KR20190063151A - Home energy management system based air conditional control method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a structure of a home energy management system, and more specifically, to an operation apparatus for operating an air conditioner inside a house, comprising: an analog zone sensor which controls temperature setting and driving on the air conditioner by an analog method; an operation unit which receives an analog signal of the analog zone sensor to change into a digital signal or generates an analog signal for operating the analog zone sensor; a control unit which receives an analog status information converted into the digital signal on the operation unit or which generates a digital operation signal to control the analog zone sensor; and a user interface unit which uses a display to display available functions and services, and to transmit the function and service information requested by a user to the control unit. According to the present invention, the structure of a home energy management system is able to use all smart air conditioner control functions even in an air conditioner system having an analog device controller.

Description

[0001] Home energy management system based air conditioner control method and apparatus [

The present invention relates to a home energy management system, and more particularly, to an energy management system having an analog-type control device, which controls an analog type operation unit through a digital type operation unit, And more particularly, to a configuration and a method of a home energy management system capable of efficiently controlling energy in consideration of energy efficiency.

Recently, as a part of the green energy business, the importance of the Home Energy Management System (HEMS) for the Smart Grid has been growing as the Smart Grid is getting attention.

The home energy management system is a device for efficiently managing the energy consumption of home appliances by utilizing the Smart Grid, which includes general appliances (refrigerator, washing machine, etc.), renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.) , A fuel cell, and the like.

Currently, most residential energy management systems are implemented in home servers with automatic control level based on home network system. Home energy management system based on home network system is home energy management system which is equipped with home energy Management system (HEMS: Home Energy Management System) has been developed to enable remote access through mobile technology, thereby providing control functions linked with home network technology.

Such a home energy management system has a merit that the user can induce the user to take an action to save energy by voluntarily grasping the actual energy consumption in the home by providing the energy consumption information to the user in a specific form.

On the other hand, the housing of the countries in the Middle East is usually a two to three-storey single-family house, and operates a large number of air conditioners.

These Middle East buildings are equipped with a number of air conditioners in order to operate the air conditioner efficiently, and these air conditioners are controlled by zone, that is, each floor or section, or each air conditioner is equipped with a temperature controller, The operation of the air conditioner was controlled according to the temperature of the installed space.

However, this conventional method operates only in accordance with temperature regardless of whether there are people or not, when there are several spaces (room 1, room 2, living room, etc.) in the building controlled by temperature. Therefore, there is a problem that the air conditioner is operated even in a space where there is no human being, thereby wasting energy.

In addition, while the conventional air conditioner operates with an analog type operation unit, the home energy management system is provided in a digital form, so that it is difficult to use the air conditioner using the conventional analog type operation unit. In order to use the home energy management system, it is necessary to use digital thermostat or Smart A / C control for improving the performance of the conventional analog roof top air conditioner as a roof top air conditioner for digital or smart control. It is difficult to design a new air conditioner, to construct / construct new air conditioner in the whole building, and to have a lot of cost and time due to the convenience of the existing house.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0047015 (published on May 02, 2016)

The embodiments of the present invention improve the analog zone sensor installed for the temperature control of the existing analog loop top air conditioner and add the intermediate control module while maintaining the existing loop top air conditioner outdoor unit and analog connection line as it is (Smart A / C Control) function of Smart Digital Temperature Controller (Digital Thermostat).

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner comprising: an analog zone sensor configured to control temperature setting and driving of an air conditioner; A user interface unit for displaying available functions and services using a display, and transmitting function and service information requested by the user; A control unit for generating an operation signal for operating the analog zone sensor using the function and service information requested by the user interface unit; And an operation unit for generating an operation signal for controlling the analog zone sensor using the control signal of the control unit.

The user interface unit may include a touch screen including a touch pad that can be operated through a touch.

The user interface unit may be operable using a smart phone or an external terminal.

The control unit may generate a control signal based on information capable of operating the analog zone sensor.

The control unit may further include an environment sensor for collecting at least one of temperature, humidity, and the presence or absence of a person in the room. The control unit may receive additional information and service information for controlling the analog zone sensor by receiving controllable information from the analog zone sensor And transmit the information to the user interface unit.

The operation unit may further include means for performing a physical operation of the analog zone sensor.

The operation unit may further include means for recognizing the state of the analog zone sensor and an image information analyzing unit for recognizing the states of the dial and operation buttons of the analog zone sensor using a camera.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner comprising: an analog zone sensor configured to be an analog type and controlling temperature setting and driving of an air conditioner; A controller for receiving a signal from an external wireless terminal and generating a control signal for operating the analog zone sensor; And an operation unit for analyzing the control signal of the control unit and generating an operation signal for operating the analog zone sensor.

