Controlling a household appliance

Abstract

A method (200) for controlling a household appliance with a touch-sensitive screen (130) comprises steps of detecting a touch (305, 310) of the screen (130); determining a touched position of the screen (130); determining a secondary aspect of the touch (305, 310); recognizing a predetermined user (120) based on the position and the secondary aspect; and controlling the household appliance (105) depending on the recognized user (120).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the control of a household appliance. In particular, the invention relates to the control of a household appliance using a touch-sensitive screen.

[0002] A household appliance, such as a coffee maker or a refrigerator, includes a touchscreen that can be used by a user as an interface to control the appliance. The touchscreen comprises a two-dimensional screen and a device that can detect a touch of the screen. A control element can be displayed on the screen, and a function of the household appliance associated with the control element can be controlled when a touch of the screen is detected in the area of ​​the control element.

[0003] To adapt the position-determining device to the screen and, for example, minimize parallax errors of a user controlling the household appliance, the touch-sensitive screen can be calibrated. Predefined points can be displayed on the screen that the user is supposed to touch in order to determine any deviation or distortion between the coordinate systems of the screen and the scanning device.

[0004] It has been observed that, despite the seemingly robust and repeatable operating capabilities of a touch-sensitive screen, misoperations repeatedly occur, resulting in a desired function of the household appliance not being triggered or a different function being triggered than the desired one. The rate of misoperations can vary between different users, so that a household appliance that is precise and easy to control for one user may be very difficult for a second user to control.

[0005] One object underlying the present invention is to provide an improved technology for controlling a household appliance. The invention achieves this object by means of the subject matter of the independent claims. Subclaims specify preferred embodiments.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a household appliance having a touch-sensitive screen comprises steps of detecting a touch of the screen; determining a touched position of the screen; determining a secondary aspect of the touch; recognizing a predetermined user based on the position and the secondary aspect; and controlling the household appliance depending on the recognized user.

[0007] It has been recognized that the touch-sensitive screen can be touched in different ways by different users, whereby the manner of touch can provide a good approximation to the user. In other words, the manner of touch can be characteristic of a user, similar to a fingerprint or handwriting. The user can be recognized based on the touch, and the control of the household appliance can be adapted to the recognized user. In this way, the operability of the household appliance can be improved even for users who display very different touch behaviors. The household appliance can be set up to recognize users who live in the same household in which the household appliance is operated. The number of such users can be relatively small, allowing users to be quickly and reliably differentiated based on their touch behavior.

[0008] It is preferable that the specific position be adjusted relative to the detected user. For example, parallax errors from users of different heights can be automatically compensated. If a touch by a sample user always occurs with a similar deviation, for example, a few millimeters further to the right and higher than the intended touch target, the systematic error can be reduced or compensated. The household appliance can be operated more precisely and smoothly for the user.

[0009] In a further embodiment, user guidance is provided depending on the recognized user. The user guidance can, for example, include a structure or an entry in a function menu, a user-defined preset, or the display of favorites. For example, a coffee machine that has recognized a predetermined user can display a button whose touch is assigned to the preparation of a coffee specialty that the user selects most frequently.

[0010] Several different secondary aspects can be evaluated and related to one another. In one embodiment, the secondary aspect comprises a size, a shape, or an orientation of the touch. For example, a person with large, soft hands can create a larger touch impression on the screen than another person with smaller, harder hands. The shape of an area touched on the screen can vary between different users. For example, an area touched by a first person can be more circular, while an area touched by a second person can be more elliptical. A person who prefers to touch the screen with a fingernail or an object can create an essentially point-like touch. If the shape of the touch is not rotationally symmetrical, its orientation can also be evaluated as a secondary aspect.For example, a characteristic hand posture of different people can be evaluated. The hand posture can be determined by a person's height or the hand used for touching (right or left).

[0011] The secondary aspect may include a deviation of the touch from a control surface displayed on the screen. The deviation may concern a distance in the vertical and / or horizontal direction. The touch and the control surface may be compared, for example, with respect to their centers, their contours, or in another systematic way. A characteristic deviation in magnitude and direction may provide valuable information about the person touching.

[0012] The secondary aspect can also include the strength of the touch. This requires that the strength of the touch on the screen be recorded. If a force-sensitive touchscreen is used, a threshold value for the actuation force above which a touch is considered an actuation can be controlled. This threshold value can be controlled depending on the user's preference. The user can, for example, express their preference as a default setting.

