U.S. patent application number 10/588582 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-09 for program-controlled domestic appliance.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GMBH. Invention is credited to Johannes Geyer.
Application Number | 20070180869 10/588582 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34853516 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070180869 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Geyer; Johannes |
August 9, 2007 |
Program-controlled domestic appliance
Abstract
A charging opening arranged in the front side of the housing of
a household appliance and which can be sealed by means of a door. A
door handle, which can be fixed to a door frame, or a handle area,
which is integrated into a door frame, enables the door to be moved
with the hand. An optical display can signal the state of closure
of the door and controllable illuminating means, internal to said
device, can characterize operational states. The device improves
perceptibility of optical signals which are emitted from a domestic
appliance and to facilitate interpretation of the contents thereof
by a user in relation to the situation of closure of the door. The
door handle is provided with at least one illuminating means or is
connected optically to said means such that the light can be
emitted outwards from the door handle or handle area.
Inventors: |
Geyer; Johannes; (Haar,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BSH HOME APPLIANCES CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
100 BOSCH BOULEVARD
NEW BERN
NC
28562
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE
GMBH
MUNICH
DE
|
Family ID: |
34853516 |
Appl. No.: |
10/588582 |
Filed: |
February 14, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
February 14, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP05/50642 |
371 Date: |
August 7, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
68/196 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 2105/44 20200201;
D06F 34/28 20200201; F24C 15/024 20130101; E05B 17/10 20130101;
D06F 34/32 20200201; F24C 7/082 20130101; D06F 39/14 20130101; E05B
1/00 20130101; D06F 2105/58 20200201 |
Class at
Publication: |
068/196 |
International
Class: |
D06F 17/00 20060101
D06F017/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 18, 2004 |
DE |
10 2004 007 995.1 |
Claims
1-11. (canceled)
12. A program-controlled domestic appliance comprising a charging
opening which is arranged in the front side of its housing and
which can be sealed by means of a door, and a door frame having a
door handle fixed by which means the door can be moved with the
hand, as well as a visual display for the closure state of the door
and controllable illumination means internal to said device to
indicate operating states, wherein the door handle is provided with
at least one illuminating means so that its light can be emitted
from the door handle.
13. The domestic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the
illuminating means includes light-emitting diodes.
14. The domestic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the
illuminating means are integrated in the door handle.
15. The domestic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the
illuminating means is/are arranged in the housing of the domestic
appliance and is/are optically connected to windows in the door
handle.
16. The domestic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the
visual signals emitted by the illuminating means via the door
handle contain information whose content is connected to the
closure state of the door.
17. The domestic appliance according to claim 16, wherein the
operation of the illuminating means being at least one of arranged
in the door handle and connected optically to the door handle is
coupled to the locking device of the door.
18. The domestic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the
illuminating means being at least one of arranged in the door
handle and connected optically to the door handle are controlled by
the appliance internal control system.
19. The domestic appliance according to claim 18, comprising at
least two illuminating means, wherein the operation of the
illuminating means is individually controllable.
20. The domestic appliance according to claim 19, wherein the
illuminating means are differently colored or the door handle is
optically connected to differently colored illuminating means.
21. The domestic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the
visual signals emitted by the illuminating means via the door
handle contain information whose content is related to the program
sequence of the domestic appliance.
22. The domestic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the door
handle is covered with a transparent shell at its front.
23. The domestic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the
domestic appliance includes at least one of a cooker, a washing
machine, and a dryer.
24. A washing machine comprising: a housing having a receptacle for
receiving laundry and an opening providing access to the
receptacle; a door mounted on the housing for closing the opening
and including a door handle having a window; a control system
controlling operations of the washing machine; and a light source
supported by the housing adjacent the door handle and emitting
light in response to signals from the control system, light emitted
by the light source being visible through the window of the door
handle.
25. The washing machine according to claim 24, wherein the light
source includes a light-emitting diode.
26. The washing machine according to claim 24, further comprising
multiple windows in the door handle and multiple light sources
corresponding to the multiple windows and being supported by the
housing adjacent the door handle.
27. The washing machine according to claim 26, wherein the multiple
light sources include light-emitting diodes.
28. The washing machine according to claim 26, wherein the multiple
light sources emit light in a pre-determined pattern in response to
an operating parameter of the washing machine.
29. The washing machine according to claim 26, wherein the multiple
light sources emit light in different colors in response to an
operating parameter of the washing machine.
