Operating device for a domestic appliance, system having an appliance and an operating device, and method for operating a system

Abstract

The invention relates to an operating device (6) for operating a domestic appliance (4), comprising a touch-sensitive interaction layer (8) for interaction with a user of the domestic appliance (4), characterized in that the operating device (6) has a detection means (10) for detecting a damage to the interaction layer (8) that restricts or prevents the interaction with the user, wherein an action of the operating device (6) can be automatically triggered depending on the aforementioned damage. The invention further relates to a system (2) comprising an appliance (4) and an operating device (6), and to a method for operating a system (2).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Control device for a household appliance, system comprising an appliance and a control device, and method for operating a system

[0003] The invention relates to an operating device for a household appliance as defined in the preamble of claim 1, a system comprising a device and an operating device, and a method for operating a system.

[0004] Such operating devices, systems, and methods are already known in the prior art. Known operating devices for household appliances include a touch-sensitive interaction layer for interacting with a user of the appliance. Such operating devices with touch-sensitive interaction layers are also referred to as touchscreens.

[0005] The invention thus addresses the problem of improving an operating device for a household appliance, a system comprising a device and an operating device, and a method for operating a system.

[0006] According to the invention, this problem is solved by an operating device with the features of claim 1, characterized in that the operating device includes a detection device for recognizing damage to the interaction layer that restricts or prevents interaction with the user, wherein an action of the operating device can be automatically triggered depending on the aforementioned damage. Furthermore, this problem is solved by a system with the features of claim 7 and a method with the features of claim 9. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are described in the following dependent claims.

[0007] The advantage achievable with the invention lies particularly in the fact that an operating device for a household appliance, a system comprising a device and an operating device, and a method for operating a system are improved. Due to the inventive design of the operating device, the system, and the method, it is ensured that damage to the touch-sensitive interaction layer that restricts or prevents function, for example, a break in the interaction layer or the like, is detectable and that a corresponding action of the inventive operating device, for example, issuing an error message to a user of the device or a safety shutdown of the device, can be triggered automatically.This is particularly advantageous for large household appliances such as ovens or the like, as well as cooktops where the cooktop surface simultaneously serves as the touch-sensitive interaction layer. In principle, the operating device according to the invention can be freely selected within wide suitable limits with regard to type, function, material, and dimensions. The same applies to the system and method according to the invention. For example, the invention can be advantageously used not only in household appliances but also in commercial appliances, i.e., appliances for professional use. Furthermore, the invention is particularly advantageous for use in large appliances.Particularly in the case of larger interaction layers, it is conceivable that only a sub-area of ​​the interaction layer, for example, an area of ​​the interaction layer designed as an operating area, functionally interacts with the detection device to recognize damage to the interaction layer that restricts or prevents interaction with the user. An advantageous embodiment of the operating device according to the invention provides that the detection device comprises at least one electrical conductor arranged on or in the interaction layer, wherein the at least one electrical conductor is arranged on or in the interaction layer such that the aforementioned damage can be detected by the detection device depending on whether this electrical conductor is severed.This allows the detection device to be implemented in a particularly simple and robust manner in terms of design, manufacturing, and circuitry. The at least one electrical conductor can, for example, be a wire, the type of which can be selected according to the specific requirements. The conductor can also be a (vapor-deposited, bonded) conductive track or layer. The aforementioned cut can be detected electrically and / or electronically. Detection of the cut in the electrical conductor can be achieved using known continuity testing methods, such as resistance measurement, current flow measurement through the conductor, etc.

[0008] An advantageous further development of the aforementioned embodiment of the operating device according to the invention provides that the at least one electrical conductor is designed as a plurality of electrical conductors, preferably that at least two electrical conductors of the plurality of electrical conductors are electrically conductively connected to one another. In this way, for example, redundancy in the detection device can be implemented. The term "electrically conductive" here refers to a physical connection, i.e., a concrete conductor. Furthermore, the preferred embodiment of this further development has the advantage that, with simple circuit technology, even large-area interaction layers and / or interaction layers with complex geometries or complex installation space requirements can be easily designed and manufactured according to the invention.

