Method for controlling dispenser system of household appliance

Abstract

A control method (300) of a dispenser system for a household appliance, the control method (300) comprising: storing customized dispenser settings (310, 312) for the dispenser system; identifying a user at the household appliance (320); applying the customized dispenser settings based on the identified user (330); and assigning one or more objects from the dispenser system according to the applied customized dispenser settings (340).

Description

Control method of dispenser system of household appliance Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a household appliance, and in particular to a control method for a dispenser system of the household appliance. Background Art

[0002] Various household appliances include dispenser systems, such as refrigeration appliances, ice makers, water coolers, and beverage systems.

[0003] Refrigeration appliances generally include a housing defining a refrigeration compartment in which a variety of foods can be stored. The low temperature of the refrigeration compartment relative to the ambient atmosphere helps to extend the shelf life of the foods stored in the refrigeration compartment.

[0004] The refrigeration appliance may also be equipped with a dispenser system that typically provides cold water and / or ice from the interior of the refrigeration appliance to a dispensing outlet accessible from the exterior of the refrigeration appliance. The dispensing outlet is typically located on the exterior surface of a door of the refrigeration appliance to provide access to the water and / or ice from the interior of the refrigeration appliance without opening the door.

[0005] Some dispenser systems (e.g., in refrigeration appliances or other similar household appliances, such as ice makers or water coolers, etc.) may also provide many selectable options, such as selectable water temperatures (e.g., cold or hot), selectable ice types (e.g., cubed or crushed), and may also provide additional selectable options, such as beverages other than water, such as juices, carbonated beverages, etc. This increased choice and customization is desirable to the customer, but may also result in a more complex user interface and / or multiple steps required to select a particular option from the multiple selectable options available.

[0006] Therefore, the need for an improved control method for a dispenser system of a household appliance is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a dispenser system of a household appliance which is streamlined and enables pre-selection of customized dispenses.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a control method for a dispenser system of a household appliance, the control method comprising: storing customized dispenser settings for the dispenser system; identifying a user at the household appliance; applying the customized dispenser settings based on the identified user; and distributing one or more objects from the dispenser system according to the applied customized dispenser settings.

[0010] Further, determining a time when the user was identified is included, wherein the applied customized dispenser settings are based on the identified user and the determined time.

[0011] Further, determining a time when the user was identified is included, wherein the applied customized dispenser settings are based on the identified user and the determined time.

[0012] Further, the method further includes receiving the customized dispenser settings via a user keystroke before storing the customized dispenser settings.

[0013] Further, the step of identifying the user includes identifying the user based on a container placed in a dispenser recess of the dispenser system.

[0014] Further, the step of identifying the user includes identifying the user based on biometric data associated with the user.

[0015] Further, the step of identifying the user includes identifying the user by detecting a remote user interface device associated with the user.

[0016] Further, the method includes activating a heater of the dispenser system in response to the identified user.

[0017] Furthermore, the method further includes adjusting the speed of the compressor of the refrigeration appliance in response to the identified user.

[0018] Further, the customized dispenser setting is a first customized dispenser setting associated with a first user, and the control method further includes storing a second customized dispenser setting for the dispenser system that is different from the first customized dispenser setting, and the second customized dispenser setting is associated with a second user, wherein the step of identifying the user at the refrigeration appliance includes determining whether the identified user is one of the first user and the second user, and the step of applying the customized dispenser setting includes applying the first customized dispenser setting when the identified user is the first user, and applying the second customized dispenser setting when the identified user is the second user.

[0019] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that the control method of the dispenser system of the household appliance of the present invention can adopt customized dispenser settings by identifying the user, thereby automatically providing pre-selected, customized drinks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG1 is a front view of a household appliance (eg, a refrigeration appliance) according to the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigeration appliance shown in FIG. 1 .

[0022] FIG3 is a front view of the refrigeration appliance shown in FIG1 , wherein the door is in an open position.

[0023] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a sealed cooling system that can be used with a refrigeration appliance according to the present invention.

[0024] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a dispenser system of a household appliance according to the present invention.

[0025] FIG6 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a dispenser system of a household appliance according to the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of another control method of the dispenser system of the household appliance according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] The present invention can be any household appliance having a dispenser system. For example, the household appliance can be a refrigeration appliance, such as the refrigeration appliance shown in the accompanying drawings, or can be any other suitable household appliance having a dispenser system, such as an ice maker, a water cooler or a beverage dispensing system, and other possibilities.

