KR20160134622A - Network system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network system which can efficiently manage an energy source and can reduce electric charges and/or energy consumption. The network system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a utility network which includes an energy generation unit, has at least one of energy information and additional information other than the energy information, and can transmit the at least one piece of information; and a household network which includes at least one energy consumption unit consuming energy generated by the energy generation unit, and can receive the at least one piece of information. The energy consumption unit includes a refrigerator having a plurality of storage shelves, and is selectively operated in an electric charge reduction operation mode in which cold air is supplied to the storage shelves according to priorities based on information received from the utility network or the household network.

Description

Network system

The present invention relates to a network system.

Suppliers simply supply energy sources such as electricity, water, and gas, and demanders simply use the supplied energy sources. Therefore, effective management in terms of energy production, distribution, or energy use is difficult to perform.

In other words, energy is a radial structure that is distributed from an energy supplier to a large number of consumers, that is, from the center to the periphery, and is characterized by a one-way supplier center rather than a consumer center.

The price information of electricity can not be known in real time, but it can be seen only through the power exchange, and because the price system is also a fixed price system, incentives such as incentives for consumers through price changes can not be used There was also a problem.

In order to solve these problems, there has been a lot of efforts recently to implement a horizontal, cooperative and distributed network that can efficiently manage energy and enable interaction between a consumer and a supplier.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a network system capable of effectively managing an energy source and reducing electricity bill and / or energy consumption.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network system including an energy generating unit, at least one of energy information and additional information other than energy information, And a home network capable of receiving the energy information, wherein the energy consuming unit includes a refrigerator having a plurality of storage cells, wherein the energy consuming unit includes: And an electricity bill saving operation mode in which cool air supply to the storage compartment is performed in priority order based on information received from a utility network or a home network is selectively performed.

According to the proposed invention, it is possible not only to confirm the electric bill information, the electric power consumption amount, the operation information of the energy consumption part, and the status information through the integrated remote controller but also to control the operation of the energy consumption part, can do.

1 schematically shows a network system according to the present invention;
2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a network system according to the present invention;
3 is a block diagram illustrating an information delivery process on a network system according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a graph for explaining the form of the electricity bill; FIG.
5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a first application example of a network system according to the present invention;
6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a second application example of a network system according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a third application example of the network system according to the present invention; FIG.
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 the flow of cold air generated 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 illustrating a method of controlling a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

1 is a schematic diagram of a network system according to the present invention.

The network system is a system for managing energy sources such as electricity, water, and gas. The energy source means that the generated amount or the used amount can be measured.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, the network system of one embodiment includes a power plant that produces electricity. The power plant may include a power plant that generates electricity through thermal power generation or nuclear power generation, and a power plant that uses eco-friendly energy such as hydro, solar, and wind power.

Electricity generated by the power plant is transmitted to a power station through a transmission line, and electricity is transmitted to a substation in a substation so that electricity is distributed to consumers such as a home or an office.

Electricity generated by environmentally friendly energy is also transmitted to the substation and distributed to each customer. Electricity transmitted from the substation is distributed through an electric storage device or directly to the office or each household.

In the home using a home network (HAN, home area network), electric power can be produced, stored, distributed, or distributed through a solar cell or a fuel cell mounted on a PHEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) The remaining electricity can be sent back to the outside (for example, a power company).

In addition, the network system includes a smart meter for real-time monitoring of electricity consumption of a consumer (home or office), an AMI (Advanced Metering infrastructure) for measuring electricity usage of a large number of consumers, May be included. That is, the measurement apparatus can measure the amount of electricity used by receiving information measured by a plurality of smart meters.

In this specification, the measurement includes not only what the smart meter and the measuring apparatus itself measure, but also what the smart meter and the measuring apparatus can recognize by receiving the amount of generated or used amount from other components.

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

The function or solution performed by the energy management apparatus in this specification may be referred to as an energy management function or an energy management solution.

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

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

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the network system of the present invention is configured by a plurality of components. For example, power plants, substations, power stations, energy management devices, household appliances, smart meters, capacitors, web servers, measuring devices, and home servers are components of the network system.

Further, in the present invention, each component can be constituted by a plurality of detailed components. For example, when one component is a household appliance, the microcomputer, the heater, the display, and the motor constituting the household appliance may be detailed components.

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

Further, one network may be a single component or may be composed of a plurality of components.

In this specification, a network system in which communication information is related to an energy source may be referred to as an energy grid.

