DRYER, SERVER, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAME

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a), of international application No. PCT/KR2022/018916, filed on Nov. 28, 2022, which claims priority under 35 U. S. C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0008770, filed Jan. 20, 2022, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly, to a dryer, a server, and a method for controlling the same that provide an interworking function between a plurality of home appliances.

Description of the Related Art

With the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, various home appliances that may be connected to a network, including a communication interface, have been released recently.

That is, as home appliances such as a dryer, a washing machine, and a refrigerator are all connected through a network, and a platform such as a ‘smart hub’ that may operate a plurality of home appliances by interworking the home appliances with each other is developed, users may now easily operate the plurality of home appliances using mobile applications, etc.

However, users who want to use a plurality of home appliances sequentially have the inconvenience of having to access the mobile applications after the operation of the home appliances is stopped.

For example, in the case of users who want to operate a robot vacuum cleaner after using the dryer, according to the related art, there was the inconvenience of having to reuse the mobile applications to operate the robot vacuum cleaner after using the dryer.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method for operating other home appliances using an input unit of a dryer, even without separately accessing mobile applications.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a dryer includes: a communication interface; an input unit including a plurality of buttons; a weight sensor configured to detect a weight of an object to be dried in the dryer; a dust sensor configured to detect an amount of dust accumulated in a filter of the dryer; and a processor configured to transmit at least one of the weight detected by the weight sensor and the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor and state information of the dryer to a server through the communication interface, set a function of at least one button among the plurality of buttons as a selection function to operate the dryer according to a recommended scenario received from the server through the communication interface based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust and the state information, and transmit information on the recommended scenario corresponding to the at least one button to the server through the communication interface based on a user command selecting the at least one button being received, in which the information on the recommended scenario is used by the server to control an operation of an external electronic device to operate the external electronic device based on the information on the recommended scenario.

The state information of the dryer may include an operation state of the dryer and an opening/closing state of a door of the dryer.

The operation state of the dryer may include at least one of completion of drying, during drying, and before starting drying, and the processor may be configured to set at least one unused button of the dryer among the plurality of buttons as the selection function of the recommended scenario based on the state information of the dryer.

The processor may be configured to reset the function of the at least one button to an original function based on a preset time having elapsed after the function of the at least one button is set as the selection function of the recommended scenario.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a server includes: a communication interface; and a processor configured to obtain a recommended scenario to control an operation of an external electronic device based on at least one of a weight detected by a weight sensor of a dryer and an amount of dust detected by a dust sensor of the dryer and state information of the dryer based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust and the state information being received through the communication interface, transmit information on the obtained recommended scenario to the dryer through the communication interface, and transmit, through the communication interface, a control signal to control an operation of the external electronic device to operate based on the received recommendation scenario according to information on a recommended scenario selected through a button of the dryer being received from the dryer through the communication interface.

The state information of the dryer may include information on an operation state of the dryer and information on an opening/closing state of a door of the dryer.

The processor may be configured to identify at least one unused button of the dryer among a plurality of buttons of the dryer based on the state information of the dryer and obtain the recommended scenario based on the number of identified buttons.

The operation state of the dryer may include at least one of completion of drying, during drying, and before starting drying, and the processor may be configured to identify the operation state of the dryer as one of the completion of drying, during drying, and before starting drying based on the information on the operation state of the dryer, and obtain the recommended scenario corresponding to the identified operation state based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a dryer includes: transmitting at least one of a weight detected by a weight sensor and an amount of dust detected by a dust sensor and state information of the dryer to a server; receiving a recommended scenario obtained based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust and the state information from the server; setting a function of at least one button among a plurality of buttons as a selection function of the recommended scenario; and transmitting information on the recommended scenario corresponding to the at least one button to the server based on a user command selecting the at least one button being received, in which the information on the recommended scenario is used by the server to control an operation of an external electronic device to operate the external electronic device based on the information on the recommended scenario.

The state information of the dryer may include an operation state of the dryer and an opening/closing state of a door provided on the dryer.

In the setting as the selection function of the recommended scenario, at least one button not used in the dryer among the plurality of buttons may be set as the selection function of the recommended scenario based on the state information.

The method may further include resetting the function of the at least one button to an original function based on a preset time having elapsed after the function of the at least one button is set as the selection function of the recommended scenario.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a server includes: receiving at least one of a weight detected by a weight sensor of a dryer and an amount of dust detected by a dust sensor of the dryer and state information of the dryer; obtaining a recommended scenario for controlling an operation of an external electronic device based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust and the state information; transmitting information on the obtained recommended scenario to the dryer; receiving information on a selected recommended scenario from the dryer through a button provided on the dryer; and transmitting a control signal for controlling an operation of the external electronic device to operate the external electronic device based on the selected recommended scenario to the external electronic device.

The state information of the dryer may include information on an operation state of the dryer and information on an opening/closing state of a door of the dryer.

In the obtaining of the recommended scenario, at least one unused button of the dryer among a plurality of buttons of the dryer may be identified based on the state information and the recommended scenario may be obtained based on the number of identified buttons.

The operation state of the dryer may include at least one of completion of drying, during drying, and before starting drying, and in the obtaining of the recommended scenario, the operation state of the dryer may be identified as one of the completion of drying, during drying, and before starting drying based on the information on the operation state of the dryer, and the recommended scenario corresponding to the identified operation state may be obtained based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing a dryer, a server, and an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for describing a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a button included in an input unit of a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing an idle button among a plurality of buttons of a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram for describing a configuration of a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A, 6B to 6C are diagrams for describing a process in which a server transmits a recommended scenario according to state information of a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7A, 7B to 7C are diagrams for describing a process in which a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure receives a recommended scenario and sets a selection function of the recommended scenario to an idle button.

FIGS. 8A, 8B to 8C are diagrams for describing a method for setting, by a server, priority among a plurality of scenarios constituting a recommended scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for describing a method for controlling a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

General terms that are currently widely used were selected as terms used in embodiments of the present disclosure in consideration of functions in the present disclosure, but may be changed according to the intention of those skilled in the art or a judicial precedent, the emergence of a new technique, and the like. In addition, in a specific case, terms arbitrarily chosen by an applicant may exist. In this case, the meaning of such terms will be mentioned in detail in a corresponding description portion of the present disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in the present disclosure should be defined on the basis of the meaning of the terms and the contents throughout the present disclosure rather than simple names of the terms.

