Apparatus, system, and method for managing energy consumption

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9236741-B2
Application number	US-201213352079-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2012
Priority date	Jan 27, 2011
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A power management system includes a plurality of electrical instruments and a power management apparatus. Each of the plurality of electrical instruments has at least one characteristic function and an arbitration function which is discriminated from the characteristic function and requires power arbitration. Each electrical instrument includes a plurality of operation algorithms having at least one characteristic function, operation levels respectively corresponding to the plurality of operation algorithms, power information for the respective operation levels, and power information of the arbitration function. The power management apparatus receives power rate information from a power provider, determines the operation levels of the plurality of electrical instruments and controls the electrical instruments to be driven at the determined operation levels. When an arbitration function selection signal is received from at least one of the electrical instruments while the electrical instruments are driven, the power management apparatus adjusts operation levels of other electrical instruments.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power management apparatus, comprising:
a communication unit to communicate with a plurality of electrical instruments; and
a controller to predict a power consumption amount of a power management area when receiving an arbitration function execution signal from at least one of the plurality of electrical instruments, compare the power consumption amount with a predetermined power amount, and adjust an operation level of at least one other electrical instrument when the power consumption amount exceeds the predetermined power amount,
wherein the arbitration function execution signal corresponds to execution of at least one of a periodically performed function and a function selected by a user,
wherein the operation level of the at least one other electrical instrument includes a power consumption amount consumed during operation execution at the operation level, and
wherein the controller, in the adjusting of the operation level of the at least one other electrical instrument, adjusts a current operation level of the at least one other electronic instrument into an operation level having a lower power consumption amount such that an actual power consumption amount of the power management area is maintained below the predetermined power amount during the arbitration function execution.

2. The power management apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit to store power information for respective operation levels and information about the arbitration function, transmitted from the plurality of electrical instruments.

3. The power management apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the information about the arbitration function includes at least one of a power amount consumed when the arbitration function is performed, an arbitration function execution start time, and an arbitration function execution end time.

4. The power management apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller adjusts the operation levels of the other electronic instruments, which are operated for a period of time, during which the arbitration function is performed.

5. The power management apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the predetermined power amount includes at least one of a permissible power amount for each time period and a monthly critical power amount.

6. The power management apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the communication unit communicates with a power supply source to receive at least one of the permissible power amount for each time period and the monthly critical power amount transmitted from the power supply source, and the controller controls the power amount transmitted from the power supply source to be stored.

7. The power management apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller predicts a power consumption amount for each time period of the power management area on the basis of the information about the arbitration function, compares the power consumption amount for each time period with the permissible power amount for each time period, and adjusts the operation levels of the other electrical instruments if a time period in which the power consumption amount exceeds the permissible power amount is present.

8. The power management apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller predicts a power consumption amount of a month of the power management area on the basis of the information about the arbitration function, compares the power consumption amount of the month with a critical power amount of the month, and adjusts the operation levels of the other electrical instruments when the power consumption amount of this month exceeds the critical power amount of the month.

9. The power management apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the communication unit receives power rate information transmitted from a power supply source, and the controller determines operation levels of the plurality of electrical instruments on the basis of the power rate information, the predetermined power amount, and power information for respective operation levels of the plurality of electrical instruments, and adjusts the determined operation levels of the other electrical instruments when the arbitration function of the at least one electrical instrument is performed.

10. The power management apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the controller determines if the current power rate information corresponds to power rate information before the arbitration function is performed when the arbitration function is finished, restores the operation levels of the other electrical instruments to operation levels before the arbitration function is performed if the current power rate information corresponds to the power rate information before the arbitration function is performed, and re-determines the operation levels of the other electrical instruments if the current power rate information is not identical to the power rate information before the arbitration function is performed.

11. The power management apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the controller confirms priorities of the other electrical instruments when the power consumption amount exceeds the predetermined power amount and lowers the operation levels of the other electrical instruments in ascending order of priority until the power consumption amount becomes less than the predetermined power amount.

12. The power management apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the controller confirms the priorities of the other electrical instruments when the power consumption amount exceeds the predetermined power amount and continuously lowers an operation level of an electrical instrument, having a lowest priority, until the power consumption amount becomes less than the predetermined power amount.

13. The power management apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the controller continuously lowers an operation level of an electrical instrument, having a second lowest priority, until the power consumption amount becomes less than the predetermined power amount when the power consumption amount exceeds the predetermined power amount, even in a state in which the operation level of the electrical instrument having the lowest priority has been adjusted to a lowest operation level.

14. The power management apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the power information for the respective operation levels of the plurality of electrical instruments includes at least one of a peak instantaneous power amount, an average power consumption amount, and an operation time for which power is consumed.

15. The power management apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the controller classifies the plurality of electrical instruments into a first group that sets operation time, a second group that cannot set the operation time, and a third group that cannot set the operation time and operation levels, and adjusts operation levels of electrical instruments belonging to the second group when the arbitration function execution signal is transmitted from the at least one of the plurality of electrical instruments.

16. The power management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller maintains the operation levels of the other electrical instruments when the power consumption amount is less than the predetermined amount.

17. A method for controlling a power management apparatus, the method comprising:
predicting a power consumption amount of a power management area when an arbitration function execution signal is received from at least one of a plurality of electrical instruments;
comparing the p

Assignees

• Jang Jae Hwi
• Shin Jong Hyun
• Park Young Jin
• Park Hyun Soo
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jang Jae Hwi
• Shin Jong Hyun
• Park Young Jin
• Park Hyun Soo

Classifications

• H02J2105/55

  according to an economic condition, e.g. tariff-based load management · CPC title

• H02J2105/42

  Home appliances · CPC title

• Y04S20/222

  Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving · CPC title

• Y04S20/242

  Home appliances · CPC title

• G06Q50/06

  Energy or water supply · CPC title