NETWORK SYSTEM FOR A COMPONENT

• US 20120296489A1
• Filed: 11/26/2010
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Koonseok, Lee, Hoonbong, Ahn, Junho, Kim, Yanghwan
• Granted Patent: US 9,685,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

Provided is a network system for a component capable of effectively managing an energy source.

Claims

1. At least one component for a network system comprising:

the at least one component including at least one of an energy supplied component to which energy is supplied and an energy management component that manages the energy supplied component,

wherein the energy management component controls an energy usage amount or an energy usage cost of the energy supplied component, and

the energy usage amount or the energy usage cost when the energy supplied component is controlled is based on information related to at least an energy cost that is less than when the energy usage amount or the energy usage cost of the energy supplied component is controlled without the information related to at least the energy cost.

2. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the energy supplied component comprises an electric product or a part included in the electric product.

3. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein, when the energy supplied component is controlled based on the information related to at least the energy cost, the energy supplied component is controlled in a state where a function for saving energy is performed, and

when the energy supplied component is controlled without the information related to at least the energy cost, the energy supplied component is controlled without performing the function for saving energy.

4. The least one component according to claim 1, wherein, when the energy supplied component is controlled based on the information related to at least the energy cost, the energy supplied component is controlled in a state where the at least one component has a function for saving energy;

and

when the energy supplied component is controlled without the information related to at least the energy cost, the energy supplied component is controlled in a state where the at least one component does not function to save energy.

5. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the energy cost comprises at least one of energy cost information, energy curtailment information, supply electricity amount deficiency information, energy increment information, and supply electricity amount excessive information.

6. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the energy management component is installed on the energy supplied component or is provided as a separate component from the energy supplied component.

7. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein information about a fluctuation of the energy cost from the information related to at least the energy cost is recognized as information for determining a driving method of the energy supplied component.

8. The at least one component according to claim 7, wherein, in using the information about the fluctuation of the energy cost, a time period or a pricing period for determining a driving method for the energy supplied component is divided into at least two time periods or pricing periods.

9. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost corresponding to a-time is recognized as information for determining a driving method of the component.

10. The at least one component according to claim 9, wherein, in using the information related to at least the energy cost corresponding to time, a time period or a pricing period is divided into at least two cost range.

11. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein when the information related to at least the energy cost is divided into levels, a driving method of the energy supplied component is determined according to the divided levels.

12. The at least one component according to claim 11, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost is divided into at least two levels.

13. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost is compared with predetermined information, and a driving method of the energy supplied component is determined according to a result of the comparing of the information related to at least the energy cost with the predetermined information.

14. The at least one component according to claim 13, wherein the result of the comparing is a result according to whether the information related to at least the energy cost is equal to or greater than a reference value.

16. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein

a driving method of the energy supplied component is differently determined according to the information related to at least the energy cost.

17. The at least one component according to claim 16, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost is information received from an outside.

18. The at least one component according to claim 16, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost is state of electricity information supplied from an outside.

19. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost comprises a high period, an output of the energy supplied component is decreased after recognizing the high period.

20. The at least one component according to claim 19, wherein the decreased output of the energy supplied component comprises lowering output or zero output.

21. The network at least one component according to claim 19, wherein, the high period is determined after operation of the energy supplied component or before the operation of the energy supplied component.

22. The at least one component according to claim 19, wherein, after the output of the energy supplied component is decreased, the energy supplied component operates for a time greater than an original operation time of the energy supplied component so as to prevent a functional loss of the energy supplied component.

23. The at least one component according to claim 19, wherein, after the output of the energy supplied component is decreased, the energy supplied component operates with an output greater than an output before the output of the energy supplied component is decreased, so as to prevent a functional loss of the energy supplied component.

24. The at least one component according to claim 19, wherein, after the output of the energy supplied component is decreased, the output of the energy supplied component is returned to a state before the output of the energy supplied component is decreased.

25. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein an output of the energy supplied component is maintained or increased during a portion of high period.

26. The at least one component according to claim 25, wherein the energy supplied component is controlled such that the energy usage amount or the energy usage cost while the energy supplied component is entirely driven is less than the energy usage amount or the energy usage cost while the at least one component operates without the information related to at least the energy cost.

27. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost comprises a high price time period and a low price time period;

and

when the high price time period is included within at least one portion of a driving time period of the energy supplied component, the driving time period of the energy supplied component is changed.

28. The at least one component according to claim 27, wherein the energy supplied component is not operated within at least one portion of the high price time period.