[0029] FIG1 is a front view of a household appliance 100, which, in the illustrated embodiment, is a refrigeration appliance 100. FIG2 is a perspective view of the refrigeration appliance 100. FIG3 is a front view of the refrigeration appliance 100, with a refrigeration door 128 for keeping food fresh in an open position. The refrigeration appliance 100 extends along a vertical direction V between a top portion 101 and a bottom portion 102. The refrigeration appliance 100 also extends along a lateral direction L perpendicular to the vertical direction V between a first side 105 and a second side 106. As shown in FIG2 , a lateral direction T is defined as being perpendicular to the vertical direction V and the lateral direction L, and the refrigeration appliance 100 extends along the lateral direction T between a front portion 108 and a rear portion 110.

[0030] Refrigeration appliance 100 includes a housing or casing 120 that defines one or more refrigeration compartments, including a refrigerator compartment 122 ( FIG. 3 ) located on the upper side and a lower freezer compartment or frozen food storage compartment 124 ( FIG. 1 ) disposed vertically below refrigerator compartment 122. As used herein, a compartment may be referred to as "refrigerated" because it can operate at temperatures below room temperature, for example, less than approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit (75°F). A supplemental food storage compartment may be disposed, for example, along vertical direction V, between refrigerator compartment 122 and frozen food storage compartment 124. Because frozen food storage compartment 124 is disposed below refrigerator compartment 122, refrigeration appliance 100 is often referred to as a bottom-loading refrigerator. In the exemplary embodiment, housing 120 also defines a machinery compartment 62 ( FIG. 2 ) for receiving a sealed cooling system. Using the teachings disclosed herein, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present technology can also be used with other types of refrigerators (e.g., side-by-side models) or freezers. Therefore, the description set forth herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the present technology in any respect.

[0031] The refrigeration door bodies 128 are each rotatably hinged to the edge of the housing 120 so as to enter the refrigeration chamber 122. It should be noted that although two refrigeration door bodies 128 of a "French door" structure are illustrated, any suitable door body arrangement utilizing one, two or more door bodies is within the scope of the present invention. A freezer door body 130 is provided below the refrigeration door body 128 so as to enter the freezer chamber 124. In an exemplary embodiment, the freezer door body 130 is coupled to a freezer drawer (not shown) slidably mounted in the freezer chamber 124. An auxiliary door body 127 is coupled to an auxiliary drawer (not shown) slidably mounted in the auxiliary chamber (not shown). As shown in Figure 3, a plurality of food storage chambers 140 are provided in the refrigeration chamber 122.

[0032] The operation of the refrigeration appliance 100 can be regulated by a controller 134, which is operably coupled to a user interface panel 136. The interface panel 136 provides options for a user to manipulate the operation of the refrigeration appliance 100 to modify environmental conditions therein, such as temperature settings. In some embodiments, the user interface panel 136 can be positioned adjacent to the dispenser assembly 132. In response to user manipulation of the user interface panel 136, the controller 134 operates various components of the refrigeration appliance 100. The operation of the refrigeration appliance 100 can be regulated by the controller 134; for example, the controller 134 can adjust various components of the refrigeration appliance 100 in response to programming of the user interface panel 136 and / or user manipulation.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dispensing assembly 132 includes a dispenser that is disposed on or mounted to the exterior of the refrigeration appliance 100, for example, on the outer surface of a refrigeration door 128. The dispenser includes a discharge port 137 (Figure 2) for obtaining ice and liquid water. An actuating mechanism 138, shown as a paddle, is mounted below the discharge port 137 to operate the dispenser. In other embodiments, any suitable actuating mechanism can be used to operate the dispenser. For example, instead of or in addition to the paddle 138, the dispensing assembly 132 can include a sensor (e.g., an ultrasonic sensor) or a button. A user interface panel 136 can be provided to control the operating mode of the dispensing assembly 132. For example, the user interface panel 136 includes a plurality of user buttons (not shown), such as a water dispensing button and an ice dispensing button, which are used to select a desired operating mode, such as crushed ice or non-crushed ice. Additionally, the user buttons may include inputs for selecting one of a variety of different liquids (such as juice, carbonated or soda water, tea, etc.) and / or for selecting the temperature of the water to be dispensed, e.g., cold water, room temperature, or warm water, among other possible options.

[0034] Discharge port 137 and actuator 138 are external components of dispenser assembly 132 and are mounted in dispenser recess 142. Dispenser recess 142 is positioned at a predetermined height that facilitates user access to ice or liquid, allowing the user to obtain dispensed ice and / or liquid without bending over or opening refrigerator door 128. In this embodiment, dispenser recess 142 is positioned approximately at chest height for an adult user. Dispenser assembly 132 receives ice from ice maker 152, which is located in a sub-compartment of refrigerator compartment 122.