[0013] Another possible secondary aspect can include the temporal progression of the touch. While a first person may prefer a gentle, slowly increasing and decreasing touch, a second person may use a brief, rapidly decreasing touch. It can also be evaluated how long a person maintains their touch on the screen. The temporal progression can be focused specifically on the force of the touch or the deviation from the operating surface.

[0014] Another secondary aspect may include a time interval between consecutive touches. A sequence of touches may be required to successively activate different menu items in a user interface, so that a predetermined function is executed in a predetermined manner. Displays of different operating menus can change rapidly. Different users may react to a changed display at different speeds.

[0015] It is generally preferred that the user be identified based on secondary aspects of several consecutive touches. This can be taken into account that a person often cannot be identified accurately enough based on a single touch. Furthermore, it can be checked whether secondary aspects of two consecutive touches indicate the same user. If they do not, the user cannot be identified with sufficient certainty. In this case, the household appliance can be controlled in a predetermined standard manner, which cannot differ from the manner in which a conventional, well-known household appliance with a touch-sensitive screen is controlled.

[0016] Based on secondary aspects of touches, a filter can be trained to recognize the user. The filter can, for example, comprise a Kalman filter or an artificial neural network (ANN). The filter can allow a distinction between training and functional mode. Training can take place outside of the control of the household appliance. Once the filter has been trained in a way that suits the user, training mode can be exited and further changes to the filter prevented. To train the filter, the user can be asked to complete a predetermined training course in which they touch predetermined displayed elements on the screen.In a further embodiment, the user may also be asked to perform a predetermined control of the household appliance, while a user interface on the touch-sensitive screen behaves as if a control were actually taking place.

[0017] Once the user is satisfied with the filter's training results, they can stop the training and insert the filter into the household appliance. The filter can also be saved and stored anywhere.

[0018] In a further embodiment, the filter is transferred to another household appliance. The other household appliance can be of the same or a different type than the first household appliance. For example, characteristics of a predetermined user in the control of a coffee machine can be transferred to the control of a dishwasher or a refrigerator, or vice versa. The other household appliance can perform a recognition method described herein. A function of the other household appliance can be performed with respect to the recognized user.

[0019] In one embodiment, the filter can be transmitted from the first household appliance to an external location, from where another household appliance can download the filter. For example, the user can approach the other household appliance and request the download of a filter assigned to them. Thus, the advantages of the technique described herein for recognizing a user based on their touch behavior on a touch-sensitive screen can be utilized on different household appliances. Optionally, the filter can also be deployed, at least temporarily, on a household appliance located in a different household than the first household appliance.

[0020] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a control device for a household appliance comprises a touch-sensitive screen and a processing device. The processing device is configured to detect a touch of the screen; determine a touched position of the screen; determine a secondary aspect of the touch; recognize a predetermined user based on the position and the secondary aspect; and control the household appliance depending on the recognized user.

[0021] The control device can be configured to partially or completely execute a method described herein. For this purpose, the control device can be implemented electronically and, for example, comprise a programmable microcomputer or microcontroller. The method can be in the form of a computer program product with program code means. The computer program product can be stored on a computer-readable data carrier. Features or advantages of the method can be transferred to the control device, or vice versa.

[0022] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a household appliance comprises a control device as described herein. The household appliance can be intended for use in a multi-person household and can comprise, for example, a coffee machine or a refrigerator.

[0023] The invention further relates to a device configured to receive data for identifying a predetermined user from a first household appliance described herein and to provide it to a second household appliance described herein. The data can be in particular in the form of a trained filter. The device can be arranged externally to a household in which the first and / or second household appliance is installed. For example, the device can be implemented in the form of a server or as a service in a cloud.

[0024] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Fig. 1 a control device for a household appliance; Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling a household appliance; Fig. 3 a schematic representation of different touches; and Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of different temporal courses of touches.

[0025] Fig. 1 shows a system 100 comprising a household appliance 105 and a location 110 external to it. The household appliance 105 may, for example, comprise a fully automatic coffee machine.

[0026] A control device 115 of the household appliance 105 is configured to control the household appliance 105. The control device 115 can, in particular, provide user guidance to a user 120 and, depending on a user input, control a function of the household appliance 105. For this purpose, the control device 115 can comprise an interface 125 for connecting to another component of the household appliance 105.

[0027] The control device 115 comprises a touch-sensitive screen 130 and a processing device 135. A predetermined graphic element 140 can be displayed on the screen 130 and a touch of the screen 130 controlled by the user 120 can be detected.

