Method for configuring a household appliance

Abstract

The present application provides a method for configuring a home appliance, comprising: receiving a request to add a new home appliance to a user account through a user interface of an existing home appliance; wherein the existing home appliance is connected to a wireless network and configured with a user account; receiving a configuration command through the user interface of the new home appliance; scanning the existing home appliance with the new home appliance; establishing a direct connection between the new home appliance and the existing home appliance; obtaining a configuration token from a remote database through the existing home appliance; transmitting wireless network credentials and a configuration token for a wireless network from the existing home appliance to the new home appliance through the direct connection; and connecting the new home appliance to the wireless network using the transmitted wireless network credentials, and associating the new home appliance with the user account using the transmitted configuration token. When configuring a new home appliance, configuring the new home appliance for the user account through a direct connection between home appliances can provide a smoother user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of household appliances, for example, to a method for configuring a household appliance. Background Art

[0002] Generally speaking, different users use household appliances to complete various household tasks. For example, household appliances include laundry appliances (e.g., washing machines and / or drying machines), kitchen appliances (e.g., refrigerators, microwave ovens and / or coffee machines), and room air conditioners and other various appliances.

[0003] Some home appliances also include components for connecting to and communicating with secure wireless networks. Such communications can be provided with connection components on the home appliance, for example, the home appliance communicates with personal devices, smart home systems, and / or remote databases (e.g., cloud servers).

[0004] Typically, in order to establish a connection or association between a home appliance and a user account, especially for the first time, the home appliance needs to use multiple processes of multiple user interfaces. Therefore, how to connect the home appliance to a secure wireless network and add it to a user account in an easier and more convenient way has become a problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0005] Aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forth in the following description, or may be different from the description, or may be learned by practicing the present disclosure.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for configuring a household appliance is provided, wherein an existing household appliance is connected to a wireless network and is configured with a user account, the method comprising: receiving a request to add a new household appliance to a user account through a user interface of the existing household appliance; receiving a configuration command through a user interface of the new household appliance; using the new household appliance to scan the existing household appliance; establishing a direct connection between the new household appliance and the existing household appliance; obtaining a configuration token from a remote database through the existing household appliance; transmitting wireless network credentials and a configuration token for the wireless network from the existing household appliance to the new household appliance through the direct connection; and connecting the new household appliance to the wireless network using the transmitted wireless network credentials, and associating the new household appliance with the user account using the transmitted configuration token.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for configuring household appliances is provided, comprising: receiving a request to add a second household appliance to a user account through a user interface of a first household appliance; wherein the first household appliance is connected to a wireless network and configured with a user account; in response to the request to add the second household appliance to the user account, starting a connection mode of the first household appliance; prompting a user instruction on the user interface of the first household appliance to guide the user to press a configuration button; in response to an input signal from the configuration button of the second household appliance, searching for the first household appliance through the second household appliance; establishing a direct connection between the first household appliance and the second household appliance; transmitting a request for a configuration token to a remote database through the first household appliance; wherein the configuration token is associated with the user account of the second household appliance; receiving a configuration token corresponding to the user account of the second household appliance from a remote database through the first household appliance; transmitting network credentials and a configuration token for a wireless network from the first household appliance to the second household appliance through a direct connection; and connecting the second household appliance to the wireless network using the transmitted wireless network credentials, and associating the second household appliance with the user account using the transmitted configuration token.

[0008] The method for configuring a home appliance provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure may not require or include connecting to an existing home appliance or a new home appliance using a remote user interface device. On the contrary, without any intermediate device or interface, the new home appliance can be configured only through a direct connection between the existing home appliance and the new home appliance, which can provide a smoother user experience.

[0009] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure may be better understood with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the detailed description, explain the principles of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] This specification, with reference to the accompanying drawings, discloses the present disclosure in complete and implementable detail to those skilled in the art, including the best mode thereof.

[0011] Figure 1 A front view of an exemplary laundry appliance according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is provided;

[0012] Figure 2 A front view of an exemplary kitchen appliance group according to an additional exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is provided;

[0013] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a new home appliance directly connected to an existing home appliance according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is provided;

[0014] Figure 4 Provides a method for connecting to a wireless network after configuring a new home appliance by directly connecting to an existing home appliance Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of new household appliances;

[0015] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of configuring a home appliance according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is provided;

[0016] Figure 6 and Figure 7 A flow chart illustrating another exemplary method of operating a home appliance according to one or more additional exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail, and one or more examples of embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings. Each embodiment is intended to explain the present disclosure, rather than to limit the present disclosure. In fact, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with other embodiments to obtain another embodiment. Therefore, the present disclosure should cover such modifications and changes within the scope of the attached claims and their equivalents.

