SYSTEM COMPRISING A DISHWASHER, AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A DISHWASHER

Abstract

A system includes a dishwasher having a dishwasher cavity which can be closed by a door. Receptacles are provided for accommodating items to be washed, and a control device carries out a washing program from a number of washing programs for washing items to be washed. An optical sensor records an optical sensor signal of the dishwasher cavity, and a determining unit determines a load state of the dishwasher cavity as a function of the optical sensor signal recorded by the optical sensor. An output unit outputs a positioning recommendation to a user for the purpose of positioning at least one of the items to be washed in one of the receptacles based on the load state determined by the determining unit.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A system, comprising: a dishwasher including a dishwasher cavity; a door for closing the dishwasher cavity; a number of receptacles for accommodating items to be washed; a control device configured to carry out a washing program from a number of washing programs for washing items to be washed; an optical sensor configured to record an optical sensor signal of the dishwasher cavity; a determining unit configured to determine a load state of the dishwasher cavity as a function of the optical sensor signal recorded by the optical sensor; and an output unit configured to output a positioning recommendation to a user for positioning at least one of the items to be washed in one of the receptacles based on the load state determined by the determining unit.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the dishwasher is embodied as a household dishwasher.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the output unit outputs the positioning recommendation to the user based on the load state and a target loading of the dishwasher.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the optical sensor is configured to record an optical sensor signal of an item to be washed, said output unit configured to take into consideration a geometry, a volume and/or a shape of the item to be washed when outputting the positioning recommendation to the user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the determining unit is configured, when determining the load state of the dishwasher cavity, to detect an incorrect positioning of a particular item to be washed that is arranged in one of the receptacles, said output unit configured to output a positioning recommendation to the user to re-sort the particular item to be washed based on the incorrect positioning detected by the determining unit.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the determining unit is configured, when determining the load state of the dishwasher cavity, to detect an incorrect orientation of a particular item to be washed that is arranged in one of the receptacles, said output unit configured to output a positioning recommendation to the user to rotate the particular item to be washed based on the incorrect orientation detected by the determining unit.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the output unit turns over the particular item to be washed based on the incorrect orientation detected by the determining unit.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the optical sensor is configured to record an optical sensor signal of a further item to be washed that is to be newly introduced into the dishwasher cavity, said output unit configured to output a positioning recommendation to the user for sorting the further item to be washed into one of the receptacles based on the recorded optical sensor signal of the further item to be washed and based on the determined load state.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the output unit is configured to use an augmented reality representation or a virtual reality representation to output the positioning recommendation to the user.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera, with the optical sensor signal comprising an image and/or a video of the dishwasher cavity.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the dishwasher is designed to have integrated therein the optical sensor, the determining unit and the output unit.

26. The system of claim 15, further comprising a facility external to the dishwasher and designed to have integrated therein the optical sensor.

27. The system of claim 15, further comprising a facility external to the dishwasher and designed to have integrated therein the optical sensor, the determining unit and the output unit.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the determining unit and the output unit are embodied as part of an app designed for installation on the external facility.

29. A method for operating a dishwasher including a number of receptacles for accommodating items to be washed, with the receptacles being insertable in a dishwasher cavity, said method comprising: recording an optical sensor signal of the dishwasher cavity by an optical sensor of the dishwasher; determining a load state of the dishwasher cavity as a function of the optical sensor signal recorded by the optical sensor, and outputting a positioning recommendation to a user for positioning at least one item to be washed in one of the receptacles based on the load state.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the dishwasher is a household dishwasher.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising: detecting an incorrect positioning of an item to be washed in one of the receptacles; and outputting a positioning recommendation to the user to re-sort the item to be washed based on the detected incorrect positioning.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising: detecting an incorrect orientation of an item to be washed in one of the receptacles; and outputting a positioning recommendation to the user to rotate the item to be washed based on the detected incorrect orientation.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising: recording with the optical sensor an optical sensor signal of a newly introduced item to be washed into the dishwasher cavity; and outputting a positioning recommendation to the user for sorting the newly introduced item to be washed into one of the receptacles based on the recorded optical sensor signal of the newly introduced item to be washed and based on the load state.

34. A computer program product for operating a dishwasher, comprising a computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer program, when loaded into a program-controlled facility and executed by the program-controlled facility, causes the program-controlled facility to carry out a method as set forth in claim 29.

