CN113167010A - Frame assembly for embedding independent household appliance into wall body concave part and system with frame assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a frame assembly (2) for inserting a free-standing household appliance (3) into a recess (4) of a wall (6) and to a system (1) having the frame assembly (2) and the free-standing household appliance (3). In order to improve the combination of a freestanding appliance (3) with at least one piece of furniture with visual aesthetics, the invention provides, in principle, a frame assembly (2) for embedding the freestanding appliance in a furniture unit recess (4) already mounted or mountable on a wall (6), said frame assembly comprising at least one connection module (22) for connecting the freestanding appliance (3) with a household appliance; wherein the connection module (22) is connected to the domestic appliance at the same time as the freestanding appliance (3) is connected to the connection module (22) by means of at least one connection (26).

Description

Frame assembly for embedding independent household appliance into wall body concave part and system with frame assembly

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a frame assembly for inserting a freestanding appliance into a recess in a wall and a system having the frame assembly.

Background

From the prior art, combinations of individual household appliances with furniture units, for example with kitchen furniture units, are known. In the combination, the independent household appliance is placed beside the furniture set.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above prior art, the present invention addresses the problem of improving a visually attractive combination between a freestanding item of furniture and at least one item of furniture.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a frame assembly for inserting a freestanding appliance into a recess of a furniture unit that has been placed against a wall or that can be placed against a wall; the frame assembly has the features of claim 1, according to which it comprises at least one connection module connecting a free-standing appliance with a household appliance; wherein the connection module is connected to the domestic appliance while the free-standing domestic appliance and the connection module are arranged to be connected by at least one connection member. Furthermore, the above-mentioned problem is solved by a system having the features of claim 9, according to which the frame assembly and the individual household appliance are designed to be matched such that: in a first connection process, the free-standing appliance can be connected to the connection module by at least one connection member, which includes at least one detachable connection member; these connectors can be connected to the individual appliance in a second, subsequent connection process. Preferred embodiments and developments of the invention can be gathered from the following dependent claims.

The advantages achievable with the invention consist in particular in an improved combination with visual aesthetics between a freestanding appliance and at least one piece of furniture. The invention significantly simplifies the connection of a stand-alone appliance to a domestic installation.

The freestanding appliance may be, for example, a washing apparatus, a tumble dryer, a combined appliance for washing and drying laundry, or a dishwasher, etc. The furniture set may be, for example, an integral cabinet formed by a plurality of pieces of kitchen furniture, or a plurality of pieces of bathroom furniture in a bathroom space. The term individual household appliance should be understood in a broad sense and the construction types of individual household appliances are rich and varied.

In principle, the at least one connection module can be freely selected within suitable limits according to type, operating principle, material, size, number and configuration. A preferred improvement of the frame assembly provided by the present invention is: the connecting module is used for connecting an independent household appliance to a household facility, and the independent household appliance is a household appliance with a water carrying function; the connecting module is provided with at least one water supply pipeline and one water drainage pipeline; the water supply pipeline is provided with a purified water outlet at the end of a household facility, and is provided with a purified water inlet at the end of an independent household appliance; the drainage pipeline is provided with a sewage inlet at the independent household appliance end and a sewage outlet at the household appliance end. This simplifies the connection of individual appliances with water carrying capability to the domestic installation. In addition, the connection module can also be designed for a cold water connection and/or a hot water connection of a freestanding appliance.

Preferred improvements that the frame assembly of the present invention can also provide according to the above embodiments are: and a stop valve is arranged in the water supply pipeline and automatically blocks the supply of purified water to the independent household appliance with the water carrying function according to the leakage sensing signal. In this way, when the independent household appliance leaks, water supply to the independent household appliance can be effectively prevented. In addition, the individual household appliance may omit a corresponding safety device.

In principle, the leakage sensor can be freely selected within suitable ranges according to type, operating principle, material, size, number and configuration. The leak sensor is preferably mounted on the connection module as an integrated part thereof. This enables further optimization of the functionality of the connection module.

Another preferred improvement of the frame assembly of the present invention is: the connection module is provided with at least one electrical socket connected to the household appliance for supplying the individual household appliance with electrical power. This allows the individual household appliance to be supplied with power in a particularly simple manner and optimizes the function of the connection module.

