Domestic appliance device

• US 9,291,528 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Galindo Perez, Juan Jose, Grande Mainar, Maria Lourdes, Perez Visa, Enrique Javier
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, David A
• Application Number:
  US13/825,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20130186210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/0047 Energy or water consumption, e.g. by saving energy or water
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/06 Water supply, circulation or discharge information
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2401/30 Variation of electrical, magnetical or optical quantities
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/26 Indication or alarm to the controlling device or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/32 Stopping or disabling machine operation, including disconnecting the machine from a network, e.g. from an electrical power supply
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• 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 7/082 on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/005 Testing of complete machines, e.g. washing-machines or mobile phones testing of machine parts G01M13/00; testing of electric apparatus or components G01R31/50
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• 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: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

A domestic appliance device includes an evaluating unit for evaluating the consumption of at least one external resource by a domestic appliance, and an output unit for outputting the evaluated consumption. In order to provide a generic domestic appliance device having increased ease of use, the evaluating unit evaluates the consumption of the external resource while taking into consideration at least one variable evaluating parameter.

Claims

1. A domestic appliance device, comprising:

an input unit, the input unit being configured to allow a first user of the domestic appliance device to identify at least the first user to the device;

a memory unit, the memory unit configured to store user-specific information regarding the usage preferences and usage history;

an evaluating unit which evaluates a consumption of an external resource by the user of a domestic appliance based on a cost-related variable evaluation parameter; and

an output unit for outputting the evaluated consumption;

wherein the domestic appliance device is configured to utilize grouping parameters to provide a selectable output comprising (1) total individual user usage, (2) individual user usage during a defined time period, (3) total device usage, and (4) total device usage during a defined time period.

2. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, wherein the external resource is an energy.

3. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, wherein the external resource is a fluid.

4. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, wherein the evaluating unit includes at least one evaluation memory unit, the evaluation memory unit being configured to receive and store a first variable evaluation parameter.

5. The domestic appliance device of claim 4, wherein the evaluating unit stores the variable evaluation parameter in the evaluation memory unit.

6. The domestic appliance device of claim 4, wherein the evaluating unit stores in the memory unit an accumulated consumption of each of two grouping parameters.

7. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, wherein the input unit is configured to allow the first user to input the variable evaluation parameter.

8. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, further comprising a communications unit which determines, via an Internet connection from an energy exchange and/or from a meter of the external resource, the variable evaluation parameter.

9. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, wherein the evaluating unit prevents operation of the domestic appliance based on a user-provided limit of operation based on the variable evaluation parameter.

10. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, wherein the evaluating unit evaluates an expected consumption of the external resource during selection of a sequence program while taking into consideration the variable evaluation parameter.

11. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, further comprising a control unit, said evaluating unit being constructed, at least partially, in one piece with the control unit.

12. The domestic appliance device of claim 1, further comprising an operational status output unit, said output unit being constructed, at least partially, in one piece with the operational status output unit.

13. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the output unit is programmed to output an accumulated or expected cost in currency based on consumption of the external resource.

14. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the output unit is programmed to output an accumulated or expected cost in currency per unit of the external resource.

15. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the output unit is programmed to output a percentage of an available budget.

16. A method for evaluating a consumption of an external resource by a domestic appliance, said method comprising:

requiring a first user of the domestic appliance to provide an identifier to the domestic appliance prior to use of the domestic appliance;

evaluating a consumption of an external resource by the domestic appliance in dependence on a variable evaluation parameter obtained from an internet-connection to an energy exchange;

prompting the first user to select one of a plurality of grouping parameters, the grouping parameters determining an output communicated to the first user and comprising (1) total individual user usage, (2) individual user usage during a defined time period, (3) total device usage, and (4) total device usage during a defined time period; and

outputting the evaluated consumption as the output associated with one of the grouping parameters.

17. A domestic appliance, comprising;

a domestic appliance device, said domestic appliance device comprising;

an input unit, the input unit being configured to allow a first user of the domestic appliance device to identify the first user to the device;

a memory unit, the memory unit configured to store user-specific information regarding usage preferences and usage history;

an evaluating unit which evaluates a consumption of an external resource by the user of the domestic appliance based on a cost-related variable evaluation parameter; and

an output unit for outputting the evaluated consumption;

wherein the domestic appliance device is configured to utilize grouping parameters to provide a selectable output comprising (1) total individual user usage, (2) individual user usage during a defined time period, (3) total device usage, and (4) total device usage during a defined time period.

18. The domestic appliance of claim 17, constructed in the form of a cooker.

19. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the external resource is an energy.

20. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the external resource is a fluid.

21. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the evaluating unit includes an evaluation memory unit, the evaluation memory unit being configured to receive and store a first variable evaluation parameter.

22. The domestic appliance of claim 21, wherein the evaluating unit stores the variable evaluation parameter in the evaluation memory unit.

23. The domestic appliance of claim 21, wherein the evaluating unit stores in the memory unit an accumulated consumption of each of two grouping parameters.

24. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the input unit is configured to allow the first user to input the variable evaluation parameter.

25. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the domestic appliance device has a communications unit which determines the variable evaluation parameter via an Internet connection or a meter of the external resource.

26. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the evaluating unit prevents operation of the domestic appliance based on a user-provided limit of operation based on the variable evaluation parameter.

27. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the evaluating unit evaluates an expected consumption of the external resource during selection of a sequence program while taking into consideration the variable evaluation parameter.

28. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the domestic appliance device has a control unit, said evaluating unit being constructed, at least partially, in one piece with the control unit.

29. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the domestic appliance device has an operational status output unit, said output unit being constructed, at least partially, in one piece with the operational status output unit.