Description

[0044] Further advantageous embodiments and aspects of the invention form the subject matter of the subclaims and of the exemplary embodiments of the invention that are described below. The invention is described below in greater detail on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached figures.

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a system with a household dishwasher;

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a further exemplary embodiment of a system with a household dishwasher and an external facility; and

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a household dishwasher.

[0048] In the figures, elements that are identical or have the same function are provided with the same reference characters unless specified otherwise.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a system with a household dishwasher 1. The household dishwasher 1 comprises a dishwasher cavity 2, which can be closed off 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.

[0050] The door 3 is shown in its opened 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 the base 7, a rear wall 9 arranged opposite the closed door 3 and two side walls 10, 11 arranged opposite one another. The base 7, the ceiling 8, the rear wall 9 and the side walls 10, 11 can be manufactured from a stainless-steel sheet, for example. Alternatively, the base 7 can be manufactured from a plastic material, for example.

[0051] 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, can be provided, wherein the receptacle for items to be washed 12 can be a lower receptacle for items to be washed or a lower basket, the receptacle for items to be washed 13 can be an upper receptacle for items to be washed or an upper basket, and the receptacle for items to be washed 14 can be a cutlery drawer. As additionally shown in FIG. 1, the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 are arranged one above the other in the dishwasher cavity 2. Each receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 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 to be inserted into the dishwasher cavity 2 in an insertion direction E and extracted from the dishwasher cavity 2 in an extraction direction A opposite to the insertion direction E.

[0052] An optical sensor 110 embodied as a camera is arranged on the ceiling 8, such that it is configured to record an optical sensor signal of the dishwasher cavity 2 and in particular the items to be washed arranged in the washing compartment 4. The dashed lines below the optical sensor 110 indicate a recording region of the optical sensor 110. It should be noted that the recording region is not limited to the washing compartment 4.

[0053] The optical sensor 110 may also be arranged at another place on the dishwasher 1, for example on an outer shell of the dishwasher 1. In this context, the optical sensor 110 is arranged in particular in such a manner that it is able to take an image of the items to be washed arranged in the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14, in particular in the extracted state of the respective receptacle for items to be washed.

[0054] The household dishwasher 1 also has a control device, a determining unit 120 and an output unit 130, which are arranged on the door 3.

[0055] The control device 100 is configured to carry out one washing program from a number of washing programs for washing items to be washed in the dishwasher cavity 2.

[0056] The determining unit 120 is configured to determine a load state of the dishwasher cavity 2 as a function of the recorded optical sensor signal. In this context, the determined load state indicates, in particular for each of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13 and 14, the places at which the respective receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 is loaded. The determined load state preferably indicates, in particular for each of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13 and 14, the places at which the respective receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 is loaded, and in this context with which items to be washed it is loaded.

[0057] The determined load state thereby indicates existing free spaces in the respective receptacle for items to be washed 12, 13, 14. A new item to be washed can be arranged in such a free space, or an item to be washed that has been incorrectly positioned in one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 can be placed in such a free space.

[0058] The output unit 130 is configured to output a positioning recommendation to the user of the dishwasher 1 for the purpose of positioning at least one item to be washed in one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 on the basis of the determined load state. The output unit 130 comprises in particular a visual and/or aural output. For example, the output unit 130 comprises a screen and/or a loudspeaker. The output unit 130 may also be configured to use an augmented reality representation or a virtual reality representation to output the positioning recommendation to the user.

[0059] In particular, the output unit 130 is also configured, in addition to the determined load state, to also use a target loading of the dishwasher 1 when generating the positioning recommendation for the user for the purpose of positioning the at least one item to be washed. For example, the output unit 130 can load the target loading from a memory of the dishwasher 1. The target loading of the dishwasher 1 may also be part of the operating guide or the manual of the dishwasher 1. In the event that the dishwasher 1 has a communication unit (not shown), the target loading may also be loaded via the Internet, for example from a cloud of the dishwasher manufacturer.

[0060] Furthermore, the optical sensor 110 may also be configured to record an optical sensor signal of an item to be washed. In such a case, the output unit 130 may be configured to take into consideration a geometry, a volume and/or a shape of the item to be washed for the positioning recommendation to the user. Accordingly, the positioning recommendation can be optimized in that, as a function of the geometry, the volume and/or the shape of the item to be washed, an optimal free space is found in one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 and is also indicated to the user via the positioning recommendation.

