Home appliance and home appliance system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a kind of household appliance and household appliance system, including shell and the infrared receiving system being arranged in shell, infrared receiving system includes: infrared receiving module and light guide wire, the output end of the light guide wire is opposite the receiving port of the infrared receiving module, the input end of the light guide wire is used to receive infrared rays;Signal processing module is electrically connected with the infrared receiving module, for receiving and converting the electrical signal emitted by the infrared receiving module;And mainboard is electrically connected with the signal processing module, to receive the electrical signal of the signal processing module.It can be received by light guide wire and transported to infrared receiving module, the arrangement of light guide wire is more flexible, it is convenient to guide infrared rays to infrared receiving module in complex structure, improve the anti-interference ability of infrared receiving system, and solve the problem that infrared receiving module is exposed to outside, improve the sealing and integration of product and improve the flexibility of the arrangement position of infrared receiving module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of home appliance technology, and in particular to a home appliance device and home appliance system. Background Technology

[0002] Infrared remote control technology is increasingly being used in various fields, such as home appliances, where it has become commonplace. However, the infrared signal reception process can be interfered with by obstructions from other structures within the product, leading to a decrease in signal reception rate. Therefore, ensuring effective reception of the infrared signal is crucial. Utility Model Content

[0003] To overcome the problems existing in the related technologies, this disclosure provides a home appliance and a home appliance system.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a home appliance is provided, including a housing and an infrared receiving system disposed within the housing. The infrared receiving system includes: an infrared receiving module and a light guide, wherein the output end of the light guide is opposite to the receiving port of the infrared receiving module, and the input end of the light guide is used to receive infrared radiation; a signal processing module electrically connected to the infrared receiving module for receiving and converting electrical signals emitted by the infrared receiving module; and a motherboard electrically connected to the signal processing module to receive electrical signals from the signal processing module.

[0005] The infrared receiving system can receive infrared rays through a guide beam and transmit them to the infrared receiving module. The arrangement of the guide beam is more flexible, making it easier to guide infrared rays to the infrared receiving module in complex structures. This breaks through the distance and space limitations of traditional infrared transmission, improves the anti-interference capability of the infrared receiving system, and solves the problem of the infrared receiving module being exposed to the outside by placing the infrared receiving system inside the housing. This improves the product's sealing and integration, as well as the flexibility of the infrared receiving module's placement.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the light guide includes an optical fiber.

[0007] Optical fiber is suitable for long-distance transmission, and it is lightweight, can be easily bent and coiled, and can adapt to complex spatial layouts.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the input end of the light guide is configured as an outwardly expanding structure.

[0009] The expansion structure can increase the receiving angle at the input end to allow the reception of infrared signals at a larger angle, thereby reducing the accuracy requirements of the infrared emission angle and enabling the emission of infrared rays that the guide light can receive at various angles.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the input end of the light guide is configured as a horn shape with the opening facing outwards.

[0011] The trumpet-shaped structure is easy to manufacture, allows for consistent expansion angles in all directions, and can also focus incident light, reducing losses.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the outward expansion structure of the input end of the light guide is disposed on the inner wall of the housing, or the outward expansion structure of the input end of the light guide is disposed near the inner wall of the housing.

[0013] This design places the input terminal as close as possible to the outside of the housing, ensuring that the input terminal can accurately and quickly receive infrared signals.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the outer shell is composed of multiple modular structures joined together, with the input end of the light guide facing the seam between the modular structures.

[0015] The reception of infrared light at the input end can be achieved using the existing slit structure of the home appliance, without the need for additional openings in the home appliance, thus ensuring the appearance and aesthetics of the home appliance.

[0016] In one possible implementation, there are multiple light guides, and the input ends of the multiple light guides are arranged at multiple locations on the infrared receiving module.

[0017] By placing the input end of the light guide in different positions, infrared rays can be received at different locations, thereby increasing the receiving range of the infrared receiving system and thus improving the flexibility of product use.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the output ends of multiple light guides are opposite to the receiving port of one infrared receiving module, which simplifies the structure of the infrared receiving system and avoids structural complexity and increased costs.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the number of the light guides is at least four, and the four light guides are evenly distributed around the infrared receiving module to ensure omnidirectional reception of infrared signals.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the infrared receiving system is used to receive infrared commands carrying information for indicating a target receiving port, in order to prevent the infrared receiving module from receiving unnecessary infrared signals, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the signals received by the infrared receiving system.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the home appliance includes an air conditioner, which can be remotely controlled via infrared while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the air conditioner.

[0022] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a home appliance system is provided, including a home appliance and a remote control device, wherein the home appliance is the home appliance provided in this disclosure, and the infrared receiving system is used to receive infrared commands issued by the remote control device.

