Home appliance, home appliance diagnostic system, and method

• US 9,197,437 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hyunsang, Kim, Deoghyeon
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): AZAD, MD ABUL K
• Application Number:
  US13/562,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 813/7, 621/25, 340/618, 340/603, 340/679, 340/540, 379/106, 455/423, 700/90, 702/183, 702/184, 702/185, 705/26, 705/305, 706/54, 714/37, 714/46, 715/8, 715/708
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

A home appliance, a home appliance diagnostic system, and an operation method are provided, which allow a user to easily perform smart diagnosis by image progress and simply operate an input device and to diagnose a status of a home appliance, by displaying setup of smart diagnosis in a menu image including characters and images and outputting explanation of progresses on a screen by stages in accordance with a set diagnosis method.

Claims

1. A home appliance, comprising:

an input arranged to receive an order to perform smart diagnosis of a status of the home appliance;

a sound output arranged to output a sound signal having a predetermined frequency;

a display arranged to output a menu and a progress state of the smart diagnosis; and

a controller configured, when an order for performing a diagnosis is input through the input, to set up a smart diagnosis mode, create product information comprising data related to the home appliance, and drive the sound output to convert and output the product information as a sound signal, wherein the controller is configured to perform the smart diagnosis in a plurality of stages by outputting a diagnosis mode setup, a diagnostic device selection, setup of a mode, and help information comprising at least one selected from a group comprising characters, special characters, emoticons, and images, on the display, wherein the controller is further configured to receive user-selection of the diagnostic device to diagnose the home appliance and output user guides in a plurality of stages to perform the diagnosis according to the selected diagnostic device, when the smart diagnosis mode is set up, wherein when the selected diagnostic device is a smartphone, the controller outputs information on an application for smartphone diagnosis and connection information for the application, through the display, and when the diagnostic device is a call center, the controller outputs information on a phone number and service time of the call center through the display, wherein the controller is arranged to output information related to a position of the sound output, and progress procedures and a progress state of the diagnosis, through the display, when the smart diagnosis is started, and wherein the sound signal includes product information input by operation of a selector of the home appliance.

2. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the data related to the home appliance comprises at least one selected from a group comprising a product ID, configuration, operation information, and error-detecting information of the home appliance.

3. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein when an error occurs during operation, the controller is configured to store error information, output an error code, an explanation of the error, and a smart diagnosis mode selection menu through the display, and immediately perform smart diagnosis when a smart diagnosis mode is selected or the error is generated.

4. A home appliance diagnostic system, comprising:

a home appliance as claimed in claim 1; and

at least one diagnostic device arranged to diagnose the home appliance in response to the sound signal, wherein the at least one diagnostic device includes at least one of;

a terminal arranged to locally diagnose the status of the home appliance in response to the sound signal output from the home appliance;

or

a service center arranged to remotely diagnose the home appliance in response to the sound signal transmitted from the terminal through a predetermined communication network, wherein the service center comprises a diagnostic server to diagnose the home appliance, wherein the home appliance is configured to receive the user-selection of the diagnostic device between the terminal and the service center to diagnose the home appliance, and output the user guides in the plurality of stages to perform the diagnosis according to the selected diagnostic device, when the smart diagnosis mode is set up, and wherein the home appliance is arranged to output information on an application for smart diagnosis and connection information for the application on a screen when the terminal is selected as the diagnostic device, and output information on a phone number and service time of a call center on the screen when the service center is selected as the diagnostic device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the service center is arranged to provide diagnosis data in accordance with a request of the terminal, receive and store the local diagnosis results of the terminal, and perform precise diagnosis on the home appliance in response to the sound signal when the diagnostic device is selected.

6. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller includes an encoder that encodes the product information into a control signal having a predetermined format when the order for performing the diagnosis is received from the input.

7. The home appliance of claim 6, further comprising a memory that stores control data to control operation of the home appliance and the product information.

8. The home appliance of claim 6, further comprising a modulator that controls the sound signal output from the sound output based on the control signal of the encoder.

9. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a main controller that controls operation of the home appliance.

10. The home appliance of claim 3, wherein when the error occurs during the operation, the main controller temporarily stops an operation of the home appliance.

11. A method of operating a home appliance, comprising:

initiating a smart diagnosis mode;

creating product information comprising data related to the home appliance when an order for smart diagnosis of the home appliance is received;

outputting an explanation of an error and an error code and displaying a selection menu whether to perform the smart diagnosis mode on a screen;

receiving user-selection of a diagnostic device to diagnose the home appliance on the basis of the product information;

outputting a diagnosis method comprising user guides in a plurality of stages to perform the diagnosis using the selected diagnostic device;

converting and outputting the product information as a sound signal having a predetermined frequency; and

displaying a progress state of the diagnosis on the screen, wherein the method further includes when the selected diagnostic device is a smartphone, outputting information on an application for smartphone diagnosis and connection information for the application, through the display, and when the diagnostic device is a call center, outputting information on a phone number and service time of the call center, through the display, and outputting information related to a position of the sound output, and progress procedures and a progress state of the diagnosis, through the display, when the smart diagnosis is initiated, and wherein the sound signal includes product information input by operation of a selector of the home appliance.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the data related to the home appliance comprising at least one selected from a group comprising a product ID, configuration, operation information, and error-detecting information of the home appliance.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the diagnostic device is any one of a smartphone and a call center.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising temporarily stopping an operation and storing error information when the error is generated during operation before the smart diagnosis mode is initiated.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether the operation can be continued, when the smart diagnosis mode is not selected after the error is generated; and

performing again the operation, which is temporarily stopped, when the operation can be continued, and stopping all operations and outputting an error when the operation cannot be performed.