EP1838201B1 - Integrated operation display device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a household appliance, in particular a dishwasher, with a door, with an operating unit for controlling the household appliance and with a power indicator for reproducing at least one operating state of the household appliance.

From the DE 197 24 479 A1 a program run display on a household appliance is known in which individual program steps are shown on a device arranged on the program template and is marked by an initiated by the flow control of the device light signal of each running program step. In this display, a variety of display options is sought and achieved in that the flow display contains a light emitting by corresponding driving light of different colors light source, which is arranged behind a translucent panel on which the program template is applied. In this case, the individual program steps of the program template are colored in accordance with the light color emitted by the light source emitted by the respective program steps in the device.

If the user wants to know only if he can empty the device, ie whether it has already completed its work program or is still working, he must determine this from the often extensive displays according to the prior art, which only on closer inspection or with more precise knowledge the meaning of the ads is possible. From the DE 100 22 206 C2 Furthermore, a dishwasher, in particular a built-in dishwasher with a hinged door, known, which has on its upper face an optical power indicator with one or more light sources. The light sources are covered with the appliance door closed by a resting on top of the dishwasher worktop, wherein in the gap above the door and the bottom of the covered worktop a light guide is fixed in position, which directs the signal light of the overlaid optical operating indicator to the front of the device. The optical waveguide is connected to a fixed to the worktop base over the door fixed in place Wrasenschutzelement and in a material cutout of this element in a frame part form and / or non-positively held. The positionally correct positioning of the frame part for the light guide of the vapor protection element via a template, which is used as a template for the frame part, the vapor protection element. Thus, a dishwasher is described in which the entire surface of the door is free of controls and operating displays and only a handle element interrupts the flat appearance of the front of the device. In such a dishwasher, however, only a narrow gap between the upper end face of the appliance door and the worktop for the reproduction of information about the operating state of the dishwasher is available. In addition, it is generally endeavored to keep these and other columns as low as possible. The gap is also difficult to see because worktops are generally placed with a clear overhang over the furniture parts mounted beneath them.

From the US 2003/020908 is another dishwasher known.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a household appliance, in which the operating display is clearly visible and quickly reproduces a rough information about the operating state of the household appliance.

This object is achieved by a household appliance according to claim 1.

In a household appliance, the operating display is designed over a large area and shows the entire area each one of the operating states "operation", "program end" and "off" on. Thus, the invention realizes the principle of communicating few, but the crucial information quickly. This makes it possible for the operator, by a glance, even from a distance, to detect the operating state of the household appliance, instead of approaching the device as before and to draw from a variety of information to realize that the device is still working and therefore can not be unloaded yet.

In order to be able to recognize the coarse information even from a greater distance, the operating display is designed over a large area. By "large area" is to be understood an area that is significantly above the extent of individual symbols or luminous points about for ON / OFF displays known operating displays, for example, at least twice as large.

Many different principles can be used for a power indicator. In mechanical operation displays, for example, a movable pointer indicates the respective operating state on, for example, a straight-line or circular scale. In electronic displays, it is known to generate the pointer on a display or to display the operating state on the display itself by literal playback or by the appearance or illumination of symbols such as the DE 203 16 158 U1 shows. Simpler operation displays, such as those in the DE 100 22 206 C2 are described, give only a rough information about the end of the working process of the household appliance by a light signal again. For the invention, it has been found to be advantageous that the operating display comprises a lamp element. Under a lighting element is to understand any device that is able to emit light using electricity. In the present case, the LED technology is particularly well suited for this purpose - also in conjunction with light pipes - because it only requires a small footprint, can be designed very inconspicuously at rest and yet is easily recognizable in the operating state because of its large amount of light in relation to its size. Lighting elements, in contrast to the other aforementioned principles generally have the advantage that they are perfectly recognizable both with sufficient illumination and even more so in poor lighting.

Even with a single luminaire element, it is possible to signal different operating states. According to the invention, a luminaire element indicates different operating states by different luminaire states, namely by continuous and flashing light, by different luminous intensities or by different flashing frequencies. For example, a lamp element in the idle state of the dishwasher can also be switched off and flash during the working process of the household appliance. The flashing light can at the same time assume a warning function which indicates to the operator that the program sequence of the household appliance should not be interfered with, for example by opening the appliance door. Continuous light of the luminaire element finally can end the program and signal to the operator that the dishwasher can be unloaded.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, a lighting element may be provided which indicates different operating conditions by differently colored light. Once again, a switched-off luminaire element could indicate the device's idle state, a red light could indicate the work process of the device, and finally a green light could indicate the program's execution and the possibility of discharging the device. As light elements emitting different colored light, LEDs are suitable. Of course, it is also possible to combine several lighting elements, each of which emits only single-color light, but with different color features in a common operating display. Also suitable for this purpose are other technologies, for example those in which they radiate into a common light guide. This embodiment is not limited to only one LED as a lighting element, but may also include a plurality of LEDs having a plurality of different colors. Furthermore, operating states can also be indicated by a flashing of the luminous element in preferably different frequencies.

An operating display according to the invention, in particular in the form of a lamp element, only gives rough information. Further information on the program status or program sequence is generally given in a display. Under a display in this sense, both a conventional program sequence display, for example, in a conventional, linear or circular scale form or an LCD display or a screen display to be provided. According to the invention, the operation indicator is designed as illumination of a display. This inventive arrangement uses the already existing surface of the display for the power indicator and thus reduces the space required on the front of the door for technical control devices.

