KR101033567B1 - Method for controlling of home appliance using the smart server - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control method of a home appliance using a smart server that enables the smart server to communicate with the smart server itself when the washing course requested by the user in the home equipped with the home network is completed. The washing machine and the smart server to communicate with each other; When the entire washing course is finished, Sending a laundry end message and a message to the user to know when to pick up the laundry from the smart server to the user; Selectively transmitting a control command for turning on / off the light from the smart server to the light; and transmitting a result message regarding the light on / off from the smart server to the user by communicating with the light at the smart server.

Smart server, home network, laundry shutdown alarm, light fixture

Description

{Method for controlling of home appliance using the smart server}

1 is a block diagram of a typical washing machine

2 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a home network system.

3 is a system configuration diagram for controlling a home appliance using a smart server according to the present invention;

4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a home appliance using a smart server according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

31.Internet 32.Home Network Manager

33. Washing machine 34. Smart server

35. Light fixture

The present invention relates to the control of home appliances using a smart server, and in particular, in a home equipped with a home network, a smart server that enables the smart server itself to communicate necessary for motion control when the washing course required by the user is finished. It relates to a control method of the home appliance used.

In general, a washing machine is a device that removes contaminants from contaminated laundry through washing, rinsing, and dehydration according to a predetermined algorithm. The washing machine uses a horizontal rotation of a rotary blade, an outer tank, or an inner tank (washing tank / dehydrating tank). It can be divided into a full-automatic washing machine or a drum washing machine using vertical rotation of the drum.

Such a washing machine has been developed for a variety of washing courses, functions, etc. in order to respond to a variety of needs of the user and applied to the actual product.

Hereinafter, a washing machine according to the prior art will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a washing machine according to the prior art, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a home network system.

As shown in FIG. 1, the washing machine according to the related art includes a motor 10 for directly or indirectly rotating a washing blade, an inner tank, or an outer tank, and various other loads 11 such as a water supply valve and a drain valve. A key input unit 12 for inputting various washing-related operation commands by the user, a display unit 13 for displaying the operation state or function of the washing machine, and the like are input through the key input unit 12. The microcomputer 14 for controlling the driving of the motor 10 and the load 11 so as to perform a washing operation corresponding to a user's operation command, and controlling the display unit 13 to display a corresponding operation state or function. It is configured to include.                         

At this time, the display unit 13 is mainly used to display the state of use by the LED (Light Emitting Diode), the microcomputer 14 is provided with a ROM (ROM) for storing a laundry-related program.

Referring to the operation of the washing machine according to the prior art configured as described above are as follows.

First, the user 'turns on' the power of the washing machine, puts laundry into the washing tank, and then selects a course according to the type of laundry through the key input unit 12, switches the function to manual mode, or inputs a washing command.

Subsequently, the microcomputer 14 recognizes the washing instruction input through the key input unit 12, reads the washing program from an internal ROM (not shown), and drives the motor 10 and the load 11 based on the washing program. Carry out the laundry.

In addition, the microcomputer 14 controls the current washing progress to be displayed on the display unit 13.

At this time, the display unit 13 displays the washing progress state and the like according to the control signal of the microcomputer 14.

The washing machine having such a configuration was not able to remotely control the washing machine from the outside because the user had to operate the washing machine by directly operating a function button, and the washing machine can be operated by using a reservation function when going out, but it operates according to a predetermined reservation program. Could not be confirmed.

In order to solve such a problem, a method of building a home network system to control remotely various home appliances including a washing machine has been applied.

In the early stages of home automation, which automatically controlled home appliances at home or remotely, each device was controlled by telephone or infrared, and there was no connection between the devices. A home network system has been commercialized to establish a network between home appliances using a communication means and have a controller for controlling the integrated management.

Referring to the schematic configuration of a home network system, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of home electronic devices, such as a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a microwave oven, a washing machine, a personal computer (PC), and the like are connected through a communication bus, It is composed.