[0018] As used herein, terms such as "approximately" or "about" include values ​​within 10% greater than or less than the stated value. When used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include angles or directions within 10° greater than or less than the stated angle or direction. For example, "approximately perpendicular" includes directions that are 10° perpendicular in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0019] As in Figure 1 and Figure 2 As can be seen, according to one or more embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, an electrical appliance group including at least a first electrical appliance 10 and a second electrical appliance 11 is provided. The two electrical appliance groups shown are provided only by way of example. Various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter may also include three or more electrical appliances, wherein one electrical appliance in a group of three of the three or more electrical appliances transmits and receives a wireless signal and relays the signal to the remaining two or more electrical appliances in the group for operating the remaining two or more electrical appliances.

[0020] Usually, as in Figure 1 and Figure 2As can be seen in the figure, each electrical appliance 10 and 11 includes a housing 12, which defines a vertical direction V and a lateral direction L that are perpendicular to each other. Each housing 12 extends between a top side 16 and a bottom side 14 along the vertical direction V. Each housing 12 also extends between a left side 18 and a right side 20, for example, along the lateral direction L.

[0021] Each appliance 10 and 11 also includes a user interface panel 100 and a user input device 102 that may be located on the exterior of the cabinet 12. The user input device 102 is typically located near the user interface panel 100, and in some embodiments, the user input device 102 may be disposed on the user interface panel 100.

[0022] In various embodiments, the user interface panel 100 represents a general purpose I / O ("GPIO") device or functional block. In some embodiments, the user interface panel 100 may include a user input device 102 (e.g., one or more of various digital input devices, analog input devices, electrical input devices, mechanical input devices, or electromechanical input devices of a rotary dial, control knob, button, and touchpad) or a device that is in operative communication with the user input device 102. The user interface panel 100 may include a display element 104, such as a digital display device or an analog display device designed to provide operational feedback to the user. The display element 104 may also be a touch screen that is capable of receiving user input, and thus the display element 104 may also be the user input device 102.

[0023] Generally, each appliance 10 and 11 may include a controller 210 in operative communication with the user input device 102. The user interface panel 100 and the user input device 102 may communicate with the controller 210 via one or more signal lines or a shared communication bus. Input / output ("I / O") signals may be transmitted between the controller 210 and various operating elements of the appliances 10 and 11. The operation of each of the appliances 10 and 11 may be regulated by a respective controller 210, which is operatively coupled to the respective user interface panel 100. For example, the user interface panel 100 may provide selections for user manipulation of the appliance operation via the user input device 102 and / or the display 104. In response to user manipulation of the user interface panel 100 and / or the user input device 102, the controller 210 may operate various elements of the appliance 10 or 11. Each controller 210 may include a memory and one or more microprocessors, or CPUs, etc., such as general or special purpose microprocessors, which are operable to execute program instructions or micro control codes associated with the operation of the appliance 10 or 11. The memory may be represented as a random access memory (e.g., DRAM) or a read-only memory (e.g., ROM or FLASH). In some embodiments, the processor executes program instructions stored in the memory. The memory may be a component separate from the processor or may be included onboard in the processor. Alternatively, the controller 210 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, for example, using a combination of discrete analog and / or digital logic circuits (e.g., switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, and gates, etc.) to perform control functions rather than relying on software.

[0024] The controller 210 may be programmed to operate the respective appliance 10 or 11 by executing instructions stored in a memory. For example, the instructions may be software or any set of instructions that, when executed by a processing device, causes the processing device to perform operations. The controller 210 may include one or more processors and associated storage devices, both of which are configured to perform various computer-implemented functions and / or instructions (e.g., perform the methods, steps, calculations, etc. disclosed herein and store related data). It should be noted that the controller 210 as disclosed herein is capable and operable to perform any method and related method steps disclosed herein.

