned on/off through communications means such as a mobile phone or the Internet.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an intelligent plug system and a communication method using the intelligent plug system.

The present invention relates to an efficient management technology for standby power, and more particularly, to a plug system capable of automatically recognizing the type and power supply state of connected electric devices and performing on / off operation remotely, To a communication method capable of controlling the amount of power consumption.

A method of remotely recognizing the power supply state of various electric devices (television, refrigerator, lighting lamp, electric heating device, hereinafter collectively referred to as "device" And devices are emerging. With the emergence of the concept of home automation, technology to remotely control the operation status of various electrical appliances in the home or office through a communication network such as a mobile communication network, a wired telephone network, and the Internet network and remotely operate the devices Is being developed.

Various power saving type outlets have recently been developed in accordance with the above trend, and many methods are available for performing on / off operations for remotely recognizing the power supply state of the devices and remotely turning on and off the devices.

As a method for realizing the object of the remote recognition remote operation as described above, there is provided a power source gate in the form of a switchboard for supplying power to each of the devices, as shown in FIG. And a transmitting unit for transmitting an on / off operation state individually to each of the devices, and a transmitting unit for receiving and collecting operating states received from the respective transmitting devices and transmitting the received operating states to the outside, And a remote control unit for transmitting an on / off operation signal of each device to a power source gate that can turn on / off the electricity supplied to each device according to the operation state of each device, A power gate method capable of recognizing and remotely performing on / off operations is known.

In the power gate method as described above, the communication between each device and the transmitter usually uses infrared communication or other short distance communication method. Further, the transmitter and the remote display control unit are integrally provided so as to be installed near the entrance of the house or near the entrance of the office, so that the state of each individual apparatus can be manually ascertained and the necessary on / off operation of the apparatus can be performed.

In recent years, it has been recently proposed to connect a transmitter to a communication network such as a cellular phone network, a wired telephone network, or the Internet network, and to provide a remote display operation function to a portable telephone terminal, a separate dedicated terminal, A technology capable of recognizing the state and performing on / off operation has been implemented.

In the case of the power gate method as described above, loss of standby power can not be prevented because each device is connected to a power source, and each device must be provided with a transmitting device to continuously transmit the power state. And the power saving effect is low. The user must know exactly what device is connected to each power connector of the power gate. If the device connected to each power connector of the power gate is replaced by another device, it must be memorized or input to the remote control again There is an inconvenience.

As another method for realizing the object of the remote recognition remote operation as described above, there is a power detecting unit of a method of checking a power state of a socket to which a plug of each device is connected, An on / off control unit that can turn on / off the power, a control unit that recognizes the power state of each socket and can turn on / off the power to each socket, and a network interface that connects the control unit and the communication network. There is an interface method.

In the network interface method, the control unit may include a manual operation unit, a remote control, and the like so that each device can be directly turned on and off.

The network interface method as described above identifies the operation state of each device connected to the socket by the amount of electricity supplied to each socket, which can reduce the standby power loss of the device. However, all of the socket- The on / off control unit of all the outlets must be connected to the control unit, and there is no function to identify which device is connected to each outlet, so that the inconvenience of using still remains.

As described above, any method or apparatus capable of remotely recognizing the power supply state and remotely turning on / off the developed power supply state can not prevent the apparatus from being complicated and consuming standby power. Moreover, there is a problem in that it is inconvenient to use because there is no function of recognizing the type of the device connected to each outlet, and thus the control program becomes complicated.

In order to solve the above-described technical problem, it is an object of the present invention to directly identify the type of equipment connected to the power supply connector itself, which is composed of an outlet and a plug, and to newly turn on / off the power of the power source remotely A plug-in system of such a plug system, a plug-in module to which a power ON / OFF function, a timer setting and a timer setting and communication can be attached to these plugs and to collect and control data of the respective devices, There is also a need for a communication scheme that enables selective communication with the smart device.

In order to accomplish the object of the present invention, an intelligent plug system according to the present invention comprises a plug attached to an individual device and an outlet to which the plug is inserted, the plug including a device identification module, A device recognition module and a control module.

The device identification module of the plug is equipped with an ID information medium in which the inherent resistance assigned to each type of device or the identification code assigned to each device type is stored. The device identification module of the outlet contacts the device identification module of the plug to recognize the type of the device connected to the plug inserted in the socket, and the control module determines the type of the device connected to each outlet according to the information received from the device recognition module. Off control of each device, and performs control functions such as communication with an external user.

In addition, the communication method using the intelligent plug system according to the present invention is characterized in wireless communication with a smart device such as a smart phone or the like by remote and short distance communication with each device through an IPS server.

