Household dishwasher machine, system comprising household dishwasher machine, and method for operating a household dishwasher machine

Abstract

A household dishwasher includes a washing compartment, an activatable unit arranged in the washing compartment, a control device configured to actuate the activatable unit, an optical sensor configured to acquire an optical sensor signal of the washing compartment, and a communication unit for bidirectional communication with a remote server. The communication unit transmits the acquired optical sensor signal to the remote server and receives a control command from the remote server for actuating the activatable unit and to forward the received control command to the control device.

Claims

1. A household dishwasher, comprising: a washing compartment; an activatable unit arranged in the washing compartment; a control device configured to actuate the activatable unit; an optical sensor configured to acquire an optical sensor signal of the washing compartment; and a communication unit for bidirectional communication with a remote server, said communication unit configured to: transmit the acquired optical sensor signal to the remote server, the remote server being configured to identify a malfunction of the household dishwasher based on the optical sensor signal and determine an actuation of the activatable unit based on the malfunction; in response to transmitting the acquired optical sensor signal to the remote server, receive a control command from the remote server for causing the activatable unit to perform the actuation; and forward the received control command to the control device.

2. The household dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive the control command from the remote server as a response to the transmitted optical sensor signal.

3. The household dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is configured to acquire the optical sensor signal as a function of a request of the remote server and to transmit the acquired optical sensor signal to the remote server.

4. The household dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a lighting device for illuminating the washing compartment during acquisition of the optical sensor signal.

5. The household dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera, with the optical sensor signal comprising an image and/or a video of the washing compartment.

6. The household dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the activatable unit comprises a member selected from the group consisting of a circulating pump, a drain pump, a spray arm, a valve, a lighting device, the optical sensor, an automatic dosing system, a door opener, a door closer, a display element, a washing basket movement device, and any combination thereof.

7. A system, comprising: a household dishwasher comprising a washing compartment, an activatable unit arranged in the washing compartment, a control device configured to actuate the activatable unit, an optical sensor configured to acquire an optical sensor signal of the washing compartment, and a communication unit for bidirectional communication with a remote server, said communication unit configured to transmit the acquired optical sensor signal to the remote server and to receive a control command from the remote server for actuating the activatable unit in response to transmitting the acquired optical sensor signal to the remote server and to forward the received control command to the control device; the remote server configured to identify a malfunction of the household dishwasher based on processing the optical sensor signal received from the communication unit of the household dishwasher, to determine an actuation of the activatable unit based on the malfunction, and to transmit the control command to the household dishwasher for causing the activatable unit to perform the actuation; and a data network via which the household dishwasher and the remote server are configured to communicate.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the remote server is configured to transmit the control command to the household dishwasher as a response to the transmitted optical sensor signal.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising a display device connected to the remote server to display the optical sensor signal.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the remote server is configured to identify a property of the household dishwasher as a function of the transmitted optical sensor signal and to transmit the control command to the household dishwasher as a function of the identified property.

11. A method for operating a household dishwasher, said method comprising: acquiring, by an optical sensor, an optical sensor signal of a washing compartment of the household dishwasher; transmitting, by a communication unit, the acquired optical sensor signal to a remote server, the remote server being configured to identify a malfunction of the household dishwasher based on the optical sensor signal and determine an actuation of an activatable unit in the washing compartment based on the malfunction; in response to transmitting the acquired optical sensor signal to the remote server, receiving a control command from the remote server by the communication unit; and causing, by a control device, the activatable unit in the washing compartment to perform the actuation in response to receiving the control command.

12. A computer program product for operating a household dishwasher, comprising a program-controlled device having stored therein a computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer program, when loaded into the program-controlled device and executed by the program-controlled device, causes the program-controlled device to execute the steps of: acquiring by an optical sensor an optical sensor signal of a washing compartment of the household dishwasher; transmitting by a communication unit the acquired optical sensor signal to a remote server, the remote server being configured to identify a malfunction of the household dishwasher based on the optical sensor signal and determine an actuation of an activatable unit in the washing compartment based on the malfunction; in response to transmitting the acquired optical sensor signal to the remote server, receiving a control command from the remote server by the communication unit; and causing, by a control device, the activatable unit in the washing compartment to perform the actuation in response to receiving the control command.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantageous embodiments and aspects of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims as well as the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below. The invention is described below in greater detail on the basis of preferred forms of embodiment with reference to the attached figures.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a household dishwasher;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a system with a household dishwasher and a server;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a further exemplary embodiment of a system with a household dishwasher and a server; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a household dishwasher.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

(6) In the figures, elements that are identical or have the same function are denoted by the same reference characters unless otherwise stated.

(7) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a household dishwasher 1. The household dishwasher 1 has a dishwasher cavity 2, which can be closed by a door 3, in particular in a watertight manner. A sealing facility can be provided for this purpose between the door 3 and the dishwasher cavity 2 (not shown). The dishwasher cavity 2 is preferably cuboid in shape. The dishwasher cavity 2 can be arranged in a housing of the household dishwasher 1. The dishwasher cavity 2 and the door 3 can form a washing compartment 4 for washing items to be washed.

