household appliance

Abstract

The invention relates to a household appliance that can be fully integrated into a furniture front (2) with a worktop (3) and that has: - a housing (10) that surrounds an interior and has a device door (11) that is integrated into the housing (10) so that the interior can be loaded and unloaded, - an operating area (12) with a display (13) on an end face of the housing (10), and - a segmented optical fiber (14), and - a control device configured to control the supply of power to the segmented light guide (14) through the display (13) and / or through the display (13).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a household appliance. In particular, the invention relates to a household appliance that can be fully integrated into a furniture front with a worktop and that has a housing and a control area, wherein the housing surrounds an interior space and has an appliance door that is integrated into the housing so that the interior space can be loaded and unloaded, and wherein the control area with a display is arranged on an end face of the housing.

[0002] With a fully integrated appliance like a dishwasher, the display cannot be read during operation or when the door is closed due to the furniture front panel. In this state – especially during operation – it is desirable for the user to be able to view information about the current process or other appliance data, such as progress, remaining time, and / or the remaining time of a wash cycle.

[0003] It is known from an undocumented prior art to illuminate a single light guide mounted under the worktop by means of an additional LED (light-emitting diode) in the front edge of an appliance door. This light guide is designed to signal, for example, the end of a program when illuminated. Firstly, a single light element does not provide a clear indication of the sequence and / or progress, and secondly, it requires an additional opening or window in the front edge of the appliance door. With multiple light elements for a multi-stage progress indicator, this design would require several windows, or even a very large window, in the operating area of ​​the door. Aside from the numerous openings or...The mechanical weakening of the door construction associated with large openings would mean that several such window areas on the panel would be perceived as disruptive foreign bodies and thus severely impair the device design.

[0004] The invention thus addresses the problem of providing a household appliance that can be fully integrated into a furniture front with a worktop, that has an ergonomically easy-to-read, self-explanatory process and / or progress indicator, that does not require additional openings and / or windows in the front of the appliance door and that is also as cost-effective as possible.

[0005] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a household appliance with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are described in the following dependent claims.

[0006] The advantages achievable with the invention, besides providing a multi-stage process and / or progress indicator for the fully integrated household appliance in its standard operating position, lie in the fact that the information content that can be displayed is significantly greater than with a single light element. The multi-stage process and / or progress indicator is implemented without additional windows or openings, so that there are no additional structural weaknesses or disruptive elements that would affect the appliance design.

[0007] The invention is particularly relevant for fully integrated household appliances where display surfaces are temporarily concealed behind other components, such as furniture parts, worktops, etc., in their operating position. Examples include fully integrated dishwashers, warming drawers, dish warming drawers, or drawer units in general. The term "household appliance" refers to an electrical device typically used in private households, and the scope of protection also includes household appliances used commercially.

[0008] The invention relates to a household appliance that can be fully integrated into a furniture front with a worktop and that has: - a housing that surrounds an interior and has a device door integrated into the housing so that the interior can be loaded and unloaded, - a control area with a display on one end of the housing, and - a segmented optical fiber, and - a control device designed to control the supply of power to the segmented light guide through the display and / or through the display.

[0009] The design concept of the invention provides for the segmented light guide to be powered either by the display, which is typically already present in the operating area on the front of the household appliance, or through the display already present in the operating area on the front of the household appliance. Individual light guide segments of the segmented light guide can be illuminated segment by segment or pixel by pixel by the control unit, thus providing the sequence and / or progress indicator. The light can be coupled into the light guide via the display or through the display. In the latter case, the household appliance also has a corresponding lighting unit, e.g., light boxes or LEDs, which is arranged on a side of the display facing away from the segmented light guide. The display is preferably located on the appliance door.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the control device is configured to control surface elements of the display located below the segmented light guide, either segment by segment or pixel by pixel, when the device door is closed. The display can be controlled in a transparent, substantially transparent, light-blocking, substantially light-blocking, or colored form. The device-integrated display with its planar backlight is used to power the segmented light guide. The display comprises, for example, a display cell with content to be displayed, films such as diffusing films and / or films with optical structures, and a light-diffusing planar light guide, which may be structured or particle-filled.Furthermore, LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are associated with the light-diffusing flat light guide. These LEDs are arranged and designed to couple light into a long or short side of the light-diffusing flat light guide during operation. In particular, the surface elements of the display located below the segmented light guide when the device door is closed are controlled either segment by segment or pixel by pixel.

