Software architecture system and method for operating an appliance in multiple operating modes

• US 20070156864A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: McCoy, Richard, Ebrom, Matthew, Glotzbach, Patrick, Glotzbach, Mark, Whipple, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,813,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for controlling a plurality of devices having at least two operating modes comprises a first software operating layer configured to control the operation of at least one of the devices in a first operational mode and a second software operating layer configured to control the operation of at least one of the devices in a second operational mode. In another embodiment, a control system for controlling a plurality of devices connected by a communications network comprises a user interface configured to receive the selection of a cycle of operation; a first system element isolated from the network and configured to implement the selected cycle of operation to define a first control state; and a second system element exposed to the network and configured to implement the selected cycle of operation to define a second control state.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a plurality of devices having at least two operating modes and connected by a communications network to form a network of cooperating nodes, the system comprising:

a first software operating layer configured to control the operation of at least one of the devices in a first operational mode in response to messages sent on the network, and

a second software operating layer configured to control the operation of at least one of the devices in a second operational mode in response to messages sent on the network, where the second operating layer provides a different level of intervention between the messages and the operation of the devices than the first operating layer.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second software operating layers permit different levels of control of the devices by the messages to provide the different level of intervention.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the second software operating layer permits operation of at least one of the devices under circumstances where the first operating layer prevents operation of that device.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the first software operating layer does not permit direct control of at least one of the plurality of devices when the second software operating layer permits direct control of that device.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first software operating layer only permits the devices to operate in a manner to perform a predetermined cycle of operation.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the second software operating layer permits the devices to operate in at least one additional cycle of operation.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the additional cycle of operation is at least one of:

a demonstration cycle;

a development cycle;

an error detection cycle;

a diagnostic cycle;

a cycle that reduces the time of at least one timed step of one of the predetermined cycles of operation;

a cycle that bypasses at least one operational step of one of the predetermined cycles of operation;

a cycle that substitutes a timed step for a step that responds to an event of one of the predetermined cycles of operation; and

a cycle that exposes the low level API to the network.

8. The system according to claim 1, and further comprising at least one of an internal and external client configured to generate the message for changing the operational mode between the first and second operational modes.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second software operating layers effect the cooperative operation of the devices to accomplish a series of related steps to accomplish a predetermined operation.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the devices are selected from a list consisting of a sensor, a dispenser, a filter, a motor, a heater, and a chiller.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein at least a subset of the plurality devices are all found within an appliance.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of devices comprise a plurality of networked appliances.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network comprises at least one of an internal network and an external network.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the second operational mode exposes the first software operating layer to an external network.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the first and second operating modes comprises a local operating mode and the other of the first and second operating modes comprises a remote operating mode.

16. A control system for controlling a plurality of devices connected by a communications network to define a machine operable to perform a series of steps in a cycle of operation, the control system comprising:

a user interface configured to receive input from a user for the selection of a cycle of operation from multiple cycles of operation;

a first system element isolated from the network and configured to control the machine to implement the selected cycle of operation to define a first control state; and

a second system element exposed to the network and configured to control the machine over the network to implement the selected cycle of operation to define a second control state.

17. The control system according to claim 16, wherein the network comprises an internal network having a plurality of nodes, with at least one node having one or more functional units, and each function unit representing a group of common functionality.

18. The control system according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the functional units effects control of at least one of the low-level electrical inputs and outputs of at least one of the plurality of devices.

19. The control system according to claim 16, wherein the second system element comprises a software engine residing on at least one of the devices and which exposes a network message sent over the network to effect the second control state.

20. The control system according to claim 19, wherein the software engine exposes commands encapsulated in a network message, with the commands used to effect the second control state.

21. The control system according to claim 16, wherein at least one of validation and security checks is bypassed to provide the second system element with control of low-level functionality for at least some of the devices.

22. The control system according to claim 16, wherein the machine can be removed from the second control state by the second system element responding to a network message.