A particularly preferred improvement of the frame assembly of the present invention is: the frame assembly is provided with an internal space for accommodating the independent household appliance, the internal space is limited in the frame assembly, and the connecting module is arranged outside the internal space. On the one hand, the improvement ensures that the self-contained appliance can be accommodated by the frame assembly and is not limited by the connection module. This simplifies the embedding of the individual household appliance. On the other hand, the space which is necessary for the normal operation of the independent household appliance is reserved between the independent household appliance and the frame assembly provided by the invention. In this manner, for example, vibrations of a free-standing appliance are effectively prevented from being transmitted to the frame assembly of the present invention.

Another preferred improvement of the frame assembly of the present invention is: the connecting module is arranged on the frame assembly, so that the connection between the connecting piece at the rear side of the independent household appliance and the connecting module can be realized. The connection of the at least one connection element on the rear side of the individual appliance to the connection module is thereby significantly simplified. According to the system provided by the invention, the at least one connecting piece is arranged at the rear side of the independent household appliance, so that the combination with visual aesthetic feeling between the independent household appliance and at least one piece of furniture can be improved.

Another preferred improvement of the frame assembly of the present invention is: the frame assembly is provided with a first frame and a second frame which are relatively independent; the first frame is used for accommodating independent household appliances, and the second frame is used for accommodating the connecting module; the second frame is connected with the first frame in a mode that the second frame is installed on the side edge of the first frame at the installation position of the frame assembly. This enables a special configuration of the first frame for accommodating the freestanding appliance and the second frame for accommodating the connection module. Furthermore, such a two-part frame assembly is easier to handle, even under difficult installation conditions, than a frame assembly having only a single frame. Furthermore, the second frame for receiving the connection module can also be designed entirely for connecting other devices or facilities, such as for example wash facilities or the like.

Furthermore, according to a preferred development of the system according to the invention, the frame assembly and the individual household appliance are designed to be matched to one another such that: in a first connection process, the free-standing appliance can be connected to the connection module by at least one connection member, which includes at least one detachable connection member; these connectors can be connected to the individual appliance in a second, subsequent connection process. In this manner, only a small installation space is required to connect the at least one detachable connection to the individual appliance, resulting in an improved installation of the individual appliance in the system of the present invention. Accordingly, the individual appliance can already be inserted deep into the recess before the second connection process.

A preferred improved embodiment of the system according to the invention is: the detachable connection may be designed as a water conducting hose connection between the connection module and the freestanding appliance. The connection of large-sized connections, such as hoses, is particularly difficult, especially in situations where space conditions are limited. By being a detachable connection, the connection of the hose can be significantly improved and simplified even in limited spatial conditions. This is because according to this improvement, the hose can be connected to the connection module first and then to the individual appliance. In this way, an installer can still attach the hose to the side of a freestanding appliance, even when the freestanding appliance has been embedded deep.

The preferred improved embodiment of the system of the invention is as follows: the detachable connecting piece and the independent household appliance and/or the detachable connecting piece and the connecting module are respectively provided with quick locking devices corresponding to each other. The connection of the detachable connection element to the free-standing appliance and/or the connection module is thereby further simplified. The quick-locking means that match each other may be of the type, for example, a plug-in connection or a bayonet lock.

According to a preferred refinement of the system according to one of claims 10 to 12, the cover rear of the freestanding appliance is provided with a protruding portion, and the detachable connector is arranged in the installation space formed between the protruding portion of the cover rear and the freestanding appliance rear wall in a state in which the freestanding appliance that has been inserted into the recess is successfully connected to the connection module. In this way, it is ensured that at least one of the detachable connections is not compressed or bent when the individual appliance is inserted. The detachable connector also effectively prevents contact between the freestanding appliance and the frame assembly or wall.

The invention also has the advantage of enabling, in a simple constructive manner, a visually aesthetic combination between a stand-alone household appliance and at least one piece of furniture.

To solve this problem, the present invention provides a frame assembly for embedding a freestanding appliance in a recess of a furniture unit, the furniture unit being or capable of being placed against a wall; the frame assembly comprises two bottom guide rails, the bottom guide rails are arranged in parallel and used for guiding support legs on two sides of the independent household appliance in the embedding process, and the bottom guide rails can be fixed on a wall body through at least one supporting piece. Thus, the combination of the independent household appliance and at least one piece of furniture with visual aesthetic feeling can be realized in a simple structure mode.

