Household appliance with a control panel and method for operating a household appliance

Abstract

A household appliance comprises a control panel (10) with an operating device (12) arranged thereon, with at least one operating element (34) and a display device (22), as well as a control unit (14) assigned to the operating device (12). The household appliance further comprises a mobile operating device (16) which can be placed at at least one defined position (24) on the control panel (10), wherein the control unit (14) changes the displayed content of the display device (22) depending on the presence or absence of the mobile operating device (16) at the defined position (24) on the control panel (10). The mobile operating device (16) comprises at least one operating element (20, 21) and a display (18). When removed from the household appliance, it has an expanded operating functionality compared to the attached state, whereby the household appliance can be remotely controlled using the mobile operating device (16).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a household appliance according to the preamble of patent claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method according to the preamble of patent claim 10.

[0002] Such a household appliance is known from the document DE 10 2014 223 371 A1, wherein the household appliance comprises at least one operating area having at least one touch-sensitive operating element. The operating area is configured for operation by means of a removable operating element, wherein the operating area is configurable to the operating area depending on the position of the removable operating element.

[0003] The invention is based on the object of improving the aforementioned state of the art.

[0004] This object is achieved by a household appliance having the features of patent claim 1. Furthermore, the object is achieved by a method having the features of patent claim 10. Advantageous embodiments can be found individually or in combination in the subclaims.

[0005] The term “household appliance” with regard to the device according to the invention or with regard to the method according to the invention includes a household appliance of the so-called “white goods”, such as a cooking appliance, which can be designed as a stove or hob, an extractor hood, a refrigerator or freezer, a washing machine, a dryer, etc. In addition, small appliances such as a coffee machine, a vacuum cleaner, a kettle, or similar devices are also included.

[0006] Unless otherwise specified, directional or location information such as “right”, “left”, “side”, “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, etc. are to be understood from the perspective of a user or observer standing in front of the household appliance or mobile control device when the household appliance or mobile control device is used as intended.

[0007] According to the characterizing part of patent claim 1, the mobile operating device comprises at least one operating element and a display. In addition, the mobile operating device, when removed from the household appliance, has an expanded operating functionality compared to the attached state, whereby the household appliance can be remotely controlled using the mobile operating device. As a result, the mobile operating device is designed for remote control or remote control in stand-alone mode, i.e. when removed from the control panel of the household appliance. Furthermore, the mobile operating device is designed for integration into the operating device of the household appliance when attached, in which only parts of the operating functionality of the household appliance are assigned to the mobile operating device. For example, the display of the mobile operating device candisplay one of several operating parameter values of the household appliance, which can then be set using the operating element of the mobile operating device. Accordingly, if the mobile operating device is placed on the control panel, this operating parameter value is no longer displayed in the display device of the operating device. The operating element of the mobile operating device can be designed, for example, as a touch screen, as a separate touch button, as a mechanical switching element, as a mechanical rotary ring, or as a detection device for changing position, which, for example, enables rotation detection of the entire mobile operating device. The mobile operating device can be designed as a cylindrical knob, which is in particular in the shape of a puck. The diameter of the cylindrical knob is preferably between 40 and 80 mm, and the height is preferably between 10 and 30 mm.

[0008] The control panel of the household appliance can also be formed by a portion of a larger cover plate or a housing part, such as the door of an oven or the glass ceramic plate of a hob. The control element and the display device are then arranged accordingly in this portion. The at least one control element and the display device can be combined in a touch display. However, a touch display with additional, adjacent control elements can also be provided. The control device of the household appliance can also be referred to as a user interface and is designed accordingly for setting and displaying operating parameters of the household appliance.The defined position on the control panel for attaching the mobile control device can be visualized, for example, by printing on the control panel, which preferably shows the outer contours of the mobile control device or its center point. The defined position can also be marked by a representation in the display device, e.g. in the form of part of the outline geometry or by an arrow. A magnetic fixation can be provided for precise and secure positioning of the mobile control device on the control panel. Several defined positions can also be provided at different locations on the control panel, whereby, for example, the attachment location determines the operating parameter to be adjusted with the mobile control device.However, the multiple defined positions can also be occupied by multiple mobile control devices at the same time, which means that, for example, analogous to a household appliance with multiple control knobs, different operating parameters can be set by a separate mobile control device.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the household appliance can be fully operated even without the mobile control device. Depending on user preference, the household appliance can be operated to the same extent with or without the mobile control device. This is particularly advantageous if a user misplaces or loses the mobile control device.

[0010] It may be advantageous if the defined position on the control panel for attaching the mobile control device is arranged directly adjacent to or overlapping the display device. This can improve usability, for example, by having a cylindrical mobile control device overlap the display device in a semicircle and visualizing a parameter value directly next to the mobile control device using a semicircular bar display in the display device.

