HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES PROXIMITY DETECTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to groups of at least two household appliances and to systems and methods for remotely operating one household appliance of the group by another household appliance of the group.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Household appliances are utilized generally for a variety of tasks by a variety of users. For example, a household may include such appliances as laundry appliances, e.g., a washer and/or dryer, kitchen appliances, e.g., a refrigerator, a microwave, and/or a coffee maker, along with room air conditioners and other various appliances. Some household appliance may be remotely operable, e.g., may be operable in response to commands or inputs from a user interface not directly physically connected to, e.g., remote from, the household appliance.

Some household appliances can also include features for connecting to and communicating with other household appliances, including controlling one household appliance from a user interface of another household appliance, e.g., such household appliance may be capable of remote operation from another household appliance. For example, laundry appliances such as a washing machine appliance and a dryer appliance may include such features, e.g., whereby one of the washing machine appliance and the dryer appliance may be used to operate, activate, or otherwise control the other of the washing machine appliance and the dryer appliance. As another example, such group of household appliances may include kitchen appliances, such as various combinations of oven appliances, cooktop appliances, range appliances, and/or other similar household appliances. Where one household appliance of the group is positioned such that it is less convenient to access for at least some users than another household appliance, such as a dryer appliance stacked on top of a washing machine appliance or a microwave oven appliance above a range or cooktop appliance, etc., it may be desirable to operate the harder to reach, e.g., higher, household appliance, from the more conveniently positioned household appliance.

Some features, however, may require that a user be in attendance of or proximate to the household appliance when operating the household appliance, which is referred to herein as “attended operation.” Examples of features that may require attended operation may include turning on a dryer appliance or an oven appliance (such as an over the range microwave oven appliance), selecting a temperature setting for such household appliances, or choosing a mode of operation of such household appliances.

Accordingly, improved household appliances and methods for enabling remote operation thereof are desired, such as ensuring that a user is proximate to a remote-operated household appliance for which attended operation is beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a group of household appliances is provided. The method includes pairing a primary household appliance and a secondary household appliance of the group of household appliances. The method also includes providing a prompt to perform a proximity test after pairing the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance and detecting a physical interaction with the secondary household appliance after providing the prompt. The method further includes receiving an input at a user interface of the primary household appliance and activating the secondary appliance in response to the input received at the user interface of the primary household appliance.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a group of household appliances is provided. The method includes providing a prompt to perform a proximity test and determining, by a primary household appliance of the group of household appliances, that a distance between the primary household appliance and a secondary household appliance of the group of household appliances is less than a proximity threshold. The method further includes receiving an input at a user interface of the primary household appliance and activating the secondary household appliance in response to the input received at the user interface of the primary household appliance.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.

FIG. 1 provides a front view of exemplary laundry appliances in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 provides a side cross-sectional view of one of the exemplary laundry appliances of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 provides a perspective view of the other exemplary laundry appliance of FIG. 1 with portions of a cabinet of the laundry appliance removed to reveal certain components of the laundry appliance.

FIG. 4 provides a front view of an exemplary group of kitchen appliances in accordance with one or more additional exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 provides a side schematic view of the group of kitchen appliances of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 provides a diagrammatic illustration of a primary household appliance and a secondary household appliance in accordance with one or more additional exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 provides a diagrammatic illustration of another exemplary group of household appliances including a primary household appliance and a secondary household appliance in accordance with one or more additional exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 provides a flowchart illustrating an example method of operating a group of household appliances according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 provides a flowchart illustrating another example method of operating a group of household appliances according to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. The terms “includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”). In addition, here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged. Such ranges are identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise. For example, all ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, and the endpoints are independently combinable with each other. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, terms of approximation, such as “generally,” or “about” include values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. When used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include within ten degrees greater or less than the stated angle or direction. For example, “generally vertical” includes directions within ten degrees of vertical in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counter-clockwise. As used herein, numerical terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” “primary,” “secondary,” “tertiary,” etc., may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1 through 7, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present subject matter, a group of household appliances including at least a primary household appliance 10 and a household secondary appliance 11 is provided. The illustrated groups of two appliances are provided by way of example only. Various embodiments of the present subject matter may also include three or more appliances (see, for example, FIG. 6). For example, the exemplary appliances of FIGS. 1 through 7 may each be provided in various combinations with one or more of the other appliances of FIGS. 1 through 7 and/or either or both groups of appliances illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7. Each appliance of the group or two or more appliances disclosed herein may be operable and configured to connect to one or more remote computing devices, e.g., a cloud, fog, edge, or other distributed computing environment.

As generally seen throughout FIGS. 1 through 7, each appliance 10 and 11 includes a cabinet 12 which defines a vertical direction V and a lateral direction L that are mutually perpendicular. Each cabinet 12 extends between a top side 16 and a bottom side 14 along the vertical direction V. Each cabinet 12 also extends between a left side 18 and a right side 20, e.g., along the lateral direction L.

Each appliance 10 and 11 may include a user interface panel 100 and a user input device 102 which may be positioned on an exterior of the cabinet 12. The user input device 102 is generally positioned proximate to the user interface panel 100, and in some embodiments, the user input device 102 may be positioned on the user interface panel 100.

