KR101552619B1 - Home appliance and method for Diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a home appliance and a method of operating the same. In the home appliance, when product information is outputted as a predetermined signal sound, a signal sound is transmitted through a connected communication network to facilitate checking of the state of the home appliance in a remote service center . In addition, data corresponding to each operation is stored as product information corresponding to the operation state of the home appliance, and when the state confirmation of the home appliance is required, the product information is outputted as a predetermined sound to enable the trouble diagnosis of the appliance.

Home appliance, washing machine, sound output, beep, malfunction diagnosis, diagnosis system,

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a home appliance and a method of operating the same,

The present invention relates to a home appliance and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to a home appliance and a method of operating the appliance, in which the state of the home appliance is checked based on the product information of the home appliance .

During the execution of the predetermined operation, the home appliance stores the set value for performing the operation, the information generated during the operation, the failure information, and the like. In particular, when a malfunction occurs, the predetermined appliance outputs a predetermined alarm, So that the user can recognize the state of the user. Such home appliance not only notifies completion of operation or occurrence of a failure, but also outputs specific failure information through the provided output means, for example, a display means, a lamp, and the like.

On the other hand, when an abnormality occurs in the household appliance, the user uses the after-sales service such as seeking advice on the condition of the household appliance or requesting the service personnel for the failed household appliance by contacting the service center.

In this case, it is common that the fault information is simply outputted to the household appliance or the user outputs the unknown code value. Therefore, the user is hard to cope with the failure of the household appliance. Even if the user connects to the service center, It is often difficult to do. Therefore, when a service person visits a home, it takes a lot of time and money to repair the home appliance due to the inability to precisely grasp the state of the home appliance beforehand. For example, if the parts required for home appliance repair are not prepared in advance, it is not only troublesome that the service person has to visit the home again, but also takes time.

In order to solve such a problem, there is a problem that a home network appliance and a server of a service center may be connected through a predetermined communication means, but a communication network must be established.

Also, due to the development of technology, it has developed into a technology to remotely diagnose fault information remotely by using a telephone network.

EP0510519 discloses a technique of transmitting failure information of home appliance to a service center through a modem via a modem connected to the home appliance. However, in this case, there is a problem that a home modem always needs to be connected to a modem. Especially, home electric appliances such as laundry processing devices are generally installed outdoors, and there is a limitation in the place to connect the laundry processing device and the telephone network.

Patent No. US Pat. No. 5,987,105 discloses a technique for converting malfunction information of a home appliance into sound of an audible frequency band using a telephone network and transmitting the sound to a service center through a telephone. In the process of transmitting the malfunction information of home appliances to the sound of the audible frequency band and then transmitting it back to the handset of the telephone, the signal interference may occur depending on the surrounding environment, and the sound may be transmitted through the telephone network There is a problem that data may be lost depending on the characteristics of the telephone network in the process of being transmitted.

As described above, in order to diagnose faults in household appliances, it is necessary to accumulate data for generating sound as well as negative outputs. In particular, in order to accurately diagnose the state of a household appliance, various data are required, and there is a need to store the data cumulatively rather than just one-time data.

It is impossible to simply accumulate and store data on the operation of home appliances in household appliances having limited storage space, so that more effective storage and maintenance of data is required.

An object of the present invention is to effectively store and manage data constituting product information in outputting a sound including product information from a home appliance and performing a trouble diagnosis of a home appliance using sound including product information. It is another object of the present invention to provide a home appliance and a home appliance that minimize the accumulation of unnecessary data and store data necessary for diagnosing the trouble of home appliances, thereby increasing the utilization of resources of the home appliances, And to provide a method of operating the same.

The home appliance according to the present invention includes: a selection unit for inputting a command for performing a fault diagnosis; A memory for storing at least one diagnostic data constituting product information of the household appliance, for the purpose of diagnosing the trouble; Storing the data generated during operation in the memory as the diagnostic data, forming the product information using the diagnostic data when a failure diagnosis execution command is input by the selection unit, encoding the product information, A control unit for generating a control signal composed of a frame; A modulator for generating a predetermined frequency signal corresponding to the control signal; And an acoustic output unit driven by the modulator and outputting a sound corresponding to the frequency signal. When the error occurrence history exists, the controller temporarily stores the data generated during operation, and if the operation is normally completed Storing the preliminarily stored data and storing the preliminarily stored diagnostic data and storing the data temporarily stored at the time of occurrence of an error during operation as the diagnostic data and updating the data.

The method of operating a home appliance according to the present invention includes the steps of: comparing an operation frequency after an error with a reference frequency when an operation setting is input and an operation key is input; If the number of times of operation after the error is equal to or less than the reference number, retaining diagnostic data constituting pre-stored product information; Starting operation according to the operation setting and temporarily storing data generated during operation; Discarding the temporarily stored data when the operation is completed according to the operation setting, and maintaining the diagnostic data; And storing the temporarily stored data as the diagnostic data and updating the new data for a new error if an error occurs before the operation is completed.

A method of operating a home appliance according to the present invention includes the steps of initializing diagnostic data constituting product information of a home appliance when an operation setting is input and an operation key is input; Performing an operation for at least one of washing, rinsing, dewatering and drying according to the operation setting; Temporarily storing data generated or measured during operation; Storing, as the diagnostic data, the data temporarily stored with respect to the ending operation during operation; And finally storing the diagnostic data and stopping the operation when all the strokes are completed.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a home appliance and an operation method thereof, which receive a sound including product information output from a home appliance, extract product information inversely, classify the product information according to a certain standard, By confirming the state of the device and performing the fault diagnosis according to the error code, the accuracy of the fault diagnosis for the state and failure of the home appliance is improved and an appropriate countermeasure is derived according to the fault state of the home appliance, There is an effect that the convenience of the user can be improved and a customized after-sales service suitable for the state of the household appliances can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a home appliance diagnostic system including a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, in a diagnostic system including a home appliance of the present invention, when information on the operation of home appliances is output as sound in the home appliance 101 of each home, Or a portable telephone, and the inputted sound is transmitted to the service center 200 via the communication network as a low signal, so that the diagnostic server of the service center is configured to diagnose the state of the home appliance as a failure.

The household appliance diagnostic system includes a home appliance (101) and a service center (200) for diagnosing the state and failure of the home appliance. At this time, the service center includes a diagnosis server provided with information and a diagnostic program of household appliances.

The home appliance 101 includes a display unit 118 for displaying predetermined data. The display unit is a light emitting unit such as an LED, an LCD, and an organic EL, and visualizes status information or malfunction information of the home appliance 101 Display. The home appliance 101 includes a sound output unit 160 as a means for outputting sound, and reproduces information on the operation, state, and failure of the home appliance 101, and outputs the information as a predetermined sound.

The home appliance 101 outputs an error code through the display unit 118 or outputs a warning sound through the sound output unit 160 when the home appliance 101 malfunctions or an operation error occurs during operation , And notifies the user of the occurrence of the failure (S1).

At this time, the household appliance (101) stores product information including operation information, failure information, and usage information.

The user confirms the information of the household appliance 101 displayed on the display unit of the household appliance 101 and controls the operation of the household appliance 101 or requests the service center 200 for repair. The user contacts the service center 200 to notify the occurrence of the failure and inquires about the action (S2).

When a user connects to the service center 200 and operates a selection unit (not shown) of an input unit (not shown) provided in the household appliance 101 according to a request from the service center 200 side (S3) The home appliance 101 converts the product information and outputs the product information through the sound output unit 160 with a predetermined sound. The sound including the product information thus outputted is transmitted to the service center 200 through the communication network (S4).

At this time, the user informs the service center 200 of the model information and the failure symptom of the home appliance 101, and notifies the service center 200 of the telephone 80 during the conversation to the place where the home appliance 101 sounds, A sound including product information of the home appliance is transmitted to the service center 200 by using the terminal 80 such as a portable terminal or a telephone by using the home appliance 100, (A / S).

The service center 200 checks the sound output from the home appliance 101 to determine the product state of the home appliance 101 and determines whether or not the sound is malfunctioning (S5).

In response to the diagnosis result, the service center 200 dispatches the service personnel 93 to the home so as to provide a service suitable for diagnosing the product status and the failure of the home appliance 101 (S6). At this time, the diagnosis result is transmitted to the terminal of the service article 93 (S6) so that the service article can repair the failure of the home appliance 101.