[0023] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure may include the following beneficial effects: the infrared receiving system can receive infrared rays through the guide light and transmit them to the infrared receiving module. The arrangement of the guide light is more flexible, which makes it easier to guide infrared rays to the infrared receiving module in complex structures. This breaks through the distance and space limitations of traditional infrared transmission, improves the anti-interference capability of the infrared receiving system, and sets the infrared system inside the housing, which solves the problem of the infrared receiving module being exposed to the outside. This improves the sealing and integration of the product and increases the flexibility of the infrared receiving module's placement.

[0024] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a household appliance according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another household appliance according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the input end of a light guide according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 4 This is a control block diagram of a home appliance according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0027] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 100-Infrared receiving system, 10-Infrared receiving module, 20-Light guide, 21-Output terminal, 22-Input terminal, 200-Housing, 300-Signal processing module, 400-Main board, 500-Remote control device, 510-Infrared transmitting module. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0029] Infrared remote control technology is increasingly used in various fields, such as home appliances, where it has become commonplace. However, the infrared signal reception process can be interfered with by obstructions from other structures within the product, leading to a decrease in signal reception. Therefore, effective infrared signal reception is crucial. Currently, infrared remote control for air conditioners involves creating a window on the display panel to expose the infrared receiver module. This method requires a high degree of light transmittance and seamless integration of the display panel, and the infrared reception rate is limited by the light transmittance of the front panel.

[0030] This disclosure, with reference to embodiments thereof, refers to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 This invention provides a household appliance comprising a housing 200 and an infrared receiving system 100 disposed within the housing 200. The infrared receiving system 100 includes an infrared receiving module 10 and a light guide 20. The output end 21 of the light guide 20 is opposite to the receiving port of the infrared receiving module 10, and the input end 22 of the light guide 20 is used to receive infrared light. Here, the output end 21 being opposite to the receiving port of the infrared receiving module 10 means that the infrared light output from the output end 21 can be directly transmitted to the receiving port of the infrared receiving module 10. The infrared receiving module can be composed of an infrared receiving diode, signal conditioning circuits (such as amplification and filtering circuits), etc., and can be packaged into an integrated component. The infrared light received from the input end 22 of the light guide 20 can be transmitted through the light guide 20 to the output end 21, and then emitted from the output end 21 to illuminate the infrared receiving module 10. The infrared receiving module 10 can detect the infrared light signal emitted from the output end 21 of the light guide 20 through the infrared receiving diode.

[0031] To ensure the accuracy of the signals received by the infrared receiving system 100, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the infrared receiving system 100 is used to receive infrared commands, which carry information for indicating a target receiving port. The infrared command may have a special code, and the infrared receiving module 10 determines whether to receive the infrared command based on this code, to prevent the infrared receiving module 10 from receiving unnecessary infrared signals, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the signals received by the infrared receiving system 100.

[0032] In this embodiment of the disclosure, reference is made to Figure 4The infrared receiving system 100 may include a signal processing module 300 and a motherboard 400. The signal processing module 300 is opto-connected to the infrared receiving module 10 and configured to receive signals emitted by the infrared receiving module 10. The motherboard 400 is electrically connected to the signal processing module 300 and configured to receive electrical signals transmitted by the signal processing module 300. The signal processing module 300 may include a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a storage unit, and software algorithms, and may integrate multiple chips or modules. Through the signal processing module 300, the electrical signals output by the infrared receiving module 10 can be decoded to convert the electrical signals into specific instructions or data, thereby performing logical processing on the parsed signals, such as forwarding instructions to the motherboard 400 for control. When multiple light guides 20 are provided, the infrared receiving module 10 will receive multiple infrared signal commands. The signal processing module 300 can also compare and analyze the multiple infrared signal commands received by the infrared receiving module 10. After calculating that the time difference between multiple signals is short and comparing and analyzing that multiple signals are the same signal, the signal processing module 300 transmits the command to the motherboard 400, thereby responding to the user's operation command. Since the time difference when a single signal command is received by the infrared receiving module 10 through multiple light guides 20 is extremely short, much shorter than the time of continuous infrared transmission (such as continuous button presses on a remote control), there will be no situation where continuous infrared transmission (continuous button presses on a remote control) causes the product to malfunction.

[0033] Through the above technical solution, the infrared receiving system 100 can receive infrared rays through the guide beam 20 and transmit them to the infrared receiving module 10. The arrangement of the guide beam 20 is more flexible, making it easier to guide infrared rays to the infrared receiving module 10 in complex structures. This breaks through the distance and space limitations of traditional infrared transmission and improves the anti-interference capability of the infrared receiving system. By placing the infrared receiving system 100 inside the housing, the problem of the infrared receiving module 10 being exposed to the outside is solved, improving the product's sealing and integration, as well as increasing the flexibility of the infrared receiving module 10's placement.