The network system of one embodiment may be composed of a utility network (UAN) 10 and a home network (HAN) 20. The utility network 10 and the home network 20 can be wired or wirelessly communicated by communication means.

In this specification, assumption means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, and the like, as well as assumptions of a dictionary meaning. A utility is a collection 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 An energy storage component 13 for managing energy, an energy management component 14 for managing energy, and an energy metering component 15 for measuring energy related information.

When one or more components of the utility network 10 consume energy, the energy consuming component may be an energy consuming part. That is, the energy consuming part may be a separate component or included in another component.

The energy generating unit 11 may be, for example, a power plant. The energy distribution unit 12 distributes or transfers the energy generated by the energy generation unit 11 and / or the energy stored in the energy storage unit 13 to the energy consuming unit. The energy distribution unit 12 may be a power transmission unit, a substation, a power station, or the like.

The energy storage unit 13 may be a battery and the energy management unit 14 may include an energy generation unit 11, an energy distribution unit 12, an energy storage unit 13, an energy consumption unit 26). ≪ / RTI > In one example, the energy management unit 14 may generate commands relating to 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, an AMI. The energy management unit 14 may have a separate configuration or may be included as an energy management function in another component.

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 way. These terminal components may be provided in at least one 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, an energy storage component for storing energy a storage component 23, an energy management component 24 for managing energy, an energy metering component 25 for measuring energy related information, and an energy consuming part a consumption component 26, a central management component 27 for controlling a number of components, an energy grid assistance component 28, an accessory component 29, a consumable handling component 29, component: 30).

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

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

The energy consuming unit 26 may be a heater, a motor, a display, or the like that constitutes a home appliance (a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, a cleaner, a drier, a dishwasher, a dehumidifier, . It is to be noted that there is no limitation in the kind of the energy consuming section 26 in the present 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 generating unit 21, the energy distributing unit 22, and the energy storing unit 23 may be individual components or a single component.

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

The energy network auxiliary unit 28 is a component having an original function while performing an additional function for the energy grid. For example, the energy network auxiliary unit 28 may be a web service providing unit (e.g., a computer), a mobile device, a television, and the like.

The accessory component 29 is a dedicated energy network component that performs an additional function for the energy network. For example, the accessory component 29 may be an energy-network-dedicated weather-receiving antenna.

The Consumable handling component 30 is a component that stores, supplies, and delivers a consumable, and can confirm or recognize information on a consumable. The consumable can be, for example, an article or a material to be used or processed in operation of the energy consuming unit 26. [ The consumable processing unit 30 may be managed by the energy management unit 24 in the energy network.

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

The energy distributing units 12 and 22, the energy storing units 13 and 23, the energy managing units 14 and 24, the energy measuring units 15 and 25, The central management unit 26, and 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 units 14 and 24, the energy measurement units 15 and 25, and the central management unit 27 exist as a single component, and each of the smart meters, the energy management device, Or the energy management units 14 and 24, the energy measurement units 15 and 25, and the central management unit 27 may constitute a single component mechanically.

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

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

On the other hand, the utility network 10 and the home network 20 can communicate by communication means (first interface). At this time, a plurality of utility networks 10 can communicate with a single home network 20, and a single utility network 10 can 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 (e.g., a modem or the like) 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 a method for wired communication or a method for wireless communication.

The two components constituting the utility network 10 can communicate by communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 20 can be communicated by communication means (second interface). The energy consumption unit 26 may be connected to at least one of the energy management unit 24, the energy measurement unit 25, the central management unit 27, the energy network auxiliary unit 28, As shown in Fig.

The microcomputer of each of the components (for example, the energy consuming unit) can communicate with the communication unit (the second interface) (third interface). For example, when the energy consumption is an appliance, the energy consuming unit may receive information from the energy management unit by a communication means (second interface), and the received information may be transmitted to the microcomputer Lt; / RTI >

Further, the energy consuming unit 26 can communicate with the accessory component 29 through a communication means (fourth interface). Further, the energy consuming unit 26 can communicate with the consumable processing unit 30 through a communication means (fifth interface).

3 is a block diagram illustrating an information delivery process on the network system of the present invention. 4 (a) is a graph showing time of use (TOU) information and critical peak pattern (CPP) information, and FIG. 4 (b) is a graph showing RTP real time pattern) information.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the network system of the present invention, the specific component C can receive information related to energy (hereinafter, "energy information") by communication means. Further, the specific component (C) can be configured to include additional information (environmental information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component (failure), and consumer habit information using the energy consumption unit Can be further received.

