Remote control of laundry appliance

• US 6,778,868 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takahiro, Matsumoto, Satoru, Ikeda, Hiroshi, Imamura, Fumihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ DAPLE, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US09/950,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 700/65, 700/66, 700/78, 700/79, 700/80, 700/81, 700/82, 700/19, 700/21, 455/11.1, 710/106, 68/120.1, 68/120.2, 714/2, 714/25
• US Class Current: 700/79
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/18 Washing liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/02 Water supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/60 Audible signals
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• 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 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A remote control system for a laundry appliance which includes a remote control device externally accessible via a communication network, the remote control device including a data base storing coping information used to cope with an abnormal condition occurring during operation of the laundry appliance, a laundry appliance control device connected via the communication network to the remote control device so as to transmit information about an abnormal condition via the communication network to the remote control device when the abnormal condition has occurred in the laundry appliance, and an analyzer for analyzing the coping information corresponding to the abnormal condition in the laundry appliance to infer a cause of the abnormal condition of the laundry appliance. When the analyzer analyzes a plurality of pieces of the analytic information, a higher priority is given to the analytic information corresponding to a cause of the abnormal condition with a larger number of times of occurrence.

Claims

1. A remote control system for a laundry appliance, comprising:

a remote control device externally accessible via a communication network, the remote control device including a data base storing coping information used to cope with an abnormal condition occurring during operation of the laundry appliance, for every type of the laundry appliance, the coping information corresponding to causes for the abnormal condition and including analytic information about an operating state of the laundry appliance upon occurrence of the abnormal condition, the number of times of the abnormal condition and a measure coping with the abnormal condition;

a laundry appliance control device connected via the communication network to the remote control device so as to transmit information about an abnormal condition via the communication network to the remote control device when the abnormal condition has occurred in the laundry appliance; and

analyzing means for analyzing the coping information corresponding to the abnormal condition in the laundry appliance to infer a cause for the abnormal condition of the laundry appliance, wherein when the analyzing means analyzes a plurality of pieces of the analytic information, a higher priority is given to the analytic information corresponding to a cause for the abnormal condition with a larger number of times of occurrence.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device transmits a test program via the communication network to the laundry appliance control device when receiving information about the an abnormal condition transmitted from the laundry appliance, wherein the laundry appliance control device causes the laundry appliance to execute an inspection of the abnormal condition according to the received test program and transmits results of execution of the test program via the communication network to the remote control device, and wherein the analyzing means analyzes a result of execution of the test program to infer a cause for the abnormal condition.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the remote control device has a plurality of the test programs according to a plurality of contents of the abnormal condition of the laundry appliance respectively.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the laundry appliance includes a water pouring vessel having a detergent chamber and a softener chamber, a water supply valve unit having a first valve opened when water is supplied through the detergent chamber and a second valve opened when water is supplied through the softener chamber, and valve control means for controlling the water supply valve unit, and when the analysis by the analyzing means shows that the abnormal condition is due to an abnormal operation of one of the first and second valves of the water supply valve unit, the remote control device transmits via the communication network to the laundry appliance control device an emergency operation program which causes the valve control means to open the other of the first and second valves during water supply, and the laundry appliance control device causes the laundry appliance to execute the emergency operation for the abnormal condition according to the received emergency operation program.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the laundry appliance includes a water pouring vessel having a detergent chamber and a softener chamber, a water supply valve unit having a first valve opened when water is supplied through the detergent chamber and a second valve opened when water is supplied through the softener chamber, and valve control means for controlling the water supply valve unit, and when the analysis by the analyzing means shows that the abnormal condition is due to an abnormal operation of the first valve of the water supply valve unit, the remote control device transmits via the communication network to the laundry appliance control device an emergency operation program which causes the valve control means to open the second valve during water supply, and the laundry appliance control device causes the laundry appliance to execute the emergency operation for the abnormal condition according to the received emergency operation program.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the laundry appliance includes a water tub, a water level sensor for sensing a water level in the water tub, and water supply and drain control means for controlling water supplying and draining operations on the basis of a result of detection by the water level sensor, and when the analysis by the analyzing means shows that the abnormal condition is due to an abnormal operation of the water level sensor, the remote control device transmits via the communication network to the laundry appliance control device an emergency operation program which causes the water supply and drain control means to execute water supplying and draining operations based on set water supply and drain times, and the laundry appliance control device causes the laundry appliance to execute the emergency operation for the abnormal condition according to the received emergency operation program.

7. A system according to claim 6, which further comprises storage means for storing data of a water supply flow rate and a drain flow rate for the water tub, and wherein the water supply time is set on the basis of the water supply flow rate the data of which is stored by the storage means and the drain time is set on the basis of the drain flow rate the data of which is stored by the storage means.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the laundry appliance includes a heater for heating wash water and heater control means for controlling energization of the heater, and when the analysis by the analyzing means shows that the abnormal condition is due to an abnormal operation of the heater, the remote control device transmits via the communication network to the laundry appliance control device an emergency operation program which causes the heater control means to prohibit energization to the heater, and the laundry appliance control device causes the laundry appliance to execute the emergency operation for the abnormal condition according to the received emergency operation program.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the laundry appliance includes a water tub, a rotatable tub rotatably mounted in the water tub, a motor for rotating the rotatable tub, elastic support means for elastically supporting the water tub, and motor control means for performing a variable seed control of the motor, and when the analysis by the analyzing means shows that the abnormal condition is due to an abnormal operation of the elastic support means, the remote control device transmits via the communication network to the laundry appliance control device an emergency operation program which causes the motor control means to drive the motor so that a rotational speed of the motor during a dehydrating operation is rendered lower than usual, and the laundry appliance control device causes the laundry appliance to execute the emergency operation for the abnormal condition according to the received emergency operation program.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the laundry appliance includes a lid closing and opening an access opening and lid sensing means for sensing an open or closed state of the lid, and when the analysis by the analyzing means shows that the abnormal condition is due to an abnormal operation of the lid sensor, the remote control device transmits via the communication network to the laundry appliance control device an emergency operation program which disallows the laundry appliance to execute a dehydrating operation, and the laundry appliance control device causes the laundry appliance to execute the emergency operation for the abnormal condition according to the received emergency operation program.