The intelligent plug system according to the present invention automatically recognizes the type of each device connected to each outlet and whether or not the device is powered on and provides information to the user so that the user can conveniently operate each device remotely .

When the intelligent plug system according to the present invention is used, waste of standby power wasted by each device can be eliminated, and the user can easily perform on / off operation of a desired device, thereby realizing efficient home automation. The intelligent plug system according to the present invention is very simple in construction and can be manufactured at low cost.

Since the intelligent plug system according to the present invention can be distributed and arranged in various places of the house where each device is installed, complicated wiring work is unnecessary when the wireless system is applied without being restricted by the space for home automation construction.

1 is a block diagram of a conventional remote device operation method.
2 is a block diagram of another conventional remote device operation scheme.
3 is a plug configuration diagram according to the present invention.
4 is a block diagram of the adapter.
5 is a socket configuration diagram according to the present invention.
6 is a block diagram of a control module according to the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a socket configuration diagram having a plurality of sockets.
8 is a diagram showing a general outline of a communication system using an intelligent plug system.

The intelligent plug system of the present invention is composed of a plug 10 and a receptacle 2 in the same manner as a conventional power supply connection composed of a plug connected to an individual device and an outlet connected to an external power source. The configuration required to supply power is the same as that of a normal power connector.

As shown in Fig. 3, the plug 1 has two electrical terminals 12 protruding from the plug body 11 in the same manner as a normal 220V or 100V plug. Each of the electrical terminals 12 A wire (13) is connected to supply electricity to the device. And the device identification module 14 is embedded in the surface of the plug where the electrical terminals 12 protrude.

The device identification module 14 includes an identification unit 141 incorporating identification information assigned to each type of device connected to the plug 1 and a contact terminal plate 142 connecting the identification unit 141 and the receptacle 2, .

The identification information of the apparatus may be a unique resistance given for each type of apparatus or may be an ID information medium in which an identification code assigned for each type of apparatus is stored. For example, in the case of a television, a resistance of 100 ohm (ohm), a refrigerator of 200 ohms, an air conditioner of 300 ohms, and a electric iron of 400 ohms. The identification code is 100 for TV, 200 for refrigerator (210 for regular refrigerator, 220 for Kimchi refrigerator), 300 for air conditioner and 400 for electric iron. Such identification information, such as a unique resistance or an identification code, may be specified by the national or related association level, or may be arbitrarily given by the manufacturer of the device to its own product.

The contact terminal plate 142 has one or two protrusions on the surface of the plug 1 on which the electrical terminal 12 protrudes and contacts the contact terminals of the receptacle so that when the plug 1 is inserted into the receptacle 2, So that the device identification information of the part 141 can be transmitted to the outlet.

As shown in Fig. 4, the plug 1 may be provided directly in a plug provided in the device, or may be an adapter type plug 1 -1). The adapter 3 to be used therein has two adapter terminal holes 32 in which two protruding electrical terminals of a normal plug are inserted and electrically connected to the adapter body 31, And two adapter electrical terminals 33 that are electrically connected to the adapter body 31 and protrude to the outside of the adapter body 31. The device identification module 14 is embedded in the surface of the adapter 3 on which the adapter electrical terminal 33 protrudes.

When the plug is composed of the adapter-type plug 1-1 as described above, the adapter 3 incorporating the identification information assigned for each device can be manufactured and sold for each of the television, refrigerator, The user can purchase an adapter conforming to the device he / she is using and insert the adapter 3 into the normal electric plug connected to the device. In the case of applying the adapter type plug 1-1 as described above, the devices with the conventional plugs may be equipped with the remote recognition remote control function of the method proposed by the present invention.

5, the receptacle 2 is provided with two terminal holes 25 through which the plug 1 can be inserted into the receptacle body 21, like the ordinary 220 V or 100 V receptacle, And a device recognition module 23 for contacting the device identification module 14 of the plug 1 is provided at a lower portion of the socket 22. The socket body 22 is provided with a socket 22, A module 24 is provided. The electric wire 26 is connected to the terminal hole 25.

The device recognition module 23 is composed of a recognition module 231 in the form of a printed circuit board and a contact terminal rod 232 which contacts the contact terminal plate 142 of the device identification module 14 of the plug 1. The contact terminal rod 232 is provided with a spring 233 at a lower portion thereof,

It is preferable that the contact between the plate 142 and the contact terminal rods 232 is ensured. The contact terminal bar 232 contacts the contact terminal plate 142 of the device identification module 14 of the plug 1 to enable the recognition module 231 to detect the device identification information of the device identification module 14 .