[0028] In the presentation of Fig. 1, a test pattern with four graphic elements 140 in the corners of the screen 130 is shown purely as an example. The user 120 can be asked to touch the graphic elements 140 one after the other. A progress indicator 145 shows how far a calibration process has progressed by touching the elements 140.

[0029] Calibration can be performed to detect and subsequently compensate for any possible deviation or distortion between the coordinate systems of the screen 130 and a touch detection device. Furthermore, touches on the screen 130 by a specific user 120 can be evaluated more accurately.

[0030] When a touch is detected, a multitude of determinations can be made, from which typically only a position on the screen 130 that the user 120 has touched is derived. It is proposed to evaluate secondary aspects of the touch in order to recognize a predetermined user 120 based on the way they touch the screen 130. During the evaluation, a filter can be created or trained, which can be stored locally. If necessary, the filter can be made accessible to another household appliance 105, or a trained or created filter can be adopted by another household appliance 105. A wireless interface 150 can be provided for transmitting the filter. Preferably, the filter is shared or synchronized with the external location 110 so that multiple household appliances 105 can use the same filter.

[0031] Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of an exemplary method 200 for controlling a household appliance 105. In a step 205, the touch-sensitive screen 130 can be calibrated. Furthermore, the control device 115, and in particular the processing device 135, can be trained to recognize secondary aspects of a touch that are characteristic of a current user 120.

[0032] Based on collected secondary aspects, a filter can be formed or trained in a step 210. The filter can comprise any data structure that maps information about a detected touch of a screen 130 by a user 120 to a determination of a predetermined user 120. In addition to a specific user 120, a confidence level with which the user 120 could be recognized can be specified.

[0033] After completing the training phase in step 205, normal operation of the household appliance 105 can occur. In a step 215, a touch on the screen 130 by the user 120 can be detected. The touch can include raw data, which in particular includes a touched area of ​​the screen 130 and / or an actuation force. Furthermore, temporal profiles of the touch and actuation force can be recorded. Further information can be derived from this information, for example, the shape, size, or orientation of a touch.

[0034] In a step 220, a touched position of the screen 130 and one or more secondary aspects can be determined. Secondary aspects can include raw data or processed data acquired during the scanning of the touch-sensitive screen 130.

[0035] In a step 225, the user 120 can be determined based on the determined secondary aspects and the filter formed in step 210. If the confidence of the user determination is below a predetermined threshold, no user 120 can be detected. In this case, the household appliance 105 can be controlled in a known manner.

[0036] Otherwise, in a step 230, the touch can be corrected with respect to the user 120. For example, a systematic deviation between the determined position of the touch and an intended position of a touch can be used to correct the determined position. Furthermore, a control element displayed on the screen 130 in the area of ​​the touch can be determined.

[0037] A predetermined function of the household appliance 105 can be assigned to the control element. This function can be determined and executed in a step 235. The filter formed or trained in step 210 can optionally be downloaded from the household appliance 105. For example, the filter can be uploaded to the external location 110 in a step 240. In this case, the filter can be associated with additional data of the user 120.

[0038] Another household appliance 105 can download the filter from the external location 110 in a step 245 and use it in a manner as described herein. Training and forming the filter (see steps 205, 210) by the other household appliance 105 can then be omitted. Optionally, a direct transfer of the filter between the household appliances 105 is also possible. The other household appliance 105 can be located in the same or a different household as the first household appliance 105. The two household appliances 105 can be of the same or different types.

[0039] Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of different touches of a touch-sensitive screen 130. For better explanation, an exemplary graphic element 140 is shown on the screen 130, the center of which the user 120 is to touch.

[0040] A first touch 305 and a second touch 310 are represented as dark areas where a user 120 actually touched the screen 130. The touches 305 and 310 differ in several aspects. While the first touch 305 is shifted from a center point of the graphic element 140 by a smaller amount to the bottom left, the second touch 310 is shifted by a larger amount to the top right. Both touches 305, 310 have the shape of an ellipse. However, the ellipse of the first touch 305 is oriented horizontally, and that of the second touch 310 is oriented approximately diagonally. The length ratio of a major axis to a minor axis is significantly smaller at the ellipse of the first touch 305 than at the ellipse of the second touch 310. Overall, the area of ​​the first touch 305 is smaller than the area of ​​the second touch 310.

