System and method for diagnosing home appliance

• US 8,615,380 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2010
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hyun Sang, Kwon, Eui Hyeok, Kang, Hae Yong, Kim, Yong Tae, Lee, Koon Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/757,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20100262865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 702183-185
• US Class Current: 702/185
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/60 Audible signals
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/47 Responding to irregular working conditions, e.g. malfunctioning of pumps safety arrangements D06F37/42
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for diagnosing a home appliance are disclosed. The home appliance outputs product information as a predetermined sound signal, and transmits the sound signal to a service center of a remote site over a communication network, such that a service technician of the service center can easily check a current status of the home appliance. The diagnostic system effectively detects data using multiple synchronous signals having a time difference, quickly diagnoses a current status or fault of the home appliance, provides a service for more correctly diagnosing a faulty operation of the home appliance, and increases user satisfaction and reliability.

Claims

1. A diagnostic system for a home appliance, comprising:

a diagnostic server configured to receive a sound signal including a product information from the home appliance and diagnose a faulty operation of the home appliance using the received sound signal, wherein the diagnostic server detects data corresponding to the product information using a plurality of synchronous signals generated at intervals of a predetermined time, and diagnoses a current status of the home appliance, a faulty operation, and a cause of the faulty operation through the product information, wherein the diagnostic server extracts a post-preamble estimated as a preamble, generates the plurality of synchronous signals on the basis of the post-preamble, and detects not only a preamble but also data corresponding to the product information on the basis of a predetermined preamble size and a predetermined data size, wherein the diagnostic server includes a clock generator that generates the plurality of synchronous signals at intervals of the predetermined time, and wherein the clock generator generates at least three synchronous signals, each of which corresponds to the post-preamble, at intervals of the predetermined time, and changes a time interval of generating each synchronous signal in response to a symbol time of the sound.

2. The diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic server further includes:

a signal detector that, when detecting a post-preamble estimated as a preamble from a converted signal, allows the clock generator to generate the plurality of synchronous signals, detects a preamble and data from the sound signal on the basis of the plurality of synchronous signals, and extracts the product information through a combination of the data.

3. The diagnostic system according to claim 2, wherein the signal detector extracts a plurality of data candidates corresponding to each synchronous signal on the basis of the plurality of synchronous signals, checks an error of each data candidate using a check bit contained in each data candidate, discards an erroneous data candidate, and recognizes a normal data candidate as the data.

4. The diagnostic system according to claim 3, wherein the signal detector, upon receiving a result of the error check, extracts a preamble from the sound signal on the basis of a synchronous signal corresponding to a data candidate recognized as normal data, extracts data from the sound signal in response to the predetermined preamble size and the predetermined data size, and detects the product information through a combination of the extracted data.

5. The diagnostic system according to claim 2, wherein the diagnostic server further includes:

a signal converter that performs inverse conversion of the sound signal;

a diagnostic device that analyzes the product information using a diagnostic program and diagnostic data, and diagnoses a faulty operation of the home appliance on the basis of the analyzed result; and

a main controller that outputs a diagnosis result of the diagnostic device, and transmits the diagnosis result to an external part.

6. The diagnostic system according to claim 2, wherein the signal detector, when detecting the post-preamble, controls the clock generator to generate the plurality of synchronous signals in response to the predetermined preamble size at a specific time at which the post preamble is ended.

7. The diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic server extracts a preamble after performing inverse conversion of the sound signal, combines a plurality of data extracted on the basis of the preamble in consideration of the preamble size and the data size, and thus detects the product information.

8. The diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein an interframe space follows the data and a preamble for a subsequent data follows the interframe space.

9. A diagnostic method for use in a diagnostic system of a home appliance, the diagnostic method comprising:

receiving a sound signal generated from the home appliance;

detecting a post-preamble estimated as a preamble from the sound signal, and generating a plurality of synchronous signals at intervals of a unit time in response to the detected post-preamble;

detecting product information contained in the sound signal by extracting a data candidate for each synchronous signal in response to the plurality of synchronous signals and checking an error of the data candidate; and

diagnosing a status of the home appliance by analyzing the product information wherein the generating of the synchronous signals includes;

generating a plurality of synchronous signals at intervals of a predetermined unit time when detecting a post-preamble of a first time in association with the sound; and

generating a plurality of synchronous signals at intervals of a predetermined unit time when detecting a post-preamble of a second time.

10. The diagnostic method according to claim 9, wherein the detecting of the product information includes:

upon receiving an error check result of a plurality of data candidates extracted in response to the plurality of synchronous signals, discarding an erroneous data candidate, and determining a data candidate recognized as a normal data candidate to be data needed for configuring the product information.

11. The diagnostic method according to claim 10, wherein the detecting of the product information includes:

extracting a preamble of the sound signal on the basis of a synchronous signal for extracting the data candidate recognized as the normal data candidate, and detecting the product information from the sound signal in response to a predetermined preamble size and a predetermined data size.

12. The diagnostic method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of synchronous signals, after the post-preamble is detected, are generated at a specific position at which the detected post-preamble is ended.

13. The diagnostic method according to claim 9, wherein the detecting of the product information includes:

detecting a plurality of data candidates in association with a plurality of synchronous signals of the first time, detecting each of a plurality of data candidates in association with a plurality of synchronous signals of the second time, extracting each of normal data related to the first time and normal data related to the second time, and detecting the product information.

14. A diagnostic method for use in a diagnostic system of a home appliance, the diagnostic method comprising:

receiving a sound signal generated from the home appliance;

detecting a post-preamble estimated as a preamble from the sound signal, and generating a plurality of synchronous signals at intervals of a unit time in response to the detected post-preamble;

detecting product information contained in the sound signal by extracting a data candidate for each synchronous signal in response to the plurality of synchronous signals and checking an error of the data candidate; and

diagnosing a status of the home appliance by analyzing the product info nation, wherein the plurality of synchronous signals, after the post-preamble is detected, are generated at a specific position at which the detected post-preamble is ended.