DE102020202990A1 - Control panel for different types of household appliances - Google Patents

Abstract

A control panel (110) for a domestic appliance (100) is described. The operating part (110) is designed to be attached to a base part (120) of the domestic appliance (100), the base part (120) having one or more mechanical and / or electrical components (101, 102) for providing a function of the domestic appliance ( 100) includes. The operating part (110) is designed to provide a user interface for the domestic appliance (100). The base part (110) comprises a control unit (111) which is designed to determine a household appliance type of the household appliance (100) from a plurality of different household appliance types, and the user interface provided by the operating part (110) as a function of adapt to the household appliance type determined.

Description

The invention relates to a control panel for household appliances. In particular, the invention relates to a control panel that can be used in a flexible manner in different types of household appliances.

Household appliances such as a washing machine, dishwasher, dryer and / or oven typically have a relatively long service life of, for example, 10 years or more. In the course of the useful life, further developments can occur due to technological progress, which in most cases cannot be provided in a household appliance that has already been delivered. Further developments can take place in particular with regard to interaction options between a user and the domestic appliance and / or with regard to operating programs for the domestic appliance.

Furthermore, different types of household appliances often have similar requirements with regard to interaction options between a user and the respective household appliance. The provision of user interfaces for household appliances is typically associated with a relatively high development and / or material and / or logistics effort.

The present document deals with the technical task of providing cost-efficient and flexibly adaptable user interfaces for household appliances, in particular for different types of household appliances.

The object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claim. Advantageous embodiments are defined in particular in the dependent claims, described in the following description or shown in the accompanying drawing.

According to one aspect of the invention, an operating part for a domestic appliance is described. The operating part is designed to be attached (in particular detachably and / or exchangeably) to a base part of the domestic appliance, the base part comprising one or more mechanical and / or electrical components for providing a function of the domestic appliance. The operating part can thus be designed to be attached to the base part of a domestic appliance in order to form the domestic appliance from the combination of the base part and the operating part. The user interface for the domestic appliance can be provided by the control unit. If necessary, the domestic appliance can be designed in such a way that the domestic appliance does not have a user interface without the operating part. The control unit can thus possibly be the only component of the (assembled) domestic appliance through which a user interface is provided.

The operating part typically comprises a (possibly waterproof and / or dustproof) housing. The housing of the operating part can be designed to be received by a recess, in particular by a slide-in unit, of a housing of the base part in order to fasten the operating part to the base part. This enables a user to conveniently attach the operating part to the base part and, if necessary, to remove it again from the base part (e.g. to attach another operating part to the base part). The control part can thus be designed in such a way that the control part can be attached to the base part and / or replaced (without tools) by an (end) user (typically not qualified for maintenance work) of the domestic appliance. The component can be removed, for example, by simply pulling the control unit out of a holder (e.g. from a slide-in unit) of the base part (without having to loosen screws or other fastening elements, for example, and / or without the use of tools is).

The operating part typically comprises an interface which is designed to interact with a complementary interface of the base part, so that the operating part can be supplied with electrical energy via the interface from the base part and so that the operating part can exchange data with the base part via the interface when the control panel is attached to the base. In a preferred example, the interface is a wireless interface in order to enable the operating part to be fastened to the base part as conveniently and reliably as possible. By providing a data and / or energy interface, efficient interaction between the operating part and the base part can be made possible in order to provide the domestic appliance.

The operating part comprises a control unit which is designed to determine a household appliance type of the household appliance from a plurality of different household appliance types. In other words, the control panel can be designed to recognize (in particular automatically, e.g. directly after the control panel is attached to the base part and / or directly after the control panel has been put into operation) in which type of household appliance the control panel is to be used and / or the type of household appliance for which a user interface is to be provided by the control unit. The type of household appliance is typically determined by the base part to which the control panel is attached. The control part can thus be designed (in particular automatically, for example directly after the control part has been attached to the base part, and / or directly after the start-up of the Control unit) to recognize which type of base part the control unit is attached to, and thus which household appliance type is to be formed by the combination of base part and control unit.