[0041] The different sizes may be due to the fact that the first touch 305 was made with an index finger and the second touch with a thumb 310. The different orientations or deviations may be related to different body sizes of the person 120, and a preferred hand (right or left) may also have an influence.

[0042] The described differences can be understood as secondary aspects of the touches 305, 310. A secondary aspect can provide an indication of the identity of the user 120, particularly if it occurs during different touches by the same user 120.

[0043] Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of different temporal progressions of two touches 305 and 310. A time is plotted in a horizontal direction. A force is plotted, for example, in a vertical direction. In another embodiment, a position in the horizontal or vertical direction on the screen 130 can also be plotted in the vertical direction. The depicted temporal progressions do not necessarily correspond to the touches 305, 310 from Fig. 3.

[0044] The temporal progressions of touches 305 and 310 are synchronized with each other with respect to a point in time at which touches 305, 310 each exert a maximum force. It is noticeable that the first touch 305 is more symmetrical in its rise and fall than the second touch 310. A maximum force value of the first touch 305 is lower than that of the second touch 310. The first touch 305 begins earlier and ends later than the second touch 310. An increase and a decrease in the touch force of the first touch 305 are smoother than an increase or a decrease in the second touch 310. The asymmetry of the temporal progression of the actuation force of the second touch 310 can be examined in more detail.For example, maximum rise and fall rates can be compared; areas under the time course during rise and fall can be compared; and a maximum curvature of the rise or fall curve can be determined.

[0045] The aforementioned characteristics can also be evaluated as secondary aspects to provide an indication of the identity of a user 120. In general, it can be said that the more characteristic secondary aspects are considered and the more systematically corresponding secondary aspects can be observed during different touches 305, 310 by the same person 120, the better a user 120 can be recognized. Reference symbol 100 systems 105 household appliances 110 external positions 115 Control device 120 users 125 interface 130 touch-sensitive screen 135 Processing facility 140 graphic element 145 Progress indicator 150 wireless interface 200 procedures 205 Calibrate screen, train touch 220 filters form 215 Touch detection 220 Determine position and secondary aspect 225 users determine 230 Correct touch, determine actuation 235 Execute function Upload 240 filters Provide 245 filters 305 first touch 310 second touch

Claims

[1] Method (200) for controlling a household appliance with a touch-sensitive screen (130), the method (200) comprising the following steps: - detecting (215) a touch (305, 310) of the screen (130); - determining (220) a touched position of the screen (130); - determining (220) a secondary aspect of the contact (305, 310); and - recognizing (225) a predetermined user (120) based on the position and the secondary aspect; and - Controlling (235) the household appliance (105) depending on the detected user (120). [2] The method (200) of claim 1, wherein the determined position is adjusted (230) with respect to the recognized user (120). [3] Method (200) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a user guidance (120) is carried out (230) depending on the recognized user (120). [4] The method (200) of any preceding claim, wherein the secondary aspect comprises a size, shape, or orientation of the touch (305, 310). [5] Method (200) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the secondary aspect comprises a deviation of the touch (305, 310) from an operating surface displayed on the screen (130). [6] The method (200) of any preceding claim, wherein the secondary aspect comprises a strength of the touch (305, 310). [7] Method (200) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the secondary aspect comprises a temporal progression of the contact (305, 310). [8] Method (200) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the secondary aspect comprises a time interval between successive touches (305, 310). [9] Method (200) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the user (120) is determined based on secondary aspects of multiple consecutive touches (305, 310). [10] Method (200) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a filter for recognizing the user (120) is trained (205, 210) on the basis of secondary aspects of touches (305, 310). [11] Method (200) according to claim 10, wherein the training (205, 210) takes place outside of a control of the household appliance (105). [12] Method (200) according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the filter is transferred (240, 245) to another household appliance (105). [13] Control device (115) for a household appliance (105), wherein the control device (115) comprises the following elements: - a touch-sensitive screen (130); - a processing facility designed to: - to detect a touch (305, 310) of the screen (130); - to determine a touched position of the screen (130); - to determine a secondary aspect of contact (305, 310); - to recognize a predetermined user (120) based on the position and the secondary aspect; and - to control the household appliance (105) depending on the recognized user (120). [14] Household appliance (105) comprising a control device (115) according to claim 13. [15] Apparatus configured to receive data for identifying a predetermined user (120) from a first household appliance (105) according to claim 14; and to provide it to a second household appliance (105) according to claim 14.

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