In various embodiments, the user interface panel 100 may represent a general purpose I/O (“GPIO”) device or functional block. In some embodiments, the user interface panel 100 may include or be in operative communication with user input device 102, such as one or more of a variety of digital, analog, electrical, mechanical or electro-mechanical input devices including rotary dials, control knobs, push buttons, and touch pads. The user interface panel 100 may include a display component 104, such as a digital or analog display device designed to provide operational feedback to a user. The display component 104 may also be a touchscreen capable of receiving a user input, such that the display component 104 may also be the user input device 102 or one of several user input devices 102.

Generally, each appliance 10 and 11 may include a controller 210 in operative communication with the user input device 102. The user interface panel 100 and the user input device 102 may be in communication with the controller 210 via, for example, one or more signal lines or shared communication busses. Input/output (“I/O”) signals may be routed between controller 210 and various operational components of the appliances 10 and 11. Operation of the appliances 10 and 11 may each be regulated by the respective controller 210 that is operatively coupled to the corresponding user interface panel 100. A user interface panel 100 may for example provide selections for user manipulation of the operation of an appliance, e.g., via user input device 102 and/or display 104. In response to user manipulation of the user interface panel 100 and/or user input device 102, the controller 210 may operate various components of the appliance 10 or 11. Each controller 210 may include a memory and one or more microprocessors, CPUs or the like, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with operation of the appliance 10 or 11. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. Alternatively, a controller 210 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software.

The controller 210 may be programmed to operate the respective appliance 10 or 11 by executing instructions stored in memory. For example, the instructions may be software or any set of instructions that when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations. Controller 210 can include one or more processor(s) and associated memory device(s) configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions and/or instructions (e.g. performing the methods, steps, calculations and the like and storing relevant data as disclosed herein). It should be noted that controllers 210 as disclosed herein are capable of and may be operable to perform any methods and associated method steps as disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the group of household appliances 10 and 11 may be or include a pair of laundry appliances. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the primary appliance may be a washing machine appliance 10 and the secondary appliance may be a clothes dryer 11. In other embodiments, the washing machine appliance may be the secondary appliance and the clothes dryer may be the primary appliance. In embodiments such as illustrated in FIG. 1, the user input device 102 of each household appliance 10 and 11 may be positioned on the user interface panel 100. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 also includes a display 104 on the user interface panel 100 of each household appliance 10 and 11. The display 104 of either laundry appliance 10 or 11 may be a high-end user interface or a component of a high-end user interface, in accordance with the meaning of “high-end” user interface described in more detail below.

Additional exemplary details of the laundry appliances 10 and 11 are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. For example, FIG. 2 provides a cross-sectional view of an exemplary washing machine appliance 10 which may, in various embodiments, be one appliance of a group of connected appliances. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a wash tub 124 is non-rotatably mounted within cabinet 12. As may be seen in FIG. 2, the wash tub 124 defines a central axis 101. In the example embodiment illustrated by FIG. 2. the central axis 101 may be oriented generally along or parallel to the transverse direction T of the washing machine appliance 10. Accordingly, the washing machine appliance 10 may be referred to as a horizontal axis washing machine.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a wash basket 120 is rotatably mounted within the tub 124 such that the wash basket 120 is rotatable about an axis of rotation, which generally coincides with central axis 101 of the tub 124. A motor 122, e.g., such as a pancake motor, is in mechanical communication with wash basket 120 to selectively rotate wash basket 120 (e.g., during an agitation or a rinse cycle of washing machine appliance 10). Wash basket 120 defines a wash chamber 126 that is configured for receipt of articles for washing. The wash tub 124 holds wash and rinse fluids for agitation in wash basket 120 within wash tub 124. As used herein, “wash fluid” may refer to water, detergent, fabric softener, bleach, or any other suitable wash additive or combination thereof. The wash basket 120 and the tub 124 may collectively define at least a portion of a tub assembly for the washing machine appliance 10.

Wash basket 120 may define one or more agitator features that extend into wash chamber 126 to assist in agitation and cleaning of articles disposed within wash chamber 126 during operation of washing machine appliance 10. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of ribs 128 extends from basket 120 into wash chamber 126. In this manner, for example, ribs 128 may lift articles disposed in wash basket 120 during rotation of wash basket 120.

Referring generally to FIGS. 1 and 2, cabinet 12 also includes a front panel 130 which defines an opening 132 that permits user access to wash basket 120 within wash tub 124. More specifically, washing machine appliance 10 includes a door 134 that is positioned in front of opening 132 and is rotatably mounted to front panel 130. Door 134 is rotatable such that door 134 permits selective access to opening 132 by rotating between an open position (not shown) facilitating access to a wash tub 124 and a closed position (FIG. 1) prohibiting access to wash tub 124.

A window 136 in door 134 permits viewing of wash basket 120 when door 134 is in the closed position, e.g., during operation of washing machine appliance 10. Door 134 also includes a handle (not shown) that, e.g., a user may pull when opening and closing door 134. Further, although door 134 is illustrated as mounted to front panel 130, it should be appreciated that door 134 may be mounted to another side of cabinet 12 or any other suitable support according to alternative embodiments.

