Household Appliance Safe-Mode Switching for Abnormal Operation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users often fail to detect abnormalities in household electrical appliances in a timely manner, leading to potential safety hazards when they forget to switch the operation mode to off, especially in appliances like air conditioners and air purifiers.

Innovation Solution

A method and device for mode switching that establishes a binding relationship between an electronic device and a household appliance using a two-dimensional code identity, detects abnormal operation statuses, and automatically switches to a safe mode, sending abnormality information to the electronic device for display and recovery signals to restore normal operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual mode switching is used, then users can control the appliance, but safety hazards increase when users forget to switch to off mode

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanual controlVSAvoidsafety
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The appliance performs self-diagnosis and automatically switches to safe mode when abnormalities are detected, eliminating the need for continuous user monitoring and manual intervention to ensure safety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors operational parameters and provides real-time feedback to the control unit, which automatically responds by switching modes when abnormal conditions are detected

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If automatic abnormality detection is implemented, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoiddetection system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit serves multiple functions including normal operation control, abnormality detection, and automatic mode switching, eliminating the need for separate dedicated detection hardware

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The detection and control functions are merged into a single control unit that integrates monitoring, analysis, and response capabilities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3015938B1Method and device for mode switching
Publication Date: 2022.04.27 XIAOMI INC
  • EP3015938B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3015938B1 patent drawingFigure 3A
  • EP3015938B1 patent drawingFigure 3B~3C

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a method and a device for mode switching and belongs to the field of automatic control. The method includes: detecting (102) whether a self-operation status is abnormal; if the operation status is abnormal, switching (104) a current operation mode into a safe mode; operating (106) in the safe mode; and when a household electrical appliance is connected with an electronic device, sending (108) abnormality information to the electronic device. In the present disclosure, abnormality information is displayed on the display interface of the electronic device, and thus the present disclosure solves the problems that a user cannot find the abnormality of the household electrical appliance in time and relatively high potential safety hazards exist if the user forgets to adjust the operation mode of the household electrical appliance into an off mode. Consequently, the user can find the abnormality of the household electrical appliance in time so as to effectively reduce the extent of damage of the household electrical appliance, and the potential safety hazards while the user is using the household electrical appliance is effectively reduced.