The combination of the independent household appliance and at least one piece of furniture (namely the furniture set placed close to the wall or capable of being placed close to the wall) with visual aesthetics means that the independent household appliance and the furniture set are integrated in appearance. It is therefore necessary to precisely insert the individual household appliance into the recess reserved for the individual household appliance of the furniture set. This is achieved by the frame assembly according to the invention in a simple construction. The independent household appliances can be safely and accurately guided to be embedded into the reserved concave parts by the aid of the bottom guide rails which are parallel to each other. By means of the at least one support, two bottom rails parallel to one another can be fastened to the wall, so that a spatially precise adaptation of the individual household appliance to the recess reserved for it can be achieved in a particularly simple manner.

The term free-standing appliance should be understood in a broad sense and a free-standing appliance may be provided with legs of various configurations for placing the free-standing appliance on the ground. For example, the feet themselves may be rollers or a configuration with rollers. The roller may be at least partially locked to prevent the freestanding appliance from rolling off during operation. The feet may also be configured in other ways. The feet of each individual appliance may also be a mixture of different configurations. The bottom rail of the frame assembly of the present invention for guiding a free standing appliance foot during insertion may have a variety of configurations.

In principle, the at least one support element can be freely selected within suitable ranges, depending on the type, operating principle, material, size, number and construction. For example, a support is associated with each guide rail, by means of which support the respective base rail can be fastened to the wall in each case with the other base rail. According to a further preferred development of the frame assembly according to the invention, the at least one support is provided as a common support for the two bottom rails. Thereby, the support is realized in a particularly simple structural manner. But also to a large extent simplifies the accurate positioning of the two bottom rails relative to each other. The material and effort required for mounting the two bottom rails (i.e. fixed to the wall) is also reduced.

An advantageous development of the frame assembly shown according to the preceding embodiment is that the support and the bottom rail are U-shaped. In this way, the process and the structural expenditure for fixing the two bottom rails to the wall by means of the at least one support element are further reduced.

In a particularly advantageous development of the frame assembly according to the invention, the bottom rail has an end stop at its end facing the wall, and/or the at least one support has an end stop, which can define the insertion position of the individual appliance in the direction of the wall. In this way, when the individual household appliance is inserted into the recess provided for it, the individual household appliance can be positioned precisely not only in the direction of the wall body, but also in a direction perpendicular to the wall body, by means of the two parallel bottom rails. Therefore, the accuracy of embedding the independent household appliance into the wall body concave part can be further improved.

According to an advantageous development of the system according to the invention comprising the frame assembly and the individual household appliance, the frame assembly is configured as described above, and the at least one end stop is configured and positioned in such a way that the individual household appliance inserted into the recess is spaced apart from the rest of the frame assembly and the wall, so that the individual household appliance is prevented from vibrating itself in various operating states from being transmitted to the frame assembly or the wall. This can effectively prevent the independent household appliance from generating noise during operation with a simple structure.

In a preferred development of the frame assembly according to the invention, the bottom rail is provided as an integrated bottom rail into the bottom or bottom cover. Thereby further increasing the overall visual aesthetics of the stand-alone appliance. Furthermore, the bottom rail does not extend beyond the plane formed by the bottom or bottom cover, e.g. the tile plane.

In a further particularly preferred development of the frame assembly according to the invention, the at least one support element can be connected to the wall via a pivot axis, so that the base rail can be switched from a rest state, in which it is arranged in a space-saving manner on the rest of the frame assembly, to a use state, in which it is arranged on the base or on the base cover next to the wall for guiding the foot of the individual household appliance. In this way, the frame assembly can be turned over in a space-saving and ergonomic manner when the two bottom rails are in an idle state, so that the frame assembly according to the invention can be stored, transported and used in an improved manner according to the present embodiment.

The frame assembly according to the invention is advantageously further developed according to the above-described embodiment in that the support element is connected via a pivot to a fixed cross member of the frame assembly, which fixed cross member can be connected to the wall. In this way, the at least one support element can be connected to the wall by means of the pivot in a structurally particularly simple manner. Furthermore, the fixing cross member enables a simple positioning of the at least one support relative to the wall.