[0011] The mobile operating device is preferably designed for comprehensive control of the household appliance. This option is particularly effective when the mobile operating device functions as a remote control when detached from the household appliance. It is particularly advantageous if the mobile operating device has a touch screen and a separate operating element, such as a mechanical rotary ring. In an advantageous development, a distance determination device is provided in the household appliance which, in the case of safety-relevant household appliances, such as a hob, limits or expands the operating scope of the household appliance depending on the distance of the mobile operating device from the household appliance.

[0012] If, in the absence of the mobile control device, operation via the mobile control device is blocked while the control device on the household appliance is in use, overlapping inputs are prevented, thus ensuring safe operation of the household appliance. The household appliance may also be equipped with a timer that prevents operation or remote control via the mobile control device for a certain period of time after operation via the control device on the household appliance.

[0013] The mobile operating device preferably comprises a data transmission device designed to operate multiple household appliances. The data transmission device is thus configured such that it can communicate with multiple household appliances. This allows the mobile operating device to be universally used, allowing a user to monitor and control various household appliances from a single location. Preferably, all household appliances have a control panel with at least one defined mounting position for the mobile operating device. Data transmission between the mobile operating device and the household appliance is preferably bidirectional.

[0014] The mobile control device is also preferably connectable to a home network and / or the Internet. Such a connection can be used for software updates, as well as for connecting to other devices, such as smart home devices. For example, the mobile control device can be used to control lights, heating, or roller shutters in the home. The connection is established via a data transmission device arranged in the mobile control device.

[0015] By providing a virtual start / stop button on the mobile control device, a previously selected operating mode of the household appliance can be activated or stopped quickly and at any time. A virtual start / stop button is a corresponding touch control element that is visually displayed on a touch display of the mobile control device and on which a light touch by a user is registered by a control unit. The control unit of the mobile control device can then forward a corresponding start or stop signal to the control unit of the household appliance connected to the mobile control device via a data transmission device. When the mobile control device is placed on the control panel of the household appliance, a start / stop button displayed on the display device can migrate to the touch-sensitive touch display of the mobile control device.Accordingly, it disappears from the display. When the mobile control device is removed, the start / stop button returns to the appliance's display.

[0016] A preferred development consists in that the mobile operating device has an energy storage device that is charged when the mobile operating device is placed on the control panel. The user therefore does not have to worry about charging the mobile operating device if they occasionally place it on the control panel of the household appliance. The energy transfer is preferably inductive, which means that a primary coil is arranged behind the control panel at the defined position, and the mobile operating device has a corresponding secondary coil on the bottom. The charging device in the mobile operating device is preferably designed such that it is also compatible with inductive smartphone charging stations. The energy storage device itself can be designed as a rechargeable battery.

[0017] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating the aforementioned household appliance, comprising the following steps: - Check whether a change in the presence or absence of the mobile control device has occurred at a defined position on the control panel; - If the presence of the mobile operating device is detected as a change, outsourcing of user interface functions and contents of the operating device of the household appliance to at least one operating element and display of the mobile operating device; - If the absence of the mobile control device is detected as a change, the outsourced user interface functions and contents are transferred back to the control device so that full operation of the household appliance is possible, and - Redesign of the user interface content of the mobile control device in such a way that remote control of the household appliance is possible.

[0018] The method enables convenient operation of the household appliance, with the operating options being automatically adapted to the position of the mobile operating device relative to the household appliance.

[0019] Advantages and features that have been and will be described with regard to the household appliance apply - where applicable - accordingly to the method according to the invention and vice versa.

[0020] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures. Fig. 1 a spatial representation of a household appliance designed as an oven; Fig. 2 the mobile operating device in a spatial representation; Fig. 3 a part of the control panel with the control device without the mobile control device Fig. 4 a section of the control panel with the control device with the mobile control device attached, and Fig. 5 a top view of the mobile control device in remote control mode.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a household appliance in the form of an oven 2. Its front side, facing the user, has a door 4 with a viewing window 6 and a door handle 8. Above the door 4, a control panel 10 is arranged, which spans the entire width of the appliance. A control device 12 is arranged centrally in the control panel, which, in conjunction with a control unit 14, can be used to control the oven 2. The control device 12 is designed as a touch-sensitive display.

