Monitoring system and method for home appliance placed within certain distance

• US 20050140506A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Yong Tae, Lee, Hoon Bong, Oh, Min Jin, Son, Kweon, Choi, Gyoo Cheol, Kwon, Yong Hoan
• Application Number:
  US10/928,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20050140506A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/538
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link

Abstract

The present invention relates to a monitoring system and method for a home appliance placed within certain distance. The monitoring system includes: an indoor space in which a user lives; a housing space being at a distance from the indoor space; a home appliance being placed in the housing space and having a communication module for communicating with the external of the housing space; and a remote controller placed in the indoor space, for communicating with the communication module to receive monitoring information of the home appliance, thereby monitoring an operation state of the home appliance.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for a home appliance placed within certain distance, the monitoring system comprising:

an indoor space in which a user lives;

a housing space being at a distance from the indoor space;

a home appliance being placed in the housing space and having a communication module for communicating with the external of the housing space; and

a remote controller placed in the indoor space, for communicating with the communication module to receive monitoring information of the home appliance, thereby monitoring an operation state of the home appliance.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the housing space is an underground room or a warehouse.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the communication module is free to detach from the home appliance.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the communication module and the home appliance are communicated with each other by using one or two of a power line communication, a wireless communication and a wire communication.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller is fixed to a wall of the indoor space.

6. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller is portable.

7. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance is a washing machine and/or a dryer.

8. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance is provided in plural.

9. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller has an alarm generating unit for alarming that the home appliance is in abnormal operation.

10. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller has a displaying unit for displaying monitoring information.

11. The monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a power unit integrated with the remote controller.

12. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller has a communicating unit for communicating with the communication module.

13. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring system communicates with the communication module and is provided separately from the remote controller as a separate unit.

14. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance and/or the remote controller has a key inputting unit for user manipulation.

15. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance has displaying units for displaying operation states of the home appliance for themselves.

16. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring information has error information of the home appliance.

17. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein each of the home appliances has a micro processor for controlling an operation of the remote controller and/or the home appliance.

18. A monitoring method for a home appliance placed within certain distance, the monitoring method comprising the steps of:

analyzing monitoring information of the home appliance from the home appliance placed within the certain distance;

transmitting the monitoring information to a remote controller; and

displaying the monitoring information on the remote controller.

19. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring information is analyzed or transmitted at the home appliance, or displayed on the remote controller according to user'"'"'s setting information.

20. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring information is displayed in real time or at a predetermined period or at the time of a user'"'"'s request.

21. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the home appliance is a washing machine and/or a dryer.

22. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the home appliance receives a control command from the remote controller.

23. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring information has at least error information of the home appliance.

24. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the home appliance is the washing machine and/or the dryer, and the monitoring information has at least one selected from information on a current operation state of the washing machine and/or the dryer, a supplied state of water, a rotation state of a drum, a state of a laundry, an internal temperature/humidity of the drum, and error.

25. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring information is transmitted from the home appliance to the remote controller by using at least one of a power line communication, a wire communication, and a wireless communication.

26. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the remote controller generates alarm when the monitoring information has the error information.

27. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein the monitoring information is displayed at the remote controller.

28. The monitoring method according to claim 18, wherein a single remote controller displays the monitoring information of a plurality of home appliances.

29. A monitoring method for a home appliance placed within certain distance, the monitoring method comprising the steps of:

transmitting monitoring information of the home appliance from the home appliance to a remote controller; and

displaying the monitoring information at a remote controller.

30. The monitoring method according to claim 29, further comprising the step of:

transmitting a control command for controlling an operation of the home appliance from the remote controller to the home appliance.

31. The monitoring method according to claim 29, wherein the transmitting of the monitoring information is performed when there is a request from the remote controller.

32. A monitoring system for a home appliance placed within certain distance, the monitoring system comprising:

a washing machine and/or a dryer having a communication module to communicate with the external; and

a remote controller placed within the certain distance from the washing machine and/or the dryer, for receiving and displaying monitoring information of the washing machine and/or the dryer by communicating with the communication module.