In a further particularly advantageous development of the frame assembly according to the invention, the support elements and/or the fixing cross-members are used for fixing the front wall. In this way, the front wall can be fixed to the wall in addition to the bottom rail without adding additional structure. Thereby reducing the workload overall. The front wall is useful, for example, when the depth of the furniture set is less than the depth of a freestanding appliance. For example, a common depth for bathroom furniture is 45cm, while a common depth for standard, stand-alone appliances is 60 cm. Accordingly, with the frame assembly provided by the invention, a stand-alone appliance can be placed at a position flush with a furniture set. This can be achieved particularly easily with the above-described embodiment of the frame assembly according to the invention; the remainder of the freestanding appliance may be received in the space formed between the front wall and the wall such that the surface of the freestanding appliance and the furniture unit fitted into the recess remain substantially generally flush.

Another advantageous development of the frame assembly according to the invention is that the height of the frame assembly is adjustable, so that the interior space of the frame assembly for accommodating a freestanding appliance is dimensionally unaffected by the height adjustment; among these, a frame assembly whose overall height is adjustable is preferable. In this way it is ensured that the interior space accommodating the individual household appliance is not affected by the height adjustment. In addition, by means of the height adjustment of the whole frame assembly, the frame assembly can be suitable for different installation conditions, such as bottoms with different heights, without additional auxiliary accessories and only by simple work.

An advantageous development of the frame assembly provides, for example, that the frame assembly has a stepped or stepless height adjustment device for the frame assembly, which height adjustment device is capable of locking a predetermined height. This makes it possible to easily adjust the height of the entire frame assembly.

According to an advantageous further development of the frame assembly described above, the height adjustment device has at least two leg parts, which are each arranged in a cavity of the frame assembly. In this way, a space-saving height adjustment device of simple design can be achieved.

Drawings

The figures show embodiments of the invention by way of illustration only and the details are as follows.

FIG. 1 is a view from the front right of an embodiment of a frame assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a second view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 from a front left angle;

FIG. 3 is a third view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 from an oblique posterior angle without the wall;

FIG. 4 is a fourth view from an oblique rear angle of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a wall;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the system of the present invention without the wall;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 with walls;

FIG. 7 is a front right perspective view of an embodiment of the frame assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a rear left perspective view of another embodiment of a frame assembly with a data processing system.

List of reference numerals

100 independent household electrical appliance

200 frame assembly

300 furniture set

400 concave part

500 feet

600 wall body

700 connection module

800 bottom guide rail

900 edge

1000 support

1100 household installation

1200U-shaped support

1300 rotating shaft

1400 fixed cross beam

1500 leak sensor

1600 bottom

1700 stop valve

1800 frame

1900 height adjusting device

2000 water supply

10000 first compartment

10100 second compartment

10200 supporting device

10300 electronic element

10400 Water guide Member

10500 module coupling device

10600 damping element

10700 horizontal blank area

10800 remote control unit

10900 data processing system

11000 processor

11100 computer program product

11200 consumption meter

11300 outlet

11400 Filter

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a view from the right front of one embodiment of a frame assembly 2 of the present invention for embedding a freestanding appliance 3 in a pocket 4 of a furniture unit that is placed against a wall 6 or wall-mountable. The individual household appliance 3 is only shown in fig. 5 and 6; the independent household appliance is a household appliance with a water carrying function, such as a cleaning device. The cleaning device 3 has a standard depth of 60 cm. The furniture set has a plurality of sanitary furniture (not shown) placed side by side along the wall 6. In this way, the furniture assembly forms a furniture row, and recesses 4 for the insertion of the individual household appliances 3 are reserved in the furniture row. The standard depth of each bathroom furniture is 45 cm.

In order to place the individual household appliance 3 precisely in the recess 4 provided for it, the invention provides for the frame assembly 2 to have two mutually parallel bottom rails 8 for guiding the feet 5 on both sides of the individual household appliance 3 during insertion of the individual household appliance 3 into the recess 4. The feet 5 of the stand-alone appliance 3 are only partially shown in fig. 6. The base rails 8 are fastened to the wall 6 by means of a common support 10, and a raised edge 9 is provided on each of the outer edges of the base rails 8 for laterally guiding the support feet 5 of the individual appliance 3 during insertion of the individual appliance 3 into the recess 4.