30. The domestic appliance according to claim 24, wherein the door
handle includes a transparent shell facing outwardly from the
housing.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a program-controlled domestic
appliance, especially a cooker, washing machine or drier provided
with a charging opening which is arranged in the front side of its
housing and which can be sealed by means of a door, and a door
handle preferably fixed to a door frame or a handle area integrated
into a door frame by which means the door can be moved with the
hand, as well as a visual display for the closure state of the door
and controllable illumination means internal to said device to
characterize operating states.
[0002] Program-controlled electric domestic appliances such as
cookers, washing machines and driers provided with a front opening
to the working chamber by which means to domestic appliance is
loaded and unloaded with food, laundry or similar, must be sealed
by means of a door to ensure perturbation-free operation during the
program sequence so as to eliminate any escape or entrance of heat
and/or moisture. Such a door is actuated by hand for which purpose
it usually has, for example, a handle located opposite the hinge or
a handle area which is usually identifiably raised from other areas
as a result of its special shaping. Without wishing to restrict the
subject matter of the invention, the term door handle is used
exclusively for the handle element provided for movement of the
door by the user.
[0003] The state of closure of the door which seals the working
chamber is usually sensed and an evaluation is made by the
appliance internal control system. The signal indicating the state
of closure of the door can be brought about by a purely mechanical
coupling to the door lock. If the charging door is not correctly
closed, starting the program is automatically blocked. The fault
which has occurred is usually indicated to the user by an audible
or a visual signal or by a combination of audible and visual
signals. The signals are usually configured such that their meaning
as an error or warning message is obtained from themselves. A
whistling sound which gets louder or quieter or a periodic flashing
of an illuminating means, for example, are usual. If a plurality of
such luminous displays are provided, for example on a washing
machine for correct closure of the door, for disturbances in the
water intake or in the event of a leak, the individual displays
must be identified by lettering for example so that the user can
easily determine the cause of the fault from the fault signal.
[0004] These fault messages and their cause determined inside the
appliance are increasingly delivered by means of a plain text
display. This type of convenient output of information is clear for
the user and misinterpretations of the output signals are
eliminated.
Disadvantageously however, the plain text on the display can only
be read out when the user stays in the immediate vicinity of the
domestic appliance and concentrates on the text output to a certain
degree.
[0005] In commercially available domestic appliances, it is known
to display the state of closure of the door by means of an
illuminating means located in the immediate vicinity of the door
handle. As a result of this spatial proximity of fault display and
cause of fault, the user can correctly interpret the fault signal
even without a clear text output. In addition, this type of visual
signal output has the advantage that this, and therefore the
underlying signal information, can be received by the user and
correctly interpreted from a fairly large distance. A disadvantage
with this type of signal output is that its content is restricted
to a single display.
[0006] It is the object of the invention to improve the
perceptibility of optical signals delivered by a domestic appliance
and to facilitate interpretation of their content by a user with
regard to the closure situation of the door.
[0007] In order to achieve the object, the door handle is used for
signal output whereby the door handle is provided with at least one
illuminating means or is connected optically to at least one
illuminating means so that its light can be emitted forwards from
the door handle or from the handle area.
[0008] In one embodiment of the invention the illuminating means is
or are light-emitting diodes which can be covered on the outside
with an optically transparent shell which scatters the light
emitted by the illuminating means such that the door handle emits
as a surface. A user can easily perceive the flat illuminated door
handle even at a fairly large distance, almost in passing. For
example, a red illumination of the door handle when the door is not
correctly locked can easily be identified from a fairly large
distance as a signal and as a message for the incorrect state of
closure of the charging opening of the domestic appliance and thus
as a cause for stopping an appliance.
[0009] In a further embodiment of the invention, differently
coloured illuminating means are integrated in the door handle and
the individual illuminating means can be controlled with regard to
their light emission. A signal with increasing and decreasing
luminous intensity brings about a high degree of attentiveness. In
a preferred signal output the luminous intensity of the individual
illuminating means is controlled with a time delay so as to produce
an apparently continuous signal. As a result of the possibility of
being able to produce different luminous signals which can be
clearly distinguished from one another and on account of the very
large area of the door handle configured according to the invention
compared to other signal emitters, this is very well suited for
emitting signals to characterise operating states, especially
signals directly or indirectly related to the state of closure of
the door.