Referring again to FIG. 2, wash basket 120 also defines a plurality of perforations 140 in order to facilitate fluid communication between an interior of basket 120 and wash tub 124. A sump 142 is defined by wash tub 124 at a bottom of wash tub 124 along the vertical direction V. Thus, sump 142 is configured for receipt of and generally collects wash fluid during operation of washing machine appliance 10. For example, during operation of washing machine appliance 10, wash fluid may be urged by gravity from basket 120 to sump 142 through plurality of perforations 140. A pump assembly 144 is located beneath tub 124 for gravity assisted flow when draining tub 124, e.g., via a drain 146. Pump assembly 144 may be configured for recirculating wash fluid within wash tub 124.

A spout 150 is configured for directing a flow of fluid into wash tub 124. For example, spout 150 may be in fluid communication with a water supply (not shown) in order to direct fluid (e.g., clean water) into wash tub 124. Spout 150 may also be in fluid communication with the sump 142. For example, pump assembly 144 may direct wash fluid disposed in sump 142 to spout 150 in order to circulate wash fluid in wash tub 124.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a detergent drawer 152 is slidably mounted within front panel 130. Detergent drawer 152 receives a wash additive (e.g., detergent, fabric softener, bleach, or any other suitable liquid or powder) and directs the fluid additive to wash chamber 124 during operation of washing machine appliance 10. According to the illustrated embodiment, detergent drawer 152 may also be fluidly coupled to spout 150 to facilitate the complete and accurate dispensing of wash additive.

Additionally, a bulk reservoir 154 is disposed within cabinet 12. Bulk reservoir 154 is also configured for receipt of fluid additive for use during operation of washing machine appliance 10. Bulk reservoir 154 is sized such that a volume of fluid additive sufficient for a plurality or multitude of wash cycles of washing machine appliance 10 (e.g., five, ten, twenty, fifty, or any other suitable number of wash cycles) may fill bulk reservoir 154. Thus, for example, a user can fill bulk reservoir 154 with fluid additive and operate washing machine appliance 10 for a plurality of wash cycles without refilling bulk reservoir 154 with fluid additive. A reservoir pump 156 is configured for selective delivery of the fluid additive from bulk reservoir 154 to wash tub 124.

During operation of washing machine appliance 10, laundry items are loaded into wash basket 120 through opening 132, and washing operation is initiated through operator manipulation of input selectors 102. Wash tub 124 is filled with water, detergent, and/or other fluid additives, e.g., via spout 150 and/or detergent drawer 152. One or more valves (not shown) can be controlled by washing machine appliance 10 to provide for filling wash basket 120 to the appropriate level for the amount of articles being washed and/or rinsed. By way of example for a wash mode, once wash basket 120 is properly filled with fluid, the contents of wash basket 120 can be agitated (e.g., with ribs 128) for washing of laundry items in wash basket 120.

After the agitation phase of the wash cycle is completed, wash tub 124 can be drained. Laundry articles can then be rinsed by again adding fluid to wash tub 124, depending on the particulars of the cleaning cycle selected by a user. Ribs 128 may again provide agitation within wash basket 120. One or more spin cycles may also be used. In particular, a spin cycle may be applied after the wash cycle and/or after the rinse cycle in order to wring wash fluid from the articles being washed. During a spin cycle, basket 120 is rotated at relatively high speeds. After articles disposed in wash basket 120 are cleaned and/or washed, the user can remove the articles from wash basket 120, e.g., by opening door 134 and reaching into wash basket 120 through opening 132.

While described in the context of a specific embodiment of horizontal axis washing machine appliance 10, using the teachings disclosed herein it will be understood that horizontal axis washing machine appliance 10 is provided by way of example only. Other washing machine appliances having different configurations, different appearances, and/or different features may also be utilized with the present subject matter as well, e.g., vertical axis washing machine appliances.

FIG. 3 provides a perspective view of the dryer appliance 11 of FIG. 1 with a portion of a cabinet or housing 12 of dryer appliance 11 removed in order to show certain components of dryer appliance 11. Dryer appliance 11 generally defines a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and a transverse direction T, each of which is mutually perpendicular, such that an orthogonal coordinate system is defined. While described in the context of a specific embodiment of dryer appliance 11, using the teachings disclosed herein, it will be understood that dryer appliance 11 is provided by way of example only. Other dryer appliances having different appearances and different features may also be utilized with the present subject matter as well.

Cabinet 12 includes a front side 22 and a rear side 24 spaced apart from each other along the transverse direction T. Within cabinet 12, an interior volume 29 is defined. A drum or container 26 is mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis within the interior volume 29. Drum 26 defines a chamber 25 for receipt of articles of clothing for tumbling and/or drying. Drum 26 extends between a front portion 37 and a back portion 38. Drum 26 also includes a back or rear wall 34, e.g., at back portion 38 of drum 26. A supply duct 41 may be mounted to rear wall 34 and receives heated air that has been heated by a heating assembly or system 40.

