Home appliance control method thereof

Abstract

An electric appliance includes a driving unit operating on the basis of energy information including information with respect to an energy price, a communication unit requesting the energy information to an external component, a memory unit for storing the energy information received through the communication unit, and a control unit controlling the communication unit such that the communication unit receives first energy information corresponding to a present time of the energy information and receives second energy information that is information except for the first energy information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electric appliance comprising:
 a driving unit to operate on the basis of energy information comprising information with respect to an energy price;   a communication unit to request the energy information to an external component;   a memory unit to store the energy information received through the communication unit; and   a control unit to control the communication unit such that the communication unit receives first energy information corresponding to a present time of the energy information and receives second energy information that is information except for the first energy information.   
     
     
         2 . The electric appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the memory unit comprises a volatile memory in which the energy information stored in the memory unit is lost when the electric appliance is turned off, and
 when the electric appliance is turned on, the memory unit stores new energy information received through the communication unit.   
     
     
         3 . The electric appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the memory unit comprises a nonvolatile memory in which the energy information stored in the memory unit is maintained even though the electric appliance is turned off, and
 when the electric appliance is turned on, the energy information previously stored in the memory unit is changed into new energy information received through the communication unit if the new energy information is different from the energy information stored in the memory unit.   
     
     
         4 . The electric appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the first energy information and the second energy information are successively or unilaterally received by the communication unit. 
     
     
         5 . The electric appliance according to  claim 4 , wherein, when the first and second energy information are successively received, the communication unit requests and receives the first energy information, and transmits a reception confirmation signal to the external component to thereby request and receive the second energy information. 
     
     
         6 . The electric appliance according to  claim 4 , wherein, when the first and second energy information are unilaterally received, the communication unit receives the first and second energy information without transmitting a reception confirmation signal after the first energy information is received. 
     
     
         7 . The electric appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein, when the information with respect to the energy price is changed, the communication unit requests the energy information to the external component at a time at which the energy price is changed or before/after the energy price is changed. 
     
     
         8 . The electric appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the first or second energy information comprises energy price identification information, a start time for applying the energy price and an energy price duration. 
     
     
         9 . The electric appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the external component comprises a smart meter to meter an energy usage amount of the electric appliance to transmit price information with respect to energy to the electric appliance. 
     
     
         10 . A method of controlling an electric appliance comprising a communication unit communicable with an external component, the method comprising:
 receiving by the communication unit first energy price-related information from the external component;   determining by a control unit a first operation method on the basis of the first energy price-related information;   receiving by the communication unit second energy price-related information that is changed from the first energy price-related information before the electric appliance operates according to the first operation method; and   causing by the control unit the electric appliance to operate in a second operation method on the basis of the second energy price-related information.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the first energy price-related information and the second energy price-related information comprise low-price information and high-price information which are classified according to price information with respect to an energy price and control reference information,
 wherein the high-price information comprises at least one of first price information comprising on-peak information that is received when the energy price is greater than a reference value and first control reference information comprising curtailment information for requesting reduction in use of energy or supply power leakage information for informing that an amount of suppliable electricity leaks, and   the low-price information comprises at least one of second price information comprising off-peak information that is received when the energy price is less than the reference value and second control reference information comprising curtailment information for informing that the energy is capable of increasing in use or excessive supply power amount for informing that an amount of suppliable electricity is sufficient.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the first operation method comprises a power-saving mode or a normal mode according to whether the first energy price-related information is the high-price information or the low-price information. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the power-saving mode is an operation mode in which an energy usage price of the electric appliance is capable of being reduced on the basis of the energy prices-related information received from the external component, and
 the normal mode is an operation mode that operates on the basis of a command recognized by or inputted into the electric appliance without being based on the energy price-related information.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the second energy price-related information comprises information in which a time period with respect to the energy price in information constituting the first energy price-related information moves. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the second energy price-related information comprises information in which an occurrence of the first energy price-related information is cancelled. 
     
     
         16 . An electric appliance comprising:
 a driving unit to operate on the basis of energy price-related information;   a communication unit to communicate with an external component with respect to the energy price-related information; and   a control unit to control the operation of the driving unit on the basis of the energy price-related information received by the communication unit,   wherein, if the control unit determines that the communication unit and the external component are in a communication failure state, the control unit determines a cause of the communication failure state from a plurality of preset mapping information.   
     
     
         17 . The electric appliance according to  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of mapping information comprise:
 first mapping information with respect to a change of a network key using the external component as a master device;   second mapping information with respect to a change of a communication channel that is used for the external component and the communication unit;   third mapping information with respect to a state in which the external component is turned off; and   fourth mapping information with respect to an initialization of a network connecting the external component to the communication unit.   
     
     
         18 . The electric appliance according to  claim 17 , wherein, when the network key is changed in a state where the communication unit does not receive an update message of the network key from the external component, the control unit determines that the communication failure cause corresponds to the first mapping information, and
 when the network key is changed in a state where the communication unit does not receive a channel change message from the external component, the control unit determines that the communication failure cause corresponds to the second mapping information.   
     
     
         19 . The electric appliance according to  claim 17 , wherein, when the external component is turned off due to an abnormal cause and becomes in the communication failure state, the control unit determines that the communication failure cause corresponds to the third mapping information, and
 the abnormal cause comprises a blackout or breakdown state.   
     
     
         20 . The electric appliance according to  claim 17 , wherein, when the control unit determines that the electric appliance has withdrawn from the network with the external component, the control unit determines that the communication failure cause corresponds to the fourth mapping information.