Visual Code Diagnosis for Home Appliance Fault History

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional home appliance diagnostic methods fail to precisely diagnose issues due to lack of historical operation data, relying solely on current state information, which is insufficient for accurately identifying malfunctions, especially in appliances like refrigerators where operational history is crucial.

Innovation Solution

A diagnostic apparatus and method that capture and analyze visual signals from home appliances to extract product information, converting it into a diagnosable format, allowing for comprehensive failure diagnosis by recognizing codes within the signal frames and generating a diagnosis result.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If only current state information is output as a signal sound, then the transmission method is simple, but the diagnosis precision is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvediagnosis precisionVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from acoustic signal transmission to visual code display, adding a spatial dimension to information output. The display unit presents codes visually that can be captured by an imaging device, enabling more comprehensive data transmission including historical operation information while maintaining system simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses visual codes as a copyable representation of appliance state data. Instead of transmitting raw data or audio signals, the system generates visual code images that can be captured, stored, and analyzed, preserving all diagnostic information in a transferable format.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Loss of information

If visual display is used to output diagnosis results, then information presentation is improved, but the ability to indicate diagnosis mode status is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidoperation status indication
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The display unit operates in periodic cycles, alternating between showing operation status indicators and displaying diagnostic codes. This periodic switching ensures that both the diagnosis mode status and the actual diagnostic information are communicated to the user without requiring additional display elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The display unit dynamically changes its content based on the current operational phase. During diagnosis mode, it displays status indicators; during code output phase, it shows diagnostic codes. This dynamic behavior allows a single display unit to convey multiple types of information at different times.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2618230B1Diagnostic apparatus and method
Publication Date: 2021.06.16 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP2618230B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2618230B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2618230B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A diagnostic apparatus receives product information as an image from a home appliance and performs a diagnosis on the home appliance based on a code included in the image. The diagnostic apparatus comprising:a camera configured to capture a signal displayed at a home appliance as an image signal; a first image processing unit configured to convert the image signal captured by the camera into image data for a plurality of frames of the image signal; a second image processing unit configured to analyze the image data, to recognize a code included in a frame, and to extract data associated with the code; a data processing unit configured to convert data extracted by the second image processing unit into product information; a diagnosing unit configured to diagnose the home appliance based on the product information and to generate a diagnosis result; and a controller configured to drive the camera when a diagnosis mode is performed so that the image signal is captured and to perform control so that the diagnosis result is generated.