Domestic appliance for cleaning a load and method for cleaning a load in a treatment space of a domestic appliance

Abstract

A domestic appliance for cleaning a load has a treatment space for accommodating a load to be cleaned, a load detecting device for detecting a load quantity in the treatment space, and a time detecting device for detecting a time value. A controller of the domestic appliance automatically starts a cleaning program when (i) the load quantity detected by the load detecting device exceeds a predetermined load limit value and (ii) the time value detected by the time detecting device exceeds a predetermined time limit value.

Claims

1. A domestic appliance for cleaning a load, the domestic appliance comprising: a treatment space for accommodating the load to be cleaned; a load detecting device for detecting a load quantity in said treatment space; a time detecting device for detecting a time value; a controller configured for automatically starting a cleaning program when: the load quantity detected by said load detecting device exceeds a predetermined load limit value; and the time value detected by said time detecting device exceeds a predetermined time limit value.

2. The domestic appliance according to claim 1, further comprising an input device for inputting the predetermined time limit value by a user.

3. The domestic appliance according to claim 1, further comprising an input device for inputting the predetermined load limit value by a user.

4. The domestic appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning agent detecting device for detecting an available cleaning agent quantity; and wherein said controller is configured to start the cleaning program automatically only when the available cleaning agent quantity detected by said cleaning agent detecting device exceeds a predetermined cleaning agent limit value.

5. The domestic appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a door for said treatment space; further comprising an automatic door closing system for automatically closing said door to said treatment space; and wherein said controller is configured to activate said automatic door closing system to close said door before said controller starts the cleaning program.

6. The domestic appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a display device for displaying at least one information item which is selected from the group consisting of the predetermined load limit value, the load quantity, a difference between the load quantity and the predetermined load limit value, the predetermined time limit value, the time value and a difference between the time value and the predetermined time limit value.

7. The domestic appliance according to claim 1, further comprising an energy cost detecting device for detecting actual energy costs; and wherein said controller is configured to start the cleaning program automatically only when the actual energy costs detected by said energy cost detecting device drop below a predetermined energy cost limit value.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The single FIGURE of the drawing is a block diagram showing a construction of a domestic appliance according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(2) Referring now to the single FIGURE of the drawing in detail, there is shown a domestic appliance for cleaning a load and is illustratively a rinsing machine or a washing machine.

(3) The domestic appliance has a controller 10 which drives at least one unit 12 of the domestic appliance. The unit 12 is, for example, a water pump or a drive motor or a laundry drum.

(4) The controller 10 is connected to an input device 14 and a display device 16. The input device 14 and the display device 16 are, for example, combined with one another and integrated in an operating plate of the domestic appliance.

(5) The controller 10 is also connected to a load detecting device 18 which can detect a load quantity W to be cleaned in a treatment space of the domestic appliance. For this purpose, the load detecting device 18 has, for example, a weight sensor for detecting a weight of the load, a load detector (e.g. optical image acquisition system, sensor system with electromagnetic waves, sensor system with sound waves etc.) for detecting a volume of the load in the treatment space or the like.

(6) The controller 10 also contains a timer as time detecting device 20. The time detecting device 20 is used for detecting a time value T. The time value T is, for example, a clock time or a time period.

(7) In addition, the controller is optionally connected to a cleaning agent detecting device 22 and/or a cleaning agent proportioning device 24. On the one hand, the cleaning agent detecting device 22 can detect a quantity of cleaning agent R available in a cleaning agent storage space, on the other hand, the controller 10 can activate the cleaning agent proportioning device 24 to the proportioned supply of a cleaning agent.

(8) Furthermore, the domestic appliance can have an automatic door closing system 26. The controller 10 can drive the automatic door closing system 26 in order to automatically close a door to the treatment space of the domestic appliance. On the other hand, the automatic door closing system 26 can inform the controller 10 of a current state of closure (open, closed) of this door.