In the present exemplary embodiment, a U-shaped bracket 12 is provided between the two base rails 8 and the support element 10, said U-shaped bracket being connected to a fixed cross member 14 of the frame assembly 2 by means of two pivot axes 13, said fixed cross member 14 being able to be connected to the wall 6. Furthermore, the U-shaped bracket 12 may have end stops (not shown) and may be provided on each bottom rail 8, which end stops may define the insertion position of the individual appliance 3 in the direction of the wall 6. The defined arrangement should be such that the individual appliance 3 does not transmit vibrations to the frame assembly 2 or the wall 6 in any operating state. For example, it can be provided that the respective end stop on the support or the base rail of the frame assembly according to the invention can be adjusted relative to the support or the base rail, so that the respective end stop can be adjusted individually according to different requirements. It is also possible to provide corresponding end stops on the support or the base rail, so that a plurality of individual electrical appliances which are currently on the market do not transmit vibrations to the frame assembly or the wall during operation.

A U-shaped support 12, which is composed of a support 10 and two base rails 8, can be connected to the wall 6 by means of a fixed cross member 14 and a pivot 13, so that the base rails 8 can be switched from a rest position (not shown in fig. 1 to 4), in which the base rails 8 can be arranged in a space-saving manner on the remaining parts of the frame assembly 2, to a use position (shown in fig. 1 to 4), in which the base rails 8 can be arranged next to the base 16 of the wall 6 in order to guide the feet 5 of the individual household appliance 3. In the rest position (not shown), the U-shaped bracket 12, which is composed of the support element 10 and the two base rails 8, can be pivoted upwards by means of the pivot 13, so that in the rest position of the base rails 8 the frame assembly 2 according to the invention, which is shown in this embodiment, can be stored, transported and handled in a space-saving manner. The U-shaped bracket 12 may be attached to the fixed cross member 14 by means of, for example, at least one permanent magnet fitting.

Fig. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the frame assembly 2 according to the invention at different angles.

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, the fixing cross member 14 of the frame assembly 2 according to the present invention is configured to fix a front wall (not shown). For this purpose, a frame-like frame 18 is provided on the fixed cross member 14, which frame can be connected to the base 16 or supported on the base 16, and which frame can be connected to the wall 6. For example, a threaded connection 20 is provided for this purpose. The height of the fixed cross member 14 can be adjusted by means of the frame-like frame 18, so that the U-shaped bracket 12 formed by the fixed cross member 14 and the two base rails 8 can be adjusted to different heights of the base 16. The frame 18 is thus provided with height adjustment means 19. For example, the height adjustment device 19 of the frame 18 can be provided as a frame 18 consisting of segmented plug-in pipe elements which can be moved relative to one another and which can be locked to one another in a predetermined position in a stepped or stepless manner. With this arrangement, the tubular structure of the frame 18 can also be provided as a leg member 21.

By means of the front wall, an intermediate space (not shown in detail) can be formed between the wall 6 and the front wall, which intermediate space can accommodate, for example, parts of a household appliance and/or connections between the individual household appliance 3 and the household appliance. As shown in the present exemplary embodiment, the intermediate space can also be used to accommodate the individual household appliance 3 partially in the depth direction, so that, for example, it is possible to keep the individual household appliance 3 inserted into the recess 4 flush with the entire piece of furniture.

For the above-mentioned connection of the individual household appliance 3 to the household appliance, the frame assembly 2 comprises at least one connection module 22, which can connect the individual household appliance 3 to the household appliance; wherein the connection module 22 is configured to connect at least one connector of a freestanding appliance to the connection module while connecting the connection module 22 to a household appliance. Please refer to fig. 5 and 6. The at least one connection is in this embodiment provided as a power cord 24 with a plug 26, two water purification hoses (not shown) for cold and hot water, and one sewage hose (not shown). The water purification hose and the sewage hose are respectively set as detachable connecting pieces and can be connected with the independent household appliance 3 by means of a quick locking device. In this arrangement, the individual appliance 3 is provided with quick locking means 28, 30 and 32.