Communication with other product lines or the Internet is possible by acting as a bridge between HNCP and other external protocols in the network manager that governs the home network.

The network manager may be configured such that any one of home appliances having a large capacity microcomputer such as a DTV or a refrigerator becomes a master device.

However, the control of home appliances using the home network system of the prior art described above, in particular, the control of the washing machine has the following problems.

In the related art, when the washing is finished, the user may not recognize the fact that the washing is ended because the washing machine knows that the washing is finished by relying only on the washing end alarm sound generated by the washing machine.

In addition, it is inconvenient because the user must directly control the on / off control of the laundry room light, and there is a problem of increasing power consumption when the light is unnecessarily turned on by a user mistake.

In addition, in order to receive the intelligent smart service, there is a problem in that it is impossible to use the old washing machine and purchase a new washing machine with upgraded functions.

The present invention is to solve the above problems of the home network system of the prior art, so that the smart server itself can communicate necessary for the operation control when the washing course requested by the user in the home network is complete It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling home appliances using a smart server.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method of a home appliance, which allows an intelligent service to be received by a smart server without purchasing a new washing machine.

The control method of the home appliance using the smart server according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a step of communicating with the washing machine and the smart server to know when to end the washing; Transmitting a message to the user from the smart server to know the timing; transmitting a control command from the smart server to the light to selectively turn on / off the light in the laundry room according to the response message of the user; communicating with the light at the smart server And transmitting the result message regarding the light on / off from the smart server to the user.

Here, if the response message from the user is not received within the first setting time after sending the laundry end message, the smart server enters the standby state, and if the response message is received within the first setting time, the lamp on command is received according to the received message. It characterized in that the transmission from the smart server to the light.

When the user replies in the received message that the laundry is not hung, the smart server enters the standby state and performs a subsequent control operation according to whether the washing machine door is opened.

And the light receiving the on / off command transmitted from the smart server is characterized in that it includes a light in the laundry room and the lights located in the path that the user moves to the laundry room.

When it is determined that the light is not normally turned on by the light on command transmitted from the smart server, the smart server transmits a message notifying the operation of the light and a message asking whether to report a failure to the user.

Here, when the user wants to report the failure of the lamp, the smart server itself is characterized in that the failure report and repair request to the service center and transmits the resulting message to the user.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments.                     

A preferred embodiment of a method for controlling a home appliance using a smart server according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a system configuration diagram for controlling a home appliance using a smart server according to the present invention.

The present invention is to control a plurality of home appliances connected to a home network from a server, and after performing the entire washing course, the smart server informs the user of the end of the laundry message, or communicates with the user To control the lights.

In addition to the home network manager for managing the home network, such a smart service can be applied to a non-intelligent washing machine, and a system is constructed to communicate with users by configuring a smart server dedicated to providing smart services. .

The configuration for controlling the home appliance using the smart server is the same as in FIG. 3.

First, a home network manager 32 is connected to a communication network such as the Internet 31, connects each home appliance to a home network, communicates with each other, and manages a home network. A washing machine 33 which is connected to communicate with home appliances configured in the inside and performs a washing operation under the control of the smart server 34, updates of data necessary for communication with the user and operation of the device through the manufacturer's site, and Providing intelligent smart services such as sending the relevant information about the on / off of the laundry room lamp 35 and sending a message asking the user's opinion and controlling the laundry room lamp and reporting the failure by the user's selection or the judgment by the smart server. It comprises a smart server 34 that is configured.

Here, the home network manager 32 and the smart server 34 will be described below.

The home network manager 32 may be configured in any one of home appliances connected to a home network, for example, a DTV, a refrigerator, or a PC. The home network manager 32 is primarily used for home network management. However, the smart server 34 used in the present invention may be used. The main purpose is to exclude management functions and provide intelligent services.

If the smart server is configured as a single integrated module by adding a management function in addition to the service function, it is difficult to combine with another home network manager (for example, when the manufacturing companies are different).

