Methods and devices for controlling appliances

• US 9,996,065 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Inventors: Yang, Yun, Ren, Qiao, Gao, Ziguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Coyer, Ryan D.
• Application Number:
  US14/698,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20160085220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 700275
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• 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

Abstract

A method for controlling an appliance is provided. The method includes: receiving a notification message from a control device, wherein the notification message includes address information regarding the control device; receiving quality data of a target object from an appliance configured to process the target object, wherein the quality data of the target object is obtained by measuring quality of the target object by the appliance; and sending an appliance control prompt to the control device according to the address information when determining that the quality data of the target object does not reach a threshold, wherein the appliance control prompt is configured to prompt a user of the control device to start the appliance for processing the target object.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an appliance, the method being performed by a server and comprising:

receiving a notification message from a mobile terminal, wherein the notification message includes address information regarding the mobile terminal;

receiving quality data of a target object from an appliance that is remote from the server and configured to process the target object, wherein the quality data of the target object is obtained by measuring quality of the target object by the appliance;

sending an appliance control prompt to the mobile terminal according to the address information when determining that the quality data of the target object does not reach a threshold, wherein the appliance control prompt is configured to cause the mobile terminal to prompt a user to adjust an operation state of the appliance for processing the target object; and

sending an appliance control instruction to the appliance automatically or in response to receiving a user input on the mobile terminal, the appliance control instruction controlling the appliance to adjust the operation state;

wherein when the notification message further includes geographical location information of a house of the user of the mobile terminal, and types of one or more appliances in the house,

the determining that the quality data of the target object does not reach the threshold comprises;

acquiring quality data of the target object from a plurality of appliances based on the geographical location information of the house and the types of the one or more appliances in the house, wherein the plurality of appliances are of identical type and located in a plurality of houses in a specified region;

obtaining regional quality data of the specified region according to the acquired quality data of the target object; and

determining that the regional quality data does not reach the threshold; and

the sending of the appliance control prompt to the mobile terminal according to the address information comprises;

based on a determination that the house of the user is in the specified region and no appliance bound to the mobile terminal processes the target object, sending the appliance control prompt to the mobile terminal when it is determined that the regional quality data does not reach the threshold, wherein the appliance control prompt is configured to cause the mobile terminal to prompt the user to add an appliance for processing the target object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the quality data of the target object comprises:

receiving the quality data from at least one of an air purifier configured to purify air, or a water purifier configured to purify water.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the appliance control prompt to the control device comprises:

receiving, from the appliance, a report indicating that the appliance is in a turn-off state; and

sending the appliance control prompt to the mobile terminal, such that the appliance control prompt causes the mobile terminal to prompt the user to start the appliance for processing the target object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the appliance control instruction to the appliance automatically or in response to receiving a user input on the mobile terminal comprises:

sending a positioning request to the mobile terminal;

receiving, from the mobile terminal, location information of the mobile terminal;

determining whether the location information of the mobile terminal matches a location of the appliance; and

in response to a determination that the location information of the mobile terminal matches the location of the appliance, sending the appliance control instruction to the appliance automatically.

3. A method for controlling an appliance, the method being performed by a mobile terminal and comprising:

sending to a cloud server a notification message including address information regarding the mobile terminal;

receiving appliance control prompt information from the cloud server, wherein the cloud server sends the appliance control prompt information according to the address information when the cloud server determines that quality data of the target object does not reach a threshold; and

based on the appliance control prompt information, prompting a user to adjust an operation state of an appliance for processing the target object;

wherein the sending of the notification message to the cloud server comprises;

carrying in the notification message appliance information and geographical location information of a house of the user, wherein the appliance information includes an appliance type of the appliance, for the cloud server to obtain regional quality data of a specified region where the house is located according to the geographical location information and the appliance type, and

wherein if the house of the user is in the specified region and no appliance bound to the mobile terminal processes the target object, the method further comprises;