The environmental information may include carbon dioxide emission amount, carbon dioxide concentration in air, temperature, humidity, rainfall amount, rainfall amount, insolation amount, air amount, and the like.

On the other side, the information includes internal information such as information related to each component (operation or status information (failure) of each component, energy use information of the energy consumption part, consumer habit information using the energy consumption part, etc.) (Energy information, environmental information, program update information, and time information).

At this time, the information can be received from other components. That is, the received information includes at least energy information.

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

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

For example, the types of information related to electricity include time-based pricing, energy curtailment, grid emergency, grid reliability, energy generation amount, (operation priority), and energy consumption amount (energy consumption amount). In this embodiment, the charge related to the energy source is an energy charge.

That is, energy related information can be classified into charge information (energy charge) and non-charge information (energy reduction, emergency situation, network safety, power generation, operation priority, energy consumption, etc.).

Such information can be divided into scheduled information generated in advance based on previous information and real time information that varies in real time. The schedule information and the real-time information can be classified according to the prediction of the information after the present time (future).

The energy information I may be divided 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 vary with time.

Referring to FIG. 4 (a), according to the TOU information, data is changed stepwise according to time. According to the CPP information, the data changes stepwise or real-time with time, and emphasis is displayed at a specific time point. That is, in the case of the CPP pattern, the general charge is cheaper than the charge of the TOU pattern, but the charge at the specific point in time is significantly more expensive than the charge in the TOU pattern.

Referring to FIG. 4 (b), according to the RTP information, data changes in real time according to time.

On the other hand, the energy information I may be transmitted or received as a TOF (True OR False) signal such as a Boolean on a network system, actual price information may be transmitted or received, or a plurality of levels may be transmitted and received. Hereinafter, an example of information related to electricity will be described.

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

Alternatively, a particular component may recognize information about at least one drive that includes an electricity bill, and the particular component may compare on-peak and off-peak values by comparing the recognized information value with a reference information value 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 determine on-peak and off-peak values, Lt; / RTI >

At this time, the information value about the driving may be at least one of an electricity rate, a power rate, a rate of change of the electricity rate, a rate of change of the electric power rate, an average value of the electricity rate and an average value of the electric power amount. The reference information value may be at least one of an average value, an average value of a minimum value and a maximum value of power information during a predetermined section, and a reference change rate of power information during a predetermined section (for example, a slope of power consumption amount per unit time).

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

If the specific component (for example, the energy consuming unit) recognizes an on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output may be set to 0 (stop or stop) and the output may be reduced. The specific component may determine the driving method in advance before starting the operation, and may change the driving method when the on-peak is recognized after the operation starts.

And, if a particular component recognizes off-peak, it can recover or increase its output when needed. That is, when a particular component that recognizes an on-peak recognizes an off-peak, the output can be restored to its previous state or increased further than the previous output.

At this time, the total consumed power and / or the total electricity use charge during the entire driving time of the specific component is reduced, even when the output of the specific component is recovered or the output is increased after recognizing the off-peak.

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

The predetermined criteria may be set in real time or may be set in advance. The predetermined criteria may be set in the utility network or in a home network (input by a consumer direct input, energy management unit, central management unit, etc.).

Alternatively, the output may be increased if the particular component recognizes an on-peak (for example, a point-in-time). However, even when the output is increased at the time when the on-peak is recognized, the total output amount during the entire driving period of the specific component can be reduced or maintained to be less than the total output amount when the specific component operates at the normal output.

Alternatively, the total power consumption or total electricity charge during the entire drive period of a particular component, even when the output increases at the time when it recognizes the on-peak, is the total power consumed or total It can be reduced than the electricity rate.

If the specific component recognizes an off-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output can be increased. For example, when the operation reservation is set, a component whose operation starts before a setting time or a component having a large output among a plurality of components can be driven first.

Further, in the case of a refrigerator, it is possible to store the hot water in the hot water tank by supercooling the output by increasing the output from the existing output, or by driving the heater before the expected operation time of the heater in the case of the washing machine or the washing machine. This is to operate the off-peak in advance to be operated at an on-peak to be reached in the future, thereby reducing the electricity bill.

Or when a particular component recognizes an off-peak (for example, when it is recognized).

In the present invention, the particular component (e.g., the energy consuming unit) may maintain, reduce or increase the output. Thus, a particular component may include a power changing component. Since the power can be defined by current and voltage, the power variable component may include a current regulator and / or a voltage regulator. The power variable component may, for example, be operated in response to an instruction issued from the energy manager.