In addition, the service center 200 is connected to the user through a communication network, and can voice the diagnostic result to the user through the agent or transmit the diagnostic result through the predetermined data (S7)

Accordingly, when the user connects the service center 200 to the service center through a predetermined communication network, for example, through a telephone network, the home appliance diagnostic system accurately judges the state of the home appliances 101 through sound Therefore, it is possible to promptly perform the service and the user can easily check the state of the home appliance.

Hereinafter, the household appliance 101 of the present invention will be described as an example of a laundry processing appliance. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be applied to the entire household appliance 101 such as a TV, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, an electric rice cooker, Specify. In this case, the communication network is a telephone network or a mobile communication network, and the terminal 80 will be described using a telephone or a mobile terminal as an example.

The home appliance 101 is configured as follows, and outputs product information in a predetermined sound.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As an example of the household appliance, a laundry processing apparatus will be mainly described as follows.

2, the washing machine 101 includes a cabinet 111, a tub 122 disposed inside the cabinet 111 for washing the laundry, (Not shown) for discharging the washing water to the outside after the washing is finished, a motor (not shown) for driving the washing tub 122, a washing water supplying device (not shown) .

The cabinet 111 includes a cabinet body 112 and a cabinet cover 113 disposed on the front surface of the cabinet body 112 to be coupled to the cabinet body 112. The cabinet cover 113 is disposed above the cabinet cover 114 and operates the laundry processing apparatus 101 And a top plate 115 disposed above the control panel 116 and coupled to the cabinet main body 112. The control panel 116 includes a control panel 116, The cabinet cover 113 includes a hole (not shown) through which the laundry enters and exits, and a door 114 that rotates to open and close the hole.

The control panel 116 is provided with an input section including an operation section 117 constituted by a plurality of keys for operating the laundry processing apparatus 101 and is arranged on the control panel 116 to control the operation state of the laundry processing apparatus 101 A sound output unit 160 for outputting a sound as a signal, and a display unit 118 for displaying the operation status by letters, numbers, special symbols, images, and the like. The input unit may be constituted by input means for applying a predetermined signal by pressing, touching, pressure, rotating, etc. in the form of a key, a button, a switch, a rotary switch, or a touch input means.

As the user presses the selection unit provided on the control panel 116, the laundry processing apparatus 101 receives the smart diagnosis mode entry command and the signal output command, converts the product information into a control signal of a predetermined format, And a predetermined sound is output through the sound output unit 160 as it is operated in response to the control signal.

At this time, the sound output unit 160 is provided on the back surface of the control panel 116 and outputs a predetermined sound from the inside. The sound output unit 160 is disposed at a predetermined distance from the operation unit 117 or the selection unit 130 or the sound output hole 119 to be protected from water or foreign matter introduced from the outside.

The sound outputted from the sound output unit 160 is output to the outside through the space of the operation unit 117 or the key formed portion of the selection unit 130 through the sound channel or the sound guide unit formed on the back surface of the control panel 116 . In addition, when a separate sound output hole 119 is provided, the sound output through the sound output hole 119 may be emitted to the outside.

At this time, when a key of the operation unit 117 or the selection unit 130 is pressed, the gap between the control panel and the key becomes larger, or when the operation unit 117 or the key of the selection unit 130 is pressed It is preferable that it is formed in a structure capable of emitting sound to the outside.

Also, at least one sound output unit 160 may be installed.

For example, when two sound output units 160 are installed, one sound output unit outputs product information of a home appliance and outputs sound composed of a combination of predetermined frequencies, and the other sound output unit outputs sound An effect sound or a warning sound, and a notification sound indicating the start or end according to the output of the sound including the product information as described above.

As described above, the sound output through the sound output unit 160 is transmitted to the service center 200 through the terminal 80 connected to the predetermined communication network. In this case, the communication network is exemplified by a telephone network or a mobile communication network, and the terminal 80 will be described using a telephone or a mobile terminal as an example.

The service center 200 analyzes the sound outputted from the laundry processing device as it is received by the sound processing device, including the diagnosis server, and obtains the operation information and the failure information of the home appliance 101. Accordingly, the service center transmits the countermeasures corresponding to the malfunction of the home appliance 101 to the user or dispatches the service personnel.

3 is a block diagram showing a control configuration for a household appliance in the household appliance diagnostic system of FIG.

In the home appliance 101 configured as described above, the laundry is washed, rinsed, and dehydrated in the laundry, the data generated during the operation is processed, and when the smart diagnostic mode is set according to the input of the selection unit, And outputs the product information having a predetermined sound to the control unit.

3, the household appliance 101 includes an input unit 125, a sensing unit 170, a memory 145, a storage unit 146, a driving unit 180, a modulator 150, an audio output unit 160, And a control unit 140 for controlling overall operation of the home appliance.

The input unit 125 includes at least one input means for inputting a predetermined signal or data to the household appliance 101 by a user operation and includes an operation unit 117 and a selection unit 130.

The selection unit 130 may include at least one input means for outputting a signal output command to the product output unit 160 so that the product information is output as a predetermined sound through the sound output unit 160, 140).

At this time, the selecting unit 130 may be configured as an input unit separate from the operating unit 117, but may be operated or recognized as the selecting unit as more than two operating units 117 are operated simultaneously, (117) is operated continuously or is operated for a predetermined time or more, it can be operated or recognized as a selection part.

Also, as the selection unit 130 enters the smart diagnostic mode, the sound output unit 160 is turned on / off. That is, when a signal output command is input by the selection unit 130, a control signal including product information is output as a negative sound corresponding to a control command of the control unit 140. At this time, (160) is operated to output sound.

The operation unit 117 receives data such as a driving course and an operation setting according to the operation of the household appliance 101, and applies the data to the controller 140. Further, the operation unit 117 receives the setting according to the sound output. That is, the operation unit 117 inputs a setting value for setting a method of outputting sound, a size of a sound to be output, and the like.

At this time, the input unit 125 including the selection unit 130 and the operation unit 117 may include a button, a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, a finger mouse, A dial, or the like, and can be applied to any device that generates predetermined input data by an operation such as pressing, rotating, pressure, or touching.

The sensing unit 170 includes at least one sensing unit for sensing temperature, pressure, voltage, current, water level, rotation speed, and the like, and applies data sensed or measured to the control unit 140. For example, the sensing unit 170 measures the water level at the time of water supply or drainage in the laundry processing apparatus, and measures the temperature of the water supplied, the rotation speed of the drum, or the like. The sensing unit includes at least one temperature sensing unit (not shown).

The driving unit 180 controls the driving of the home appliance 101 to perform the set operation in response to the control signal applied from the controller 140. [ Accordingly, the laundry processing apparatus performs a series of strokes such as a washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, and a dewatering cycle to remove the contamination of the laundry. The driving unit includes a motor control unit (not shown) for applying an operation control signal to the motor.

For example, in the case of a laundry processing apparatus, the driving unit 180 drives a motor for rotating the washing tub or the drum and controls the operation thereof so that the washing tub or the drum rotates to remove the dirt of the laundry. In response to the control command of the control unit 140, the valve is controlled to perform water supply or drainage.

The memory 145 stores control data for controlling the operation of the home appliance 101, and reference data used during operation control of the home appliance.

At this time, the memory 145 includes all data storing means such as ROM, EEPROM, etc. in which control data for household appliances are stored. The storage unit 146 is a buffer for temporarily storing data as a buffer of the control unit 140. The storage unit 146 may be a DRAM or an SRAM and may be included in the control unit 140 or the memory 145 in some cases.

The memory 145 stores operation state data generated during operation while the home appliance 101 performs a predetermined operation such as setting data input by the operation unit 117 so that the home appliance 101 performs a predetermined operation The operation information, the usage information including the number of times the home appliance 101 performs a specific operation, the model information of the home appliance, and the malfunction information including information on the cause of the malfunction or the malfunction position in the malfunction of the home appliance 101 Is stored.

The control unit 140 calls the product information stored in the memory 145 or the storage unit 146 to generate a control signal in a predetermined format and outputs the control signal to the modulator 150 ). The control unit 140 controls the sound output unit 160 to operate according to the operation of the selection unit 130.

The control unit 140 controls the flow of data input or output to the home appliance, generates and applies a control command according to the data input from the sensing unit 170, or transmits the sensed data to the driving unit 180, A main control unit 141 for controlling the apparatus to operate and an encoding unit 142 for converting the product information into a control signal of a predetermined format in order to output a sound according to the input of the selection unit 130. [

The main control unit 141 outputs a start sound indicating that the smart diagnostic mode is started through the sound output unit 160 when the selection unit 130 is inputted and enters the smart diagnostic mode, So that predetermined data indicating that the mode is performed is displayed.

