CN113892121A - Maintenance planning for household appliances - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method comprising the following steps: determining a maintenance to be performed on the household appliance; acquiring a schedule filled in a calendar assigned to the household appliance; determining a schedule for maintenance according to the determined schedule; and filling the schedule into the calendar.

Description

Maintenance planning for household appliances

Technical Field

The invention relates to a maintenance plan for a household appliance. The invention relates in particular to a process for the scheduling of prospective maintenance of household appliances.

Background

Household appliances often require maintenance that is not performed independently or as an integral part of regular operation. For example, coffee makers may require descaling, or dishwashers may require appliance cleaning. Modern household appliances can determine when maintenance should be performed and give a user an indication of the necessity of maintenance by means of a signal. If the user does not comply with the requirements, the maintenance may be postponed. If maintenance has been performed, the indication may be turned off again. Typically, the indication is also turned off again if no maintenance is performed within a certain time.

In this way the user can only be inadequately instructed about the upcoming maintenance. For example, the user cannot know: which consequences must be withstood if he is not performing or if maintenance is performed after a while. Moreover, indications of autonomous shutdown may be easily forgotten, resulting in that maintenance may never be performed.

US 20140025219 a1 suggests to prospectively avoid running the household appliance during the rest day.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved technical solution for planning an upcoming maintenance of a household appliance. The invention solves this object by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are given in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a method comprises the steps of: determining a maintenance to be performed on the household appliance; acquiring a schedule filled in a calendar assigned to the household appliance; determining a schedule for maintenance according to the determined schedule; and filling the calendar with the schedule.

According to the present invention, a schedule for maintaining the home appliance can be set at a time when: no other schedules need to be completed at that time. The maintenance can thus be better coordinated with other activities that can also be planned by means of the calendar. For the time interval between maintenance schedules and another schedule, the interval between schedule fulfillment sites may be considered. The household appliance is usually assigned to a predetermined household. In one embodiment, the schedule for maintenance (also referred to herein as a maintenance schedule) can be determined in such a way that it is close in time to another schedule set within the household appliance (or in the household).

The present invention can be applied through both a common calendar and a task list ("To Do"). The task list may be integrated into the calendar, where schedules and tasks may or may not be differentiated in form. The task list contains tasks as entries, which tasks typically each have a fulfillment time. If the task is completed, it may be marked as completed. There may be a correlation between tasks such that, for example, a first task is activated or can be processed only after a second task is marked as fulfilled, or such that a third task is marked as completed only when a fourth task is marked as completed. A task may be assigned to one or more persons or groups. In this sense, a task in a task list is to be understood as an embodiment of a calendar in which a schedule is present. The maintenance schedule may also be populated as a maintenance task.

The home appliance may be controlled according to the filled schedule. In particular, it is ensured that: when the maintenance schedule is reached, ending the operation or use of the home appliance. Preferably, the use is ended a predetermined time before entering the maintenance schedule, so that the household appliance can be cooled, dried or emptied, for example, before maintenance. For example, the dishwasher may be controlled to terminate the cleaning process about 30 minutes before the maintenance schedule, thereby enabling it to be opened and the dishes to be removed therefrom.

Furthermore, the operation of the household appliance can be coordinated as a function of the maintenance. For example, if the washing machine should be descaled in the maintenance context, the washing machine may be controlled to extend the heating process until the actual descaling, in order to balance as much as possible the thermal insulation of the calcium layer on the heating rod.

Typically, the necessity of maintenance is determined by the household appliance on the basis of time and/or events. Further, the urgency of maintenance may be determined. The urgency can be given on a freely selectable scale. Furthermore, a schedule may be determined on which the maintenance should be completed, wherein the urgency may be constantly increasing during the time lapse until this schedule. The determined urgency may be further increased when the schedule is exceeded. Preferably, the urgency does not exceed a predetermined maximum value here. In another embodiment, the time points are determined: if no maintenance has been carried out before this point in time, losses are expected to occur on the household appliance, wherein the urgency for this point in time can be determined. This loss may be irreversible or may be reversed through maintenance. It is also possible to determine a plurality of points in time, in each case at which there is a predetermined risk of loss at the domestic appliance, wherein the urgency is determined as a function of the time interval from at least one of these points in time.

The maintenance schedule may be determined according to the urgency of maintenance to be performed. For example, if a schedule that does not conflict with an already existing schedule cannot be determined in a time period in which the urgency is below a predetermined value, the maintenance schedule may be more aggressively searched for in a second time period following the first time period in which the urgency is above the predetermined value. For example, the determined maintenance schedule may conflict with an already existing schedule. In this case, it is possible to try to minimize the overlap of these schedules in time as far as possible and/or to only allow an overlap with schedules which are as less urgent, less important or of less long duration as possible.