[0035] The controller 134 may include a memory and one or more microprocessors, CPUs, etc., such as general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessors, for executing programmed instructions or microcontroller code associated with the operation of the refrigeration appliance 100. The memory may represent random access memory, such as DRAM, or read-only memory, such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programmed instructions stored in the memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor, or may be included on-board within the processor. It should be noted that the controller 134, as disclosed herein, is capable of and may be operable to execute any of the methods and associated method steps disclosed herein.

[0036] The controller 134 can be arranged at various locations throughout the refrigeration appliance 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 134 can be located within the refrigeration door 128. In this embodiment, input / output ("I / O") signals can be transmitted between the controller 150 and the various operating components of the refrigeration appliance 100. In one embodiment, the user interface panel 136 can represent a general-purpose I / O ("GPIO") device or function block. In one embodiment, the user interface 136 can include input components, such as one or more of various electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical input devices including a rotary dial, buttons, and a touchpad. The user interface 136 can include a display component, such as a digital or analog display device designed to provide operational feedback to the user. For example, the user interface 136 can include a touch screen that provides both input and display functions. The user interface 136 can communicate with the controller via one or more signal lines or a shared communication bus.

[0037] Using the teachings disclosed herein, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be used with other appliances, including other types of refrigerators, such as refrigerator / freezer combinations, side-by-side, bottom-mounted, compact, and any other style or model of refrigeration appliance. Furthermore, as noted above, the appliance need not necessarily be a refrigeration appliance. For example, the appliance can be any appliance having a dispensing system, such as, but not limited to, an ice maker, a water cooler, or a beverage dispensing system.

[0038] FIG4 provides a schematic diagram of a refrigeration appliance 100, and in particular, its sealed cooling system 60. As shown in FIG4 , the refrigeration appliance 100 includes a mechanical compartment 62, which at least partially contains components for performing a known vapor compression cycle to cool air. These components include a compressor 64, connected in series and filled with refrigerant, a heat exchanger or condenser 66, an expansion device 68, and an evaporator 70. The evaporator 70 is also a heat exchanger that transfers heat from the air passing through the evaporator to the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 70, thereby evaporating the refrigerant. As can be seen, cooled air C is generated, which cools the refrigerator compartment 122 and the food storage compartment 124 of the refrigeration appliance 100. The cooled air C can be directed to the refrigerator compartment 122 and the food storage compartment 124 by a fan 74.

[0039] The evaporated refrigerant flows from the evaporator 70 to the compressor 64, which operates to increase the pressure of the refrigerant. The compression of the refrigerant raises its temperature, which is then lowered by the gaseous refrigerant passing through the condenser 66, where heat exchange with the ambient air occurs to cool the refrigerant. As illustrated by arrow A, a fan 72 is used to pull air across the condenser 66 to provide forced convection for faster and more efficient heat exchange between the refrigerant and the ambient air.

[0040] Expansion device 68 further reduces the pressure of the refrigerant leaving condenser 66 before it is supplied as a liquid to evaporator 70. In general, the vapor compression cycle components, associated fans, and associated compartments in the refrigeration circuit are sometimes referred to as a sealed refrigeration system operable to force cold air through refrigeration chambers 122 and 124. The refrigeration system 60 shown in FIG4 is an illustrative embodiment. Refrigeration systems using other configurations are also within the scope of the present invention. For example, fan 74 can be repositioned to force air through evaporator 70, dual evaporators can be used with one or more fans, and many other configurations are also applicable.

[0041] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a dispenser system 200 for use in a household appliance such as the refrigeration appliance 100. For example, the dispenser system 200 includes a dispenser assembly, such as the dispenser assembly 132 described above. The dispenser system 200 also includes a plurality of object sources coupled to and in communication with the dispenser assembly 132. For example, the object sources may include a source of liquid objects (e.g., water and / or various other beverages) and / or a source of solid objects (e.g., ice cubes, ice spheres, ice gems, and / or crushed ice). The object sources may provide the objects to the dispenser assembly 132 via a discharge port 137.

[0042] As shown in FIG5 , the object source of the dispenser system 200 may include an ice maker 202 that is operable and configured to form various types of ice cubes therein, such as small cubes, round cubes, etc. The ice cubes may be provided from the ice maker 202 to the dispensing assembly 132, for example, via a crusher 204. Thus, the ice cubes formed in and provided from the ice maker 202 may be conveyed to the dispensing assembly as a whole, for example, when the crusher 204 is not activated, or may be crushed, for example, when the crusher 204 is activated.