[0034] In one embodiment, the light guide 20 may include an optical fiber. Optical fibers are suitable for long-distance transmission and are lightweight, easily bendable and coiled, adaptable to complex spatial layouts. In other embodiments, the light guide 20 may include a flexible conduit made of a transparent polymer, or may include other structures suitable for transmitting infrared light.

[0035] The input end 22 of the guide light 20 can be configured as an outward expansion structure. Here, outward expansion refers to expansion in a direction other than the guide light 20, so as to increase the receiving angle of the input end 22, allowing the reception of infrared signals at a larger angle, thereby reducing the accuracy requirements of the infrared emission angle, and enabling the emission of infrared rays that the guide light 20 can receive at various angles.

[0036] In one embodiment, reference is made to... Figure 3 The input end 22 of the light guide 20 can be constructed as a horn shape with the opening facing outwards. The horn-shaped structure is convenient to manufacture, can ensure a consistent expansion angle in all directions, and can also focus the incident light, reducing losses.

[0037] In one embodiment, the outward expansion structure of the input end 22 of the light guide 20 can be disposed on the inner wall of the housing 200, so that the input end 22 is as close as possible to the outside of the housing 200, allowing the infrared signal entering the housing 200 to be directly received by the input end 22. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the outward expansion structure of the input end 22 of the light guide 20 can be disposed near the inner wall of the housing 200, ensuring that the path between the outside of the housing 200 and the input end 22 is as short as possible, so as to ensure that the input end 22 can accurately and quickly receive the infrared signal.

[0038] The outer casing 200 of the home appliance can be assembled from multiple separate structures. For example, the outer casing of an air conditioner can be assembled from a front casing, a rear casing, an upper casing, a lower casing, etc. The input end 22 of the light guide 20 can be positioned towards the seam of these separate structures. Therefore, the reception of infrared light by the input end 22 can be achieved using the existing gap structure of the home appliance, without the need for additional openings in the home appliance, thus ensuring the integrated appearance and aesthetics of the home appliance.

[0039] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the infrared receiving system 100 may include multiple guide beams 20, and the input ends 22 of the multiple guide beams 20 may be arranged at multiple locations on the infrared receiving module 10. Arranging the input ends 22 of the guide beams 20 at different locations allows for infrared light reception at different positions, increasing the reception range of the infrared receiving system 100 and thus improving the product's usability. Depending on the product to which the infrared receiving system 100 is applied, guide beams 20 can be provided at all possible locations for infrared light reception.

[0040] The output ends 21 of the multiple guide beams 20 can be opposite to the receiving port of an infrared receiving module 10, which simplifies the configuration of the infrared receiving system 100 and avoids structural complexity and increased cost. In other embodiments, each output end 21 may correspond to the receiving port of an infrared receiving module 10, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0041] In one embodiment, the number of guide beams 20 can be at least four, and the four guide beams 20 are evenly distributed around the circumference of the infrared receiving module 10 to ensure omnidirectional reception of infrared signals. For example, the infrared receiving module 10 can be positioned in the center of the product in which it is applied, such as in the center of an air conditioner. Figure 1Taking a vertical air conditioner as an example, the input end 22 of the light guide 20 can be arranged in the four directions of front, back, left, and right of the air conditioner so that infrared rays can be received from all directions of the air conditioner. In other embodiments, a light guide 20 can also be added above the air conditioner; Figure 2 Taking the wall-mounted air conditioner shown as an example, since the upper and rear areas are high-altitude and non-exposed areas during use, one guide light 20 can be arranged on each of the left and right sides of the air conditioner, and two guide light 20 can be arranged in front. The number and position of the guide light 20 can be adjusted according to the size and application direction of the product to which the infrared receiving system 100 is applied.

[0042] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the home appliance may include an air conditioner, enabling infrared remote control while maintaining the air conditioner's aesthetic appearance. It may also include a television, refrigerator, or washing machine, etc.

[0043] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a home appliance system is provided, including a home appliance and a remote control device 500. The home appliance is the one described above and has all the beneficial effects described above, which will not be repeated here. An infrared receiving system is used to receive infrared commands issued by the remote control device 500.

[0044] In one embodiment, reference is made to... Figure 4 The remote control device 500 may be equipped with an infrared transmitting module 510, which is wirelessly connected to the infrared receiving module 10 to wirelessly transmit infrared signals. The infrared transmitting module 510 can transmit infrared commands carrying information indicating a target receiving port, thereby controlling corresponding functions of the home appliance through specific encoding. For example, when the home appliance contains multiple infrared receiving modules 10, the same remote control device 500 can send signals with different encodings through the infrared transmitting modules 510 to control multiple home appliances or multiple components of the same home appliance. In other embodiments, infrared signals can also be transmitted through other devices, such as the infrared transmitting module 510 installed on a mobile phone; this disclosure does not limit this to such methods.