The user interface unit may include a touch screen including a touch pad that can be operated through a touch.

The user interface unit may be operable using a smart phone or an external terminal.

The control unit may generate a control signal based on information capable of operating the analog zone sensor.

The control unit may further include an environment sensor for collecting at least one of temperature, humidity, and the presence or absence of a person in the room. The control unit may receive additional information and service information for controlling the analog zone sensor by receiving controllable information from the analog zone sensor And transmit the information to the user interface unit.

The operation unit may further include means for performing a physical operation of the analog zone sensor.

The operation unit may further include means for recognizing the state of the analog zone sensor and an image information analyzing unit for recognizing the states of the dial and operation buttons of the analog zone sensor using a camera.

According to the present invention, since the intermediate module for controlling the analog zone sensor is installed, the digital temperature control function and the smart air conditioner control function can be utilized, so that the air conditioner user having the conventional analog type control unit can also use the home energy management system Can be used.

Embodiments of the present invention include receiving user commands via wireless communication with a user terminal or receiving user commands related to package air conditioners via a user interface and relaying the user commands together with sensing data, Information can be easily relayed.

1 is a view showing the operation of a package air conditioner in a home using an analog roof top air conditioner.
2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a home energy management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a home energy management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view illustrating a home energy management system for controlling a plurality of rooms with one operation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a home energy management system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the portions necessary for understanding the operation and operation according to the present invention. In describing the embodiments of the present invention, description of technical contents which are well known in the art to which the present invention belongs and which are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is for the sake of clarity of the present invention without omitting the unnecessary explanation.

In describing the constituent elements of the present invention, the same reference numerals may be given to constituent elements having the same name, and the same reference numerals may be given to different drawings. However, even in such a case, it does not mean that the corresponding component has different functions according to the embodiment, or does not mean that it has the same function in different embodiments, and the function of each component is different from that of the corresponding embodiment Based on the description of each component in FIG.

First, prior to the description of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a description will be given of building characteristics of the Middle East where the package air conditioner applied to the embodiments of the present invention is installed.

Generally, the buildings in the Middle East are northbound. I am on the north side of every window. And the buildings in the Middle East are inhabited by people from all over the world. In the case of general houses, multi-family members live together in the second or third floor building.

A package air conditioner is installed in such a building to perform the cooling operation of the house. The package air conditioner can be installed as a roof top package air conditioner. Looking at the roof-top package air conditioner, duct ventilation and ventilation systems are installed on the roof. Depending on the size, five to eight tuyeres may be installed.

One package air conditioner covers 2 to 3 or 2.5 rooms or rooms.

These packaged air conditioners are directly connected to the roof air conditioner and the thermostat. There is one thermostat connected to each package air conditioner.

Looking at the general three-story building structure, there is a living room and a reception room on the ground floor of the building. There is a living room and a room on the 1st Floor. The 3rd Floor (2nd Floor) has a room and a laundry / housekeeper room. Rooftop has an air conditioning system and a power terminal box.

On the other hand, in the general three-story and underground-based building structure, there is a living room, a prayer room and a room on the first basement of the building. The ground floor of the building has a living room, a reception room and a room. There is a living room and a room on the 1st Floor. The 3rd Floor (2nd Floor) has a living room, a room and a laundry / housekeeper room. Rooftop has an air conditioning system and a power terminal box.

In the meantime, let's look at air conditioner operation patterns that users of the Middle East operate package air conditioners.

For the basics, the user does not change the temperature once it is set by default. However, the user changes the temperature setting by season or at a specific time.

Looking at the season (seasonally), during February to October, the user does not perform the temperature operation after setting the specific temperature. During November through January, the user does not use or at least uses the package air conditioner (A / C).

On a season by season basis, families will leave their homes during the summer, during the Christmas season and during Ramadan, and if they live only in Housekeeper, they will maintain a minimal energy use. The floor where the Housekeeper resides exists as a separate space.

If you look at morning, lunch, and evening by day, the user will use the fixed value once and do not change it. Looking at the weather conditions of the Middle East, the daily variations of morning, lunch and dinner are quite large.

The cooling operation in the characteristics and the room layout of the package air conditioner applied to the home energy management system according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the package air conditioner 101 may be installed as a roof top packaged air conditioner.