As used herein, the terms “clothing” or “articles” includes but need not be limited to fabrics, textiles, garments, linens, papers, or other items from which the extraction of moisture is desirable. Furthermore, the term “load” or “laundry load” refers to the combination of clothing that may be washed together in a washing machine 10 or dried together in a dryer appliance 11 (e.g., clothes dryer) and may include a mixture of different or similar articles of clothing of different or similar types and kinds of fabrics, textiles, garments and linens within a particular laundering process.

A motor 31 is provided in some embodiments to rotate drum 26 about the horizontal axis, e.g., via a pulley and a belt (not pictured). Drum 26 is generally cylindrical in shape, having an outer cylindrical wall 28 and a front flange or wall 30 that defines an opening 32 of drum 26, e.g., at front portion 37 of drum 26, for loading and unloading of articles into and out of chamber 25 of drum 26. A plurality of lifters or baffles 27 are provided within chamber 25 of drum 26 to lift articles therein and then allow such articles to tumble back to a bottom of drum 26 as drum 26 rotates. Baffles 27 may be mounted to drum 26 such that baffles 27 rotate with drum 26 during operation of dryer appliance 11.

The rear wall 34 of drum 26 may be rotatably supported within the cabinet 12 by a suitable fixed bearing. Rear wall 34 can be fixed or can be rotatable. Rear wall 34 may include, for instance, a plurality of holes that receive hot air that has been heated by heating system 40. The heating system 40 may include, e.g., a heat pump, an electric heating element, and/or a gas heating element (e.g., gas burner). Moisture laden, heated air is drawn from drum 26 by an air handler, such as blower fan 48, which generates a negative air pressure within drum 26. The moisture laden heated air passes through a duct 44 enclosing screen filter 46, which traps lint particles. As the air passes from blower fan 48, it enters a duct 50 and then is passed into heating system 40. In some embodiments, the dryer appliance 11 may be a conventional dryer appliance, e.g., the heating system 40 may be or include an electric heating element, e.g., a resistive heating element, or a gas-powered heating element, e.g., a gas burner. In other embodiments, the dryer appliance may be a condensation dryer, such as a heat pump dryer. In such embodiments, heating system 40 may be or include a heat pump including a sealed refrigerant circuit. Heated air (with a lower moisture content than was received from drum 26), exits heating system 40 and returns to drum 26 by duct 41. After the clothing articles have been dried, they are removed from the drum 26 via opening 32. A door (FIG. 1) provides for closing or accessing drum 26 through opening 32.

In some embodiments, one or more selector inputs 102, such as knobs, buttons, touchscreen interfaces, etc., may be provided or mounted on a cabinet 12 (e.g., on a backsplash 71 as illustrated in FIG. 3, or on a top, front portion of the cabinet 12, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7) and are in operable communication (e.g., electrically coupled or coupled through a wireless network band) with the processing device or controller 210. Controller 210 may also be provided in operable communication with components of the dryer appliance 11 including motor 31, blower 48, or heating system 40. In turn, signals generated in controller 210 direct operation of motor 31, blower 48, or heating system 40 in response to the position of inputs 102. As used herein, “processing device” or “controller” may refer to one or more microprocessors, microcontroller, ASICS, or semiconductor devices and is not restricted necessarily to a single element. The controller 210 may be programmed to operate dryer appliance 11 by executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., non-transitory media). The controller 56 may include, or be associated with, one or more memory elements such as RAM, ROM, or electrically erasable, programmable read only memory (EEPROM). For example, the instructions may be software or any set of instructions that when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations. It should be noted that controllers as disclosed herein are capable of and may be operable to perform any methods and associated method steps as disclosed herein. For example, in some embodiments, methods disclosed herein may be embodied in programming instructions stored in the memory and executed by the controller.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate another example embodiment of a group of household appliances where the primary appliance 10 and the secondary appliance 11 are kitchen appliances. In the particular exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the secondary appliance 11 is a user engagement system which includes an image monitor 112 that is generally positioned above a cooktop appliance 10 (where the cooktop appliance 10 is an exemplary embodiment of primary appliance 10), e.g., along the vertical direction V. Image monitor 112 may include a touchscreen capable of receiving a user input by detecting and responding to a touch on a surface, e.g., imaging surface 138, of the image monitor 112, such that the imaging monitor 112 provides both a display 104 and a user input device 102 in a single component.

Referring again to FIGS. 4 and 5, cooktop appliance 10 includes a chassis or cabinet 12 that extends along the vertical direction V between a top side 16 and a bottom side 14. Cooktop appliance 10 can include a cooktop surface 324 having one or more heating elements 326 for use in, for example, heating or cooking operations. In one example embodiment, cooktop surface 324 is constructed with ceramic glass. In other embodiments, however, cooktop surface 324 may include any another suitable material, such as a metallic material (e.g., steel) or another suitable non-metallic material. Heating elements 326 may be various sizes and may employ any suitable method for heating or cooking an object, such as a cooking utensil (not shown), and its contents. In one embodiment, for example, heating element 326 uses a heat transfer method, such as electric coils or gas burners, to heat the cooking utensil. In another embodiment, however, heating element 326 uses an induction heating method to heat the cooking utensil directly. In various embodiments, the heating elements 326 may include one or more of a gas burner element, resistive heat element, radiant heat element, induction element, or another suitable heating element.

