EP3477205A1 - Electric household device - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic household appliance (10) has a treatment space (12) for treating goods, the treatment space (12) being at least partially delimited by at least one wall (14, 16, 16a, 16b), and an optical sensor system (30). for detecting an actual degree of soiling of the treatment space (12) provided on the at least one wall (14, 16, 16a, 16b) of the treatment space (12). The optical sensor system (30) has at least one radiation source (34, 40) for emitting electromagnetic radiation and at least one radiation detector (36) for detecting electromagnetic radiation, and the at least one wall (14, 16, 16a, 16b) of the treatment space (12 ) has at least one for the optical sensor (30) used electromagnetic radiation at least partially radiation-permeable plate (28, 28 a, 28 b, 29), which is at least partially exposed to pollution when using the electronic household appliance (10).

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic household appliance. in particular an electronic household appliance with a treatment room for treating goods.

Electronic household appliances having a treatment room for treating goods, such as ovens and microwave ovens with a cooking chamber, extractor hoods with a fume hood, refrigerators and / or freezers with a refrigerator or freezer, dishwashers with a dishwasher, laundry treatment appliances with a washing or Drying room are usually exposed to contamination during their use and therefore regularly require a cleaning of the treatment room in order to ensure the efficiency of treatment of the goods in the treatment room in the long term. By default, the user of the household appliance is recommended to clean the treatment room at regular intervals of, for example, three months. Alternatively, it is also known to estimate the degree of soiling of the treatment room on the basis of the number and type of treatment processes actually performed and to determine on this basis a time for the next cleaning of the treatment room (cf. DE 10 2014 217 636 A1 ). The cleaning of the treatment room can then be done manually by the user or by a self-cleaning device of the household appliance (cf., eg DE 10 2008 025 294 B4 ) respectively.

In this context, further from the DE 699 12 507 T2 a device for evaluating the dirt condition of oven chambers known which uses a cracking cell in which the fats or contaminants from the baking process are cracked in the course of an exothermic reaction. The cracking energy released in this reaction is measured to deduce the amount of cracked contaminants from the baking process and the amount of contaminants deposited on the walls.

The invention has for its object to provide an electronic home appliance with a treatment room for treating goods, in which an improved cleaning of the treatment room is possible.

This object is achieved by an electronic household appliance having the features of claim 1. Particularly preferred embodiments and further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The electronic domestic appliance of the invention comprises a treatment room for treating goods, which is at least partially bounded by at least one wall, and an optical sensor for detecting an actual degree of soiling of the treatment room provided on the at least one wall of the treatment room.

According to the invention it is proposed to detect the actual degree of soiling of the treatment space with the aid of an optical sensor on a wall of the treatment room. By detecting the actual degree of soiling - in contrast to the example for estimating the degree of contamination on the basis of the previous operation of the household appliance or at predetermined time intervals - not yet required and too late performed cleaning operations can be avoided. The life of the household appliance can be extended in this way. The comfort for the user is improved because he does not have to check the degree of contamination himself or to remember given time periods. The use of an optical sensor on a wall of the treatment room allows a simple, compact and inexpensive construction of the detection device and permanently reliable and accurate detection of the degree of contamination. The construction according to the invention can also be easily retrofitted into existing household appliances.

The electronic household appliance is in particular a (baking) oven, a microwave oven, an extractor hood, a refrigerator and / or freezer, a dishwasher, a laundry treatment appliance (washing machine, tumble dryer, etc.) or the like. Accordingly, the treatment chamber of the electronic household appliance is in particular a cooking chamber, an open space below the extractor hood, a refrigerator or freezer compartment, a Dish, a washing or drying room or the like. The treatment room is bounded by at least one wall, ie by one or more walls. The treatment room is at least partially limited by the at least one wall, ie it is, for example, a completely closed or closable room or a one or more sides open space.

According to the invention, the optical sensor should be provided on the at least one wall of the treatment room. In this context, it should be understood that at least one component of the optical sensor system is arranged in the region of a wall (that is to say in particular installed in the wall or on the side of the wall facing away from the treatment space). It is also possible for a plurality of components of the optical sensor system to be arranged on a wall or on different walls of the treatment space.

In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic household appliance further comprises an output device for (optical or acoustic) outputting information regarding a cleaning requirement of the treatment room based on the degree of contamination detected by the optical sensor system to a user of the electronic household appliance. The output device can be integrated in particular in a control panel of the household appliance.

In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic household appliance is further equipped with a self-cleaning device for automatic cleaning of the treatment room. The self-cleaning device is preferably equipped with a pyrolysis function.