6, the control module 24 includes a control section 241 for performing various controls, a switch section 242 for supplying or blocking electricity to the outlet 2, And a communication unit 243 for transmitting information on the connected device and information on the power on / off state to the outside. If necessary, the display unit 244 may be provided to display an appliance or the like connected to the electricity supply state of the outlet.

The control unit 241 recognizes the type of the device connected to the outlet 2 in accordance with the information received from the device recognition module 23 and recognizes the on / off state of the device from the switch unit 242, And sends the information to the communication unit 243. The control unit 241 sends an operation command to the switch unit 242 to turn the switch unit 242 on and off in accordance with the operation command received from the communication unit 243. [

The switch unit 242 performs an on / off operation of connecting or disconnecting the power according to an operation command of the control unit 241. [ And transmits the ON / OFF state to the control unit.

The communication unit 243 is connected to a communication network such as a wired communication telephone network, a mobile communication telephone network, or the Internet network in a wired or wireless manner with respect to the types of the devices connected to the respective outlets received from the control unit 241 and the on / The communication modem or an integrated control device provided for each home or office, and an operation command of each device received by the communication modem or the integrated control device is sent to the control section 241 to enable the switch section 242 to operate .

The display unit 244 is provided as needed, and can display the type of the equipment connected to the outlet 2 or the power on / off state according to the control unit received from the control unit. An LED lamp can be considered as the simplest type of display unit.

7, the receptacle 2 of the present invention is provided with a plurality of sockets 22 on one socket body 21 and the device recognition module 23 of each socket 22 is connected to the control module 24 and the control module 24 may have a plurality of switches corresponding to respective sockets so that a plurality of devices can be connected to one receptacle 2.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a general outline of a communication system using an intelligent plug system according to the present invention, in which electric energy supplied from a power supply company is supplied to a power consumer through a power supply line, (Audio), a personal computer (PC), and the like. It is a matter of course that the power consumer includes not only a home but also an office and a factory.

The IPS server 20 acts as an intermediate bridge between the intelligent plug and the smart device, collects data of each device, and transmits the data transmitted from the intelligent plug to the smart device. The communication with the intelligent plug uses the short-distance and long-distance communication methods described later, so that it can be installed in the factory or anywhere in the house.

Each load 16 of the power consumer is connected to a power source via a plug module 15 which communicates with the IPS server 20 via a first communication network 17-1.

The first communication network 17-1 may be a wired or wireless communication network.

For example, the first communication network 17-1 may include at least one of a power line communication (PLC), a Bluetooth communication network, and a Zigbee communication network.

The plug module 15 is located between the receptacle and the power connector, between the power plug of the individual device and the power connector, or between the receptacle and the plug of the individual device, detects the amount of power of the individual device connected thereto, And to connect or disconnect the power supply to the individual device 16 according to a remote control command received from the IPS server 20. [

At this time, the plug module 15 may transmit the power amount information of the individual device according to the transmission request periodically received from the IPS server 20, or may transmit the power amount information of the individual device by determining the period.

The information to be transmitted to the IPS server 20 by the plug module 15 basically includes information on the amount of power of the individual device 16 connected thereto and its identification information ID, To the IPS server 20 periodically.

The IPS server 20 can perform various roles as necessary and can communicate with the remote management server 19 through the second communication network 17-2 in the context of the present invention or can communicate with the first communication network 17-1 To communicate with the plug module 15. [ The communication between the remote management server 19 and the IPS server 20 enables the status of each home appliance to be checked and controlled from a remote place by a remote communication method. You can also add a personal security code field to your application to prevent others from using this system.

The remote management server 19 may be a device capable of wireless communication, for example, a smart phone, a PC, a notebook computer, or the like.

The IPS server 20 periodically transmits the power consumption information of the individual device to the remote management server 19 and transmits the remote control command received from the remote management server 19 to the plug module 15. [

At this time, the IPS server 20 may transmit the power consumption information of the individual device according to the transmission request periodically received from the remote management server 19, or may determine the period of the power consumption information of the individual device, 19).

The second communication network 17-2 through which the IPS server 20 and the remote management server 19 communicate can be various wired or wireless communication networks. Preferably, a wireless communication network such as WiFi, 3G and 4G is used .

The power consumption information of the individual devices transmitted from the IPS server 20 to the remote management server 19 includes power consumption identification information, plug module identification information, and power amount information of individual devices connected to the plug module.

The remote management server 19 compares the power amount information of the individual devices received from the IPS server 20 with the power amount profile to determine which individual devices are connected to which plug modules, And transmits a remote control command for the individual device to the IPS server 20.

As described above, the plug system according to the present invention can be operated as follows.

