HOME APPLIANCE AND HOME APPLIANCE SYSTEM

• US 20090323913A1
• Filed: 04/29/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Young Soo, CHO, In Haeng, JEONG, Hoi Jin, JEON, Si Moon, HAN, Jong Hye, LEE, Phal Jin
• Application Number:
  US12/431,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20090323913A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/106.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A home appliance and a home appliance system are provided which control a sound output from an output device upon receipt of an external command signal of ON or OFF. Further, the home appliance and home appliance system control a sequence of output of an acoustic signal output from a conversion device. Accordingly, it may be possible to notify a user of the outputting of the acoustic signal by controlling the sequence of output of the acoustic signal, thereby increasing user convenience.

Claims

1. In a home appliance system that transmits product information of a home appliance to a management device through a wire/wireless communication network for fault diagnosis, and diagnoses fault of the home appliance,

the home appliance, including:

a controller that includes a storage device for storing the product information of the home appliance for the fault diagnosis, and loads the product information stored in the storage device and outputs a control signal, when the fault diagnosis command is received

a conversion device that converts the control signal which includes product information into at least one acoustic signal and outputs the at least one acoustic signal; and

a output device that outputs a sound corresponding to the at least one acoustic signal.

2. The home appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive the control command from outside of the home appliance.

3. The home appliance of claim 2, wherein the input device comprises a manipulation device and the control command comprises an ON or OFF command, wherein the conversion device, upon receipt of the ON or OFF command, converts product information into at least one acoustic signal and outputs the at least one acoustic signal if the ON command is input, and does not output the at least one acoustic signal if the OFF command is input.

4. The home appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device that stores the product information, wherein the controller transmits the control signal including the product information stored in the storage device to the conversion device if the user inputs the ON command into the manipulation device, and the conversion device converts the product information into the at least one acoustic signal.

5. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the at least one acoustic signal comprises a plurality of acoustic signals, wherein the plurality of acoustic signals comprises:

a first acoustic signal configured to notify the user that the product information is about to be output; and

a second acoustic signal corresponding to the product information and configured to be output upon completion of the output of first acoustic signal.

6. The home appliance of claim 5, wherein the plurality of acoustic signals further comprises:

a third acoustic signal configured to notify the user that the product information has been output by the output device, wherein, when the conversion and outputting of the second acoustic signal is completed, the controller controls the conversion device to output the third acoustic signal.

7. The home appliance of claim 6, wherein a sound corresponding to the first acoustic signal and a sound corresponding to the third acoustic signal include at least one of a voice recognizable by the user, a melody, or a buzzer sound.

8. The home appliance of claim 6, wherein the controller controls the conversion device to output a separation signal to separate the plurality of acoustic signals during a dummy time between the first acoustic signal, the second acoustic signal, and the third acoustic signal.

9. The home appliance of claim 8, wherein, when the separation signal is input into the output device, the controller controls the output device to output a sound corresponding to the separation signal.

10. The home appliance of claim 5, wherein, when the outputting of the first acoustic signal is completed, the controller controls the output device to output the second acoustic signal a plurality of times.

11. The home appliance of claim 10, wherein the controller controls the conversion device to output a data separation signal during a data dummy time in between the plurality of second acoustic signals.

12. The home appliance of claim 11, wherein, when the data separation signal is input into the output device, the controller controls the output device to output a sound corresponding to the separation signal as mute.

13. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the product information includes at least one of operating information and fault information of the home appliance.

14. The home appliance of claim 2, wherein the user device comprises an user input device configured to receive an operation control command from the user, wherein the controller controls a sequence of outputting the at least one acoustic signal when the user inputs the operation control command through the user input device.

15. The home appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a display device that displays a first image showing a proceeding state till an end point of the sound output, while the sound is output through the output device.

16. The home appliance of claim 15, wherein the first image comprises at least one of a number, picture and graph.

17. The home appliance of claim 15, wherein the first image is an image where the number is inversely counted.

18. The home appliance of claim 15, wherein the first image is an image where the number of the graphs is reduced.

19. The home appliance of claim 15, wherein the first image is an image showing a percentage of a remaining time in an entire sound output time.

20. The home appliance of claim 15, wherein the first image comprises at least one of a bar graph, circle graph and line graph.

21. The home appliance of claim 15, wherein the proceeding state is any one of a remaining time till an end point of the sound output and an elapsed time till the end point of the sound output.

22. In a home appliance system that transmits product information of a home appliance to a management device through a wire/wireless communication network for fault diagnosis, and diagnoses fault of the home appliance,

the home appliance system, including:

a conversion device that, upon receipt of a control command, converts product information into at least one acoustic signal and outputs the at least one acoustic signal if the external command signal is ON, and does not output the at least one acoustic signal if the external command signal is OFF;

an output device that outputs a sound corresponding to the at least one acoustic signal output from the conversion device;

a controller that controls the at least one acoustic signal converted and output by the conversion device, so that a user is notified that the product information is about to be output; and

a management device configured to receive the sound and inversely convert the sound into the product information based on the sound.

23. The home appliance system of claim 22, further comprising an input device configured to receive the control command from the home appliance or from outside of the home appliance system.

