Water-conducting domestic appliance and method for operating a water-conducting domestic appliance

Abstract

A water-conducting domestic appliance includes a washing container, a door which is pivotably mounted to the washing container to define with the washing container a washing chamber for washing items, and a door opening module configured to automatically open the door. A detector detects a presence of a living being in a defined area in front of the domestic appliance. In the event the presence of a living being has been detected by the detector in the defined area, a control device prevents the door opening module from automatically opening the door.

Claims

1. A water-conducting domestic appliance, comprising: a washing container; a door pivotably mounted to the washing container to define with the washing container a washing chamber for washing items; a detector configured to detect a presence of a living being in a defined area in front of the domestic appliance and within an entire movement radius of the pivotably mounted door; a door opening module configured to automatically open the door to a desired gap during a drying process in order to ventilate the washing chamber to assist in drying of washed items; and a control device configured to permit automatic opening of the door by the door opening module to the desired gap during the drying process in order to ventilate the washing chamber on condition that the presence of a living being is not detected in the defined area and configured to inhibit automatic opening of the door by the door opening module in response to the detection of a living being in the defined area.

2. The domestic appliance of claim 1, constructed in the form of a dishwasher.

3. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a motion sensor, an infrared motion sensor, an HF sensor, an ultrasound sensor, a Doppler radar sensor, and an image recognition device.

4. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to prevent opening of the door for a specific period of time when the presence of a living being has been detected in the defined area.

5. The domestic appliance of claim 4, wherein the control device is configured to again check, after elapse of the specific period of time, whether the detector has detected the presence of a living being in the defined area and, if affirmative, to prevent opening of the door and/or to execute an alternative control function.

6. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the detector is placed in one of four ways, a first way in which the detector is mounted on the door, a second way in which the detector is integrated in a door leaf of the door, a third way in which arranged the detector is in a plinth of the domestic appliance, a fourth way in which the detector is integrated in a control panel of the door.

7. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to generate a control signal for actuating at least one specific unit when the presence of a living being has been detected in the defined area.

8. The domestic appliance of claim 7, wherein the at least one specific unit is at least one member selected from the group consisting of a lighting device for illuminating the washing container, a projection device for projecting a remaining operating time of the domestic appliance, a display lighting of a display of the domestic appliance, an output device for outputting at least one acoustic signal, a web-based application function, and an actuation device for activating a pump of the domestic appliance.

9. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the detector is an HF sensor configured to detect a blockage of a spray arm in the washing container.

10. The domestic appliance of claim 9, wherein the control device is configured to activate a user interface to output a user output to warn a user, when the HF sensor has detected the blockage of the spray arm.

11. The domestic appliance of claim 1, wherein the detector is configured to provide a first detection signal, when the presence of a living being has been detected in a remote zone of the domestic appliance, and to provide a second detection signal, when the presence of a living being has been detected in a near zone of the domestic appliance.

12. The domestic appliance of claim 11, wherein the control device is configured to prevent opening of the door when the first detection signal has been provided, and to actuate the door opening module when the second detection signal has been provided so as to open the door automatically.

13. The domestic appliance of claim 1, further comprising a safeguard system configured to stop the door at the desired gap and thus prevent the door from dropping open in an uncontrolled manner.

14. A method for operating a water-conducting domestic appliance, comprising: detecting a presence of a living being in a defined area in front of the domestic appliance and within an entire movement radius of a pivotably mounted door of the domestic appliance; permitting automatic opening of the door of the domestic appliance by a door opening module to a desired gap during a drying process in order to ventilate a washing chamber to assist in drying of washed items on condition that the presence of a living being is not detected in the defined area; and inhibiting automatic opening of the door of the domestic appliance in response to a detection of a living being in the defined area.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the domestic appliance is a dishwasher.

16. A computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer program, when loaded into a processing device and executed by the processing device, causes the processing device to perform a method for operating a water-conducting domestic appliance, the method comprising detecting a presence of a living being in a defined area in front of the domestic appliance and within an entire movement radius of a pivotably mounted door of the domestic appliance; permitting automatic opening of the door of the domestic appliance by a door opening module to a desired gap during a drying process in order to ventilate a washing chamber to assist in drying of washed items on condition that the presence of a living being is not detected in the defined area; and inhibiting automatic opening of the door of the domestic appliance in response to a detection of a living being in the defined area.

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 of the below-described exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is explained in more detail hereinbelow with the aid of preferred embodiments and with reference to the attached figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a second embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a side view of a third embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic timing diagram for an example of the sequence of a plurality of detection and control processes;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a schematic illustrating an arrangement of different detection zones; and

(8) FIG. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating the water-conducting domestic appliance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

(9) Unless specified otherwise, like or functionally identical elements have been labeled with the same reference signs in the figures.

(10) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance 1. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the water-conducting domestic appliance 1 is a dishwasher.

(11) The dishwasher 1 has a body encompassing a washing container 2, and a door 3. The washing container 2 and the door 3 form a washing chamber 4 for washing dishware items to be washed. In FIG. 1, the door 3 is shown in its open position. The door 3 can be closed or opened by being pivoted about an axis of rotation S provided at a lower end of the door 3.

(12) The washing container 2 is for example cuboid in shape and may comprise a base 5, a top 6 disposed opposite the base 5, a back wall 7 disposed opposite the door 3, and two side walls 8, 9 disposed opposite each other. In particular the side walls 8, 9 may be manufactured from stainless steel sheet.