The main control unit 141 receives the control signal generated by the encoding unit 142 and the modulator 150 and outputs a predetermined notification sound when the sound output unit 160 is output, And controls the sound output unit 160 to be output. However, a negative pre-output notification sound may be omitted in some cases.

At this time, the main control unit 141 controls the sound output unit 160 to output the sound including the notification sound and the product information to the different sound output units 160 when two or more sound output units 160 are provided.

The main control unit 141 prevents the operation unit 117 except the selection unit 130 and the power key from being operated when the smart diagnostic mode is entered and controls the sensing unit 170 and the driving unit 180 ).

The main control unit 141 prevents the smart diagnostic mode from being started even if the selection unit 130 is input when any one of the keys of the operation unit 117 according to the operation settings of the home appliance is input after power is input. In particular, when the selection unit 130 is not separately provided and it is recognized that the selection unit 130 is input by a combination of two or more keys among the plurality of keys of the operation unit 117, The smart diagnostic mode is started only when the selection unit 130 is inputted by the designated key combination.

This is because the operation setting of the home appliance by the operation unit does not enter the smart diagnostic mode because the user does not intend to enter the smart diagnostic mode and also unnecessarily enters the smart diagnostic mode due to an operation error of the operation unit .

The encoding unit 142 encodes the product information stored in the memory 145 according to a predetermined method and adds a preamble and an error check bit to the data signal to generate a control signal in a predetermined format. The encoding unit 142 generates a control signal composed of a plurality of symbols by encoding the product information.

The encoding unit 142 encodes the product information by applying an error coding scheme to recover the bit error in order to deal with the data loss problem that may occur in the process of outputting the product information in a negative manner and transmitting through the communication network. The encoding unit uses an FEC encoding (Forward Error Correction) method as an example. At this time, the encoding unit 142 encodes the product information using a convolution code. Here, the diagnostic server of the service center decodes it using a Viterbi decoding algorithm in correspondence with this encoding method.

The encoding unit 142 is based on a 1/2 code rate or a 2/3 code rate scheme in which 2 bits are output in response to a 1-bit input in the above encoding. In addition, the encoding unit 142 reduces the number of redundant bits using a puncturing algorithm.

In addition, the encoding unit 142 performs bit interleaving in response to a burst error that may occur during data transmission. The entire data is cut by the reference bit unit to perform bit interleaving, and bit interleaving is performed in units of 32 bits. That is, when 60 bytes (bytes) of data exist, the order is mixed according to a predetermined rule in units of 4 bytes.

In generating the control signal, the encoding unit 142 divides the control signal into a predetermined size and frames it to form a packet with a plurality of frames. In addition, the encoding unit 142 can set a predetermined time IFS between the frames in the control signal. Also, in order to eliminate the reverberation effect that affects the next signal conversion due to the charging and discharging principle of the capacitor during signal conversion, The dead time can be set for the symbol in the changed section.

For each symbol constituting the control signal, the length of each symbol is referred to as symbol time, and the basic length of the frequency signal constituting the sound with respect to the sound output through the sound output unit 160 corresponding to the symbol is also symbol time , The encoding unit 142 can set a dead time within a symbol time for one symbol. At this time, the dead time is variable in accordance with the length of the symbol time.

Here, as described above, the product information includes operation information including operation setting, operation state during operation, usage information, and malfunction information for malfunction. The product information is data consisting of a combination of 0 or 1 and is a digital signal readable by the control unit 140. [

The control unit 140 classifies the data of the product information, includes specific data, divides the data into a predetermined size, or adds the data to generate a control signal of a specified standard, and applies the control signal to the modulator 150.

The controller 140 may change the number of symbols corresponding to the output frequency signal according to the number of frequencies used in the modulator 150. [

The modulator 150 applies a predetermined driving signal to the sound output unit 160 to output sound through the sound output unit 160 in response to the control signal applied from the control unit 140. [ The sound thus output includes product information.

The modulator 150 applies a signal to the sound output unit 160 so that, for a symbol constituting the control signal, a frequency signal corresponding to one symbol is outputted for a symbol time.

At this time, the modulator 150 controls the plurality of frequency bands to output a sound corresponding to the control signal. In accordance with the setting of the control unit 140, the number of symbols per frequency signal And outputs it. For example, when two frequencies are used, one frequency signal is output per symbol. When four frequencies are used, one frequency signal may be output per two control signals.

The modulator 150 includes a frequency oscillator (not shown) for generating an oscillation frequency for each frequency corresponding to the number of usable frequencies, and the frequency signal of the frequency oscillator designated by the control signal is supplied to the sound output unit 160 .

The modulator 150 controls the sound output unit 160 to output sound in response to the control signal of the controller 140. The modulator 150 may be any one of a frequency shift method, Method is used to convert the signal.

Here, the frequency shift method is a method of converting a signal of a predetermined frequency in correspondence with a data value of a control signal, and the amplitude shift method is a method of changing the magnitude of amplitude corresponding to a data value. In addition, the phase shift method is a method of converting signals so that the phases are different according to data values.

In the case of BFSK (Binary Frequency Shift Keying) among the frequency shift methods, the control signal is converted into a first frequency when the data value of the control signal is 0 and the second frequency when the data value is 1. For example, if the data value is 0, the signal is converted to a signal having a frequency of 2.6 KHz, and when the data value is 1, the signal is converted to a signal having a frequency of 2.8 KHz. This is as shown in FIG. 11 to be described later.

In the case of the amplitude shift method, a signal having a frequency of 2.6 KHz is converted into a signal having a frequency of 2.6 KHz where the magnitude of the amplitude is 1 when the data value of the control signal is 0, Is 1, it can be converted into a signal having a frequency of 2.6 KHz with an amplitude of 2.

Although the modulator 150 has been described using the frequency shift method as an example, it can be changed. In addition, the frequency band used is also an example and can be changed.

When the dead time is set in the control signal, the modulator 150 stops signal conversion during a period in which the dead time is set. At this time, when the signal is converted using the pulse width modulation (PWM) method, the modulator 150 turns off the oscillation frequency for modulation in the section in which the dead time is set, so that the frequency signal conversion during the dead time is suspended . Accordingly, the sound output through the sound output unit 160 controls the reverberation effect between the symbol and the symbol.

The sound output unit 160 is turned on and off by a control command of the control unit 140 and outputs a signal of a predetermined frequency corresponding to the control signal under the control of the modulator 150 for a designated time period, And outputs a predetermined sound included therein.

At this time, at least one sound output unit 160 may be provided. For example, when two sound output units are provided, a predetermined sound including product information is output through any one of them, and a warning sound or sound effect corresponding to the status information of the home appliance can be output through the other one, A warning sound before the mode entry or sound output may be output.

The sound output unit 160 outputs a control signal corresponding to the output from the modulator 150 with a predetermined sound and then stops when the output is finished. When the selection unit 130 is operated again, And outputs a predetermined sound including product information as it is operated again through the above process.

In this case, the sound output unit 160 may be a speaker, a buzzer, or the like, but it is preferable that a speaker having a wide reproduction range is used to use a plurality of frequency bands.

In response to the control command of the main control unit 141, the sound output unit 160 outputs a start sound indicating that the smart diagnostic mode is started when the smart diagnostic mode is entered, and a sound output including the product information is started And outputs a predetermined notification sound at the time of termination.

The display unit 118 displays information input by the selection unit 130 and the operation unit 117, operation state information of the household appliance 101, information on the completion of the operation of the household appliance, and the like in correspondence with the control command of the main control unit 141 Is displayed on the screen. Further, malfunction information relating to malfunction when malfunction of home appliances is displayed on the screen.

When the smart diagnostic mode is started in response to the control command of the main control unit 141, the display unit 118 displays the smart diagnostic mode. When the sound is outputted through the sound output unit 160, It is displayed in the form of at least one of letters, images and numbers.

In this case, the home appliance may further include an output unit such as a lamp or a vibrating element that is turned on or off in addition to the sound output unit 160 and the display unit 118, but a description thereof will be omitted below.

The home appliance 101 configured as described above outputs a predetermined sound and transmits the product information of the home appliance 101 to the service center 200 as described below.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a diagnosis server of a service center in the household appliance and the diagnosis system of FIG.