Exemplary types of household appliances are: at least one type for washing machines; at least one type for dishwashers; at least one type for dryer; at least one type for ovens; at least one type for hobs; at least one type for extractor hoods; at least one type for refrigerators and / or freezers; at least one type for vending machines; and / or at least one type for kitchen machines.

The control unit of the operating unit is also set up to adapt the user interface provided by the operating unit (automatically, e.g. directly after the operating unit is attached to the base part and / or directly after the operating unit has been put into operation) depending on the type of household appliance determined. For this purpose, in particular the software (SW) used by the control unit for the user interface can be adapted to the household appliance type determined. A single, uniform control element can thus be provided for several different types of household appliances, which control element is designed to adapt (automatically, i.e. without the intervention of a user) to the type of household appliance with which the control element is used. In other words, an operating part can be provided which can be attached in a flexible manner to different base parts for different types of household appliances, and which is designed to automatically adapt to the respective household appliance type in order to provide a type-specific user interface. The control unit can thus be designed to automatically adapt itself, in particular the software of the control element used in each case, to each one of the plurality of different types of household appliance in order to provide a type-specific user interface for each of the plurality of different types of household appliance.

With the operating part described, user interfaces for different types of household appliances can be provided in a comfortable, flexible and cost-efficient manner (by means of a single operating part). In other words, it can be made possible that structurally identical operating parts can be used in different types of household appliances in order to provide a type-specific user interface in each case.

The control panel can have one or more control elements (e.g. (possibly virtual and / or mechanical) buttons, switches, buttons, sliders, etc.) and / or one or more output elements (e.g. screens, LEDs, lighting elements, loudspeakers, etc.) of the Include user interface of the home appliance. The control unit can be set up to include one or more functions of the household appliance that can be triggered via the one or more operating elements and / or one or more outputs that are output via the one or more output elements, depending on the household appliance type determined adapt. In other words, the assignment of functions to the one or more control elements can be adapted to the respective type of household appliance. Furthermore, one or more optical and / or acoustic outputs that are brought about by the control unit can be adapted to the respective type of household appliance. In this way, a convenient user interface can also be provided for different types of household appliances by means of the operating element described.

The operating part can be designed to set up a data connection with an external unit which is arranged outside the domestic appliance, so that the user interface of the domestic appliance is provided via the external unit. The external unit can, for example, comprise or be an electronic user device (e.g. a smartphone) and / or another household appliance. The control panel can then be designed as a slave control panel, which enables user inputs and / or user outputs of the domestic appliance via the external unit designed as a master control panel. The control unit can thus make it possible to integrate the household appliance formed (from the control unit and the base part) into a higher-level user interface (via which, for example, several different household appliances are operated). In this way, the comfort for the user can be further increased.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a household appliance, in particular a household appliance, is described. The household appliance can be a washing machine, a dishwasher, a stove, a refrigerator, a coffee machine, a fully automatic coffee machine, and / or a dryer. As an alternative or in addition, the domestic appliance can be designed to be placed under a worktop in a kitchen and / or to be built into a built-in cupboard of a kitchen. The household appliance can, for example, have a front with a width of 45cm or 60cm (which corresponds to the typical installation dimensions of household appliances in Europe).

The household appliance can comprise a base part and an operating part. In particular, the household appliance can be composed of a base part and an operating part. The base part can include one or more mechanical and / or electrical components for providing a function of the domestic appliance. The one or more mechanical and / or electrical components can, for example, an electric motor and / or a include electric pump and / or an electrically controllable valve. For example, the base part can comprise the washing drum and the motor of a washing machine, or the washing compartment and the pump of a dishwasher. The base part can form the majority of the volume (for example 80% or more, or 90% or more of the volume) of the domestic appliance.

The domestic appliance, in particular the base part of the domestic appliance, can be designed to take water from an external source (e.g. from a water connection of the base part) and to process water in the interior (e.g. in the drum or in the washing area) as part of the function provided and / or to convey water from the interior to a sink outside the household appliance (eg into a drain).

