Home Appliance Function Upgrade Control System, Method and Clothing Care Device

Abstract

The present invention provides a control system, a method for upgrading the functions of a household electrical appliance, and a clothing care device. The system includes: a main body of the household electrical appliance; a target function unit configured to be removably connected to the main body of the household electrical appliance for performing a target function; a control unit disposed in the main body of the household electrical appliance and configured to control the main body of the household electrical appliance; a sending unit for sending request information for requesting configuration of the target function; a conversion unit for receiving the request information and converting the request information into machine information; a selection unit for receiving the machine information converted by the above conversion unit; and a driving unit for driving a corresponding target function unit. Thus, the present invention has a small space requirement and a low cost at the same time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular, to a control system, a method for upgrading functions of a household appliance device, and a clothing care device. Background Art

[0002] With the diversified development of the functions of household appliances, users' requirements for household appliances are no longer limited to the existing functions. Currently, in the field of household appliances, the methods for function upgrading focus on the upgrading of pure software functions. There is no actual performance of software and hardware installation and upgrading in the existing household appliance market. From the perspective of consumers, if they want to upgrade the hardware functions of household appliances, there is no other way but to replace the used household appliances with new products. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a control system, a method for upgrading functions of a household appliance device, and a clothing care device.

[0004] According to an aspect of the present invention, a control system for upgrading functions of a household appliance device is provided. The system includes: a main body of the household appliance device; a target function unit configured to be removably connected to the main body of the household appliance device for performing a target function; a control unit disposed on the main body of the household appliance device and configured to control the main body of the household appliance device; a sending unit for sending request information for requesting configuration of the target function; a conversion unit for receiving the request information and converting the request information into machine information; a selection unit for receiving the machine information converted by the conversion unit and selecting drive information of a target function corresponding to the received machine information according to a pre-set correspondence between the machine information and the target function; and a drive unit disposed on the control unit for receiving the drive information selected by the selection unit and driving the corresponding target function unit according to the drive information.

[0005] In an exemplary solution, the sending unit includes: a user interaction module for sending the request information for requesting configuration of the target function based on an external input.

[0006] In an exemplary solution, the sending unit includes: an induction circuit disposed on the control unit for detecting the target function unit connected to the main body of the household appliance device and sending the request information for requesting configuration of the target function, wherein the induction circuit generates an induction signal according to the detected target function unit as the request information for requesting configuration of the target function corresponding to the target function unit.

[0007] In an exemplary solution, the selected unit is set on the cloud server. The selected unit prestores a chip control program that can be updated. The chip control program at least includes a target function program module, and the target function program module is used to control the target function unit to execute the corresponding target function. After receiving the machine information, the selected unit selects the corresponding chip control program as the driving information according to the machine information.

[0008] In an exemplary solution, the driving unit performs the following actions to drive the corresponding target function unit: writing the chip control program into the driving unit in the control unit, and the target function program module and the basic function program module prestored in the driving unit form the updated chip control program.

[0009] After the update is completed, when the home appliance device restarts, the driving unit in the control unit calls the updated chip control program to drive the corresponding target function unit. Among them, the basic function program module is used to control the home appliance device main body to implement the basic function.

[0010] In an exemplary solution, the chip control program further includes a second basic function program module for replacing the basic function program module prestored in the driving unit. Among them, the basic function program module and the second basic function program module are respectively used to control the home appliance device main body to implement the basic function.

[0011] In an exemplary solution, the driving unit performs the following actions to drive the corresponding target function unit: the driving unit first erases the prestored basic function program module, and writes the chip control program into the driving unit in the control unit to complete the update.

[0012] After the update is completed, when the home appliance device restarts, the driving unit in the control unit calls the updated chip control program to drive the corresponding target function unit.

[0013] In an exemplary solution, the prestored chip control program that can be updated can be updated at any time.

[0014] In an exemplary solution, the selected unit is set on the control unit or the cloud server. The selected unit is prestored with a function code corresponding to the target function. After receiving the machine information, the selected unit selects the corresponding function code as the driving information according to the machine information.

[0015] In an exemplary solution, the driving unit prestores a target function program module, which is used to control the target function units to configure their respective target functions. The driving unit performs the following actions to drive the target function units:

[0016] The driving unit receives the function code selected by the selected unit, and looks up the target function program module for controlling the target function unit according to the function code.

[0017] The driving unit calls the target function program module corresponding to the selected function code to drive the target function unit.