based on the appliance control prompt information, prompting the user to add an appliance for processing the target object, wherein the cloud server sends the appliance control prompt information to the mobile terminal when it is determined that the regional quality data does not reach the threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a house identifier merging indicator;

acquiring individual house identifiers to be merged according to the house identifier merging indicator;

using one of the individual house identifiers as a unified house identifier; and

sending the unified house identifier to the cloud server, such that the cloud server changes the individual house identifiers to the unified house identifier.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the appliance:

measures quality of the target object to obtain the quality data; and

sends the quality data of the target object to the cloud server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the appliance:

sends appliance information including an appliance type and an appliance identifier of the appliance to the mobile terminal, for the mobile terminal to send the appliance information to the cloud server.

7. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to;

send a notification message to a cloud server, wherein the notification message includes address information regarding the mobile terminal;

receive appliance control prompt information from the cloud server, wherein the cloud server sends the appliance control prompt information according to the address information when determining that quality data of a target object does not reach a threshold; and

based on the appliance control prompt information, prompt a user to adjust an operation state of an appliance for processing a target object;

wherein in sending the notification message to the cloud server, the processor is further configured to;

carry in the notification message appliance information and geographical location information of a house of the user, wherein the appliance information includes an appliance type of the appliance, for the cloud server to obtain regional quality data of a specified region where the house is located according to the geographical location information and the appliance type; and

based on a determination that the house of the user is in the specified region and no appliance bound to the mobile terminal processes the target object, prompt the user to add an appliance for processing the target object, based on the appliance control prompt information, wherein the cloud server sends the appliance control prompt to the mobile terminal when it is determined that the regional quality data does not reach the threshold.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a house identifier merging indicator;

acquire individual house identifiers to be merged according to the house identifier merging indicator;

use one of the individual house identifiers as a unified house identifier; and

send the unified house identifier to the cloud server, such that the cloud server changes the individual house identifiers to the unified house identifier.

9. A server, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to;

receive a notification message from a mobile terminal, wherein the notification message includes address information regarding the mobile terminal;

receive quality data of a target object from an appliance that is remote from the server and configured to process the target object, wherein the quality data of the target object is obtained by measuring quality of the target object by the appliance;

send an appliance control prompt to the mobile terminal according to the address information when determining that the quality data of the target object does not reach a threshold, wherein the appliance control prompt is configured to cause the mobile terminal to prompt a user to adjust an operation state of the appliance for processing the target object;

send an appliance control instruction to the appliance automatically or in response to receiving a user input on the mobile terminal, the appliance control instruction controlling the appliance to adjust the operation state;

wherein when the notification message further includes geographical location information of a house of the user of the mobile terminal, and types of one or more appliances in the house, the processor is further configured to;

acquire quality data of the target object from a plurality of appliances based on the geographical location information of the house and the types of the one or more appliances in the house, wherein the plurality of appliances are of identical type and located in a plurality of houses in a specified region;

obtain regional quality data of the specified region according to the quality data of the target object acquired from the plurality of appliances;

determine that the regional quality data does not reach the threshold; and

based on a determination that the house of the user is in the specified region and no appliance bound to the mobile terminal processes the target object, send the appliance control prompt to the mobile terminal when it is determined that the regional quality data does not reach the threshold, wherein the appliance control prompt is configured to cause the mobile terminal to prompt the user to add an appliance for processing the target object.

12. The server of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, from the appliance, a report indicating that the appliance is in a turn-off state; and

send the appliance control prompt to the mobile terminal, such that the appliance control prompt causes the mobile terminal to prompt the user to start the appliance for processing the target object.

13. The server of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

send a positioning request to the mobile terminal;

receive, from the mobile terminal, location information of the mobile terminal;

determine whether the location information of the mobile terminal matches a location of the appliance; and

in response to a determination that the location information of the mobile terminal matches the location of the appliance, send the appliance control instruction to the appliance automatically.