[0061] For example, the determining unit 120 is configured, when determining the load state of the dishwasher cavity 2, to detect an incorrect positioning of a particular item to be washed that is arranged in one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14. If the determining unit 120 detects such an incorrect positioning, the output unit 130 is able to output a positioning recommendation to the user to re-sort the particular item to be washed on the basis of the detected incorrect positioning. To summarize, the determining unit 120 determines the incorrect positioning of a particular item to be washed and the output unit 130 outputs a corresponding positioning recommendation to the user to re-sort the particular item to be washed.

[0062] An incorrect orientation of a particular item to be washed that is arranged in one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 is also possible. If, for example, the item to be washed is a cup and the user puts it in one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 such that the opening is facing upward, then, when the washing program is running, the cup will fill up with washing liquor and thus interfere with or even prevent subsequent drying as the subsequent step of the washing program. In order to prevent this, the determining unit 120 is in particular configured, when determining the load state of the dishwasher cavity 2, to detect such an incorrect orientation of an item to be washed that is arranged in one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14, wherein the output unit 130 is then configured to output a positioning recommendation to rotate, in particular to turn over, the item to be washed on the basis of the detected incorrect orientation. In particular, an incorrect orientation is not only present at an angle of 180°. As the wires of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 may have different angles, an incorrect orientation may already be present at considerably lower degree values. Thus, for example, if the cup is at too low an oblique position in the cup shelf, then washing liquor may accumulate, which prevents a complete drying. In such a case, the positioning recommendation can recommend to the user, for example, to slightly rotate the item to be washed or re-sort it to another place in the dishwasher cavity, in particular a place with a greater incline of the contact surface.

[0063] Furthermore, the optical sensor 110 is also configured to record an optical sensor signal of a further item to be washed that is to be newly introduced into the dishwasher cavity 2. The output unit 130 may then be configured to output a positioning recommendation to the user for the purpose of sorting the further item to be washed into one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 of the dishwasher cavity 2 on the basis of the recorded optical sensor signal of the further item to be washed as well as on the basis of the determined load state. Thus, this positioning recommendation is dependent upon the item to be washed that is currently to be put in place and the currently determined load state of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14.

[0064] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a further exemplary embodiment of a system with a dishwasher 1 and an external facility 200. The dishwasher 1 and the external facility 200 may be linked via at least one network 300, for example the Internet. The exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2 differs from the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 in that the optical sensor 110, the determining unit 120 and the output unit 130 are integrated in the external facility 200. The external facility 200 is for example a smartphone or a tablet. The optical sensor 110 is for example the camera of the smartphone or tablet. The determining unit 120 and the output unit 130 are integrated at least partly in an app that is installed and run on the external facility 200, for example.

[0065] FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a method for operating a dishwasher 1 with a dishwasher cavity 2, which can be closed off by a door 3, with a number of receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 for accommodating items to be washed, and with a control device 100 for carrying out one washing program from a number of washing programs for washing items to be washed. An example of a household dishwasher 1 is shown in FIG. 1. The method in FIG. 3 comprises the steps S1 to S3.

[0066] In step S1, an optical sensor signal of the dishwasher cavity 2 is recorded by means of an optical sensor 110.

[0067] In step S2, a load state of the dishwasher cavity 2 is determined as a function of the recorded optical sensor signal.

[0068] In step S3, a positioning recommendation is output to a user of the dishwasher 1 for the purpose of positioning at least one item to be washed in one of the receptacles for items to be washed 12, 13, 14 on the basis of the determined load state.

[0069] Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it can be modified in numerous different ways.

REFERENCE CHARACTERS USED

[0070] 1 Household dishwasher [0071] 2 Dishwasher cavity [0072] 3 Door [0073] 4 Washing compartment [0074] 5 Pivot axis [0075] 6 Loading opening [0076] 7 Base [0077] 8 Ceiling [0078] 9 Rear wall [0079] 10 Side wall [0080] 11 Side wall [0081] 12 Receptacle for items to be washed [0082] 13 Receptacle for items to be washed [0083] 14 Receptacle for items to be washed [0084] 100 Control device [0085] 110 Optical sensor [0086] 120 Determining unit [0087] 130 Output unit [0088] 200 External facility [0089] 300 Network [0090] A Extraction direction [0091] E Insertion direction [0092] S1 Method step [0093] S2 Method step [0094] S3 Method step