[0025] In some embodiments, for example, Figure 1 As shown, the set of appliances 10 and 11 may be a pair of laundry appliances. Figure 1 In the exemplary embodiment shown in , the first appliance may be a washing machine appliance 10, and the second appliance may be a clothes dryer 11. In other embodiments, the washing machine appliance may be the second appliance, and the clothes dryer may be the first appliance. Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the user input device 102 of each electrical appliance 10 and 11 may be disposed on the user interface panel 100. Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment also includes a display 104 on the user interface panel.

[0026] Figure 2 Another exemplary embodiment of the electrical appliance group is shown, in which the first electrical appliance 10 and the second electrical appliance 11 are kitchen appliances. In this example, the first electrical appliance 10 is a microwave oven, which is usually arranged above the stove appliance 11, for example, arranged along the vertical direction V.

[0027] The microwave oven appliance 10 includes a housing 12. A cooking cavity is defined in the housing 12 of the microwave oven 10. The cooking cavity is accessed through a door 112, and the cooking cavity can be observed through a window 138 in the door 112. The microwave oven 10 is configured to heat items, such as food or beverages, in the cooking cavity using electromagnetic radiation. As generally understood, the microwave appliance 10 may include various components that operate to generate electromagnetic radiation. For example, the microwave appliance 10 may include a magnetron (e.g., a cavity magnetron), a high-voltage transformer, a high-voltage capacitor, and a high-voltage diode. The transformer may provide energy to the magnetron from a suitable energy source (e.g., an electrical outlet). The magnetron may convert energy into electromagnetic radiation, particularly microwave radiation. The capacitor is typically connected to the magnetron and the transformer, for example, through a high-voltage diode, to the housing. The microwave radiation generated by the magnetron may be transmitted to the cooking cavity via a waveguide. The structure and intended function of the microwave oven are generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art and are not described in detail herein.

[0028] As shown, the stove appliance 11 includes a housing or box 12, which extends between the top side 16 and the bottom side 14 along the vertical direction V. The stove appliance 11 may include a stovetop 324, which has one or more heating elements 326 for performing heating or cooking operations. In some exemplary embodiments, the stovetop 324 is constructed with microcrystalline glass. In another embodiment, the stovetop 324 may include any other suitable material, for example, a metal material (e.g., steel) or another suitable non-metallic material. The heating element 326 can be of various sizes and can use any suitable method to heat or cook objects, such as cooking utensils (not shown) and their contents. In one embodiment, for example, the heating element 326 uses a heat transfer method (e.g., an electric coil or a gas burner) to heat the cooking utensils. In another embodiment, the heating element 326 directly heats the cooking utensils using an induction heating method. In various embodiments, the heating element 326 may include one or more of a gas burner element, a resistive heating element, a radiant heating element, an induction element, or another suitable heating element.

[0029] In some embodiments, the housing 12 of the stovetop appliance 11 can be insulated and can define a cooking cavity that is selectively closed by the door 330. One or more heating elements (e.g., a top skewer element or a bottom skewer element) can be positioned in the housing 12 of the stovetop appliance 11 to heat the cooking cavity. The heating element in the cooking cavity can be provided as any suitable element for cooking the contents of the cooking cavity, for example, a resistive heating element, a gas burner, a microwave element, a halogen element, etc. Therefore, the stovetop appliance 11 can be referred to as a grill microwave appliance. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the stovetop appliance 11 is provided only by way of example, and the subject matter can be used in the context of any suitable cooking appliance, such as a dual-burner stovetop appliance or a stand-alone stove (e.g., mounted integrally with the surface of a kitchen counter). Therefore, the exemplary embodiments shown and described are not intended to limit the subject matter of the present disclosure to any particular cooking cavity or heating element configuration, unless limitations are clearly set forth herein.

[0030] As shown, a user interface panel 100 can be provided on the stove appliance 11. Although shown in the front of the stove appliance 11, another suitable position or structure (e.g., a tailgate) for supporting the user interface panel 100 can still be provided in an optional embodiment. In some embodiments, the user interface panel 100 includes an input device or control 102, such as one or more of various electrical input devices, mechanical input devices, or electromechanical input devices. The user input device 102 may include, for example, a rotary dial, a knob, a button, and a touch pad. The controller 210 communicates with the user interface panel 100 and the user input device 102, and the user can select various operating components and modes and monitor the progress of the stove appliance 11 through the user interface panel 100 and the user input device 102. In additional or alternative embodiments, the user interface panel 100 includes a display element, such as a digital display or an analog display that communicates with the controller 210 and is configured to provide operational feedback to the user. In some embodiments, the user interface panel 100 represents a general purpose I / O ("GPIO") device or function block.