[0043] 5 also illustrates, by way of example, multiple sources of liquid objects (e.g., water) in the dispenser system 200, which are coupled to the dispensing assembly 132 of the dispenser system 200. In particular, the dispenser system shown in FIG5 includes a cold water line 206 and a hot water line 208. As used herein, the terms "cold" and "hot" are used with reference to room temperature (where, as described above, room temperature is generally considered to be approximately seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit (75°F)), such that "cold" water includes water that is below room temperature (e.g., less than about sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit (68°F)) and above freezing, such that "cold water" refers to liquid water, while "heated" or "hot" water includes water that is above room temperature (e.g., greater than about eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit (85°F)) and below a maximum safe temperature for human consumption (e.g., at or below about two hundred degrees Fahrenheit (200°F)), such as may be provided for, for example, brewing tea or coffee. In some embodiments, the hot water line 208 may be coupled to (downstream of) and in fluid communication with a hot water tank 210 having one or more heating elements 212 disposed therein, such that the hot water tank 210 provides hot water to the dispensing assembly 132 via the hot water line 208 .

[0044] 6 and 7 , an embodiment of the present invention further includes a method for controlling a dispenser system of a household appliance (eg, the dispenser system 200 described above).

[0045] As shown in FIG6 , the control method 300 may include a step 310 of storing a first customized dispenser setting for the dispenser system and a step 312 of storing a second customized dispenser setting for the dispenser system, wherein the second customized dispenser setting for the dispenser system may be different from the first customized dispenser setting. The first customized dispenser setting may be associated with a first user, and the second customized dispenser setting may be associated with a second user different from the first user.

[0046] The customized dispenser settings can be stored in the local memory of the controller 134 and / or in a remote computing device in a remote database or other computing device with which the household appliance communicates, such as via the Internet, such as in a cloud computing system or other distributed computing environment. The association of each customized dispenser setting with the corresponding user can also be stored (e.g., tabulated), such as in a lookup table, by way of example, locally, remotely, or both, such as in the local memory of the controller and / or in the cloud. For example, the customized dispenser settings can be stored in one or more user profiles or user accounts associated with the household appliance and / or stored in association therewith, such as in the cloud.

[0047] The control method 300 may also include step 320 of identifying a user at the home appliance (e.g., a dispensing component thereof) (e.g., a user near the dispenser system) or a user in an area near the home appliance (e.g., refrigeration appliance 100) (e.g., in front of the home appliance) from which the user approaches or may approach the dispensing component 132. For example, multiple settings may be stored, such as a first customized dispenser setting and a second customized dispenser setting, and each customized dispenser setting may be associated with a corresponding user (e.g., a first user and a second user). In some embodiments, step 320 may include determining that the identified user is one of the first user and the second user.

[0048] Based on the identified user, a customized dispenser setting may then be applied or selected, as shown in step 330 of the control method 300 in FIG6 . For example, the applied customized dispenser setting may be one of a first customized dispenser setting and a second customized dispenser setting, and may be selected and applied in response to identifying the associated user, such as applying the second customized dispenser setting when the second user is identified. The applied customized dispenser setting may be applied automatically, such as without requiring a user to enter a selection input.

[0049] Furthermore, control method 300 also includes step 340 of dispensing one or more items from the dispenser system based on the applied customized dispenser settings. For example, as described above with respect to FIG. 5 , the dispenser system can be operated to dispense various items in various states, such as water at various temperatures or whole or crushed ice. Thus, for example, a first customized dispenser setting can include crushed ice and cold water, while a second customized dispenser setting can also include hot water. The dispenser system can thus be used and / or the method of operating the dispenser system can include dispensing crushed ice and cold water in response to detecting a first user and dispensing hot water in response to detecting a second user.

[0050] In some embodiments, the automatically applied custom dispenser settings may also be based on time, such as a time of day, a day of the week, or a specific date (e.g., a weekday or a weekend or holiday). The time of day may be a specific time (e.g., down to the minute) or a time range (e.g., a one-hour time range or a multi-hour time range). The time value may also be a full-day range or a multi-day range. For example, the automatically applied custom dispenser settings may be based on a time that falls within a multi-day range that includes weekends or holidays. In other embodiments, the automatically applied custom dispenser settings based on time may be seasonal, such as based on a multi-week or multi-month time range, such as dispensing liquids (e.g., liquid water) at lower temperatures or dispensing different sizes or amounts of ice during summer months and dispensing liquids at higher temperatures or dispensing less ice during fall or winter months. Thus, for example, the control method 300 may further include determining a time, such as a date or time of day, when a user is identified. In such embodiments, the applied custom dispenser settings may be based on the identified user and the determined time. For example, hot water may be provided (e.g., dispensed) in the morning for brewing tea or coffee, while cold water may be dispensed in the afternoon.