In some embodiments, the cabinet 12 of the cooktop appliance 10 may be insulated and may define a cooking chamber 328 selectively enclosed by a door 330. One or more heating elements 332 (e.g., top broiling elements or bottom baking elements) may be positioned within cabinet 12 of cooktop appliance 10 to heat cooking chamber 328. Heating elements 332 within cooking chamber 328 may be provided as any suitable element for cooking the contents of cooking chamber 328, such as an electric resistive heating element, a gas burner, a microwave element, a halogen element, etc. Thus, cooktop appliance 10 may be referred to as an oven range appliance. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, cooktop appliance 10 is provided by way of example only, and the present subject matter may be used in the context of any suitable cooking appliance, such as a double oven range appliance or a standalone cooktop (e.g., fitted integrally with a surface of a kitchen counter). Thus, the example embodiments illustrated and described are not intended to limit the present subject matter to any particular cooking chamber or heating element configuration, unless explicitly indicated as being limited.

As illustrated, a user interface panel 100 may be provided on cooktop appliance 10. Although shown at front portion of cooktop appliance 10, another suitable location or structure (e.g., a backsplash) for supporting user interface panel 100 may be provided in alternative embodiments. In some embodiments, user interface panel 100 includes input components or controls 102, such as one or more of a variety of electrical, mechanical, or electro-mechanical input devices. Controls 102 may include, for example, rotary dials, knobs, push buttons, and touch pads. A controller 210 is in communication with user interface panel 100 and controls 102 through which a user may select various operational features and modes and monitor progress of cooktop appliance 10. In additional or alternative embodiments, user interface panel 100 includes a display component, such as a digital or analog display in communication with a controller 210 and configured to provide operational feedback to a user. In certain embodiments, user interface panel 100 represents a general purpose I/O (“GPIO”) device or functional block.

As shown, controller 210 is communicatively coupled (i.e., in operative communication) with user interface panel 100 and its controls 102. Controller 210 may also be communicatively coupled with various operational components of cooktop appliance 300 as well, such as heating elements (e.g., 326, 332), sensors, and the like. Input/output (“I/O”) signals may be routed between controller 210 and the various operational components of cooktop appliance 10. Thus, controller 210 can selectively activate and operate these various components. Various components of cooktop appliance 10 are communicatively coupled with controller 210 via one or more communication lines such as, for example, conductive signal lines, shared communication busses, or wireless communications bands.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the user engagement system 11 is an example embodiment of a household appliance and may be one of, such as the secondary household appliance, of a group of household appliances. In such embodiments, the user engagement system 11 may include one or more casings (e.g., a hood casing) provided above cooktop appliance 10 along the vertical direction V. For example, a hood casing 12 may be positioned above cooktop appliance 10. Hood casing 12 includes a plurality of outer walls and generally extends along the vertical direction V between a top side 16 and a bottom side 14, along the lateral direction L between a right side 18 and a left side 20, e.g., “right” and “left” as used herein refer to from a perspective of a user standing in front of the appliance 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the hood casing 12 may also extend along the transverse direction T between a front end 22 and a back end 24. In some embodiments, hood casing 12 is spaced apart from cooktop surface 324 along the vertical direction V such that an open region is defined therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 5, in kitchen appliance embodiments, one of the group of appliances 10 and 11 may be or include a ventilation assembly within hood casing 12 which is configured to direct an airflow from the open region between the appliances 10 and 11 and through hood casing 12 of the upper appliance, e.g., which is indicated as user engagement system 11 in the example illustrations of FIGS. 4 and 5, e.g., when the cooktop appliance is the primary appliance 10. Other configurations may be used within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, although a generally rectangular shape is illustrated, any suitable shape or style may be adapted to form the structure of hood casing 12.

In some embodiments, an image monitor 112 may be provided above cooktop surface 324 (e.g., along the vertical direction V). For instance, image monitor 112 may be mounted to or supported on hood casing 12 of the user engagement system 11 (e.g., directly above cooktop surface 324) proximal to the front side 22. Generally, image monitor 112 may be any suitable type of mechanism for visually presenting a digital (e.g., interactive) image. For example, image monitor 112 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, etc. Thus, image monitor 112 includes an imaging surface 138 (e.g., screen or display panel) at which the digital image is presented or displayed as an optically viewable picture (e.g., static image or dynamic video) to a user. Optionally, a protective transparent panel (e.g., formed from a transparent glass, plastic, etc.) may be positioned across or over imaging surface 138. In some such embodiments, the protective transparent panel is mounted within or supported on hood casing 12 forward from imaging surface 138 along the transverse direction T.