[0031] As shown, the controller 210 is communicatively coupled (i.e., in operative communication) with the user interface panel 100 and its user input device 102. The controller 210 may also be communicatively coupled with various operating elements of the stovetop appliance 300, such as heating elements (e.g., 326, 332) and sensors, etc. Input / output ("I / O") signals may be transmitted between the controller 210 and the various operating elements of the stovetop appliance 11. Thus, the controller 210 may selectively activate and operate these various elements. The various elements of the stovetop appliance 11 are communicatively coupled to the controller 210 via one or more communication lines, such as conductive signal lines, a shared communication bus, or a wireless communication frequency band.

[0032] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the appliances 10 and 11 may be in the form of any of the above examples, or may be any other household appliances that require further improvement in the operation of the appliances. Therefore, it should be understood that the subject matter of the present disclosure is not limited to any particular household appliances. In addition, the appliance groups do not necessarily have to be related or located in the same room as each other. For example, although the first appliance 10 and the second appliance 11 are in Figure 1 The examples shown in the figure are all washing appliances and are Figure 2 The examples shown in FIG. 1 are all kitchen appliances, but the appliance group may include any two or more appliances within the communication range of each other, for example, Therefore, in one possible example, the first appliance 10 may be a refrigerator appliance, and the second appliance 11 may be any one of the other exemplary appliances described herein, such as Figure 1 Washing machines and / or dryers, as well as any other household appliances.

[0033] It should be understood that "household appliance" and / or "appliance" are used herein to describe an appliance and any other household appliance that is typically used or intended to be used for ordinary household tasks, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 The laundry appliances or kitchen appliances shown, or air conditioners, dishwashers, water heaters, etc., and any other household appliances that have similar functions in addition to network communication and data processing. Therefore, devices such as personal computers, routers, and other similar devices whose main functions are network communication and / or data processing are not considered household appliances as used herein.

[0034] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the household appliances 10 and 11 and, in particular, their controllers 210, can be configured to communicate with each other. For example, in at least some embodiments, the household appliances 10 and 11 can be directly connected and communicate directly. The household appliances 10 and 11 can also be connected to a remote server or database 420 via a network such as the Internet 1000 and communicate with the remote server or database 420. The household appliances 10 and 11 can access the Internet 1000 via an access point such as a modem, a modem or a router 400, which can be A part of a network, for example, inside a user's home.

[0035] The household appliances 10 and / or 11 can communicate with each other and with the remote database 420 through various possible communication connections and interfaces, such as but not limited to Zigbee, or any other suitable communications connection.

[0036] When operating or configuring a new household appliance 11, the method and system according to the present invention advantageously provide a smoother and more convenient user experience. For example, configuring the appliance 11 may include connecting one or more of the appliances to the first Network and / or add one or more appliances to a user account on the remote database 420 .

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a new or second home appliance 11 directly connected to an existing home appliance or first home appliance 10 is provided. Thus, the second home appliance 11 may be a new home appliance 11, and the first home appliance 10 may be an existing or already equipped appliance 10 that has logged in and connected to a home wireless network (e.g., via a router 400) and configured to a user account on a remote database 420. Figure 3 As shown, the new home appliance 11 can be connected to the existing home appliance 10 through a soft access point (soft AP) 220 provided on the first home appliance 10 .

[0038] In some embodiments, the configuration of the new home appliance 11 can be initiated by requesting to add the new home appliance 11 to the user account and operating the user input 102 (e.g., pressing a button) on the new home appliance 11. For example, the method of running the new home appliance 11 may include receiving a request to add the new appliance 11 to the user account on the user interface 102 of the existing home appliance 10. For example, the user can initiate a request to add the new home appliance 11 to the user account through a touch screen on the existing home appliance 10. The request to add the new home appliance 11 to the user account can be transmitted from the existing home appliance 10 to the database 420 via a network 1000 (e.g., the Internet or a cellular data network, etc.). When the database 420 receives the request to add the new home appliance 11, the database 420 can send a configuration token for the new home appliance 11 to the existing, previously running home appliance 10.

[0039] The exemplary method of operating the new home appliance 11 may also include receiving a signal from a user input 102 on the new home appliance 11, for example, a signal generated in response to a user pressing a button or a touch screen, or as another exemplary input, issuing a command to a voice-enabled appliance. The new home appliance 11 may then scan the existing home appliances 10 in response to receiving the signal from the user input 102. The new home appliance 11 may then directly connect to the existing home appliance 10, for example, the soft AP 220, and / or establish or complete a direct connection in response to an input such as a start command received on the existing home appliance 10.