(8) The door 3 is shown in its open position in FIG. 1. The door 3 can be closed or opened by pivoting about a pivot axis 5 provided at a lower end of the door 3. With the aid of the door 3, a loading opening 6 of the dishwasher cavity 2 can be closed or opened. The dishwasher cavity 2 has a base 7, a ceiling 8 arranged opposite to the base 7, a rear wall 9 arranged facing the closed door 3 and two side walls 10, 11 arranged facing one another. The base 7, the ceiling 8, the rear wall 9 and the side walls 10, 11 may be manufactured from a stainless steel sheet for example. Alternatively, the base 7 may be manufactured from a plastic material.

(9) Furthermore, the household dishwasher 1 has at least one receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14. Preferably, a plurality of receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14, for example three, are provided, wherein the receptacle for items to be washed 12 may be a lower receptacle for items to be washed or a lower basket, the receptacle for items to be washed 13 may be an upper receptacle for items to be washed or an upper basket, and the receptacle for items to be washed 14 may be a cutlery drawer. As additionally shown in FIG. 1, the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 are arranged above one another in the dishwasher cavity 2. Each receptacle for items to be washed 12 to 14 is optionally able to be shifted into or out of the dishwasher cavity 2. In particular, each receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 is able be inserted into the dishwasher cavity 2 in an insertion direction ER and extracted from the dishwasher cavity 2 in an extraction direction AR opposite to the insertion direction ER.

(10) The household dishwasher 1 also has a control device 100 and a communication unit 120, which are arranged on the door 3. An optical sensor 110 embodied as a camera is arranged on the ceiling 8 such that it is configured to acquire an optical sensor signal A (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) of the washing compartment 4. The dashed lines below the camera 110 indicate an acquisition region of the camera 110. The communication unit 120 is configured to transmit the acquired optical sensor signal A to a remote server 200 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) and to receive a control command B (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) therefrom.

(11) On account of the combination of the camera 110 and the communication unit 120, it is advantageously possible to perform remote maintenance and/or remote diagnostics for the household dishwasher 1. This is explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a system 300 with a household dishwasher 1 and a server 200. The household dishwasher 1 is for example a variant of the household dishwasher 1 shown in FIG. 1. The communication unit 120 of the household dishwasher 1 and the server 200 are connected communicatively with one another by way of a data network 310. The data network 310 is for example the Internet and the communication connection is based on HTTP and/or on FTP. Further, proprietary connection protocols are also possible alternatively or additionally.

(13) The household dishwasher 1 has an activatable unit 21, which is embodied here as a spray arm. In addition to the control device 100 and the optical sensor 110, which is embodied as a camera, the household dishwasher also has a lighting device 130, which is embodied here as a broadband light source for illuminating the washing compartment 4. The lighting device 130 thus also illuminates the spray arm 21. As a result, the camera 110 can acquire a high-quality, detailed optical sensor signal A, here an image, of the washing compartment 4 and the spray arm 21.

(14) There is for example an apparent problem with the spray arm 21 of the household dishwasher 1. The user of the household dishwasher reports this to the customer service and/or reports the problem to the server 200. Thereupon it is provided for example that the server 200 contacts the household dishwasher 1, in particular via the Internet 310, whereupon the communication unit 120 establishes the communication connection to the server 200. The server 200 now transmits for example a first control command B, which in this case causes the control device 100 to actuate the light source 130 for illuminating the washing compartment 4 and the spray arm 21 as well as the camera 110 for acquiring the image A. The acquired image A is then transmitted from the communication unit 120 via the Internet to the server 200.

(15) The server evaluates the received image A and thereupon transmits a further control command B, which this time additionally comprises an activation of the spray arm 21. By a further image A being acquired and transmitted to the server 200 after or during activation of the spray arm 21, the server 200 can identify for example by comparing the images A whether the spray arm 21 is working properly.

(16) If the server 200 identifies that the spray arm 21 is not working properly, further control commands B can be provided in order to identify a corresponding cause. It can further be provided to guide the user to perform specific manual steps.

(17) FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a further exemplary embodiment of a system 300 with a household dishwasher 1, in particular a variant of the household dishwasher 1 from FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, and a server 200. The system 300 has the features of the system 300 shown in FIG. 2. In addition, a display device 210 embodied as a screen is connected to the server 200.

(18) In this variant of the system 300, it is in particular possible for an employee of a customer service for the household dishwasher 1 to check the optical sensor signal A transmitted to the server 200 and to transmit a control command B to the household dishwasher 1. In this embodiment, the system 300 is thus protected against a misinterpretation of the image A by the server 200. In particular, an employee can respond flexibly to a status of the household dishwasher 1 and also identify and resolve complex malfunctions.

(19) FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a household dishwasher 1, in particular the household dishwasher 1 from FIG. 1, FIG. 2 or FIG. 3.

(20) In a first method step S1, an optical sensor signal A of the washing compartment 4 is acquired by means of an optical sensor 110.

(21) In a second method step S2, the acquired optical sensor signal A is transmitted to a remote server 200 by means of a communication unit 120 of the household dishwasher 1.

(22) In a third method step S3, a control command B is received from the remote server 200 by means of the communication unit 120 to actuate the activatable unit 21 in the washing compartment 4.

(23) In a fourth method step S4, the activatable unit 21 is actuated by the control device 100. The actuation takes place in particular as a function of the received control command B.

(24) Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it can be modified in numerous different ways.