Power management apparatus, power management system including the power management apparatus, and method for controlling the power management system

• US 8,918,224 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Jong Hyun, Jang, Jae Hwi, Park, Hyun Soo, Park, Young Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US13/064,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/296
• 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: 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: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A power management apparatus includes a communication unit to receive power rate information from a power provider and receive power consumption information and reservation information from an electric device, and a controller to decide an operation order on the basis of power consumption information and reservation information of the electric device, perform scheduling to decide an operation start time on the basis of the power rate information and reservation information in the operation order, and control an operation time of the electric device on the basis of the scheduling result. As a result, the power management apparatus performs optimum scheduling of an electric device using power rate information provided from the power provider, and power consumption information and reservation information of the electric device, resulting in an increase in user satisfaction.

Claims

1. A power management apparatus comprising:

a communication unit to receive power rate information from a power provider and receive power consumption information and user-input reservation information from an electric device; and

a controller to decide an operation order of the electric device on the basis of the power consumption information and the reservation information, perform scheduling to decide an operation start time on the basis of the power rate information and the operation order, and control an operation time of the electric device on the basis of the scheduling result,

wherein each item of the power consumption information and the reservation information is weighted when the operation order is decided,

wherein the controller decides the operation order by determining a future power rate based on a past power consumption pattern of the electric device and the power rate information, and

wherein the controller further decides the operation order based on an operation mode comprising an operation algorithm function, a power consumption amount, and a power consumption time for the electric device, and the controller selects the operation mode from a plurality of operation modes wherein the electric device comprises an ability to perform more than one operation mode, the plurality of the operation modes comprising different operation algorithm functions, power consumption amounts, and power consumption times.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reservation information includes a reservation registration time, a desired operation time, and an operation priority (OP).

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the desired operation time is any one of a desired operation completion time at which the electric device stops operation and a desired operation start time at which the electric device starts operation.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the power consumption information includes at least one of a maximum instantaneous power, an average power consumption, and a power consumption time of the electric device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller decides the operation order on the basis of the reservation registration time, the operation priority (OP), the average power consumption, and the power consumption time.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller confirms a predetermined power rate level threshold for each of a plurality of operation priorities (OPs), confirms an operation permitted time at a time having a power rate less than the power rate level threshold to generate a time table, and decides a time closest to the desired operation time from among the time table to be an actual operation start time.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller compares and calculates a difference between the actual operation start time and a desired operation start time and displays the calculated difference.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller decides a power rate level corresponding to the power rate information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller establishes a reservation blocked time on the basis of the power rate information.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller compares a maximum instantaneous power for each hour with an allowed instantaneous power on the basis of the scheduling result, and determines a reservation blocked time according to the comparison result.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input unit to receive the reservation information of the electric device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display to display the scheduling result.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display includes a clock window, an edge of the clock window being displayed in a color corresponding to the power rate information, and the electric device is displayed in the clock window on the basis of the scheduling result.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the display displays a currently-operating electric device and a currently non-operating electric device in different ways.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display includes a clock window, an inner region of the clock window being displayed in a color corresponding to the power rate information, and the electric device is displayed at an exterior of the clock window on the basis of the scheduling result.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the display displays a currently-operating electric device and a currently non-operating electric device in different ways.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display displays the electric device and an actual operation start time on the basis of the scheduling result, and allows the actual operation start time to be displayed in a color corresponding to the power rate information.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the display displays a currently-operating electric device and a currently non-operating electric device in different ways.

19. A method for controlling a power management apparatus comprising:

receiving power rate information from a power provider;

receiving and storing power consumption information and user-input reservation information from an electric device;

deciding an operation order of the electric device on the basis of the power consumption information and the reservation information of the electric device;

performing scheduling to decide an actual operation start time on the basis of the power rate information and the operation order; and

controlling an operation time of the electric device on the basis of the scheduling result,

wherein each item of the power consumption information and the reservation information is weighted when the operation order is decided,

wherein the deciding the operation order comprises determining a future power rate based on a past power consumption pattern of the electric device and the power rate information, and

wherein the deciding of the operational order is further based on an operation mode comprising an operation algorithm function, a power consumption amount, and a power consumption time for the electric device, the operation mode being selected from a plurality of operation modes wherein the electric device comprises an ability to perform more than one operation mode, the plurality of the operation modes comprising different operation algorithm functions, power consumption amounts, and power consumption times.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the reservation information includes a reservation registration time, a desired operation time, and an operation priority (OP).