[0045] In the above detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific aspects of this disclosure by way of illustration. In this regard, terms indicating direction or positional relationship, such as “center,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” “counterclockwise,” “axial,” “radial,” and “circumferential,” are used with reference to the orientation of the described figures. Since components of the described device can be positioned in multiple different orientations, directional terms are used for illustrative purposes and not for limitation. It should be understood that other aspects can be utilized and structural or logical changes can be made without departing from the concept of this disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be considered limiting.

[0046] It should be understood that, unless otherwise specifically indicated, features of various embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be combined with each other. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any one of the relevant listed items and any combination of any two or more; similarly, “at least one of…” includes any one of the relevant listed items and any combination of any two or more.

[0047] It should be understood that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "joining," "attaching," "installing," "connecting," "linking," "fixing," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between them; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms herein based on the specific circumstances.

[0048] Furthermore, the term "above" as used herein with respect to components, elements, or material layers formed or located "above" a surface may be used to indicate that the component, element, or material layer is "indirectly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface such that one or more additional components, elements, or layers are arranged between the surface and the component, element, or material layer. However, the term "above" as used with respect to components, elements, or material layers formed or located "above" a surface may also optionally have a specific meaning: that the component, element, or material layer is "directly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface, for example, in direct contact with the surface.

[0049] Although terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used herein to describe various components, parts, regions, layers, or sections, these components, parts, regions, layers, or sections are not limited to these terms. Rather, these terms are used only to distinguish one component, part, region, layer, or section from another. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the examples described herein, the first component, part, region, layer, or section mentioned in the examples may also be referred to as the second component, part, region, layer, or section. Furthermore, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description herein, “a plurality” means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0050] It should be understood that spatial relative terms, such as “above,” “upper,” “below,” and “lower,” are used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another shown in the figures. In addition to the orientation depicted in the figures, these spatial relative terms are also intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figures is flipped, an element described as “above” or “upper” relative to another element would be “below” or “lower” relative to that other element. Thus, depending on the spatial orientation of the device, the term “above” encompasses both above and below orientations. Devices may have other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative terms used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0051] Furthermore, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as advantageous compared to other aspects or designs. Rather, the use of the term “exemplary” is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. As used herein, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, “X applies A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive arrangements. That is, “X applies A or B” satisfies any of the foregoing instances if X applies A; X applies B; or both X applies A and B. Additionally, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to refer to the singular form, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims are generally understood to mean “one or more.”

[0052] Similarly, although this disclosure has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the accompanying drawings. This disclosure includes all such modifications and variations and is limited only by the scope of the claims. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the components described above (e.g., elements, resources, etc.), unless otherwise indicated, the terminology used to describe such components is intended to correspond to any component (functionally equivalent) that performs the specific function of the described component, even if structurally not equivalent to the disclosed structure. Furthermore, although specific features of this disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, as may be desired and advantageous to any given or particular application. Moreover, with regard to the terms “comprising,” “owning,” “having,” “having,” or variations thereof as used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “including.”

[0053] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

[0054] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electric home appliance characterized by comprising: The system includes a housing and an infrared receiving system disposed within the housing, the infrared receiving system comprising: An infrared receiving module and a light guide, wherein the output end of the light guide is opposite to the receiving port of the infrared receiving module, and the input end of the light guide is used to receive infrared rays; A signal processing module, electrically connected to the infrared receiving module, is used to receive and convert the electrical signals emitted by the infrared receiving module; and The motherboard is electrically connected to the signal processing module to receive electrical signals from the signal processing module.

2. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein The light guide includes optical fiber.

3. The home appliance of claim 1, wherein, The input end of the light guide is constructed with an outward expansion structure.

4. The household appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that, The input end of the light guide is constructed in the shape of a horn with the opening facing outwards.

5. The household appliance according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The outward expansion structure of the input end of the light guide is disposed on the inner wall of the housing, or the outward expansion structure of the input end of the light guide is disposed near the inner wall of the housing.

6. The household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer shell is composed of multiple modular structures, and the input end of the guiding light is positioned towards the seam of the modular structures.

7. The household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of light guides is multiple, and the input ends of the multiple light guides are arranged in multiple positions of the infrared receiving module.

8. The home appliance of claim 7, wherein The output ends of multiple guided light rays are opposite to the receiving port of one of the infrared receiving modules.

9. The home appliance of claim 8, wherein The number of the light guides is at least four, and the four light guides are evenly distributed around the infrared receiving module.

10. The household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The household appliances include air conditioners.

11. A home appliance system, characterized by, It includes home appliances and remote control devices, wherein the home appliances are the home appliances according to any one of claims 1-10, and the infrared receiving system is used to receive infrared commands issued by the remote control device.

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