[0018] In an exemplary solution, the control unit includes a control loop, where the control loop is preset on the main body of the household electrical appliance and is used to control the target function unit. A main control unit for controlling the main body of the household electrical appliance is provided on the control unit. The control unit is further provided with a storage module, and the storage module is arranged inside or outside the main control unit. The selected unit directly or indirectly transmits the function code to the storage module for storage.

[0019] In an exemplary solution, the conversion unit is arranged on a cloud server, the main body of the household electrical appliance or a user interaction module.

[0020] In an exemplary solution, the user interaction module includes: a household electrical appliance panel, a portable terminal, a wearable device, a voice recognition device, and / or a smart home control terminal.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, a clothing care device is provided, which is configured with the household electrical appliance function upgrade control system as described above.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for applying the household electrical appliance function upgrade control system as described above to the function upgrade of a household electrical appliance is further provided.

[0023] The present invention considers that the target function unit to be added, such as an electric control component, may not come with its own control system. By using the original control system of the main body of the household electrical appliance, a control loop is preset on the control unit of the main body of the household electrical appliance. After the target function unit is installed, the function upgrade is carried out by means of software program function update to cooperate with the added target function unit. The present invention does not require the target function unit to come with its own control system, has low cost, and is applicable to the household electrical appliance field.

[0024] Through the configuration of the present invention, the following technical effects are achieved:

[0025] 1. The present invention presets a control unit for a target function on the original control unit of a home appliance device. Users can purchase the basic model of the home appliance device. If they want to add target functions later, such as silver ion sterilization function, electrostatic atomization care function, etc., they can contact the after-sales service for installation, or they can purchase the target function unit by themselves for installation. When installing the target function, only a relatively small electric control component needs to be installed, and there is no need to install a whole set of systems including the control unit and the target function unit, with small space requirements and low cost, which is applicable to the field of home appliance technology.

[0026] 2. The present invention can directly use the user interaction module to request the installation of the target function without adding other components, saving costs.

[0027] 3. The present invention can use an induction loop arranged on the control loop to request the installation of the target function, so that the target function can be used by installing the target function unit, which is convenient for installation and upgrade.

[0028] 4. Since the cloud server has a large space and can store multiple control programs, by adopting a chip control program to control the target function unit to execute the corresponding target function, thereby activating the target function of the target function unit, the scalability and flexibility of the home appliance device are improved, and functions outside the original program framework can be updated.

[0029] 5. By using a selected unit to write the chip control program into the driving unit, especially in the way of only updating the target function program module but not the basic function program module, the risk that the driving unit becomes unavailable due to abnormal situations such as power failure during the program writing process can be reduced.

[0030] 6. The chip control program on the cloud server in the present invention can be updated at any time to provide new functions and services.

[0031] 7. The present invention sends the function code selected by the selected unit to the driving unit, and the driving unit calls the target function program module corresponding to the function code, thereby activating the existing target function program in the driving unit. Without writing the chip control program, even if the function code is incorrect, it will not affect the use of the functions of the user's original home appliance device.

[0032] 8. The present invention can realize the plug-and-play of the target function unit such as the electric control component through the induction loop, and directly activate the target function by selecting the function code, with a shorter update time, which can bring a better user experience to the user.

[0033] 9. By storing the function code in a storage module (for example, EEPROM), this storage method has a small error probability and can be erased and rewritten repeatedly.

[0034] 10. By activating the target function in the manner of the present invention, after the household appliance loses power, there is no need to request the activation of the target function again, which can solve the problem once and for all.

[0035] Other features and aspects of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The drawings included in and constituting a part of the specification, together with the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the present invention and are used to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a control system for upgrading the functions of a household appliance device shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0038] Figure 2 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a control unit in a control system for upgrading the functions of a household appliance device shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0039] Figure 3 FIG. shows the various components of a control system for upgrading the functions of a household appliance device shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0040] Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a user interaction module in a control system for upgrading the functions of a household appliance device shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0041] Figure 5 FIG. is a schematic diagram of an induction loop in a control system for upgrading the functions of a household appliance device shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0042] Figure 6 FIG. is a schematic diagram of an induction loop in a control system for upgrading the functions of a household appliance device shown according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0043] Figure 7 FIG. is a schematic diagram showing the selected unit set on a cloud server according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0044] Figure 8 FIG. is a schematic diagram showing the selected unit set on a cloud server according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0045] Figure 9 FIG. is a schematic diagram showing that a chip control program includes a basic function program module and a target function program module according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0046] Figure 10 FIG. is a schematic diagram showing the selected unit containing function codes set on a cloud server according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0047] Figure 11Schematic diagram showing the setting of a selected unit containing a function code on a main control chip according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0048] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the control flow of the function code according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed implementation manners

[0049] Various exemplary embodiments, features and aspects of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical reference numerals in the drawings denote elements having the same or similar functions. Although various aspects of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, the drawings do not have to be drawn to scale unless otherwise specified.