[0011] The display is preferably controlled either with maximum transparency, so that it appears white or is controlled with white light, or with maximum light blocking, so that it appears black or is controlled with black light, in order to switch the illumination of the light guide segments of the segmented light guide on and off. The segment-by-segment control can directly relate to the number and size of the light guide segments arranged above the display, so that one segment is always fully illuminated with white light or remains dark with black light. Pixel-precise control of the display area in white or black allows for a smooth increase in the sequence and / or progress indicator. This creates an effect similar to a continuous display.The progress indicator can use fiber optic segments to display the timeline of an appliance process, such as a washing cycle, as a bar graph that fills or decreases accordingly. The user can thus easily estimate the beginning and end of the display or the visualized appliance process. The display can be controlled in combination with additional lighting using light boxes and / or reflectors. The appliance then has corresponding reflectors and / or light boxes arranged on the side of the display facing away from the segmented fiber optic cable. Each of these is preferably equipped with a light source such as an LED. The display can also be controlled by the display itself when using this fiber optic cable power supply.

[0012] Preferably, the household appliance further comprises reflectors and / or light boxes arranged on a side of the display facing away from the segmented light guide, designed to illuminate coupling areas of the segmented light guide arranged above it through the display. Each reflector and / or light guide is preferably associated with a lighting element, preferably an LED (light-emitting diode), located on its side facing away from the display. The advantage of the additional lighting device consisting of LEDs and light boxes or reflectors lies in the targeted or spatially limited illumination of the display area, as well as the greater luminous flux, and in particular brightness, that can be achieved with such a setup. A disadvantage of a monochrome display is the lack of a reference point to estimate the duration or end of the display before it expires. As an alternative to a transparent or white or light-blocking or...Therefore, with black control, the display area can be controlled with multicolored, preferably two-color, areas to achieve a correspondingly multicolored display of the process and / or progress indicator. In this case, the colored display areas act like a color filter.

[0013] The disadvantage of a monochrome display can therefore be overcome by using a multi-colored, preferably two-color, display for the process indicator. In a preferred embodiment, the control unit is configured to make the display completely or segmentally transparent and to illuminate the reflectors and / or light boxes and the segmented light guide in multiple colors, preferably two colors, by means of LEDs assigned to the reflectors and / or light boxes. In the two-color configuration of the LEDs, they are preferably controlled such that, corresponding to the sequence and / or progress of the device process being displayed, one color is switched on while the other color is switched off, and vice versa. Instead of multi-colored LEDs, several LEDs with different colors can also be assigned to the respective reflector and / or light box.Alternatively, the control unit is preferably configured to control the display in multiple colors and to illuminate the reflectors and / or light boxes in white using LEDs assigned to the reflectors and / or light boxes. In this case, the colored display areas act like a color filter. This allows for a pixel-precise representation of differently colored areas, enabling a correspondingly multicolored display of the process and / or progress indicator. In both of the above embodiments, the progress of the device process can be displayed, for example, by a bar graph of one of the multiple colors that fills from the left or right, while the remaining portion of the bar is visualized with the other color, so that the user can easily grasp the actual status of the process and / or progress based on the bar lengths.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the household appliance features an electrochromic glass and / or an electrochromic film arranged between the reflectors and / or light boxes and the back of the display. This optimizes the diffusion of the display backlighting by the light boxes and / or reflectors when the display is used as a conventional indicator element, i.e., with the appliance door open, while simultaneously achieving the most directional and least diffusing illumination possible when illuminating the segmented light guide of the progress indicator. The electrochromic glass and / or electrochromic film can be configured as LC (Liquid Crystal) glass or smart glass, PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) glass or switchable glass, an LC film, or a PDLC film.Depending on the application, the electrochromic glass or electrochromic film can preferably be switched to be completely transparent or diffuse or light-scattering.