[0010] For example, in driers and cookers opening the domestic
appliance immediately after the end of the program is not without
danger, or is at least unpleasant, because of the high temperatures
still prevailing in the interior of the appliance. The door handle
configured according to the invention can be used to indicate the
drop in the interior temperature by, for example, a red light of
different intensity and/or by a flashing light of different
switching sequence. A very bright light and/or flashing in quick
succession indicates high interior temperatures and therefore
danger. As the interior temperature decreases, the luminous
intensity and/or the frequency of the flashing sequence decrease.
The illuminating means are switched off when the temperature
reaches non-critical values. A dark door handle indicates to the
user that the charging opening can be safely opened.
[0011] A visual signal output configured according to the invention
without specific output of temperature values is sufficiently
accurate for practical handling of the domestic appliance. Compared
with a temperature display, the indication according to the
invention additionally has the advantage that the user need not
stand directly in front of the domestic appliance to perceive the
signal in order to read off the temperature.
[0012] A plurality of different optical signals can be produced by
using the invention, and these can be perceived from a fairly large
distance and their information content is disclosed to the user
even with reduced attentiveness. By using the signal output
according to the invention, it is simpler and more convenient for
the user to handle the domestic appliance.
[0013] The invention as well as further possible embodiments and
advantageous applications are explained in detail hereinafter for
the example of a washing machine with reference to the appended
drawings. In the figures
[0014] FIG. 1 is a front view of a washing machine with a front
charging opening and
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perpendicular section through a handle area with
windows for light signals to pass through from illuminating means
inside the appliance.
[0016] The drawing shows a front-loading washing machine provided
with a housing 2 and a control panel 1 located in the upper front
area, the usual control and display elements 3, 4 being arranged
thereon. Access to the interior of the washing drum for receiving
the laundry, which is not shown, is made via the vertical charging
opening in the housing 2 which can be sealed by a door 5. In the
example, the door consists of a door frame 6 with a dished glass
insert and is hinged to the appliance housing 2 by means of a hinge
8. Located opposite to the hinge 8 is the door handle 7 which is
fitted with a plurality of illuminating means 9 according to the
invention and thus serves as a signal emitter. The drawing does not
show the locking mechanism of the door and the lever connected to
the door handle 7 for unlocking the door,
[0017] The door handle 7 provided with receptacles for the
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 9 is an integral component of the door
frame 6. The function as a handle element is obtained from the
special shaping of the door handle 7, its arc-shaped expansion
towards the middle of the door and its outward curvature which
cannot be seen from the drawing. The front surface of the door
handle 7, also not visible, is covered with a shell-like part made
of light-permeable material.
[0018] The red and green emitting illuminating means 9 are disposed
in the door handle 7 in a closed arc. The light emitted forwards by
the LEDs 9 is diffusely scattered by the transparent cover plate.
The arrangement of the LEDs 9 in conjunction with the
light-diffusing cover of the light-emitting elements 9 brings about
a surface illumination of the door handle 7. The LEDs 9 are
individually controllable and their luminous intensity is also
variable. The display in the door handle 7 is controlled in a known
fashion by means of the appliance internal control system by
evaluating the sensing of the closure state of the door and
possibly the operating states during a program sequence.
[0019] Advantageously only a few, easily-interpreted luminous
signals are emitted via the door handle 7. When a washing machine
is ready for operation, all red LEDs 9 light up if the door is not
correctly closed. Other faults can be displayed by red flashing
lights. These faults can, for example, be operating disturbances in
the water supply and removal.
[0020] The sectional view shown in FIG. 2 shows a part of a handle
area in the frame 6 of the door 5 in detail. In this part a window
11 is arranged in the handle area which, when the door 5 is closed,
is positioned directly in front of a light outlet window of an
illuminating means 12. e.g. an LED, mounted in the housing wall 2.
The light from the illuminating means shines through the window 11
from the back onto a transparent to opaque cover 10 applied to the
front of the frame 6 in the handle area, illuminating an area
extending over the profile of the window 11 within the extent of
its diffusivity. A plurality of such arrangements of illuminating
means can be provided in the handle area so that any luminous
pattern can thus be produced.
[0021] Furthermore, a perturbation-free sequence of a washing
program can be indicated by the signal device according to the
invention on the door handle 7 or in the handle area with a
suitable arrangement of illuminating means. Such a visual signal is
desirable because otherwise it is difficult for the user to
identify that the washing machine is operating. Modern washing
machines run with very little noise and the rotation of the drum is
barely perceptible under unfavourable light conditions. For
example, the illuminating means being switched on continuously can
symbolise fault-free operation because this can appropriately
indicate a revolving laundry drum as a slowing revolving green
circle of light.
* * * * *