The control panel can be designed as described in this document. In particular, the operating part can comprise one or more operating elements (e.g. buttons) and / or output elements (e.g. a screen and / or a light element and / or a loudspeaker) of a user interface of the domestic appliance.

The household appliance can thus be divided into a base part and a control part, the base part having the necessary mechanical and / or electrical components to provide the actual function (e.g. washing, drying or rinsing) of the household appliance, and the control part, the user interface and, if necessary, the . provides the control of the household appliance.

The base part can have a holder (on the housing of the base part) for releasably attaching the operating part to the base part. The holder can be designed in such a way that the operating part can be attached to the base part, e.g. plugged on, and / or removed from the base part by a user of the domestic appliance without the use of a tool. The holder can thus be designed to enable the control panel to be exchanged easily (without e.g. having to open the housing of the household appliance, e.g. unscrew it). In particular, the domestic appliance can be designed in such a way that the housing of the operating part can be fastened to the housing of the base part (e.g. if necessary alone, via a magnetic connection and / or via a form-fitting connection).

The base part and the control part can each have an interface via which the control part can be supplied with electrical energy from the base part and via which the control part and the base part can exchange data when the control part is attached to the base part. The mains connection of the domestic appliance can be arranged on the base part. The interfaces of the base part and the control part can be designed to transmit electrical energy for the energy supply from the mains connection to the control part. Furthermore, the interfaces can enable data to be exchanged between the base part and the control part, in particular in order to transmit operating inputs from a user that have been made on the control part to the base part, and / or to use a control unit of the control part to transfer the one or more mechanical and / or electrical ones Control components of the base part.

A household appliance can thus be provided which has a base part to which different types of control elements can be attached in order to flexibly adapt the interaction options of the household appliance and / or the functional scope of the household appliance (with regard to control functions or operating programs of the household appliance) to be able to.

The interfaces of the base part and the operating part are preferably designed for wireless energy transmission and / or data communication. In particular, the interfaces of the base part and the control part can be designed to transmit electrical energy from the base part to the control part inductively and / or galvanically isolated (e.g. using at least one resonance circuit) to supply the control part with energy.

The base part can be set up to generate an electrical and / or magnetic, in particular an electromagnetic, alternating field for energy transmission. Furthermore, the operating part and / or the base part can be set up to modulate the alternating field for the exchange of data between the operating part and the base part. The data transmission can thus be superimposed with the energy transmission in a particularly efficient manner. As an alternative or in addition, the interfaces of the base part and the control unit can be designed to transmit data via a Bluetooth and / or via a WLAN communication link and / or via a (different) wireless communication link or by means of a (different) communication standard.

By using a wireless interface between the base part and the control part, a domestic appliance with exchangeable control parts can be provided in a particularly secure manner. Furthermore, an operating part with a watertight housing can thus be provided in a particularly efficient manner, as a result of which the reliability of the domestic appliance can be further increased.

As already explained above, the base part and the operating part typically each comprise a housing. Each housing can be self-contained. In particular, each individual housing can be designed to shield access to components of the base part or the operating part. In particular, the housing of the base part and the housing of the control part can each be designed in such a way that the base part and the control part also ensure the contact safety required for household appliances separately from one another, and / or that the respective part is protected from contamination and / or environmental influences.

The housing of the base part can have a recess (e.g. in the form of a trough) which is designed to accommodate the housing of the operating part and / or which is designed to be complementary to the housing of the operating part. In particular, the housing of the base part and the housing of the control part can have a complementary shape such that the base part and the control part together form a cuboid domestic appliance. For example, the housing of the operating part can be cuboid, and the recess can be cuboid in a corresponding manner, so that the recess is filled by the operating element. The recess can be formed, for example, by a housing of the base part which is shaped in accordance with the shape of the housing of the operating part. In this way, a particularly simple and secure exchange of control parts of the domestic appliance can be made possible.