A communication modem or a separate integrated control device connected to a communication network such as a wired communication telephone network, a mobile communication telephone network, or the Internet network in each home or office unit, and all the power connection ports to which the respective devices are connected are connected to the communication modem or the integrated control Thereby making it possible to communicate with the device by wire or wireless. In recent years, various types of short distance wireless data communication methods have been developed, and it is convenient to make wireless communication using such a short distance wireless data communication method.

The communication modem can be connected to a wired communication telephone network, a mobile communication telephone network, or the Internet network. In such a case, the user may access the communication modem using a wired telephone, a wireless telephone, or the Internet from outside and grasp the on / off states of all the devices used in his / her home or office, Off operation by using a land line telephone, a wireless telephone, or the Internet. In particular, it is technically possible to display the operating states of the respective devices in the form of a table on a mobile communication terminal (mobile phone or the like) due to the recent development of mobile communication services and terminals, and to perform on / off operations of the respective devices.

When the integrated control device is used, the integrated control device is installed on the entrance of the home, and when the user goes out, the integrated control device is operated at the entrance to check the operation state of each device, . In recent years, since an intercom terminal is provided at the entrance of each house, it is technically possible to add the function of the integrated control device of the present invention to the intercom terminal.

1: Plug 2: Outlet
3: Adapter 11: Plug body
12: electrical terminal 13: wire
14: Device identification module 21: Outlet body
22: Socket 23: Device recognition module
24: Control module 25: Terminal hole
26: wire 31: adapter body
32: Adapter terminal hole 33: Adapter electric terminal

Claims

A conventional electric plug comprising a plug body, two electric terminals protruding from the plug body, and an electric wire connected to each of the electric terminals, the electric plug being attached to an electric device and connecting the device to an external power source, A plug having an identification unit which is mounted in the interior of the plug and incorporates identification information given for each type of the electric appliance to which the plug is connected, and a device identification module composed of a contact terminal plate exposed on a surface between the two electric terminals;
The receptacle body is formed with a socket through which the plug is inserted, and the receptacle is provided with two terminal holes through which the electrical terminal of the plug can be inserted. A contact terminal bar which is in contact with the contact terminal plate of the device identification module of the plug and which is connected to the contact terminal bar and recognizes the device identification information embedded in the identification part of the device identification module of the plug, A control unit for taking charge of control to supply or cut off electricity to the device and to receive or supply the device identification information from the device recognition module; And the identification information of the device received by the control unit and the identification information of the device On / transfer information regarding the off state to the outside and one outlet, further comprising a control module that is configured to the communication to be transmitted to the control unit to receive the on-off operation command signal from an external device;
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2. The plug according to claim 1,
A plug body, two electrical terminals protruding from the plug body, and a common electric plug consisting of electric wires connected to the respective electric terminals;
An adapter body, two adapter terminal holes into which the two electric terminals are inserted and electrically connected, two adapter electric terminals electrically connected to the adapter terminal holes and inserted into terminal holes of the socket, And an apparatus identification module comprising an identification unit which is mounted in the interior of the main body and incorporates identification information given for each type of apparatus, and a contact terminal plate which is exposed to a surface between the two electric terminals and can contact the outside.
Wherein said plug is a plug formed by combining said first plug and said second plug.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identification information embedded in the identification part of the device identification module of the plug
Wherein the ID information medium is an ID information medium in which an intrinsic resistance given for each type of device or an identification code assigned for each type of device is stored.

The control module according to claim 1 or 2,
Further comprising a display unit for displaying identification information of the device received by the control unit and on / off status of the device.

The connector according to claim 1 or 2,
A plurality of sockets are provided in each receptacle body, a device recognition module is provided in each socket, and a control module includes a plurality of switch portions which function to supply or cut off electric power to the respective sockets, To be used by plugging a plurality of plugs into an outlet of the intelligent plug system.

3. The intelligent plug system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the socket body is mounted with the same or different numbers of power ports.

A plug module installed between a receptacle and a power connector, between a power plug of an individual device and a power connector, or between an outlet and a power plug of an individual device, and detecting the amount of power of the individual device and transmitting the amount of power through the first communication network;
An IPS server receiving power amount information transmitted from the plug module through the first communication network and transmitting the received power amount information through a second communication network; And
Comparing the power amount information received through the second communication network from the IPS server with the power amount profile stored in the database to distinguish individual devices to be used, storing the plug modules and the individual devices in a matching manner, And a remote management server for transmitting the remote management server,
Wherein the plug module is configured so that a user can set identification information of the plug module.

The method of claim 7, wherein the first communication network includes at least one of a power line communication network, a Bluetooth communication network, and a Zigbee communication network,
The second communication network is a wireless communication network such as WiFi, 3G and 4G,
Wherein the remote management server is a device capable of wireless communication for transmitting a remote control command to an individual device or a group of individual devices.