Home appliance, home appliance system, and method for operating same

• US 9,453,299 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Chang Kwon, Ha, Mi Kyung, Hong, Min Hwan, Choe, Woon Je, Han, Jong Hye, Kim, Pyoung Hwan, Lee, Sang Su
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US13/698,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 704/246, 340/3.7, 340/10.1, 340/12.5, 340/13.24, 340/310.11, 340/3.1, 340/4.3, 340/679, 700/90, 370/338, 379/106.01, 455/41.2, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/466, 715/771
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/32 characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a home appliance, to a home appliance system, and to a method for operating same, wherein the home appliance and a mobile terminal are connected to one another to add or update data in the home appliance through the mobile terminal connected thereto, diagnose the state of the home appliance by means of the mobile terminal, and supplement the function of the home appliance by means of the mobile terminal, thus expanding the functions of the home appliance to enable the easy control of the home appliance, and more conveniently controlling the home appliance.

Claims

1. A home appliance, comprising:

a terminal mounting unit to which a mobile terminal having a display means is mounted; and

a control unit transmitting operation state data to the mobile terminal through the terminal mounting unit during an operation of the home appliance, and controlling the operation state data to be displayed in the mobile terminal, when the mobile terminal is mounted to the terminal mounting unit,

wherein the control unit transmits, to the mobile terminal, the operation state data including at least one of operation setting, progress state during operation, remaining time, and guide information, and controls the operation state data to be displayed in a display means of the mobile terminal, and

wherein the mobile terminal includes a program or a control menu for the home appliance, and performs the program or the control menu when mounted to the home appliance to output the operation state data received from the home appliance.

2. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the operation state data to be displayed as at least one combination of a character, a number, a special character and an image in a display means provided to the mobile terminal.

3. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the operation of the home appliance, corresponding to data received from the mobile terminal through the terminal mounting unit.

4. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the terminal mounting unit comprises:

a connection terminal electrically connected to the mobile terminal;

a connection sensing unit sensing whether the mobile terminal is mounted to the terminal mounting unit through the connection terminal; and

a data processing unit transmitting the operation state data to the mobile terminal through the connection terminal and providing the data received from the mobile terminal to the control unit.

5. The home appliance of claim 4, wherein the terminal mounting unit is provided at the front of the home appliance, has the connection terminal so that the mobile terminal is mounted in a lateral or longitudinal direction, and further includes a support platform allowing the mobile terminal to be fixed thereto.

6. The home appliance of claim 4, wherein, which the mobile terminal is mounted to the terminal mounting unit, the terminal mounting unit further includes a connection terminal cover protecting the mobile terminal from external impact.

7. The home appliance of claim 4, wherein the terminal mounting unit is configured so that a bottom support platform provided with the connection terminal is protruded to the front of the home appliance.

8. The home appliance of claim 4, wherein the terminal mounting unit further comprises:

a connection terminal cover provided at the top of the home appliance so as to protect the connection terminal and the mobile terminal from external impact; and

a support platform fixing the mobile terminal so that mobile terminal is mounted in the lateral or longitudinal direction when the connection terminal cover is opened.

9. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein, if the mobile terminal is mounted to the terminal mounting unit, the control unit determines whether the mobile terminal is registered, and registers the mobile terminal according to terminal information received from the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is not registered.

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

a communication unit communicating with the mobile terminal by wire/wireless,

wherein, if the mobile terminal is separated from the terminal mounting unit, the control unit controls the home appliance to communicate data with the mobile terminal through the communication unit.

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

a display unit outputting an operation state,

wherein, if the mobile terminal is mounted to the terminal mounting unit, the control unit sets the display means of the mobile terminal as a main display and sets the display unit as an auxiliary display, and

wherein, if the mobile terminal is separated from the terminal mounting unit, the control unit displays the operation state through the display unit.

15. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein

the mobile terminal generates a control signal for an input voice by recognizing the input voice, and transmits the control signal to the home appliance, when the mobile terminal is connected to the home appliance by being mounted to the terminal mounting unit.

16. The home appliance of claim 15, wherein the mobile terminal comprises:

a connection unit electrically connecting the mobile terminal to the home appliance when the mobile terminal is mounted to the terminal mounting unit;

a communication unit connected to the home appliance through wireless communication;

a data unit storing data for voice conversion and information of a control signal according to a voice;

a voice processing unit recognizing an input voice and generating a control signal corresponding to the voice; and

a control unit transmitting the control signal to the home appliance through the connection unit, and transmitting the control signal the home appliance through the communication unit, when the mobile terminal is not connected to the home appliance through the connection unit.

12. A method for operating a home appliance, comprising:

sensing whether a mobile terminal is mounted to the home appliance;

transmitting operation state data of the home appliance to the mobile terminal, when the mobile terminal is mounted to the home appliance;

outputting the operation state data through the mobile terminal, when the mobile terminal performs a stored program or a control menu for the home appliance; and

operating the home appliance by changing an operation setting according to data input from the mobile terminal, when the data is input from the mobile terminal,

wherein the operation state data includes at least one of operation setting, progress state during operation, remaining time and guide information, and is displayed in a display means of the mobile terminal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the operation state data is displayed as at least one combination of a character, a number, a special character and an image in a display means of the mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether the mobile terminal is registered when the mobile terminal is mounted to the home application, and

registering the mobile terminal according to terminal information received from the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is not registered.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

inputting a control signal corresponding to a voice from the mobile terminal when the voice is recognized in the mobile terminal;

starting or finishing an operation, corresponding to the control signal, and changing an operation being performed by the home appliance; and

transmitting information on an operation performed or changed, corresponding to the control signal, as operation state data to the mobile terminal.

18. A method for operating a mobile terminal, comprising:

sensing whether the mobile terminal is mounted to a home appliance;

performing a program or a control menu for the home appliance to control and monitor the home appliance;

receiving operation state data from the home appliance;

displaying the operation state data on a screen or converting the operation state data into a voice and then displaying the voice through a speaker;

converting and analyzing an input voice, when the input voice is sensed; and

generating a control signal corresponding to the voice and providing the generated control signal to the home appliance, when the voice is a voice related to a control of the home appliance.