The connection module 22 may be arranged for connecting a self-contained appliance 3 with water carrying capability to a domestic installation; wherein the connection module 22 has a water supply line 34 for cold water, a water supply line 40 for hot water, and a water discharge line 46; a water supply pipeline for cold water is provided with a cold water purified water inlet 36 at the end of the household appliance, and a cold water purified water outlet 38 at the end of the independent household appliance 3; the water supply line for hot water is provided with a hot water purified water inlet 42 at the end of the household appliance and a hot water purified water outlet 44 at the end of the independent household appliance 3; the drain line has a sewage inlet 48 at the end of the freestanding appliance 3 and a sewage outlet (not shown) at the end of the domestic appliance. In the two water supply lines 34, 40, a shut-off valve 52, 54 is provided; wherein the cut-off valves 52, 54 automatically block the supply of the purified water to the individual household appliance 3 with the water-carrying function according to a signal from a leakage sensor (not shown). The leak sensor may be arranged, for example, on a bottom or bottom cover on which the freestanding appliance 3 is placed. Furthermore, a plurality of leak sensors may also be provided on the bottom or bottom cover. The leak sensor may also be integrally mounted to the connection module. Furthermore, the connection module 22 has three electrical sockets 50 connected to the household appliance, which can be used to supply power to, for example, the individual household appliances 3.

As clearly shown in fig. 1 to 6, and in particular in fig. 5 and 6, the frame assembly 2 is provided with an internal space 56 for housing the free-standing appliance 3; the interior space is confined within the frame assembly 2 and the connection module 22 is disposed outside of the interior space 56 of the frame assembly 2. A connection module 22 is provided on the frame assembly 2, and a connection member of the individual household appliance 3, such as a power line 24 with a plug 26, a hose for cold water, a hose for hot water, a hose for waste water, etc., can be provided at the rear side of the individual household appliance 3 and can be connected to the connection module 22.

Further, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the frame assembly 2 is provided with independent first and second frames 58 and 60; wherein the first frame 58 is configured to receive a freestanding appliance 3, and the second frame 60 is configured to receive the connection module 22; the second frame 60 is connected to the first frame 58 in such a manner that the second frame 60 is mounted on the side of the first frame 58 (see fig. 5 and 6). The first frame 58 is configured to have an interior space 56 that receives the freestanding appliance 3. The two frames 58, 60 of the frame assembly 2 can be screwed to each other in a manner known to the person skilled in the art.

By means of the height adjustment device 19, the frame assembly 2 with the two frames 58, 60 can be height-adjusted. The second frame 60 is arranged in a similar manner to the first frame 58, and accordingly, reference is made to the above-described embodiments relating to the first frame 58 and the height adjustment device 19. In this way, the frame assembly can be adapted to different installation conditions, for example at different heights of the base, without additional auxiliary materials and work expenditure. In order to adjust the overall height of the frame assembly 2, it is only necessary to connect the first frame 58 and the second frame 60 of the frame assembly 2 in advance in the above-described manner.

In addition, the frame assembly 2 is designed to be height adjustable in this embodiment, so that the size of the interior space 56 of the frame assembly 2 for accommodating the individual appliance 3 is not affected by the height adjustment. In this way, the internal space 56 of the frame assembly 2 for accommodating the individual appliance 3 is ensured to be unaffected by the height adjustment.

The frame assembly 2 and the independent household appliance 3 form a system 1; wherein, the connected mode of matching can be realized between frame assembly 2 and the stand-alone household electrical appliances 3: the individual household appliance 3 is connected to the connection module 22 by at least one detachable connection, such as hoses for cold, hot and waste water; and in a subsequent second connection process one or more of these connections, for example the aforementioned hoses, can be connected to the freestanding appliance 3. As shown in particular in fig. 6, the free-standing appliance 3 has a protruding portion 62 on the rear of the cover, wherein, in the state in which the free-standing appliance 3 is inserted (fig. 5 and 6), after successful connection of the free-standing appliance 3 to the connection module 22, a detachable connection, for example, a hose for cold water, hot water and sewage, can be arranged in an installation space 66 formed by the protruding portion 62 and the rear wall 64 on the rear of the cover. For ease of identification, the plug 26 is schematically depicted in fig. 6 as reference numeral 26. In practice, in a state in which the stand-alone appliance 3 has been inserted, the plug 26 is inserted into one of the sockets 50 of the connection module 22 in the manner described above.