When a predetermined sound is output from the home appliance 101, the output sound is input to the user terminal 80 and transmitted to the service center 200 through the communication network. The service center 200 receives the sound signal for the sound and applies the sound signal to the diagnosis server to perform a malfunction diagnosis for the home appliance.

4, the diagnosis server of the service center 200 includes a communication unit 220, a signal processing unit 230, a data unit 240, a server input unit 280, a server output unit 270, 260) and a server control unit 210 for controlling overall operation of the diagnostic server.

The server input unit 280 and the server output unit 270 provide a predetermined input / output interface so that an administrator, a user, and a service person of the service center can check the diagnosis progress status, and receives or outputs data.

The server input unit 280 includes input means such as a button, a key, a touch pad, and a switch operated by a user of the service center 200. The server input unit 280 includes an external input device and a connection interface to the portable memory means.

The server input unit 280 applies a signal to the server control unit 210 when the input means is operated so that the server input unit 280 receives a signal for the sound of the home appliance 101 from the user's telephone or portable terminal connected through the telephone network. So that a sound signal is received by the diagnostic server.

The server output unit 270 includes display means for outputting operation information and diagnostic results of the diagnostic server.

The communication unit 220 is connected to the network of the service center 200 to transmit and receive data, and is connected to an external network such as the Internet for communication. Particularly, in response to the control command of the server control unit 210, the communication unit 220 receives a recording command through the server input unit 280 or a sound output from a home appliance through a telephone network in response to a reception command, When the diagnosis is completed, the diagnosis result is transmitted to the outside.

The communication unit 220 transmits the diagnosis result to the terminal of the service personnel or transmits the diagnosis result to the terminal of the user.

In the data unit 240, control data for controlling the operation of the diagnostic server and sound signals received from household appliances such as laundry processing apparatuses are stored as beep data, and reference data for sound signal or sound conversion, product information extraction , Fault diagnosis data for diagnosing the fault and the cause of the fault are stored.

The data unit 240 stores temporary data generated in the process of detecting the change of the received data or product information, and a diagnostic result report for transmitting the diagnostic result data and the diagnostic result to the user.

Data input / output of the data unit 240 is controlled, managed and updated by the server control unit 210.

The signal processing unit 230 converts the received sound signal so as to be readable, and applies the extracted product information to the diagnosis unit.

The signal processing unit 230 converts and stores the received analog sound signal. At this time, the signal conversion in the signal processing unit 230 is an inverse conversion to the signal conversion in the home appliance 101, so that the home appliances and the diagnosis server can perform the same signal conversion It is desirable to convert the data through a system. The signal processing unit 230 converts a signal sound, which is an analog signal in a predetermined frequency band, into a digital signal through inverse conversion using any one of a frequency shift method, an amplitude shift method, and a phase shift method.

In addition, the signal processor 230 extracts a control signal from the converted data on a frame-by-frame basis, and then decodes the control signal to extract product information. At this time, the signal processor 230 detects the preamble, detects the control signal including the product information based on the detected preamble, decodes the control signal in the designated format into a decoding method corresponding to the product information encoding method of the home appliance And extracts the product information of the household appliances included in the control signal.

The signal processing unit 230 converts and analyzes signals based on the structure or format information of the control signal, frequency characteristics, and decoding information stored in the data unit 240.

The detected product information is applied to the diagnosis unit 260 and stored in the data unit 240.

In response to the control command of the server control unit 210, the diagnosis unit 260 analyzes the input product information to diagnose the operation state and failure of the home appliance. The diagnostic unit 260 includes a diagnostic program for analyzing product information of the household appliances and for determining the state of the household appliances according to the product information and diagnoses the household appliances using the failure diagnosis data stored in the data unit 240.

In addition, the diagnosis unit 260 analyzes the cause of the failure, derives a solution or a countermeasure thereto, and outputs a diagnosis result on the direction of the customer service.

At this time, the diagnosis unit 260 classifies the data of the product information according to a certain criterion, and performs a fault diagnosis according to the combination of the related data. In addition, the diagnosis unit 260 performs a failure diagnosis by judging the portions that can be accurately diagnosed and the portions that can not be diagnosed, and performs the failure diagnosis for the inferable diagnostic items in order of high probability according to the failure probability.

The diagnosis result includes fault system, list of fault cause according to probability, list of faulty parts, and information on whether service personnel are dispatched.

The server control unit 210 controls transmission / reception of data through the communication unit 220 and controls input / output of data through the server input unit 280 and the server output unit 270. In addition, the server control unit 210 controls the operation of the signal processing unit 230 and the diagnosis unit 260 so that the failure diagnosis of the home appliances is performed. In addition, the server control unit 210 controls the diagnosis unit 260 to output the diagnosis result through the server output unit 270, and additionally controls the communication unit 220 to transmit the diagnosis result.

The server control unit 210 causes the diagnostic output of the diagnosis unit 260 to be output through the server output unit 270. Accordingly, the service center 200 can voice the countermeasures due to the malfunction of the home appliance 101 to the user connected through the telephone network, or dispatch the service personnel. Upon dispatch of the service personnel, the server control unit 210 causes the diagnosis result to be transmitted to the terminal of the service personnel through the communication unit 220.

Also, the server control unit 210 may transmit the diagnosis result to the communication unit 220 and be transmitted to the user.

On the other hand, the server control unit 210 causes the server output unit 270 to output a message or a warning sound requesting the home appliance to re-output the sound when an error occurs in the signal processing or diagnosis process. In this case, the service center 200 requests the user connected through the communication network to output the sound again from the home appliance.

The product information of household appliances converted to sound for diagnosis of malfunctions of household appliances includes a plurality of data on the operation of household appliances. The household appliance stores a plurality of diagnostic data necessary for the diagnosis of the trouble. The product information will be described as follows.

The home appliance stores product information in the memory 145 as described above, and the product information includes a plurality of diagnostic data.

The main control unit 141 stores the respective diagnostic data in the memory 145 or temporarily stores the diagnostic data in the memory 145 and the memory 145 in response to the state of the operation of the home appliance. The main control unit 141 stores the data at different times or different storage frequencies according to the type of the diagnostic data.

The stored diagnostic data is read by the main control unit 141 when the smart diagnostic mode is entered, read as product information in the encoding unit 142, encoded into a control signal of a predetermined format, converted through the modulator 150, ).

Also, the main control unit 141 initializes the data before starting the operation, and allows the diagnostic data to be stored every predetermined period or at any time during the operation according to the setting. At this time, although the main controller 141 is set to be operated, an initial value is maintained for operations that are not actually performed.

The main control unit 141 stores the diagnostic data corresponding to the type of the diagnostic data at any time immediately after the data value is changed, stores the data at the time of occurrence of the error, completes the washing, completes the rinsing, .

Accordingly, in the memory 145, product information including operation information, usage information, and failure information is stored by the main control unit 141. [ In addition, the storage unit 146 stores temporary data on operation information and failure information generated during operation. For example, the product information may include the number of times the washing machine is used, a set course, option setting information, an error code, a sensor measurement value, calculation data of the control unit, and operation information of each unit.

In the case of the laundry processing apparatus, the operation information includes information necessary for the operation of the laundry processing apparatus, such as information on the laundry process of the laundry processing apparatus, information on the dehydration process, information on the rinse cycle, and the like.

In addition, when the laundry processing apparatus is operated, the failure information includes failure information generated during each operation, failure information on the apparatus of the laundry processing apparatus, error code (Error code) corresponding to failure information, A value sensed by the sensing unit 170, a sensed value of the motor, failure information of the washing water supply unit, failure information of the drainage unit, and the like.

The usage information may include various information such as the number of times the user uses the laundry processing apparatus, a course set by the user, and option setting information set in the laundry processing apparatus. That is, the usage information may include information input from the user to the laundry processing apparatus, information initially set in the laundry processing apparatus, and the like.

The product information is stored in the size as shown in Table 1 below.

Category Name Size (byte) Operation info Status One User information
(Customer info) Common 11 Wash (Wash) 4 Rinse 4 Dehydration (Spin) 6 Dry 8 Error code One Counts 8 Options 9

Referring to Table 1, Category indicates an attribute of product information. The name (Name) indicates the meaning of each category.

Hereinafter, the status refers to the last execution of the entire laundry processing apparatus 101. That is, the status means the product information when the laundry processing apparatus 101 performs the washing, dehydrating, and rinsing operations and when the user performs the rinsing operation last. At this time, the status has a size of 1 byte.