[0009] Accordingly, a particularly advantageous further development of the latter embodiment of the operating device according to the invention provides that the aforementioned damage is detectable by means of the detection device depending on the severance of at least two of the electrical conductors, preferably that the aforementioned electrical conductors are electrically isolated from one another. This ensures that an error signal from the detection device not caused by damage to the interaction layer, for example, an error signal based on a faulty conductor, does not unintentionally lead to an action of the operating device, such as switching off a heater of the device. For example, in such a fault case, another type of action of the operating device according to the invention, such as the output of a corresponding error message, may be provided.In the preferred embodiment of this further development, the aforementioned electrical conductors are therefore not electrically connected to each other by means of an actual physical connection.

[0010] An advantageous embodiment of one of the latter two embodiments of the operating device according to the invention provides that at least two of the plurality of electrical conductors, preferably all electrical conductors, are arranged side by side or sectionally parallel to each other on or in the interaction layer. In this way, on the one hand, a certain redundancy in the detection device is achieved, and on the other hand, essentially the same area of ​​the interaction layer can be monitored for damage.

[0011] Furthermore, a particularly advantageous embodiment of the operating device according to one of claims 2 to 5 provides that the at least one electrical conductor can be arranged on or in the interaction layer depending on space constraints and / or predetermined electromagnetic compatibility requirements. This ensures that the at least one electrical conductor does not structurally and / or electrically impair other functions of the device and / or adjacent devices. Conversely, the at least one electrical conductor is similarly protected from structural and / or electrical interference.

[0012] As already explained above, the system and method according to the invention can be freely selected within wide suitable limits. Accordingly, the invention can be advantageously used in a multitude of different applications. An advantageous further development of the system according to the invention provides that the interaction layer is designed as an integral component of the device; preferably, that the interaction layer is designed as a layer for forming a (partial) front of a built-in or freestanding household appliance, for example, also as a cooking surface of an appliance designed as a cooktop; particularly preferably, that the interaction layer is designed as a glass-ceramic layer or as a glass layer. In this way, the design of the device is significantly simplified, and thus the invention can be implemented in a particularly simple manner from a design and manufacturing perspective. Therefore, no extra layer is required as an interaction layer.This applies particularly to the preferred embodiment of this further development, in which the interaction layer is simultaneously designed as a cooktop plate of the cooktop.

[0013] In principle, the action of the operating device according to the invention is freely selectable, depending on the requirements of the specific case. However, an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention provides that the action is configured as the output of user information to the user and / or as the switching off or preventing of a device function, preferably as the switching off or preventing of a heating function of the device. This provides an action that is advantageous in a multitude of applications, particularly in the field of large household and commercial appliances.

[0014] According to the invention, the device can be used in any household appliance with an interaction layer that forms part of a user interface. This ensures the continued usability of every function accessible via the user interface and allows for appropriate action to be taken if usability is compromised due to a failure of the interaction layer. In particular, the invention aims to prevent the failure of a break in the user interface, which would otherwise prevent the shutdown of safety-relevant components of household appliances such as heating systems. This can be achieved, for example, by shutting down such safety-relevant units upon detection of a break.

[0015] Non-exhaustive examples of household appliances within the meaning of this invention include built-in or freestanding kitchen appliances such as ovens, steam cookers, microwave ovens, fully automatic coffee machines, extractor hoods, and dishwashers, as well as laundry appliances such as washing machines or dryers, and combinations of all these household appliances. The orientation of the interaction layer or user interface can be horizontal (e.g., on a cooktop) or vertical (e.g., on an oven), or alternatively include oblique angles (e.g., angled fronts of laundry appliances), but can, in principle, follow any geometry, such as rounded / curved fronts of household appliances.

[0016] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows

[0017] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the system according to the invention with the operating device according to the invention for carrying out the method according to the invention in a top view.

[0018] Figure 2 shows the embodiment in a first detailed view in the area of ​​the operating device, in a first variant,

[0019] Figure 3 shows the exemplary embodiment in a second detailed view in the area of ​​the operating device, in a second variant and

[0020] Figure 4 shows the embodiment in a third detailed view in the area of ​​the operating device, in a third variant.

[0021] Figures 1 to 4 show an exemplary embodiment of the system according to the invention with the operating device according to the invention for carrying out the method according to the invention.

