Methods for saving energy in a household appliance, as well as household appliance and computer program product

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for saving energy in a household appliance with a functional device (2), in particular in a coffee machine (1), comprising the steps: a) determine or obtain a metric influenced by user behavior relating to the functional equipment (2), b) Determine an energy saving potential by comparing the characteristic value with comparative values, and c) issue an energy saving tip with a specific recommendation for action relating to the characteristic value and the functional device (2). The invention also relates to a household appliance with a functional device (2), in particular a coffee machine (1), with a correspondingly programmed control device (3) and a corresponding computer program product comprising corresponding commands.

Description

[0001] The present application relates to a method for saving energy in a household appliance with a functional device, in particular in a coffee machine, a corresponding household appliance and a related computer program product.

[0002] It is known that efficient household appliances, such as coffee machines, also incorporate processes and devices that automatically increase efficiency, e.g., from DE 10 2017 209 616 A1. However, this usually requires additional components, the production of which, in turn, requires resources. Furthermore, the usage behavior of operators often has a significant impact on the energy consumption of such appliances.

[0003] The object of the present invention is therefore to improve the disadvantages mentioned, in particular to enable energy savings in a household appliance in a simple and sustainable manner.

[0004] This object is achieved by a method according to claim 1, by a household appliance according to claim 9 and by a computer program product according to claim 10. Advantageous further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0005] The method according to the invention is based on the general idea that the usage behavior of operators often has a significant influence on the energy consumption of the household appliance. Operators are usually unaware of this, as the influence on the functional configuration often arises from hidden connections, and some actions in usage behavior also occur unconsciously.

[0006] Therefore, the method according to the invention for saving energy in a household appliance with a functional device, in particular in a coffee machine, comprises the steps: a) record or obtain a characteristic value influenced by user behaviour, concerning the functional device, b) determining an energy saving potential by comparing the characteristic value with reference values, and c) issuing an energy saving tip with a specific recommendation for action concerning the characteristic value and the functional device.

[0007] By comparing the characteristic value with comparative values, the aforementioned relationships can be used to determine energy saving potential that results from the influence of user behavior on the functional device. Based on this knowledge, the energy saving tip with the specific recommendation for action makes it possible to achieve energy savings by adjusting usage behavior. This means that energy savings can be achieved without requiring additional resources in the production of the household appliance. For example, users often tend to exploit predefined values ​​or setting options to the extreme, e.g., to the maximum. However, if there are hidden relationships between several such values ​​or setting options, increased energy consumption can result if both are exploited to the extreme at the same time.For example, a coffee machine can be set to make a latte macchiato using a maximum amount of milk, a minimum amount of coffee, and a maximum coffee strength. However, a latte macchiato with the same taste can also be achieved with a coffee amount one setting higher and a coffee strength one setting lower. However, the latter combination can be achieved with a more energy-efficient brewing process. This means that there may be a hidden connection between the settings and the energy consumption of a brewing system as a functional device. If the minimum amount of coffee is set, the maximum coffee strength can be recorded as a key value, and the energy saving potential can be determined by comparing it with reference values.This can be used as an energy-saving tip to suggest that the brewing system will require less energy to prepare the desired coffee beverage if the recommended course of action is followed: increasing the coffee quantity by one setting and reducing the coffee strength by one setting. This allows for energy savings in a simple and sustainable way.

[0008] The household appliance can be designed in particular as a coffee machine, but alternatively also advantageously as another kitchen appliance, in particular a cooking appliance or dishwasher, but also as a floor cleaning appliance, washing machine or tumble dryer.

[0009] In an advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the determination or retrieval of the characteristic value, and / or the selection of a type of characteristic value to be determined or retrieved, is carried out at least partially by a self-learning algorithm. This allows the method to be easily adapted to various degrees of user behavior of different operators. This also enables adaptation to a change in user behavior that could otherwise only be estimated in advance using a probability analysis, for example. This allows energy savings to be easily achieved in a wide variety of usage scenarios.

[0010] In a further advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the self-learning algorithm comprises an artificial intelligence that evaluates recorded operating data of the household appliance, in particular the coffee machine, using a deep learning framework. Advantageous deep learning frameworks that can be used here include TensorFlow, Keras, or Pytorch. This not only allows the method to be easily adapted to the most diverse user behaviors of different operators, but also allows the capture of deeply hidden relationships and the identification of energy-saving potentials that would otherwise have remained hidden. This enables even greater energy savings in the household appliance.

[0011] In a further advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the functional device is a heating device, in particular a water heating device. Not only are heating devices, and in particular water heating devices, usually the most energy-intensive functional devices in household appliances, but the associated processes also give rise to the most hidden relationships and the greatest influence of user behavior.