Figur 1:

einen oberen Teil einer Gerätetür eines Standspülers,

Figur 2:

einen oberen Teil einer Gerätetür eines Einbauspülers,

Figur 3:

eine perspektivische Darstellung eines oberen Abschnitts einer Gerätetür eines vollintegrierten Geschirrspülers und

Figur 4:

eine perspektivische Darstellung eines oberen Abschnitts einer alternativen Gerätetür eines vollintegrierten Geschirrspülers.

In the following embodiments, it is not a part of the invention, but a prior art, which facilitates the understanding of the invention. Show it:

FIG. 1:

an upper part of a door of a dishwashing machine,

FIG. 2:

an upper part of a door of a built-in dishwasher,

FIG. 3:

a perspective view of an upper portion of a door of a fully integrated dishwasher and

FIG. 4:

a perspective view of an upper portion of an alternative door of a fully integrated dishwasher.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a door 1 of a dishwasher of the type "dishwasher". It differs in the range of interest here not significantly from that of a built-in flusher whose door is partially in FIG. 2 is shown. Both figures are therefore described together below. The appliance door 1 has a control panel 3 above a front 2, whose surface is designed according to the fronts of the other kitchen furniture. Its surface is essentially divided into three sections. In the left section, a start button 4 is arranged, which serves to turn on or off the dishwasher. In her middle Section, the control panel 3, a handle element 5 for opening and closing the door 1 on. In its right section, an operating unit 6 is arranged in the control panel 3, which is divided into a display 7 and a series of switches 8. About the switch 8, the work program of the dishwasher can be preselected, which is then displayed in the display 7. The display 7 also provides information about which program section the dishwasher is currently in. This can be done either by numbers, by symbols or by graphs such as bar graphs. In order to obtain this information, however, the user must approach the dishwasher in order to correctly read the information reproduced there from the display.

For the information as to whether the machine is still running or whether it has completed its program, a light strip 9 is integrated as an operating display in the stylus element 5 for the purpose of reproduction. It is located above a recess 13, which serves as an intervention for the operator. With the help of the recess, the operator can engage behind a diaphragm 14, which in FIG. 1 coincides with the control panel 3 and in FIG. 2 is formed separately. The lighting strip 9 is arranged in the aperture 14 and thus centrally on the front of the door 1 and so at least associated with the associated dishwasher, so it can not accidentally, for example, in unlit kitchen, a device next to the dishwasher assigned.

The light strip 9 can be controlled in three ways: Without power, so off, it indicates the idle state of the device; blinking (or in red light) it signals the operation of the dishwasher during which the user should not open the appliance door 1, and with steady light (or green light) it indicates the completion of the washing program on which the user opens the dishwasher and can empty. Of course, the signaling can also be reversed in terms of continuous and flashing light. Alternatively, the light band may result in two colors, so that it lights up in a different color instead of flashing when the dishwasher program is completed.

FIG. 3 shows a partial perspective view of a door 1 of a so-called fully integrated dishwasher. Because here the front 2 optically not by a Operating element is to be affected, an operating unit 11 is disposed on an upper end face 10 of the door 1. The end face 10 is covered with the door closed by a worktop or a kitchen furniture above it, whereby the control unit 6 is visible and accessible to the user only with the door open 1. The front 2 of the appliance door 1 carries only a stylus element 12, which is designed as a bow-shaped handle. In order to give the operator at least a rough information about the operating state of the dishwasher, a rod-shaped lamp is integrated as a power indicator 9 in the handle member 12. As in the previous embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 it indicates the operating state of the dishwasher by a continuous or flashing light. Since it is integrated in the grip element 12, it does not require any additional surface on the front 2. It does not interrupt the uniform appearance of the door 1, which does not differ significantly from the other kitchen furniture.

Another embodiment provides FIG. 4 She also shows one of the FIG. 3 Comparable partial perspective view of a door 1. In contrast to the door according to FIG. 3 Here, however, the power indicator 9 is arranged instead of the handle member 12 in a front portion 15 of the upper end face 10 of the door. This has the advantage that no separately ausgestaltetes handle member 12 must be used for this embodiment, but a handle element can be used, as it comes with the other kitchen furniture used. The user now no longer has a direct view of the operating display 9, but receives the information about the operating state of the dishwasher in that the gap above the appliance door 1 is optionally lit on the entire width of the dishwasher. Therefore, this arrangement is preferred in built-in appliances, because there is no worktop arranged above the view of the gap limits. In a further embodiment (not shown), the operating display can also be installed in at least one side surface of the appliance door. Thus, either one or both side columns are lit or all three columns are lit.

Claims (3)

1. Household appliance, in particular a dishwashing machine, having an appliance door (1), a control unit (6) for the control of the household appliance, a status indicator (9) for the reproduction of an operating state of the household appliance and a display, characterised in that the status indicator (9) has a large surface area, the whole of which displays one of the operating states "Running", "Program end" and "Off" and that the status indicator (9) is embodied as an illumination of the display, wherein more specific details about the program status or the running of the program are given in the display.
2. Household appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that the status indicator (9) comprises a light-emitting element which displays different operating states by means of continuous and flashing light or by means of different flashing frequencies.
3. Household appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that the status indicator (9) comprises a light-emitting element which displays different operating states by means of different-coloured light.

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