However, in the case of limiting the smart server to the service function, it is easy to be combined with various home network managers and has sufficient scalability.

The present invention is to limit the smart server 34 to a service function to enable intelligent services for home appliances already managed by other home network managers.

As such, when a home network manager having a management function and a smart server having a service function are separately configured, an upgrade can be more easily performed than a system by a complex program when an upgrade of either function is required.

The home appliance control method after the end of the washing process using the home network system having such a configuration will be described.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a home appliance using a smart server according to the present invention.

The present invention has a step of controlling the lights of the laundry room by the smart server on / off or by communicating with the user after performing the entire washing course.

First, when the washing is completed by performing the entire washing process of the washing machine, a washing end message is transmitted from the washing machine to the smart server.

The smart server receives the washing end message (S402), and sends a question to the user asking whether to wash the finished laundry out of the washing machine and to hang it (S403).

After sending the message to the user, it is determined whether a reply comes from the user within the first set time (S404).

If a reply is received from the user within the first setting time, the user determines whether the laundry is hung on the content of the message (S405).

If the reply from the user does not come within the first set time or if the reply from the reply message is that the laundry is not empty, the smart server enters the standby state and determines whether the door opening message of the washing machine is received (S413).

In the reply message from the user, if it is answered that the laundry is now empty, the smart server transmits a light on command of the laundry room (S406).

Here, the first setting time takes into account the reaction time of the user, preferably set to 1 minute.

The lights include lights in the laundry room and lights located in a path of the user's movement to the laundry room.

And receives the 'light on command' transmitted from the smart server in the light (S407), and turns on the light (S408).

When the result of turning on the light is transmitted from the light to the smart server (S409), the smart server receives it (S410) to determine whether the light is normally turned on (S411).

If the lamp of the laundry room is normally turned on, the result is transmitted to the user (S412).

If the light is not normally turned on, the smart device determines that the light is inoperable and transmits a message to the user and a question message about whether to report a light failure to the SVC center (S419).

Receiving a reply message to the question message (S420), if the user gave a reply to want the lamp failure report, the smart server to report the lamp failure to the service center (S422).

In response to the question message, the user transmits a result message when the user does not want to report a failure and when the lamp failure report is completed (S412).                     

In this case, the transmission of the result message in step S412 sends a message to the user as a result of the case where the lamp is normally turned on, as a result of the failure report is completed, or when the user does not want to report the failure of the lamp. .

The standby state is maintained until the message regarding the opening of the washing machine door is opened (S413), and it is determined whether the door of the washing machine is opened within the second set time (S414).

Here, the second set time is determined in consideration of the time when the user receives the melody alarm or the washing end message from the washing machine outside the laundry room and comes to the laundry room to open the washing machine door, preferably set within 3 minutes.

If there is no opening of the washing machine door within the second setting time or if the washing machine door is opened and the third setting time has elapsed (S415), if the set time has elapsed, it is determined that the user has taken out all the laundry and the smart server Transmit the light off signal to the light. (S416)

Receiving the light off command transmitted from the smart server in the light (S417) to turn off the light (S418).

After the off operation of the lamp is performed, the result is transmitted from the lamp to the smart server. (S423)

Subsequently, the smart server receives the operation result of the light (S424), and determines whether the light is normally off (S425).

If it is determined that the light of the laundry room is normally off, the smart server transmits a message of the corresponding content to the user.

If it is determined that the lamp of the laundry room is not normally turned off, the smart server determines that the lamp is inoperable and transmits a message to the user and a question message about whether to report the lamp failure to the SVC center. (S427)

Judging by the response message to the question message (S428), when the user gave a reply that you want to report the lamp failure, the smart server reports the lamp failure to the service center (S429).

In this case, the transmission of the result message in step S426 sends a message to the user either as a result when the lamp is normally off, as a result when the failure report is completed, or when the user does not want to report a failure of the lamp. .

The control method of the home appliance using the smart server according to the present invention is as follows.