[0050] The term "exemplary" used herein means "serving as an example, embodiment, or illustration". Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as superior or better than other embodiments.

[0051] In addition, for a better description of the present invention, numerous specific details are given in the following detailed implementation manners. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention can also be implemented without some of these specific details. In some instances, methods, means, elements and circuits well known to those skilled in the art are not described in detail so as to highlight the gist of the present invention.

[0052] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B; the "and / or" herein is merely a description of the relationship between associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. And, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of" means two or more than two. In addition, for the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the "first", "second", etc. described in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish different objects, or to distinguish different processes for the same object, rather than to describe the specific order of the objects.

[0053] In the description of the present application, the dashed box of the target functional unit (such as an electric control component) shown in the drawings means that the target functional unit (such as an electric control component) is not installed or has been installed, that is, the target functional unit (such as an electric control component) is removable. The dashed boxes of other units such as the selected unit, the conversion unit, and the sending unit (such as the user interaction module) mean that the positions of these other units are not fixed. For example, they can be located on a cloud server, on the main body of a household appliance, or outside the main body of a household appliance, such as on a smart device, etc.

[0054] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a household appliance function upgrade control system according to an exemplary embodiment. Refer to Figure 1, the home appliance function upgrade control system may include a home appliance main body 100, a target function unit 200, and a control unit 300.

[0055] The home appliance main body 100 may be the body of the home appliance. The home appliance includes but is not limited to a washing machine, an air conditioner, a television, a refrigerator, a water dispenser, a water heater, a range hood, a gas stove, etc., and may also be a multi-functional home appliance device integrating multiple home appliance functions. The specific form of the home appliance in the embodiments of the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0056] The target function unit 200 is configured to be removably connected to the home appliance main body 100 for performing a target function. For example, the target function unit may add new functions on the basis of the original functions of the home appliance, or replace and update a certain original function of the home appliance.

[0057] The control unit 300 is disposed on the home appliance main body 100 and is used to control the home appliance main body 100 and the target function unit 200.

[0058] In this embodiment, the home appliance function upgrade control system may further include: a sending unit 500, a conversion unit 600, a selection unit 700, and a driving unit 800. Exemplarily, the sending unit 500 sends request information for requesting configuration of the target function. The conversion unit 600 is used to receive the request information and convert the request information into machine information. The selection unit 700 is used to receive the machine information converted by the above conversion unit, and select the driving information of the target function corresponding to the received machine information according to the pre-set correspondence between the machine information and the target function. The driving unit 800 may be disposed on the control unit 300 and is used to receive the driving information selected by the selection unit 700 and drive the corresponding target function unit 200 according to the driving information.

[0059] Exemplarily, the request information may cause the control unit 300 and / or the home appliance to configure the target function of the target function unit 200. When the home appliance is restarted, the target function of the target function unit 200 may be directly used as the configured function of the home appliance.

[0060] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the control unit in the home appliance function upgrade control system shown according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 It is an example of the control unit, and the control unit of the present invention is not limited to Figure 2 the example shown, where the control loop 301 and the main control chip 401 may be located on the same hardware or on different hardware, and the control loop 301 and the main control chip 401 are electrically connected. The control loop 301 and the main control chip 401 may be independent components, or the main control chip 401 may also be a part of the control loop 301.

[0061] The control unit 300 includes one or more control loops 301, which are preset on the main body of the household electrical appliance and are used to control the target functional unit. A main control unit for controlling the main body of the household electrical appliance, such as a main control chip 401, is provided on the control unit 300.

[0062] Exemplarily, the control unit 300 is further provided with a storage module 402. The storage module 402 is arranged inside the main control chip 401, and the selection unit directly or indirectly transfers the function code or the chip control program into the storage module 402 for storage. The storage module 402 can also be arranged outside the main control chip 401, such as in a control loop, the main body of the household electrical appliance, or an external storage device, etc.