The interface of the base part can be arranged on the recess of the housing of the base part. Furthermore, the interface of the control part can be arranged on a side of the control part facing the recess of the base part (in particular on the rear side), so that the interfaces of the base part and the control part directly adjoin one another when the control part is attached to the base part. A particularly efficient and reliable energy and / or data transmission can thus be made possible.

The base part can comprise one or more fixing elements (e.g. a groove and / or tongue) which are designed to interact with one or more complementary fixing elements (e.g. a groove and / or tongue) of the operating part in order to releasably attach the operating part to the base part ) to fix. In particular, the housing of the base part and the housing of the control part can each comprise one or more fixing elements which are designed to releasably fasten the control part to the base part. The one or more fixing elements of the base part and the operating part can, for example, be designed to form one or more form-fitting connections in pairs. A comfortable and easily detachable fixation of an operating part on the base part can thus be made possible.

The operating part can comprise a control unit of the domestic appliance. In other words, the operating part can be designed as an operating and control part of the domestic appliance. The control unit of the operating part can be designed to control the one or more mechanical and / or electrical components of the base part via the interfaces of the operating part and the base part in order to provide the function of the domestic appliance. The control of the domestic appliance can thus (at least partially or completely) be provided by the control unit. By exchanging the control unit, a flexible and efficient adaptation of the functional scope of a domestic appliance can be made possible.

The base part can be designed to receive one control part from a plurality of different types of control parts in the holder (in particular on the recess in the housing of the base part). The plurality of different types of operating parts can include at least partially different operating elements and / or output elements. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of different types of operating parts can at least partially enable different operating interactions between the user of the domestic appliance and the domestic appliance. As an alternative or in addition, the plurality of different types of operating parts can at least partially comprise different operating programs for controlling the one or more mechanical and / or electrical components of the base part.

The base part can thus be designed to accommodate different types of operating parts. The different types of operating elements can differ, for example, with regard to one or more operating elements and / or one or more output elements for a user interface of the domestic appliance, which are provided on the respective type of operating element. As an alternative or in addition, the different types of control elements can differ with regard to the scope of functions and / or with regard to the interaction options of the user interface of the domestic appliance, which are provided with the respective type of control element.

In other words, the base part of the domestic appliance can be designed in such a way that it can be operated together with different operating elements, the different operating elements differing in particular with regard to the interaction options and / or with regard to the control options of the one or more mechanical and / or electrical components of the base part can distinguish. It is thus possible to adapt the functional scope of a domestic appliance by simply exchanging the control unit.

The base part can be designed in such a way that the actual function of the domestic appliance (e.g. washing, drying or rinsing) cannot be provided if the operating part is not attached to the base part. In particular, the base part may not provide a user interface and / or control of the mechanical and / or electrical components or components of the base part. Alternatively or in addition, the operating part can be designed to be supplied with electrical energy exclusively via the base part. Furthermore, the operating part preferably has no mechanical and / or electrical components for providing the actual function of the domestic appliance. The base part and the operating part thus preferably have a clear separation of partial functions of the domestic appliance. The base part can be responsible for the energy supply and the provision of the actual function of the domestic appliance and the operating part can be responsible for the user interface and, if necessary, for controlling the domestic appliance. With such a clear separation of the sub-functions, a cost-efficient household appliance with an exchangeable control panel can be provided.

It should be noted that all aspects of the control unit and / or household appliance described in this document can be combined with one another in a variety of ways. In particular, the features of the claims can be combined with one another in many ways.

• 1 ein Blockdiagramm eines beispielhaften Hausgeräts mit einem austauschbaren Bedien- und/oder Steuerteil; und
• 2a eine perspektivische Anspricht eines Basisteils eines Hausgeräts mit einer Aufnahme für ein austauschbares Bedien- und/oder Steuerteil;
• 2b und 2c ein beispielhaftes austauschbares Bedien- und/oder Steuerteil in einer Ansicht von Vorne bzw. von Hinten; und
• 3 ein Blockdiagramm eines Hausgeräts eines anderen Hausgeräte-Typs als das Hausgerät aus 1.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing. Show it

• 1 a block diagram of an exemplary domestic appliance with an exchangeable operating and / or control part; and
• 2a a perspective approach of a base part of a domestic appliance with a receptacle for an exchangeable operating and / or control part;
• 2 B and 2c an exemplary exchangeable operating and / or control part in a view from the front or from the rear; and
• 3 a block diagram of a household appliance of a different household appliance type than the household appliance 1 .