[0022] The mobile operating device 16 in Fig. 2 has a display 18 and an operating element 20 designed as a rotating ring 21. The display 18 is designed as a touch-sensitive touch display and can therefore generate or display additional operating elements 20 as needed. These operating elements are referred to here as virtual operating elements because they can vary in terms of presence, size, and display location in different operating situations by being merely a programmed representation on the touch display, the touch of which is evaluated by a control unit of the mobile operating device 16 (not shown). The mobile operating device 16 is puck-shaped and has the display 18 on its top side, which is designed as a touch display and fills almost the entire top side. One side wall of the mobile operating device 16 is formed by a rotating ring 21, which extends almost over the entire height of the mobile operating device 16.The rotating ring 21 preferably has a knurling and is rotatable in a direction r, which can be either clockwise or counterclockwise. Anti-slip elements made of silicone material (not shown) are arranged on a bottom side of the mobile operating device 16, which prevent the display 18 from rotating when the rotating ring 21 rotates. This allows the mobile operating device 16 to be placed on a wide variety of surfaces for operating the household appliance or oven 2.

[0023] For operation on the vertical control panel 10 of the oven 2, or of another household appliance, the mobile control device 16, like the household appliance or oven 2, has a magnetic holding device (not shown). The mobile control device 16 also has (not shown) an energy storage device, a microprocessor, and a data transmission unit. The microprocessor forms the control unit for detecting the rotation of the control ring 21, controls the display 18, and is also designed for data exchange via the data transmission unit with the oven 2 or other household appliances. The energy storage device is designed as a rechargeable battery that can be charged by inductive energy transfer into the mobile control device 16. For this purpose, a corresponding secondary coil (not shown) is arranged on an underside of the mobile control device 16.A primary coil (not shown) interacting with the control panel 10 can be mounted, for example, in the area of a defined position 24 of the control panel 10, which is provided for mounting the mobile control device 16. The primary coil, like the magnetic holding device, is arranged on a side of the control panel 10 facing away from the user.

[0024] The control panel 10 with the control device 12 is in Fig. 3. This has a display device 22, which is designed as a touch-sensitive touch display. The operating elements 34 are shown in virtual form by means of the display device 22, or the touch display. Arranged next to the display device 22 is the defined position 24 for placing the mobile operating device 16, which is essentially formed by the magnetic holding device (not shown) arranged behind the control panel 10. This magnetic holding device can, for example, comprise a fixedly positioned magnet, or possibly also a ferromagnetic element. The defined position 24, or the placing point for the mobile operating device 16, is further identified by appropriate printing on a side of the control panel 10 facing the user. The control panel 10 is made of non-magnetic material, preferably of transparent plastic, such as polycarbonate.On the back, it is partially provided with an opaque barrier print.

[0025] When the oven 2 is switched on, the display device 22 essentially shows four tiles 26a-d, each of which displays an operating mode or an operating parameter with the corresponding partial information. For example, the first tile 26a shows the currently set operating mode of the oven 2. This is named in plain text in the first line at the top as function 28a. The function 28a can, for example, be recirculation mode. The line below shows the function value 30a. In the case of recirculation mode, this can be "Eco", which indicates an energy-saving mode of operation of function 28a. The function symbol 32a for the corresponding operating mode is shown in the center at the bottom edge of the tile 26a - in this case the symbol for recirculation mode, which is represented by a fan wheel arranged within a ring-shaped heating element.The second tile 26b, as function 28b, relates to a timer, which, as function value 30b, specifies, for example, an end time at which the cooking process is finished. A corresponding function symbol 32b visualizes the timer operation. The third tile 26c, as function 28c, relates to an operating time and, as function value 30c, displays the time elapsed since the start of the cooking process, which is again represented graphically by the function symbol 32c. The last tile 26d, as function 28d, relates to an oven temperature, which, as function value 30d, is determined by the temperature value in °C displayed in the line below. The corresponding function symbol 32d is represented as a thermometer.

[0026] The respective function values 30a-d are set by touching the corresponding tile 26a-d once and then changing the function value 30a-d step by step. This is done using the virtual Up button 36 to incrementally increase the value, or using the virtual Down button 38 to incrementally decrease the function value 30a-d. If the cooking process has not yet started, this can be done by touching the Start / Stop button 44. After the cooking process has started, the label on the Start / Stop button 44 changes to show "Stop". A selection button 40 is provided as a further virtual button, which can be used, for example, to branch into submenus. A main switch 42 is formed by the virtual button to the left of the Up button 36. The main switch 42 can be used to switch the oven 2 on or off.

[0027] A state of the control panel 10 with the mobile control device 16 attached is shown in the Fig. 4. The mobile operating device 16 placed at the defined position 24 now takes over part of the operating functionality of the display device 22, whereby a reduced user interface is displayed there. For example, the start / stop button 44 has now moved to the mobile operating device 16 and forms the start / stop button 46 there. Due to the reduced space, an arrow symbol is now displayed instead of the word “Start”. Likewise, the up button 36 and the down button 38 have disappeared from the display device 22. Their functionality is now taken over by the rotary ring 21 of the mobile operating device 16. The display 18 of the mobile operating device 16 also shows the function symbol 32a-f of a previously selected tile 26a-d and the corresponding function value 30a-f. The mobile operating device 16 thus also takes over the core elements of a previously selected tile 26a-c in addition to the start / stop functionality.In particular, the convenient and quick setting option of the function values 30a-c by means of the rotary ring 21, as well as the quick and intuitive activation or deactivation of the previously set function values 30a-c by means of the start / stop button 46 arranged in the immediate vicinity of the rotary ring 21, significantly improves the operability of the oven 2.

