METHOD AND DEVICE FOR OPERATING A DOMESTIC APPLIANCE AND SYSTEM HAVING A DOMESTIC APPLIANCE

Abstract

In a method for operating a household appliance which includes a display device having a display element comprising an adjustable property and which includes a control apparatus for actuating the display device, an optical sensor of an external device detects an item of activation information from an object. A processing unit of the external device processes the detected activation information to generate an activation signal which is transmitted to the control apparatus for activating an adjustment of the property of the display element.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method for operating a household appliance which includes a display device having a display element comprising an adjustable property and which includes a control apparatus for actuating the display device, said method comprising the steps of: a) detecting by an optical sensor of an external device an item of activation information from an object; b) processing by a processing unit of the external device the detected activation information to generate an activation signal; and c) transmitting the generated activation signal to the control apparatus for activating an adjustment of the property of the display element.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the optical sensor is a camera for detecting the item of activation information, and further comprising arranging the activation information on the object or on a packaging of the object.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjustable property of the display element includes at least one member shown in the display element and selected from the group consisting of an adjustment of a color tone, a color saturation, a brightness of a color, a theme world which is predetermined in terms of color, and a symbol.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the generated activation signal is used to initially activate or repeatedly activate the adjustment or to adjust the property of the display element.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the generated activation signal includes a specific validity which comprises an unlimited validity or a limited validity.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising carrying out the step c) via a communication interface of the household appliance.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the communication interface comprises a radio module, which is coupled to the control apparatus for transmitting data between the household appliance and the external device.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the communication interface comprises a network module, which is coupled to the control apparatus, and further comprising: transmitting by the external device the activation signal to a server; and the household appliance receiving the activation signal from the server via the network module.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the external device comprises a mobile terminal of a user, wherein the processing of the detected item of activation information and the adjustment of the property are carried out by the user via the processing unit running on the mobile terminal and embodied as an application.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the activation information comprises a two-dimensional code.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the activation information comprises a Quick Response code.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the optical sensor is a camera, and further comprising: identifying the object by object recognition; and generating the activation signal as a function of the detected and identified object.

28. A computer program product for operating a household appliance, comprising a computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer program, when loaded into a program-controlled device and executed by the program-controlled device, causes the program-controlled device to perform the method as set forth in claim 16:

29. An external device for operating a household appliance having a display device which includes a display device having a display element comprising an adjustable property and which includes a control apparatus for actuating the display device, said external device being external to the household appliance and comprising: an optical sensor; a detection unit configured to detect an item of activation information from an object via the optical sensor; a processing unit configured to process the detected activation information and to generate an activation signal; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the generated activation signal to the control apparatus for activating an adjustment of the property of the display element.

30. A system, comprising: a household appliance, which includes a display device having a display element comprising an adjustable property and which includes a control apparatus for actuating the display device; and a device, which is external to the household appliance, and includes an optical sensor, a detection unit configured to detect an item of activation information from an object via the optical sensor, a processing unit configured to process the detected activation information and to generate an activation signal, and a transmission unit configured to transmit the generated activation signal to the control apparatus for activating an adjustment of the property of the display element.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising a plurality H of household appliances, where H≥2, wherein the control apparatus of each of the plurality of household appliances is designed to adjust the property of the display element of the plurality of household appliances by the transmitted activation signal such that the adjusted properties of the display elements are identical.

Description

[0072] Further advantageous embodiments and aspects of the invention form the subject matter of the subclaims and the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below. Furthermore, the invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the appended figures.

[0073] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a device for operating a household appliance and a household appliance; and

[0074] FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a household appliance.

[0075] In the figures, identical or functionally identical elements have been provided with the same reference characters unless specified otherwise.

[0076] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a device 7 for operating a household appliance 1 and a household appliance 1.

[0077] The household appliance 1 in FIG. 1 comprises a display device 2 with at least one display element 3, which has at least one adjustable property 4. Furthermore, the household appliance 1 comprises a control apparatus 5 for actuating the display device 2. In FIG. 1 the device 7 is arranged externally to the household appliance 1. The external device 7 has a detection unit 9, a processing unit 10 and a transmission unit 11.

