Abstract
A method and device for controlling a domestic appliance connected to an electric grid so as to allow smart metering, wherein electric power consumed according to different consumption tariffs is measured and the domestic appliance receives information about the availability of a currently applicable consumption tariff or a switch-off condition for preventing peak loads in the grid. The domestic appliance is operated as follows: a) when an inexpensive consumption tariff is available, the appliance is put into operation as intended, and the history of the cleaning process is continuously recorded; b) when an inexpensive consumption tariff is not available or the switch-off condition is met, the appliance is not put into operation or a previously started operation is interrupted; and c) when information about an inexpensive consumption tariff is available, the domestic appliance resumes operation, and a component of a detergent is added based on the recorded history.
Claims
1. A method for controlling a domestic appliance constructed to perform a cleaning process and connected within an individual household to at least one electric mains grid implemented as an intelligent system capable of detecting measured power consumption according to different consumption tariffs and according to information about an availability of a currently applicable consumption tariff or according to a switch-off condition for preventing peak loads in the at least one electric mains grid, the method comprising the steps of: a) when an inexpensive consumption tariff is available, starting an intended operation of the domestic appliance and continuously recording a history of the cleaning process, wherein the recording the history of the cleaning process includes detecting a temperature and a change in temperature of a wash liquor or rinse water, b) when an inexpensive consumption tariff is not available or the switch-off condition for preventing peak loads in the at least one electric mains grid is met, preventing start of the intended operation of the domestic appliance or interrupting a previously started operation, and c) when information about an inexpensive consumption tariff is available, resuming the intended operation of the domestic appliance, and adding at least one component of a detergent in a dose based on the recorded history of the cleaning process, wherein the domestic appliance is a washing machine for cleaning items of clothing or a dishwasher for cleaning crockery.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the intelligent system allows smart metering.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one electric mains grid is branched off a public mains grid.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about availability of an inexpensive consumption tariff in step c) comprises continuously monitoring the at least one electric mains grid to forecast the availability of the inexpensive consumption tariff over a future longer time period.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein a dosage of the at least one added component of a detergent in step c) is predetermined.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded history of the cleaning process comprises electric power consumed by the domestic appliance over an elapsed time during which the intended operation is performed.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the consumed electric power is used to heat a wash liquor.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the history of the cleaning process comprises detecting a degree of foaming as a function of a change.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein when the domestic appliance is first switched on, an intended operation is started only when an inexpensive consumption tariff is identified.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting to the domestic appliance wire-based or wirelessly a plurality of inexpensive consumption tariffs to be taken into account.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded history is indicative of a progress of the cleaning process.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one component of the detergent is added to extend an active period of the detergent.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded history of the cleaning process is checked upon resuming the intended operation of the domestic appliance when the information about the inexpensive consumption tariff is available.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The subject matter of the claims that are dependent on the independent claim relating to the device also serves to develop the device.
(2) The invention is described schematically in more detail in the figures which follow with reference to exemplary embodiments. Identical reference characters denote identical or comparable parts. In the figures:
(3) FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a work process during the operation of a domestic appliance, for example a washing machine, on a conventional mains grid,
(4) FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a work process during the operation of the domestic appliance, for example a washing machine, during operation on a mains grid with smart metering without measures to adapt the domestic appliance,
(5) FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a work process during the operation of the domestic appliance, for example a washing machine, on a mains grid with smart metering with measures for adaptation according to the invention,
(6) FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the domestic appliance, for example a washing machine, supplemented by a block diagram and with a possible power connector,
(7) FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a further block diagram of the controller of the domestic appliance, for example a washing machine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
(8) For a better understanding of the sequences currently provided compared with conventional sequences without the requirement of repeated resumption of operation, the conventional sequence of a domestic appliance, for example a washing machine, is first explained briefly.
(9) With reference to the diagram in FIG. 1 the conventional wash process takes place in such a manner that initially (see the entire time segment I) water is introduced into the treatment chamber, for example a drum within a drum housingsee the symbolic representation with a wide arrow marked Intro1. Toward the end of the introduction operation the detergent or detergent components is/are added to the water volume already present in the drum housing, for example by being washed out of the detergent drawer of the washing machinesee the symbolic representation with the narrow arrow Intro2. The wash liquor forms, absorbing the introduced detergent components in dissolved form. The actual wash cycle can start. During this, in addition to the cleaning action of the detergent components, the movement of the laundry items due to the, in some instances reversing, rotation of the drum plays an important role, as the laundry items introduced into the drum are continuously lifted up and then dropped back into the wash liquor. The cleaning action by the detergent components is however enhanced by providing a first and second heating phasesee time segments II and III. However further heating phases are also possible. If the operation of the washing machine is interrupted, the action of the detergent components extends into the dropping temperature region of the second heating phase, see the symbolic representation with the arrow shown with a wide line ActD as an abbreviation for the action of the detergent or its components. The dropping temperature region of the second heating phase is due on the one hand to the switching off of the heater (heating rods in the region of the liquor sump) of the washing machine and on the other hand to the already ongoing dilution of the liquor by cold fresh water being introduced. This can be followed by the spin cyclesee time segment IV. Time t is also shown along the abscissa and temperature T along the ordinate in FIG. 1. The actual profile shown, namely the temperature of the wash liquor plus the introduced laundry items, is however not shown to scale but just as an indication. The same applies to the following FIGS. 2 and 3.