In another variation, attributes of the schedule are established based on the urgency of the maintenance. This urgency can thus be signaled to assist in complying with the schedule. The attributes may include keywords such as "upcoming", "important", "immediate", or "dangerous", for example, in the title or description of the calendar. A predetermined keyword scale may be used to represent the urgency of the respective attachment. The urgency may also be given, for example, in a number, for example on a scale from 1 to 10. In addition, the schedule may be provided with predetermined colors, such as a change from blue to red with increasing urgency. If the calendar supports priority, the urgency may also be reflected on the priority.

When a maintenance schedule in the calendar changes, such as by a user, it may be determined. In particular, the schedule may be determined when it is further postponed into the future. The control of the household appliance in relation to the schedule may take such variations into account. This enables the household appliance to be better controlled: and keeping running until the changed maintenance schedule.

If after populating the maintenance schedule it is determined that a schedule conflicts therewith, the maintenance schedule can be deferred. Other schedules can be more easily planned by automatically deferring the maintenance schedule. The user can get less disturbance or better support in his schedule behaviour.

In one embodiment, a latest possible schedule for maintenance is determined, wherein a signal is output if the schedule is postponed beyond this latest possible schedule. In this way, it is possible to avoid that the maintenance schedule is postponed until a loss can occur due to an accidental operation of the household appliance, or that the maintenance schedule is postponed until even the household appliance can no longer be operated. The signal can be transmitted to the person assigned to the calendar and can take place, for example, in the form of a message, such as an email or a text message. Alternatively, it may be avoided that the maintenance schedule is postponed beyond a predetermined point in time. To avoid this, an authorization mode for the calendar may be used.

In one development of the method, a plurality of maintenance operations to be performed on one or more household appliances of the same household is determined. Here, a common schedule may be determined for the plurality of maintenances. These maintenance can be planned sequentially or overlapping in time. In this regard, it may be considered which actions a user performing maintenance needs to do. For example, descaling of a kettle may essentially require a user to fill the descaling agent, initiate a descaling process, and remove the descaling agent after it is completed, so that the user may also perform maintenance on another household appliance during the descaling process.

In particular, it is preferred that the calendar is assigned to a user associated with the household appliance, wherein the user can be assigned to the household appliance. The maintenance schedule may be determined for the user. In one embodiment, the determination of the maintenance schedule can be carried out by means of an adaptive or self-learning algorithm, so that the maintenance schedule can be determined better according to the preferences or requirements of the user. The algorithm may consider, for example: how much time has passed between filling the maintenance schedule into the calendar and performing maintenance, or how often or for how long the maintenance schedule is postponed by the user.

The household appliance may also be associated with a plurality of users, wherein the schedule is determined from a schedule in the calendars of the plurality of users. These users preferably belong to the same family. In one embodiment, a maintenance schedule may be populated for such users: the most suitable (especially the earliest) free time in time can be found in the user's calendar. In another embodiment, each user can be filled with a maintenance schedule in the associated calendar. Once the maintenance schedule is accepted, the redundant maintenance schedules can be deleted again. Other ways are equally possible, such as filling the maintenance schedule into a people group calendar.

The schedule may include a prompt for the manner of execution of the maintenance, the materials or tools required. The prompt can be implemented in the form of specific information or as a reference to a document. The document may remain available on any server or service, optionally in the cloud. The document may include text, images, and/or video.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a device, in particular for controlling maintenance of a household appliance, comprises a first interface for connection with the household appliance; and a processing device. The processing device is provided for retrieving a schedule that has been entered into a calendar associated with the household appliance; determining a schedule for maintenance according to the determined schedule; and filling the calendar with the schedule.

The devices are preferably constructed independently and can be implemented, for example, as server components or as services, in particular in the cloud. The communication with the household appliance can be carried out in a protected manner, in particular by means of encryption. The device may also have a second interface for connecting with the calendar. The device and/or the calendar are accessible by means of a public network, in particular the internet. In another embodiment, the device may also be part of the household appliance or of a device implementing the calendar.

The processing means may be arranged to implement the method described herein in whole or in part. To this end, the processing means may comprise a programmable microcomputer or microcontroller and the method may be presented in the form of a computer program product with program code means. The computer program product may also be stored on a computer-readable data carrier. Features or advantages of the method may be transferred to the apparatus or vice versa.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a system includes a household appliance and the apparatus described herein. The household appliance preferably comprises an appliance which is provided for operation in particular in a private household. In one embodiment, the household appliance is provided for operation in a kitchen and comprises, for example, a stove, a kettle, a coffee maker, a range hood, a stove, a blender, a refrigeration or freezer appliance or a kitchen machine. In another embodiment, the domestic appliance comprises a washing machine, a laundry dryer, an iron or a steam ironing board.