[0078] The detection unit 9 is designed to detect an item of activation information FI from an object O by means of an optical sensor 8 of the external device 7.

[0079] Furthermore, the processing unit 10 is designed to process the detected activation information FI and to generate an activation signal FS as a function thereof.

[0080] The transmission unit 11 is designed to transmit the generated activation signal FS to the control apparatus 5 in order to activate an adjustment of the at least one property 4 of the display element 2.

[0081] In FIG. 1 the household appliance 1 and the device 7 for operating the household appliance 1, which is external to the household appliance 1, form a system 12.

[0082] In addition, the system 12 can comprise a plurality H of household appliances 1 (not shown). Here the respective control apparatus 5 of the respective household appliance 1 of the plurality of household appliances 1 is designed to adjust the at least one property 4 of the display element 3 of the plurality of household appliances 1 by means of the transmitted activation signal FS. The at least one property 4 of the display element 3 of the plurality of household appliances 1 is adjusted so that the adjusted properties 4 of the display elements 3 are identical.

[0083] FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a household appliance 1, such as, for instance, the household appliance 1 in FIG. 1. The household appliance 1 comprises a display device 2 with at least one display element 3, which has at least one adjustable property 4. Furthermore, the household appliance 1 comprises a control apparatus 5 for actuating the display device 2.

[0084] The method in FIG. 2 has the steps S201, S202 and S203.

[0085] In step S201, an item of activation information FI is detected from an object O by means of an optical sensor 8 of an external device 7. Here a camera is used as the optical sensor 8, for instance. Furthermore, the item of activation information FI is arranged on the object O or on a packaging of the object O. Furthermore, the item of activation information FI comprises a two-dimensional code, in particular a Quick Response code.

[0086] In addition, the object O can be identified by means of object recognition and the activation signal FS can be generated as a function of the detected and identified object O.

[0087] In step S202, the detected item of activation information FI is processed by means of a processing unit 10 of the external device 7 and as a function of this an activation signal FS is generated.

[0088] The generated activation signal FS is used here to initially activate or repeatedly activate the adjustment or to adjust the at least one property 4 of the display element 3. In addition, the generated activation signal FS has a specific validity. The specific validity comprises an unlimited validity or a limited validity.

[0089] In step S203, the generated activation signal FS is transmitted to the control apparatus 5 to activate an adjustment of the at least one property 4 of the display element 3. Here the adjustable property 4 of the display element 3 comprises an adjustment of at least one color tone, a color saturation or a brightness of a color. Furthermore, the adjustable property 4 of the display element 3 has an adjustment of a theme world which is predetermined in terms of color or the adjustment of at least one symbol, which is shown in the display element 3.

[0090] The transmission of the generated activation signal FS in step S203 to the control apparatus 5 is carried out by means of a communication interface 6 of the household appliance 1. The communication interface 6 comprises in particular a radio module and/or a network module.

[0091] The radio module can be coupled to the control apparatus 5 for transmitting data between the household appliance 1 and the external device 7.

[0092] The network module can likewise be coupled to the control apparatus 5. In this case, the activation signal FS is transmitted by means of the external device 7 to a server. The household appliance 1 then receives the activation signal FS by means of the network module from the server.

[0093] Furthermore, the external device 7 comprises a mobile terminal of a user. The processing unit 10 embodied as an application runs in particular on the mobile terminal of the user. Here the processing of the detected activation information FI and the adjustment of the at least one property 4 by the user is carried out by means of the processing unit 10.

[0094] Although the present invention has been described on the basis of exemplary embodiments, it can be modified in a variety of ways.

REFERENCE CHARACTERS USED

[0095] 1 household appliance [0096] 2 display device [0097] 3 display element [0098] 4 (adjustable) property [0099] 5 control apparatus [0100] 6 communication interface [0101] 7 external device [0102] 8 optical sensor (camera) [0103] 9 detection unit [0104] 10 processing unit [0105] 11 transmission unit [0106] 12 system [0107] FI activation information [0108] FS activation signal [0109] object [0110] S201 method step [0111] S202 method step [0112] S203 method step