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the power consumption information includes at least one of a maximum instantaneous power, an average power consumption, and a power consumption time of the electric device.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the deciding of the actual operation start time includes:

if the operation priority (OP) is a maximum value, deciding a desired operation time to be the actual operation start time.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the deciding of the actual operation start time includes:

if the operation priority (OP) is a minimum value, deciding a specific time having a minimum power rate to be the actual operation start time.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein the deciding of the actual operation start time includes:

confirming a predetermined power rate threshold for each of a plurality of operation priorities (OPs);

confirming a power rate less than a power rate threshold, and generating a time table according to the confirmed result; and

confirming a specific time closest of the time table to a desired operation time from among the reservation information, and determining the confirmed time to be the actual operation start time.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the generating of the time table includes:

establishing a reservation blocked time on the basis of the power rate information; and

generating the time table by excluding the reservation blocked time.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the generating of the time table includes:

confirming an operation blocked time of the electric device; and

generating the time table by excluding a reservation blocked time.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the generating of the time table includes:

generating the time table by excluding a reservation blocked time in which a maximum instantaneous power exceeds a predetermined allowed instantaneous power.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein the generating of the time table includes:

if a successive time is shorter than the power consumption time in the time table, regenerating the time table by including a power rate subsequent to a current power rate; and

determining the actual operation start time in the regenerated time table.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising:

upon receiving a request signal indicating a start of operation of another electric device from the user, performing rescheduling on the basis of power consumption information of the another electric device.

30. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

calculating a maximum instantaneous power for each hour on the basis of the scheduling result;

comparing the maximum instantaneous power with a predetermined allowed instantaneous power;

determining a specific time in which the maximum instantaneous power exceeds the predetermined allowed instantaneous power to be a reservation blocked time; and

displaying the reservation blocked time.

31. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

determining a presence or absence of a duplicate reservation in a same time period; and

if a duplicate reservation is found, displaying the duplicate reservation information.

32. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

determining a power rate level on the basis of the received power rate information.

33. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

calculating a monthly accumulated electricity bill or a monthly accumulated power consumption on the basis of the scheduling result; and

displaying the monthly accumulated electricity bill or the monthly accumulated power consumption.

34. A power management system comprising:

an electric device to store power consumption information, and user-input receive reservation information as an input; and

a power management apparatus which receives power rate information from a power provider, receives the power consumption information and the reservation information from an electric device, decides an operation order of the electric device on the basis of the power consumption information and the reservation information, performs scheduling to decide an operation time on the basis of the power rate information and the operation order, and controls an operation time of the electric device on the basis of the scheduling result,

wherein each item of the power consumption information and the reservation information is weighted when the operation order is decided,

wherein the power management apparatus decides the operation order by determining a future power rate based on a past power consumption pattern of the electric device and the power rate information, and

wherein power management apparatus further decides the operation order based on an operation mode comprising an operation algorithm function, a power consumption amount, and a power consumption time for the electric device, and the power management apparatus selects the operation mode from a plurality of operation modes wherein the electric device comprises an ability to perform more than one operation mode, the plurality of the operation modes comprising a different operation algorithm functions, power consumption amounts, and power consumption times.

35. The power management system according to claim 34, wherein the reservation information includes a reservation registration time, a desired operation time, and an operation priority (OP), and

the electric device includes

an input unit to receive the desired operation time and the operation priority (OP),

a controller to confirm a registration time of the reservation information, and

a display to display the scheduling result.

36. The power management system according to claim 35, wherein the input unit of the electric device receives an operation blocked time as an input.

37. The power management system according to claim 35, wherein the reservation information includes the operation mode.

38. The power management system according to claim 37, wherein the electric device includes:

a storage unit to store a plurality of operation algorithm information and power consumption information of individual operation modes corresponding to the individual operation algorithm information; and

a controller to perform an operation control using the operation algorithm corresponding to the operation mode at the actual operation start time.

39. The power management system according to claim 37, wherein the electric device analyzes a reservation information pattern on the basis of past reservation information, and displays reservation information corresponding to the analyzed reservation information pattern.

40. The power management system according to claim 37, herein the electric device displays a latest reservation information.