Iot-based laundry treatment apparatus and control method therefor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clothing processing apparatuses, such as washing machines and drying machines, often leave clothing unattended after the completion of a cycle, leading to potential damage due to prolonged exposure, as existing systems rely solely on user notifications which may not align with the user's context or situation.
Innovation Solution
A clothing processing apparatus integrated into an IoT system that adjusts or modifies its processing time based on contextual information from connected electronic devices, such as remaining content playback time, device position, and process duration, allowing for dynamic changes in the processing schedule to align with the user's situation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the washing machine or drying machine provides only a notification when the process ends, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of preventing clothing damage is insufficient because the user may not retrieve the clothing in time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary component that receives context information from multiple electronic devices (smartphone, tablet, PC, TV, refrigerator, air conditioner) and communicates with the washing machine or drying machine. This server mediates between the user's situation and the appliance, enabling reliable prevention of clothing damage by coordinating process termination with user availability without significantly increasing the complexity of the appliance itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the washing machine or drying machine continuously monitors context information from electronic devices about user activity and availability. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically adjusts the process termination timing to ensure clothing is retrieved promptly, thereby improving reliability while maintaining acceptable device complexity through intelligent control algorithms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the clothing processing apparatus operates with a fixed process time, then the productivity is high and energy consumption is low, but the adaptability to user situation is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the process termination time flexible rather than fixed. The washing machine or drying machine dynamically adjusts the end time of the clothing processing process based on real-time context information about user activity from connected electronic devices. This allows the system to adapt to different user situations (watching TV, working on PC, traveling) while maintaining high productivity by minimizing unnecessary delays and energy consumption.
3Ease of operation
If the washing machine extends the process time to wait for the user, then the ease of operation improves, but the loss of time and energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by proactively monitoring user context information before the washing or drying process ends. By continuously checking whether the user is engaged in activities that indicate unavailability (watching TV, working, traveling), the system can predict the optimal termination time in advance, extending the process only as long as necessary to ensure the user will be available to retrieve the clothing, thereby minimizing time and energy loss while improving ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A clothing processing apparatus included in an Internet of Things (IoT) system is provided. The clothing processing apparatus includes a communication interface and a processor configured to perform a process including at least one clothing processing operation.