In the present disclosure, an expression “have,” “may have,” “include,” “may include,” or the like, indicates existence of a corresponding feature (for example, a numerical value, a function, an operation, a component such as a part, or the like), and does not exclude existence of an additional feature.

An expression “at least one of A and/or B” is to be understood to represent “A” or “B” or “any one of A and B”.

Expressions “first”, “second”, ‘1st” or “2nd” or the like, used in the present disclosure may indicate various components regardless of a sequence and/or importance of the components, will be used only in order to distinguish one component from the other components, and do not limit the corresponding components.

When it is mentioned that any component (for example, a first component) is (operatively or communicatively} coupled with/to or is connected to another component (for example, a second component), it is to be understood that any component is directly coupled to another component or may be coupled to another component through the other component (for example, a third component).

Singular forms are intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that terms “include” or “formed of” used in the present specification specify the presence of features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof mentioned in the present specification, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

An object of the present disclosure is to improve the above-described problem, and an object of the present disclosure provides a dryer, a server, and a method for controlling the same capable of operating other home appliances by using an input unit of the dryer.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, by operating other home appliances using an input unit of a dryer, it is possible to easily operate other home appliances without separately accessing mobile applications or directly going to other home appliances.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing a dryer, a server, and an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

A dryer 200 refers to a device that performs drying of an object to be dried by supplying dried hot air to a drying room in which the object to be dried is accommodated. Here, the object to be dried includes all objects that can be dried and sterilized through hot air. For example, the object to be dried may include those implemented with various types of fibers and fabrics, such as cloth, clothing, towel, blanket, etc.

The server 100 may provide a recommended scenario to the dryer 200. Here, the recommended scenario may refer to a scenario for controlling an electronic device connected to the server 100 by interworking with the dryer 200 to provide convenience to a user.

For example, when the dryer 200 is operating, the ambient temperature may increase. Accordingly, when the dryer 200 is operating, the server 100 may transmit a recommended scenario for operating an air conditioner 301 to the dryer 200.

As another example, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed, the user may take out the object to be dried from the dryer 200 and organize the object in a closet, etc., but dust may be generated in this process. Accordingly, when the operation of the dryer 200 is completed, the server 100 may transmit a recommended scenario for operating an air purifier 302 or a robot vacuum cleaner 303 to the dryer 200.

Meanwhile, when the dryer 200 receives the recommended scenario from the server 100, a function of a button provided on the dryer 200 may be set as a selection function of the recommended scenario. In addition, when a user command for selecting a corresponding button is input, the dryer 200 may transmit information on the recommended scenario corresponding to the selected button to the server 100.

Accordingly, the server 100 may use the information received from the dryer 200 to identify which recommended scenario has been selected by the user and control the electronic device corresponding to the identified recommended scenario.

For example, when the button to which the recommended scenario for operating the air purifier 302 is mapped is selected on the dryer 200, the server 100 may receive the information on the recommended scenario for operating the air purifier 302 from the dryer 200, and transmit a control signal for operating the air purifier 302 to the air purifier 302 based on the received information. Accordingly, the air purifier 302 may be operated according to the control signal received from the server 100.

As such, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the user may control other electronic devices through the buttons provided on the dryer 200 in the process of operating the dryer 200 without using a remote control, etc., and therefore, user convenience may be improved.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for describing a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the server 100 may include a communication module 110 and a processor 120.

The communication interface 110 is configured to communicate with an external electronic device. To this end, the communication interface 110 may include a communication module capable of communicating with an external electronic device through a network such as the Internet. Accordingly, the communication interface 110 may transmit and receive various data with an external electronic device.

The processor 120 may control a general operation of the server 100. To this end, the processor 120 may be electrically connected to the communication interface 110. In addition, the processor 120 includes a central processing unit (CPU), etc., and may execute a software program according to at least one instruction stored in a memory (not illustrated) to control an operation of various hardware provided in the server 100.

First, when at least one of a weight detected by a weight sensor of the dryer 200 and the amount of dust detected by a dust sensor of the dryer 200 and state information of the dryer 200 are received through the communication interface 110, the processor 120 may obtain a recommended scenario for controlling an operation of an external electronic device based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust and the state information.

Specifically, the dryer 200 may measure the weight of the object to be dried in the dryer 200 using the weight sensor. In addition, the dryer 200 may remove dust from the object to be dried using a dust filter during the drying process of the object to be dried. In this case, the dryer 200 may measure the amount of dust accumulated in the dust filter using the dust sensor. In addition, the dryer 200 may transmit at least one of the measured weight and the amount of dust to the server 100.

In addition, the dryer 200 may transmit the state information of the dryer 200 to the server 100.

In this case, the state information of the dryer 200 may include information on the operation state of the dryer 200 and information on the opening/closing state of the door of the dryer 200.

Here, the operation state of the dryer 200 may include at least one of drying completion, during drying, and before starting drying. In addition, the dryer 200 may use a door sensor to detect an opening/closing state of a door that opens and closes an inlet for putting objects to be dried into the dryer 200.

Meanwhile, the recommended scenario may refer to a scenario for controlling an electronic device connected to the server 100 by interworking with the dryer 200 to provide convenience to a user.

In this case, the recommended scenario may be preset for each situation based on the weight, the amount of dust, the operation state, or a combination thereof.

For example, when the operation state of the dryer 200 is before starting drying and the weight detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to a preset value, the recommended scenario may be a scenario to drive an air conditioner 301.

As another example, when the operation state of the dryer 200 is during drying and the weight detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to a preset value, the recommended scenario may be a scenario to drive the air conditioner 301.

As another example, when the operation state of the dryer 200 is the completion of drying and the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the recommended scenario may be a scenario to drive the air purifier 302.

As another example, when the operation state of the dryer 200 is the completion of drying and the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the recommended scenario may be a scenario to drive a robot vacuum cleaner 303.

As another example, when the operation state of the dryer 200 is the completion of drying, the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, and the weight detected by the dryer 200 is less than or equal to the preset value, the recommended scenario may be a scenario to drive the air purifier 302.

As another example, when the operation state of the dryer 200 is the completion of drying, the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, and the weight detected by the dryer 200 is less than or equal to the preset value, the recommended scenario may be a scenario to drive the robot vacuum cleaner 303.