As an example, image monitor 112 may present recipe information in the form of viewable text or images. As another example, image monitor 112 may present a remotely captured image, such as a live (e.g., real-time) dynamic video stream received from a separate user or device. As yet another example, image monitor 112 may present a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows a user to select or manipulate various operational features of the user engagement system 11. During use of such GUI embodiments, a user may engage, select, or adjust the image presented at image monitor 112 through any suitable input, such as gesture controls detected through a camera assembly, voice controls detected through one or more microphones, associated touch panels (e.g., capacitance or resistance touch panel), sensors overlaid across imaging surface 138, or any other suitable input.

As illustrated, the imaging surface 138 is directed toward the area forward from the cooktop appliance 10. During use, a user standing in front of cooktop appliance 10 may thus see the optically viewable picture (e.g., recipe, dynamic video stream, graphical user interface, etc.) displayed at the imaging surface 138.

As mentioned, in some embodiments the secondary appliance 11 may be or include a ventilation assembly. In such embodiments, one or more air outlets 206 may be defined by hood casing 12 (e.g., through one or more external walls of hood casing 12). As shown for example in FIG. 5, air outlet 206 defined through hood casing 12 may be defined through hood casing 12 at the top side 16. The ventilation system may generally extend between one or more air inlets 202 defined in the bottom side 14 of the casing 12 and air outlet 206. For example, the bottom side 14 of the casing 12 of the secondary appliance 11 may face the cooktop surface 324 of the cooktop appliance 10. The ventilation system may also include an air handler 204 fixedly mounted within the casing 12 in fluid communication with the air inlet 202 to motivate an intake flow of air 203 through the inlet 202 to the air handler 204 and an exhaust flow of air 205 from the air handler 204 to the outlet 206.

As will be understood, air handler 204 may be provided as any suitable blower or fan (e.g., radial fan, tangential fan, etc.) positioned within hood casing 12 to actively rotate or motivate air, steam, or vapors 203 into and through air inlet 202. Optionally, one or more filters (not pictured) may be provided at inlet 202 to clean the air, steam, or vapors 203 as it enters hood casing 12 from the open region between the primary and secondary appliances 10 and 11. For instance, a grease filter having a suitable coarse filter medium, such as a metallic mesh including aluminum or stainless steel, may be mounted across inlet 202. Additionally or alternatively, an odor filter having a suitable fine filter medium, such as a mesh or block including activated carbon, may be mounted across inlet 202. Optionally, the odor filter may be positioned above or downstream from the grease filter.

In additional embodiments where the primary household appliance 10 and secondary household appliance 11 are kitchen appliances, the secondary household appliance 11 may also be a cooking appliance (e.g., in addition to the cooktop appliance 10). For example, the secondary household appliance 11 may be a microwave oven appliance, e.g., may include a cooking chamber defined within the casing 12 and one or more heating elements such as a magnetron positioned and configured to direct microwave energy into the cooking chamber. The structure and function of microwave oven appliances are understood by those of skill in the art and, as such, are not specifically illustrated or described in further detail herein for the sake of clarity and brevity.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the group of household appliances 10 and 11 may take the form of any of the examples described above in various combinations of any two or more of the exemplary household appliances described above, or may be any other household appliance. Thus, it will be understood that the present subject matter is not limited to any particular household appliance.

It should be understood that “household appliances” and/or “appliances” are used herein to describe appliances typically used or intended for common domestic tasks, such as laundry appliances or kitchen appliances, e.g., as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7, or air conditioners, dishwashing appliances, water heaters, etc., and any other household appliance which performs similar functions in addition to network communication and data processing. Thus, devices such as a personal computer, router, and other similar devices whose primary functions are network communication and/or data processing are not considered household appliances as used herein.

As used herein, the term “household” or “residence” includes a domestic structure or dwelling place in which one or more people eat, sleep, and/or spend leisure time. For example, a household (e.g., within which the group of household appliances is located and used) may be a dormitory, condo unit, apartment unit, townhome, single-family home, or other similar places.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, exemplary groups of household appliances including a primary household appliance 10 and a secondary household appliance 11, are illustrated. In at least some embodiments, the primary household appliance 10 may include a high-end user interface, e.g., which is configured and operable to selectively provide information about, controls for, or selectable options for, one or both of the primary household appliance and secondary household appliance. As used herein, a “high-end user interface” includes any user interface which is context-sensitive and which is capable of displaying a comprehensible message, such as multiple lines of text displayed simultaneously. A high-end user interface may be or include, but is not necessarily, an interactive display, such as a touchscreen display. A context-sensitive display with one or more soft keys associated with the display may also be considered a high-end user interface even without the ability to receive input directly on the display, e.g., when the display is not a touchscreen. By contrast, a low-end user interface may be a user interface which only includes or is limited to fixed inputs (in contrast to, e.g., context-sensitive soft keys), one or more seven-segment displays, and/or indicator lights (where such indicator lights, e.g., LED indicators, are recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art as only providing binary information, e.g., ON/OFF status indicators only). For example, the user interface of the primary household appliance 10 may be context-sensitive and may thus be operable to provide information, options, or controls for either or both of the primary household appliance 10 and the secondary household appliance 11 in various contexts.