Common refers to product information having attributes that must be sampled over the entire stroke of the laundry processing apparatus 101. That is, the term " common " means product information at a certain point in time or each of the above-mentioned strokes when the motor, the washing water supply device, and the like are performed throughout the entire stroke of the laundry processing apparatus. The common is set to have a size of 11 bytes (Bytes). At this time, the data having the general property is stored at any time during the operation after being initialized in the preliminary preparation step before starting the operation, and is stored when the error occurs or the operation ends. It can be stored only when a specific error occurs depending on the type of general data.

Wash refers to product information having attributes that must be sampled in a washing cycle. For example, when the washing cycle is performed, it means product information having a property of sampling the level of the washing water or the operating time of the washing water supplying device. Wash is set to have a size of 4 bytes (Bytes). The data concerning the washing is stored when the washing cycle is performed or when the washing cycle is completed and is stored even in case of an error. At this time, if the washing and dewatering performed at the end of the washing cycle is completed, it is considered that the washing cycle is completed and the diagnostic data about the washing before the rinsing starts, that is, before the watering of the rinsing cycle starts, is stored.

Rinse refers to product information having attributes that should be sampled in the rinse cycle. The rinse is formed to have a size of 4 bytes (Bytes). In addition, the spinning means product information having attributes that should be sampled in the spinning process. The data of the rinsing is stored in the course of the rinsing operation, at the time of completion, or in the event of an error, and stored according to the number of times of rinsing, but after the last rinsing operation, the diagnostic data for the rinsing operation is finally stored before the start of the drying operation.

At this time, the spin (spin) is set to have a size of 6 bytes (Bytes). Dry refers to product information with attributes that must be sampled in the drying cycle. Dry is formed to have a size of 8 bytes (Bytes). The diagnostic data relating to dehydration is stored during dehydration operation, dehydration operation is completed, or when an error occurs.

In the washing, rinsing, and dewatering stages, diagnostic data for bubble detection is stored immediately upon detection of bubbles.

On the other hand, the error code means a code for an error indicating a warning when the laundry processing apparatus 101 detects an abnormality during operation. The error code indicates a typical error in the operation of the household appliance and means a code for an error indicating a warning for the user to recognize when the laundry processing apparatus 101 malfunctions. The error code is formed to have a size of 1 byte.

For example, the error code may be an error code or a buzzer that is emitted to the outside through a display unit (not shown) or a buzzer if a failure occurs in the laundry processing apparatus 101, . Among the diagnostic data, the error code of the product information is set so that the error in which part of the error occurred in the operation abnormality of the household appliance can be known. At this time, the error code is displayed not only on the display unit but also as a warning sound.

For example, if the data value of the error code included in the product information is 0, there is no abnormality in the home appliance or there is an error that is not classified as an error code. If the data value of the error code is 1, the door is abnormal, if it is 2, if it is more than the number, if it is 3, it is more than double, if it is 4, if it is balanced, (IE), 8 for motor over (LE), 9 for CE, 10 for drying (dhe). An error of a specific system can be represented by an error code according to other assigned values.

These error codes are used in the diagnosis server to extract the related data according to the value of the error code in the fault diagnosis and to analyze the cause of the fault by comparing the data with the reference data or the diagnostic data and derive a countermeasure against the cause of the fault. In addition, the diagnosis server judges, based on the state information included in the product information, which operation of the household appliance has occurred during operation.

On the other hand, the counters refer to product information including the number of times the user uses the laundry processing apparatus 101 and the number of times an error occurs. Counters are formed to have a size of 8 bytes (Bytes). The number of times the home appliance operation is started is not initialized in the preparatory stage but retains the existing data.

In addition, the option (Options) refers to product information including various options set by the user when the user operates the laundry processing apparatus 101 recently. The options are those set by the user in the laundry processing apparatus 101, such as setting the washing time to 15 minutes, the dehydration time to 5 minutes, the rinsing time to 10 minutes, and the like. At this time, the option (Options) is formed to have a size of 9 bytes (Bytes). The option is saved when an error code is generated or when the washing cycle is completed.

Meanwhile, the size, the category, and the name described above are only examples. Accordingly, the size, the category, the name, and the like may be formed differently according to the characteristics of the home appliance.

The main control unit 141 operates the home appliances according to the set values of the driving course or options set through the operating unit 117 of the input unit 125. For example, in the case of the laundry processing apparatus, , Dehydration, drying, and termination steps, and subdividing the operation within each step to store the state information as to what operation was last performed by the home appliance.

The status information includes information on the last operation step of the entire operation of the household appliance. For example, it includes information about the last operation performed by the laundry processing apparatus, which is divided into a pre-operation step, a washing step, a rinsing step, a dehydrating step, a drying step, and a completion step before performing the designated operation in the laundry processing apparatus do. At this time, each step can be divided into more granular steps. For example, the laundry can be divided into an avalanche laundry, a soiled laundry, a main laundry, and a post-laundering, and the rinsing step can be divided into a primary rinse, a secondary rinse, a tertiary rinse and a fourth rinse. Further, it includes information on the operation of the household appliances further divided into the drainage stage during the primary rinsing, the simple dehydration stage during the primary rinse, the main dehydration stage during the primary rinse, and the water supply stage.

In the case where an abnormality occurs in the rinsing cycle in the laundry processing apparatus, since the last operation performed is an operation related to the rinsing cycle, a value indicating the rinsing cycle is stored in the status information. At this time, each stroke is further classified to indicate whether an abnormality has occurred during rinsing during rinsing, whether an abnormality has occurred in the dehydration process, an abnormality has occurred in the water supply, or an abnormality has occurred in the water discharge.

At this time, the status information has a size of about 1 byte, and the status information may include information about each operation by dividing the steps for each operation of the household appliance into about 60 to 64 steps.

At this time, when the value of the state information is 0 to 5, the pre-operation phase is set to 0, the power-off standby state, the initialization phase 1, the stop phase 2, the reservation phase 3, the freeze detection phase 4, It may correspond to the sensing step. 55 and 56 are drying stages, 55 is hot-air drying during drying, and 56 is a cooling-down stage.

Reference numerals 6 to 9 denote an avalanche laundry process, reference numerals 10 to 11 denote the washing steps, reference numerals 12 to 20 denote washing steps, reference numerals 21 to 48 denote rinsing steps, reference numerals 49 to 52 denote dewatering steps, reference numerals 55 and 56 denote drying steps, reference numerals 57 to 59 denote termination It can represent the administration. When the data value of the status information is 0, the power is turned off. If the data value is 12, it indicates that the wash initialization is the last performed operation during the washing operation. Also, when the value of the state information is 28, it indicates that the simple dehydration is performed last in the second rinsing process.

Such state information is updated at any time during the operation of the home appliance. That is, during the washing cycle, the corresponding status information is stored. When the washing cycle is completed and the rinsing cycle is performed, the corresponding value is stored as the status information.

Accordingly, the diagnosis server can identify the last operation performed by the home appliance through the state information included in the product information, and perform the diagnosis using the diagnostic data related thereto.

The above-described common data is stored in the storage unit 146 at any time as soon as data is generated or the value of the data is changed. The general data is temporarily stored in the storage unit 146 and then stored in the memory 145 when all operations are completed or an error occurs.

The Current Limit Counter is the number of times the current limit is generated, and the number of times that the home appliance has been in operation until it is terminated is accumulated and stored. And is counted once in a cycle in which the motor is turned on and off (ON, OFF).

In this case, the current limit is generated by a motor control unit to generate a signal for motor control, and when the motor control unit applies a current to the motor, the motor control unit and the motor are prevented from being damaged due to overcurrent, , It means that the operation is forcibly controlled and the current is cut off when the limit value is set and the current value reaches the limit value.

The overcurrent control count (F0 Counter) is the value counted when the overcurrent is interrupted by hardware and accumulates from the start to the end of operation. At this time, the number of overcurrent control limits the overcurrent in hardware, and is maintained as 0 when the motor control unit normally controls. Therefore, when the number of overcurrent control is 0, it is normal. If it is not 0, it can be judged as an error, which means that there is an abnormality in the motor control unit.

The bubble counter (Bubble_Counter) counts the number of bubble detections from the beginning to the end of the operation.