However, the above-described recommended scenarios are one example, and of course, various other recommended scenarios may exist.

Accordingly, the processor 120 may identify the operation state of the dryer 200 as one of the completion of drying, during drying, and before starting drying based on the information on the operation state of the dryer 200, and obtain the recommended scenario corresponding to the identified operation state based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust.

For example, when the dryer 200 is before starting the drying operation and the weight detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the processor 120 may obtain the recommended scenario to drive the air conditioner 301.

As another example, when the dryer 200 performs the drying operation and the weight detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the processor 120 may obtain the recommended scenario to drive the air conditioner 301.

As another example, when the dryer 200 is in the state in which the drying operation is completed and the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the processor 120 may obtain the recommended scenario to drive the air purifier 302.

As another example, when the dryer 200 is in the state in which the drying operation is completed and the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the processor 120 may obtain the recommended scenario to drive the robot vacuum cleaner 303.

As another example, when the dryer 200 is in the state in which the drying operation is completed, the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, and the weight detected by the dryer 200 is less than or equal to the preset value, the processor 120 may obtain the recommended scenario to drive the air purifier 302.

As another example, when the dryer 200 is in the state in which the drying operation is completed, the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, and the weight detected by the dryer 200 is less than or equal to the preset value, the processor 120 may obtain the recommended scenario to drive the robot vacuum cleaner 303.

In this way, the processor 120 may obtain recommended scenarios corresponding to various situations of the dryer 200.

In addition, the processor 120 may identify at least one button that is not used in the dryer 200 among a plurality of buttons provided on the dryer 200 based on the state information of the dryer 200 and obtain the recommended scenario based on the number of identified buttons.

That is, the dryer 200 may include a plurality of buttons for receiving various user commands.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the dryer 200 may include a start/pause button 221, an anti-wrinkle button 222, a drying degree button 223, a time setting button 224, and an additional function button 225.

Here, the start/pause button 221 may refer to a button having a function of starting a drying cycle of the dryer 200 or pausing the drying cycle that is being performed.

In addition, the anti-wrinkle button 222 may refer to a button having a function that may operate the drying cycle of the dryer 200 in an anti-wrinkle mode. Here, the anti-wrinkle mode may refer to a mode that prevents wrinkling of an object to be dried by setting an angular speed at which the drum provided on the dryer 200 rotates to be lower than other modes.

In addition, the drying degree button 223 may refer to a button having a function that may adjust the drying degree of the object to be dried in the dryer 200. Here, the drying degree may include “strong”, “standard”, “weak”, etc., but is not limited to these examples.

In addition, the time setting button 224 may refer to a button having a function that may adjust the time for which the drying cycle of the dryer 200 is performed.

In addition, the additional function button 225 may refer to a button having a function that may operate additional functions of the dryer 200. Here, the additional function is an additional function that may be provided by the dryer 200 in addition to the drying cycle, and may include, for example, an ironing notification function that notifies that an object to be dried is in a suitable state for ironing, a drum light function that may brightly illuminate an inside of a drum of the dryer 200, etc, during the progress of the drying cycle.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 3, a plurality of buttons are illustrated in the form of physical buttons, but this is only an example. That is, of course, the plurality of buttons may be implemented to receive touch commands through a touch panel, or may be implemented in the form of a dial. In addition, in FIG. 3, the plurality of buttons may include the start/pause button 221, the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying degree button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225. However, this is only an example, and the dryer 200 may include at least one of these buttons, or may additionally include buttons other than these buttons.

Meanwhile, at least one of the plurality of buttons of the dryer 200 may be in an idle state according to the state of the dryer 200.

Here, the state information of the dryer 200 may include information on the operation state of the dryer 200 and information on the opening/closing state of the door of the dryer 200.

In addition, the idle state may refer to that the function set for the button is not executed even if a user selects the corresponding button. In this case, the button (hereinafter referred to as an idle button) in the idle state according to the state of the dryer 200 may be preset during the manufacturing.

For example, it is assumed that the door of the dryer 200 is open. In this case, since the door is open, the dryer 200 may be set not to start the drying cycle even if a user selects the start/pause button 221. Accordingly, when the dryer 200 is before starting drying and the door of the dryer 200 is open, the start/pause button 221 may correspond to the idle button. That is, in order to provide the user with the normal function of the dryer 200, each of the plurality of buttons provided on the dryer 200 may have the function set for each button activated or may be in the idle state according to the state of the dryer 200.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing an idle button among the plurality of buttons of a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The table 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 is a table showing the idle buttons of the dryer 200 according to the state of the dryer 200.

For example, the dryer 200 may not start the drying cycle in the state in which the door is open. Accordingly, when the dryer 200 does not start drying and the door of the dryer 200 is open, the start/pause button 221 may be the idle button.

Meanwhile, before operating the dryer 200, the user may set various setting values for the drying cycle, such as setting additional functions, setting the drying degree, the time for which the drying cycle is performed, or setting the anti-wrinkle mode, and may operate the dryer 200. Therefore, when the dryer 200 is before starting drying and the door of the dryer 200 is closed, the plurality of buttons of the dryer 200, that is, the start/pause button 221, the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying degree button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225 may be in an activated state. Accordingly, in this case, since there is no idle button in the dryer 200, it is indicated as N/A in FIG. 4.

In addition, when the dryer 200 is performing the drying cycle, the door of the dryer 200 is designed so that it may not be opened. Therefore, since this state may not be assumed, it is indicated as N/A in FIG. 4.

In addition, while the drying cycle is performed in the dryer 200, the user may pause the drying cycle, adjust the drying degree, or adjust the time for which the drying cycle is performed, etc. Therefore, when the dryer 200 is performing the drying cycle and the door of the dryer 200 is closed, the start/pause button 221, the drying degree button 223, and the time setting button 224 may be in the activated state. However, since the anti-wrinkle and the additional functions are functions that may be set before the operation of the dryer 200, the anti-wrinkle button 222 and the additional function button 225 may be the idle buttons.

Meanwhile, when the drying cycle is completed, the dryer 200 may provide a function of performing the drying cycle again using the same settings as before. Therefore, when the drying cycle is completed and the door of the dryer 200 is closed, buttons other than the start/pause button 221, that is, the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying degree button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225 may be the idle buttons. However, when the door of the dryer 200 is open, the drying cycle may not be performed, so the start/pause button 221 may also be the idle button.