The operation of the frame assembly and system of the present invention will now be described in detail by way of example and with reference to the accompanying figures 1 to 6.

A user (not shown) first mounts the frame assembly 2 according to the invention in a recess 4 reserved for a free-standing appliance 3 of a furniture set that can be placed against a wall 6. For this purpose, the user connects the first frame 58 of the frame assembly 2 to the wall 6 on the one hand and to the base 16, for example to the frame 18 of the fixed cross member 14, on the other hand by means of the threaded connection 20. The height adjustment 19 provided on the frame 18 of the fixed beam 14 enables the necessary height adjustment between the fixed beam 14 and the U-shaped support 12 formed by the support 10 and the base rail 8, which are connected by means of the pivot, and the base 16; in this way, the interior space 56 of the frame assembly 2 for accommodating the freestanding appliance 3 can be dimensionally unaffected.

Similarly, a user can secure the second frame 60 of the frame assembly 2 and connect the frames 58 and 60 together in a manner known to those skilled in the art. First, the connection module 22 of the second frame 60 is connected with the home appliance. Accordingly, the cold water clean water inlet 36 of the supply line 34 for cold water is connected to the cold water line of the domestic appliance, the hot water clean water inlet 42 of the supply line 40 for hot water is connected to the hot water line, the sewage outlet of the sewage line 46 (not shown) is connected to the sewage line of the domestic appliance, and the electrical socket 50 is connected to the electrical grid of the domestic appliance, in a manner known to the person skilled in the art.

The user then secures the front wall (not shown) to the frame 18 of the fixed cross member 14 and in a similar manner to the second frame 60. Next, the user turns the U-shaped bracket 12, which is composed of the support 10 and the two base rails 8, by means of the pivot 13 from the fixed cross member 14 in the direction of the base 16 until the two base rails 8, which are parallel to each other, are laid on the base 16. In this way, it is possible to switch the two bottom rails 8 from the idle state to the use state shown in fig. 1 to 4.

The user connects the independent household appliance 3 with the connection module 22; wherein the user first connects in a first connection a detachable connection, for example a hose designed for cold water, to the clean water outlet 38 in the supply line 34 for cold water; for example, it is designed as a hose for hot water, the clean water outlet 44 in the supply line 40 connected to the hot water is connected; for example, designed as a hose for sewage, is connected to a sewage inlet 48 in the drain line 46. And the user connects the plug 26 of the power cord 24 of the individual appliance 3 to one of the electrical sockets 50 of the connection module 22. The user inserts the individual household appliance 3 with the support feet 5 as far as possible into the recesses provided for the individual household appliance 3 by means of the two bottom rails 8, leaving only a few mounting gaps after the insertion. The individual appliance 3 is moved in a direction parallel to the bottom rail 8, from the front left to the rear right in the perspective of fig. 1. On the one hand, the two bottom rails 8 ensure that the individual household appliance 3 can be inserted into the recess 4 without any effort, without being limited by the material of the bottom. On the other hand, when the individual appliance is pushed into the recess 4, the two bottom rails 8 can provide the necessary lateral guidance of the individual appliance 3 by means of the raised edges 9 of the rails, so that the individual appliance 3 is positioned precisely relative to the recess 4 and the furniture assembly and the wall 6.

In a second connection process, following the first, the user connects the hoses for cold, hot and dirty water to the corresponding quick-locking devices 28, 30 and 32 of the individual household appliance 3 by means of the quick-locking devices mounted on the respective hoses.

Subsequently, the user inserts the freestanding appliance 3 as far as possible into the recess 4 until the feet 5 of the freestanding appliance 3 reach a position abutting against the end stops (not shown) of the two bottom rails 8. In this way, on the one hand, a laterally precise positioning of the individual appliance 3 in the recess 4 in the direction of the wall 6 and, on the other hand, a precise positioning of the individual appliance 3 perpendicular to the wall 6 is achieved. Both in the direction along the wall 6 and perpendicular to the wall 6 are very important for accurate positioning. In this way, on the one hand, the transmission of vibrations from the individual household appliance 3 to the frame assembly 2, wall or furniture unit can be effectively prevented. Thereby, it is possible to achieve, for example, prevention of wear or at least functional impairment of the furniture sets and of the individual household appliances 3. On the other hand, noise generated by the individual household appliance 3 during operation can be prevented or at least reduced. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, in a state where the individual household appliance 3 has been embedded, the power cord 24 and hoses for cold water, hot water and sewage are accommodated in the installation space 66 formed by the protruding portion 62 and the rear wall 64 at the rear of the cover body.

