Electric home appliance real use state information collection and analysis apparatus

• US 5,721,693 A
• Filed: 01/03/1996
• Issued: 02/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Song, Jun Il
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEESO, THOMAS R
• Application Number:
  US08/582,609
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 364/551.01, 340/825.06, 340/825.16, 340/825.22, 340/825.29, 340/825.07, 395/200, 395/909, 379/102
• US Class Current: 702/57
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/07 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/02 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/15 Power, e.g. by voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/14 Sensors measuring the temperature outside the refrigerator or freezer
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles

Abstract

An improved electric home appliance real use state information collection and analysis apparatus capable of providing a product design reference data by collecting and analyzing user'"'"'s real use state and home appliance surrounding environments, thus improving reliability of the product, which includes an electric home appliance microcomputer for controlling the entire functions of a certain electric home appliance and for detecting a real use state of a user'"'"'s real electric home appliance; an UPA microcomputer for storing a user'"'"'s use state data inputted from the electric home appliance microcomputer and the collected various surrounding environment data into a memory and for transmitting the data to another element; and a personal computer for receiving and analyzing the data transmitted from the UPA microcomputer via an RS-232 serial communication link, thus providing a product design reference data by collecting and analyzing user'"'"'s real use state and home appliance surrounding environments, thus improving reliability of the product.

Claims

1. An electric home appliance use state information collection and analysis apparatus, comprising:

a microcomputer disposed in an electric home appliance for controlling all the functions of the appliance and for detecting a real use state of the appliance;

a user pattern analysis (UPA) microcomputer for receiving and storing use state data of various parameters of the appliance inputted from said microcomputer in the appliance and for receiving and storing various surrounding environment data, said data being stored in a memory and being periodically transmitted outside the UPA microcomputer; and

a personal computer for periodically receiving the data transmitted from said UPA microcomputer via an RS-232 serial communication link and thereafter analyzing the same to evolve improvements in appliance design and control.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the surrounding environment data includes moisture, a power failure, a number of appliance resettings, electric power/voltage levels, noise, and impulses.

3. An electric home appliance use state information collection and analysis apparatus, comprising:

a microcomputer disposed in an electric home appliance for controlling all the functions of the appliance and for detecting a real use state of the appliance;

a user pattern analysis (UPA) microcomputer for receiving and storing use state data of various parameters of the appliance inputted from said microcomputer in the appliance and for receiving and storing various surrounding environment data, said data being stored in a memory and being periodically transmitted outside the UPA microcomputer; and

a personal computer for periodically receiving the data transmitted from said UPA microcomputer via an RS-232 serial communication link and thereafter analyzing the same to evolve improvements in appliance design and control;

wherein the UPA microcomputer includes;

a detection unit for detecting surrounding environment data of the electric home appliance;

a UPA control unit for receiving the detected data outputted from said detection unit and for controlling various appliance functions;

an EEPROM for receiving data from said UPA control unit and for storing the data;

a time setting unit for setting an initial time;

an LED unit for indicating an operation state of the electric home appliance control unit and the UPA control unit; and

a back-up battery for providing back-up power for enabling the storing of data in the UPA control unit and the operation of the time setting unit during a power failure.

4. An electric home electric appliance use state information collection and analysis apparatus, comprising:

a microcomputer disposed in an electric home appliance for controlling the entire functions of the appliance and for detecting a real use state of the appliance;

a user pattern analysis (UPA) microcomputer for storing use state data inputted from said microcomputer in the appliance and detected surrounding environment data into a memory and for periodically transmitting the stored date; and

a personal computer for receiving and analyzing the data transmitted from said UPA microcomputer via an RS-232 serial communication link;

wherein the UPA microcomputer includes;

a detection unit for detecting surrounding environment data of the electric home appliance;

a UPA control unit for receiving the detection data outputted from said detection unit and for controlling various functions;

an EEPROM for receiving data from said UPA control unit and for storing the data;

a time setting unit for setting an initial time;

an LED unit for indicating an operation state of the electric home appliance control unit and the UPA control unit; and

a back-up battery for providing back-up power for the storing of data in the UPA control unit and the operation of the time setting unit during a power failure,

wherein the microcomputer in the home appliance comprises;

a key detection unit for a key detection operation;

a temperature detection unit for detecting an outside temperature; and

an electric home appliance control unit for controlling various functions of the electric home appliance and for outputting signals of said key detection unit and said temperature detection unit to said UPA microcomputer.