(9) Finally, the controller is optionally connected to an energy cost detecting device 28 for detecting actual energy costs E. The actual energy costs E are, for example, energy prices at various times of the day (e.g. day tariff, night tariff, weekend tariff, etc.) of the respective energy provider (e.g. power, water, etc.). The energy cost detecting device 28 can have, for example, a connection to the Internet in order to call up the current energy prices from the home page of the energy provider. Additionally or alternatively, the energy cost detecting device 28 can have a memory for storing the tariffs of the energy provider.

(10) A time-displaced automatic starting of a cleaning program takes place as follows.

(11) Via the input device 14, a user can input a required cleaning program for the load to be cleaned in the treatment space of the domestic appliance.

(12) The user can input via the input device 14 a time limit value t (e.g. 20:00 hours, 2 hours, etc.) when the cleaning program is to be started at the earliest, and a load limit value w (e.g. 4 kg, 50%) from which quantity of load the cleaning program is allowed to be started. The input device 14 informs the controller 10 of the time limit value t input and the load limit value w input. These limit values t, w can be input once, for example, and stored in a memory of the controller 10 or input anew for each cleaning process.

(13) The load detecting device 18 informs the controller 10 continuously or at regular time intervals of the detected quantity of load W.

(14) The controller 10 starts the cleaning program selected by the user only when the two following conditions are met:

(15) (i) the load quantity W detected by the load detecting device 18 is greater than the predetermined load limit value w input by the user (W>w), and

(16) (ii) the time value T determined by the time detecting device 20 is greater than the predetermined time limit value t (T>t) input by the user.

(17) In the case of a rinsing machine according to the invention, for example, the user does not need to think of switching it on in the evening. He only needs to input a required starting time once in the evening. If, however, hardly any dirty dishes have been placed into the rinsing machine in the course of the day, it will not start but waits, for example, until the next day. For example, in the case of insufficient loading of the rinsing machine, the cleaning program will not start in spite of the set time being reached so that water and electrical energy can be saved.

(18) In this context, the load limit value w can be set to be variable by the user via the input device 14. Thus, the load limit weight, for example, can be set to be higher in the case of the rinsing machine being loaded with heavy pots, than when the rinsing machine is loaded with glasses or plastic dishes.

(19) If present, the controller 10 activates the automatic door closing system 26, before starting the cleaning program, to close the door to the treatment space.

(20) If present, the cleaning agent detecting device 22 informs the controller 10 of the detected quantity of cleaning agent R. The controller 10 starts the cleaning program selected by the user, in this case, only when the following condition is also met in addition to the two above conditions: (iii) the quantity of cleaning agent R detected by the cleaning agent detecting device 22 is greater than a predetermined limit value of cleaning agent.

(21) Furthermore, the energy cost detecting device 28, if present, informs the controller 10 of the actual energy costs E. In this case, the controller 10 starts the cleaning program selected by the user only when the following condition is also met in addition to the above conditions: (iv) the energy costs E detected by the energy cost detecting device 28 are lower than a predetermined energy cost limit value.

(22) Via the display device 16, especially the following information can be displayed to the user:

(23) selected cleaning program;

(24) status of the current cleaning program;

(25) the predetermined/input time limit value t, the detected time value T and/or a difference between the predetermined time limit value t and the detected time value T (e.g. as difference, e.g. still 1.5 hours);

(26) the predetermined/input load limit value w, the detected load quantity W and/or a difference between the predetermined load limit value w and the detected load quantity W (e.g. as quotient, e.g. 50% of the load limit);

(27) the detected quantity of cleaning agent R, a difference between the predetermined cleaning agent limit value and the detected cleaning agent quantity R and/or a status assessment (e.g. sufficient); and

(28) the detected energy costs E and/or a status assessment (e.g. sufficiently favourable).

(29) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 10 Controller 12 Unit 14 Input device 16 Display device 18 Load detecting device 20 Time detecting device 22 Cleaning agent detecting device 24 Cleaning agent proportioning device 26 Automatic door closing system 28 Energy cost detecting device E Detected energy costs R Detected quantity of cleaning agent t Time limit value T Detected time value w Load limit value W Detected load quantity