Drawings

The present invention will now be described more precisely with reference to the accompanying drawings. The figures show:

FIG. 1: an exemplary system having a household appliance; and

FIG. 2: flow chart of the method.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a system 100, said system 100 comprising a household appliance 105 and a device 110. Optionally, a calendar 115 and/or end appliances 120 may also be included. The household appliance 105 is preferably associated with a household: the home may be in particular a private home and usually have an apartment or house. One or more persons 125 can live in the household or be associated with the household or the household appliance 105. The calendar 115 is arranged to manage such schedules 130: these schedules 130 are assigned to the person 125, the household appliance 105 or the household.

The calendar 115 can be viewed as an abstract organizational means that can be implemented in a variety of ways. Typically, the calendar 115 is implemented in the form of a server component (i.e., as a computer). Currently, the calendar 115 illustratively includes: a processing means 135, a storage device 140 for storing the calendar 130 and an interface 145 for communication. The interface 145 may be wireless as shown or may also be implemented wired. The contents of the calendar (in particular the schedule 130) can be viewed and/or controlled from various appliances, typically through the interface 145.

In the illustration of fig. 1, an appliance 135 is provided, which appliance 135 is provided for displaying, creating or modifying the schedule 130. The appliance 135 is preferably associated with a predetermined person 125 and may, for example, comprise a mobile appliance (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, or laptop), but may also comprise a fixedly mounted appliance (e.g., a personal computer or other computer). Furthermore, the personal appliance 135 may for example represent a voice interface, such as for example the known brand names Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri or Cortana. Other possibilities for accessing the calendar 115 include the home appliance 105 or include an application that can run on any communicable appliance. The calendar 115 may also be controlled by the device 110, the device 110 itself may be managed from any appliance 135, such as by an application program ("App") running on a smartphone. The calendar 130 is accessible via the interface 145, preferably by means of a predetermined protocol, such as iCal, ICS, ActiveSync or a proprietary test interface.

The calendar 115 may support various advanced schemes known in the art, such as: a group calendar; rights management for creating, modifying, or viewing calendar 130 or details; a plurality of calendars 115 for one person 125 or one household appliance 105; inviting; a task; a correlation or association between multiple calendars 130; recurring schedules, etc. One calendar 130 typically has: name or title, start time, and end time. Furthermore, the schedules 130 can be assigned predetermined attributes, such as the participants 125 or the resources involved, such as the household appliances 105, the location, the priority, the affiliation with a predetermined set of schedules 130, the color or symbol of the image representation for the schedule 130, or the priority. In addition, further information may be stored in the calendar 130, such as a web address or free text describing the event type, for example in a form understandable to the user and a corresponding language, or including an extended link to an online shopping system having a direct connection to at least one appropriate maintenance product, for example.

The household appliance 105 preferably comprises a control device 150, which control device 150 has an interface 155 for communicating with the device 110. The device 110 may be constructed similarly to the calendar 115 and comprises, inter alia, processing means 160, a storage 165 and/or an interface 170. Information about the operating state of the household appliance 105 or about maintenance processes can be stored in the memory device 165, for example.

The control device 150 is provided for determining a maintenance to be performed on the household appliance 105. The maintenance may for example comprise cleaning, descaling, replacing wear parts, lubricating or inspecting elements of the household appliance 105. Maintenance is generally distinguished from the regular operation of the household appliance 105 in that the maintenance requires special intervention by personnel 125. In general, the maintenance cannot be carried out within the scope of the normal operating process of the household appliance 105. Furthermore, the maintenance generally ensures a subsequent operation of the household appliance 105. In this case, the maintenance can improve the quality of the operating result of the household appliance 105, prevent wear of the household appliance 105, or ensure the safe operation of the household appliance 105.

The invention proposes to establish a calendar 130 in a calendar 115 for maintenance of the household appliance 105 by means of the device 110, the calendar 115 being associated with the household appliance 105, with an associated household, or with a person 125, to which the household or household appliance 105 belongs. In this case, the maintenance schedule should be arranged as much as possible in such a way that it is embedded as well as possible in the other schedules 130 of the calendar 130 and at the same time avoids an excessive delay in the maintenance. Notably, the device 110 may form part of the household appliance 105, the calendar 115 or the appliance 120.