[0063] The following Figure 3 specifically introduces each component of the function upgrade control system of the household electrical appliance. Figure 3 The device structure shown in

[0064] does not limit the structure of the upgrade system of the household electrical appliance, and may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have different component arrangements.

[0065] The control unit 300 ( Figure 1 shown in

[0066] can be used as the control center of the household electrical appliance, connects various parts of the household electrical appliance by using various interfaces and wired / wireless lines, and executes various functions of the household electrical appliance and processes data by running or executing the control program stored in the memory and calling the data stored in the memory. In some embodiments, the control unit 300 may include one or more control loops 301 and a main control chip 401 arranged on the control loop 301, where the main control chip 401 is an example of the main control unit.

[0067] In a possible implementation, when the electronic control component 201 is installed on the main body 100 of the household electrical appliance, in response to this installation, the sending unit 500 sends a request message for configuring the target function of the electronic control component 201 to the conversion unit 600. The conversion unit 600 receives this request message and converts this request message into machine information that can be recognized by the control unit. Exemplarily, the machine information is information that the machine can recognize, including but not limited to programming languages or instruction codes that the machine can directly recognize, etc. The selection unit 700 receives the machine information sent by the conversion unit 600, and according to the preset correspondence between the machine information and the target function, selects the drive information corresponding to the received machine information, and sends this drive information to the drive unit 800 on the main control chip 401. The drive unit 800 causes the main control chip to send a signal to the control loop according to the received drive information, and the control loop drives the electronic control component through the interface between the electronic control component 201 and the control loop 301 to implement the target function of the electronic control component.

[0068] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 500 can actively send a request message for installing the electronic control component 201 or configuring the target function of the electronic control component 201 first. The conversion unit 600, the selection unit 700, and the drive unit 800 configure the drive information by using the various embodiments of the present invention. After completing the software update on the drive unit, then install the electronic control component 201 on the main body 100 of the household electrical appliance, and the control loop drives the electronic control component through the interface between the electronic control component 201 and the control loop 301 to implement the target function of the electronic control component.

[0069] Exemplarily, the control loop 301 or the main control chip 401 records the drive information of the target function of the newly added electronic control component, so that when the household electrical appliance is started next time, the target function of the above-mentioned installed electronic control component 201 can be directly configured as an existing function. Through the above configuration of the present invention, after the household electrical appliance loses power, there is no need to request to activate the target function again, which can be once and for all.

[0070] In a possible implementation, when the target function of the installed electric component does not match the preset machine information, the main control chip can send a prompt message to prompt the user that the wrong electronic control component has been installed. Optionally, the main control chip can also send an update request, and this update request can request to update the correspondence between the preset machine information and the target function from the cloud server and / or external device to implement the configuration corresponding to the target function of the newly installed electronic control component.

[0071] Exemplarily, the sending unit 500, the conversion unit 600, and the selection unit 700 can be either independent unit modules or integrated modules including at least two of them. All or part of the sending unit 500, the conversion unit 600, and the selection unit 700 can be provided on the control loop or the main control chip, or can be provided outside the main body of the household electrical appliance.

[0072] Optionally, the sending unit 500 and the conversion unit 600 can be combined and integrated on an intelligent device, such as a smart phone, and the selection unit 700 is provided on a cloud server or other devices. Optionally, the sending unit 500 is provided on an intelligent device, such as a smart phone, and the conversion unit 600 and the selection unit 700 can be combined and integrated on a cloud server or other devices. Optionally, the sending unit 500, the conversion unit 600, and the selection unit 700 are combined and integrated on an intelligent device, such as a smart phone, and the selection unit 700 sends drive information to the drive unit 800 on the main control chip 401. Optionally, the sending unit 500 can be a user interaction module or an induction loop provided on the main body of the household electrical appliance, and the conversion unit 600 and the selection unit 700 can both be located on the main body of the household electrical appliance. Optionally, the sending unit 500, the conversion unit 600, and the selection unit 700 can also all be located on the control panel of the main body of the household electrical appliance, such as the household electrical appliance panel of the user interaction module, etc.

[0073] Exemplarily, the household electrical appliance function upgrade control system can further include: a power supply system, which can be a system that provides power for the household electrical appliance, or can be a system that provides power for some components alone, such as the control unit. The power supply system includes but is not limited to a battery and a power management chip. The battery can be logically connected to the household electrical appliance and / or the control unit through the power management chip, so as to realize functions such as power supply management and power consumption management through the power supply system.