Meanwhile, the buttons provided on the dryer 200 may be different for each model, and which buttons are in the idle state may be different according to the state of the dryer 200. Therefore, the information on the idle button for each model may be pre-stored in the server 100, and the processor 120 may use the information on the model of the dryer 200 received from the dryer 200 to identify the idle button according to the state of the dryer 200.

Meanwhile, as described above, the number of idle buttons of the dryer 200 may vary according to the state of the dryer 200.

Accordingly, the processor 120 may identify buttons in the idle state according to the state of the dryer 200 and obtain the recommended scenario based on the number of buttons in the identified idle state.

Specifically, the processor 120 may obtain the recommended scenario corresponding to the operation state of the dryer 200 based on at least one of weight and the amount of dust. In this case, the processor 120 may identify as many scenarios as the number of idle buttons of the dryer 200 as the recommended scenarios to be mapped to the idle buttons of the dryer 200. That is, the processor 120 may identify as many scenarios as the number of idle buttons of the dryer 200 as the recommended scenarios, so different idle buttons may be used to the maximum according to the state of the dryer 200.

For example, when the dryer 200 has completed the drying operation and the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, it is assumed that the recommended scenario for operating the air purifier 302 and the recommended scenario for driving the robot vacuum cleaner 303 are obtained. In addition, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed and the door is open, the idle button of the dryer 200 is the time setting button and the start/pause button, and when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed and the door is closed, it is assumed that the idle button of the dryer 200 is the time setting button.

In this case, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed and the door is open, the processor 120 may identify the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 and the recommended scenario for driving the robot vacuum cleaner 303 as the recommended scenario to be mapped to the idle button of the dryer 200 in that the number of idle buttons of the dryer 200 is two.

However, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed and the door is closed, the number of recommended scenarios corresponding to the operation state of the dryer 200 is two, but there is only one idle button in the dryer 200. In this case, the processor 120 may identify one of the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 and the recommended scenario for driving the robot cleaner 303 as the recommended scenario to be mapped to the idle button of the dryer 200.

In this case, the processor 120 may apply high priority to the recommended scenario that has a history selected by the dryer 200 according to a user command, and identify the recommended scenario to be mapped to the idle button of the dryer 200 among the recommended scenarios. For example, when the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 has been selected in the dryer 200, the processor 120 may identify the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 as the recommended scenario to be mapped to the time setting button of the dryer 200.

In this case, the processor 120 may identify the history of the recommended scenario selected by the dryer 200 based on the information on the recommended scenario received from the dryer 200, and identify recommended scenarios having a higher selection history as having higher priority.

In addition, the processor 120 may transmit the information on the obtained recommended scenario to the dryer 200 through the communication interface 110.

Specifically, the processor 120 may map the recommended scenario to each idle button and transmit the information on the recommended scenario and the button to which the recommended scenario is mapped to the dryer 200 through the communication interface 110.

In this case, the processor 120 may transmit a voice guidance message for guiding the information on the recommended scenario and the button to which the recommended scenario is mapped to the dryer 200 through the communication interface 110. For example, it is assumed that the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 is mapped to the time setting button of the dryer 200. In this case, the processor 120 may transmit a voice message such as “To operate the air purifier, please press the time setting button” to the dryer 200.

Meanwhile, when the information on the recommended scenario selected through the button provided on the dryer 200 is received from the dryer 200 through the communication interface 110, the processor 120 may transmit a control signal for controlling the operation of the external electronic device corresponding to the received recommended scenario to the external electronic device through the communication interface 110.

Specifically, the dryer 200 may set the function of the idle button of the dryer 200 as the selection function of the recommended scenario using the recommended scenario received from the server 100 and the information on the button to which the recommended scenario is mapped. In addition, when a user command for selecting the idle button is input, the dryer 200 may identify the recommended scenario mapped to the idle button and transmit the information on the identified recommended scenario to the server 100.

In this case, when the information on the recommended scenario is received from the dryer 200 through the communication interface 110, the processor 120 may identify the operation of the external electronic device corresponding to the received recommended scenario, and transmit the control signal for controlling the operation of the identified external electronic device to the external electronic device through the communication interface 110.

For example, when the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 is received from the dryer 200, the processor 120 may transmit the control signal for driving the air purifier 302 to the air purifier 302 through the communication interface 110. Accordingly, the air purifier 302 may be driven according to the control signal received from the server 100 to perform an air purifying function.

That is, another electronic device connected to the server 100 may be directly driven using the idle button of the dryer 200 through the above-described process, so there is an advantage in that a user may control the operation of other electronic devices on the spot without having to go directly to other electronic devices.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram for describing a configuration of the dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, the dryer 200 may include a communication interface 210, an input unit 220, a weight sensor 230, a dust sensor 240, and a processor 250.

The communication interface 210 is configured to communicate with an external electronic device. To this end, the communication interface 210 may include a communication module capable of communicating with an external electronic device through a network such as the Internet. For example, the communication interface 210 may communicate with the server 100 using various communication methods such as mobile communication and Wi-Fi.

The input unit 220 may receive user commands. For this purpose, the input unit 220 may include a plurality of buttons. In addition, the input unit 220 may transmit user commands input through a plurality of buttons to the processor 250.

Meanwhile, the plurality of buttons may receive user commands for controlling various operations of the dryer 200. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the plurality of buttons may include the start/pause button 221, the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying degree button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225. Meanwhile, in FIG. 3, the plurality of buttons are illustrated in the form of physical buttons, but this is only an example. That is, of course, the plurality of buttons may be implemented to receive touch commands through a touch panel, or may be implemented in the form of a dial. In addition, in FIG. 3, the input unit 220 may include the start/pause button 221, the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying degree button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225. However, this is only an example, and the input unit 220 may include at least one of these buttons, or may additionally include buttons other than these buttons.

The weight sensor 230 is a sensor for detecting a weight of an object to be dried in the dryer 200. Specifically, the weight sensor 230 may detect a weight of an object to be dried put into a drum of the dryer 200.

The dust sensor 240 may detect the amount of dust accumulated in the filter of the dryer 200. Specifically, the dryer 200 may remove dust from the object to be dried using a dust filter during the drying process of the object to be dried. In this case, the dust sensor 240 may detect the amount of dust accumulated in the dust filter.