[0051] In some embodiments, the control method 300 also includes and / or the controller can be configured to derive one or more customized dispenser settings from a usage pattern of the dispenser system. For example, some embodiments may include identifying a user before receiving a selection input (e.g., a cold water button press) and a dispensing input (e.g., actuating a joystick or paddle) and storing a selection (e.g., cold water). The stored selection may then be associated with the identified user, and a count of the stored selections may be incremented, e.g., by one. Multiple stored selections may be associated with the identified user, and each stored selection may have a corresponding count value. For example, a usage pattern may include the stored selection with the largest count value being defaulted when the associated user is identified, e.g., automatically selecting or applying the stored selection with the largest count value when the user is identified without the user initiating a selection input. In such embodiments, for example, the stored customized setting may be a first customized setting derived from a usage pattern of a first user, and a second customized setting derived from a second usage pattern of a second user may also be stored in the same location, e.g., locally and / or remotely, and associated with the second user, e.g., such that the second customized setting derived from the second usage pattern is automatically applied upon identification of the second user.

[0052] In some embodiments, the custom dispenser setting can be user-defined, for example, a manually entered preference or one of a plurality of preset custom dispenser settings. For example, the control method of the present invention further includes receiving the custom dispenser setting via a user key, for example, directly via an onboard user interface (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, screen, etc.) of the household appliance (e.g., refrigeration appliance 100) or via a remote user interface device (e.g., a smartphone, personal computer, etc.). In such an embodiment, the custom dispenser setting can be received via the user key before the custom dispenser setting is stored, and then the custom dispenser setting can be stored after the custom dispenser setting has been received from the user key (e.g., defined by the user).

[0053] In some embodiments, user identification can be based on biometric data associated with the user, such as facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, voice recognition, or other similar biometric data, including combinations thereof. For example, user identification can be image-based, such as facial recognition, where the control method includes a controller for image analysis and / or image processing to identify the user. For example, a home appliance may include a camera (still or video), and one or more control methods may include a controller for the home appliance for capturing images using the camera and detecting a user based on the images captured by the camera. The structure and operation of a camera are understood by those skilled in the art, and the camera is not specifically shown or described in further detail herein. Generally, the controller can be operably coupled to the camera for analyzing one or more images captured by the camera to extract useful information about objects or persons within the camera's field of view. For example, images captured by the camera can be used to extract facial images or other identifying information associated with one or more users. In particular, the analysis can be performed locally (e.g., on controller 134) or can be transmitted to a remote server (e.g., in the "cloud," as those skilled in the art will recognize as referring to a remote server or database in a distributed computing environment including at least one remote computing device) for analysis. This analysis is intended to facilitate user detection and identification by identifying users in close proximity to the home appliance, such as users who may be operating or approaching a dispenser assembly.

[0054] In this embodiment, the controller 134 of the household appliance 100 can be used for image-based processing, such as to detect a user and identify the user. The controller 134 can be configured to identify the user by comparing the image with a stored image of a known or previously identified user. For example, the controller 134 of the household appliance 100 (or any other suitable dedicated controller) can be communicatively coupled to the camera and can be programmed or used to analyze the image obtained by the camera to detect a user approaching or near the household appliance 100 and identify the user, identify the user and load or apply, for example, a customized dispenser setting associated with the identified user for the user.

[0055] In some embodiments, this method may include analyzing one or more images to detect and identify the user. It should be understood that the analysis may utilize any suitable image analysis techniques, image decomposition, image segmentation, image processing, etc. The analysis may be performed entirely by the controller 134, may be offloaded to a remote server (e.g., in the cloud) for analysis, may be analyzed with the assistance of the user, or may be analyzed in any other suitable manner. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the analysis may include a machine learning image recognition process.

[0056] According to an exemplary embodiment, the image analysis can use any suitable image processing technology, image recognition process, etc. As used herein, the term "image analysis" or the like can generally be used to refer to any suitable method of observation, analysis, image decomposition, feature extraction, image classification, etc. of one or more images, videos or other visual representations of an object. As explained in more detail below, the image analysis can include the implementation of image processing technology, image recognition technology, or any suitable combination thereof. Image analysis can use any suitable image analysis software or algorithm to continuously or periodically monitor the proximity area in front of the household appliance 100 and / or the household appliance 100 (e.g., the area in which the user may be located when approaching the distribution component). It should be understood that the image analysis or processing can be performed locally (e.g., by the controller 134) or remotely (e.g., by transmitting image data to a remote server or network, such as in the "cloud").