On the other hand, the energy curtailment information is information related to a mode in which the component is stopped or the energy fee is low. That is, the energy reduction information is information related to the reduction of the energy consumption amount or the energy charge.

The energy reduction information may be transmitted and received as a TOF signal, for example, as a Boolean on a network system. That is, a stop signal (turn off signal) or a reduction signal (lower power signal) can be transmitted and received.

When the specific component recognizes the energy reduction information, it can reduce the output (when the lower power signal is recognized) or to zero the output as described above (if the stop or stop state is maintained) have.

The emergency information (Grid emergency) is information related to a power failure or the like, and may be transmitted / received as a TOF signal, for example, as a Boolean. The information related to the power failure or the like is related to the reliability of components using energy.

If the particular 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 and perform the same operation as that of the off-peak of the specific component described above . And, at the time of the emergency, the specific component can be shut down.

The grid reliability information is information about the amount of electricity supplied or the amount of electricity supplied or information about the quality of electricity. The grid reliability information may be transmitted or received as a TOF signal, such as a Boolean value, or AC supplied as a component (for example, The component may determine the frequency of the power supply.

That is, when the underfrequency of the AC power supplied to the component is detected (recognized), it is judged that the supplied electricity quantity is small. If an overfrequency higher than the reference frequency of the AC power supply is detected (recognized) Can be judged to be many. That is, an underfrequency lower than the reference frequency corresponds to the information related to the reduction of energy consumption or energy bills.

When the specific component recognizes that the amount of electricity is low or the quality of the electricity is poor, the specific component may set the output 0 (stop or stop) depending on the case, as mentioned above, The output can be reduced, the output can be maintained, or the output can be increased.

The electricity generation excess amount information is information on the state where the electricity consumption of the component consuming energy is smaller than that of the electricity generation and the surplus electricity is generated and can be transmitted and received by the TOF signal like Boolean for example.

The output can be increased if the specific component recognizes the generated electricity excess information (eg, when it recognizes grid overfrequency or recognizes an over energy signal). For example, when the operation reservation is set, a component whose operation starts before a setting time or a component having a large output among a plurality of components can be driven first. Further, in the case of a refrigerator, it is possible to store the hot water by supercooling the output by increasing the output from the existing output, or by driving the heater in advance of the expected time of operation of the heater in the case of a washing machine or a washing machine.

Specifically, each type of information related to the energy includes first information (I1) that is not processed, second information (I2) that is information processed in the first information, And third information (I3), which is information for performing a function of the 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.

And, energy related information is included in the signal and transmitted. At this time, at least one of the first to third information may be converted only the signal, but the content may be transmitted a plurality of times without being converted.

For example, as shown in the figure, a component receiving a signal including the first information I1 may simply convert a signal and transmit a new signal including the first information I1 to another component.

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

However, the third information may be transmitted a plurality of times in a state in which the contents are converted, or may be transmitted a plurality of times in a state in which signals are converted while maintaining the same contents.

In detail, when the first information is unprocessed electricity rate information, the second information may be processed electricity rate information. The processed electricity bill information is information or analytical information in which electric bill is divided into multiple levels. The third information is an instruction generated based on the first information or the second information.

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

For example, a plurality of third information can be transmitted and received in sequence or in parallel without 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.

In one example, when a particular component receives the first information, the particular component may transmit the second information, transmit the second information and the third information, or transmit only the third information.

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

On the other hand, in the relationship between two pieces of information, one piece of information is a message and the other piece of information is a response to a message. Accordingly, each component constituting the network system can transmit or receive a message, and can respond to a received message when receiving a message. Therefore, the transmission and correspondence of a message is a relative concept for individual components.

The message may comprise data (first information or second information) and / or instructions (third information).

The command (third information) includes at least one of a data storage command, a data generation command, a data processing command (including generating additional data), an additional command generation command, a further generated command transmission command, Command, and the like.

In this specification, responding to a received message means that it is necessary to store data, to process data (including generating additional data), to generate a new command, to send a newly created command, ), Operation, transmission of stored information, transmission of an acknowledge character or negative acknowledge character, etc.

For example, if the message is first information, the component that received the first information may generate a second information by processing the first information, generate second information, and generate new third information, Only the third information can be generated.

Specifically, when the energy management unit 24 receives the first information (internal information and / or external information), the energy management unit 24 generates the second information and / or the third information, And may be transmitted to one or more constituent components (e.g., an energy consuming unit). The energy consuming unit 26 may operate according to the third information received from the energy managing 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 may communicate with a plurality of components 32, 33, 34 (second to fourth components) of the home network. It is noted that there is no limit to the number of components of the home network that communicate with the first component 31 at this time.