As stated at the beginning, the present document deals with the flexible and cost-efficient provision of user interfaces for household appliances. In this context shows 1 an exemplary home appliance 100 , in particular a washing machine, in a front view. The home appliance 100 includes at least one actuator 101 , for example an electric motor that is set up, a function of the domestic appliance 100 provide. In the example shown is the actuator 101 formed a washing drum 102 to drive a washing machine.

The household appliance also includes 100 a control unit 111 that is set up to include one or more actuators 101 of the home appliance 100 to control the function of the home appliance 100 provide. For example, the control unit 111 be set up, different operating programs of the household appliance 100 provide. The one or more actuators 101 can then be different from the control unit depending on the operating program 111 can be controlled.

The household appliance also includes 100 a user interface that enables a user to use the household appliance 100 to interact. The user interface can have one or more control elements 112 that enable a user to make inputs (for example, to set up an operating program for the domestic appliance 100 and / or to select the home appliance 100 to activate or deactivate). Furthermore, the user interface can have one or more output elements 113 (for example a screen, a light-emitting element and / or a loudspeaker) which are set up to include feedback from the domestic appliance 100 to be output to the user (e.g. to display the status of an operating program).

The interaction options that can be provided via a user interface and / or the functions that are provided by a household appliance 100 can be provided, are constantly expanded by technical progress. The household appliance described in this document 100 includes a removable and / or replaceable control panel 110 , the user interface, in particular the one or more control elements 112 and / or output elements 113 , of the home appliance 100 includes. The control unit 110 can be designed in such a way that the control panel 110 from a user, in particular without a tool, from the household appliance 100 , especially from a base part 120 of the home appliance 100 , can be removed, and if necessary by another control unit 110 can be exchanged. For this purpose, the home appliance 100 in the base part 120 and in the removable control panel 110 be divided, with the control panel 110 on the base part 120 Can be attached to the complete home appliance 100 provide, and where the control panel 110 from the base part 120 can be removed, e.g. around the control panel 110 against another type of keypad 110 (e.g. to expand the range of functions of the household appliance 100 ) to exchange.

• • einen Basistyp, der z.B. ein oder mehrere mechanische Bedienelemente 112 und/oder LED bzw. LCD basierte Ausgabeelemente 113 aufweist (z.B. mit einer relativ niedrigen Anzahl von Segmenten);
• • einen Standardtyp, der z.B. einen TFT Bildschirm als Ausgabeelement 113 mit separaten Bedienelementen 112 aufweist;
• • einen Premiumtyp, der z.B. (ggf. ausschließlich) einen berührungsempfindlichen Bildschirm umfasst; und/oder
• • einen passiven Typ bzw. einen Slave-Typ, der z.B. keine direkte Nutzerinteraktion ermöglicht, der aber eine Datenschnittstelle zu einer externen Benutzerschnittstelle (z.B. auf einem Anwendergerät eines Nutzers oder auf dem Bedienteil 110 eines anderen Hausgeräts 100) bereitstellt.

For example, different types of control elements can be used for a household appliance 100 N 110 provided (with N = 2, 3, 4, or more). Exemplary types of control units 110 are

• • a basic type, for example one or more mechanical control elements 112 and / or LED or LCD based output elements 113 has (eg with a relatively low number of segments);
• • a standard type, for example a TFT screen as an output element 113 with separate controls 112 having;
• • a premium type, which for example (possibly exclusively) comprises a touch-sensitive screen; and or
• • a passive type or a slave type which, for example, does not allow direct user interaction, but which has a data interface to an external user interface (for example on a user's device or on the control panel 110 another home appliance 100 ) provides.