(10) If the domestic appliance, for example a washing machine, is not adapted to the behavior of the new mains grid with smart metering, a behavior as illustrated in FIG. 2 would result. In the first time segment I water is introducedsee the wide arrow Intro1and the detergent or chemicalssee the narrow arrow Intro2. Then at the start of the second time segment II a first heating phase H1 can start, as an inexpensive power tariff is initially available, see H1a. However in the middle of the time segment II it is identified that there is no longer an inexpensive power tariff available or another switch-off condition, for example grid overload, is identified. The temperature of the wash liquor drops again, see H1b and remains at a low level until a second heating phase H2 operates in a time segment III. As the temperature drops in this second heating phase, the action of the detergent or its components in their dissolved form in the wash liquor also decreases, as the enzymes in particular stop acting due to their short life. This is shown with the arrow ActD shown with a wide line. A third heating phase H3, which is activated by the domestic appliance, for example the washing machine, from the point of view of the overall energy input assigned to the program, once an inexpensive consumption tariff is available again within time segment IV, is not as effective as anticipated in respect of its cleaning action, as the enzymes, as shown, were active in time segment II and III and are now no longer active. It should be noted, simply for an understanding of the situation, that there are two temperature maxima in time segment IV, as a brief switch to the higher consumption tariff means that there was a switching off and switching back on again. The short arrow U shows the point where the drop in the temperature of the wash liquor is most marked. The decreasing heating phase H3 in time segment IV is followed in time segment V by the spin cycle. The wash result for the completed wash of the laundry items is naturally not as good as for the conventional wash process described above with reference to FIG. 1, as the detergent introduced cannot act to its full capacity or over all the heating phases H1 to H3.
(11) However if the domestic appliance, for example a washing machine, is adapted to the behavior of the new mains grid with smart metering, the behavior illustrated in FIG. 3 results. The tariff switch and the cleaning program selected at the domestic appliance are the same as in the sequence according to FIG. 2. The time segments I to V are therefore also the same as in FIG. 2. The decisive difference is however that at the end of both time segments II and III there is an additional dosing and introduction of detergents or detergent components, see the symbolic representation with the arrows Intro3 and Intro4. It can be assumed that when detergent is first introduced toward the end of time segment I, the quantity can be reduced compared with the procedure for the sequences according to FIGS. 1 and 2, so that overall no greater detergent or detergent component outlay is required for the overall wash process. As a result it can be assumed that the detergent will be acting constantly up to the region of time segment IV, in which the heating phase IV decreases and the spin cycle then follows, as the very short life of the enzymes in the detergent is taken into account with the matched selective dosing. This result is shown symbolically in FIG. 3 by the arrow ActD shown with a wide line.
(12) FIG. 4 shows the domestic appliance, for example a washing machine 1, initially in relation to the power connector. A public mains grid N1 is provided to supply a number of households with electric energy. A branch line L passes from this grid to the mains grid N2 of the relevant household, in which the domestic appliance 1 is set up. Connected in the passage of power in the branch line L is a smart meter Z, which meters the consumed energy of the relevant household. Metering takes place according to at least two different tariffs however. An interface S is present at this meter Z, forwarding signals containing information I to the domestic appliances of said household in a wired or wireless manner, so that the respective domestic appliance receives information about the currently applicable tariff or whether at least the respective domestic appliance should be taken out of operation to prevent a peak load in the public mains grid. Up to the point of the meter Z such information in the mains grid N1 is generally transmitted in the grid itself by way of remote control signals, for example Powerline, Z-Wave or Zig-Bee but use can also be made of such systems for the wireless transmission of the information I from the output of the meter Z. A line L1 passes from the grid N2 of the household to the domestic appliance 1. An appliance input part 2 serves to distribute the electric energy within the domestic appliance. A power switch (no reference character) is also visible, which is able to switch off all the major consumers of the domestic appliance as requiredwhen the consumption tariff is expensive or a switch-off condition is met. A controller 3 of the domestic appliance is constantly supplied with a certain level of electric energy in order to be able to respond continuously to the information I present at the input of said controller. A battery buffer or some other buffer, for example supercapacitors, can be provided. The input signals supplied to the controller 3, which has a computer-based structure, are all the signals, optionally combined in the manner of a bus, from a program part 4 of the domestic appliance, which is also available to an operator for setting the desired wash program. The controller 3 also receives a series of sensor inputs 8 to 11, which relate to the wash process and are explained in more detail below.