That is, in this embodiment, the first component 31 serves as a gateway. The first component 31 may be, for example, one of an energy management unit, an energy measurement unit, a central management unit, an energy network auxiliary unit, an energy consumption unit, and the like.

A component serving as a gateway in the present invention not only enables communication between components communicating using different communication protocols, but also enables communication between components communicating using the same communication protocol.

Each of the second to fourth components 32, 33 and 34 may be one of an energy generating unit, an energy distributing unit, an energy managing unit, an energy storing unit, an energy measuring unit, a central managing unit, have.

The first component 31 may receive information from the utility network 10 or one or more components that make up the utility network 10 and may forward or process the received information so that the second component- (32, 34). For example, when the first component 31 is an energy measurement unit, the first component may receive electric bill information and transmit it to an energy management unit, an energy consumption unit, and the like.

And each of the second to fourth components can communicate with another component. For example, the first component 31 may be an energy measurement unit, the second component may be an energy management unit, and the energy management unit may communicate with one or more energy consumption units.

6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating 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 can communicate with the utility network 10 directly.

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

The first component 41 may communicate with one or more components (e.g., the third and fourth components 43 and 44), and the second component 42 may communicate with one or more components And the sixth component 45, 46).

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

Each of the third to sixth components may be one of an energy generation unit, an energy distribution unit, an energy management unit, an energy measurement unit, a central management unit, an energy network auxiliary unit, and an energy consumption unit.

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, 53 constituting the home network of the present embodiment can directly communicate with the utility network 20. [ That is, there is no component acting as a gateway as in the first and second embodiments, and each of the components 51, 52 and 53 can communicate with the utility network.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a refrigerator constituting a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a view showing a flow of cold air generated in a refrigerator.

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

In detail, a dispenser 310 capable of extracting ice and / or water may be provided on the front surface of the freezing chamber door 302. In addition, a home bar structure 302 may be provided on the front surface of the refrigerating chamber door 303.

The storage space in the freezer 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 a shelf structure. In addition, cool air discharge ports (301a) are formed on the rear walls of the plurality of partitioned storage compartments, respectively, so that the respective storage compartments can be individually cooled. In addition, each of the cold air discharge ports 301a may be provided with a damper to selectively supply cool air into the storage compartment.

Hereinafter, the freezer compartment 304 and the refrigerating compartment 305 are divided into a plurality of storage compartments, and the priority order of the cooling can be determined according to an arbitrary condition of the plurality of storage compartments. In addition, the storage spaces are cooled according to the priority order, so that efficient refrigeration or freezing can be performed while reducing electric charges.

In detail, when the cooling priority of the storage cells is determined automatically or by the user, cool air is supplied according to the priority. (Not shown) and a cooling fan (not shown) according to energy charge information including electricity rate information transmitted from the utility network 10 to adjust the amount of cold air supplied. For example, in the off-peak interval, operate in the normal cooling mode, but in the on-peak interval, the storage cells are sequentially cooled according to their priority. Then, as 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. Here, even in the case of other storage compartments in which the cold air supply order does not return, the cold air is not supplied at all, and it is preferable that the cold air is supplied so that the minimum temperature can be maintained without food being damaged. That is, it will be programmed to appropriately adjust the degree of opening of the damper. Hereinafter, the operation mode in which the priority is set and the cold air is supplied in a different manner as described above will be defined as the electricity cost saving operation mode. The operation mode in which the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment is cooled in a general operation mode, that is, the entire storage compartment is cooled is defined as a basic operation mode.

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

10, a 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 This is possible.

In detail, the refrigerator 300 includes an input unit 140 provided in the form of a button or a touch screen, a signal transmitting and receiving unit 120 for transmitting and receiving additional information other than energy information and energy information from the energy managing units 14 and 24, A controller 110 for changing an operation condition of the refrigerator 300 based on information provided through the signal transmitting and receiving unit 120 and a memory 160 for storing information transmitted to the controller 110. [ A display unit 130 for displaying the operation result or the operation condition or condition of the refrigerator, the operation result of the user based on the energy information transmitted from the energy management units 14 and 24, A temperature sensor 180 for sensing the internal temperature and a driving unit 170 including at least a compressor 171, a fan 172 or a damper 173, and the like, ).