[0074] Through the above configuration, a control unit for a target function is preset on the original control unit of the household electrical appliance, and the user can purchase the basic model of the household electrical appliance. If the user wants to add a target function later, such as a silver ion sterilization function, an electrostatic atomization care function, etc., they can contact the after-sales service for installation, or can purchase the target function unit by themselves for installation. When installing the target function, only a relatively small target function unit, such as an electric control component, needs to be installed, and there is no need to install the entire system including the control unit and the target function unit, which has a small space requirement and low cost, and is applicable to the household electrical appliance technology field.

[0075] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the user interaction module of the household electrical appliance function upgrade control system shown according to an exemplary embodiment. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent elements with the same or similar functions, and the same or similar elements as described above can perform the same functions.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 500 includes a user interaction module 501, and the user interaction module 501 sends request information for requesting to configure a target function based on an external input.

[0077] Optionally, the user interaction module 501 may include, but is not limited to, a household appliance device panel, a portable terminal, a wearable device, a voice recognition device, and / or a smart home control terminal, etc.

[0078] Optionally, the portable terminal may be, for example, a mobile phone, a Mobile Internet Device (MID), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a notebook, etc.

[0079] Optionally, the wearable devices include, but are not limited to, smart watches, smart rings, smart glasses, smart bracelets, and other electronic wearable devices.

[0080] Optionally, the voice recognition device includes, but is not limited to, a device with voice recognition function connected to the household appliance device in a wired and / or wireless manner from the outside, and a device with voice recognition function embedded in the household appliance device.

[0081] Optionally, the smart home control terminal includes, but is not limited to: a proprietary control terminal and / or a general smart home control terminal. The proprietary control terminal includes, but is not limited to: a remote control, a wireless switch, a liquid crystal panel with a smart input function. The general smart home control terminal includes, but is not limited to: a handheld embedded smart device installed with a terminal operating system such as Symbian, Windows Mobile, iOS, Android, Maemo, WebOS, Palm OS, or Blackberry OS.

[0082] Thus, directly using the user interaction module to request the addition of the target function, no additional components need to be added, saving costs.

[0083] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the induction loop of the household appliance device function upgrade control system shown according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the induction loop of the household appliance device function upgrade control system shown according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0084] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 500 includes an induction loop 502, which is arranged on the control loop 301. The induction loop 502 detects the newly added electric control component 201 connected to the household appliance device main body 100, and in response to the addition, sends request information for requesting to configure the target function of the electric control component 201.

[0085] The induction loop 502 generates an induction signal based on the detected electronic control component 201, uses this induction signal as request information for requesting to configure the target function corresponding to the electronic control component 201, and sends this request information to the conversion unit 600.

[0086] Such as Figure 5 As shown, in a possible implementation manner, the conversion unit 600 is arranged on the main control chip 401. The conversion unit 600 receives the request information constituted by the above-mentioned induction signal and converts this request information into machine information, and sends it to the selection unit 700. The selection unit 700 has the same function as in the foregoing embodiment, and sends the selected drive information corresponding to the received machine information to the drive unit 800 arranged on the main control chip 401, and the drive unit 800 executes the same function as in the foregoing embodiment.

[0087] Optionally, the position of the selection unit 700 is not limited. It can be located outside the main body of the household electrical appliance, for example, arranged on external devices such as cloud servers commonly found in intelligent household electrical appliances, which can reduce the burden on the main control chip on the main body 100 of the household electrical appliance. The selection unit 700 can also be located on the main body 100 of the household electrical appliance, for example, on the main control chip. Thus, the household electrical appliance can achieve the installation of the target function of a non-intelligent household electrical appliance without connecting to external devices such as cloud servers. Moreover, since the induction loop, conversion unit, selection unit, and drive unit are all located on the main body of the household electrical appliance, the plug-and-play of the target function unit such as the electronic control component can be realized, and the update speed is faster.

[0088] Optionally, as Figure 6 Shown, the position of the conversion unit 600 is not limited. It can be arranged outside the main body 100 of the household electrical appliance, for example, it can be arranged on external devices such as cloud servers, which can reduce the burden on the main control chip on the main body 100 of the household electrical appliance. The conversion unit 600 can also be arranged on the main control chip. Thus, the household electrical appliance can achieve the installation of the target function of a non-intelligent household electrical appliance without connecting to external devices such as cloud servers.