[0022] System 2 here comprises, as a representative example of household appliances as mentioned above, an appliance 4 designed as a household cooktop and a control device 6 designed as a so-called touchscreen for operating the appliance 4. A particularly preferred alternative embodiment (not shown) comprises an oven or, more generally, a cooking appliance with a control device 6 designed as a touchscreen, which may be part of or integrated into a front panel of the cooking appliance. The control device 6 for operating the household cooktop 4 comprises a touch-sensitive interaction layer 8 for interaction with a user of the household cooktop 4 (not shown).

[0023] According to the invention, the operating device 6 has a detection device 10 for detecting damage to the interaction layer 8 that restricts or prevents interaction with the user, whereby an action of the operating device 6 can be automatically triggered depending on the aforementioned damage. In the present embodiment, the interaction layer 8 is designed as an integral part of the device 4, wherein the interaction layer 8 is designed as a layer for forming a cooking surface with four cooking zones 5 of the device 4, which is designed as a cooktop, namely such that the interaction layer 8 is designed as a glass-ceramic layer or as a glass layer. The interaction layer 8 is thus simultaneously designed as a cooktop plate of the cooktop 4. Furthermore, the operating device 6 is connected to a device control unit (not shown) of the device 4 for signal and / or data transmission.In other embodiments of the invention, however, it is conceivable that the operating device according to the invention is designed as a structurally separate device from the device itself. For example, this separate device can optionally be detachably connected to the device. Such separate devices are already known to those skilled in the art. By way of purely exemplary examples, internet-enabled remote controls and thus controllable devices, as well as classic remote controls, are mentioned here.

[0024] The detection device 10 comprises at least one electrical conductor 12 arranged on or in the interaction layer 8, wherein the at least one electrical conductor 12 is arranged on or in the interaction layer 8 such that the aforementioned damage can be detected by the detection device 10 as a function of a cut in this at least one electrical conductor 12, which is designed as a wire. The detection device 10 is not otherwise shown in detail. The damage can, in particular, be a break in the interaction layer 8, which can be detected electronically and / or electrically, for example, by means of the detection device 10 comprising the at least one electrical conductor 12. Figures 2 to 4 show the aforementioned operating device 6, namely the area of ​​the cooktop 4 associated with the operating device 6, in each case in an enlarged view.

[0025] The at least one electrical conductor 12 is configured as a plurality of electrical conductors 12 in each of the three illustrated variants. In the first variant according to Fig.

[0026] In Figure 2, the at least one electrical conductor 12 is configured as a total of two electrical conductors 12, wherein the two electrical conductors 12 are arranged side by side or sectionally parallel to each other and are electrically connected to each other by means of an electrically conductive connection 14. According to the second variant shown in Figure 3, the two aforementioned electrical conductors 12 are electrically separated from each other, i.e., not electrically connected to each other by means of an electrically conductive connection. Furthermore, Figure 4 shows a third variant, in which the two electrical conductors 12 are also electrically separated from each other.For the second variant, the aforementioned damage is detectable by means of the detection device 10 depending on the severance of at least two of the electrical conductors 12, namely all two of the electrical conductors 12, wherein the aforementioned electrical conductors 12 are electrically isolated from one another. For all three variants, the at least one electrical conductor 12 is arranged only in the area of ​​the interaction layer 8, designed as a cooktop plate, that is associated with the operating device 6. This illustrates, by way of example, the variety of ways in which the at least one electrical conductor of the detection device of the operating device according to the invention can be implemented, so that the person skilled in the art can select the appropriate design and arrangement of the at least one electrical conductor depending on the requirements of the individual case.For example, the detection device may only interact functionally with a sub-area of ​​the interaction layer, or even with only a sub-area of ​​the interaction layer associated with the operating device. See, purely as an example, the third variant according to Fig. 4, in which the electrical conductors 12 are arranged only in the area of ​​operating elements of the operating device 6 (not shown).

[0027] In all three variants, the at least one electrical conductor 12 can be arranged on or in the interaction layer 8, depending on the installation space requirements and on the requirements for electromagnetic compatibility that have been previously defined.

[0028] Accordingly, other functions of the device 4 are not affected by the detection device 10 in terms of structure and electromagnetic compatibility.