The rotational speed measurement value (RPM Detect) is the measured value of the rotational speed of the hall sensor provided in the motor as the motor operates. This is data that can check the motor abnormality or the hall sensor abnormality. For example, when the rotational speed measurement value is 0 and the rotational speed is not detected but the current limit counter is not 0, it is judged that the actual motor is operated but the rotational speed can not be measured due to an error in the hall sensor.

At this time, the measured value of the rotational speed is normal when the value is 0, rpm is 0 when the value is 1, rpm is 0 when the motor is operated for the last 2 seconds, And a case where it is not zero even once.

Rotational speed measurements are stored as often as they are detected, with the last stored value last.

The power off information includes information on whether the operation of the home appliance has been completed after completion of the set operation or terminated without performing some operation when the power is turned off. For example, when the power is off due to a power failure, the value of the power off information may be 1.

The water level end includes the water level sensor reading of the tub at the end.

Error Water Drain Time is the time required for multiples. In case of error, the last stored drain time is saved. At this time, the drain time at the time of error is changed when a multiple is performed, and a larger one of a pre-stored value and a newly measured value is stored. That is, the maximum time during the drainage is stored, and the drainage time of the drainage operation is stored during the multiple drainage operations.

The error water drain time is the maximum time during the operation time according to the drainage time, and the drainage time is measured when the drainage operation is performed, and when the drainage time is larger than the pre-stored value, the maximum time is stored as the error water drain time.

The maximum temperature of the motor control unit (IPM Max Temperature) is the temperature of the motor control unit which applies the control signal to the motor. The motor control unit generates and outputs a motor control signal, and the amount of heat generated by the motor control unit is large. When the temperature exceeds a predetermined value, the motor control unit may be damaged.

The error temperature includes information of a temperature sensing unit that senses an abnormal temperature among a plurality of temperature sensing units provided in a home appliance or senses an abnormality when a temperature error occurs. For example, if the value of the error temperature is 0, there is no abnormality. If the error temperature is 1, the temperature sensing unit is provided in the tub. If the error temperature is 2, the temperature sensing unit is provided in the AF. At this time, the order of the temperature sensing part corresponding to the value of the error temperature or the type of the temperature sensing part may be changed according to the setting.

That is, when the error temperature is 1, it indicates that an abnormal temperature is detected in the temperature sensing unit provided in the tub.

At this time, the temperature sensing unit provided in the home appliance applies predetermined data corresponding to the sensed temperature to the main control unit. At this time, the value input to the main control unit is not a value for the measured temperature itself, but a value obtained by dividing one of resistance, current, and voltage corresponding to the temperature into 255 levels.

If the measured value of the temperature sensing part is 0 or 255, this is a value that can not be obtained in a normal state due to wiring or connection problems. Therefore, when the measured value of the temperature sensing part is 0 or 255, It can be judged. Or 0 or 255 may be applied to the main control unit even when the temperature exceeds the range that can be sensed by the temperature sensing unit. In the case of a laundry processing apparatus, if a temperature abnormality is detected in a temperature sensor provided in a dryer heater in the case of a fan failure, the abnormality data as described above is applied to the main control unit. Accordingly, the main control unit stores the information of the temperature sensing unit as the error temperature.

The Error Bubble Flag is a value indicating whether or not a bubble is detected when an error occurs. It is set when bubbles are detected, and is cleared when removed.

The error voltage is the voltage value measured at the time of error occurrence. However, the error voltage at this time is not a voltage value which is generally measured, but a converted value which represents the measured voltage as a level by dividing the measured voltage into a plurality of levels is stored.

Error Fan Motor speed (Fan motor rpm) stores the rotation speed value of the fan motor when an error code is generated. The fan motor stops after measuring and storing the value before stopping the fan motor.

The rotational speed value at the time of cooling down entry is stored as a value obtained by measuring the rotational speed of the drying fan in the laundry processing apparatus.

The rewater flag (ReWater Flag) is set if the refueling operation is in progress, and cleared when the refueling water is completed. The value is stored at the time of error or termination. At this time, regardless of whether it is a washing step or a rinsing step, only the re-watering state is set.

The door bimetallic flag stores the on / off signal of the bimetal on the door side when an error related to the door occurs.

As described above, the data used in the entire operation of the laundry processing apparatus is temporarily stored from time to time, its value is updated, and is stored in the memory when an error occurs or the operation ends.

On the other hand, the data corresponding to the operation is stored according to the operation state of the diagnostic data.

In the washing and washing step, the wash water supply time, the wash water temperature, the laundry bubble flag, the laundry low voltage flag, the wash valve switching flag, and the heater forced termination flag are respectively stored. Such data is temporarily stored and updated during the washing cycle, and is stored in the memory when washing is completed.

In this case, the water supply time (W) is the time required for the water supply in the initial water supply period from the start of water supply to the completion of water supply. The washing water temperature is stored as the first washing water temperature and the first washing water temperature respectively as the temperature of the tub at the start of operation and the tub temperature immediately after completion of the initial water supply. The first water temperature W0 is the temperature of the turbine at the start of operation, that is, as soon as the water supply starts, in the washing cycle. At this time, measurement is not performed when restarting after stopping. The second water temperature W1 measures and stores the temperature of the tub immediately after the completion of the initial water supply. At this time, since the temperature of the tub changes according to the temperature of the washing water at the time of water supply, it can be regarded as the temperature of the washing water. By comparing the two wash water temperatures, it is possible to judge the water supply status and abnormality of the sensor or the like.

The washing bubble flag indicates whether bubbles are generated when washing and washing dehydration, and can be set to 1 when bubbles are generated and to 0 when bubbles have not occurred. The laundry low voltage flag is set when the input voltage is a low voltage, and the wash valve switching flag is a flag for connection of the cold water and the hot water valve. The heater forcible termination flag is set to forcible termination based on the heating time, and forcible termination due to time over and forced termination occurrence history for forced termination due to no temperature change are stored. The value is set to 1, indicating that there is a color development history.

The diagnosis data for the rinsing cycle is temporarily stored or updated in the rinsing water supply time, the rinsing water temperature, the rinsing bubble flag, the rumbling undervoltage flag, the rinsing main valve, the rinsing cycle or the rinsing cycle, And finally stored.

As in the case of washing, the time required for the rinse water supply is stored. At this time, when the rinsing is repeated several times, the maximum value of the measured rinsing water supply time is stored. The rinse water temperature is a value obtained by measuring the tub temperature before and after the water supply, such as a washing machine. Using the first rinse water temperature and the second rinse water temperature, the temperature difference before and after the water supply and the water temperature supplied can be confirmed.

The rinsing bubble flag is set or released depending on whether the rubbing bubble is generated or not, and the rinse low voltage flag is set when a low voltage is generated when the rinse or rinse dewatering occurs. The rinse main valve determines whether the type of the main valve is a cold water valve or a hot water valve And the like.

The diagnostic data for the dewatering cycle includes the number of times of dewatering, the level of wet laundry, the offset value, the target rotation speed, the maximum rotation speed, the dewatering foam flag, and the dehydration low voltage flag, .

The UB try counter may cause the tub to collide with the case of the washing machine when the drum or the tub is removed by the laundry. If the eccentricity is large, the noise increases and the high-speed dewatering is not possible There is a possibility that the laundry processing apparatus is damaged as well. Accordingly, the degree of balance (balancing) or unbalance (eccentricity) before dehydration is measured. When the eccentricity is large, the dehydration can not be started immediately when imbalance occurs. That is, the number of times of dehydration entry is the number of attempts to re-enter dehydration when the dehydration operation can not be performed due to the large eccentricity. This is proportional to the number of times of eccentricity measurement and laundry release.

Wet load level is the amount of laundry that was measured last before high-speed dehydration, and the amount of laundry at the start of washing is the amount of laundry for dry laundry, so the amount of laundry for wet laundry before dewatering Re-calculated and stored.

The amount of laundry can be divided into a plurality of levels such as very small amount, small amount, weight, normal, large amount, extremely large amount, single load and the like. The offset value is a value for setting the target rotation speed at the time of dewatering, and the target rotation speed is a target rotation speed at the time of dewatering, which is reset by eccentricity (unbalance) regardless of the initial input operation setting. The maximum rotational speed is the maximum rotational speed measured during the final dehydration.

The dewatering foam flag indicates whether bubbles are generated during dewatering, and the dewatering undervoltage flag indicates whether undervoltage occurs during dewatering.

The diagnostic data for drying includes the minimum level, the number of times the drying heater is operated, the minimum drying temperature, the motor rotation speed, the minimum voltage, the drying time, the fan motor maximum rotation speed flag and the dry low voltage flag, Time.