In this embodiment, the electronic household appliance preferably further comprises a controller for driving the self-cleaning device. This activation preferably takes place automatically as a function of the degree of contamination detected by the optical sensor system and / or via a manual activation by a user of the electronic household appliance via a cleaning command entered by means of an operating device. Preferably, the self-cleaning device is automatically activated by the controller at an appropriate time after use of the treatment room after the optical sensor has detected a contamination level of the treatment room requiring cleaning, or manually activated by a user after he has been informed by means of the output device about a cleaning requirement of the treatment room.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the optical sensor system has at least one radiation source for emitting electromagnetic radiation and at least one radiation detector for detecting electromagnetic radiation, and the at least one wall of the treatment space has at least one plate which is at least partially radiation-permeable to the electromagnetic radiation used by the optical sensor system , which is at least partially exposed to contamination when using the electronic household appliance. The basic shape of the radiation-transmissive plate is basically arbitrary; in particular, it can be flat or completely or partially curved; in particular, it can be substantially rectangular or circular. Likewise, the basic design of the plate is basically arbitrary, it can be designed in particular as a rigid or flexible plate element or as a film element.

In one embodiment of the invention, the at least one radiation-transmissive plate is a window in a wall of the treatment space. In another embodiment of the invention, the at least radiation-permeable plate is a luminaire cover of a lighting of the treatment room. If the optical sensor system has a plurality of radiation-permeable plates, these can be designed according to one of these embodiments or in different embodiments. The embodiment with the luminaire cover as a radiation-permeable plate offers the advantage that an already present in the household appliance component, which is tailored to the use of the respective household appliance, can be used for the optical sensor.

In one embodiment of the invention, the radiation source and the radiation detector are arranged on the same side of a radiation-transmissive plate. In this case, the radiation detector preferably detects an electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radiation source and reflected at the radiation-transmissive plate and / or a radiation reflector in the treatment space. The reflectance of the radiation-transmissive plate is influenced by the degree of contamination of the plate, so that it can be concluded from the detected reflected radiation on the actual degree of contamination of the treatment room.

In another embodiment of the invention, the radiation source and the radiation detector are arranged on different sides of a radiation-transmissive plate. In this case, the radiation detector preferably detects an electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radiation source and transmitted through the radiation-transmissive plate. The radiation source can preferably be arranged behind a first radiation-permeable plate and the radiation detector behind a second radiation-permeable plate, so that the radiation detector preferably detects an electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radiation source and transmitted through the two radiation-transmissive plates. The degree of transmission of the radiation-transmissive plates is influenced by the degree of soiling of the plates, so that it is possible to deduce from the detected transmitted radiation the actual degree of soiling of the treatment space.

The radiation detector is preferably configured to detect an intensity, a wavelength, a wavelength spectrum, a detection location and / or a detection location distribution of the electromagnetic radiation.

The radiation source is preferably designed to emit visible light, laser light, infrared radiation or UV radiation of one wavelength or several wavelengths.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the electronic household appliance also has an operating device via which a user of the electronic household appliance can selectively activate or deactivate the optical sensor system. This operating device is preferably integrated in a control panel of the household appliance. The operating device preferably contains further input options for driving the household appliance.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the optical sensor system is configured or controllable to detect the actual degree of contamination of the treatment room at regular intervals, after each use of the treatment room and / or activation by a user of the electronic household appliance.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the optical sensor system is designed to detect the actual degree of soiling of the treatment room at several points of the treatment room. As a result, the accuracy and the reliability of the detection of the actual degree of contamination by the optical sensor can be further improved. For this purpose, the optical sensor system preferably contains a plurality of radiation sources and / or a plurality of radiation detectors and / or a plurality of radiation-transmissive plates at different locations on the treatment chamber of the electronic household appliance. Preferably, the degree of contamination is monitored in three to five different areas of the treatment room.

Fig. 1

eine Schnittdarstellung eines elektronischen Haushaltsgeräts gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung;

Fig. 2 bis 7

mehrere Schnittansichten von verschiedenen Ausführungsbeispielen einer optischen Sensorik zum Beispiel für das Haushaltsgerät von Fig. 1.

The above and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of preferred, non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In it show, mostly schematically:

Fig. 1

a sectional view of a home electronic device according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 to 7

several sectional views of various embodiments of an optical sensor, for example, for the household appliance of Fig. 1 ,

Based on Fig. 1 First, the basic structure of an electronic household appliance according to the present invention will be explained using the example of a baking oven with a cooking chamber.

