Method of diagnosing device having ice making function and server implementing same

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Solution Overview

Problem

Home appliances with ice making and water purification functions, such as refrigerators and water purifiers, often experience performance issues due to low water pressure or inadequate water supply, which can go undetected by users and service personnel, necessitating a diagnostic solution to address these problems.

Innovation Solution

A server-based method that diagnoses the water pressure and supply status of electronic devices with ice making functions by receiving data, checking the water pressure state, and activating repair or notification services when issues are detected, using accumulated data to improve diagnosis reliability and efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If water supply data is collected and analyzed by a server to diagnose water pressure issues, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnostic accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A server acts as an intermediary between multiple electronic devices and users/service personnel. The server collects water supply data from devices, performs centralized analysis to diagnose water pressure issues, and communicates diagnostic results back to users or service centers. This intermediary approach enables accurate diagnostics without adding complexity to individual devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges data collection, storage, and analysis functions into a centralized server system. Instead of each electronic device independently diagnosing water pressure issues, multiple devices' data are combined and analyzed together on the server, improving diagnostic accuracy through aggregated information while keeping individual devices simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Loss of time

If real-time water supply monitoring is implemented, then problem detection speed is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproblem detection speedVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous real-time monitoring, the system implements periodic data collection where electronic devices transmit water supply data to the server at scheduled intervals. This periodic approach enables timely problem detection while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Reliability

If comprehensive data collection from multiple devices is performed, then diagnosis reliability is improved, but data processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnosis reliabilityVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The server extracts only the essential water supply data parameters needed for diagnosis from the comprehensive device data. By selecting and processing only the relevant data elements rather than all available data, the system maintains high diagnosis reliability while minimizing data processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4230930A1Method of diagnosing device having ice making function and server implementing same
Publication Date: 2023.08.23 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP4230930A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4230930A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4230930A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Provided herein are methods of diagnosing an electronic device having an ice making function, the method comprising: receiving, by a server (300), data related to water supply and ice making from the electronic device (200, 200a, 200b, 200c); based on receiving the data, checking, by the server (300), one or more of water pressure state, an ice making state, or an ice usage state of the electronic device (200, 200a, 200b, 200c); based on the checked state, diagnosing, by the server (300), the electronic device to be in a low water pressure state or an insufficient water supply state; and based on the diagnosis, activating, by the server (300), a repair-inspection service for the electronic device (200, 200a, 200b, 200c), or providing a notification service to a user terminal corresponding to the electronic device (200, 200a, 200b, 200c).