[0015] Preferably, the segmented light guide is made of a light-diffusing material, a light-collecting material, a material with optically effective surface structures, or transparent plastic, and is provided with a prism structure of varying depth in the light coupling area. The segmented light guide is preferably configured to deflect the coupled light by 90°. The segmented light guide preferably has the light guide segments as separate elements or as a single element with separate areas. If the segmented light guide is made of transparent plastic and is provided with a prism structure of varying depth in the light coupling area, these prisms are preferably configured to deflect the coupled light by 90°. The segmented light guide can have a straight, prismatic, or inclined exit surface and can be formed from a single element with or without separate areas.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the household appliance has a holder designed to hold the segmented light guide and featuring dividers designed to separate light guide segments. The segmented light guide is preferably relatively thin and, in the appliance's operating position, is preferably attached to the worktop of the furniture front by means of the holder. Preferably, the holder has a fastening element for attaching it to the worktop, such as an opening for screws. Alternatively, the unit consisting of the light guide and holder could be glued to the underside of the worktop.

[0017] The holder is preferably made of light-tight material. Preferably, the holder has openings for illuminating the segmented light guide from the direction of the display.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the display is located in the appliance door, and in the appliance's normal operating position, the segmented light guide is positioned on the worktop. Preferably, the segmented light guide is located on the underside of the worktop. Preferably, in the appliance's ready-to-use state, there is a gap between the display and the segmented light guide. By mounting the light guide below the worktop in the normal operating position, it is preferably located directly above the display's viewing area when the appliance door is closed.

[0019] Preferably, the display features a light-diffusing planar light guide, which is preferably structured or particle-filled. Depending on the design concept and / or the display content to be shown when the device door is open, the lighting unit, consisting of LEDs arranged below the display with corresponding light boxes and / or reflectors, can replace the planar backlighting of the display. This allows for cost reduction.

[0020] An embodiment of the invention is shown schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It is shown schematically and not to scale. Fig. 1 a perspective partial top view of a household appliance according to the invention; Fig. 2 another perspective partial top view of the in Fig. 1. Household appliance shown is out of order; and Fig. 3 another perspective partial top view of the in Fig. 1 household appliance shown in operation; Fig. 4 a perspective partial exploded view of the in Fig. 1 household appliance shown; Fig. 5 a partial cross-sectional view of the in Fig. 1 household appliance shown; Fig. 6 another partial cross-sectional view of the in Fig. 1 household appliance shown; and Fig. 7 a partial top view of the in Fig. 1 household appliance shown.

[0021] Fig. Figure 1 shows a partial perspective top view of the household appliance according to the invention. The household appliance is shown fully integrated into a furniture front 2 with a worktop 3. The household appliance has a housing 10 that surrounds an interior space (not shown) and an appliance door 11 that is integrated into the housing 10, so that the interior space can be loaded and unloaded. The household appliance also has a control area 12 with a display 13 on an end face of the housing 10, in particular the appliance door 11, which is only visible when the appliance door 11 is open, as shown in Figure 1. Fig. 1 shown.

[0022] Fig. Figure 2 shows another perspective partial top view of a household appliance as in Fig. The appliance is shown in Figure 1 as being out of operation. It also features a segmented light guide 14, which is not attached to the housing or the appliance door, but rather, for example, to the worktop 3 using a holder (not shown). When the appliance is out of operation, i.e., when no operating process is being carried out, the segmented light guide 14 is unilluminated from the user's perspective (not shown). The appliance door is closed; therefore, it, the housing, the control panel, and the display are not visible here.