It can thus be made possible for a user to use different types of control elements in a flexible manner 110 with a base part 120 to combine to make a home appliance 100 with user interface.

The control unit 110 includes a (data and / or supply) interface 115 that are complementary to a (data and / or supply) interface 105 of the base part 120 is formed, and a data communication between the base part 120 and the control panel 110 and / or a power supply for the control unit 110 from the base part 120 enables.

In one example, the control unit is 111 of the home appliance 100 (at least partially) in the control panel 110 arranged. This can be done by simply replacing the control unit 110 be made possible, the computing and / or memory resources of the household appliance 100 adapt. The control unit 111 can be set up via the interfaces 105 , 115 from the control panel 110 with the base part 120 to communicate, e.g. around the one or more actuators 101 of the home appliance 100 to control.

A home appliance 100 can thus be converted into a base part 120 and in a control unit 110 are divided, which are formed separable from each other. The base part 120 can include mechanical and / or electrical components 101 , 102 of the home appliance 100 include, through which one or more functions of the household appliance 100 to be provided. In the example shown, a washing machine comprises the base part 120 eg the washing drum 102 and the drive motor 101 to drive the washing drum 102 . Furthermore, the base part 120 comprise one or more heating elements, for example to heat water.

The control unit 120 can the user interface 112 , 113 and possibly (at least partially) the control unit 111 of the home appliance 100 include. In other words, the control panel 120 can be one or more (electronic) components of the household appliance 100 include user interaction and possibly control of the domestic appliance 100 enable. Such a division of tasks and / or components enables efficient adaptation of the interaction options and / or the functional scope of a domestic appliance 100 by exchanging a control unit 110 be made possible.

2a shows an exemplary base part 120 and 2 B and 2c show an exemplary control unit 110 of a home appliance 100 , in a perspective view. The base part 120 includes a housing 203 with a recess 201 to accommodate the control unit 110 . The home appliance 100 can be cuboid when assembled. The recess 201 can thus be complementary to the shape of the housing 210 of the control unit 110 be that the base part 120 together with the operating unit used 110 a cuboid household appliance 100 form. In the example shown is the housing 210 of the control unit 110 cuboid, and the housing 203 of the base part 120 has a corresponding cuboid recess 201 on.

Furthermore, the housing 203 of the base part 120 one or more fixing elements 202 on, together with one or more corresponding or complementary fixing elements 212 of the control unit 110 a (detachable) fastening of the control unit 110 on the base part 120 enable. The fixing elements 202 , 212 of the base part 120 and the control unit 110 can, for example, form a positive connection in pairs. For example, the fixing elements 202 , 212 form a dovetail joint in pairs. Alternatively or in addition, the base part 120 as a fixing element 202 have a frame in which a base part 120 can be pushed. So it can be made possible for a user to use the control unit 110 in a comfortable and reliable way on the base part 120 to be fixed, e.g. on the base part 120 to push, and / or from the base part 120 to solve.

The one or more controls 112 and / or the one or more display elements 113 can be found on the front of the control unit 110 be arranged, the front of the control panel 110 when the control unit is installed 110 on the front of the home appliance 100 is arranged (as in 2 B shown). The (data and / or supply) interface 115 of the control unit 110 can be found on the back of the control panel 110 be arranged (as in 2c shown).

In a preferred example, the interfaces enable 105 , 115 a contact and / or wireless data and / or energy transmission between the base part 120 and the control panel 110 . For example, via the interfaces 105 , 115 inductive energy transfer from the base part 120 on the control panel 110 be made possible. In the context of inductive energy transmission, data communication between the base part can then also be possible 120 and the control panel 110 can be made possible (e.g. by modulating the alternating fields used for energy transmission). Alternatively or in addition, a wireless communication interface (eg Bluetooth, WLAN, RFID) can be enabled. The use of interfaces 105 , 115 for a contact and / or wireless data and / or energy transfer enables a particularly safe and convenient separation between the control panel 110 and base part 120 (especially for household appliances 100 operated with water and / or in a damp environment).