[0040] The existing household appliance 10 may transmit a request for a configuration token associated with the user account to the remote database 420. Such a configuration token may be used for the new household appliance 11.

[0041] The new home appliance 11 can establish a secure connection, such as a Transport Layer Security (TLS) connection, with the existing home appliance 10 (e.g., the soft AP 220 thereon). Then, the new home appliance 11 receives network credentials (e.g., SSID and password) for the wireless network and a configuration token for the user account from the existing home appliance 10 through the secure connection.

[0042] The configuration token may be sent to the new home appliance 11 from the remote database 420 via the soft AP 220. For example, the database 420 may send the configuration token to a device that provides the soft AP 220, such as the existing home appliance 10. The existing home appliance 10 then relays the configuration token to the new home appliance 11 along with network credentials (e.g., a password for the user's home router 400).

[0043] After receiving the network credentials, the new home appliance 11 can disconnect from the soft AP 220 and connect directly to the network, for example, it can directly connect to the user's home router 400. Network, such as Figure 4 As shown. Once directly connected to the router 400, the new home appliance 11 can be connected to the remote database 420 through the router 400 and can be connected using the configuration token. The database 420 can then associate the new home appliance 11 with the user account and / or configure the new home appliance for the user account. In some embodiments, after the appliance 11 is connected to the database 420 using the configuration token, the database 420 can also send a command to the device that provides the soft AP 220 (e.g., the existing home appliance 10) to deactivate the soft AP 220.

[0044] Exemplary methods according to the present subject matter include Figure 5 The method 500 shown in FIG. Figure 5As shown, in some embodiments, an exemplary method 500 for configuring a new home appliance (e.g., exemplary home appliance 11) can be performed using an existing home appliance (e.g., exemplary home appliance 10). In some embodiments, the existing home appliance can be connected to a wireless network and configured to a user account. In some embodiments, method 500 may include a step S510 of receiving a request to add a new home appliance to a user account. For example, a request can be received on a user interface of an existing home appliance, such as an input on a user interface panel 100 or panel 100 of home appliance 10. For example, in response to a user input and / or a signal generated by the user input (e.g., in various exemplary embodiments, the user input 102 described above), step S510 and other receiving steps described herein can be performed.

[0045] In some embodiments, method 500 may also include step S520 of receiving a configuration command through a user interface of a new household appliance. For example, method 500 may include providing a user instruction on a user interface of an existing household appliance to guide a user to press a configuration button. In such embodiments, the user interface of the new household appliance from which the configuration command is received may be or include a configuration button. In various embodiments, the configuration button and each of the other user inputs described herein may be provided as a physical button, such as a button or a touchpad button, or a virtual button, such as a soft key or a selection on an interactive menu provided by a touch screen interface, and other possible examples of buttons.

[0046] In some embodiments, in step S530, the new household appliance is used to scan the existing household appliances. For example, the new household appliance can scan the existing household appliances in response to the configuration command. The new household appliance usually scans the existing household appliances in a short time (e.g., five minutes or less, for example, about one minute to five minutes, for example, about thirty seconds to four minutes, for example, about three and a half minutes or less, for example, about two minutes or less, for example, about ninety seconds or less, for example, about one minute or less).

[0047] In some embodiments, method 500 may further include a step S540 of establishing a direct connection between the new home appliance and the existing home appliance. For example, in step S510, when the existing home appliance receives the request, the direct connection may be initiated by the existing home appliance, and after scanning the existing home appliance, the new home appliance may be connected to the existing home appliance. In some embodiments, in response to receiving a start command from the user interface of the existing home appliance, the secure connection may be completed by the existing appliance. For example, the secure connection may include protected setup (WPS), transport layer security (TLS) connections and / or any other suitable connection protocol or method, Protected Setup (WPS), Transport Layer Security (TLS) connection and / or any other suitable connection protocol or method that provides a secure connection between the new home appliance and the existing home appliance. In various embodiments, the direct connection between the new home appliance and the existing home appliance is a peer-to-peer connection, for example, Direct connection, or establishing a direct connection of a new home appliance to an existing home appliance, may include connecting the new home appliance to the existing home appliance as a client.