The designed as an oven electronic appliance 10 has a cooking space as a treatment room 12 for cooking food. This cooking chamber 12 is bounded by a device wall 14, an intermediate wall 16 for separating electronic components from the cooking chamber, and a device door 18 for closing an access opening to the cooking chamber, as well as a floor (not shown) and a ceiling (not shown).

In the cooking chamber 12, for example, designed as a heater or grill unit 20 for cooking food in the cooking chamber 12 is provided. This unit 20 is controlled by a controller 22.

The controller 22 is connected to a control panel, which is visible to the user and accessible to a device wall 14. The control panel has in particular an operating device 24 with input elements and display elements. In addition, an output device 26 is provided in the control panel for the optical and / or acoustic output of information regarding the cleaning requirement of the cooking chamber 12.

As in Fig. 1 2, the controller 22 is further connected to an optical sensor system 30, which is arranged behind a radiation-transmissive plate 28 in the intermediate wall 16. This optical sensor 30 is designed to detect the actual degree of soiling of the cooking chamber 12. The controller 22 then outputs depending on the detection result of the optical sensor 30 via the output device 26 corresponding information regarding the cleaning needs of the cooking chamber 12 to the user.

The optical sensor 30 can detect the degree of soiling of the cooking chamber 12 at one point or preferably at several points in / on the cooking chamber 12. The detection of the degree of contamination by the optical sensor 30, for example, at regular intervals, after completion of a cooking process in the cooking chamber 12 and / or in an individual activation by the user. Optionally, the optical sensor 30 can also be completely deactivated by the user by means of the operating device 24.

If the user via the output device 26, an existing cleaning needs displayed, he can clean the cooking chamber 12 manually. Since the cleaning requirement is determined by means of the optical sensor 30 based on the actual degree of contamination of the cooking chamber 12, unnecessary or late cleaning of the cooking chamber 12 can be avoided.

In the in Fig. 1 illustrated embodiment of the oven 10, a self-cleaning device 32 is additionally provided in the cooking chamber 12, with which the cooking chamber 12 can be cleaned automatically. This self-cleaning device 32 can be automatically activated by the controller 22 if the optical sensor 30 has determined a cleaning requirement of the cooking chamber 12. Alternatively, the self-cleaning device 32 can be manually activated by the user via the operating device 24, in particular if this has been informed via the output device 26 about a need for cleaning the cooking chamber 12.

Based on Fig. 2 to 7 Various embodiments of an optical sensor 30 for such a baking oven 10 will now be explained by way of example.

In the embodiment of Fig. 2 The optical sensor system 30 has a first radiation-permeable plate 28a, which is provided as a window in a first intermediate wall 16a of the oven 10, and a second radiation-permeable plate 28b, which is provided as a window in a second intermediate wall 16b of the oven 10. The two intermediate walls 16a, 16b and, correspondingly, the two radiation-permeable plates 28a, 28b are located on opposite sides of the cooking chamber 12.

Behind the first radiation-transmissive plate 28a, i. on its side facing away from the cooking chamber 12, the optical sensor 30 has a radiation source 34. The radiation source 34 is designed, for example, as a light-emitting diode (group) or white-light LED and emits light in the visible wavelength range or infrared light. Behind the second radiation-transmissive plate 28b, i. On its side facing away from the cooking chamber 12, the optical sensor 30 has a radiation detector 36. The radiation detector 36 is designed for example as a photodiode, photoresistor or CCD chip and can detect electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the radiation emitted by the radiation source 34.

In this constellation, the radiation detector 36 detects the radiation emitted by the radiation source 34 and transmitted through the first radiation-transmissive plate 28a in the first intermediate wall 16a and then passed through the cooking chamber 12 and finally transmitted through the second radiation-transmissive plate 28b in the second intermediate wall 28b. In particular, the radiation intensity of the detected radiation is evaluated. Depending on the degree of soiling of the cooking chamber 12, the intermediate walls 16a, 16b and the plates 28a, 28b provided therein are contaminated to different degrees, which influences the transmittance of the two plates 28a, 28b and the scattering on the two plates 28a, 28b. The stronger the cooking chamber 12 and the two plates 28a, 28b are contaminated, the less radiation passes from the radiation source 34 to the radiation detector 36.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3 For example, the optical sensor system 30 has a radiation-permeable plate 28, which is provided as a window in the intermediate wall 16 of the oven 10. Behind this radiation-transmissive plate 28, ie on its side facing away from the cooking chamber 12, the optical sensor 30 has a radiation source 34 and a radiation detector 36. The radiation source 34 is designed, for example, as a light-emitting diode (group) and emits light in the visible wavelength range or infrared light. The radiation detector 36 is designed, for example, as a photodiode or CCD chip and can detect electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the radiation emitted by the radiation source 34.