24. The home appliance system of claim 23, wherein the input device comprises a manipulation device and the control command comprises an ON or OFF command, wherein the conversion device, upon receipt of the ON or OFF command, converts product information into at least one acoustic signal and outputs the at least one acoustic signal if the ON command is input, and does not output the at least one acoustic signal if the OFF command is input.

25. The home appliance system of claim 22, further comprising a storage device that stores the product information, wherein the controller transmits the product information stored in the storage device to the conversion device if the user inputs an ON command signal through the manipulation device, and the conversion device converts the product information into the at least one acoustic signal.

26. The home appliance system of claim 22, wherein the at least one acoustic signal comprises a plurality of acoustic signals, wherein the plurality of acoustic signals comprises:

a first acoustic signal configured to notify the user the product information is about to be output; and

a second acoustic signal corresponding to the product information output upon completion of the first acoustic signal.

27. The home appliance system of claim 26, wherein the plurality of acoustic signals further comprises:

a third acoustic signal configured to notify the user that the product information has been output by the output device, wherein, when the conversion and outputting of the second acoustic signal is completed, the controller controls the conversion device to output the third acoustic signal.

28. The home appliance system of claim 27, wherein a sound corresponding to the first acoustic signal and a sound corresponding to the third acoustic signal include at least one of a voice recognizable by the user, a melody, or a buzzer sound.

29. The home appliance system of claim 27, wherein the controller controls the conversion device to output a separation signal to separate the plurality of acoustic signals during a dummy time between the first acoustic signal, the second acoustic signal, and the third acoustic signal.

30. The home appliance system of claim 29, wherein, when the separation signal is input into the output device, the controller controls the output device to output a sound corresponding to the separation signal as mute.

31. The home appliance system of claim 26, wherein, when the outputting of the first acoustic signal is completed, the controller controls the output device to output the second acoustic signal a plurality of times.

32. The home appliance system of claim 31, wherein the controller controls the conversion device to output a data separation signal during a data dummy time between the plurality of second acoustic signals.

33. The home appliance system of claim 32, wherein, when the data separation signal is input into the output device, the controller controls the output device to output a sound corresponding to the separation signal as mute.

34. The home appliance system of claim 22, wherein the product information includes at least one of operating information or fault information of the home appliance.

35. The home appliance system of claim 23, wherein the user device comprises an user input device configured to receive an operation control command from a user, wherein the controller controls a sequence of outputting the at least one acoustic signal when the user inputs the operation control command through the user input device.

36. The home appliance system of claim 22, wherein the sound output from the output device is transmitted to the management device via a communications network.

37. The home appliance system of claim 36, further comprising an external terminal connected to the management device and the communications network, wherein the user inputs the sound output from the output device into the external terminal.

38. The home appliance system of claim 37, wherein the management device checks the product information by comparing the sound input from the external terminal with previously input data, judges a status of the home appliance based on the product information, and links the product information to a repairman.

39. The home appliance system of claim 22, wherein the management device comprises:

a transmission/reception device that transmits and receives sounds;

a signal conversion device that inversely converts the sounds received from the transmission/reception device into product information; and

a management device controller that reads the converted product information.

40. The home appliance system of claim 39, wherein the management device controller discriminates an order of the first acoustic signal, the second acoustic signal, and the third acoustic signal, and judges whether the second acoustic signal is damaged.

41. The home appliance system of claim 40, further comprising:

an sound input device configured to receive a re-transmit command; and

an inverse conversion device that converts the re-transmit command input into the sound input device and outputs the converted re-transmit command, wherein the management device controller discriminates an order of the first acoustic signal, the second acoustic signal, and the third acoustic signal, and if it is judged that a sequence of the first acoustic signal, the second acoustic signal, and the third acoustic signal is different from a previous input sequence, outputs the re-transmit command through the transmission/reception device, and when the re-transmit command is input into the input device, the controller controls the output device to re-output the acoustic signals.

42. The home appliance system of claim 40, further comprising:

an acoustic device configured to receive a re-transmit command; and

an inverse conversion device that converts the re-transmit command input into the sound input device and outputs the converted re-transmit command, wherein, if it is judged that the second acoustic signal is damaged, the management device controller outputs the re-transmit command through the transmission/reception device, and when the re-transmit command is input into the input device, the controller controls the output device to re-output the second acoustic signal.

43. The home appliance system of claim 22, further comprising:

a display device that displays a first image showing a proceeding state till an end point of the sound output, while the sound is output through the output device.

44. The home appliance system of claim 43, wherein the first image comprises at least one of a number, picture and graph.

45. The home appliance system of claim 43, wherein the first image is an image where the number is inversely counted

46. The home appliance system of claim 43, wherein the first image is an image where the number of the graphs is reduced.

47. The home appliance system of claim 43, wherein the first image is an image showing a percentage of a remaining time in an entire sound output time.

48. The home appliance system of claim 43, wherein the first image comprises at least one of a bar graph, circle graph and line graph.

49. The home appliance system of claim 43, wherein the proceeding state is any one of a remaining time till an end point of the sound output and an elapsed time till the end point of the sound output.