Home appliance, home appliance system, and method of controlling the same

• US 9,722,668 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ha, Mikyung, Park, Junpil, Cho, Bokyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Nwugo, Ojiako
• Application Number:
  US14/247,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20140300450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 340 61, 3405721-5729, 340 101- 105
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/51 Remote controlling of devices based on replies, status thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/20 characterised by the transmission technique; characterised by the transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A home appliance, a home appliance system, and a method of controlling the same are provided. The home appliance includes a display unit that outputs an operation setting and an operation state. The home appliance further includes a tag unit that performs Near Field Communication (NFC) with a terminal. The home appliance further includes a controller that (i) stores product information at the tag unit, (ii) receives data stored at the tag unit, (iii) changes the operation setting, (iv) controls the operation state, and (v) outputs the changed operation setting to the display unit. The controller (i) determines network connection information that is stored at the tag unit by the terminal, (ii) stores the network connection information in a communication unit, and (iii) transmits and receives data wirelessly by connecting, through the communication unit, to a network that is associated with the network connection information.

Claims

1. A home appliance comprising:

a display unit that outputs an operation setting and an operation state;

a tag unit that performs Near Field Communication (NFC) with a terminal; and

a controller that (i) stores product information at the tag unit, (ii) receives data stored at the tag unit, (iii) changes the operation setting, (iv) controls the operation state, and (v) outputs the changed operation setting to the display unit,

wherein the controller (i) determines network connection information that is stored at the tag unit by the terminal, (ii) stores the network connection information in a communication unit, (iii) transmits and receives data wirelessly by connecting, through the communication unit, to a network that is associated with the network connection information, (iv) transmits data of the home appliance to a server by connecting to the server based on product information of the home appliance based on a network connection through the communication unit being successful, and (v) controls operation of the home appliance according to a received control instruction from the terminal or based on the server being connected to the network through the communication unit.

2. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the tag unit comprises:

a tag storage unit that stores the product information and the network connection information; and

a transmitting and receiving unit that recognizes the terminal that contacts the tag unit or communicates with the tag unit when within a predetermined distance.

3. The home appliance of claim 2, wherein the tag unit stores data received from the terminal at the tag storage unit in response to the terminal contacting the tag unit independent of the home appliance being turned on.

4. The home appliance of claim 2, wherein the tag unit is detachably provided on the home appliance.

5. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein:

the controller instructs the display unit to display a connection state, in response to the home appliance being connected to the network according to the network connection information, and

the controller instructs the display unit to display an error message, in response to the home appliance not being connected to the network.

6. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller determines a state of the tag unit, receives new data, and updates network connection information, a control program, or controls operation to correspond to new data in response to power of the home appliance being turned on.

7. A home appliance system, comprising:

a terminal having a Near Field Communication (NFC) function;

a server that stores and manages data associated with a plurality of home appliances; and

a home appliance that (i) has a tag unit for NFC, (ii) stores product information at the tag unit, and (iii) is connected to a predetermined network according to network connection information stored at the tag unit by the terminal, wherein the terminal (i) receives the product information stored at the tag unit when contacting the tag unit, (ii) stores the network connection information at the tag unit, (iii) stores the product information associated with the home appliance at the server, (iv) registers the home appliance at the server by matching product information of the home appliance to a network identifier associated with the server, (V) receives and displays data of the home appliance matched to the network identifier, and (vi) remotely controls the home appliance using the network identifier.

8. The home appliance system of claim 7, wherein the terminal receives the product information by contacting the tag unit and stores the network connection information at the tag unit.

9. The home appliance system of claim 7, wherein:

the terminal stores an application for controlling the home appliance, and

the terminal performs a product registration to register the home appliance based on the product information based on a home appliance not being registered at the network identifier, in response to the application being executed.

10. The home appliance system of claim 9, wherein the terminal (i) searches for a network to which the terminal can connect, connects to the network, stores the network connection information, and outputs guidance associated with the tag unit, in response to registering a product and (ii) stores the network connection information at the tag unit in response to the tag unit being recognized.

11. A method of controlling a home appliance system, the method comprising:

starting product registration of a home appliance at a terminal;

collecting network connection information associated with an available network and storing the network connection information associated with the available network;

receiving product information associated with the home appliance stored at a tag unit of the home appliance;

storing the network connection information associated with the available network at the tag unit in response to the terminal interacting with the tag unit of the home appliance using Near Field Communication (NFC);

releasing tag contact information;

registering the home appliance by matching product information of the home appliance to a network identifier at a server;

based on the home appliance being registered at the server, receiving and displaying data of the home appliance from the server using the network identifier; and

remotely controlling the home appliance using the network identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

collecting network information associated with other available networks, connecting to an available network of the other available networks, and storing network connection information associated with the available network of the other available networks; and

displaying a tag method using NFC in response to storing the network connection information associated with the available network of the other available networks.

13. A method of controlling a home appliance, the method comprising:

determining a state of a tag unit for Near Field Communication (NFC);

in response to determining the state of the tag unit for Near Field Communication (NFC), storing product information at the tag unit and receiving network connection information stored at a tag unit;

connecting to a network according to the network connection information;

determining registration status of the home appliance by connecting to a server in response to the home appliance being connected to the network;

transmitting data associated with an operation and a state of the home appliance to the server through the network without connecting through the tag unit; and

controlling operation of the home appliance based on data received from a terminal or the server,

wherein the home appliance connects to the server using product information of the home appliance, and

wherein the terminal monitors and controls the home appliance based on the data of the home appliance received from the server and with the network identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network connection information is stored at the tag unit by the terminal using NFC.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying a connection state in response to the home appliance being connected to the network; and

displaying an error state in response to an error occurring in a connection state.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing product information at the tag unit.