[0089] Through the above configuration, by using the induction loop arranged on the control loop to request the installation of the target function, it enables the use of the target function as long as the target function unit is installed, which is convenient for installation and upgrade.

[0090] Figure 7 Shows a schematic diagram of the selection unit arranged on the cloud server according to an exemplary embodiment. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent elements with the same or similar functions, and the same or similar elements as the foregoing can execute the same functions.

[0091] The selected unit 700 is set on the cloud server. The selected unit 700 pre-stores chip control programs that can be updated. For example, it can be a chip control program a for implementing the target function a, a chip control program b for implementing the target function b, and a chip control program c for implementing the target function c. The chip control program includes at least one or more target function program modules. Exemplarily, the chip control program b containing the target function program module b can be used to control the target function unit, such as the electric control component b202, to execute the corresponding target function, such as the target function b.

[0092] Exemplarily, when the electric control component b202 is installed on the installation interface of the home appliance main body 100, the sending unit 500 sends a request message b for configuring the target function b possessed by the electric control component b202 to the conversion unit 600. The conversion unit 600 receives the request message b and converts the request message b into machine information b that can be recognized by the control unit. After receiving the machine information b sent by the conversion unit 600, the selected unit 700 selects the chip control program b as the driving information b of the electric control component b from the pre-stored chip control programs that can be updated, such as chip control programs a, b, and c, according to the machine information b.

[0093] The driving unit 800 can include a pre-stored basic function program module, which is used to control the home appliance main body 100 to implement the original basic functions that the home appliance already had before adding the target function.

[0094] Exemplarily, the driving unit 800 performs the following actions to drive the electric control component b202:

[0095] Write the chip control program b sent by the selected unit 700 into the driving unit 800 in the main control chip 401. The chip control program b and the basic function program module pre-stored in the driving unit 800 together constitute the updated complete chip control program;

[0096] After the above update is completed, when the home appliance is restarted, the driving unit 800 in the main control chip 401 calls the updated complete chip control program to drive the electric control component b to implement the target function b.

[0097] As Figure 7 shown, the positions of the sending unit 500 and the conversion unit 600 represented by the dashed box are not limited. Exemplarily, the sending unit 500 and the conversion unit 600 can be set outside the home appliance main body 100. For example, the conversion unit 600 can be set on the cloud server (such as Figure 8On external devices such as smart phones (as shown), the sending unit 500 is also provided on the above-mentioned external device, or is separately provided from the conversion unit, which can reduce the burden on the main control chip on the main body 100 of the home appliance device. Optionally, the conversion unit 600 can also be provided on the main control chip, and the sending unit 500 can also be provided on the control loop 301.

[0098] Figure 9 And Figure 7 The differences from

[0099] Exemplarily, the driving unit 800 performs the following actions to drive the electric control component b 202:

[0100] The driving unit 800 first erases the pre-stored basic function program module, and writes the chip control program b' as the driving information b into the driving unit 800 to complete the software control program update;

[0101] After the above update is completed, when the home appliance device restarts, the driving unit 800 in the main control chip 401 calls the updated chip control program b' containing the second basic function program module and the target function program module b to drive the electric control component b 202.

[0102] Optionally, the chip control programs available for update pre-stored on the cloud server can be updated in real time or regularly.

[0103] Since the cloud server has a large space and can store multiple control programs, by adopting the chip control program to control the target function unit to execute the corresponding target function, thereby activating the target function of the target function unit, the scalability and flexibility of the home appliance device are improved, and functions outside the original program framework can be updated.

[0104] Moreover, by using the selection unit to write the chip control program into the main control chip, especially the method of only updating the target function program module but not the basic function program module, the risk that the main control chip becomes unavailable due to abnormal situations such as power failure during the program writing process of the main control chip can be reduced.

[0105] Moreover, the chip control program on the cloud server can be updated at any time to provide new functions and services.

[0106] Figure 10 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a selected unit provided on a cloud server according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 11 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a selected unit provided on a main control chip according to an exemplary embodiment. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote elements having the same or similar functions, and the same or similar elements as described above can perform the same functions.

[0107] As Figure 11 shown, in a possible implementation, the selected unit 700 is provided on a control unit, such as the main control chip 401. The selected unit 700 is pre-set with function codes corresponding to target functions, such as function codes a, b, and c. After receiving the machine information converted by the conversion unit 600, the selected unit 700 selects the function code corresponding to the target function as the drive information according to the machine information.