[0048] In some embodiments, the method 500 may also include obtaining a configuration token from a remote database via an existing home appliance, such as Figure 5 After receiving the configuration token, as shown in step S560, wireless network credentials and the configuration token for the wireless network are transmitted from the existing home appliance to the new home appliance through the direct connection.

[0049] In at least some embodiments, method 500 may include connecting the new home appliance to the wireless network using the transmitted wireless network credentials and associating the new home appliance with the user account using the transmitted configuration token. Figure 5 As shown in step S570, the new home appliance can use the received wireless network credentials and configuration token to connect to the wireless network and be associated with or configured to the user account.

[0050] In some embodiments, the method 500 may also include, in response to a request to add a new home appliance, starting a connection mode for an existing home appliance. The connection mode may include providing a soft AP on the existing home appliance and / or providing a peer-to-peer (P2P) mode interface on the existing home appliance. In such embodiments, the method 500 may also include terminating the connection mode for the existing home appliance after the new home appliance is connected to the wireless network and associated with the user account.

[0051] The exemplary methods described herein provide many advantages. For example, method 500 may not require or include connecting to an existing home appliance or a new home appliance using a remote user interface device. Conversely, a new home appliance may be configured solely through a direct connection between the existing home appliance and the new home appliance without any intermediate device or interface. For example, the method may not require or include a remote user interface device, such as a laptop computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a wearable device, and / or a smart home system.

[0052] Exemplary methods of the disclosed subject matter include Figure 6 and Figure 7 The method 600 shown in FIG. Figure 6As shown in, in some embodiments, an exemplary method 600 for configuring a home appliance (e.g., exemplary home appliance 11) may include step S602 of receiving a request to add a second home appliance to a user account through a user interface of a first home appliance. The first home appliance may be connected to a wireless network and configured to a user account.

[0053] The method may further include a step S604 of starting a connection mode of the first home appliance in response to receiving a request to add a second home appliance to the user account. As described above, the first home appliance may already be connected to a wireless network. For example, in a residential environment, the wireless network may be network. The first home appliance can be connected to such a network via a router and can be connected to the router as a client, for example, in station mode. In some embodiments, the first home appliance can be connected to the wireless network in client mode before and during the step of initiating a connection mode on the first home appliance. In various embodiments, initiating a connection mode on the first home appliance can include providing a soft access point on the first home appliance and / or initiating a peer-to-peer connection mode.

[0054] In some embodiments, the method 600 may include step S606 of prompting a user with instructions on a user interface of the first household appliance to guide the user to press a configuration button. In response to receiving an input from a configuration button on a second household appliance, for example, in response to receiving an input signal from a configuration button on the second household appliance, searching for the first household appliance through the second household appliance, for example, Figure 6 The second household appliance usually scans the first household appliance in a short time, for example, five minutes or less, for example, about one minute to five minutes, for example, about thirty seconds to four minutes, for example, about three and a half minutes or less, for example, about two minutes or less, for example, about ninety seconds or less, for example, about one minute or less.

[0055] In some embodiments, when the second home appliance searches, a start command is received through the user interface of the first home appliance, for example, Figure 6 After receiving the start command, method 600 may include establishing a direct connection between the first household appliance and the second household appliance in step S612. In various embodiments, the secure connection may include Protected Setup (WPS), Transport Layer Security (TLS) connection and / or any other suitable connection protocol or method that provides a secure connection between the first home appliance and the second home appliance. In various embodiments, the direct connection is a peer-to-peer connection, for example, The direct connection, or establishing a direct connection between the first home appliance and the second home appliance, may include connecting the second home appliance to the first home appliance as a client.

[0056] Now go to Figure 7 In some embodiments, the method 600 may further include a step S614 of transmitting, by the first household appliance, a request for a configuration token to a remote database, wherein the configuration token is associated with a user account of the second household appliance. The method 600 may further include a step S616 of receiving, by the first household appliance, a configuration token corresponding to the user account of the second household appliance from the remote database.

[0057] In some embodiments, method 600 may also include transmitting network credentials and a configuration token for a wireless network from the first home appliance to the second home appliance via the direct connection, such as Figure 7 Then, the second household appliance is connected to the wireless network using the transmitted wireless network credentials, and the second household appliance is associated with the user account using the transmitted configuration token in step S620.

[0058] In some embodiments, method 600 may further include terminating the connected mode on the first home appliance after connecting the second home appliance to the wireless network and associating with the user account.