(13) The dishwasher 1 additionally has at least one loading level 10. The at least one loading level 10 is preferably a holder for items to be washed of the dishwasher 1. In particular, a plurality of loading levels 10 can be provided, which may comprise a lower rack, an upper rack and/or a cutlery drawer. The plurality of loading levels 10 are preferably arranged one above the other in the washing container 2. Each loading level 10 can be moved selectively into the washing container 2 in an insertion direction E or out of said washing container 2 in a withdrawal direction A. For this purpose a rail 11 is preferably provided on both sides of a respective loading level 10.

(14) A control device 12 optionally provided in the body or in the door 3 of the dishwasher 1 is configured among other things to control the sequence of wash programs for washing items to be washed. The control device 12 can also actuate other controllable units 14, 15, 16 (see FIG. 2).

(15) The dishwasher 1 shown in FIG. 1 further comprises a detector 13 which is configured to detect the presence of a living being and/or object in at least one defined area. The detector 13 can output the result of a measurement to the control device 12 by means of a detection signal DS (see FIG. 2). By a measurement is understood that the detector 13 checks whether a living being and/or an object are/is located in the at least one defined area. Alternatively, the control device 12 can activate the detector 13 in such a way that the latter performs a measurement and outputs a corresponding detection signal DS (see FIG. 2) to the control device 12.

(16) In addition, the dishwasher 1 of FIG. 1 comprises at least one further controllable unit 14, 15, 16 (see FIG. 2). The at least one further controllable unit 15 is in particular a door opening module 14 and/or a user interface 16. A further controllable unit may be e.g. a pump controller for actuating a pump of the dishwasher.

(17) The dishwasher 1 may be for example a free-standing, an integrated or a fully integrated dishwasher 1.

(18) The detector 13 may comprise for example a motion sensor, an infrared motion sensor, an HF sensor, an ultrasound sensor, a Doppler radar sensor and/or an image recognition device.

(19) FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a second embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance 1. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the control device 12 receives a detection signal DS from the detector 13 and by outputting at least one control signal AS activates at least one further controllable unit 15. The controllable unit 15 may comprise in particular a door opening module 14 or a user interface 16.

(20) FIG. 3 shows a side view of a further embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance 1. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, a dishwasher 1 is shown, the dishwasher 1 being depicted with an open door 3. When the door 3 is opened, it is pivoted about the axis of rotation S, and for that purpose requires a spatial volume determined by the movement radius of the door 3, which is represented schematically in FIG. 3. The detector 13 is configured in particular to detect a living being and/or object located in said movement radius.

(21) FIG. 4 shows a schematic timing diagram as an example of the sequence of a plurality of detection and control processes performed by the detector 13 and the control device 12. In this case, following each detection query DA at the time instants t.sub.i, where a specific period of time t lies between two succeeding time instants t.sub.i, t.sub.i+1, a control signal AS is output by the control device 12 as a function of a detection signal DS of the detector 13.

(22) In the example shown in FIG. 4, the control signal AS comprises two values (0 or 1), where 0 means that the door opening module 14 is actuated in such a way that an opening of the door is prevented. After the specific period of time t has elapsed, a new detection query DA of the detector 13 is therefore performed by the control device 12, and once again a corresponding control signal AS is output. Upon the third detection query DA at the time instant t.sub.3, a 1 is output, which in this example means that the door opening module 14 can open the door 3 automatically. The iterative loop is thus interrupted.

(23) More complex control signals AS, e.g. an arbitrary finite sequence of 0 or 1, are also possible, thereby also enabling further controllable units 15, 16 to be actuated or more complex control processes to be performed.

(24) FIG. 5 shows a perspective front view of a further embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance 1. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the domestic appliance 1 is represented as a dishwasher, the dishwasher 1 being depicted with the door 3 partially open. Detectors 13 are installed in the upper section of the door 3 as well as in the plinth 17.

(25) The detectors 13 may fulfill different functions. Thus, for example, the detectors 13 installed in the plinth 17 may be activated only when the door 3 is fully open in order to initiate an automatic closing of the door 3 upon detection of a user gesture (e.g. with the foot).

(26) FIG. 6 shows a side view of a further embodiment of a water-conducting domestic appliance 1, wherein likewise different detection zones NB, FB are illustrated. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the detector 13 distinguishes between the following two detection zones: a near zone NB and a remote zone FB. In this case the detector 13 is configured to output a first detection signal DS as a function of the detection of a living being and/or an object in the near zone NB, and to output a second detection signal DS as a function of the detection of a living being and/or an object in the remote zone FB.

(27) In particular, the detector 13 may be suitable for detecting a user gesture in the near zone NB and outputting a corresponding detection signal DS which is recognized by the control device 12, which initiates a specific function, e.g. an automatic opening of the door 3 of the domestic appliance 1, by way of a control signal AS.

(28) It is also possible for more than two detection zones to be defined. In such a case the detector 13 is configured to identify the presence of a living being and/or an object in each of the more than two defined detection zones and as a function thereof to output one of a corresponding plurality of detection signals DS.

(29) FIG. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a water-conducting domestic appliance 1. The water-conducting domestic appliance 1 is embodied for example according to one of FIG. 1, 3, 5 or 6 and comprises a control device 12 for controlling various functions of the domestic appliance 1, as well as a detector 13 for detecting a living being and/or an object in at least one defined area, wherein the detector 13 can output a detection signal DS to the control device 12. In addition, the domestic appliance 1 comprises at least one further controllable unit 15, which may be in particular a door opening module 14 and/or a user interface 16.

(30) In step S1, a presence of a living being is detected in a defined area in front of the domestic appliance 1.

(31) In step S2, an opening of the door 3 is prevented as a function of a detected presence of a living being in the defined area in front of the domestic appliance 1.

(32) Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it lends itself to a wide variety of modifications.