The processor 250 may control a general operation of the dryer 200. To this end, the processor 250 may be electrically connected to the communication interface 210, the input unit 220, the weight sensor 230, and the dust sensor 240. In addition, the processor 250 includes a central processing unit (CPU), etc., and may execute a software program according to at least one instruction stored in a memory (not illustrated) to control an operation of various hardware provided in the dryer 200.

First, the processor 250 may transmit the information on the model of the dryer 200 to the server 100 through the communication interface 210.

In addition, the processor 250 may transmit at least one of the weight detected by the weight sensor 230 and the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 240 and the state information of the dryer 200 to the server 100 through the communication interface 210.

Here, the state information of the dryer 200 may include information on the operation state of the dryer 200 and information on the opening/closing state of the door of the dryer 200.

Specifically, the operation state of the dryer 200 may include at least one of drying completion, during drying, and before starting drying. In this case, when a user command for starting a drying cycle is not input while the dryer 200 is powered on, the processor 250 may identify the operation state of the dryer 200 as before starting drying. In addition, when the user command to start the drying cycle is input and is performing the drying cycle, the processor 250 may identify the operation state of the dryer 200 as during drying. In addition, when the drying cycle is completed, the processor 250 may identify the operation state of the dryer 200 as drying completion.

In addition, the processor 250 may use a door sensor to identify whether a door that opens and closes an inlet for putting an object to be dried into the dryer 200 is open or closed.

Meanwhile, the processor 250 may transmit the information on the weight detected by the weight sensor 230 and the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 240 to the server 100 through the communication interface 210 at regular time intervals. As another example, when the weight detected by the weight sensor 230 changes greater than or equal to a preset value (e.g., when the weight detected by the weight sensor 230 increases or decreases greater than or equal to the preset value), the processor 250 may transmit the information on the weight detected by the weight sensor 230 to the server 100 through the communication interface 210. In addition, when the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 240 changes to greater than or equal to the preset value (e.g., when the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 240 increases or decreases to greater than or equal to the preset value), the processor 250 may transmit the information on the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 240 to the server 100 through the communication interface 210.

Meanwhile, when the recommended scenario obtained based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust and the state information is received from the server 100 through the communication interface 210, the processor 250 may set the function of at least one button among the plurality of buttons as the selection function of the recommended scenario.

As described above, the server 100 may map the recommended scenario to each idle button of the dryer 200 and transmit the recommended scenario and the information on the button to which the recommended scenario is mapped to the dryer 200. In addition, the server 100 may transmit a voice guidance message for guiding the information to the dryer 200.

In this case, the processor 250 may set the select function of the recommended scenario on at least one button that is not used in the dryer 200 among the plurality of buttons, based on the state information of the dryer 200.

That is, the processor 250 may identify the idle button among the plurality of buttons based on the state information of the dryer 200, and use the information on the recommended scenario received from the server 100 and the button to which the recommended scenario is mapped to set the function of the idle button as the selection function of the recommended scenario corresponding to the idle button. In addition, the processor 250 may output the voice guidance message received from the server 100 through the speaker of the dryer 200.

In addition, when a user command for selecting at least one button is received, the processor 250 may transmit the information on the recommended scenario corresponding to the selected button to the server 100 through the communication interface 210.

Here, the information on the recommended scenario may be used by the server 100 to control the operation of the external electronic device corresponding to the recommended scenario.

For example, it is assumed that the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed and the door is closed. In this case, the server 100 may transmit information indicating that the recommended scenario mapped to the time setting button 224 of the dryer 200 is the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 and transmit the voice message such as “To operate the air purifier, press the time setting button” to the dryer 200.

In this case, the processor 250 may set the function of the time setting button 224 as the selection function of the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302, and output the voice message such as “To operate the air purifier, press the time setting button” through the speaker of the dryer 200.

Thereafter, when the user command for selecting the time setting button 224 is received, the processor 250 may identify the function set in the time setting button 224 as the selection function of the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302, and transmit the information on the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 to the server 100 through the communication interface 210. In this case, when the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302 is received from the dryer 200, the server 100 may transmit the control signal for driving the air purifier 302 to the air purifier 302 through the communication interface 110. Accordingly, the air purifier 302 may be driven according to the control signal received from the server 100 to perform the air purifying function.

Meanwhile, in the above-described example, the server 100 transmits the information on the recommended scenario mapped to the idle button to the dryer 200, but this is only an example. That is, the server 100 may transmit the information on the recommended scenario obtained based on the number of idle buttons of the dryer 200 to the dryer 200. In this case, the processor 250 may set the function of the button identified as the idle button among the plurality of buttons as the selection function of the recommended scenario. In addition, the processor 250 may output the voice guidance message for guiding the function of the idle button through the speaker of the dryer 200, based on the selection function of the recommended scenario set for the idle button.

Meanwhile, the processor 250 may set the function of at least one button as the selection function of the recommended scenario and then reset the function of at least one button as its original function when the preset time has elapsed.

That is, the processor 250 may set the function of the idle button as the selection function of the recommended scenario and then reset the function of the corresponding button as its original function when the preset time has elapsed.

As in the above-described example, it is assumed that the function of the time setting button 224 is set as the selection function of the recommended scenario for driving the air purifier 302. In this case, when the preset time elapses, the processor 250 may reset the function of the time setting button 224 as the function that may adjust the time for which the drying cycle is performed.

In this case, even if the idle button is selected by the user or not selected, the processor 250 may set the function of the idle button as the selection function of the recommended scenario, and then, reset the function of the button as its original function when the preset time has elapsed.

Hereinafter, the process in which the server 100 obtains the recommended scenario according to the state information of the dryer 200 and transmits the obtained recommended scenario to the dryer 200 will be described in detail.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams for describing a process in which a server transmits a recommended scenario according to a state information of a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6A, the dryer 200 may transmit the weight of the object to be dried detected by the weight sensor 230 to the server 100. In this case, when the door of the dryer 200 is open before the drying operation of the dryer 200, the server 100 may transmit a scenario 610 recommending operating a dehumidifier to the dryer 200.

Specifically, when the dryer 200 is before performing the drying operation and the door of the dryer 200 is open, it is assumed that the start/pause button 221 is the idle button. In this case, the server 100 may obtain one scenario as the recommended scenario based on the number of idle buttons and transmit the obtained scenario to the dryer 200.