It becomes a household appliance 100 described, possibly a wireless energy and data interface 105 , 115 to a removable control panel 110 has, so that the control panel 110 of the home appliance 100 can be exchanged by a user without touching an (electrical) plug connection or any cable. The replacement of the control unit 110 can for example be done to the home appliance 100 to equip the home appliance with new functions 100 to repair around the design of the home appliance 100 to change, and / or to the interaction options with the household appliance 100 to change, especially to expand. The transfer of energy between the base part 120 of the home appliance 100 and the control panel 110 can be done via inductive energy transfer. The data transfer can take place via modulation of the energy transfer and / or via a separate data channel (eg Bluetooth, RFID, a radio link, etc.).

By providing a home appliance 100 with a base part 120 and an exchangeable control unit 110 can use different variants of a household appliance in an efficient and flexible manner 100 to be provided. Furthermore, an efficient and flexible customization of household appliances 100 be made possible. Furthermore, the interaction options of a domestic appliance 100 (e.g. by exchanging the control panel) can be adapted quickly and flexibly. In addition, the range of functions can be increased by exchanging control hardware and / or control software within a control unit 110 can be expanded in an efficient and flexible manner. The functional reliability of the interchangeable control panels 110 can do this by providing an interface 105 , 115 can be guaranteed with galvanic isolation.

A control unit 110 can be designed in such a way that the control panel 110 with home appliances 100 different types can be used. The different types of home appliances 100 can change in particular with regard to the function of the home appliance 100 in a household, and / or in relation to the one or more objects used by the household appliance 100 are processed, differ. Exemplary different types of household appliances 100 are: washing machines; Dryer; Dishwashers; Ovens; Refrigerators; Extractor hoods; Coffee machines, coffee machines, drinks machines; and / or kitchen machines.

3 shows the control panel as an example 110 the end 1 , which is an alternative to a basic part 120 for a washing machine with a base part 120 for a dishwasher. The control unit 111 of the base part 110 can be designed to determine the type of household appliance with which 110 the base part 110 is used at a certain point in time. The control unit software 110 can then be adapted depending on the household appliance type determined. In particular, the software of the control unit 110 be adapted in such a way that the one or more control elements 112 and / or via the one or more output elements 113 of the control unit 110 a user interaction with the household appliance 100 is made possible, which is adapted to the household appliance type determined. The control unit 110 can thus be designed to adapt to the respective domestic appliance type by means of a “plug & play” mechanism. In this way, user interfaces for different types of household appliances can be created in a particularly cost-effective and flexible manner 110 to be provided. In particular, a single control panel can be used in an efficient manner 110 can be developed and maintained in a flexible manner for different types of household appliances 100 can be used. In other words, it can be used in different household appliances 100 different types of identical control panels 110 be used.

The present invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiments shown. In particular, it should be noted that the description and the figures are only intended to illustrate the principle of the proposed control unit and / or domestic appliance.

Claims (14)

