KR20120000007A - Network system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network system. According to one aspect, a network system includes: a utility network having components capable of operating with respect to energy; And a home network having a component capable of communicating with the component and capable of operating with respect to energy, wherein the utility network or the component constituting the home network includes at least one of a plurality of types of information. It is characterized in that it is operated based on.

Description

Network system

The present invention relates to a network system.

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

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

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

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

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

According to one aspect, a network system includes: a utility network having components capable of operating with respect to energy; And a home network having a component capable of communicating with the component and capable of operating with respect to energy, wherein the utility network or the component constituting the home network includes at least one of a plurality of types of information. It is characterized in that it is operated based on.

According to another aspect, a network system includes a utility network having components that can operate in conjunction with energy; A home network having a component capable of communicating with said component and capable of operating with respect to energy; And an energy management unit capable of recognizing a plurality of types of information, and controlling the components constituting the utility network or the home network based on at least one of the plurality of types of information.

According to the present invention as described above, the energy source can be efficiently produced, used, distributed, stored, and the like, thereby enabling efficient management of the energy source.

In addition, since the control unit or a specific component controls the operation of the home appliance (energy consuming unit) by reflecting one or more types of information of a plurality of types, there is an advantage that the energy consumption amount and the energy bill are reduced.

1 shows schematically a network system according to the invention;
2 is a block diagram schematically showing a network system according to the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing an information transfer process on a network system of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a form of an electric charge. FIG. 4A is a graph showing time of use (TOU) information and critical peak pattern (CPP) information, and FIG. 4B is a RTP ( real time pattern) A graph showing information.
5 is a block diagram schematically showing a first application example of a network system according to the present invention;
6 is a block diagram schematically showing a second application example of a network system according to the present invention;
7 is a block diagram schematically showing a third application example of a network system according to the present invention;
8 is a block diagram of one component of a network system in accordance with the present invention.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a network system according to the present invention.
10 is a block diagram of a washing machine which is an example of an energy consumption unit constituting the network system of the present invention.
11 is a block diagram of a refrigerator that is an example of an energy consuming part of the network system of the present invention.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile, the energy information I may be transmitted and received with a true or false signal, such as a Boolean on a network system, or actual price information may be transmitted or received, or may be leveled and transmitted. Hereinafter, information related to electricity will be described by way of example.

When the specific component C receives a true or false signal such as a Boolean, one of the signals is recognized as an on-peak signal, and the other signal is off-peak. ) Can be recognized as a signal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile, the energy curtailment information is information related to a mode in which a component is stopped or a low electric charge is used. The energy saving information may be transmitted and received with a true or false signal, for example, as a Boolean on a network system. That is, a turn off signal or a lower power signal may be transmitted and received.

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

The grid emergency information is information related to a power failure and the like, and may be transmitted / received as a true or false signal such as Boolean. Information related to the power outage is related to the reliability of the component using energy.

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

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

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

That is, when an under frequency is detected (recognized) below the reference frequency of the AC power supplied to the component, the amount of supply electricity is determined to be low, and when the frequency higher than the reference frequency of the AC power is detected (recognized), the supply electricity is This can be judged by many.

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

The excessive amount of generated electricity information is information on a state in which excess electricity is generated since the amount of electricity consumed by the component consuming less energy than the amount of generated electricity may be transmitted / received as a true or false signal, for example, a Boolean.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8 is a block diagram of one component of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, a specific component constituting the network system 60 may include one of an energy generator, an energy distributor, an energy storage unit, an energy manager, an energy measurer, a central manager, an energy network assistant, and an energy consumer. Can be.

The specific component 60 includes a control unit 61, a communication unit 62, an input unit 63 for inputting an operating condition, a display on which one or more of an operating state, energy-related information, and additional information are displayed. A section 64 and a memory section 65 may be stored in which information relating to its operation and / or other components may be stored.

The communication means 62 may communicate with other components constituting the network system. In addition, the communication means 62 may communicate with the control unit 61. The controller 61 may recognize a plurality of types of information.

In detail, the controller 61 may recognize energy related information, environmental information, internal information, and the like. At this time, the controller 61 may detect information related to the environment by itself or receive the information through the communication means 62.

The controller 61 may receive information related to energy through the communication means 62. The control unit 61 may check its own operation information by itself, and may receive information related to other components through the communication unit 62.

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

The controller 61 may determine a method of operating itself or another component based on one or more pieces of information of a plurality of types. Since a plurality of types of information may vary in real time, the control unit 61 determines whether to maintain or change the current operation method when the washing machine is in operation.

On the other hand, when the washing machine starts to operate, the controller 61 determines a method of operating the washing machine. In this case, the washing machine operates according to a mode selected by the user, but part or all of the modes may be changed according to a plurality of types of information.

