NETWORK SYSTEM

• US 20130204449A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahn, Junho, Kim, Yanghwan, Lee, Hoonbong, Lee, Koonseok, Park, Chulkyu, Cheon, Yeongjoo
• Application Number:
  US13/806,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204449A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/16 Displaying of utility pricing or cost
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/28 Arrangements for balancing of the load in a network by storage of energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/12 Energy storage units, uninterruptible power supply [UPS] systems or standby or emergency generators, e.g. in the last power distribution stages
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

Provided is a network system. The network system includes: at least one unit selected from an energy receiving unit receiving energy and an energy management unit managing the energy receiving unit. An energy usage amount or energy usage rate of the energy receiving unit is adjusted; an energy usage amount or usage rate when the unit is controlled based on information relating to at least an energy rate is less than that when the unit is controlled without the base of information relating to at least an energy rate; the energy receiving unit comprises a plurality of components; and an operation of one component among the plurality of components is controlled based on the energy rate related information.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

at least one unit selected from an energy receiving unit receiving energy and an energy management unit managing the energy receiving unit,

wherein

an energy usage amount or energy usage rate of the energy receiving unit is adjusted;

an energy usage amount or usage rate when the unit is controlled based on information relating to an energy rate is less than that when the unit is controlled without the base of information relating to at least an energy rate;

the energy receiving unit comprises a plurality of components; and

an operation of one component among the plurality of components is controlled based on the information relating to an energy rate.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of components operate based on a specific priority.

3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the information relating to an energy rate is high-price information, an operation of at least one component having a low priority among the plurality of components is limited.

4. The network system according to claim 3, wherein the high-price information comprises one of recognitions of an on-peak time interval relating to the energy rate, an energy reduction signal, a under-frequency lower than a reference frequency, a small power generation amount, an operation command according to an operation priority, an energy consumption amount more than a reference amount, and limit information on the number of available units.

5. The network according to claim 2, wherein the specific priority comprises at least one of a priority of a component to operate preferentially, an operation start priority, an energy consumption amount, and an energy usage rate priority.

6. The network system according to claim 5, wherein the energy consumption amount priority comprises a current energy consumption amount priority or a power priority per unit hour;

and

the energy usage rate priority comprises a current energy usage rate priority or a usage rate priority per unit hour.

7. The network system according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of first components are set with a lower priority as a current energy consumption amount, a current energy usage rate, a power per unit hour, and a usage rate per unit hour are greater.

8. The network system according to claim 3, wherein a reference of the operational limitation is one of the number of available components, an available total energy consumption amount, or a total energy rate.

9. The network system according to claim 3, wherein a time of an operational limitation of the component comprises immediate limitation, limitation after one process is completed when an operation of the component is divided into a plurality of processes, limitation after a predetermined time, limitation after a component to be limited consumes a predetermined amount of energy, and limitation when a usage energy rate reaches a predetermined value.

10. The network system according to claim 3, wherein if an operation of a component having a higher priority than a component having an operation limited is completed among the plurality of components, the component having an operation limited returns to a state before operational limitation.

11. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of components comprise a reference component, and

an operation of one component is controlled based on operational information on the reference component among the plurality of components.

12. The network system according to claim 11, further comprising a memory unit storing the operational information on the reference component,

wherein the an operating condition of the one component is determined by predicting a future operation of the reference component on the basis of the operational information on the reference component stored in the memory unit.

13. The network system according to claim 12, wherein the operating condition of the one component is determined based on operational information on a reference component currently in operation among the plurality of components

14. The network system according to claim 11, wherein the operational information on the reference component comprise an energy consumption amount or energy usage rate of the reference component.

15. The network system according to claim 14, wherein an operation of the one component is limited at a time interval at which an energy consumption amount or energy usage rate of the reference component is greater than a specific reference value.

16. The network system according to claim 15, wherein a reference limiting an operation of the one component comprises at least one of the number of available components, a total energy consumption amount, and a total energy usage rate.

17. The network system according to claim 11, wherein the reference component comprises a constantly driven electrical product.

18. The network system according to claim 17, wherein the one component comprises an intermittently driven electrical product selected by a user.

19. The network system according to claim 1, wherein based on whether the energy rate information corresponds to high-price information, driving intervals of the plurality of components are included in different time intervals.

20. The network system according to claim 19, wherein the different time intervals have different sizes of energy rates.

21. The network system according to claim 20, wherein the different time intervals define that at least one of driving start times and end times of the plurality of components is different.

22. The network system according to claim 20, wherein some intervals in the driving intervals of the plurality of components overlap.

23. The network system according to claim 20, wherein driving of one energy consumption unit among the plurality of energy consumption units starts after driving of another energy consumption unit is terminated.

24. The network system according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of components comprise:

a first component; and

a second component having a larger power consumption amount per unit hour or energy usage rate than the first component.

25. The network system according to claim 24, wherein the second component is driven when information relating to an energy rate is not high-price information.

26. The network system according to claim 24, wherein the second component is driven at a time interval at which an energy rate is lower than that of the first component.

27. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of components comprise a first unit performing an essential function and a second unit performing a function other than the essential function;

and

whether to limit a function performance of the second unit is determined based on whether information relating to an energy rate corresponds to high-price information.

28. The network system according to claim 27, wherein the function other than the essential function is an additional function that is optional during the driving of the energy consumption unit.

29. The network system according to claim 28, wherein the additional function comprises a displaying operation for outputting a screen or sound, or an operation of a light emitting unit.

30. The network system according to claim 27, wherein the second unit is provided in plurality, and a function of a second unit having energy consumption information higher than a setting value among the plurality of second units is limited.

31. The network system according to claim 27, wherein the second unit is provided in plurality, and a priority for limiting a function performance is set in the plurality of second units.