Appliance and methods for operating same in a safety-critical operation using a touchscreen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10830452-B2
Application number	US-201816024974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2018
Priority date	Jul 2, 2018
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

An appliance and methods for operating the appliance in a safety-critical operation are provided. The appliance and methods for operating the appliance include features that provide safe and intuitive ways to initiate and cancel safety-critical operations performed by the appliance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An appliance, comprising:
one or more operational components configured to perform a safety-critical operation;
a control system for operating the appliance in the safety-critical operation, the control system comprising:
a main controller;
a touchscreen assembly, comprising;
a touchscreen configured for receiving touch inputs to the touchscreen;
a touchscreen controller communicatively coupled with the main controller and configured to detect a location of the touch inputs to the touchscreen;

a display for presenting one or more indicia;
a microprocessor communicatively coupled with the main controller, the touchscreen controller, and the display, the microprocessor configured to drive the one or more indicia of the display;

wherein the main controller is configured to:
receive, from the touchscreen controller and in response to a touch input to the touchscreen, a location of the touch input to the touchscreen;
determine whether the location of the touch input corresponds with a predetermined location associated with initiating the safety-critical operation;
receive, from the microprocessor, an activation request to commence the safety-critical operation; and
activate the one or more operational components to commence the safety-critical operation if the main controller receives the activation request and the location of the touch input corresponds with the predetermined location.

2. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the touch input is a first touch input and the predetermined location is a first predetermined location, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to:
receive, from the touchscreen controller and in response to the first touch input to the touchscreen, the location of the first touch input to the touchscreen;
determine whether the location of the first touch input corresponds with the first predetermined location associated with initiating the safety-critical operation;
receive, from the touchscreen controller and in response to a second touch input to the touchscreen, a location of the second touch input to the touchscreen; and
determine whether the location of the second touch input corresponds with a second predetermined location associated with initiating the safety-critical operation;
wherein if the location of the first touch input corresponds with the first location and the location of the second touch input corresponds with the second location associated with initiating the safety-critical operation, then the microprocessor sends the activation request to the main controller to commence the safety-critical operation.

3. The appliance of claim 2 , wherein if the microprocessor determines that the location of the first touch input corresponds with the first predetermined location associated with initiating the safety-critical operation, the microprocessor is further configured to:
drive the display to present a confirmation screen having a confirmation indicia for commencing the safety-critical operation.

4. The appliance of claim 2 , wherein the microprocessor must receive the location of the second touch input to the touchscreen within a predetermined time of receiving the location of the first touch input to the touchscreen in order to send the activation request to the main controller.

5. The appliance of claim 2 , wherein the touchscreen controller is configured to:
determine the location of the first touch input to the touchscreen;
send the location of the first touch input to the microprocessor and the main controller;
determine the location of the second touch input to the touchscreen; and
send the location of the second touch input to the microprocessor and the main controller.

6. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the touchscreen controller is UL 60730 Class B compliant.

7. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein when the appliance is operated in the safety-critical operation for a predetermined run time, the main controller is further configured to:
receive, from the touchscreen controller, a location of a cancel touch input to the touchscreen;
determine whether the location of the cancel touch input corresponds with a cancel location associated with canceling the safety-critical operation; and
deactivate the one or more operational components to cancel the safety-critical operation if the location of the cancel touch input corresponds with the cancel location associated with canceling the safety-critical operation.

8. The appliance of claim 7 , wherein the touchscreen defines an area, and wherein the cancel location is any location of the area of the touchscreen.

9. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein when the appliance is operated in the safety-critical operation for a predetermined run time, the microprocessor is further configured to:
drive the display to present a cancel screen having a cancel indicia for canceling the safety-critical operation.

10. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the appliance is an oven appliance and the safety-critical operation is a self-cleaning cycle.

11. The appliance of claim 10 , wherein the oven appliance comprises a cabinet defining an oven cavity, and wherein the one or more operational components comprise a heat element disposed within the oven cavity.

12. An appliance, comprising:
one or more operational components configured to perform a safety-critical operation;
a control system for operating the appliance in the safety-critical operation, the control system comprising:
a main controller;
a touchscreen configured for receiving one or more touch inputs to the touchscreen;
a touchscreen controller communicatively coupled with the main controller and configured to detect the one or more touch inputs to the touchscreen, wherein the touchscreen controller is UL 60730 Class B compliant;
a display for presenting one or more indicia;
a microprocessor communicatively coupled with the main controller, the touchscreen controller, and the display, the microprocessor configured to drive the one or more indicia of the display;

wherein the main controller is configured to:
operate the appliance in the safety-critical operation for a predetermined run time;
receive, during operation of the appliance in the safety-critical operation for the predetermined run time, a cancel touch input to any location on the touchscreen from the touchscreen controller; and
cancel the safety-critical operation based on the cancel touch input on the touchscreen.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Gottsov Alex
• Recio Steven Michael
• Wicke Craig Edward

Classifications

• F24C15/022

  Latches · CPC title

• F24C7/085 Primary

  on baking ovens · CPC title

• F24C14/00

  Stoves or ranges having self-cleaning provisions, e.g. continuous catalytic cleaning or electrostatic cleaning · CPC title