By the control command of the control unit 61, one or more operations of the energy generating unit, the energy distribution unit, the energy storage unit and the energy consumption unit may be controlled.

At this time, not all kinds of information need to be considered. Depending on the type of component, two kinds of information may be considered among a plurality of kinds of information.

Priority may be set among the plurality of types of information. The priority may be set automatically or set and changed manually by the user.

For example, in the plurality of types of information, energy-related information may be set as a first priority, environmental information may be set as a second priority, and internal information may be set as a third priority. Then, whether to consider information of the next rank is determined according to the information status of the particular rank.

For example, if the energy related information is on peak information, only the energy related information may be considered, and a method of operating a component may be determined. On the other hand, when the information related to energy is off-peak information, the second order environmental information may be considered. That is, according to the information of the first rank, it is determined whether the second rank is considered. In this embodiment, for example, when the information related to the energy is off-peak, it will be described as not affecting the determination of the operation method.

In this embodiment, it is noted that the rank of the plurality of types of information is not limited. Then, the priority between the information is stored in the memory unit (65).

In addition, when the state or criterion of each of the above information exceeds the limit or includes the contents of the priority, the information including the information exceeding the limit or the contents of the priority (for example, emergency information) is determined first. can do.

For example, in a state where the environmental information is set as the first priority and information related to energy is selected as the second priority, the information related to energy recognized by the controller 61 is emergency situation information, and the environmental information is outdoors. When the temperature is 40 degrees, the controller determines the operation method of the component considering the information related to the energy as a top priority. Thus, for example, the component that is the control target of the controller may be immediately shut down.

Alternatively, the operation method in which all the information is considered may be tabled and stored in the memory unit 65. That is, the specific information related to energy, environmental information, and internal information are all considered, so that a method of operating a specific component may be selected from the table.

Meanwhile, the input unit 63 may select not only an input of an operating condition of the specific component but also a mode for reducing energy. For example, the input unit 63 may set and change priorities between types of information.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, a specific component recognizes a plurality of types of information for driving one or more of itself or other components (S1). When a specific component recognizes a plurality of types of information, it determines a method of operating itself or another component based on the set priority (S2). On the other hand, when a specific component recognizes a plurality of types of information, the table stored in the memory unit is compared with the recognized information to determine how to operate itself or another component.

When the operation method is determined by the specific component, the self or another component operates in the determined operation method (S3). At this time, when the operation method of the other component in the particular component is determined, the determined operation method information is transmitted to the other component through communication means, and the other component receives the operation method information and operates according to the received method. .

The operation method of such a component may vary according to the environment information and the type of component.

Hereinafter, the determination of the operation method of the energy consumer as an example of the component will be described.

10 is a block diagram of a washing machine which is an example of an energy consumption unit constituting the network system of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the washing machine 70 includes one of a control unit 71, a communication unit 72, an input unit 73 for inputting an operating condition, an operation state, information related to energy, and additional information. The display unit 74 displaying the above, the drum motor 76 for rotating the drum containing the laundry, the heater 77 for heating the washing water or the drum inner space, and the memory unit 75. May be included.

The heater 77 may operate in a washing process or a drying process.

The controller 71 may determine an operation method of the washing machine 70 or receive operation method information determined by another component.

In the washing machine 70, the functions of the rest of the configuration except for the drum motor 76 and the heater 77 may be the same as the configuration of the component described in Figure 8, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The control unit 71 or the specific component 60 recognizes a plurality of types of information and determines a method of operating the washing machine.

Environmental information related to the operation of the washing machine may be temperature, humidity, insolation, rainfall or the like.

Laundry may dry well at high outdoor temperatures, high insolation and low humidity. In this case, even if the degree of dehydration of the laundry is low, the laundry may be easily dried. Therefore, in the dehydration process of the washing machine, it is possible to lower the RPM of the motor than the normal state, or reduce the time required for the dehydration stroke.

Regarding the above environment information, the case where the energy information is set to the first rank and the environment information is set to the second rank will be described with an example.

For example, the control unit 71 or the specific component 60 may recognize an on peak (information related to reduction of energy consumption or energy bill), and may recognize that the outdoor temperature is 30 degrees and the humidity is 30%. In this case, the control unit 71 or the specific component 60 gives priority to the energy information and generates a command to reduce the power or energy charge consumed in the dehydration stroke of the washing machine.

Unlike this, the control unit 71 or the specific component 60 may recognize the off peak as an example, and may recognize that the outdoor temperature is 30 degrees and the humidity is 30%. In this case, since the off-peak information, which is the information of the first rank, does not affect the operation method, the control unit 71 or the specific component 60 considers the environment information, which is the second rank. Therefore, according to the environmental information, the laundry may dry well, the control unit 71 or the specific component 60 generates a command to reduce the power or energy bill consumed in the dehydration stroke of the washing machine.