In some embodiments, e.g., as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the primary household appliance 10 and the secondary household appliance 11 may be vertically aligned. In additional embodiments, the household appliance 10 and 11 may be horizontally aligned or otherwise positioned in any suitable relative location, e.g., without necessarily being perfectly aligned in any one direction. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the household appliances 10 and 11 may be spaced apart in some embodiments, whereas the household appliances 10 and 11 may be in contact in additional embodiments, such as the dryer appliance 11 stacked on top of the washing machine appliance 10 in FIG. 7.

The group of household appliances may include any two or more suitable household appliances, e.g., which are in close proximity such as in the same room, where at least one of the household appliances (e.g., at least one secondary household appliance) has a limited (low-end) user interface or is harder to reach (as compared to the primary household appliance or user interface thereof), and where attended operation the at least one secondary household appliance is preferable. In some exemplary embodiments, the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance may be kitchen appliances, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 6. In additional exemplary embodiments, the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance may be laundry appliances, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIGS. 6 and 7 schematically illustrate each exemplary primary household appliance 10 in communication, e.g., wireless communication, with the respective secondary household appliance 11, such as via BLUETOOTH®. One or both of the household appliance 10, 11 may further be connected to and in communication with one or more remote computing devices in a distributed computing environment, such as a cloud, fog, or edge, etc. For example, the primary household appliance 10, and in particular the controller 210 thereof, may be in communication with one or more remote computing devices, such as remote computers, servers, and/or databases, in the cloud. As mentioned above, controller 210 is capable of and may be operable to perform any methods and associated method steps as disclosed herein. Additionally, performance of such methods and method steps may also be distributed, e.g., one or more steps of a method may be performed by the primary household appliance (e.g., controller thereof), while one or more other steps of the same method may be performed by another device, such as a remote computing device (e.g., the cloud) and/or one or more secondary household appliances. For example, data, user inputs, etc., may be transmitted from the primary and/or secondary household appliances 10 and 11, and in particular from the primary household appliance 10 to the cloud. The data, etc. may be analyzed or processed remotely, e.g., in the cloud, in embodiments which include distributed computing as described above.

The primary household appliance 10 and the secondary household appliance 11 may be connected and in communication, e.g., via a direct wireless connection and/or with data and other communications relayed between the primary household appliance 10 and the one or more secondary household appliances 11 via a local network, such as a residential wireless network or other wireless local area network (“WLAN”).

The primary household appliance 10 may be in communication with the secondary household appliances 11 through various possible communication connections and interfaces. The primary household appliance 10 and the secondary household appliances 11 may be matched in wireless communication, e.g., connected to the same wireless network. The primary household appliance 10 may communicate with the secondary household appliance 11 via short-range radio such as BLUETOOTH® or any other suitable wireless network having a layer protocol architecture. As used herein, “short-range” may include ranges less than about ten meters and up to about one hundred meters. For example, the wireless network may be adapted for short-wavelength ultra-high frequency (UHF) communications in a band between 2.4 GHz and 2.485 GHz (e.g., according to the IEEE 802.15.1 standard). In particular, BLUETOOTH® Low Energy, e.g., BLUETOOTH® Version 4.0 or higher, may advantageously provide short-range wireless communication between the primary household appliance 10 and the secondary household appliances 11. For example, BLUETOOTH® Low Energy may advantageously minimize the power consumed by the exemplary methods and devices described herein due to the low power networking protocol of BLUETOOTH® Low Energy.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also includes methods of operating a group of household appliances, and the group of household appliances includes at least one primary household appliance and one or more secondary household appliances. One example of such a method or operating a group of household appliances is method 800 illustrated in FIG. 8. As may be seen in FIG. 8, method 800 may include a step 810 of pairing a primary household appliance and a secondary household appliance of the group of household appliances. Such paring may include establishing a connection between the primary household appliance, and the secondary household appliance 11, which may be a short-range or local connection (as distinct from a long-rage or remote connection, such as over the internet), e.g., a short-range radio connection such as BLUETOOTH®, etc., as described above. In some embodiments, the primary household appliance 10 and the secondary household appliance 11 may be connected without a wired connection.

Method 800 may also include a step 820 of providing a prompt to perform a proximity test after pairing the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance. For example, the proximity test may be used to confirm attended operation of the secondary household appliance 11 when the secondary household appliance 11 is operated remotely from the primary household appliance 10. In some embodiments, the proximity test may be time-limited, e.g., must be completed within a short time window or time limit, such as to ensure that the primary household appliance 10 and the secondary household appliance 11 are within the same room or other close vicinity.

