Update appliance communication settings to compensate for temperature fluctuations

• US 9,647,886 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2014
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Inventors: Drake, Jeff Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Sall, El Hadji
• Assistant Examiner(s): Islam, S M Z
• Application Number:
  US14/181,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20150236928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss

Abstract

Systems and methods for updating appliance communication settings to compensate for temperature fluctuations are provided. In particular, an appliance that includes one or more data communication components that provide wireless communication functionality can monitor one or more characteristics describing data communication failures experienced by the one or more data communication components. When the monitored characteristics indicate that the appliance is experiencing an increased rate of communication failure, the appliance can log the temperature conditions at the data communication components. Periodically, the appliance can analyze the logged temperatures to identify one or more temperature ranges associated with increased communication failure. The appliance can then update one or more communication settings associated with such temperature ranges so as to compensate for anticipated temperature fluctuations.

Claims

1. A method for updating appliance communication settings to compensate for temperature fluctuations, the method comprising:

monitoring, by an appliance over a period of time, temperature conditions at one or more data communication components included in the appliance, wherein the data communication component is configured for transmission or reception of data using radio frequency signals;

monitoring, by the appliance over the period of time, one or more characteristics describing data communication failures experienced by the one or more data communication components, wherein the data communication failures comprise one or more of the following;

rate of packet loss, a quantity of packets lost, an average number of retries necessary to successfully send or receive a packet, and a communication retry rate;

determining, by the appliance based at least in part on the monitored temperature conditions and the monitored characteristics describing data communication failures, a correlation between the monitored temperature conditions and the monitored characteristics describing data communication failures, wherein the correlation comprises at least one range of temperatures at which the data communication components experience increased data communication failures;

adjusting, by the appliance, one or more data communication settings associated with the at least one range of temperatures, wherein the adjusted one or more data communication settings compensate for the data communication failures;

determining, by the appliance, that the temperature conditions at the one or more data communication components are within the at least one range of temperatures; and

while the temperature conditions at the one or more data communication components are within the at least one range of temperatures, operating, by the appliance, the one or more data communication components according to the adjusted one or more communication settings to communicate with at least one other device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the appliance based at least in part on the monitored temperature conditions and the monitored characteristics describing data communication failures, the correlation between the monitored temperature conditions and the monitored characteristics describing data communication failures comprises:

determining, by the appliance, when the one or more characteristics describing data communication failures exceed a threshold value; and

when it is determined that the one or more characteristics describing data communication failures exceed the threshold value, logging, by the appliance, the temperature conditions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining, by the appliance based at least in part on the monitored temperature conditions and the monitored characteristics describing data communication failures, the correlation between the monitored temperature conditions and the monitored characteristics describing data communication failures further comprises analyzing, by the appliance, the logged temperature conditions to determine the at least one range of temperatures.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the appliance periodically performs the steps of determining the correlation and adjusting the one or more data communication settings; and

the period of time comprises a moving window of time associated with the periodic performance of the steps of determining the correlation and adjusting the one or more data communication settings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics describing data communication failures experienced by the one or more data communication components comprises a rate of packet loss associated with the one or more data communication components.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics describing data communication failures experienced by the one or more data communication components comprises a quantity of packets lost.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics describing data communication failures experienced by the one or more data communication components comprises an average number of retries necessary to successfully send or receive a packet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics describing data communication failures experienced by the one or more data communication components comprises a communication retry rate.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data communication settings comprises a length of a retry period.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data communication settings comprises a maximum number of retries.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data communication settings comprises a retry rate.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the appliance comprises a cooking product.

13. A method for updating appliance communication settings to compensate for temperature fluctuations, the method comprising:

determining, by an appliance, when a packet loss rate or a number of communication retries exceeds a threshold value for one or more signals transmitted or received by one or more data communication components configured for transmission or reception of data using radio frequency signals;

logging, by the appliance, a temperature associated with one or more data communication components included in the appliance when it is determined that the packet loss rate or the number of communication retries exceeds the threshold value;

analyzing, by the appliance, the logged temperatures to identify a correlation between the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components and increased packet loss rate or increased number of communication retries, wherein the correlation comprises at least one temperature range associated with the increased packet loss rate or the increased number of communication retries;

adjusting, by the appliance, one or more data communication settings associated with the at least temperature range, wherein the adjusted one or more data communication settings compensate for the increased packet loss rate or the increased number of communication retries;

determining, by the appliance, that the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components is within the at least one temperature range associated with the increased packet loss rate or the increased number of communication retries; and

while the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components is within the at least one temperature range, operating, by the appliance, the one or more data communication components according to the adjusted one or more communication settings to communicate with at least one other device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, by the appliance, when the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components is above a first temperature value or below a second temperature value, the first temperature value greater than the second temperature value; and

logging, by the appliance, a current packet loss rate or a current number of communication retries when it is determined that the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components is above the first temperature value or below the second temperature value;

wherein analyzing, by the appliance, the logged temperatures to identify the correlation between the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components and increased packet loss rate or increased number of communication retries comprises analyzing, by the appliance, the logged temperatures and the logged packet loss rate or number of communication retries to identify the correlation between the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components and increased packet loss rate or increased number of communication retries.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more data communication settings comprises one or more of a length of a retry period, a maximum number of retries, or a retry rate.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein:

adjusting, by the appliance, the one or more data communication settings comprises periodically adjusting, by the appliance, the one or more data communication settings; and

analyzing, by the appliance, the logged temperatures to identify the correlation between the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components and increased packet loss rate or increased number of communication retries comprises periodically analyzing, by the appliance, only those temperatures associated with a moving window of time to identify the correlation, such that the one or more data communication settings are dynamically updated to compensate for appliance data communication performance parameters that change over the lifetime of the appliance.

17. An appliance comprising:

one or more data communication components configured for transmission or reception of data using radio frequency signals;

a temperature sensor positioned adjacent to the one or more data communication components and configured to provide data indicating a temperature at the one or more data communication components;

wherein the appliance is configured to;

determine when a packet loss rate or a number of communication retries for one or more signals transmitted or received by the one or more data communication components exceeds a threshold value;

log the temperature at the one or more data communication components when it is determined that the packet loss rate or the number of communication retries exceeds the threshold value;

analyze the logged temperatures to identify a correlation between the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components and increased packet loss rate or increased number of communication retries, wherein the correlation comprises at least one temperature range associated with the increased packet loss rate or the increased number of communication retries;

adjust one or more data communication settings associated with the at least one temperature range, wherein the adjusted one or more data communication settings compensate for the increased packet loss rate or the increased number of communication retries;

determine that the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components is within the at least one temperature range associated with the increased packet loss rate or the increased number of communication retries; and

while the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components is within the at least one temperature range, operate the one or more data communication components according to the adjusted one or more communication settings to communicate with at least one other device.

18. The appliance of claim 17, wherein the one or more data communication settings comprises one or more of a length of a retry period, a maximum number of retries, or a retry rate.

19. The appliance of claim 17, wherein the appliance is further configured to:

determine when the temperature at the one or more data communication components is above a first temperature value or below a second temperature value; and

log a current packet loss rate or a current number of communication retries when it is determined that the temperature associated with the one or more data communication components is above the first temperature value or below the second temperature value.