In this case, the server 100 may obtain a scenario for operating a dehumidifier, which is a first priority scenario among the plurality of preset scenarios, as a recommended scenario, based on the priority according to the user's usage history, and transmit the obtained recommended scenario to the dryer 200. FIG. 6A illustrates the scenario 610 recommending operating the dehumidifier, but this is only an example. The server 100 may transmit a scenario recommending operating the robot vacuum cleaner, a scenario recommending operating the air conditioner, etc., as the recommended scenarios to the dryer 200.

Specifically, when the door is open before the drying operation of the dryer 200 and the weight of the object to be dried is greater than or equal to the preset value, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the air purifier as the recommended scenario. Since this corresponds to the case where the user puts the object to be dried into the dryer 200 to dry clothes, etc., the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the air purifier before the drying operation of the dryer 200 as the recommended scenario.

As another example, when the dryer 200 is before performing the drying operation and the door is open and a difference between a weight of laundry detected by a washing machine (not illustrated) connected to the server 100 and the weight of the object to be dried detected by the dryer 200 is greater than or equal to the preset value, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the dehumidifier as the recommended scenario. This may be seen as the case where a user takes out laundry from a washing machine (not illustrated), puts only part of the laundry into the dryer 200, and hangs the remaining laundry directly in an indoor space. Accordingly, the server 100 may obtain a scenario recommending operating the dehumidifier before the drying operation of the dryer 200 as the recommended scenario. That is, the recommended scenario may be preset based on the weight, the amount of dust detected by the dryer 200 and the operation state of the dryer 200, sensing values detected by the external electronic device, etc.

In addition, FIG. 6A illustrates only the process in which the server 100 obtains and transmits the recommended scenario based on the state information and weight of the dryer 200, but this is not necessarily limited thereto. That is, the server 100 may obtain the recommended scenario based on the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 240 of the dryer 200 and transmit the obtained recommended scenario to the dryer 200.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the dryer 200 may transmit the weight of the object to be dried detected by the weight sensor 230 and the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 240 to the server 100. In this case, when the dryer 200 is performing the drying and the door is closed, the server 100 may transmit the scenario recommending operating the air conditioner and a scenario 620 recommending operating the robot vacuum cleaner to the dryer 200.

Specifically, when dryer 200 is performing the drying and the door is closed, it is assumed that the anti-wrinkle button 222 and the additional function button 225 are the idle buttons. In this case, the server 100 may obtain two scenarios as recommended scenarios based on the number of idle buttons and transmit the scenarios to the dryer 200.

In this case, the server 100 may obtain a scenario for operating the air conditioner and a scenario for operating the robot vacuum cleaner, which are the first and second priority scenarios among the plurality of preset scenarios, as recommended scenarios, based on the priority according to the user's usage history, and transmit the obtained recommended scenarios to the dryer 200. FIG. 6B illustrates the scenario 620 recommending operating the air conditioner and operating the robot vacuum cleaner, but this is only an example. The server 100 may transmit the scenario recommending operating the dehumidifier, the scenario recommending operating the air purifier to the dryer 200, etc., as the recommended scenarios.

Specifically, when the dryer 200 is performing drying and the door is closed, and the weight of the object to be dried is greater than or equal to the preset value, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the air conditioner as one of the recommended scenarios. Since this corresponds to the case where the drying time is likely to be set long due to the large volume of object to be dried put into the dryer 200, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the air conditioner while the dryer 200 is operating as one of the recommended scenarios.

As another example, when the dryer 200 is performing the drying, the door is closed, and the amount of dust is greater than or equal to the preset value, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the robot vacuum cleaner as one of the recommended scenarios. Since this corresponds to the case where the dust content of the object to be dried put into the dryer 200 is high, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the robot vacuum cleaner as one of the recommended scenarios.

Referring to FIG. 6C, the dryer 200 may transmit the weight of the object to be dried detected by the weight sensor 230 and the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor 240 to the server 100. In this case, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed and the door is closed, the server 100 may transmit the scenario recommending operating the air conditioner, the scenario recommending operating the air purifier, the scenario recommending operating the robot vacuum cleaner, and a scenario 630 recommending operating the dehumidifier to the dryer 200.

Specifically, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed and the door is closed, it is assumed that the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying degree button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225 are the idle button. In this case, the server 100 may obtain four scenarios as the recommended scenario based on the number of idle buttons and transmit the obtained scenario to the dryer 200.

In this case, the server 100 may obtain the scenario for operating the air conditioner, the scenario for operating the air purifier, the scenario for operating the robot vacuum cleaner, and the scenario for operating the dehumidifier which are the first, second, third, and fourth priority scenarios among the plurality of preset scenarios, as the recommended scenarios, based on the priority according to the user's usage history, and transmit the obtained recommended scenarios to the dryer 200. FIG. 6C illustrates the scenario 630 recommending operating the air conditioner, operating the air purifier, operating the robot vacuum cleaner, and operating the dehumidifier, but this is only an example, and of course, various scenarios may constitute the recommended scenario.

Specifically, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed, the door is closed, and the weight of the object to be dried is greater than or equal to the preset value, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the air conditioner as one of the recommended scenarios. Since this corresponds to the case where the drying time is likely to be set long due to the large volume of object to be dried put into the dryer 200, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the air conditioner of the dryer 200 as one of the recommended scenarios.

As another example, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed, the door is closed, the door is closed, and the amount of dust is greater than or equal to the preset value, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the air purifier as one of the recommended scenarios. Since this corresponds to the case where the dust content of the object to be dried put into the dryer 200 is high, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the robot vacuum cleaner as one of the recommended scenarios.

As another example, the server 100 may obtain a scenario recommending operating the robot vacuum cleaner by considering both the weight and the amount of dust of the object to be dried as one of the recommended scenarios.

For example, it is assumed that the amount of dust of the object to be dried is the same as 60%, but the weight of the object to be dried is 3 kg and 7 kg. In this case, the case where the object to be dried has a high dust content corresponds to the latter. Accordingly, when the amount of dust is greater than or equal to a value obtained by multiplying the weight value of the object to be dried by 10, the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operating the robot vacuum cleaner as one of the recommended scenarios. In other words, when the weight of the object to be dried is 3 kg, since the value (=60) of the amount of dust is greater than or equal to a value (=30) obtained by multiplying the weight of object to be dried by 10, so the server 100 may obtain the scenario recommending operation the robot vacuum cleaner as one of the recommended scenarios. However, when the weight of the object to be dried is 7 kg, since the value (=60) of the amount of dust is not greater than or equal to a value (=70) obtained by multiplying the weight of object to be dried by 10, so the server 100 may not obtain the scenario recommending operation the robot vacuum cleaner as one of the recommended scenarios.

