Electric device, power management apparatus and method for controlling the same

• US 9,235,818 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Jong Hyun, Jang, Jae Hwi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US13/349,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/12 Determination or prediction of behaviour, e.g. likely power consumption or unusual usage patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/14 Displaying of utility usage with respect to time, e.g. for monitoring evolution of usage or with respect to weather conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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 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 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

An electric device includes a storage unit to store operation information for each period, a controller to generate a power consumption pattern on the basis of the operation information for each period, and generate a consulting message on the basis of a power consumption pattern, and a display to display the consulting message. A power management device includes a communication unit to receive operation information for each period from several electric devices, a controller to generate a consulting message for each electric device, generate a power consumption pattern on the basis of operation information for each period, and generate a consulting message on the basis of the power consumption pattern, and a display to display a consulting message for each electric device. The electric device or the power management device informs a user of a power consumption pattern on the basis of operation- and environmental-information for each electric device.

Claims

1. An electric device comprising:

an artificial information detection unit to detect artificial information regarding user behavior affecting power consumption of the electric device;

an input unit to receive an operation command of the electric device from a user, the operation command including a target operation value;

a storage unit to store operation information for each period, the operation information including the operation command of the electric device and the artificial information;

a controller configured to;

count a number of change times of the target operation value;

generate a power consumption pattern, including an operation pattern generated on the basis of the target operation value and the counted number, on the basis of the operation information for each period;

generate comparison information by comparing the target operation value with a reference operation value; and

generate a consulting message on the basis of the power consumption pattern, the comparison information, and the counted number, the consulting message showing the effect of the operation information on the power consumption pattern of the electric device; and

a display to display the consulting message.

2. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the operation information further includes at least one of, power consumption for each period, environmental information, and consumable use information.

3. The electric device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a power measurement unit to measure power for each period; and

an environmental information detection unit to detect environmental information, wherein the controller generates the operation pattern on the basis of at least one of the environmental information, artificial information, and operation command, and generates the power consumption pattern on the basis of the operation pattern and the power for each period.

4. The electric device according to claim 3, wherein the operation command further comprises a power on/off signal.

5. The electric device according to claim 3, wherein the controller determines standby power generated in a standby mode, and indicates the determined standby power in the consulting message.

6. The electric device according to claim 3, wherein:

the environmental information detection unit includes at least one of an outdoor temperature detection unit to detect an outdoor temperature and an outdoor humidity detection unit to detect outdoor humidity, and

the controller determines power consumption variation on the basis of at least one of the outdoor temperature and the outdoor humidity, and generates a consulting message on the basis of the determined result.

7. The electric device according to claim 3, wherein:

the artificial information detection unit includes at least one of a door opening/closing detection unit to detect door opening/closing, a storage amount detection unit to detect a storage amount of stored food, and a temperature detection unit to detect a storage temperature of stored food on the basis of a chamber temperature variation, and

the controller generates a consulting message regarding at least one of the number of door opening/closing times, the storage amount, and the storage temperature.

8. The electric device according to claim 3, wherein:

the artificial information detection unit includes a storage amount detection unit to detect a storage amount of stored objects, and

the controller compares the storage amount with a reference amount, counts the number of operation times when the storage amount is less than the reference amount, and generates the consulting message regarding the counted number of operation times when the storage amount is less than the reference amount.

9. The electric device according to claim 2, wherein the controller generates the consulting message for each consumable on the basis of the consumable use information.

10. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines power consumption generated when the electric device is driven at the target operation value, compares the determined power consumption with reference power, and generates the consulting message on the basis of the result of comparison.

11. The electric device according to claim 10, wherein:

the controller compares the measured power consumption with reference power, and determines the amount of excess power when the measured power consumption exceeds the reference power; and

the display displays the calculated excess power using a user-recognizable icon.

12. The electric device according to claim 10, wherein:

the storage unit further includes a reference operation value corresponding to the reference power, and

the controller generates a recommended value in the consulting message using the reference operation value and the reference power.

13. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage unit further stores the consulting message corresponding to the target operation value,

the controller searches for the consulting message corresponding to the target operation value in the storage unit, and controls display of the searched consulting message.

14. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the controller counts the number of target operation value change times, compares the counted number with a reference number, and generates the consulting message on the basis of the result of comparison.

15. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the controller counts the number of operation times corresponding to the power on/off signal for a predetermined time, compares the counted number with a reference number, and generates a consulting message on the basis of the result of comparison.

16. A power management device comprising:

a communication unit to receive operation information for each period from several electric devices, the operational information including an operation command of each electric device and artificial information of user behavior, and each operation command comprises a target operation value;

a controller configured to;

receive the target operation values from among the operation commands of each electric device from the user;

count a number of change times of the target operation value for each electric device;

generate a power consumption pattern, including an operation pattern on the basis of the target operation value and the counted number of each electric device, on the basis of the operation information for each period;

generate comparison information by comparing the target operation value with a reference operation value of each electric device;

generate a consulting message for each electric device on the basis of the power consumption pattern, the comparison information, and the counted number of each electric device, the consulting message showing the effect of the operation information on the power consumption pattern of each electric device.

17. The power management device according to claim 16, wherein the operation information further includes at least one of power consumption for each period, environmental information, and consumable use information.

18. The power management device according to claim 17, wherein the controller generates the operation pattern on the basis of at least one of the environmental information, the artificial information, and the operation command, and generates the power consumption pattern on the basis of the operation pattern and the power for each period.