On the other hand, the case where environmental information is set to a 1st priority and energy information is set to a 2nd priority is demonstrated, for example.

For example, the controller 71 or the specific component 60 may recognize an on peak, recognize an outdoor temperature of 20 degrees, and a current rain state.

According to the environmental information, which is the first priority, the laundry corresponds to a condition in which it does not dry well, the control unit 71 or the specific component 60 primarily determines an operation method so that dehydration is performed under normal dehydration conditions or maximum dehydration conditions. . At this time, when the dehydration condition is determined as the normal dehydration condition or the maximum dehydration condition while the environmental information is set as the first priority, the second order is also considered. Since the energy information as the second priority is on-peak information, the determined normal dehydration condition or maximum dehydration condition is changed to the saving dehydration condition for reducing energy, and finally the saving dehydration condition (dehydration time is reduced or drum is reduced than the normal dehydration condition). Motor RPM is reduced), a command is generated for dehydration to be performed.

On the other hand, the control unit 71 or the specific component 60 may recognize the on-peak, for example, the outdoor temperature is 30 degrees, it can recognize the weather clear state.

According to the environmental information which is the first priority, the laundry corresponds to a condition of drying well, so that the control unit 71 or the specific component 60 primarily determines an operation method so that dehydration is performed under the saving dehydration condition. In this case, when the dehydration condition is determined as the saving dehydration condition while the environment information is set as the first priority, the second rank may not be considered.

According to the present invention as described above, the energy source can be efficiently produced, used, distributed, stored, and the like, thereby enabling efficient management of the energy source.

In addition, since the control unit or a specific component controls the operation of the home appliance (energy consuming unit) by reflecting one or more types of information of a plurality of types, there is an advantage that the energy consumption amount and the energy bill are reduced.

11 is a block diagram of a refrigerator that is an example of an energy consuming part of the network system of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the refrigerator 80 includes a control unit 81, a communication unit 82, an input unit 83 for inputting an operating condition, an operation state, information related to energy, and additional information. The display unit 84 where the above is displayed, the compressor 86 for compressing the refrigerant, the defrost heater 87 for removing frost from the evaporator, and the prevention of dew condensation of the main body due to the difference between the inside and the outside temperature. Dew condensation heater 88 and the memory unit 85 may be included.

The internal temperature of the refrigerator may be varied by the operation rate of the compressor 86. The defrost heater 87 may operate when the defrost condition is satisfied. The foreign body pants heater 88 may operate periodically or when the difference between the internal temperature and the room temperature reaches a predetermined value.

In the refrigerator 80, the functions of the components other than the compressor 86 and the heaters 87 and 88 may be the same as those of the component described with reference to FIG. 8, and thus, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The controller 81 or the specific component 60 recognizes a plurality of types of information and determines a method of operating the washing machine.

Environmental information related to the operation of the refrigerator may be room temperature or humidity. The components related to the environmental information may be compressors, defrost heaters, anti-dew heaters, and the like.

When the room temperature is high, the operation rate (or the on / off frequency, the on / off cycle) of the compressor may be increased, and when the room temperature is low, the operation rate of the compressor may be reduced.

When the room temperature is high or the humidity is low, the amount of implantation may be reduced, and thus the operating time or output of the defrost heater in the defrost mode may be reduced.

When the room temperature is high, the difference between the room temperature and the inside temperature is large, and thus the operating time or output of the anti-dew heater can be increased.

Regarding the above environment information, the case where the energy information is set to the first rank and the environment information is set to the second rank will be described with an example.

For example, the controller 81 or the specific component 60 may recognize the on peak and recognize that the room temperature is 30 degrees Celsius. In this case, the controller 81 or the specific component 60 prioritizes the energy information and generates a command so that the operation rate of the compressor is reduced and / or the operation time or output of the heaters 87 and 88 is reduced (operation). Method decision).

Unlike this, the controller 81 or the specific component 60 may recognize the off peak as an example and recognize that the outdoor temperature is 30 degrees.

In this case, since the off-peak information, which is the information of the first priority, does not affect the operation method, the controller 81 or the specific component 60 considers the environment information, which is the second priority. Thus, the controller 81 or the specific component 60 generates a command such that the operation rate of the compressor 86 is increased, or the operating time of the heaters 87 and 88 or the output of the heater is increased.

In the above example, the control of the heaters 87 and 88 is performed when the heaters 87 and 88 are operating at the time when the controller 81 or the specific component 60 recognizes an on / or off peak, When the heater is stopped, the control of the heater may not be performed.

