Remot control system for home appliance and method the same

• US 20060290465A1
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwon, Yong Hoan, Kwak, Ju Sung, Go, Seog Ho
• Application Number:
  US10/573,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20060290465A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/3.7
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

A remote control system for home appliance includes: at least one home appliance installed at a place remote from a user'"'"'s life space; a monitoring device connected to the home appliance wirelessly or via a cable to transmit/receive data to/from the home appliance; and a remote controller connected to the monitoring device wirelessly to control an operation of the home appliance.

Claims

1. A remote control system for home appliance, comprising:

at least one home appliance installed at a place remote from a user'"'"'s life space;

a monitoring device connected to the home appliance wirelessly or via a cable to transmit/receive data to/from the home appliance; and

a remote controller connected to the monitoring device wirelessly to control an operation of the home appliance.

2. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance is a washing machine or a drier.

3. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises:

a display unit for displaying an operation state of the home appliance;

an infrared communication module for commnunicating with the remote controller;

a data storage unit for storing data received from the remote controller or the home appliance; and

a microcomputer for controlling an operation of the home appliance according to a command transmitted from the remote controller.

4. The remote control system according to claim 3, wherein the microcomputer comprises:

an input/output control unit for allowing the operation state of the home appliance to be displayed on the display unit; and

a data processing unit for processing the data transmitted from the remote controller or the home appliance.

5. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises an input unit for enabling a setting of an operation of a main body.

6. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller comprises:

an input unit having a plurality of buttons for inputting a control command;

an infrared communication module for transmitting/receiving data to/from the monitoring device; and

a control unit for transmitting the control command inputted from the input unit to the monitoring device.

7. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller comprises a display unit for displaying information on an operation state of the home appliance, which is received from the monitoring device.

8. The remote control system according to claim 1, further comprising a power line modem provided at the monitoring device and/or the home appliance to enable data transmission/reception.

9. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device and the home appliance are connected to a power line network and transmits/receives data therethrough.

10. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance comprises a first home appliance and a second home appliance, the first home appliance being connected to the monitoring device via a power line network, the second home appliance being connected to the second home appliance via a communication cable.

11. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises an infrared communication module, the monitoring device being wirelessly connected to a communication device connected to the home appliance via a power line network.

12. The remote control system according to claim 11, wherein the communication device comprises:

an infrared communication module for transmitting/receiving data and control command to/from the monitoring device;

a power line communication module for transmitting/receiving data to/from the home appliance; and

a data processing unit for processing the data transmitted/received to/from the monitoring device and/or the home appliance.

13. A remote control system for home appliance, comprising:

a monitoring device for monitoring an operation state of a home appliance installed remotely;

a remote controller for wirelessly transmitting/receiving data to/from the monitoring device; and

a communication device for exchanging data between the monitoring device and the home appliance.

14. The remote control system according to claim 13, wherein the monitoring device and the communication device exchange data with each other through an infrared communication module.

15. The remote control system according to claim 13, wherein the communication device and the home appliance are connected together via a power line network.

16. The remote control system according to claim 15, wherein at least two home appliances are provided, the at least two home appliances being connected to the power line network and having power line modems for receiving control command from the communication device.

17. The remote control system according to claim 13, wherein two or more home appliances are provided, only one of the home appliances being connected to the communication device and a power line network, the remaining home appliances being connected together via a communication cable.

18. A remote control method for home appliance, comprising:

turning on a monitoring device and displaying a state of the home appliance thereon;

inputting an operation condition of the home appliance through a remote controller;

transmitting the inputted operation condition to the monitoring device;

transmitting the operation condition received by the monitoring device to the home appliance, so that the home appliance operates; and

displaying an operation state of the home appliance on the monitoring device and transmitting the operation state of the home appliance to the remote controller.

19. The remote control method according to claim 18, wherein the operation of transmitting the operation condition to the home appliance comprises:

inputting command data transmitted from the monitoring device to a communication device connected to the home appliance via a cable; and

transmitting the command data received by the communication device to the home appliance.

20. The remote control method according to claim 19, wherein the command data transmitted from the monitoring device is inputted to the communication device through an infrared module.

21. The remote control method according to claim 18, wherein the command data is transmitted from the monitoring device to the home appliance via a power line network or an infrared communication.