In this constellation, the radiation detector 36 detects the radiation emitted by the radiation source 34 and reflected on the radiation-transmissive plate 28 in the intermediate wall 16, in particular on its side facing the cooking chamber 12. In particular, the radiation intensity and / or the detection location of the detected radiation can be evaluated. Depending on the degree of soiling of the cooking chamber 12, the intermediate wall 16 and the plate 28 provided therein are contaminated to different degrees, which influences the reflectance on the plate 28. The more the cooking chamber 12 and the plate 28 are contaminated, the more radiation is reflected back from the dirty side of the plate 28 in the direction of the radiation detector 36.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4 For example, the optical sensor system 30 has a radiation-transmissive plate 28, which is provided as a window in the intermediate wall 16 of the oven 10, and a radiation reflector 38, which is provided on a device wall 14 opposite the intermediate wall 16 or the plate 28. Behind the radiation-transmissive plate 28, ie on its side facing away from the cooking chamber 12, the optical sensor 30 has a radiation source 34 and a radiation detector 36. The radiation source 34 is designed, for example, as a light-emitting diode (group) and emits light in the visible wavelength range or infrared light. The radiation detector 36 is designed, for example, as a photodiode or CCD chip and can detect electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the radiation emitted by the radiation source 34.

In this constellation, the radiation detector 36 detects the radiation emitted by the radiation source 34 through the radiation-transmissive plate 28 in the intermediate wall 16 transmitted and passed through the cooking chamber 12, then reflected at the radiation reflector 38 on the device wall 14 and run back through the cooking chamber 12, and finally again through the radiation-transmissive plate 28 in the intermediate wall 28 transmitted radiation. In particular, the radiation intensity of the detected radiation is evaluated. Depending on the degree of soiling of the cooking chamber 12 and the walls 14, 16 and the plate 28 and the radiation reflector 38 are different levels of contamination, which affects the transmittance of the plate 28 and the reflectance of the radiation reflector 38. The more the cooking chamber 12, the plate 28 and the radiation reflector are contaminated, the less radiation is reflected back from the dirty radiation reflector 38 through the plate 28 to the radiation detector 36.

The embodiment of Fig. 5 is different from the one in Fig. 2 illustrated embodiment in particular in that instead of the radiation-transmissive plate 28 in the first partition wall 16a, a lamp cover 29 is provided an existing anyway in the home appliance lighting of the cooking chamber 12 and the light source 40 of this illumination serves as a radiation source. The light cover 29 is basically sufficiently temperature-resistant and tight, so that no adjustments have to be made for the optical sensor 30 in this regard. Incidentally, the optical sensor 30 and its operation correspond to the embodiment of Fig. 2 ,

The embodiment of Fig. 6 is different from the one in Fig. 3 illustrated embodiment in particular in that instead of the radiation-permeable plate 28 in the intermediate wall 16, a lamp cover 29 is provided an existing anyway in the home appliance lighting the cooking chamber 12. The light cover 29 is basically sufficiently temperature-resistant and tight, so that no adjustments have to be made for the optical sensor 30 in this regard. The radiation source 34 and the radiation detector 36 are arranged next to the light source 42 of the illumination behind this luminaire cover 29. Incidentally, the optical sensor 30 and its operation correspond to the embodiment of Fig. 3 ,

The embodiment of Fig. 7 is different from the one in Fig. 5 illustrated embodiment in particular in that the light source 42 of the illumination is not used as a radiation source of the optical sensor, but that the radiation source 34 (eg a laser diode) of the optical sensor 30 in addition to this illumination behind the lamp cover 29 is arranged. Incidentally, the optical sensor 30 and its operation correspond to the embodiment of Fig. 5 ,

The skilled person will be based on these embodiments of the Fig. 2 to 7 recognize further embodiments according to the invention, which are based on combinations and / or modifications of the above embodiments.

Instead of detecting the light intensity and / or the detection location, the radiation detector 36 (eg linear CCD sensor or precisely positioned color sensor) may also detect a wavelength spectrum, if appropriate together with an additionally provided prism, since contamination absorbs different wavelengths differently or reflected so that the absence of a particular wavelength in the detected radiation can be an indication of contamination.

