System and method of operating household appliances

• US 8,942,835 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BSH Home Appliances Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Home Appliances Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Gerdes, Michael, Simmons, Bruce, Wintrode, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US13/161,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 700/90, 700/21, 700/17, 700/83, 700/286, 700/296, 365/185.18, 365/185.19, 365/185.21, 709/201, 709/203, 709/208, 709/220
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/00 User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/00 Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/04 Signal transfer or data transmission arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/05 for wireless communication between components, e.g. for remote monitoring or control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A household appliance configured to communicate with a second household appliance, a network of household appliances that can communication with each other, and method of controlling an operation of a primary function unit of a first household appliance based on one of a priority scheme and synchronized duty cycles of the first household appliance and the second household appliance, wherein the first household appliance is configured to communicate with the second household appliance. The household appliance includes a primary function unit, a controller that controls an operation of the primary function unit, a two-way communication module that transmits and receives signals between the controller and the second household appliance.

Claims

1. A household appliance comprising:

a primary function unit that performs a primary function of the household appliance;

a controller that controls an operation of the primary function unit; and

a two-way communication module that transmits and receives signals between the controller and a second household appliance,

wherein the controller is programmed to control the operation of the primary function unit based on the signals transmitted and received by the two-way communication module and based on one of a priority scheme of the household appliance and the second household appliance and synchronized duty cycles of the household appliance and the second household appliance to reduce peak energy consumption by the first household appliance and the second household appliance.

2. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the two-way communication module includes a wired communication module.

3. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the two-way communication module includes a wireless communication module.

4. The household appliance of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication module includes a ZigBee module.

5. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a processor.

6. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to control the operation of the primary function unit based on the priority scheme of the household appliance and the second household appliance and based on the synchronized duty cycles of the household appliance and the second household appliance.

7. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to control the operation of the primary function unit based on the priority scheme of the household appliance and the second household appliance and based on a user interaction with the household appliance or the second household appliance.

8. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to control the operation of the primary function unit based on the synchronized duty cycles of the household appliance and the second household appliance and based on a user interaction with the household appliance or the second household appliance.

9. The household appliance of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to control the operation of the primary function unit based on the synchronized duty cycles of the household appliance and the second household appliance and based on the user interaction with the household appliance or the second household appliance.

10. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to one of:

execute one of software applications, data, and commands received by the two-way communication module from the second household appliance;

react or respond to the one of software applications, data, and commands received by the two-way communication module from the second household appliance; and

transmit one of software applications, data, and commands to the second household appliance using the two-way communication module.

11. The household appliance of claim 10, wherein the controller reacts or responds by adapting, changing, or suspending the operation of the primary function unit.

12. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller reacts or responds by controlling the primary function unit to synchronize the duty cycles of the first household appliance with the second household appliance.

13. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller reacts or responds by controlling an ON and an OFF state of the primary function unit based on the priority scheme.

14. The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device that stores the priority scheme of the household appliance.

15. The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device that stores the priority scheme of the household appliance and the second household appliance.

16. The household appliance of claim 14, wherein the priority scheme is a factory-set priority scheme of the household appliance.

17. The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a user input interface for inputting user-configurable priority schemes.

18. The household appliance of claim 14, further comprising:

a user input interface for inputting a user-configurable priority scheme into the storage device.

26. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the signals transmitted and received by the two-way communication module include data with respect to the operation of the primary function unit of at least one of the first household appliance and the second household appliance, and

wherein the controller is programmed to adapt, change, or suspend the operation of the primary function unit based on the data to reduce peak energy consumption by the first household appliance and the second household appliance.

27. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the signals transmitted and received by the two-way communication module include data with respect to current or future operation of the primary function unit of at least one of the first household appliance and the second household appliance, and

wherein the controller is programmed to adapt, change, or suspend the operation of the primary function unit based on the data to reduce peak energy consumption by the first household appliance and the second household appliance.

19. A method of controlling an operation of a primary function unit that performs a primary function of a first household appliance, the method comprising:

one of transmitting and receiving signals between a first controller of the first household appliance and a second controller of a second household appliance using a two-way communication module of the first household appliance; and

controlling an operation of the primary function unit of the first household appliance based on the signals transmitted or received using the two-way communication module of the first household appliance and based on one of a priority scheme of the first household appliance and the second household appliance and synchronized duty cycles of the first household appliance and the second household appliance to reduce peak energy consumption by the first household appliance and the second household appliance.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

controlling the operation of the primary function unit of the first household appliance based on a user interaction with the first household appliance or based on a user interaction with the second household appliance indicated by the signal received by the two-way communication module.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the controlling includes:

executing one of software applications, data, and commands received by the two-way communication module from the second household appliance;

reacting or responding to the one of software applications, data, and commands received by the two-way communication module from the second household appliance; and

transmitting one of software applications, data, and commands to the second household appliance using the two-way communication module.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the controlling includes:

adapting, changing, or suspending the operation of the primary function unit of the first household appliance.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the controlling includes:

synchronizing duty cycles of the first household appliance with the second household appliance.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

storing the priority scheme of the first household appliance and the second household appliance in a storage device of the first household appliance.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

inputting a user-configurable priority scheme into the storage device using a user input interface.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the signals transmitted and received by the two-way communication module include data with respect to the operation of the primary function unit of at least one of the first household appliance and the second household appliance, and

wherein the method further comprises adapting, changing, or suspending the operation of the primary function unit based on the data to reduce peak energy consumption by the first household appliance and the second household appliance.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the signals transmitted and received by the two-way communication module include data with respect to current or future operation of the primary function unit of at least one of the first household appliance and the second household appliance, and

wherein the method further comprises adapting, changing, or suspending the operation of the primary function unit based on the data to reduce peak energy consumption by the first household appliance and the second household appliance.