29. The at least one component according to claim 27, wherein an end time of the changed driving time period is included in the high price time period, or is disposed within the low price time period before the high price time period.

30. The at least one component according to claim 27, wherein an end time of the changed driving time period is disposed within a low price time period after the high price time period.

31. The at least one component according to claim 27, wherein the energy supplied component is operated within at least one portion of the low price time period.

32. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost comprises a high period;

and

when the high period is recognized, and an information value about driving of the energy supplied component is equal to or less than a reference value, an output of the energy supplied component is maintained.

33. The at least one component according to claim 32, wherein the information value about the driving of the energy supplied component comprises at least one of information about an energy cost, information about an energy consumption amount, and information about an operation time,

wherein the reference value is a relative value or an absolute value, and

wherein the reference value is set at the at least one component or is received at another component.

36. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein, when a difference between a state information value of the energy supplied component and a reference value is over a predetermined range, an output of the energy supplied component is maintained.

38. The at least one component according to claim 36, wherein the energy supplied component is controlled such that an energy consumption amount or the energy usage cost while the energy supplied component is entirely driven is less than the energy consumption amount or the energy usage cost while the supplied component is operated without information related to at least the energy cost.

39. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost comprises a low period, and the energy supplied component operates only within a range where the low period is recognized.

40. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the information related to at least the energy cost comprises a high period and a low period;

and

when the low period is recognized, an output of the energy supplied component is increased.

41. The at least one component according to claim 40, wherein the energy supplied component to be operated within a range where the high period is recognized is operated in advance within a range where the low period is recognized.

42. The at least one component according to claim 40, wherein, when the low period is recognized while the energy supplied component operates, the output of the energy supplied component is increased to be greater than a current output.

43. The at least one component according to claim 40, wherein the output of the energy supplied component is returned to a previous output after the output of the energy supplied component is increased.

44. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the at least one component has a plurality of modes for performing a function, and

the modes comprise a first mode and a second mode that further saves an energy cost than the first mode.

45. The at least one component according to claim 44, wherein the first mode is defined as a driving method for saving the energy cost, and

the second mode is defined as a driving method that further saves the energy cost than the first mode.

46. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the at least one component recognizes at least one portion of a driving method of the energy supplied component, can generate a new driving method of the energy supplied component that the at least one component cannot recognize for saving the energy cost, the recognized at least one portion of a driving method of the energy supplies component can be changed to a different method, and the driving method of the energy supplied component comprises at least both a driving time and a course.

47. The at least one component according to claim 46, wherein the driving time comprises a driving start time or a driving end time of the energy supplied component.

48. The at least one component according to claim 46, wherein the course comprises a driving period and a driving output of the energy supplied component.

52. The at least one component according to claim 46, wherein the generating of the new driving method of the energy supplied component or the changing of the recognized at least one portion of driving method of the energy supplied component is limited according to a reference value.

134. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein the at least one component comprises a plurality of function performing components, and if the information related to at least the energy cost comprises a high period, one or more of the function performing components that satisfy a limitation condition related to the high period are restricted in operation.

136. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein an operation mode of the energy supplied component comprises a plurality of procedures and when the energy supplied component operates in a high period, at least one of the plurality of procedures is restricted in the high period where the high cost information is recognized.

187. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein, when a communication disconnection condition is satisfied during communication between the at least one component and an another, the communication between the at least one component and the another component is disconnected.

217. The at least one component according to claim 1, further comprising a memory to store information,

wherein, when the information related to the energy cost comprises high period, operation information of the at least one component is stored in the memory, and an operation of the at least one component is stopped or turned off.

222. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein, when the information related to at least the energy cost comprises a high period, a control for reducing the usage energy of the energy supplied component is performed in a case where a time recognizing the high period exceeds a reference time.

223. The at least one component according to claim 1, wherein, when the information related to at least the energy cost comprises a high period, after the high period is recognized, and a control for reducing energy of the energy supplied component is performed, and when a control performing time elapses after a predetermined time, whether the high period is recognized is re-determined to maintain or vary the current state.

15. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

49-51. -51. (canceled)

53-133. -133. (canceled)

135. (canceled)

137-186. -186. (canceled)

188-216. -216. (canceled)

218-221. -221. (canceled)

224-259. -259. (canceled)

260. A method of controlling at least one component from a plurality of components comprised of at least a component for generating energy and a component for using energy, the component of using energy in communication with the component for generating energy, the method comprising:

recognizing information related to energy; and

determining an operation condition to reduce an energy cost or control an amount of energy generation or energy usage.