More specifically, the warning unit 150 may include a voice or light alarm unit. For example, the alarm unit 150 may determine whether the current time is on-peak based on the information transmitted from the energy management units 14 and 24, Characters or warning lights can be turned on. Alternatively, when the user is attempting to switch the operation mode arbitrarily while the electricity-saving operation mode is being performed in the current on-peak section, the warning unit 150 informs the operator that the operation mode should not be changed, Or at least one or more of a warning sign or a warning sign or a warning sign may be output.

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

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

Referring to Fig. 11, the control method according to the present embodiment receives energy-related information from the utility network 10 or the home network 20, as described above, To minimize power consumption. Specifically, in driving the refrigerator, a plurality of storage compartments defined in the refrigerator under certain conditions are cooled according to the priority order.

First, the user operates the input unit 140 of the refrigerator 300 to select a priority order setting mode (S11). Then, a plurality of storage compartments formed in the refrigerator may be displayed in the form of a sector on the display unit 130 (S12). Or, the order numbers may be attached to each of the plurality of storage spaces, and the numbers of the storage spaces may be listed. In this state, when the user selects the priority order of cooling (S13), a priority result is displayed on the screen of the display unit 130 (S14). Here, as a priority selection method, it is possible to suggest a method of touching a sector or a number of a corresponding storage space on the screen or a method of inputting a storage space number according to a priority order considered by a user.

In step S15, the energy management unit 14 or 24 receives information other than energy related information, that is, energy information and energy information, in a state in which the priority determination is completed according to the above method, to the control unit. Then, the controller analyzes the received information to determine whether the current time is an on-peak period or an off-peak period. If the present time point is interpreted as an on-peak period, the control unit transmits a notification signal to the refrigerator to inquire whether to operate the refrigerator in the electricity-saving mode (S16). As the notification signal transmission method, the above-mentioned voice, text, light, and the like may be used. Accordingly, when the user selects the electricity saving mode operation (S17), the speeds of the compressor and the cooling fan are automatically adjusted (S18). In other words, the speed of the compressor and the cooling fan is reduced so that the cooling power is reduced. Then, the amount of power consumed will be reduced. If the user does not select the electricity saving mode operation, the previous basic operation mode is continuously performed (S22). The cool air generated in the evaporator is supplied to each storage compartment according to the priority order (S19). In detail, the dampers formed in the cold air discharge ports of the respective storage compartments are completely opened in the order of priority. The cold air outlet dampers of the storage compartment that have not reached the ranking can be opened only slightly so that only cold air can be supplied so that the food can be maintained without being injured. When cooling of the storage compartment is completed, cool air is supplied to the storage compartment of the next step. That is, the damper of the storage compartment corresponding to the next step is completely opened, and the damper of the storage compartment corresponding to the previous order is adjusted to be opened only slightly.

On the other hand, when the electric fare reduction mode operation ends (S20), the operation returns to the basic mode operation (S21). Here, the stopping point of the electricity-saving mode operation may be set to be the same as or similar to the point of time when the on-peak interval ends.

By the control method described above, the operation intensity of the refrigeration cycle is lowered to reduce the power consumption in the on-peak section where the electricity rate is high, and the refrigeration cycle is changed from the off- So that the electric bill can be reduced.

Claims (4)

A utility network including an energy generating unit and capable of transmitting energy related information; And
And at least one energy consuming unit consuming energy generated in the energy generating unit, wherein the home network receives information related to the energy,
The energy-
A plurality of storage compartments for respectively forming cool air discharge openings;
A damper provided in each of the cold air discharge openings for selectively supplying cool air into the plurality of storage compartments;
A signal transmitting / receiving unit for receiving information related to energy transmitted from the utility network or the home network; And
And a control unit for controlling an operation mode of the energy consuming unit based on information related to the energy,
Wherein,
Determines an on-peak period based on the energy-related information,
peak interval, and adjusts the degree of opening of at least one damper based on the priority. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
and when the off-peak interval is recognized, controls to return at least one or more of the openings of the at least one damper to the previous state. The method according to claim 1,
The energy-
A compressor for compressing the refrigerant,
Further comprising a cooling fan for forcedly flowing cold air,
Wherein,
wherein the control unit controls the amount of power supplied to the compressor and the cooling fan to be reduced when the on-peak period is on-peak. The method according to claim 1,
The energy-
Further comprising an alarm unit for outputting a notification signal,
Wherein,
wherein the controller is configured to transmit a notification signal indicating whether to perform an electricity-saving operation mode for selectively supplying cool air into the plurality of storage compartments according to a priority order.

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