USER INTERFACE FOR CONTROLLING A HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE REMOTELY CONNECTED THERETO

• US 20090118848A1
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: RONCORONI, GIULIO, PARACHINI, DAVIDE, SANTINATO, MATTEO, BOER, ALESSANDRO
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4293 Arrangements for programme selection, e.g. control panels; Indication of the selected programme, programme progress or other parameters of the programme, e.g. by using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/44 Opening, closing or locking of doors
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/02 Doors specially adapted for stoves or ranges
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/082 on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination

Abstract

A user interface arranged at least to display, on a display unit or on a display panel, information relative to the operation of a household electrical appliance with which the interface is associated, the appliance presenting functional members controlled in their operation by a control unit, and an external housing provided with an aperture with its own closure door; the interface is positionable on and fastenable to the exterior of the housing of the electrical appliance, remote wire-less data communication and transmission means being associated with the control unit and with the interface to enable the data to be transmitted from the interior of the electrical appliance to the interface through the housing. A household electrical appliance with this interface is also claimed.

Claims

1. A household appliance having an interior and an exterior, comprising:

a user interface fastened to the exterior of the appliance;

a first wire-less communication and transmission means disposed within the user interface; and

a second wire-less communication and transmission means disposed within the interior of the appliance, wherein the second wire-less communication and transmission means is configured to enable data and power to be transmitted between the interior of the appliance and the user interface.

2. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the first and second wire-less communication and transmission means transfer data bi-directionally.

3. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the user interface is fastened to a panel associated with the appliance.

4. The household appliance to claim 1, wherein the user interface is fastened mechanically to the appliance.

5. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the user interface is fastened magnetically to the appliance.

6. The household appliance according to claim 4, wherein the fixing is of removable type.

7. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the first and second communication and transmission means operate via electromagnetic coupling.

8. The household appliance according to claim 7, wherein the first wire-less communication and transmission means further comprises a capacitor for accumulating energy and a demodulator for controlling the user interface, and the second wire-less communication and transmission means further comprises a modulator member, wherein the demodulator is configured to communicate with the modulator member.

9. The household appliance according to claim 8, wherein the demodulator member is also a modulator and the modulator member of the household appliance is also a demodulator, thus enabling data towards and from the user interface to be transferred from and towards the appliance.

10. The household appliance according to claim 8, wherein the demodulator includes a resonant circuit.

11. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises an energy accumulation means to allow for battery free operation.

12. The household appliance according to claim 10, wherein the accumulation means are a high capacity capacitor, the capacitor being connected to the at least demodulator member.

13. The household appliance according to claim 11, wherein the accumulation means is a high capacity capacitor connected to a photovoltaic cell.

14. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the user interface is arranged to sense the presence of a plurality of household electrical appliances in an appliance network and to cooperate with the electromagnetic signal which is the most intense of all the signals emitted by the network appliances.

15. A household appliance having an interior and an exterior, comprising:

a user interface fastened to the exterior of the appliance;

a first wire-less communication module disposed within the user interface; and

a second wire-less communication module disposed within the interior of the appliance, wherein the second wire-less communication module is configured to enable data and power to be transmitted between the interior of the appliance and the user interface.

16. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein the appliance is part of a network of appliances controllable by the user interface, the user interface can be coupled to any one of the appliances, the user interface cooperating with one of the appliances on the basis of the power or intensity of the electromagnetic signal emitted by each of them.

17. The household appliance according to claim 16, wherein the household appliance cooperates with the user interface by acting as a repeater for at least the signals originating from another electrical appliance of the appliance network and to direct the signals to the user interface.

18. The household appliance according to claim 15, further comprising an at least partially metallic door and a control unit, wherein the control unit is connected to the second wire-less communication module and is capable to discriminate between an open and a closed position of the door.

19. A network of household electrical appliances positioned in an inhabitable room, the network comprising a plurality of household electrical appliances, which could form part of the same combination of modular furniture units such as that of a kitchen, wherein the plurality of electrical appliances cooperates with at least one remote interface applicable to one of the electrical appliances, the cooperation occurring remotely and enabling the interface to at least display data relative to the operation of the electrical appliances of the network of household electrical appliances.

20. The network of household electrical appliances according to claim 19, wherein the interface is arranged to cooperate with that electrical appliance generating the most intense electromagnetic signal, the appliance cooperating with the interface acting as a repeater for the electromagnetic signals generated by the other electrical appliances of the network and directed towards the interface but not sensed by this latter.