In the roof of the building in which the package air conditioner 101 is installed, a ventilation duct in the form of a duct and a ventilation system are installed. Depending on the size of the tuyere, five to eight tanks can be installed.

One package air conditioner 101 can cover 2 to N, or 2.5 rooms or rooms. But is not limited to the number of specific rooms.

One package air conditioner 101 controls room 1 110, room 2 120 and room N 140 using a single device controller 103. The package air conditioner 101 is a rooftop air conditioner Is directly connected to the blowing system 1: 1, and is configured to perform cooling operation through the duct 102.

When the device controller 103 is operated, the package air conditioner 101 installed on the roof provides cold air at the same intensity in the room 110 to the room N 140 along the duct 102.

The device controller (103) is configured in analog form. The device controller (103) has a configuration in which the temperature is controlled through rotation by using a gear wheel, a structure for controlling the temperature by moving the lever vertically or horizontally, Structure. This analog system has only ON / OFF operation and temperature setting function of the air conditioner and performs the same cold air injection to all the rooms 110 to 140 through the temperature measured through the temperature sensor installed in the device controller 103 . This is because, when there are many rooms performing cooling, deviation of the cooling temperatures of the respective rooms occurs, which results in low satisfaction when the occupant rests in a room without the device controller 103.

In order to solve the above problem, a method of constructing and applying a home energy management system (HEMS) using a wired / wireless communication network has been proposed. However, So that the user is burdened in terms of cost.

2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a home energy management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the home energy management system of the present invention includes a user interface unit 210, a control unit 220, an operation unit 230, and an analog zone sensor 240.

The analog zone sensor 240 is an apparatus for controlling the temperature setting and the driving of the conventional air conditioner in an analog manner, and has an object to control the air conditioner.

The operation unit 230 receives the analog state information of the analog zone sensor 240 and transmits the analog state information to the control unit 230 or receives the operation signal generated by the control unit 230 to apply the analog operation signal to the analog zone sensor 230. The analog operation signal may include physical means capable of performing mechanical manipulation of the analog zone sensor 240. [

The control unit 220 receives the service / function information input from the user interface unit 210 and generates an operation signal for operating the analog zone sensor 240 to transmit an operation signal to the operation unit 230, Receives the status information of the analog zone sensor 240, converts the signal into display information for display on the user interface unit 210, and transmits the signal to the user interface unit 210.

The user interface unit 210 receives the service / function information input by the user and transmits the input information to the control unit 220 or displays the display information received from the control unit 220 to the user.

Hereinafter, the specific configuration and operation of each component of the home energy management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The user interface unit 210 includes a terminal communication unit 311, a graphic user interface unit 312 and a touch pad unit 313.

The user interface unit 210 is constituted by a display and receives the user's input and transmits the information to the control unit 220 or converts the state information of the analog zone sensor 240 into display display information and displays the information on the display. The display includes a touch pad unit 313, and the user can touch the configuration displayed on the display configured through the graphic user interface unit 312 to check or control various operations of the temperature control and home energy management system of the air conditioner have. The graphic user interface unit 312 controls various functions available in the home energy management system such as external weather, temperature, current power consumption, lighting ON / OFF, control of appliances, ON / OFF of the air conditioner, The user interface unit 210 may be connected to the Internet through wired / wireless communication equipment and download various designs from the server. In addition, various information displayed on the display through the graphic user interface 312 can be set and information confirmed through the touch of the display directly through the touch pad unit 313.

The terminal communication unit 311 supports wireless communication to enable a user to operate the user interface unit 210 in a room where the user or the user interface unit 210 is not located, Control can be performed from outside.

The control unit 220 transmits information to the user interface unit 210 or receives a signal from the operation unit 230 and provides service and function information required by the user interface unit 210.

The control unit 220 includes a wire / wireless transceiver unit 321. The wired / wireless transmission unit 321 can receive various information through wireless communication such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. For example, the weather information requested by the user interface unit 210, the current power consumption, the lighting, and the appliances operation information can be confirmed. In addition, the environment sensor unit 350 installed in the same room as the user interface unit 210 A plurality of environmental information may be fetched.

The environmental sensor unit 350 includes a plurality of sensors for measuring environmental information including the temperature / humidity sensor 351, the infrared sensor 352, and the occupant sensor 353. [ The temperature / humidity sensor 351 measures temperature and humidity of the room where the sensor is installed, and provides temperature / humidity information to the control unit 220. The infrared sensor 352 and the occupant sensor 353 are used for the presence of the occupant in the room where the sensor is installed, body temperature of the occupant, fire detection, security, and the like. The specific usage of the sensors will be described again in FIG.