Fig. 2 illustrates a flow chart of a method 200, which method 200 may preferably be performed in conjunction with system 100. In step 205, it is determined that the household appliance 105 requires maintenance. In this case, the type of maintenance and the effort to be expended for this purpose can be determined in terms of time and/or material.

The urgency of maintenance may be determined in step 210. For this purpose, it can be determined in particular how long the household appliance 105 can still be operated before maintenance has to be carried out or the risk is sufficiently low. This determination may be made taking into account the frequency or type of use of the household appliance 105 as is conventional. Optionally, the state of the household appliance 105 may also be taken into account, in particular when a lack of maintenance would make the operation of the household appliance 105 difficult, delayed or degrade the quality of the result.

The calendar 115 may be queried in step 215 to determine schedules 130 that may conflict with possible maintenance schedules 130. In this case, the process can be carried out iteratively by: a preferred time window for maintenance is first determined and then the calendar 115 is queried for the schedule 130 located in that time window. If a conflict-free maintenance schedule cannot be found, another time window, which is typically farther in the future, may be determined. For an existing calendar 130, it is sufficient to query for Free information (Free/Busy).

The maintenance schedule 130 can be determined in step 220 and populated into the calendar 115 in step 225. The maintenance schedule 130 may be defined by a start time and an end time or by a point in time and a duration. In step 225, the household appliance 105 can be controlled according to the determined schedule. In particular, the household appliance 105 can be controlled in such a way that the operation of the household appliance 105 is as risk-free as possible, less abrasive, energy-saving and/or the working result is of high quality before the maintenance schedule is reached.

Some of the steps of the method 200, in particular steps 210 to 230, may be re-implemented if it is confirmed that the corresponding entry in the calendar 115 was changed before the maintenance schedule is reached. Optionally, measures may be taken to prevent the maintenance schedule 130 from being postponed to the future, such as protecting a populated maintenance schedule.

List of reference numerals

100 system

105 household appliance

110 device

115 calendar

120 terminal appliance

125 persons, users

130 schedule

135 processing device

140 storage device

145 interface

150 control device

155 interface

160 processing device

165 storage device

170 interface

200 method

205 determining maintenance

210 determine urgency

215 query calendar

220 determine maintenance schedule

225 fill in maintenance Schedule

230 control household appliance

Claims (14)

1. A method (200) comprising the steps of:

-determining a maintenance to be performed on the household appliance (105);

-retrieving a schedule (130) that has been filled into a calendar (115) assigned to the household appliance (105);

-determining a schedule (130) for maintenance based on the determined schedule (130); and

-filling the schedule (130) into the calendar (115).

2. The method (200) of claim 1,

wherein the household appliance (105) is controlled in accordance with the populated schedule (130).

3. The method (200) of claim 1 or 2,

wherein the schedule (130) is determined according to the urgency of maintenance to be performed.

4. The method (200) of claim 3,

wherein attributes of the schedule (130) are established based on the urgency of the maintenance.

5. The method (200) of any of the preceding claims,

wherein a change in the schedule (130) in the calendar (115) is determined.

6. The method (200) of claim 5,

wherein if after filling the calendar (130) it is determined that there is a conflicting calendar (130), postponing the calendar (130).

7. The method (200) of claim 5 or 6,

wherein the latest possible schedule for said maintenance is determined (130), and

outputting a signal if the schedule (130) is postponed beyond the latest possible schedule (130).

8. The method (200) of any of the preceding claims,

wherein a plurality of maintenance to be performed on one or more household appliances (105) of the same household is determined, and a common schedule (130) is determined for the maintenance.

9. The method (200) of any of the preceding claims,

wherein the calendar (115) is associated with a user (125) associated with the household appliance (105).

10. The method (200) of any of the preceding claims,

wherein a plurality of users (125) are assigned to the household appliance (105);

wherein the schedule (130) is determined from a schedule (130) of the calendars (115) of the plurality of users (125).

11. The method (200) of any of the preceding claims,

wherein the schedule (130) includes a prompt for a manner of execution for maintenance, required materials, or tools.

12. An apparatus (110), wherein the apparatus comprises:

-a first interface (170) for connection with a household appliance (105);

-processing means arranged for:

-acquiring a schedule (130) already filled in a calendar (115) assigned to the household appliance (105);

-determining a schedule (130) for maintenance from the determined schedule (130); and

-filling the schedule (130) into the calendar (115).

13. The device (110) of claim 12, further comprising:

-a second interface (170) for connecting with the calendar (115).

14. A system (100) comprising a household appliance (105) and a device (110) according to claim 12 or 13.

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