Clothes treating system and method of diagnosing the same

Abstract

A clothes treating system includes a first clothes treating apparatus including a first drum, a first controller configured to control an operation of the first drum, and a diagnostic port; and a second clothes treating apparatus including a second drum, and a second controller configured to control an operation of the second drum. The first controller includes a first transmitting end and a first receiving end, and is configured to receive a first diagnosis request signal from the diagnostic port through the first receiving end, identify a diagnosis target based on the first diagnosis request signal, transmit a first diagnosis result signal to the diagnostic port through the first transmitting end after performing a diagnostic operation corresponding to the first diagnosis request signal in response to the diagnosis target being identified as the first clothes treating apparatus, and in response to the diagnosis target being identified as the second clothes treating apparatus, transmit a second diagnosis request signal to the second controller through the first transmitting end.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A clothes treating system, comprising:
 a first clothes treating apparatus including:
 a first drum; 
 a first controller configured to control an operation of the first drum; and 
 a diagnostic port connectable to a diagnostic terminal; and 
   a second clothes treating apparatus including:
 a second drum; and 
 a second controller configured to control an operation of the second drum, 
   wherein:
 the first controller includes:
 a first transmitting end; and 
 a first receiving end; and 
 
 the first controller is configured to:
 receive a first diagnosis request signal from the diagnostic port through the first receiving end; 
 identify a diagnosis target based on the received first diagnosis request signal; 
 in response to the diagnosis target being identified as the first clothes treating apparatus, perform a first diagnostic operation of the first clothes treating apparatus, and transmit a first diagnosis result signal including information about a result of the first diagnostic operation to the diagnostic port through the first transmitting end; and 
 in response to the diagnosis target being identified as the second clothes treating apparatus, transmit a second diagnosis request signal to the second controller through the first transmitting end. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The clothes treating system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the diagnostic port includes a receiving end and a transmitting end;   the second controller includes a second transmitting end and a second receiving end;   the first transmitting end is connected to the receiving end of the diagnostic port and the second receiving end; and   the first receiving end is connected to the transmitting end of the diagnostic port and the second transmitting end.   
     
     
         3 . The clothes treating system of  claim 2 , wherein a signal output through the first transmitting end is transmitted to the diagnostic port and the second receiving end. 
     
     
         4 . The clothes treating system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a connection circuit board configured to connect the first controller and the second controller by wire,   wherein the first transmitting end is connected to the second receiving end through the connection circuit board, and   the first receiving end is connected to the second transmitting end through the connection circuit board.   
     
     
         5 . The clothes treating system of  claim 4 , wherein the connection circuit board is configured to convert a signal received from the first transmitting end to be decodable by the second controller, and convert a signal received from the second transmitting end to be decodable by the first controller. 
     
     
         6 . The clothes treating system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first diagnosis result signal and the second diagnosis request signal includes identification information about a transmitter and identification information about a receiver. 
     
     
         7 . The clothes treating system of  claim 1 , wherein the second controller is configured to, in response to receiving the second diagnosis request signal from the first controller, perform a second diagnostic operation of the second clothes treating apparatus, and transmit a second diagnosis result signal including information about a result of the second diagnostic operation to the first receiving end, and
 in response to receiving the second diagnosis result signal from the second controller through the first receiving end, the first controller is configured to transmit the second diagnosis result signal to the diagnostic port.   
     
     
         8 . The clothes treating system of  claim 1 , wherein the first controller is configured to perform communication with the second controller or the diagnostic terminal according to a preset communication sequence, in response to the diagnostic terminal being connected to the diagnostic port. 
     
     
         9 . The clothes treating system of  claim 8 , wherein the preset communication sequence includes:
 a first sequence in which the first transmitting end transmits a signal to the diagnostic terminal;   a second sequence in which the first receiving end receives a signal from the diagnostic terminal;   a third sequence in which the first transmitting end transmits a signal to the second controller; and   a fourth sequence in which the first receiving end receives a signal from the second controller.   
     
     
         10 . The clothes treating system of  claim 1 , wherein the second controller is configured to ignore a signal output through the first transmitting end, in response to receiver identification information included in the signal output through the first transmitting end corresponding to the diagnostic terminal connected to the diagnostic port. 
     
     
         11 . The clothes treating system of  claim 4 , wherein the connection circuit board is configured to ignore a signal output through the first transmitting end, in response to receiver identification information included in the signal output through the first transmitting end corresponding to the diagnostic terminal connected to the diagnostic port. 
     
     
         12 . The clothes treating system of  claim 1 , wherein the first controller is configured to identify the diagnosis target as the first clothes treating apparatus, in response to receiver identification information included in the first diagnosis request signal corresponding to the first clothes treating apparatus, and
 identify the diagnosis target as the second clothes treating apparatus, in response to the receiver identification information included in the first diagnosis request signal corresponding to the second clothes treating apparatus.   
     
     
         13 . The clothes treating system of  claim 1 , wherein the first clothes treating apparatus includes a housing to accommodate the first drum, and a door formed on the housing to open or close an opening corresponding to the first drum, and
 the diagnostic port is below the door.   
     
     
         14 . The clothes treating system of  claim 1 , wherein the first clothes treating apparatus is a washing machine and the second clothes treating apparatus is a dryer. 
     
     
         15 . A method of diagnosing a clothes treating system including a first clothes treating apparatus including a first drum, a first controller configured to control an operation of the first drum, and a diagnostic port connectable to a diagnostic terminal, and a second clothes treating apparatus including a second drum and a second controller configured to control an operation of the second drum, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the first controller, a first diagnosis request signal from the diagnostic port through a first receiving end;   identifying, by the first controller, a diagnosis target based on the first diagnosis request signal;   in response to the diagnosis target being identified as the first clothes treating apparatus, performing a first diagnostic operation, and transmitting, by the first controller, a first diagnosis result signal including information about a result of the first diagnostic operation to the diagnostic port through a first transmitting end; and   in response to the diagnosis target being identified as the second clothes treating apparatus, transmitting, by the first controller, a second diagnosis request signal to the second controller through the first transmitting end.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 in response to receiving the second diagnosis request signal from the first controller, performing a second diagnostic operation, and transmitting, by the second controller, a second diagnosis result signal including information about a result of the second diagnostic operation to the first receiving end to the first receiving end, and   in response to receiving the second diagnosis result signal from the second controller through the first receiving end, transmitting, by the first controller, the second diagnosis result signal to the diagnostic port.