The operation unit 230 receives the information of the analog zone sensor 240 and transmits the information to the control unit 220 or receives the information of the control unit 220 to drive the analog zone sensor 240.

Since the information on the presence / absence of the air conditioner operation and the set temperature of the analog zone sensor 240 is constituted by an analog signal, it can not be directly used by the user interface unit 210, which is a digital device, And converts the analog state information to a digital signal through a D / A converter (Analog-Digital Converter) 332 and transmits the digital signal to the controller 220. [ Also, when the air conditioner is controlled by the user interface unit 210, the control signal inputted from the user interface unit 210 is a digital signal, and the D / A converter 331 converts the control signal into an analog signal So as to be controlled.

Since the analog zone sensor 240 performs an operation for analogically driving and setting the air conditioner, it is impossible to apply and control the analog signal. Therefore, the configuration of the driving unit 333 is essential for driving the analog zone sensor 240 using an analog signal. The control signal converted into the analog signal through the D / A converter 331 is applied to the driver 333 to physically operate the temperature controller having the shape of a lever, a button, a toothed wheel, or the like of the analog zone sensor 240 .

The configuration of the driving unit 333 is not limited in the present invention, and includes any configuration in which the analog zone sensor 240 can physically be operated.

In addition, since the analog zone sensor 240 is a control device that performs analog operation, it may happen that the status information of the analog zone sensor 240 can not be confirmed on the operation unit 230. [ If the analog zone sensor 240 can not transmit a signal to the outside, the operation unit 230 controls the temperature of the analog zone sensor 240 through the additional device such as a camera (not shown) And can transmit information to the control unit 220 by confirming the operation state.

4 is a view illustrating a home energy management system for controlling a plurality of rooms with one operation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional package air conditioner 101 performs the same cooling in a room 110 to a room N 140 through a duct 102.

Referring to FIG. 4, environmental sensor units 350-1, 350-2 and 350-3 are located in the first to third room 110 to N, respectively, and the environmental sensor units 350-1 and 350- 2 and 350-3 measure information such as the temperature and humidity of each room 110 to 140 and whether or not the room is occupied. The measured information is transmitted to the control unit through the wired / wireless transmitters 410 to 430 installed in the respective rooms 110 to 140.

The wired / wireless transmitting / receiving unit 321 of the control unit 220 receives the information transmitted from the wired / wireless transmitters 410 to 430 and selectively performs one or more of the following operations.

The control unit 220 can control the air conditioner in an operation mode of a manual mode, an automatic mode, and a semi-automatic mode according to a user's setting. In the manual mode, a user directly sets a temperature by selecting a specific room. If the temperature of the room 110 is set to 22 degrees, the temperature of the room 110 is maintained at 22 degrees regardless of the temperature measured in the room 220 to the room N 140.

The semi-automatic mode is a method in which the user changes the room and manages the room temperature by circulating the room temperature at a predetermined cycle until the room temperature of each room 110 to 140 becomes equal to the user-set temperature. For example, if the temperature of the room 1 (110) is set to 22 degrees and the temperature of the room 2 (120) is set to 24 degrees, the cooling is performed at the set temperature of the room 110 And performs the cooling operation to the set temperature of the second room 120 (120). Alternatively, when the room 110 is cooled and the room temperature is lowered to the set temperature, the room 120 is cooled to circulate through the rooms 110 to 140 and control the temperature of the room.

The automatic mode is specifically divided into room-based control, priority control, and scenario control.

The occupant-based control recognizes the presence of a person in the room by using the environment sensor units 350 and 350-1 to 350-3 installed in the respective rooms, And the setting details are applied to the package air conditioner 110 to perform the cooling operation.

The priority control is a method of setting a priority for cooling the rooms 110 to 140. The default setting is to set the room in which the device controller 103 is installed as the first priority and to set . The user can change the priority, check whether the person is re-established according to the changed priority, and perform the cooling according to the re-establishment and the priority.

The scenario control method can be further subdivided into a reservation scenario function and a scheduling function.

The reservation scenario function is performed on the basis of the time information that the control unit 220 fetches from the outside through wired / wireless communication. If the reservation time scheduled by the user is set, the current time is compared with the reservation time, (210) or the wireless terminal (200) and operates the package air conditioner (101).

