Network system

• US 9,667,070 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2011
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahn, Jungho, Lee, Hoonbong, Lee, Koonseok, Lee, Woonghyun, Kim, Yanghwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shechtman, Sean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven
• Application Number:
  US13/810,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,149 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• 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 network system includes at least one unit selected from between an energy consumption unit receiving energy and an energy management unit managing the energy consumption unit, wherein an energy usage amount or an energy usage cost of the energy consumption unit are controllable, and the energy usage amount or the energy usage cost when the unit is controlled based on information associated with at least an energy cost is smaller than an energy usage amount or an energy usage cost when the unit is controlled without using the information related to at least the energy cost, and a display device detachably coupled to the energy consumption unit, wherein availability of the display device is determined according to a communication signal transmitted to the energy receiving unit.

Claims

1. An energy consumption unit capable of communicating with a network system and capable of receiving information related to time-based pricing and information other than information related to time-based pricing, the energy consumption unit comprising:

a first communication unit;

a control unit to control the first communication unit;

a first sensor;

a display device detachably coupled to the energy consumption unit, and comprising a second communication unit and a second sensor,

wherein the control unit determines;

whether the display device is mounted or not, based on a difference between values sensed by the first and the second sensors, and

an availability of the display device based on a communication signal between the second communication unit and the first communication unit, and

wherein the first and the second sensors are one of a vibration sensor and a temperature sensor.

2. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, wherein the communication on availability of the display device between the second communication unit and the first communication unit includes at least one of the second communication unit transmitting the communication signal to the first communication signal or the first communication unit transmitting the communication signal to the second communication unit.

3. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the availability of the display device based on a strength of the communication signal received by the first communication unit.

4. The energy consumption unit according to claim 3, wherein one of the control unit or the display device retransmits the communication signal having a strength that is increased or decreased from a previous transmitted communication signal based on a strength of the received communication signal from the other one of the control unit or the display unit.

5. The energy consumption unit according to claim 3, wherein one of the control unit or the display device increases a strength of a transmission signal until a response signal having strength equal to or greater than reference strength is received.

6. The energy consumption unit according to claim 5, wherein when the one of the control unit or the display unit does not receive the response signal or receives the response signal having a strength less than a reference strength, the display device is recognized as being unavailable for use.

7. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, wherein when the display device is recognized as being unavailable for use, the display device displays information regarding unavailability thereof.

8. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit and the second communication unit communicate with each other by a wireless communication scheme, and availability of the display device is determined based on a distance between the energy consumption unit and the display device.

9. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether an additional function of the energy consumption unit is operative based on the availability of the display device.

10. The energy consumption unit according to claim 9, wherein the additional function comprises a safe mode, the safe mode comprising a locking mode in which operation or manipulation of the energy consumption unit is restricted.

11. The energy consumption unit according to claim 9, wherein the additional function comprises an energy saving mode, the energy saving mode comprising a standby mode for reducing power consumed by the energy consumption unit.

12. The energy consumption unit according to claim 9, wherein when the control unit determines that the display device is mounted on the energy consumption unit, the control unit inactivates the additional function of the energy consumption unit.

13. The energy consumption unit according to claim 9, wherein when the control unit determines that a distance between the display device and the energy consumption unit is equal or greater than a set distance or when a strength of a communication signal between the display device and the energy consumption unit is equal to or less than a preset strength, the control unit activates the additional function of the energy consumption unit.

14. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary display unit displaying status information of the energy consumption unit, wherein the control unit determines an operation of the auxiliary display based on the availability of the display device.

15. The energy consumption unit according to claim 14, wherein when the control unit determines that the display device is unavailable to use, the control unit turns on the auxiliary display unit, and when the control unit determines that the display device is available to use, the control unit turns off the auxiliary display unit.

16. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, wherein the display device controls an illumination intensity of a display of the display device or limits a selectable input unit based on the strength of the communication signal received by the second communication unit.

17. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, the control unit determines that the display device is mounted when the difference between values sensed by the first and the second sensors is decreased to a set value or less.

18. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, further comprising a unique sensor to sense a preset function of the energy consumption unit.

19. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, wherein the energy consumption unit comprises a washing machine or a dryer, and

wherein the first and the second sensors comprises the vibration sensor.

20. The energy consumption unit according to claim 1, wherein the energy consumption unit comprises a refrigerator, and

wherein the first and the second sensors comprises the temperature sensor.