[0057] Specifically, analyzing one or more images can include implementing an image processing algorithm. As used herein, the term "image processing," etc., is generally intended to refer to any suitable method or algorithm for analyzing images that does not rely on artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques (e.g., in contrast to the machine learning image recognition process described below). For example, an image processing algorithm can rely on image differentiation, such as a pixel-by-pixel comparison of two consecutive images. This comparison can help identify substantial differences between sequentially acquired images, for example, to identify movement, the presence of a particular object, the presence of a particular condition, etc. For example, when a particular condition exists, one or more reference images can be acquired and stored for future comparison with images acquired during appliance operation. In a specific example, the reference images can be images of the faces of one or more users, such that the particular condition present in the reference images is the presence of a particular user. Similarities and / or differences between the reference images and the acquired images can be used to extract useful information for improving appliance performance. For example, image differentiation can be used to determine when a pixel-level motion metric passes a predetermined motion threshold.

[0058] The processing algorithm may also include measures for isolating or eliminating noise in image comparisons due to image resolution, data transmission errors, inconsistent lighting or other imaging errors, etc. By eliminating such noise, the image processing algorithm can improve accurate object detection, avoid false object detections, and isolate important objects, regions or patterns within the image (the term "object" is used broadly herein to include people, such as users of the household appliance 100). Additionally or alternatively, the image processing algorithm may use other suitable techniques for identifying or identifying specific items or objects, such as edge matching, divide-and-conquer search, grayscale matching, histograms of receptive field responses, or another suitable routine (e.g., executed at the controller 134 based on one or more captured images from one or more cameras). Other image processing techniques are also possible and within the scope of the present invention.

[0059] In addition to the image processing techniques described above, image analysis may also include utilizing artificial intelligence ("AI"), such as a machine learning image recognition process, a neural network classification module, any other suitable artificial intelligence (AI) technique, and / or any other suitable image analysis technique, examples of which are described in greater detail below. Furthermore, the various exemplary image analysis or evaluation processes described below may be used independently, collectively, or interchangeably to extract detailed information about the analyzed image, thereby facilitating the performance of one or more of the methods described herein or otherwise improving appliance operation. According to exemplary embodiments, any suitable number of image processing, image recognition, or other image analysis techniques, and combinations thereof, may be used to obtain an accurate analysis of the acquired image.

[0060] The image recognition process may use any suitable artificial intelligence technique, such as any suitable machine learning technique, or any suitable deep learning technique. According to an exemplary embodiment, the image recognition process may include implementing a form of image recognition known as region-based convolutional neural network ("R-CNN") image recognition. Generally speaking, R-CNN may include taking an input image and extracting region proposals that include potential objects or regions of the image. A "region proposal" may be one or more regions in an image that may belong to a particular object (e.g., a human face, such as the face of a user of household appliance 100), or may include adjacent regions that share common pixel characteristics. A convolutional neural network is then used to calculate features from the region proposals, and the extracted features are then used to determine the classification of each particular region.

[0061] According to some other embodiments, the image segmentation process can be used together with R-CNN image recognition. Typically, image segmentation creates pixel-based masks for various objects in an image and provides a more detailed or refined understanding of the various objects within a given image. Instead of processing the entire image (i.e., a large collection of pixels, many of which may not contain useful information), image segmentation can involve dividing the image into segments (e.g., into groups of pixels containing similar attributes) that can be analyzed independently or in parallel to obtain a more detailed representation of one or more objects in the image. This may be referred to herein as "Mask R-CNN," etc., in contrast to the conventional R-CNN architecture. Mask R-CNN can be based on a slightly different Fast R-CNN than R-CNN, which first applies a convolutional neural network ("CNN") and then assigns it to region proposals on the covn5 feature map, rather than initially segmenting it into region proposals. In addition, according to exemplary embodiments, a standard CNN can be used to obtain, identify, or detect any other qualitative or quantitative data related to one or more objects or regions within one or more images, and a K-means algorithm can also be used.

[0062] According to other embodiments, the image recognition process may use any other suitable neural network process while remaining within the scope of the present invention. For example, the steps of detecting and identifying a user may include analyzing one or more images using a deep belief network ("DBN") image recognition process. A DBN image recognition process may typically include stacking many separate unsupervised networks that use the hidden layers of each network as input to the next layer. According to other embodiments, the step of analyzing one or more images may include implementing a deep neural network ("DNN") image recognition process, which typically includes using a neural network (a computing system inspired by biological neural networks) having multiple layers between the input and output. Other suitable image recognition processes, neural network processes, artificial intelligence analysis techniques, and combinations of the above methods or other known methods may be used while remaining within the scope of the present invention.

[0063] Furthermore, it should be understood that various transfer techniques can be used, but their use is not required. If transfer learning is used, a neural network architecture, such as VGG16 / VGG19 / ResNet50, can be pre-trained using a public dataset, and the final layer can then be retrained using an appliance-specific dataset. Additionally or alternatively, the image recognition process can include detecting certain conditions based on comparisons to initial conditions, which can rely on image subtraction techniques, image stacking techniques, image stitching, etc. For example, the subtracted images can be used to train a neural network with multiple classes for future comparison and image classification.