However, this is only an example and is not necessarily limited thereto. By comparing the value of the dust value with the value obtained by multiplying the weight of the object to be dried by 5 or comparing the dust value with the value obtained by multiplying the weight of the object to be dried by 15, it is possible to obtain the scenario recommending operating another electronic device connected to the server 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing a process in which a dryer sets a recommended scenario selection function to an idle button according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7A, when the dryer 200 is before performing the drying operation and the door is open, the server 100 may transmit the recommended scenario 610 for operating the dehumidifier to the dryer 200.

In this case, when the start/pause button 221 is the idle button, the processor 250 may set the function of the start/pause button 221 as a function for selecting the operation of the dehumidifier.

In addition, the processor 250 may output the voice guidance message to guide the information on the button to which the recommended scenario is mapped. For example, the processor 250 may output the voice message such as “To operate the dehumidifier, press the start/pause button” through the speaker.

Referring to FIG. 7B, when the dryer 200 is performing the drying operation and the door is closed, the server 100 may transmit the recommended scenario 620 for operating the air conditioner and operating the robot vacuum cleaner to the dryer 200.

In this case, when the start/pause button 221 and the additional function button 225 are the idle buttons, the processor 250 may set the function of the start/pause button 221 as the function of selecting the operation of the air conditioner, and set the function of the additional function button 225 as the function of selecting the operation of the robot vacuum cleaner.

Meanwhile, which idle button to map the recommended scenario to may be determined based on the information on the button to which the recommended scenario received from the server 100 is mapped.

However, this is an example, and the processor 250 may identify the idle button and set the function of the identified idle button as the selection function of the recommended scenario. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 7B, the processor 250 may map the selection function of the recommended scenario for operating the air conditioner with the first priority to the start/pause button 221 located relatively on the left, and map the selection function of the recommended scenario for operating the robot vacuum cleaner with the second priority located relatively on the right to the additional function button 225.

However, it is described that the recommended scenarios with high priority are mapped starting from the button located on the left among the plurality of buttons according to the priority of the recommended scenarios, but this is only an example, and the order of mapping the recommended scenarios to the button according to the priority is not limited thereto.

In addition, the processor 250 may output the voice guidance message to guide the information on the button to which the recommended scenario is mapped. For example, the processor 250 may output the voice messages such as “To operate the air conditioner, press the start/pause button, and to operate the robot vacuum cleaner, press the additional function button” through the speaker.

Referring to FIG. 7C, when the drying operation of the dryer 200 is completed and the door is closed, the server 100 may transmit the recommended scenario 630 for operating the air conditioner, operating the air purifier, and operating the robot vacuum cleaner and the dehumidifier to the dryer 200.

In this case, when the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying level button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225 are the idle buttons, the processor 250 may set the functions of each of the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying degree button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225 as the function for selecting the operation of the air conditioner, the function for selecting the operation of the air purifier, the function for selecting the operation of the robot vacuum cleaner, and the function for selecting the operation of the dehumidifier.

Meanwhile, which idle button to map the recommended scenario to may be determined based on the information on the button to which the recommended scenario received from the server 100 is mapped.

However, this is an example, and the processor 250 may identify the idle button and set the function of the identified idle button as the selection function of the recommended scenario. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 7C, the processor 250 may sequentially map the selection function of the recommended scenario with relatively high priority, starting from the buttons on the relatively left side. That is, the processor 250 may map the selection function of the recommended scenario for the operation of the air conditioner with the first priority, the selection function of the recommended scenario for the operation of the air purifier with the second priority, the selection function of the recommended scenario for the operation of the robot vacuum cleaner with the third priority, and the selection function of the recommended scenario for the operation of the dehumidifier with the fourth priority to each of the anti-wrinkle button 222, the drying degree button 223, the time setting button 224, and the additional function button 225.

However, it is described that the recommended scenarios with high priority are mapped starting from the button located on the left among the plurality of buttons according to the priority of the recommended scenarios, but this is only an example, and the order of mapping the recommended scenarios to the button according to the priority is not limited thereto.

In addition, the processor 250 may output the voice guidance message to guide the information on the button to which the recommended scenario is mapped. For example, the processor 250 may output the voice messages such as “To operate the air conditioner, press the anti-wrinkle button, to operate the air purifier, press the drying degree button, to operate the robot vacuum cleaner, press the time setting button, and to operate the dehumidifier, press the additional function button” through the speaker.

Thereafter, when the user command to select the button to which the function of selecting the recommended scenario is mapped is input, the processor 250 may transmit the information on the recommended scenario corresponding to the selected button to the server 100. In this case, the server 100 may operate the external electronic device by transmitting the control signal for controlling the operation of the external electronic device corresponding to the information on the received recommendation scenario to the external electronic device.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a method for setting, by a server, priority among a plurality of scenarios constituting a recommended scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8A, it is assumed that the dryer 200 is performing the drying operation and the door is closed. In this case, the server 100 may transmit the scenario 620 recommending operating the air conditioner and the robot vacuum cleaner as the scenario to the dryer 200. In addition, the dryer 200 may set the function of selecting the operation of the air conditioner to the anti-wrinkle button 222 and a function of selecting the operation of the robot vacuum cleaner to the additional function button 225.

In this case, when the user does not select the operation of the air conditioner, which is the first priority scenario, but selects the operation of the robot vacuum cleaner, which is the second priority scenario, by selecting the additional function button 225, the server 100 may reset the priority in consideration of the user's selection history.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the server 100 may obtain the scenario for operating the robot vacuum cleaner as the recommended scenario with the first priority, and obtain the scenario for operating the air conditioner as the recommended scenario with the second priority, in consideration of the user's selection history. In this case, the dryer 200 may set the function of selecting the operation of the robot vacuum cleaner to the anti-wrinkle button 222 and the function of selecting the operation of the air conditioner to the additional function button 225.

However, in the above-described example, it is described that the subordinated scenario selected by the user is set to the first priority, but this is only an example, and the server 100 may adjust the priority in consideration of the user's usage history corresponding to each scenario and applying a preset weight to each scenario.