19. The power management device according to claim 18, wherein the operation command further comprises a power on/off signal.

20. The power management device according to claim 17, wherein the controller confirms a use period of a consumable mounted to each electric device, compares the confirmed consumable use period with a reference use period of the consumable, and generates the consulting message for the consumable on the basis of the result of comparison.

21. The power management device according to claim 16, wherein the controller determines power consumption generated when the electric device is driven at the target operation value, compares the determined power consumption with reference power, and generates the consulting message on the basis of the result of comparison.

22. The power management device according to claim 16, wherein:

the controller compares the measured power consumption with reference power consumption, and determines the amount of excess power consumption when the measured power consumption exceeds the reference power consumption; and

the display displays the calculated excess power consumption using a user-recognizable icon.

23. The power management device according to claim 16, wherein the controller determines total power consumption generated in an operation mode for each electric device, generates a consulting message for the determined total power consumption, determines total standby power consumed in a standby mode for each electric device, and generates the consulting message for the determined total standby power.

24. The power management device according to claim 16, wherein:

the communication unit receives power of an electric device incapable of communicating with others through a smart socket, and

the controller determines standby power of the electric device incapable of communicating with others and generates the consulting message for the determined standby power.

25. The power management device according to claim 16, wherein the communication unit periodically receives the operation information from the electric devices.

26. A method of controlling an electric device comprising:

receiving an operation command including a target operation value from a user;

detecting artificial information of the user;

storing operation information for each period, the operation information including the operation command and the artificial information;

count a number of change times of the target operation value;

generating an operation pattern on the basis of the operation command;

generating a power consumption pattern on the basis of the operation pattern for each period;

generating comparison information by comparing the target operation value with a reference operation value;

generating a consulting message on the basis of a power consumption pattern, the comparison information, and the counted number, the consulting message showing the effect of the operation information on the power consumption pattern of the electric device; and

displaying the consulting message.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the generating of the power consumption pattern includes:

measuring power; and

generating the power consumption pattern on the basis of the operation pattern and the power for each period.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the generating of the consulting message includes:

calculating power corresponding to the comparison information; and

generating the consulting message on the basis of the calculated power.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the generating of the consulting message includes:

determining whether the target operation value exceeds the reference operation value on the basis of the comparison information; and

indicating, if the target operation value exceeds the reference operation value, power corresponding to the excess value in the consulting message.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the displaying of the consulting message includes displaying power corresponding to the excess value as a user-recognizable icon.

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

determining power consumption generated when the electric device is driven at the target operation value;

comparing the determined power consumption with reference power; and

generating the consulting message on the further basis of the result of comparison.

32. The method according to claim 26, wherein the generating of the operation pattern further includes:

detecting environmental information; and

reflecting the environment information.

33. The method according to claim 26, wherein the generating of the consulting message includes:

confirming a use period of each consumable;

comparing the confirmed consumable use period with a prestored reference use period; and

generating the consulting message regarding the consumable use period when the consumable use period exceeds the reference use period.

34. The method according to claim 26, further comprising:

measuring power;

determining total power consumption generated in an operation mode during a predetermined time with total standby power generated in a standby mode; and

generating the consulting message for the total power consumption and for the total standby power.

35. A method of controlling a power management device comprising:

receiving operation information, including an operation command and artificial information of user behavior, for each period from each of several electric devices, each operation command including a target operation value;

counting a number of change times of the target operation value for each electrical device,

generating a power consumption pattern, including an operation pattern generated on the basis of the target operation value and the counted number, on the basis of operation information for each period

generating comparison information by comparing the target operation value with a reference operation value;

generating a consulting message on the basis of the power consumption pattern the comparison information, and the counted number, the consulting message showing the effect of the operation information on the power consumption pattern of the electric device; and

displaying a consulting message for each electric device.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the operation information further includes at least one of power consumption for each period, environmental information, and consumable use information.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the generating of the power consumption pattern includes:

generating the operation pattern on the further basis of the environmental information, artificial information, and operation command; and

generating a power consumption pattern on the basis of the operation pattern and the power for each period.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the generating of the power consumption pattern includes:

receiving the operation command and a target operation value from each electric device;

determining power consumption generated when the electric device is driven at the target operation value;

comparing the determined power consumption with reference power; and

generating the consulting message on the further basis of the result of comparison.

39. The method according to claim 38, further comprising:

confirming which electric device has a target operation value higher than a reference operation value; and

controlling the confirmed electric device on the basis of power rates received from a power provider.

40. The method according to claim 39, further comprising:

displaying the confirmed electric device in a different way from the remaining electric devices.

41. The method according to claim 39, wherein the reference operation value is any one of a past average value, a value established by the user, and a value of a previous month.

42. The method according to claim 35, further comprising:

determining total power consumption generated in an operation mode of the electric devices;

determining total standby power consumed in a standby mode of the electric devices; and

generating the consulting message for the total power consumption for the total standby power.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising:

classifying the total power consumption according to individual periods;

comparing power consumption for each period with reference power consumption, and displaying a power consumption habit of a user in the consulting message.

44. The method according to claim 35, further comprising:

confirming which electric device has a highest standby power; and

performing standby power reduction control of the confirmed electric device.

45. The method according to claim 35, further comprising:

receiving power of an electric device incapable of communicating with others through a smart socket; and

determining standby power of the electric device incapable of communicating with others and generating the consulting message on the further basis of the determined standby power.