[0064] It should be understood that the machine learning image recognition model can be actively trained by the appliance using new images, can be provided with training data from the manufacturer or from another remote source, or can be trained in any other suitable manner. For example, according to an exemplary embodiment, the image recognition process relies at least in part on a neural network that is trained using multiple images of appliances in different configurations, subjected to different conditions, or interacted with in different ways (e.g., by different users). This training data can be stored locally or remotely and can be transmitted to a remote server for use in training other appliances and models.

[0065] It should be understood that image processing and machine learning image recognition processes can be used together to facilitate improved image analysis, object detection, or to extract other useful qualitative or quantitative data or information from one or more images that can be used to improve the operation or performance of an appliance. In fact, the methods described herein can interchangeably use any or all of these techniques to improve image analysis processes and promote improved appliance performance and consumer satisfaction. The image processing algorithms and machine learning image recognition processes described herein are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

[0066] In some embodiments, a user may also or alternatively be identified based on a container (e.g., a cup, mug, drinking vessel, or other similar container) placed in a dispenser recess of the dispenser system. In various embodiments, the container may be identified using one or more of an ultrasonic signature of the container, an embedded chip in the container, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag on the container, or by the weight of the container. As another example, in some embodiments, the container may also or alternatively be identified using a camera and performing image analysis and / or image processing on an image of the container obtained by the camera in a manner similar to that described above with respect to user identification (e.g., facial recognition).

[0067] In some embodiments, a user may also or alternatively be identified by detecting a remote user interface device associated with the user, for example, based on a signal from a remote user interface device of a smart phone or smart watch. The remote user interface device may be a smart phone, tablet computer, personal computer, wearable device (e.g., smart watch), smart speaker (e.g., a user may be identified based on a voice command received by the smart speaker from the user, and the smart speaker then transmits the signal to the home appliance 100), smart home system, and / or various other suitable devices. The home appliance 100 may communicate with the remote user interface device via various possible communication connections and interfaces. The home appliance 100 and the remote user interface device may be matched in wireless communication, for example, connected to the same wireless network. The home appliance 100 may communicate with the remote user interface device via a short-range radio such as Bluetooth or any other suitable wireless network having a layered protocol architecture. As used herein, "short range" may include a range of less than about ten meters and up to about one hundred meters. For example, the wireless network may be suitable for short-wavelength ultra-high frequency (UHF) communication in a frequency band between 2.4 GHz and 2.485 GHz (e.g., according to the IEEE 802.15.1 standard). In particular, Bluetooth low energy (e.g., Bluetooth version 4.0 or higher) can advantageously provide short-range wireless communication between the home appliance and the remote user interface device. For example, due to its low-power networking protocol, Bluetooth low energy can advantageously minimize the power consumed by the exemplary methods and devices described herein. As another example, Bluetooth low energy is more accurate than GPS and can, for example, provide a fine-grained location (e.g., accurate to within inches) and distance from the home appliance 100 based on a received signal strength indication.

[0068] The remote user interface device is "remote" at least in that it is separated from the home appliance 100 and is not physically connected to the home appliance. For example, the remote user interface device is an independent device separate from the home appliance 100 that communicates with the home appliance 100 wirelessly. Any suitable device separate from the home appliance 100 that is configured to provide and / or receive communications, information, data, or commands from a user can be used as the remote user interface device. For example, the remote user interface device can be a smartphone that is operable to store and run an application (also referred to as an "app"), and some or all of the method steps disclosed herein can be performed by the smartphone application.

[0069] In some embodiments, the control method of the present invention may also include one or more anticipation steps or compensation steps to satisfy the applied custom dispenser settings, such as an anticipation step before dispensing one or more objects from the dispenser system and / or a compensation step after dispensing one or more objects from the dispenser system. For example, when a usage pattern derived from the use of the identified user indicates that a large amount of ice may be desired (e.g., based on a pattern of activation times of the dispensing system when dispensing ice to a particular user), the method may include adjusting the speed of the compressor of the household appliance (compressor 64, shown in FIG. 4 ) in response to the identified user, such as increasing the compressor speed to provide increased production of cold air C at the evaporator 70 and faster ice production, thereby helping to provide or replenish the large amount of ice. As another example, when the stored custom dispenser settings associated with the user include hot water, the control method may include activating the heater of the dispenser system (heating element 212, shown in FIG. 5 ) in response to the identified user.