[0028] The tile 26a-d selected for operation by means of the mobile operating device 16 can, for example, display an additional and previously non-existent function graphic 48d in the display device 22, which visualizes a function value 30a-d better than, for example, a numerical value. In the illustrated example of the Fig. 4, the tile 26d for the oven temperature is selected for operation with the mobile operating device 16 and displays the corresponding function graphic 48d. Accordingly, the function symbol 32d for the temperature and the function value 30d for the set temperature, in this case 100°C, are shown on the display 18 of the mobile operating device 16. However, it can also be provided that the selected tile 26a-d disappears completely from the display device 22 and all relevant information is shown on the display 18 of the mobile operating device 16. The remaining tiles 26a-d can then be displayed correspondingly larger. Alternatively, it can be provided that the mobile operating device 16 partially covers the display area or the tile 26a-d to be set, and this is then geometrically adapted to the circular geometry of the mobile operating device 16 covering the display device 22 with reduced content.

[0029] The Fig. 5 shows the mobile operating device 16 removed from the control panel. The mobile operating device 16 now functions as a remote control. The individual tiles 26a-d of the display device 22 can be selected by displaying their function symbols 32a-d, which are arranged at a lower edge of the touch display 18, and their function values 30a-d can be adjusted accordingly using the rotary ring 21. Furthermore, the selection button 40, which is already known from the display device 22, is present. This allows submenus or other household appliances to be called up for remote control. The control unit 14 of the household appliance, or of the oven 2, gives priority to operation on the operating device 12 over remote control via the mobile operating device 16. This applies in particular to simultaneous operation. List of reference symbols: 2 household appliances; oven 4 Door 6 viewing windows 8 Door handle 10 Control panel 12 Control device 14 Control unit 16 mobile control device 18 Display 20 Control element 21 Rotating ring 22 Display device 24 defined positions 26a-d tile 28a-d Function 30a-d Function value 32a-d Function symbol 34 controls 36 Up button 38 Down button 40 Selection button 42 main switch 44 Start / Stop button 46 Start / Stop button 48d functional graphic r direction 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 2014 223 371 A1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Household appliance with a control panel (10), an operating device (12) arranged thereon with at least one operating element (34) and a display device (22), a control unit (14) assigned to the operating device (12), and with a mobile operating device (16) which can be placed at at least one defined position (24) of the control panel (10), wherein the control unit (14) changes the displayed content of the display device (22) depending on the presence or absence of the mobile operating device (16) at the defined position (24) of the control panel (10), characterized by that the mobile operating device (16) comprises at least one operating element (20, 21) and a display (18) and, in a state removed from the household appliance, has an expanded operating functionality compared to the attached state, whereby the household appliance can be remotely controlled by means of the mobile operating device (16). [2] Household appliance according to claim 1, characterized by that the household appliance can be fully operated even without the mobile operating device (16). [3] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the defined position (24) on the control panel (10) for placing the mobile control device (16) is arranged directly adjacent to or overlapping the display device (22). [4] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the mobile operating device (16) is designed for the complete control of the household appliance. [5] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that in the absence of the mobile operating device (16) during use of the operating device (12) arranged on the household appliance, operation by means of the mobile operating device (16) is blocked. [6] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the mobile operating device (16) comprises a data transmission device which is designed to operate a plurality of household appliances. [7] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the mobile operating device (16) can be connected to a home network and / or to the Internet. [8] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the mobile operating device (16) provides a virtual start / stop button (46). [9] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the mobile operating device (16) has an energy storage device which is charged when the mobile operating device (16) is placed on the control panel (10). [10] Method for operating a household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps: - Check whether a change in the presence or absence of the mobile control device (16) has occurred at a defined position (24) on the control panel. - If the presence of the mobile operating device 16 is detected as a change, outsourcing of user interface functions and contents of the operating device (12) of the household appliance to the at least one operating element (20, 21) and display (18) of the mobile operating device (16); - If the absence of the mobile operating device (16) is detected as a change, the outsourced user interface functions and contents are transferred back to the operating device (12) so that full operation of the household appliance is possible, and - Redesigning the user interface contents of the mobile operating device (16) in such a way that remote control operation of the household appliance is enabled.

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