HOME APPLIANCE AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160056634A1
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: CHOI, Byoungsuk, HU, Jinseok, KIM, Heesun, PARK, Shinhyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,997,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems
• 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: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

A home appliance includes a driver to drive a load, a power supply to convert AC power supplied from an outside of the home appliance, and to receive DC power during interruption of electric power, and a controller (1) to perform a control operation to supply first electric power based on the supplied AC power to the load in accordance with a normal operation mode when no interruption of electric power occurs, (2) to perform a control operation to supply second electric power based on the supplied DC power to the load in accordance with the normal operation mode when no interruption of electric power occurs, and (3) to perform a control operation to supply third electric power based on the supplied DC power to the load in accordance with a power saving mode upon the interruption of electric power.

Claims

1. A home appliance comprising:

a driver to drive a load;

a power supply to convert AC power supplied from an outside of the home appliance, and to receive DC power during interruption of electric power; and

a controller (1) to perform a control operation to supply first electric power based on the supplied AC power to the load in accordance with a normal operation mode when no interruption of electric power occurs, (2) to perform a control operation to supply second electric power based on the supplied DC power to the load in accordance with the normal operation mode when no interruption of electric power occurs, and (3) to perform a control operation to supply third electric power based on the supplied DC power to the load in accordance with a power saving mode upon the interruption of electric power, wherein the first electric power has a higher level than the second electric power, and the third electric power has a lower level than the second electric power.

2. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller performs a control operation to supply the second electric power based on the supplied DC voltage in accordance with the normal operation mode for a first period; and

the controller supplies the third electric power based on the supplied DC power in accordance with the power saving mode for a second period when there is a power saving mode input.

3. The home appliance according to claim 2, wherein the controller performs a control operation to output a power saving mode recommendation message when there is no power saving mode input upon the interruption of electric power.

4. The home appliance according to claim 1, further comprising:

an AC power sensor to sense the AC power which is externally received; and

a DC power sensor to sense the DC power supplied upon the interruption of electric power,

wherein the controller determines whether or not interruption of electric power has occurred based on the AC power sensed by the AC power sensor or the DC power sensed by the DC power sensor.

5. The home appliance according to claim 4, wherein the controller varies at least one of the second electric power or the third electric power in accordance with a level of the sensed DC power.

6. The home appliance according to claim 4, wherein the controller restricts operation of the driver or varies an operation mode of the home appliance in accordance with a level of the sensed DC power.

7. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the power supply receives the DC power from an external uninterruptible power supply.

8. The home appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a battery to store DC power based on the converted AC power, wherein the power supply receives the DC power from the battery upon the interruption of electric power.

9. The home appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a display to display an operation mode of the home appliance upon the interruption of electric power.

10. The home appliance according to claim 2, further comprising a display to display an operation mode of the home appliance upon the interruption of electric power, the display individually displaying the normal operation of the first period and the power saving mode of the second period.

11. The home appliance according to claim 1, further comprising an input unit, wherein the controller performs a control operation only to activate a button associated with the power saving mode and a power button among buttons of the input unit upon the interruption of electric power.

12. The home appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit, wherein the controller performs a control operation to vary an operation mode of the home appliance or an operation duration of the home appliance upon the interruption of electric power based on information as to interruption of electric power received from the communication unit, information as to a kind of the DC power supplied upon the interruption of electric power, information as to a level of the DC power, and a supply duration of the DC power.

13. An operating method of a home appliance including a driver to drive a load, comprising:

operating the driver based on AC power supplied to the home appliance;

operating the driver based on DC power supplied to the home appliance or stored in the home appliance upon interruption of electric power; and

operating the driver in a power saving mode in accordance with the DC power upon the interruption of electric power.

14. The operating method according to claim 13, wherein:

the operating the driver based on the AC power comprises supplying first electric power based on the AC power to the load;

the operating the driver based on the DC power upon the interruption of electric power comprises supplying second electric power based on the DC power to the load;

the operating the driver in the power saving mode upon the interruption of electric power comprises supplying third electric power based on the DC power to the load.

15. The operating method according to claim 14, wherein the first electric power has a higher level than the second electric power, and the third electric power has a lower level than the second electric power.

16. The operating method according to claim 13, wherein:

the power saving mode is executed in response to a power saving mode input; and

the operating method further comprises outputting a power saving mode recommendation message when there is no power saving mode input.

17. The operating method according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the second electric power and the third electric power is varied in accordance with a level of the DC power.

18. The operating method according to claim 13, the operating the driver based on the DC power upon the interruption of electric power or the operating the driver in the power saving mode upon the interruption of electric power comprises restricting the operation of the driver or varying an operation mode of the home appliance in accordance with a level of the DC voltage.

19. The operating method according to claim 13, further comprising:

only activating a button associated with the power saving mode and a power button among buttons of an input unit upon the interruption of electric power.