Method 800 may further include a step 830 of detecting a physical interaction with the secondary household appliance after providing the prompt to perform the proximity test. In various embodiments, the physical interaction may be or may include one or more of opening or closing a door of the secondary household appliance, a manipulation of an input device on the secondary household appliance, or other similar physical interactions that involve a user touching the household appliance. For example, the physical interaction may be or may include opening and closing a door of the secondary household appliance one or more times, pressing and holding a key or other input for a predefined period of time, or turning a knob a predefined amount (e.g., amount of time, number of clicks, or degrees of rotation, etc.). Additionally, the proximity test may also include detecting a physical interaction with both household appliances, e.g., any one or more of the exemplary physical interactions may also be detected at the primary household appliance, and when at least one physical interaction with each household appliance of the group of household appliances, e.g., both physical interactions, are detected within the time limit, the proximity test may be successful and remote operation of the second household appliance from the primary household appliance may be enabled in response to the successful proximity test. In some embodiments, the prompt to perform the proximity test may be provided on the primary household appliance, and the proximity test or the time limit thereof may begin in response to a confirmation user input at the primary household appliance, e.g., pushing “start” on a notification on a touchscreen of the primary household appliance. In such embodiments, the confirmation user input may be the physical interaction with the primary household appliance, and the proximity test may be successful when a physical interaction with the secondary household appliance is detected within the time limit after the confirmation user input at the primary household appliance.

Method 800 may also include remotely operating the secondary household appliance, e.g., based on the proximity test as noted above. For example, method 800 may include receiving an input at a user interface of the primary household appliance, e.g., as indicated at 840 in FIG. 8, and activating the secondary appliance in response to the input received at the user interface of the primary household appliance, e.g., as indicated at 850 in FIG. 8.

In some embodiments, method 800 may further include initiating a timer when the prompt is provided. In such embodiments, the physical interaction may be detected within a time limit or short time window as described above, e.g., the physical interaction with the secondary household appliance may be detected after providing the prompt and before the timer elapses.

In some embodiments, pairing the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance may include pairing the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance in wireless communication. For example, the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance may be communicatively connected without a physical communication connection, e.g., without a wired connection.

Another exemplary method 900 of operating a group of household appliances according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 9. As illustrated in FIG. 9, such methods may include a step 910 of providing a prompt to perform a proximity test. The prompt may be provided on a user interface panel 100, such as on a display 104 thereof, of either or both of the household appliances 10, 11.

The prompt may be provided, for example, in response to an access request for the secondary household appliance from the primary household appliance, such as pairing or connecting the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance and attempting to activate or otherwise control or operate the secondary household appliance from the primary household appliance. For example, in some embodiments, method 900 may include pairing the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance prior to providing the prompt to perform the proximity test. Such pairing may include establishing a wireless connection and may not include a wired connection. In some embodiments, pairing the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance may include pairing the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance in wireless communication. In some embodiments, the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance may be communicatively connected without a physical (wired) communication connection.

Method 900 may further include a step 920 of determining, by the primary household appliance of the group of household appliances, that a distance between the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance of the group of household appliances is less than a proximity threshold. When the distance between the household appliances 10 and 11 is less than the proximity threshold, remote operation of the second household appliance from the primary household appliance may be enabled in response to such determination.

Method 900 may also include remotely operating the secondary household appliance, e.g., based on distance less than the proximity threshold as noted above. For example, method 900 may include receiving an input at a user interface of the primary household appliance, e.g., as indicated at 930 in FIG. 9, and activating the secondary appliance in response to the input received at the user interface of the primary household appliance, e.g., as indicated at 940 in FIG. 9.

The distance between the household appliance 10, 11 may be determined in various ways, such as based on one or more physical interactions with one or both household appliances 10, 11, e.g., as described above.

In additional embodiments, determining, by the primary household appliance of the group of household appliances, that the distance between the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance is less than the proximity threshold may include detecting vibrations in the primary household appliance caused by the secondary household appliance. For example, where the household appliances 10 and 11 are in contact, such as in the embodiment illustrated at FIG. 7, vibrations of the secondary appliance, e.g., during operation thereof, may be detected by the primary household appliance. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated at FIG. 7, the washing machine appliance 10 may include features such as a gyroscope or accelerometer for detecting an out-of-balance condition of the washing machine appliance, and vibrations of the secondary appliance, e.g., from articles tumbling within the drum while the drum is rotated (or just generally from rotation of the drum, or from other moving parts of the dryer appliance such as shutting the door), may be detected using such features of the washing machine appliance.

In further exemplary embodiments, determining, by the primary household appliance of the group of household appliances, that the distance between the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance is less than the proximity threshold may include receiving, by the primary household appliance, a signal from the secondary household appliance. For example, determining, by the primary household appliance of the group of household appliances, that the distance between the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance is less than the proximity threshold may be based on a strength of the received signal from the secondary household appliance. The signal may be, for example, an acoustic signal, such as the primary household appliances may include a microphone for detecting a unique pairing sound emitted from the secondary household appliance. The distance between the primary household appliance and the secondary household appliance less than the proximity threshold may be detected by receiving the acoustic signal at all, or may be based on the strength, e.g., volume in decibels, of the acoustic signal as received by and measured by the primary household appliance. As further examples, the signal may be a near field communication (NFC) signal, an optical signal such as infrared (IR) light signal, etc. In each of the foregoing examples, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the primary and secondary household appliances may be equipped with appropriate receivers and emitters, respectively, for the type of signal or types of signals provided. Moreover, the structure and function of such receivers and emitters (including speakers and microphones as in the acoustic signal example) are understood by those of ordinary skill in the art and, as such, are not specifically illustrated or described in further detail herein for the sake of clarity and brevity.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES PROXIMITY DETECTION

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