[0059] As described above, the advantages of the disclosed method include (but are not limited to) a more simplified user experience for configuring a new home appliance (second home appliance) for a user account through a direct connection between home appliances. For example, method 600 may not require or include connecting to a remote user interface device (e.g., a smartphone, smart watch, etc. as described above) through the first home appliance or the second home appliance.

[0060] This specification uses various examples to disclose the present disclosure, including the best mode, and also enables any technician in the field to practice the present disclosure, including making and using any device or system and implementing any method covered. The patentable scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims and may include other examples that can be thought of by a person skilled in the art. If the structural elements of other such examples are the same as the literal meaning of the claims, or if such examples include equivalent structural elements that are not substantially different from the literal meaning of the claims, such examples also fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a household appliance, characterized in that The existing household appliance is connected to a wireless network and is configured with a user account; the method comprises: receiving, via a user interface of the existing home appliance, a request to add a new home appliance to the user account; receiving a configuration command via a user interface of the new household appliance; Scanning the existing household appliances using the new household appliances; establishing a direct connection between the new household appliance and the existing household appliance; Obtaining a configuration token from a remote database through the existing household appliance; transmitting wireless network credentials for a wireless network and the configuration token from the existing home appliance to the new home appliance via the direct connection; and connecting the new home appliance to the wireless network using the transmitted wireless network credentials and associating the new home appliance with the user account using the transmitted configuration token; in: Before receiving a request to add the new home appliance to the user account through the user interface of the existing home appliance, prompting a user instruction on the user interface of the existing home appliance to guide the user to press a configuration button; Before establishing the direct connection between the new household appliance and the existing household appliance, receiving a start command through the user interface of the existing household appliance; the start command is used to instruct to establish the direct connection between the new household appliance and the existing household appliance; In response to a request to add a new home appliance, a connection mode of the existing home appliance is started; the request to add a new home appliance is a request to add the new home appliance to a user account.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of using the new household appliance to scan the existing household appliance comprises: In response to the configuration command, the existing home appliances are scanned with the new home appliance.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The duration of scanning the existing household appliance with the new household appliance is less than or equal to two minutes.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The direct connection between the new home appliance and the existing home appliance is a peer-to-peer connection.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The establishing a direct connection between the new household appliance and the existing household appliance comprises: The new home appliance is connected to the existing home appliance in client mode.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: After the new home appliance is connected to the wireless network and associated with the user account, the connection mode of the existing home appliance is terminated.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The user interface of the existing household appliance includes a touch screen.

8. A method for configuring a household appliance, characterized in that: include: Receiving, through a user interface of a first home appliance, a request to add a second home appliance to a user account; wherein the first home appliance is connected to a wireless network and is configured with a user account; In response to receiving the request to add the second household appliance to the user account, initiating a connection mode of the first household appliance; Prompting a user instruction on a user interface of the first household appliance to guide the user to press a configuration button; In response to receiving an input signal from a configuration button of the second home appliance, searching for the first home appliance through the second home appliance; establishing a direct connection between the first household appliance and the second household appliance; Transmitting a request for a configuration token to a remote database by the first household appliance; wherein the configuration token is associated with a user account of the second household appliance; receiving, by the first household appliance, a configuration token corresponding to a user account of the second household appliance from the remote database; transmitting network credentials for the wireless network and the configuration token from the first home appliance to the second home appliance via the direct connection; and connecting the second home appliance to the wireless network using the transmitted wireless network credentials, and associating the second home appliance with the user account using the transmitted configuration token; Before establishing a direct connection between the first household appliance and the second household appliance, a start command is received through the user interface of the first household appliance; the start command is used to instruct to establish a direct connection between the first household appliance and the second household appliance.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Before and during the step of starting the connection mode of the first home appliance, the first home appliance is connected to the wireless network in client mode.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The starting the connection mode of the first household appliance includes: A soft access point is provided on the first household appliance.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The starting the connection mode of the first household appliance includes: A peer-to-peer connection mode of the first household appliance is started.

12. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The duration of scanning the first household appliance by the second household appliance is less than or equal to two minutes.

13. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The direct connection between the first household appliance and the second existing household appliance is a wireless protected setup connection.

14. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Also includes: After the second home appliance is connected to the wireless network and associated with the user account, the connection mode on the first home appliance is terminated.

Images