Electrical appliance

• US 7,342,492 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Ludenia, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Son
• Application Number:
  US11/058,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20050212652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/20 Operation modes, e.g. delicate laundry washing programs, service modes or refreshment cycles
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/38 Time, e.g. duration
• 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: D06F 34/32 characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23119 Display state, variable only when needed, energy saving
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23137 Display program step, instruction number
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23316 Standby, inactive, sleep or active, operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2633 Washing, laundry

Abstract

A device 15, 2 to 6 and 10 to 14 for controlling appliance functions and for communicating with a user need not stay switched on during the entire operating time. These mostly include optical indicating means 10 to 14 whose lifetime can be increased if a motion detector 19 is arranged on the household appliance and is operatively connected to the device 15 for controlling and/or the device 2 to 6, 10 to 14 for communicating and if the device 10 to 14 for communicating can only be switched to active on receiving a signal from the motion detector 19.

Claims

1. An electrical household appliance adapted to receive physical goods and being operable to change the condition of the goods, the appliance comprising:

a control device for controlling appliance functions;

an operating device for inputting commands for controlling appliance functions by an operator, the commands concerning the change of condition to be performed on the goods;

a display device for outputting program parameters relating to the appliance functions to a user; and

a motion detector being operatively connected to the control device and to at least one of the operating device, the display device, and at least one of the operating device and the display device being switched to active on receiving a signal from the motion detector.

2. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the motion detector includes an infrared transmitter and receiver.

3. The household appliance according to claim 2, wherein the motion detector comprises a diaphragm which is selectively transparent to the infrared radiation.

4. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the motion detector includes a sensor reacting to signal changes.

5. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the signal from the motion detector activates a timer setting the switch-on time for at least one of the operating device, the display device, and the control device.

6. The household appliance according to claim 5, wherein the switch-on time of the timer is set when there is a combination of the motion detector signal and a usage action which is recorded within a pre-determined time after activation of the motion detector signal.

7. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the motion detector has a directional characteristic limiting a spatial area which can be detected by the motion detector.

8. The household appliance according to claim 7, wherein the spatial area which can be detected by the motion detector lies above a pre-determined height.

9. The household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the motion detector is operatively connected to a light sensor, the signal from the motion detector having an effect from at least one of a certain threshold of the ambient brightness and up to a certain threshold.

10. The household appliance according to claim 9, wherein the light sensor is provided at the same time for an inherently known intensity control of illuminants of the household appliance.

11. The household appliance according to claim 1 further comprising a device for networking the household appliance with an external communication network, the signal from the motion detector being supplied to the communication network.

12. An electrical household appliance adapted to receive physical goods and being operable to change the condition of the goods, the appliance comprising:

a control unit controlling functions of the appliance;

an input unit electrically connected to the control unit and receiving commands for controlling functions of the appliance from an operator, the commands concerning the change of condition to be performed on the goods;

a display unit electrically connected to the control unit and having a lighted display displaying operating characteristics of the appliance, the display unit having an active condition, in which the lighted display is turned on, and an inactive state, in which the lighted display is turned off; and

a motion detector electrically connected to the display unit, the motion detector providing a signal in response to detecting motion and the display unit being switched from the inactive condition to the active condition in response to receiving the signal from the motion detector.

13. The household appliance according to claim 12, wherein the motion detector includes an infrared transmitter and receiver, the motion detector emitting infrared search beams continuously to detect motion.

14. The household appliance according to claim 12, wherein the motion detector includes an infrared transmitter and receiver, the motion detector emitting infrared search beams intermittently in a fixed cycle to detect motion.

15. The household appliance according to claim 12, further comprising a timer electrically connected to the display unit and counting a pre-determined time period in response to receiving the signal from the motion detector, the display unit remaining in the active condition for the duration of the pre-determined time period.

16. The household appliance according to claim 12, further comprising a light sensor operatively connected to the motion detector and the display unit, the intensity control of the lighted display of the display unit being adjusted in response to the brightness of the light sensed by the light sensor.

17. A method for activating a display device for an electrical household appliance adapted to receive physical goods and being operable to change the condition of the goods, the appliance comprising a control unit, an input unit, and a motion detector, the display unit including a lighted display and having an active condition, in which the lighted display is turned on, and an inactive condition, in which the lighted display is turned off, the method comprising the acts of:

controlling functions of the appliance with the control unit;

receiving input commands from an operator with the input unit, the commands concerning the change of condition to be performed on the goods;

sensing the presence of an operator with the motion detector in a spatial area near the appliance;

providing a signal with the motion detector in response to sensing the presence of the operator; and

switching the lighted display from the inactive condition to the active condition in response to the display unit receiving the signal from the motion detector.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the act of sensing the presence of an operator further comprises:

emitting an infrared search beam from the motion detector;

receiving the infrared search beam with the motion detector; and

evaluating if the received search beam indicates motion in the spatial area.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the act of sensing the presence of an operator further comprises limiting the spatial area to an area above a pre-determined height.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the acts of:

providing a timer operatively connected to the display unit;

counting a pre-determined time period with the timer in response to receiving the signal from the motion detector; and

maintaining the display unit in the active condition for the duration of the pre-determined time period.