[0029] The same applies in reverse.

[0030] Of course, embodiments of the invention are also conceivable in which other parts of the interaction layer, or even the entire interaction layer, can be monitored by means of the detection device. Accordingly, for example, the at least one electrical conductor, taking into account space requirements and / or electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), would be arranged essentially uniformly across the entire interaction layer, as shown in the exemplary top view in Fig. 1.

[0031] During operation of the appliance 4, which is designed as a cooktop, an action of the control device 6 is automatically triggered depending on the detection of damage to the interaction layer 8 that restricts or prevents interaction with the user. In the present embodiment, this action consists of displaying user information to the user and switching off or preventing a function of the appliance 4, in particular switching off or preventing the heating function of the appliance 4. In the described fault condition, the heating function of the appliance 4 is therefore not switched on at all, or, if the heating function of the appliance 4 is already switched on, it is automatically switched off again. Thus, the safety of the appliance 4 is significantly improved, since, for example, incorrect operation caused by a defective interaction layer 8 cannot lead to unwanted heat generation in the appliance 4.

[0032] Due to the inventive design of the operating device 6, the system 2, and the method, it is ensured that damage to the touch-sensitive interaction layer 8 that impairs or prevents its function, for example, a break in the interaction layer 8 or the like, is detectable and that a corresponding action by the inventive operating device 6, for example, issuing an error message to the user of the device 4 or a safety shutdown of the device 4, can be triggered automatically. This is particularly advantageous for large household appliances or the like, such as the device 4 designed as a cooktop, in which the cooktop plate simultaneously serves as the touch-sensitive interaction layer 8.

[0033] However, the invention is not limited to the present embodiment. See, for example, the relevant explanations in the introductory section of the description and the alternative and optional embodiments mentioned in the specific section of the description.

[0034] Types of embodiment.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Operating device (6) for operating a household appliance (4), comprising a touch-sensitive interaction layer (8) for interaction with a user of the household appliance (4), characterized in that the operating device (6) has a detection device (10) for detecting damage to the interaction layer (8) that restricts or prevents interaction with the user, wherein an action of the operating device (6) can be automatically triggered depending on the aforementioned damage.

2. Operating device (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection device (10) comprises at least one electrical conductor (12) which is arranged on or in the interaction layer (8), wherein the at least one electrical conductor (12) is arranged on or in the interaction layer (8) such that the aforementioned damage can be detected by means of the detection device (10) depending on a cut of this electrical conductor (12).

3. Operating device (6) according to claim 2, characterized in that the at least one electrical conductor (12) is designed as a plurality of electrical conductors (12), preferably that at least two electrical conductors (12) of the plurality of electrical conductors (12) are electrically connected to each other.

4. Operating device (6) according to claim 3, characterized in that the aforementioned damage is detectable by means of the detection device (10) depending on a cut in at least two of the electrical conductors (12), preferably that the aforementioned electrical conductors (12) are electrically separated from each other.

5. Operating device (6) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that at least two of the plurality of electrical conductors (12), preferably all electrical conductors (12), are arranged next to each other or sectionally parallel to each other on or in the interaction layer (8).

6. Operating device (6) according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the at least one electrical conductor (12) can be arranged on or in the interaction layer (8) depending on installation space requirements and / or depending on previously defined requirements for electromagnetic compatibility.

7. System (2) comprising a device (4) and an operating device (6) for operating the device (4), characterized in that the operating device (6) is configured according to one of claims 1 to 6.

8. System (2) according to claim 7, characterized in that the interaction layer (8) is designed as an integral part of the device (4), preferably that the interaction layer (8) is designed as a layer for forming a front surface of a built-in device or cooking surface of a device (4) designed as a cooktop, particularly preferably that the interaction layer (8) is designed as a glass-ceramic layer or as a glass layer.

9. Method for operating a system (2) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, depending on the detection of damage to the interaction layer (8) that restricts or prevents interaction with the user, an action of the operating device (6) is automatically triggered.

10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the action is designed as an output of user information to the user and / or as a switching off or as a preventing of a device function of the device (4), preferably as a switching off or as a preventing of a heating function of the device (4).

Images