In addition, in FIG. 8B, it is assumed that the user directly operates the air purifier without selecting the anti-wrinkle button 222 and the additional function button 225. In this way, when the user operates another electronic device connected to the server 100, the server 100 may reset the priority by considering the user's history of using other electronic devices.

For example, when the user operates the air purifier, as illustrated in FIG. 8C, the server 100 may acquire the scenario for operating the air purifier as the recommended scenario with the first priority and acquire the scenario for operating the robot vacuum cleaner as the recommended scenario with the second priority. In this case, in FIG. 8B, the server 100 may obtain the recommended scenario for operating the air purifier as the recommended scenario with the first scenario and obtain the recommended scenario for operating the robot vacuum cleaner as the recommended scenario with the second priority in that the recommended scenario with the first priority is the recommended scenario for operating the robot vacuum cleaner and the recommended scenario with the second priority is the recommended scenario for operating the air conditioner. In addition, when the dryer 200 is performing the drying operation and the door is closed, the number of idle buttons is 2, so the recommended scenario for operating the air conditioner, which was previously the recommended scenario with the second priority, may not be included in the recommended scenario.

However, in the above-described example, when the user operates other electronic devices other than the selection function set for the dryer 200, it is described that the corresponding scenario is set as the first priority, but this is only an example. That is, of course, the server 100 may adjust the priority by applying the preset weight to each scenario in consideration of the user's usage history corresponding to each scenario.

Through the above-described process, the server 100 may consider the user's usage history in the process of obtaining the recommended scenario, thereby providing a scenario in which convenience may be further improved when the user operates the server 100 by interworking it with the dryer 200.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9, the dryer 200 may further include a speaker 260, and a display 270 in addition to the communication interface 210, the input unit 220, the weight sensor 230, and the dust sensor 240. However, such a configuration is an example, and it goes without saying that a new configuration may be added or some configuration may be omitted in addition to such a configuration in carrying out the present disclosure.

Meanwhile, in describing FIG. 9, descriptions overlapping with FIGS. 1 to 8 will be omitted.

The speaker 260 is configured to guide the user to various functions provided in the dryer 200 in voice form. In particular, a message guiding the type of scenario set to the plurality of buttons included in the input unit 220 to the user may be output through the speaker 260.

The display 270 is configured to display a user interface (UI) for operating the dryer 200. To this end, the display 270 may be implemented with various types of displays, such as liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED), and organic light emitting diode (OLED).

Meanwhile, the display unit 270 may additionally include an additional component according to the implementation type. For example, when the display unit 270 is a liquid crystal type, the display unit 270 includes an LCD display panel (not illustrated), a backlight unit (not illustrated) that supplies light to the LCD display panel, a panel driving substrate (not illustrated) that drives the panel (not illustrated), etc.

In addition, the display 270 may be implemented in the form of a touch screen and replace the function of the input unit 220. In this case, the UI that replaces the functions of the plurality of buttons included in the input unit 220 may be displayed on the display 270.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a dryer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, at least one of the weight detected by the weight sensor and the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor and the state information of the dryer is transmitted to the server (S1010).

Thereafter, the recommended scenario obtained based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust and the state information is received from the server (S1020).

The function of at least one button among the plurality of buttons is set as the selection function of the recommended scenario (S1030).

Thereafter, when the user command for selecting at least one button is received, the information on the recommended scenario corresponding to the selected button is transmitted to the server (S1040).

Here, the information on the recommended scenario may be used by the server to control the operation of the external electronic device corresponding to the recommended scenario.

In addition, the state information of the dryer may include the operation state of the dryer and the opening/closing state of the door provided on the dryer.

Here, in the setting as the selection function of the recommended scenario, at least one button not used in the dryer among the plurality of buttons may be set as the selection function of the recommended scenario based on the state information.

In addition, the method may further include resetting the function of the at least one button as its original function when the preset time has elapsed after the function of the at least one button is set as the selection function of the recommended scenario.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for describing a method for controlling a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, at least one of the weight detected by the weight sensor of the dryer and the amount of dust detected by the dust sensor of the dryer and the state information of the dryer are received (S1110).

Thereafter, the recommended scenario for controlling the operation of the external electronic device is acquired based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust and the state information (S1120).

Then, the information on the obtained recommended scenario is transmitted to the dryer (S1130).

In addition, the information on the selected recommended scenario is received from the dryer through the button provided on the dryer (S1140).

Thereafter, the control signal for controlling the operation of the external electronic device corresponding to the selected recommended scenario is transmitted to the external electronic device (S1150).

Here, the state information of the dryer may include the information on an operation state of the dryer and the information on the opening/closing state of the door of the dryer.

Here, in the obtaining of the recommended scenario, at least one button not used in the dryer among the plurality of buttons provided on the dryer may be identified based on the state information and the recommended scenario may be obtained based on the number of identified buttons.

In addition, the operation state of the dryer may include at least one of completion of drying, during drying, and before starting drying, and in the obtaining of the recommended scenario, the operation state of the dryer may be identified as one of the completion of drying, during drying, and before starting drying based on the information on the operation state of the dryer, and the recommended scenario corresponding to the identified operation state may be obtained based on at least one of the weight and the amount of dust.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, various embodiments described above may be implemented by software including instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium (for example, a computer-readable storage medium). A machine is a device capable of calling a stored instruction from a storage medium and operating according to the called instruction, and may include the devices of the disclosed embodiments. In the case in which a command is executed by the processor, the processor may directly perform a function corresponding to the command or other components may perform the function corresponding to the command under a control of the processor. The command may include codes created or executed by a compiler or an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in a form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the “non-transitory storage medium” means that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not include a signal (for example, electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between the case where data is stored semi-permanently on a storage medium and the case where data is temporarily stored thereon. For example, the “non-transitory storage medium” may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

According to an embodiment, the methods according to the diverse embodiments disclosed in the present document may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a purchaser. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (for example, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed (for example, download or upload) through an application store (for example, Play Store™) or may be directly distributed (for example, download or upload) between two user devices (for example, smart phones) online. In a case of the online distribution, at least some of the computer program products (for example, downloadable app) may be at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium such as a memory of a server of a manufacturer, a server of an application store, or a relay server or be temporarily created.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described hereinabove, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described specific embodiments, but may be variously modified by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as disclosed in the accompanying claims. These modifications should also be understood to fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.