First, when the user's reply to the laundry end message is received within the first setting time and the on / off of the lamp is performed step by step normally. Second, when the user's reply to the laundry end message is received within the first setting time and the light is received. 3 is divided into a case in which on / off is not normally performed step by step, and a third case in which a user's reply to the washing end message is not received within the first setting time.

The control method of home appliances using the smart server according to the present invention is to communicate with the user in the smart server or to determine the situation by the smart server in order to increase the user's convenience after the end of the laundry, and to reduce the power consumption of the lamp It is to control the peripherals of the washing machine.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the embodiments, but should be defined by the claims.

The control method of the home appliance using the smart server according to the present invention has the following effects.

The present invention improves the user's convenience because the smart server takes out the laundry after the end of the laundry and determines the time of the laundry by communication with the user, thereby automatically controlling the light of the laundry room on / off.

This has the effect of reducing power consumption by preventing the user from unnecessarily keeping the light on by accident.

In addition, in case of failure of a home appliance, especially a lamp, the smart server judges itself or requests a failure report and repair service from a service center by communicating with a user so that the performance of home appliances connected by a home network can be always maintained optimally. It is effective.

The present invention provides a next generation home networking system capable of smart control of a washing machine and peripheral home appliances by a smart server in a home equipped with a home network.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the light on / off control of the laundry room can be controlled by a smart server, it is possible to appropriate smart services even when using an existing washing machine without purchasing a separate intelligent new washing machine.

Claims (13)

Communicating with the washing machine and the smart server to know when to terminate the washing; Sending a laundry end message and a message to a user at the smart server to know when to wash the laundry when the entire laundry course is finished; Transmitting a control command from the smart server to the light for selectively turning on / off the light of the laundry room according to a response message of the user; And transmitting a result message relating to a light on / off from the smart server to the user by communicating with the light from the smart server. The method of claim 1, wherein if the response message from the user is not received within the first set time after sending the laundry end message, the smart server enters a standby state. And transmitting a light on command from the smart server to the light according to the received message when the response message is received within the first setting time. The method of claim 2, wherein if the user replies in the received message that the laundry is not currently hanging, The smart server enters the standby state and performs a subsequent control operation according to whether the washing machine door is open, the control method of the home appliance using the smart server. The control of the home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving the on / off command transmitted from the smart server includes a light in the laundry room and lights located in a path of the user moving to the laundry room. Way. According to claim 1, If it is determined that the light is not normally turned on by the light on command transmitted from the smart server, the smart server, characterized in that the smart server transmits a message asking for a failure message and a failure report message to the user Control method of home appliances using a server. The method of claim 5, wherein when the user wants to report a failure of the lamp, the smart server itself transmits a failure report and a repair request to the service center and transmits a message to the user as a result. . The method of claim 1, further comprising: entering the standby state by the smart server if a response message is not received from the user within the first set time after transmitting the laundry end message; Determining whether the washing machine door is opened within a second set time; If the door is not opened within the third setting time after the washing machine door is opened or the second setting time, the control of the home appliance using the smart server, characterized in that for performing the step of transmitting a light off command to the light from the smart server Way. The method of claim 7, wherein the first setting time is set to 1 minute, the second setting time is set to 3 minutes, and the third setting time is set to 10 minutes. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second setting time is set in consideration of the time when the user moves to the laundry room by the washing end message. The method according to claim 7, wherein the third setting time is set in consideration of the time when the user opens the door of the washing machine and takes out the laundry. The household appliance according to claim 7, wherein if it is determined that the light is not normally turned off by the light off command, the smart server transmits a message to the user from the smart server to the user, wherein the user is not allowed to operate the lamp and whether or not the failure is notified. How to control the device. The method of claim 11, wherein when the user wants to report a failure, the smart server itself makes a failure report and a repair request to the service center and transmits a message to the user as a result. The control method of a home appliance according to claim 1, wherein after the lamp performs the operation by the on / off command of the lamp, the lamp transmits the on / off result to the smart server.

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