[0012] In a further advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the functional device is a water heating device which comprises a water tank, and the characteristic value is a filling volume of the water tank which is filled by an operator. The filling volume actually filled into the water tank depends entirely on the user behavior of the operator. For example, just enough water can be filled at once that a request from the device to fill the water tank is no longer displayed. However, the water tank can also be filled all at once until it overflows, or in any possible gradation between the two filling volumes mentioned. The filled filling volume can be measured or calculated from a range until the next filling is necessary.However, with large water tanks, it can be very time-consuming to actually measure every possible fill volume up to the maximum, as this would require complex or very numerous sensors. Therefore, often only a defined minimum is recorded, which is still sufficient for average use. In household appliances, however, a larger fill volume than this defined minimum may be necessary for more specialized processes. If the fill level is just above the defined minimum, such processes can be started, but then must be aborted and restarted after refilling. The additional energy consumption required for this can be avoided by the advantageous development of the method according to the invention.For operators who usually fill the water tank with only a small amount of water but start the aforementioned processes more frequently than average, significant energy savings can be achieved very easily in a sustainable manner.

[0013] In a further advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the recommended action includes the recommendation to fill the water tank completely when filling it, in particular up to a maximum mark. This makes it possible to take advantage of the fact that room temperature is often higher than the temperature of tap water. Usually, water comes out of the tap at around 10°C when the tap is set to cold, and the room temperature is around 20°C. If a water tank is filled with 10°C cold water up to the maximum mark, the water can, given sufficient time, heat up by a further 10°C to 20°C simply due to the higher room temperature. For all processes in the household appliance which require water to be heated, the water then needs to be heated by 10°C less. This means that in a coffee machine, for example, 180 W can be saved per coffee beverage, simply by heating the water tank.The evening before, the water tank is completely filled to the maximum mark, instead of being only slightly filled with cold water before the first coffee the next morning. Thanks to the advantageous development of the method according to the invention, operators who previously only filled the water tank with a small amount of water can thus very easily achieve significant energy savings in a particularly sustainable manner.

[0014] In a further advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the characteristic value is a coffee bean type used, and the recommended action includes the recommendation to achieve an expected result with a specific bean type at a lower brewing temperature and / or a smaller amount of powder per brewing, and includes the brewing temperature and / or the amount of powder to be set. Many coffee machines allow the type of coffee bean being used to be entered or determined. Likewise, many coffee machines also allow the properties of the expected result to be set with regard to the taste characteristics of the coffee beverage and its strength, e.g., "intense" and "very strong."With the advantageous development of the method according to the invention, hidden correlations between user behavior regarding the type of coffee bean used and such setting parameters, and the resulting savings potential, can now be determined. For example, if it is determined that particularly "mild" types of coffee beans are used, but the setting parameters are usually selected to brew a maximally strong, intense, and / or powerful coffee beverage, this can require a comparatively high energy expenditure. If such coffee beverages could be prepared with a "stronger" type of coffee bean with a lower energy expenditure, the aforementioned recommended course of action can be used to achieve significant energy savings in a particularly simple and very sustainable manner.

[0015] In a further advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the functional device is an automatic on / off device which comprises a timer and the characteristic value is a time of renewed switching on after an automatic switching off process, wherein the recommended action is to further increase an automatic switching off time period if the time is less than or equal to 30 minutes after the automatic switching off process and a value of less than or equal to 180 minutes is specified as the time period for the automatic switching off process. It can usually be assumed that the shortest possible time period for the automatic switching off process results in the greatest energy savings. However, additional switching on / off procedures may be necessary for a switching off process and / or a switching on process, which also require energy consumption.For example, in coffee machines, a switch-off rinse and / or a switch-on rinse can take place automatically. However, in the user behavior of many operators, coffee beverages are often dispensed at relatively regular intervals, e.g. during fixed break times. By means of the comparison according to the invention, it can be determined in this development, for example, that the time period for the automatic switch-off process is set at two hours, but that the coffee machine is regularly switched on again ten to fifteen minutes after the automatic switch-off process and a coffee beverage is dispensed. In this development, for example, the energy consumption for continued operation without this automatic switch-off process can be lower than the energy consumption for the switch-off rinse and the switch-on rinse. In this development, the savings potential resulting from the hidden connection can thus be achieved particularly easily and sustainably by means of the aforementioned recommended action.

[0016] A solution to the aforementioned problem is also provided by a household appliance with a functional device and a control device, in particular by a coffee machine, in particular with a water heating device as the functional device, which comprises a water tank, wherein the control device is configured and programmed to carry out the steps of the above-mentioned method. This enables energy savings in the household appliance to be achieved in a simple and particularly sustainable manner, since no additional components need to be produced and used.

[0017] A solution to the problem mentioned at the outset is also provided by a computer program product, comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a control device, in particular that of a coffee machine, cause the control device to carry out the steps of the above-mentioned method, i.e. the method according to the invention, optionally also with the corresponding developments. This enables energy savings in a simple and particularly sustainable manner. Not only does it not require the production and use of additional components, but even household appliances that have already been produced and delivered can, for example, be very easily retrofitted with corresponding devices via a firmware update or a corresponding app using an internet connection, but without corresponding programming, and the said computer program product can be implemented with the said commands.This also makes it possible to provide a particularly sustainable solution to the problem mentioned above.