The lowest level is the value measured at the time when the initial drainage is completed after the entry into the drying, and the lowest value among the values measured until the end is stored. The number of times of the operation of the drying heater is the number of times the drying heater is turned on and off, and the minimum drying temperature is the lowest value while measuring the duct temperature value just before entering the cool down.

The fan motor rpm is a value obtained by measuring the rotational speed of the drying fan in the laundry processing apparatus, and the rotational speed value at the time of cooling down is stored. The drying voltage is the lowest value in the voltage value measured from the dry run in the drying line, and the drying time is the time counted from the preliminary drying of the dehydration. The fan motor maximum rotation speed flag is set when the rotational speed measured during operation of the fan motor exceeds a certain standard, and the dry low voltage flag is set when a low voltage is supplied during the drying stroke.

The diagnostic unit uses the above-described data included in the product information to diagnose the failure and to obtain a solution.

The number of times of occurrence of an error in the home appliance, the setting data input by the user through the operation unit 117, and the product information as diagnostic data.

The number of occurrences of errors includes the cumulative number of occurrences of each error code, the number of times the appliances are operated, and the number of washes of washing machines in household appliances. The setting data includes values according to the washing course, the number of times of rinsing, the language used, the presence or absence of steam, the sound size adjustment, the dehydration strength, and the wash water temperature setting.

The main control unit 141 stores each of the above-described diagnostic data in the memory as product information. When the main control unit 141 enters the smart diagnostic mode according to the selection unit input, it reads the stored diagnostic data to form product information, and the encoding unit 142 encodes the product information to generate a control signal of a predetermined format. The control signal thus generated is applied to a modulator, converted into a combination of predetermined frequency signals, and output through a sound output unit 160 with a predetermined sound.

5 is a flowchart showing a sound output method including product information of a home appliance according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, when the power supply key is input, the home appliance sets operation according to input data and operates accordingly (S310). The household appliance stores data generated during operation and data to be measured.

If an abnormality occurs during operation of the home appliance (S320), the home appliance stops operating and displays an error (S340). If no abnormality occurs during operation, the operation is continued according to the setting (S330).

When the selection unit 130 provided in the household appliance is operated by the user to input a failure diagnosis command (S350), the home appliance enters the smart diagnosis mode. At this time, after the error is displayed as described above, the selection unit 130 may be input, but when the user inputs the selection unit without an error, the smart diagnosis mode is entered. However, the smart diagnosis mode may not be entered according to the key operation of the operation unit before the selection unit.

The main control unit 141 of the home appliance stores the temporary data stored in the storage unit 146 in the memory 145 and collects the diagnostic data stored in the memory 9145 and applies it to the encoding unit 142. [ The encoding unit 142 generates product information by adding version information and product number to the diagnostic data (S360)

The encoding unit 142 encodes the product information, generates a control signal of a predetermined format, and applies the control signal to the modulator 150. The modulator outputs the frequency signal corresponding to the logical value of the control signal to the sound output unit. Accordingly, a predetermined sound including product information is output through the sound output unit 160 (S370).

The sound thus output is input to the terminal 80 connected to the service center and transmitted to the service center as one sound signal through the communication network. The service center performs a fault diagnosis for the household appliances using the sound.

6 is a flowchart showing a data storing method of the household appliance.

Referring to FIG. 6, the operation setting is inputted through the operation unit 117 of the home appliance, and the operation key is inputted (S380). The main control unit 141 initializes the stored data (S390), and stores the initial values in the respective data (S400). In some cases, the predetermined diagnostic data does not set an initial value.

For example, referring to the attributes in Table 1 above, diagnostic data for status information, common, wash, rinse, spin, dry, error code, Although the initial value is specified, the number of times the operation count or the error count is stored (counter) is accumulated without specifying the initial value.

If an error code is generated in the previous operation, data on the error code is not initialized.

The main control unit 141 applies a control command to the driving unit 180, and the driving unit 180 causes the home appliance to operate according to the operation setting. In the case of the laundry processing apparatus, a washing cycle is performed according to the operation setting (S410).

In the process of washing after the water supply, the sensing unit 170 measures the water temperature, the water level, and the motor rotation speed and applies the water temperature, the water level, and the motor rotation speed to the main control unit 141 or the driving unit 80. The main control unit 141 stores the data generated during the washing operation and the measured data in the memory 145 or temporarily stores the data in the storage unit 146. [

For example, the data stored in the washing and washing step are the washing water supply time, the wash water temperature, the laundry bubble flag, the laundry low voltage flag, the wash valve switching flag, and the heater forced termination flag. Such data is temporarily stored or updated during the wash cycle.

The main control unit 141 stores the temporary data in the memory 145 and stores the error code for the generated error and the error related data and the status information data in the memory 145. [ (S540). In addition, the display unit 118 outputs an error according to a control command of the main control unit 141 (S550).

When the washing cycle normally ends, the main control unit 141 stores the data of the washing cycle temporarily stored in the storage unit 146 in the memory 145 as the diagnosis data.

After completion of the washing cycle, the rinsing cycle is performed (S440). The rinsing cycle is performed by repeating the process of watering, rinsing and dewatering two to four times. The data generated or measured for each of the rinsing times is stored in the memory 145 or temporarily stored in the storing unit 146. [

For example, the diagnosis data for the rinsing cycle is data for the rinsing water supply time, the rinsing water temperature, the rinsing bubble flag, the rubbing low voltage flag, and the rudder main valve.

If an error occurs during the rinsing cycle (S450), the main control unit 141 stores the temporary data in the memory 145 and stores the error code and error-related data for the generated error in the memory 145 (S540 ). In addition, the display unit 118 outputs an error according to a control command of the main control unit 141 (S550).

When the rinsing cycle is normally completed, the main control unit 141 stores the data of the rinsing cycle temporarily stored in the storage unit 146 as the diagnostic data in the memory 145 (S460). The diagnostic data for the rinsing cycle may be stored in the memory 145 after the rinsing cycle is completed, but may be stored in the memory 145 while some rinsing cycle is being performed.

At this time, if all the rinsing cycles are completed by the designated number of times, the dehydration process is performed (S470).

The driving unit 180 rotates the drum or the washing tub at a high speed to remove moisture from the laundry. At this time, data on the generated dehydration stroke is temporarily stored in the storage unit 146 or stored in the memory 145. [

The diagnostic data for the dehydration stroke include the number of times of dehydration, the level of wet laundry, the offset value, the target rotation speed, the maximum rotation speed, the dehydration foam flag, and the dehydration low voltage flag.

If an error occurs during the dewatering process (S480), the main control unit 141 stores the temporary data in the memory 145 and stores the error code and error-related data for the generated error in the memory 145 (S540 ). In addition, the display unit 118 outputs an error according to a control command of the main control unit 141 (S550).

When the dewatering process is completed, the main control unit 141 stores the temporarily stored data in the memory 145 as diagnostic data for the dewatering process (S490).

If the drying cycle is set after completion of the dewatering cycle (S500), a drying cycle is performed to completely remove the moisture of the laundry according to the setting (S510). The data on the drying cycle is stored in the memory 145 by the main control unit 141 or temporarily stored in the storage unit 146. [

When an error occurs in the drying process (S520), the main control unit 141 stores the temporary data in the memory 145 and stores the error code and the data related to the error in the memory 145 (S540 ). In addition, the display unit 118 outputs an error according to a control command of the main control unit 141 (S550).

When the drying cycle is completed, temporary data on the drying cycle is stored in the memory 145 as diagnostic data.

As described above, the diagnostic data for washing, rinsing, dewatering, and drying is stored in the memory 145 during the execution of each stroke, or at the time when each stroke is completed, and the common data is immediately And stored in the memory 145 at any time. In case of error, related data is stored immediately.

When all the operations are completed, the diagnostic data for the entire operation is finally stored (S530).

If the operation is normally completed according to the operation setting, or if an error occurs, the data is stored and the appliance stops the operation (S560).

On the other hand, when the operation setting is changed during the operation as described above, the data is updated with respect to the changed portion. However, when the washing course is changed, the data can be initialized.

5, when the selection unit 130 is input, the household appliance enters the smart diagnostic mode, and is used as product information, and the audio output unit 160 through the encoding and conversion process A predetermined sound is output. The output sound is transmitted to the service center, and the product information is extracted by inversely transforming the sound, and the plurality of diagnostic data included in the product information is analyzed to perform the trouble diagnosis for the home appliance.