[0023] Fig. Figure 3 shows another perspective partial top view of a household appliance as in Fig. Figure 1 shows the process in operation. During the operation of a device process of the household appliance, the segmented light guide 14 is illuminated segment by segment from the user's perspective (not shown), as indicated by light 22, and is unilluminated segment by segment, the segmental illumination depending on the sequence and / or progress of the process.

[0024] Fig. Figure 4 shows a perspective partial exploded view of the in Fig. Figure 1 of the household appliance shown. The household appliance has the segmented light guide 14 and a control unit (not shown) configured to control the supply of power to the segmented light guide 14 through the display 13 and / or through the display 13. The display 13 has a light-diffusing flat light guide 16, which is, for example, structured or particle-filled, a display cell 17, and one or more diffusing films 18 or films with optical structures. Optionally, the household appliance has reflectors and / or light boxes 15, each of which is assigned at least one light source (not shown). The lighting unit thus formed can alternatively replace the light-diffusing flat light guide 16, which is not shown here.

[0025] Fig. Figure 5 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the in Fig. Figure 1 of the household appliance shown. Each reflector and / or light box 15 is assigned a light-emitting diode 19, which, when activated by the control unit (not shown), emits light 22 in the direction of the arrow through the assigned reflector and / or light box 15 and the display 13, so that the segmented light guide 14, located above the display 13 and below the worktop 3 when the appliance door 11 is closed, is illuminated or unilluminated segment by segment from the user's perspective (not shown). The light-diffusing flat light guide 16 has one (or more) light-emitting diode(s) 19 on its narrow side, which is / are configured to illuminate it when activated. Between the segmented light guide 14 and the upper edge of the appliance door, indicated by a dashed line, there is a gap 20. The display 13, the reflectors or light boxes 15, and the light-emitting diodes 19 are part of the appliance door 11.

[0026] If, as not shown here, the optional reflectors and / or light boxes 15, including their associated LEDs 19, are not part of the appliance, the light-diffusing surface light guide 16, including its associated LEDs 19, is controlled by the control unit to emit light 22 in the direction of the arrow, so that the segmented light guide 14, located above the display 13 and below the worktop 3 when the appliance door 11 is closed, is illuminated from the user's perspective (not shown). By means of segment-by-segment or pixel-precise control of the display area, it can then be controlled whether a light guide segment is illuminated (display area is controlled to be transparent) or whether a light guide segment remains dark (display area is controlled to be dark or black).

[0027] Fig. Figure 6 shows another partial cross-sectional view of the in Fig. Figure 1 shows a household appliance. The display 13, the reflectors or light boxes 15, and the LEDs 19 are part of the appliance door 11. The LED 19 is activated and emits light 22 through the reflector and / or light box 15, the display 13, and the segmented light guide 14, so that a symbolically represented user 21 perceives this light guide segment as illuminated. The segmented light guide 14 is designed to deflect the coupled light 22 by 90°. If, as not shown here, the optional reflectors and / or light boxes 15, along with their associated LEDs 19, are not part of the household appliance, the light-diffusing flat light guide 16, along with its associated LEDs and the display cell 17 with its corresponding control circuitry, is controlled by the control unit to emit light 22 in the direction of the arrow.

[0028] Fig. Figure 7 shows a partial top view of the area in Fig.Figure 1 shows a household appliance. A top view is shown, in which the housing and the worktop 3 are depicted as invisible, which they are not in reality. The segmented light guide 14 is arranged above the appliance door 11 and the display 13, the reflectors and / or light boxes 15 with associated light-emitting diodes 19. Reference symbol list 2 Furniture front 3 Worktop 10 cases 11 Device door 12 Control area 13 Display 14 fiber optic cables 15 Reflector and / or light box 16 surface light conductors 17 Display cells 18 scatter foil 19 light-emitting diodes 20 gaps 21 users 22 lights

Images