[0108] Exemplarily, in the case where the electronic control component b 202 is added to the addition interface of the home appliance device main body 100, the sending unit 500, such as the induction loop 502, sends a request message, such as an induction signal b, for configuring the target function b of the electronic control component b 202 to the conversion unit 600. The conversion unit 600 receives the request message, such as the induction signal b, and converts the request message into machine information b that can be recognized by the control unit. After receiving the machine information b sent by the conversion unit 600, the selected unit 700 selects the function code b as the drive information b of the electronic control component b according to the machine information b from the pre-stored function codes, such as function codes a, b, and c.

[0109] Exemplarily, the driving unit 800 pre-stores target function program modules, such as target function modules a, b, and c, and the target function program modules can be used to control target function units, such as electronic control components, to achieve their respective target functions.

[0110] Exemplarily, the driving unit 800 performs the following actions to drive the target function unit, such as the electronic control component b 202:

[0111] The driving unit 800 receives the function code b selected by the selected unit 700, and searches for the target function program module b for controlling the electronic control component b 202 according to the function code b;

[0112] The driving unit 800 calls the target function program module b corresponding to the selected function code b to drive the electronic control component b 202.

[0113] The present invention is arranged on the control loop through an induction loop, and the conversion unit, the selection unit, and the driving unit are all located in the main control chip, which can realize the plug-and-play of target functional units such as electric control components. By selecting a function code, the target function can be directly activated, and the update time is shorter, which can bring a better user experience to users.

[0114] Optionally, as Figure 10 shown, the selection unit 700 can be arranged on the cloud server. Optionally, the sending unit 500 can generate a request message through the user interaction module.

[0115] Exemplarily, as Figure 10 and Figure 11 , the control unit is also provided with a storage module, which is arranged inside or outside the main control unit 401. The selection unit 700 directly or indirectly transmits function codes, such as function codes a, b, and c, to the storage module for storage. The storage module can also store the already selected function codes. The storage module can also be arranged in each of the embodiments before or after this example.

[0116] Through the above configuration, the selected function code is sent to the driving unit, and the driving unit calls the target function program module corresponding to the function code, thereby activating the target function existing in the main control chip. Without writing a chip control program, even if the function code is incorrect, it will not affect the use of the original household electrical appliance functions of the user. Moreover, by directly activating the target function through the function code, the update time is short, and it is plug-and-play. In addition, the function code is stored in the storage module (such as EEPROM), and this storage method has a low error probability and can be erased and rewritten repeatedly.

[0117] In addition, by configuring to activate the target function through the above-described embodiment of the present invention, after the household appliance loses power, there is no need to request to activate the target function again, which can once and for all.

[0118] Next, the specific form of the function code will be exemplarily described. The function codes in each embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the form of the following examples, and can also be letters, target functional unit IDs, numbers, character strings, or combinations thereof.

[0119] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the control flow of the function code according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0120] In one possible implementation, the selection unit 700 pre-stores function codes, such as code a, code b, and code c, where code a corresponds to target function a, code b corresponds to target function b, and code c corresponds to target function c. When the function code is set to 0, the target function corresponding to 0 is not activated. When the function code is set to 1, the target function corresponding to 1 is activated.

[0121] Exemplarily, in response to the addition of the electric control component b, the selection unit 700 receives the information of setting code b to 1, that is, the information for configuring the target function b. The selection unit sets code b to 1, and codes a and c are 0. The driving unit 800 starts to read the function codes of the selection unit 700. Optionally, the driving unit can only read the code b set to 1, or can read codes a, b, and c separately or simultaneously, such as 010. Based on the read function codes, for example, based on the code b set to 1, and codes a and c with a value of 0, the driving unit calls the target function program module b corresponding to the code b set to 1 from the target function program modules a, b, and c preset in the driving unit 800 to drive the target function b.

[0122] Thus, by updating several function codes, the activation of the target function of the added target function unit can be achieved, and the update time is short (for example, usually dozens of milliseconds).

[0123] The target function modules a, b, and c, function codes a, b, and c, codes a, b, and c, chip control programs a, b, and c, chip control programs a', b', and c' in the present invention are all exemplary, and there is no limit to the quantity. It can be more or less than the exemplary quantity.

[0124] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a method for upgrading the function of a home appliance device by using the above home appliance device function upgrade control system.