7 is a flowchart showing a data initializing method of the household appliance.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the operation setting is input as described above and the operation key is input (S570), the counter value for the number of times of operation after the error in the diagnostic data is increased (S580). At this time, the number of times of operation after the error indicates the number of operation after the error occurs, and the counter is incremented based on the input of the operation key. When an operation key is input after an error occurs, the number of times of operation is increased by one. If the number of operations after error is 3, it can indicate that the operation is the third operation after the error occurs. At this time, the storage time for the number of times of operation after the error can be changed.

(S590). If the data is not initialized, the number of operations after the error is compared with the reference number (S600). In this case, if the number of operations after the error is less than the reference number The diagnostic data at the time of occurrence of the error code is held without being initialized (S610). For example, if the reference count is 3, the data at the time of occurrence of the error code remains untouched until three times after the error occurs.

If the number of operations after the error exceeds the reference number, the data is initialized (S620). However, the diagnostic data for the number of times is not initialized.

When the pre-operation is completed before operation, the home appliance operates according to the input operation setting (S630).

The data generated during the operation is temporarily stored in the storage unit 146, and it is determined whether the initial operation time has elapsed after the operation is started (S640). If the initial operation time has not been reached, The temporary storage state is maintained. When the initial operation time has elapsed, the temporarily stored data is stored as diagnostic data in the memory 145 (S650).

If an error code is generated during operation or if an error code is generated before the initial operation time elapses (S700), the temporary data, the data related to the error, and the error code are stored (S710). Since a new error has occurred, the number of operations after the error is initialized (S720), and a warning about the error is output (S730).

When the error is output, the home appliance stops its operation (S690).

The home appliance operates according to the setting until the set operation is completed without generating the error code, and the data generated or measured during operation is stored in the memory 145 as diagnostic data (S630 to S670).

The diagnostic data is finally stored and the appliances stop operating.

8 is a flowchart showing a data storing method according to an error occurrence history of a home appliance.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the operation key is inputted and the operation key is inputted, the data is initialized according to whether or not the data is initialized in the start preparation step (S740), and the number of post-error operations is compared with the reference number (S750). If the number of operations after the error exceeds the reference number, the data is initialized (S760).

When the data initialization is completed, operation is performed according to the setting as shown in FIG. 7 (S770), and data during operation is stored as diagnostic data (S780). At this time, if an error code is generated during operation, error data and temporary data are stored (S820), the number of operation after error is initialized (S880), a warning about an error is output (S890) ). The data generated when the operation is continued without occurrence of an error is stored as diagnostic data (S770 to S800), the diagnostic data is finally stored at the end of operation (S810), and the operation is completed (S920).

On the other hand, if the number of post-error operations is less than the reference number, the main control unit 141 retains the existing data (S830).

That is, the household appliance does not initialize the data but operates in accordance with the setting in the state that the diagnostic data stored in the previous operation is maintained as it is (S840).

At this time, data generated or measured during operation is temporarily stored in the storage unit 146 (S850). At this time, the main control unit 141 does not store the data temporarily stored in the storage unit 146 in the memory 145 but maintains the temporary storage state.

If an error code is generated during operation, the main control unit 141 initializes the diagnostic data related to the error occurrence or updates the existing data so that the diagnostic data relating to the new error is stored in the memory 145 (S870). After the number of operations after the error is initialized (S880), a warning about the error is output (S890), and the operation is completed (S920).

In the case where the operation is performed without occurrence of an error, the home appliance continues operation according to the setting until the operation is terminated (S900), and data during operation is temporarily stored (S840 to S860).

If the existing diagnostic data is maintained and the operation is completed without error, the temporarily stored data is discarded and the existing data is maintained (S910).

That is, if there is an error occurrence history and the operation is less than the reference number after the occurrence of the error, the existing data is maintained until a new error is generated. If the reference number is exceeded, the data corresponding to the error occurrence is initialized.

Accordingly, the data at the time of occurrence of the error is maintained until the household appliance is operated by the reference number of times, or until a new error is generated, and a sound related to the entry at the time of entry into the smart diagnostic mode by the selection unit 130 is outputted.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, .

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a household appliance diagnostic system including a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a view illustrating a configuration of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control configuration for the household appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a diagnosis server of the service center of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a sound output method including product information of a home appliance according to the present invention,

6 is a flowchart showing a data storing method of a household appliance,

7 is a flowchart showing a data initializing method of a household appliance,

8 is a flowchart showing a data storing method according to an error occurrence history of a home appliance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

101: Home appliances 117:

130: selection unit 140:

141: main control unit 142:

150: Modulator 160: Acoustic output unit

200: Service center / diagnosis server

Claims (14)

Comparing the number of times of operation after the error with the reference number when the operation setting is inputted and the operation key is inputted; Initializing the diagnostic data except for the number of times when the number of times of operation after the error exceeds the reference number of times; If the number of times of operation after the error is equal to or less than the reference number, retaining diagnostic data constituting pre-stored product information; Starting operation according to the operation setting and temporarily storing data generated during operation; Discarding the temporarily stored data when the operation is completed according to the operation setting, and maintaining the diagnostic data; Storing the temporarily stored data as the diagnostic data and updating the diagnostic data to include information on a new error if an error occurs before the operation is completed; Generating the product information using the diagnostic data when a failure diagnostic execution command is input; And Encoding and converting the product information to output a predetermined sound through the sound output unit, Wherein the number of times of operation after the error is incremented by one when the operation key is input, and is initialized when an error occurs. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising the step of storing, when the error occurs, the error code and the data related to the error code as the diagnostic data and outputting a warning about the error. delete The method according to claim 1, Temporarily storing data generated during operation according to the operation setting after the initialization step; And And storing the temporarily stored data as the diagnostic data in a memory when an initial operation time elapses. delete Initializing the diagnostic data constituting the product information of the household appliance when the operation setting is inputted and the operation key is inputted; Performing an operation for at least one of washing, rinsing, dewatering and drying according to the operation setting; Temporarily storing data generated or measured during operation; Storing, as the diagnostic data, the data temporarily stored with respect to the ending operation during operation; Ending the diagnostic data and stopping the operation when all the strokes are finished; And Generating the product information using the diagnostic data when a failure diagnostic execution command is input; And Encoding and converting the product information to output a predetermined sound through the sound output unit, Wherein the initializing step initializes the diagnostic data excluding the data on the number of times, sets an initial value, Wherein the data on the number of times includes a number of operations and a number of times an error has occurred, Wherein the operation number is increased by one when the operation key is input, Is maintained at the time of initializing the diagnostic data, and is initialized when an error occurs. delete The method according to claim 6, Storing data and an error code for the error and the temporarily stored data as the diagnostic data when an error occurs during operation; And And outputting a warning about the error. The method according to claim 6, And when the data of the common property is generated or changed during operation, the data is immediately stored as the diagnostic data. A selector for inputting a command for performing a fault diagnosis; A memory for storing at least one diagnostic data constituting product information of the household appliance, for the purpose of diagnosing the trouble; Storing the data generated during operation in the memory as the diagnostic data, forming the product information using the diagnostic data when a failure diagnosis execution command is input by the selection unit, encoding the product information, A control unit for generating a control signal composed of a frame; A modulator for generating a predetermined frequency signal corresponding to the control signal; And And an acoustic output unit driven by the modulator to output a sound corresponding to the frequency signal, Wherein the control unit temporarily stores the data generated during operation when the error occurrence history exists and discards the data temporarily stored when the operation is normally terminated to hold the stored diagnostic data, Storing and updating the stored data as the diagnostic data, Wherein the control unit determines that the error occurrence history is absent and initializes the diagnostic data except for the number of times when the number of times of operation after the error exceeds the reference number, Wherein the number of times of operation after the error is incremented by one when the operation key is input and is initialized when an error occurs. 11. The method of claim 10, Wherein the control unit determines that the error occurrence history exists when the number of times of operation after the error is equal to or less than the reference number of the diagnosis data and holds the diagnostic data. 11. The method of claim 10, Wherein the control unit immediately stores the data generated during operation as the diagnostic data according to an attribute or temporarily stores the data as the diagnostic data upon completion of a predetermined operation. 11. The method of claim 10, When the control unit is operated in at least one of washing, rinsing, dewatering and drying, Temporarily storing the data generated during operation for the stroke, and storing the data as the diagnostic data when the stroke is completed. delete

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