Operating part (110) for a domestic appliance (100), wherein - the operating part (110) is designed to be fastened, in particular detachably, to a base part (120) of the domestic appliance (100); wherein the base part (120) comprises one or more mechanical and / or electrical components (101, 102) for providing a function of the domestic appliance (100); - The operating part (110) is designed to provide a user interface for the domestic appliance (100); and - the base part (110) comprises a control unit (111) which is designed to determine a household appliance type of the household appliance (100) from a plurality of different household appliance types; and - to adapt the user interface provided by the operating part (110) as a function of the household appliance type determined. Control unit (110) according to Claim 1 wherein - the operating part (110) comprises one or more operating elements (112) and / or one or more output elements (113) of the user interface of the domestic appliance (100); and - the control unit (111) is set up to perform one or more functions of the domestic appliance (100) that can be triggered via the one or more operating elements (112), and / or one or more outputs that can be triggered via the one or more output elements ( 113) can be output depending on the household appliance type determined. Control element (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control element (110) is designed to automatically adapt itself, in particular software of the control element (110), to each of the plurality of different types of household appliance in order to be able to use each of the plurality of to provide a type-specific user interface for different household appliance types. Control element (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of different types of household appliances comprises - a type for washing machines; - a type for dishwashers; - a type for dryer; - one type for ovens; - one type for hobs; - one type for extractor hoods; - a type for refrigerators and / or freezers; - a type for vending machines; and or - a type for kitchen machines. Operating part (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the operating part (110) comprises an interface (115) which is designed to interact with a complementary interface (105) of the base part (120) so that the operating part (110) has the interface (115) can be supplied with electrical energy from the base part (120) and so that the control part (110) can exchange data via the interface (115) with the base part (120) when the control part (110) is on the base part (120) is attached. Operating part (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - The operating part (110) comprises a housing (210); and - The housing (210) of the operating part (110) is designed to be received by a recess (201), in particular by an insert, of a housing (203) of the base part (110). Operating part (110) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - The operating part (110) is designed to set up a data connection with an external unit which is arranged outside the domestic appliance (100), so that the user interface of the domestic appliance (100) is provided via the external unit; - The control panel (110) is designed in particular as a slave control panel, which enables user inputs and / or user outputs of the domestic appliance (100) via the external unit configured as a master control panel; and - The external unit comprises in particular an electronic user device and / or another household appliance. Domestic appliance (100) comprising - A base part (120) which comprises one or more mechanical and / or electrical components (101, 102) for providing a function of the domestic appliance (100); and - An operating part (110) according to one of the preceding claims, which is designed to be attached to the base part (120) of the domestic appliance (100) in order to provide a user interface of the domestic appliance (100). Household appliance (100) according to Claim 8 wherein - the base part (120) is designed to accommodate different types of operating parts (110); and - the different types of operating elements (110) differ, - with regard to one or more operating elements (112) and / or one or more output elements (113) for a user interface of the domestic appliance (100) which are connected to the respective type of operating element (110) are provided; and / or - with regard to a range of functions and / or with regard to interaction options of the user interface of the domestic appliance (100), which are provided with the respective type of operating element (110). Household appliance (100) according to one of the Claims 8 until 9 , whereby - the base part (120) has a holder (201, 202) for releasably fastening the operating part (110) to the base part (120); and / or - a housing (203) of the base part (120) and a housing (210) of the operating part (110) each comprise one or more fixing elements (202, 212) which are designed to detach the operating part (110) on the base part (120) to attach. Household appliance (100) according to one of the Claims 8 until 10 - The base part (120) is designed in such a way that the function of the domestic appliance (100) cannot be provided if the operating part (110) is not attached to the base part (120); and / or - the operating part (110) is designed to be supplied with electrical energy exclusively via the base part (120). Household appliance (100) according to one of the Claims 8 until 11 , wherein the base part (120) and the control part (110) each comprise an interface (105, 115) via which the control part (110) can be supplied with electrical energy from the base part (120) and via which the control part (110) and the base part (120) can exchange data when the operating part (110) is attached to the base part (120). Household appliance (100) according to one of the Claims 8 until 12th wherein - the base part (120) and the operating part (110) each comprise a housing (203, 210); and - the housing (203) of the base part (120) has a recess (201) which is designed to receive the housing (210) of the operating part (110) and / or which is complementary to the housing (210) of the operating part (110) is trained. Household appliance (100) according to one of the Claims 8 until 13th wherein - the domestic appliance (100) is a washing machine, a dishwasher, a stove, a refrigerator and / or a dryer; and / or - the domestic appliance (100) is designed to be installed under a worktop of a kitchen and / or in a built-in cupboard of a kitchen; - The domestic appliance (100) has a front with a width of 45 cm or 60 cm; the one or more mechanical and / or electrical components comprise an electric motor and / or an electric pump and / or an electrically controllable valve; and / or - the domestic appliance (100), in particular the base part (120), is designed, within the scope of the function provided, to receive water from an external source, process water in an interior and / or water from the interior to a sink outside to promote the domestic appliance (100).

Images