[0018] In the following, the principle of the invention is explained using a drawing with the only Fig. 1 explains this in more detail. The drawing shows: Fig. 1: a schematic representation of a household appliance designed as a coffee machine 1 with a functional device 2 and a control device 3.

[0019] In Fig. Figure 1 shows a household appliance designed as a coffee machine 1 with a functional device 2 and a control device 3. The control device 3 of the coffee machine 1 is configured and programmed (not shown in the figure) to carry out an energy-saving method for the household appliance, which comprises the following steps: d) record or obtain a characteristic value influenced by user behaviour, concerning the functional device 2, e) determining an energy saving potential by comparing the characteristic value with reference values, and f) issuing an energy saving tip with a specific recommendation for action concerning the characteristic value and the functional device 2.

[0020] The functional device 2 is a water heating device 21 comprising a water tank 22. In this example, the characteristic value is a filling volume of the water tank 22, which is filled by an operator.

[0021] In the present example, the characteristic value is determined by a self-learning algorithm comprising artificial intelligence that evaluates recorded operating data from coffee machine 1 using the Pytorch deep learning framework. This also allows hidden relationships between the characteristic value, in this case the filling volume of the water tank 22, and the functional device 2, in this case the water heating device 21, to be detected. Based on this, by comparing the characteristic value with comparison values ​​recorded during a development stage of coffee machine 1, the energy saving potential can be determined. By changing user behavior regarding filling the water tank, instead of always filling it minimally as indicated by the characteristic value, but always up to the maximum mark, an energy saving of 180 W per average coffee beverage can be achieved.Therefore, an energy saving tip is issued with the recommendation to fill the water tank 22 completely up to a maximum mark when filling it - in order to save an average of 180 W per coffee beverage when heating the water using the water heating device 21.

[0022] The fact that the control device 3 of the coffee machine 1 is programmed to carry out the aforementioned method is achieved by a computer program product comprising corresponding commands. The control device 3 of the coffee machine 1, or a part thereof (not visible in the figure), was programmed accordingly in the present example by providing the computer program product with the aforementioned commands or implementing them via an internet interface (not shown) using an app (not shown).

[0023] The components illustrated in the exemplary embodiment, such as the water tank 22 and the water heating device 21, as well as their relative sizes, are generally not to be considered to scale. Rather, individual elements, such as the control device 3 and the functional device 2, may be illustrated as exaggeratedly thick or large for clarity and / or clarity. The explanation of the coffee machine 1 according to the invention based on the described exemplary embodiments is not to be considered a limitation of the invention to these. Rather, the invention encompasses any novel feature and any combination of features, even if this feature or combination itself is not explicitly stated in the patent claims or the exemplary embodiments. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 1 coffee machine 2 Functional device 21 Water heating device 22 Water tank 3 Control device QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2017 209 616 A1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Method for saving energy in a household appliance with a functional device (2), in particular in a coffee machine (1), comprising the steps: g) record or obtain a characteristic value influenced by user behaviour, concerning the functional device (2), h) determining an energy saving potential by comparing the characteristic value with reference values, and i) issuing an energy saving tip with a specific recommendation for action concerning the characteristic value and the functional device (2). [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the determination or retrieval of the characteristic value, and / or a selection of a type of characteristic value to be determined or retrieved, is carried out at least partly by a self-learning algorithm. [3] Method according to claim 2, characterized bythat the self-learning algorithm includes artificial intelligence that evaluates recorded operating data of the household appliance, in particular the coffee machine, using a deep learning framework. [4] Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the functional device (2) is a heating device, in particular a water heating device (21). [5] Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the functional device (2) is a water heating device (21) which comprises a water tank (22) and the characteristic value is a filling volume of the water tank (22) which is filled by an operator. [6] Method according to claim 5, characterized by that the recommended action includes the recommendation to fill the water tank (22) completely, in particular up to a maximum mark. [7] Method according to claim 5, characterized bythat the characteristic value is a type of coffee bean used and the recommended action includes the recommendation to achieve an expected result with a specific type of bean at a lower brewing temperature and / or a smaller amount of powder per brewing and includes the brewing temperature and / or the amount of powder to be set. [8] Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by that the functional device (2) is an automatic on / off device which comprises a timer and the characteristic value is a time of a renewed switch-on after an automatic switch-off process, wherein the recommended action is to further increase an automatic switch-off time period if the time is less than or equal to 30 minutes after the automatic switch-off process and a value of less than or equal to 180 minutes is specified as the time period for the automatic switch-off process. [9] Household appliance with a functional device (2) and a control device (3), in particular a coffee machine (1), in particular with a water heating device (21) as functional device (2) which comprises a water tank (22), characterized by that the control device (3) is arranged and programmed to carry out the steps of the method according to one of claims 1 to 8. [10] Computer program product, comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a control device (3), in particular that of a coffee machine (1), cause the control device (3) to carry out the steps of the method according to one of claims 1 to 8.

Images