(13) The washing machine 1 is also fitted with a module 5 for detergent or detergent components, which are referred to in the following as 5a, 5b and 5c. Each of the components can be fed or dosed into the wash liquor in a selectively controlled manner. To this end the module for each component is connected to an immersion pump driven by an electric motor or an electrically activated valve or solenoid valve, which is activated from a power output of the controller 3. The elements cited by way of example, such as immersion pump or solenoid valve, are referred to in the following as dosing control elements. Associated with the stored detergent components 5a, 5b and 5c therefore are dosing control elements 6a, 6b and 6c. When one of the dosing control elements is activated, the relevant detergent component is released according to the activation period. The relevant quantity of a detergent component, optionally with a certain quantity of fresh water, is then introduced into the liquor housing enclosing the laundry drum. This is shown schematically in FIG. 4. As known structures, see DE 10 2008 042 655 A1, are used here, there will be no further description with reference to reference characters. The same applies to the basic sequence of a cleaning program, for example a wash program. Reference is made for example to DE 101 36 518 A1 for this purpose. There is also no need for a description of the drive for the drum of the washing machine and its actuation or for a drain pump facility for the wash liquor during wash and spin cycles, as these are well known.
(14) With reference to FIG. 3also with an understanding of the descriptions given in relation to FIG. 2according to the present teaching at the end of time segment I the quantity of detergent component 5a is determined by way of the dosing control element 6a and released for introduction with the fresh water, shown with the arrow Intro2. At the end of time segment IIsee arrow Intro3the dosing control element 6b is actuated when a favorable consumption tariff is once again available and a quantity of a second detergent component 5b is released for introduction into the tub.
(15) As set out above, the active period of the detergent can thus be extended despite a previous switching off of the domestic appliance. This is assisted by the fact that, between the heating phases H2 and H3, in other words during the transition from time segment III to time segment IVsee arrow Intro4a further dosing of a detergent component, for example 5c, takes place by means of activation by way of the dosing control element 6c.
(16) The activation sequence for the dosing control elements does not have to be the same every time. A different activation sequence for the dosing control elements can also be used or there can be a combination of dosing control element activations. More or fewer than three detergent components and associated dosing control elements can also be used. At the start of a wash programsee time segment Iit can generally be assumed that instead of the arrow Intro2 a quantity of detergent component or combination of detergent components 5a to 5c determined by the selected wash programgenerally in conjunction with the load size and type of laundrywill be predefined. Instead of the arrow Intro3 and Intro4 however the cleaning or washing process continues, so this has to be taken into account. According to the invention provision is made for the history of the cleaning process to be taken into account for the dosing of at least one component of the detergent, for example the detergent component 5a to 5c.
(17) FIG. 5 shows certain aspects of the computer-based controller 3 with its computer 3a in further detail as relevant. A storage region is provided within the controller 3, which is to serve essentially for the embodiment of the history of the cleaning process. This storage region is therefore referred to as the history store 7. The controller with its computer 3a also has a standard storage region, for example RAM or ROM, the latter serving to store theimplementedprogram. The central computation unit is shown as CPU. However it should be noted in the present instance that a microcomputer is preferably used as the computer 3a, so that these components can then be combined in one structural element. The dosing control elements 6a to 6c in particular are connected to the output of the controller 3, directly of the computer 3a, for example using power amplifiers. At least one signal containing information I about the availability of a low consumption tariff is fed to the input side of the controller 3. Measuring sensors or measuring facilities are also connected, helping to map the progress of the cleaning process and allowing storage in the history store 7 as the implemented program is executed. Such input signals are in particular those which contain information about the electric power consumed P, see signal 8, for example for heating the liquor, the elapsed cleaning time t, see signal 9, the temperature T of the wash liquor WL, see signal 10, and the current cleaning action R of the wash liquor WL. This list is not exhaustive however. Other signals can also be supplied or cited signals can be omitted. It is also possible to replace certain signals, which are difficult to measure, with easily measured replacement signals and to use a computation model to determine the actual signal required. It is however important that the implemented program serves, every time the cleaning process is resumed when a low consumption tariff is available, to check the historyby reading the history store 7of the cleaning process and to make the dosing of at least one component of the relevant detergent a function of the result of the evaluation of the history of the cleaning process. An output signal 12 also serves to activate the dosing control element 6a, an output signal 13 serves to activate the dosing control element 6b and an output signal 14 serves to activate the dosing control element 6c.
(18) It is also necessary for the success sought with the present invention that the actually available grid is monitored. To this end a monitor 15 can be implemented in the computer 3a of the controller 3communicating with its computer 3aso that information is received about the behavior of the available grid, for example the public mains grid. It can be derived from such monitoring whether information received about the availability of a low consumption tariff should be evaluated such that quite long availability of the signaled favorable consumption tariff can be assumed. It is thus possible to eliminate tariff switches that are too short when controlling the domestic appliance. However other strategies for preventing the domestic appliance possibly responding incorrectly to tariff switches that are too short are also possible. For example the dosing of detergent on the switch to the low tariff can be delayed or divided into a number of doses, which are then only introduced when the low tariff is available again. It is therefore possible to determine a future process sequence by means of the program implemented in the ROM by reading out the data stored in the history store 7.