On the other hand, the case where environmental information is set to a 1st priority and energy information is set to a 2nd priority is demonstrated, for example.

For example, the controller 81 or the specific component 60 may recognize an on peak and recognize a state in which the outdoor temperature is 30 degrees.

According to the environmental information which is the first order, the operation rate of the compressor, the output or the operating time of the heater should be increased than the current state, so that the controller 81 or the specific component 60 reflects the environmental information and the compressor and // Alternatively, the method of operating the heater is primarily determined.

At this time, when the operation time or output of the component should be increased more than the present state with the environmental information set to the first priority, the second priority is also considered. Since the energy information, which is the second order, is on-peak information, the operating condition of the determined component is changed to the saving condition (reduced compressor operation rate, reduced heater operating time or output, etc.) to reduce energy consumption or energy charge.

On the other hand, the controller 81 or the specific component 60 may recognize the on-peak, for example, and recognize a state in which the outdoor temperature is 15 degrees.

According to the environmental information which is the first order, the operation rate of the compressor is reduced, or the condition of reducing the operating time or output of the heater, so that the control unit 81 or the specific component 60 operates the saving condition to operate the component. Determine how. In this case, when the operating condition of the component is determined as the saving condition while the environmental information is set as the first priority, the second rank may not be considered.

The washing machine and the refrigerator have been described above by way of example, but in the case of home appliances affected by environmental information, the idea of the present invention may be applied. For example, it can be applied to air conditioners, dryers, and the like.

In the above example, the operation method of the energy consumption unit has been described. However, according to a plurality of types of information, the energy generation unit of the energy generation unit, the energy release unit of the energy distribution unit, the energy storage unit of the energy storage unit, the energy consumption unit of the energy consumption unit, etc. This can be determined.

10: utility network 20: home network

Claims (20)

A utility network having components that can operate in conjunction with energy; And
A home network having a component capable of communicating with the component and capable of operating with respect to energy,
And said component constituting said utility network or said home network operates based on one or more of a plurality of types of information. The method of claim 1,
The plurality of types of information include energy information and additional information other than energy,
And each of the energy information and the additional information is divided into a plurality of types. The method of claim 2,
The energy information includes energy rate information and energy fee information. The method of claim 3, wherein
The information other than the energy fee is one of energy saving, emergency, network safety, power generation, operation priority, and energy consumption. The method of claim 2,
The additional information includes environment information, operation or status information of each component, and a user habit of using a specific component. The method of claim 5, wherein
The environmental information includes at least one of carbon dioxide emissions, carbon dioxide concentration in the air, temperature, humidity, rainfall, solar radiation, air volume. The method of claim 2,
Priority is set among the plurality of information,
The network system determines how to operate the component based on the set priority. The method of claim 7, wherein
The priority may be automatically set or manually set and changed. The method of claim 7, wherein
Network system in which consideration of information of next rank is decided according to information status of specific rank. The method of claim 7, wherein
If the energy information is a priority and the supplementary information is a downstream,
And if the energy information includes information relating to reduction of energy consumption or energy bill, the component is operated based on only the energy information. The method of claim 10,
And the component is operated based on the energy information and the additional information when the energy information does not include information relating to the reduction of energy consumption or energy bill. The method of claim 7, wherein
If the additional information is a priority and the energy information is a priority,
And when the output or operating time of the component is increased as a result of determining the additional information, the component is operated in consideration of the energy information. The method of claim 7, wherein
A network system in which the information containing the content exceeding the limit or the content of the priority is changed to the highest priority when the status or the criteria of each information exceeds the limit or includes the content of the priority. The method of claim 1,
The component further includes a memory in which a method of operation reflecting a plurality of types of information is determined.
And when the component recognizes the plurality of types of information, one of the operating methods stored in the memory is selected. The method of claim 1,
The component is one of an energy generating unit for generating energy, an energy distribution unit for distributing energy, an energy consumption unit for consuming energy, and an energy storage unit for storing energy. The method of claim 1,
The component includes one or more of a compressor, a motor, a heater. 17. The method of claim 16,
According to the one or more information, the network system, the operation rate, operating time, output, the number of on / off, the on / off period of one or more of the compressor, motor, heater can be varied. A utility network having components that can operate in conjunction with energy;
A home network having a component capable of communicating with said component and capable of operating with respect to energy; And
And an energy management unit capable of recognizing a plurality of types of information and controlling the components constituting the utility network or the home network based on one or more of the plurality of types of information. The method of claim 18,
The component is one of an energy generating unit for generating energy, an energy distribution unit for distributing energy, an energy consumption unit for consuming energy, and an energy storage unit for storing energy. The method of claim 18,
The plurality of types of information include energy information and additional information other than energy,
And each of the energy information and the additional information is divided into a plurality of types.

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