Household appliance and control module for such a household appliance

• US 8,884,472 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Rosenbauer, Michael Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US13/209,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20120049652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 307/140
• US Class Current: 307/140
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/0063 using remote monitoring or controlling of the dishwasher operation, e.g. networking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/46 Devices for the automatic control of the different phases of cleaning ; Controlling devices A47L15/449 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/04 Signal transfer or data transmission arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A household appliance includes an electronic control facility controlling at least one appliance component of the household appliance, and a connection adapted for connecting the household appliance to a network connection line to supply the household appliance with electrical energy. The connection has at least one interface contact, wherein electricity tariff information is routed from an energy supplier to the control facility, when the interface contact is contacted.

Claims

1. A household appliance, comprising:

an electronic controller controlling at least one appliance component of the household appliance; and

a connection adapted for connecting the household appliance to a network connection line to supply the household appliance with electrical energy, said connection having at least one interface contact, wherein electricity tariff information is routed from an energy supplier to the controller, when the interface contact is contacted.

2. The household appliance of claim 1, constructed in the form of a water-conducting household appliance.

3. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the electricity tariff information is routed via the contacted interface contact.

4. The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising a control module connected to the interface contact to establish a signal connection to route the electricity tariff information to the controller.

5. The household appliance of claim 4, wherein the control module is connected in series between the connection and the network connection line.

6. The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising a programming facility constructed for contacting the connection to allow execution of an appliance programming via the interface contact of the connection, when the household appliance is assembled.

7. The household appliance of claim 4, further comprising a signal connection between the control module and the energy supplier.

8. The household appliance of claim 4, wherein the signal connection is bidirectional.

9. The household appliance of claim 4, wherein the control module includes a ripple control signal receiver to transmit ripple control signals from the energy supplier to the controller.

10. The household appliance of claim 4, wherein each control signal transmitted by the signal connection to the controller relates to an electricity tariff from the energy supplier, said controller being configured to initiate an action selected from the group consisting of setting a start of operation of the household appliance, terminating operation, and adjusting process parameters during operation, in response to the control signal transmitted by the signal connection to the controller.

11. The household appliance of claim 4, wherein the control module is configured as a separate part from the household appliance to allow retrofitting of the household appliance.

12. The household appliance of claim 4, wherein at least one of the network connection line and the control module forms together with the household appliance a plug-in system to allow detachable plug-type connection of the network connection line to the household appliance directly or through intervention of the control module.

13. The household appliance of claim 4, wherein the control module has electrical contacts for power supply and data contacts for transmission of control signals at an appliance side facing the interface contact.

14. The household appliance of claim 4, wherein the control module has electrical contacts for connection of a plug of the network connection line at a network side facing the network connection line.

15. The household appliance of claim 9, wherein the ripple control signal receiver includes an evaluation unit, which filters a received ripple control signal out of the network and/or decodes it and derives a control signal for the controller therefrom.

16. A control module for connection to an interface contact of a household appliance and establishing a signal connection to route the electricity tariff information to an electronic controller of the household appliance, said control module comprising a ripple control signal receiver to transmit ripple control signals from an energy supplier to the controller.

17. The control module of claim 16, constructed as a separate part from the household appliance to allow retrofitting of the household appliance.

18. The control module of claim 16, further comprising electrical contacts for power supply and data contacts for transmission of control signals at a side of the control module facing the interface contact of the household appliance.

19. The control module of claim 16, further comprising electrical contacts for connection of a plug of a network connection line at a side of the control module facing the network connection line which supplies the household appliance with electrical energy.

20. The control module of claim 16, wherein the ripple control signal receiver includes an evaluation unit, which filters a received ripple control signal out of the network and/or decodes it and derives a control signal for the controller therefrom.

21. A household appliance, comprising:

a controller adapted to control at least one component of the household appliance; and

an electrical connector adapted to connect the household appliance to an electrical power grid;

wherein the electrical connector has an electrical contact that is adapted to route a signal with electrical tariff information from the electrical power grid to the controller when the electrical contact is connected to the electrical power grid, and

wherein the electrical tariff information is supplied by an energy supplier for the electrical power grid.

22. The household appliance according to claim 21, wherein the electrical connector comprises a second electrical contact that is adapted to supply electrical power to the household appliance.

23. The household appliance according to claim 22, further comprising an electronic module that is removeably connected to the household appliance via the electrical connector and, when the electronic module is connected to the electrical power grid, the electronic module provides the signal to the electrical contact and provides the electrical power to the second electrical contact.

24. The household appliance according to claim 21, further comprising three electrical contacts adapted to supply electrical power to the household appliance, the three electrical contacts being separate from the electrical contact.