[0070] FIG7 illustrates another embodiment of a method 400 for controlling a dispenser system for a household appliance. The method 400 includes storing at least one customized dispenser setting, such as a first customized dispenser setting in step 410, and storing a second customized dispenser setting for the dispenser system in step 412. The second customized dispenser setting can be different from the first customized dispenser setting. Furthermore, the first customized dispenser setting can be associated with a first user, and the second customized dispenser setting can be associated with a second user different from the first user.

[0071] In some embodiments, the control method according to the present invention (e.g., the control method 400 shown in FIG. 7 ) further includes an input step, such as dispensing input (e.g., actuating a joystick or paddle), such as step 420 of receiving input with a dispenser system. Still referring to FIG. 7 , the control method 400 further includes determining the time at which the input is received. As described above, the time can be a time of day or day, or include determining that the time falls within a larger range, such as a multi-day range, a multi-week range, or a multi-month range. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 , the determined time is a time of day. The time of day can be a specific time (e.g., down to the minute) or a time range (e.g., a one-hour time range or a multi-hour time range).

[0072] The control method 400 also includes a step 440 of applying a custom dispenser setting based on the determined time (as shown in FIG. 7 ). For example, the applied custom dispenser setting may be one of a first custom dispenser setting and a second custom dispenser setting, e.g., the first custom dispenser setting may be applied when input is received at or during a first time of the day, and the second custom dispenser setting may be applied when input is received at or during a second time of the day. The control method 400 also includes a step 450 of dispensing one or more objects from the dispenser system according to the applied custom dispenser setting. Thus, in an exemplary method of the control method 400 that includes, for example, determining a time of the day, the applied custom dispenser setting may be based on the determined time of the day. For example, hot water may be provided (e.g., dispensed) in the morning, e.g., for making tea or coffee, while cold water may be dispensed in the afternoon.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various steps of the exemplary methods described herein can be combined in various ways to obtain additional embodiments within the scope of the present invention. For example, the control method 400 can also include identifying a user at the home appliance, for example, similar to the user identification described above with respect to the control method 300. Thus, in the control method 400, the customized dispenser settings applied at step 440 can be based on the identified user and a determined time, such as a time of day, a day, or a larger time range.

[0074] As another example, in an embodiment including user identification, the control method 400 includes identifying the user based on a container placed in a dispenser recess of the dispenser system, based on biometric data associated with the user, by detecting a remote user interface device associated with the user, and / or a combination thereof.

[0075] In another example, control method 400 may also include anticipation steps or compensation steps similar to those described above with respect to control method 300, but in control method 400, such steps may be performed based on the determined time. For example, a usage pattern may indicate that a demand for large quantities of ice typically occurs around 3 p.m. (or in summer and spring versus fall and winter), such that when the determined time falls within the usage pattern corresponding to large quantities of ice, e.g., when the determined time is around 3 p.m. or during a warmer part of the year (e.g., summer), control method 400 may include the step of adjusting (e.g., increasing) the speed of the compressor of the household appliance based on the determined time. As another example, control method 400 may include the step of activating a heater of the dispenser system based on the determined time, e.g., activating heating element 212 (shown in FIG. 5 ) to provide hot water for brewing coffee or tea when the determined time is early in the morning, or activating heating element 212 to provide hot water when the determined time is during a cooler part of the year (e.g., winter).

[0076] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a dispenser system of a household appliance, characterized in that: The control method includes: storing customized dispenser settings for the dispenser system; identifying a user at the household appliance; applying the customized dispenser settings based on the identified user; and One or more objects are allocated from the allocator system according to the applied custom allocator settings.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also included is determining a time at which the user was identified, wherein the applied customized dispenser settings are based on the identified user and the determined time.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: Also included is determining a time at which the user was identified, wherein the applied customized dispenser settings are based on the identified user and the determined time.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: Also included is receiving the customized dispenser settings via a user keystroke prior to storing the customized dispenser settings.

5. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of identifying the user includes identifying the user based on a container placed in a dispenser recess of the dispenser system.

6. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of identifying the user comprises identifying the user based on biometric data associated with the user.

7. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of identifying the user includes identifying the user by detecting a remote user interface device associated with the user.

8. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also included is activating a heater of the dispenser system in response to the identified user.

9. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also included is adjusting a speed of a compressor of the household appliance in response to the identified user.

10. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The customized dispenser setting is a first customized dispenser setting associated with a first user, and the control method also includes storing a second customized dispenser setting for the dispenser system that is different from the first customized dispenser setting, and the second customized dispenser setting is associated with a second user, wherein the step of identifying the user at the household appliance includes determining that the identified user is one of the first user and the second user, and the step of applying the customized dispenser setting includes applying the first customized dispenser setting when the identified user is the first user, and applying the second customized dispenser setting when the identified user is the second user.

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