System and method for controlling air conditioner

• US 9,389,599 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yun, Sangwon, Jeon, Duckgu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasenge, Charles
• Application Number:
  US13/865,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• 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 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A system and a method for controlling an air conditioner are provided. In a system where respective points in which facility devices including an air conditioner are installed are connected to each other, power used information is collected by points and corresponding fee information is computed so that respective points can be managed, statistic data with respect to power amount information and fee information are transmitted to respective point so that a user read the information, thereby managing the information in the center or by points easily, and improving convenience.

Claims

1. A control system for connecting a plurality of points in which at least one of an air conditioner, an illumination device, or an electric device is installed by a network, the control system comprising:

a plurality of power measuring devices that measures independent power consumption amounts with the at least one of the air conditioner, the illumination device, or the electric device installed at one point of the plurality of points, respectively;

a point controller connected to the plurality of power measuring devices that collects and manages power amount information with respect to the point or the plurality of points; and

a central server connected to the point controller, wherein the central server stores the power amount information by the plurality of points received from the point controller, computes power fees with respect to the respective plurality of points to compute statistic data with the power amount information by the plurality of points and corresponding power fees, and transmits the statistic data to the point controller, wherein the point controller stores the power consumption amounts measured and received from the plurality of power measuring devices, and control data and operation state data for each device, and manages energy consumption while changing or maintaining an operation setting with respect to the at least one of the air conditioner, the illumination device, or the electric device in the point, wherein the point controller accesses the central server through an ID serving as an account of the point to receive the control data with respect to a corresponding point and a control recording, wherein the ID whose authority is different is allocated to the central server and each of the plurality of points, and wherein during connecting with the central server through the ID, the point controller receives only data with respect to the corresponding point from the central server.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the central server transmits information regarding the power consumption amount, an expected used amount, a cumulative used amount, and a target used amount with respect to the one point in response to a request from the point controller or a terminal connected to the network.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the transmitted information by the central server with respect to the point is based on the account of the point.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the central server transmits electric fee information in response to a request from the point controller or a terminal connected to the network.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the central server transmits power information and fee information of at least one of a day, week, month, year, or a designated period according to a request from the point controller or a terminal connected to the network.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the point controller accumulates respective individual power information with respect to a facility device of the at least one of the air conditioner, the illumination device, or the electric device according to the power amount information received from the plurality of power measuring devices, and periodically transmits the accumulated individual power information.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the central server computes power information and fee information in consideration of an importance of a facility device with respect to power consumption of the point based on the respective individual power information with respect to the facility device of the at least one of the air conditioner, the illumination device, or the electric device according to the power amount information received from the point controller.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the point controller includes an output that outputs the control data and the operation state data for each device in the point.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the output outputs the statistic data received from the central server or a display.

10. The control system of claim 1, wherein the point controller includes an input through which a control command for each device in the point is input.

11. The control system of claim 1, wherein the point controller includes a communication device through which the point controller communicates with the central server.

12. The control system of claim 1, wherein the point controller includes an air conditioner controller that controls operation of the air conditioner based on a control command of the point controller, and wherein the air conditioner includes an outdoor device, at least one indoor device, and a ventilation device.

13. The control system of claim 1, wherein the point controller includes an illumination controller that controls a brightness of the illumination device based on a switch input and a control command of the point controller.

14. The control system of claim 1, wherein the electric device includes a show case, a refrigerator, and a heating cabinet, and wherein the point controller includes a show case controller that controls temperatures of the show case, the refrigerator, and the heating cabinet.

15. A method of controlling an air conditioner, the method comprising:

measuring respective individual power consumption amounts with respect to an air conditioner, an illumination device, and an electronic device installed at one point of a plurality of points by a plurality of power measuring devices;

receiving the power consumption amounts individually measured through the plurality of power measuring devices from a point controller by a central server as power amount information of the plurality of points; and

computing power tee information of the plurality of points to compute statistic data with respect to power use and fees corresponding to the power amount information and the fee calculation information; and

transmitting the statistic data to the point controller from the central server;

outputting the data received from the central server on a screen of the point controller; and

managing energy consumption while changing or maintaining an operation setting with respect to the air conditioner, the illumination device, and the electronic device in the point by the point controller, wherein the point controller accesses the central server through an ID serving as an account of the point to receive control data with respect to a corresponding point of the plurality of points and a control recording, wherein the ID whose authority is different is allocated to the central server and each or the plurality of points, and wherein during connecting with the central server through the ID, the point controller receives only data with respect to the corresponding point from the central server.

16. The method of claim 15, further including receiving the fee calculation information of each point of the plurality of points from the point controller by the central server, wherein the central server computes fee information according to different fee references by points according to the fee calculation information.

17. The method of claim 15, further including:

connecting the central server through a network in which the respective points of the plurality of points are connected to each other by a terminal; and

transmitting data with respect to a predetermined point to the terminal corresponding to a connection account of the terminal.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the point controller stores the control data received from the central server.