[0125] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which instructions are stored; when it runs on the cloud server and / or on the control unit, it causes the cloud server and / or the control unit to execute the method for upgrading the function of a home appliance device by using the above home appliance device upgrade system.

[0126] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a clothing care device configured with the above home appliance device function upgrade control system.

[0127] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and conciseness of description, only the above division of each functional module is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be allocated to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0128] The above is only the specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and all should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control system for function upgrade of a household electrical appliance device, the system comprises: The main body of the household electrical appliance device; A target function unit, which is configured to be removably connected to the main body of the household electrical appliance device for performing a target function; And A control unit, which is arranged on the main body of the household electrical appliance device and is used for controlling the main body of the household electrical appliance device and the target function unit, characterized in that the system further comprises: A sending unit, which is used for sending request information for requesting configuration of the target function; A conversion unit, which is used for receiving the request information and converting the request information into machine information; A selection unit, which is used for receiving the machine information converted by the above conversion unit, and selecting drive information of a target function corresponding to the received machine information according to the corresponding relationship between the preset machine information and the target function; and A drive unit, which is arranged in the control unit, is used for receiving the drive information selected by the selection unit, and driving the corresponding target function unit according to the drive information, wherein the control unit includes a control loop for controlling the target function unit, and the control loop is preset on the main body of the household electrical appliance device rather than the target function unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the sending unit comprises: A user interaction module, which is used for sending the request information for requesting configuration of the target function based on an external input.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the sending unit comprises: An induction loop, which is arranged on the control unit and is used for detecting the target function unit connected to the main body of the household electrical appliance device and sending the request information for requesting configuration of the target function, wherein the induction loop generates an induction signal according to the detected target function unit, and uses the induction signal as the request information for requesting configuration of the target function corresponding to the target function unit.

4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the selection unit is arranged on a cloud server, the selection unit prestores a chip control program that can be updated, the chip control program at least includes a target function program module, and the target function program module is used for controlling the target function unit to perform the corresponding target function, after receiving the machine information, the selection unit selects the corresponding chip control program as the drive information according to the machine information.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the drive unit performs the following actions to drive the corresponding target function unit: Writing the chip control program into the drive unit in the control unit, and the target function program module and the basic function program module prestored in the drive unit form an updated chip control program, after the update is completed, when the household electrical appliance device restarts, the drive unit in the control unit calls the updated chip control program to drive the corresponding target function unit, wherein the basic function program module is used for controlling the main body of the household electrical appliance device to realize basic functions.

6. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that The chip control program further includes a second basic function program module for replacing the basic function program module pre-stored in the drive unit, wherein the basic function program module and the second basic function program module are respectively used to control the main body of the household electrical appliance to implement basic functions.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein, the drive unit performs the following actions to drive the corresponding target function unit: The drive unit first erases the pre-stored basic function program module, and writes the chip control program into the drive unit in the control unit to complete the update. After the update is completed, when the household electrical appliance restarts, the drive unit in the control unit calls the updated chip control program to drive the corresponding target function unit.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein, the pre-stored chip control program available for update can be updated at any time.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, the selection unit is arranged on the control unit or the cloud server, the selection unit is pre-set with function codes corresponding to the target functions, and after receiving the machine information, the selection unit selects the corresponding function code as the drive information according to the machine information.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein, the drive unit pre-stores a target function program module, and the target function program module is used to control the target function unit to configure its respective target functions. The drive unit performs the following actions to drive the target function unit: The drive unit receives the function code selected by the selection unit, and searches for the target function program module for controlling the target function unit according to the function code. The drive unit calls the target function program module corresponding to the selected function code to drive the target function unit.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein, a main control unit for controlling the main body of the household electrical appliance is arranged on the control unit. The control unit is further provided with a storage module, the storage module is arranged inside or outside the main control unit, and the selection unit directly or indirectly transmits the function code to the storage module for storage.

12. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, the conversion unit is arranged on the cloud server, the main body of the household electrical appliance or the user interaction module.

13. The system according to claim 2, wherein, the user interaction module includes: a household electrical appliance panel, a portable terminal, a wearable device, a voice recognition device and / or a smart home control terminal.

14. A clothing care device configured with the household electrical appliance function upgrade control system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A method for applying the household electrical appliance function upgrade control system according to any one of claims 1 to 13 to the function upgrade of a household electrical appliance.

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