When the user sets the operation time and the stop time of the package air conditioner 101, the control unit 220 compares the operation time and the stop time with the current time on the basis of time information taken from outside through wired / wireless communication, When the current time matches, the cooling is controlled through the operation method set by the user. When the stop time and the current time become equal, the operation of the package air conditioner 101 is terminated.

In the scenario control method, a plurality of scenarios may be stored in a plurality of storage spaces, and then, the scenario may be selectively operated according to a user's setting.

5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a home energy management system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The operation unit 230 and the analog zone sensor 240 are the same as those of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

5, the control unit 220 includes a wired / wireless transmission / reception unit 321. The wired / The control unit 220 receives the digital value of the analog state information of the analog zone sensor 240 transmitted from the operation unit 230 and directly transmits the digital value to the wireless terminal 510 through the wire / wireless transceiver unit 321.

The wireless terminal 510 includes all the wireless terminals that can control the home energy management system, but not limited thereto, using the smartphone of the user.

The wireless terminal 510 displays various home energy management system information obtained through the controller 220 by implementing a graphical user interface through an application. The user performs information acquisition and control of the system through the wireless terminal 510 do.

The service / function information input by the user through the wireless terminal 510 is transmitted from the wireless terminal 510 to the wired / wireless transmission / reception unit 321 of the control unit 220. The control unit 220 receives the service / Only the operation signal for controlling the operation unit 110 is transmitted to the operation unit 230. The operation unit 230 converts the operation signal into an analog signal in the D / A conversion unit 331 and transmits the analog signal to the driving unit 333. The driving unit 333 converts the analog signal into an analog zone sensor 240 .

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

101: package air conditioner 321: wired / wireless transmission /
102: duct 331: D / A conversion section
103: Device controller 332: A / D converter
210: user interface unit 333:
220: control unit 350: environmental sensor unit
230: Operation part 351: Temperature / humidity sensor
240: Analog zone sensor 352: Infrared sensor
311: terminal communication unit 353: occupant sensor
312: graphic user interface unit 410: wired / wireless transceiver
313: touch pad unit 510: wireless terminal

Claims (18)

1. An operating device for operating an air conditioner inside a house,
An analog zone sensor for controlling the temperature setting and driving of the air conditioner analogously;
An operation unit for receiving an analog signal of the analog zone sensor and converting the analog signal into a digital signal or generating an analog signal for operating the analog zone sensor;
A control unit for receiving analog state information converted into a digital signal by the operation unit or generating a digital operation signal for controlling the analog zone sensor; And
A user interface unit for displaying available functions and services using a display, and transmitting function and service information requested by a user to the control unit;
≪ / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the user interface unit comprises a touch screen including a touch pad operable through a touch operation. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the user interface unit is operable using a smart phone or an external terminal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit generates a control signal based on information capable of operating the analog zone sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controller collects relevant information from at least one environmental sensor. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the at least one environmental sensor collects at least one of a temperature, a humidity, and a person's presence or absence of the room. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the control unit receives information that can be controlled by the analog zone sensor, generates additional function and service information for controlling the analog zone sensor, and transmits information to the user interface unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the operation unit includes means for performing a physical operation of the analog zone sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the operation unit includes means for recognizing the state of the analog zone sensor. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the operation unit includes an image information analyzing unit that can recognize a state of a dial and an operation button of the analog zone sensor using a camera. 1. An operating device for operating an air conditioner inside a house,
An analog zone sensor for controlling the temperature setting and driving of the air conditioner analogously;
An operation unit for receiving an analog signal of the analog zone sensor and converting the analog signal into a digital signal or generating an analog signal for operating the analog zone sensor;
A control unit for receiving analog state information converted into a digital signal by the operation unit or generating a digital operation signal for controlling the analog zone sensor; And
A wireless terminal for displaying available functions and services using a display and for communicating function and service information requested by a user to the controller;
/ RTI >
Wherein the control unit and the wireless terminal are connected to each other through wireless communication. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the control unit generates a control signal based on information capable of operating the analog zone sensor. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the controller collects relevant information from at least one environmental sensor. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the at least one environmental sensor collects at least one of a temperature, a humidity, and a person's presence or absence of the room. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the control unit receives information that can be controlled by the analog zone sensor, generates additional function and service information for controlling the analog zone sensor, and transmits the information to the wireless terminal. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the operation unit includes means for performing a physical operation of the analog zone sensor. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the operation unit includes means for recognizing the state of the analog zone sensor. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the operation unit includes an image information analyzing unit that can recognize a state of a dial and an operation button of the analog zone sensor using a camera.

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