In addition to the radiation sources mentioned above, it is also possible to use a UV lamp as a radiation source in order to detect, for example, in a refrigerator by means of a corresponding radiation detector, for example, luminescent bacteria.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

10

household appliance

12

treatment room

14

device wall

16

partition

16a

first partition wall

16b

second partition

18

door

20

aggregate

22

control

24

operating device

26

output device

28

Radiation-permeable plate

28a

first radiation-permeable plate

28b

second radiation-permeable plate

29

light cover

30

optical sensor

32

Self-cleaning device

34

radiation source

36

radiation detector

38

radiation reflector

40

Light source as a radiation source

42

light source

Claims (15)

Electronic household appliance (10), comprising: a treatment room (12) for treating goods, wherein the treatment room (12) is at least partially defined by at least one wall (14, 16, 16a, 16b); and an optical sensor system (30) for detecting an actual degree of soiling of the treatment space (12) provided on the at least one wall (14, 16, 16a, 16b) of the treatment space (12). Electronic household appliance according to claim 1,
further comprising an output device (26) for outputting information regarding a cleaning requirement of the treatment room (12) based on the degree of contamination detected by the optical sensor system (30) to a user of the electronic household appliance (10). Electronic household appliance according to claim 1 or 2,
further comprising a self-cleaning device (32) for automatically cleaning the treatment space (12). Electronic household appliance according to claim 3,
further comprising a controller (22) for driving the self-cleaning device (32) in dependence on the degree of contamination detected by the optical sensor system (30) and / or a cleaning command input by the user of the electronic household appliance (10) via an operating device (24). Electronic household appliance according to one of the preceding claims,
the optical sensor system (30) having at least one radiation source (34, 40) for emitting electromagnetic radiation and at least one radiation detector (36) for detecting electromagnetic radiation, and
wherein the at least one wall (14, 16, 16a, 16b) of the treatment space (12) has at least one plate (28, 28a, 28b, 28a, 28b) which is at least partially radiation-permeable to the electromagnetic radiation used by the optical sensor system (30). 29), which is at least partially exposed to contamination when using the electronic household appliance (10). Electronic household appliance according to claim 5,
wherein the at least one radiation-transmissive plate (28, 28a, 28b) is a window in a wall (14, 16, 16a, 16b) of the treatment space (12). Electronic household appliance according to claim 5 or 6, characterized
wherein the at least radiation-transmissive plate (29) is a luminaire cover of an illumination of the treatment space (12). Electronic household appliance according to one of claims 5 to 7,
wherein the radiation source (34, 40) and the radiation detector (36) are arranged on the same side of a radiation-transmissive plate (28, 29), and wherein the radiation detector (36) emits one of the radiation source (34, 40) and at the radiation-transmissive Plate (28, 29) and / or a radiation reflector (38) in the treatment room (12) reflected electromagnetic radiation detected. Electronic household appliance according to one of claims 5 to 7,
wherein the radiation source (34, 40) and the radiation detector (36) are disposed on different sides of a radiation transmissive plate (28a, 29), and wherein the radiation detector (36) emits one emitted from the radiation source (34, 40) and through the radiation transmissive plate (28a) detects transmitted electromagnetic radiation. Electronic household appliance according to claim 9,
wherein the radiation source (34, 40) is arranged behind a first radiation-transmissive plate (28a, 29) and the radiation detector (36) is arranged behind a second radiation-transmissive plate (28, 28b), and
wherein the radiation detector (36) detects an electromagnetic radiation emitted from the radiation source (34, 40) and transmitted through the first radiation-transmissive plate (28a, 29) and the second radiation-transmissive plate (28, 28b). Electronic household appliance according to one of claims 5 to 10,
wherein the radiation detector (36) is configured to detect an intensity, a wavelength, a wavelength spectrum, a detection location and / or a detection location distribution of the electromagnetic radiation. Electronic household appliance according to one of claims 5 to 11,
wherein the radiation source (34, 40) is configured to emit visible light, laser light, infrared radiation or UV radiation of one or more wavelengths. Electronic household appliance according to one of the preceding claims,
further comprising an operating device (24) via which a user of the electronic household appliance (10) can selectively activate or deactivate the optical sensor system (30). Electronic household appliance according to one of the preceding claims,
wherein the optical sensor system (30) is configured or controllable to detect the actual degree of soiling of the treatment room (12) at regular intervals, after each use of the treatment room (12) and / or activation by a user of the home electronic appliance (10) to capture. Electronic household appliance according to one of the preceding claims,
wherein the optical sensor system (30) is designed to detect the actual degree of soiling of the treatment space (12) at several points of the treatment space (12).

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