Subsequently, the user stands the furniture of the furniture group to which the furniture embedded in the individual household appliance 3 belongs along the front wall (not shown) in a position flush with the individual household appliance 3 already embedded in the recess 4, so as to form an orderly row of furniture, whereby the individual household appliance 3 forms a visually unified whole together with the furniture of the furniture group by means of the frame assembly 2 and the system 1 according to the invention. The embodiment of the frame assembly 2 of the present invention can realize: for example, the individual household appliance 3 inserted into the recess 4 forms an integral flat surface which is flush with the furniture assembly, since an individual household appliance 3 which exceeds the furniture depth of the furniture assembly by 15cm can be inserted into the space formed between the front wall and the wall 6; the furniture placing position of the furniture group is subject to the front wall; the frame assembly 2 obtained according to the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the wall.

The invention is not limited to the examples given. For example, individual appliances and furniture units may be selected from a wide range. Furthermore, embodiments without a front wall are also possible. This embodiment without a front wall is suitable, for example, for the case of a uniform structural depth of at least one piece of furniture of a furniture set and a freestanding appliance. Accordingly, no frame for fixing the front wall is required in this embodiment. The two parallel bottom rails can also be connected to the wall in other ways. Different ways of connection to the spindle are also possible. It is also conceivable to place the furniture of the furniture assembly along the wall or front wall before inserting the individual household appliance into the recess provided in the furniture assembly. Accordingly, it is also possible to subsequently insert a freestanding appliance into a furniture unit by means of the frame assembly provided by the invention. The invention also provides a frame assembly and a system for supporting a stand-alone appliance, wherein the stand-alone appliance can be easily pulled out of a recess of a furniture set and inserted into the recess again after maintenance or repair.

The two parallel bottom rails of the frame assembly provided by the present invention can be placed on the bottom of the next adjacent wall without being fixed. The bottom guide rail can also be fixedly connected with the bottom. Furthermore, the bottom rail can also be provided such that it merges into the bottom or the bottom covering. Thereby further increasing the overall visual aesthetics of the stand-alone appliance. Furthermore, the bottom rail does not extend beyond the plane formed by the bottom or bottom cover, e.g. the tile plane.

For example, the frame can be constructed or arranged on a fixed cross member, which can be connected directly or indirectly to a wall or a floor. Furthermore, the two bottom rails can also be fastened to the wall only by means of at least one support element. Therefore, a fixed cross member is not necessary.

In the frame assembly of the present invention, the at least one support member may be connected to the wall using a pivot, and the at least one end stop may be provided as the at least one pivot, or as a part of the pivot. Thereby, the functionality of the at least one pivot is enhanced and the design of the frame assembly provided by the present invention is further simplified, the frame assembly having at least one pivot which may be used to connect the at least one support with the wall.

In contrast to the purely exemplary embodiment, the frame assembly according to the invention can also comprise only a single frame, on which one part is provided with an interior space for accommodating a freestanding appliance and the other part is provided with a connection module.

In principle, the at least one connection module can be freely selected within suitable limits according to type, operating principle, material, size, number and configuration. For example, the leak sensor may be provided as an integrated component of the connection module, which may differ from the described embodiment.

The at least one connection module may be provided as a standard connection module adapted to a plurality of independent home appliances different from each other. For example, the standard connection module can be used for connecting independent household appliances with water carrying function and also can be used for connecting independent household appliances without water carrying function.

Fig. 7 is a view from the front right of one embodiment of a frame assembly 200 for embedding a freestanding appliance 100 in a recess 400 of a furniture set 300 that is placed against a wall or can be placed against a wall 600 provided by the present invention. The individual home appliance 100 may be a household appliance with a water carrying function, such as a washing apparatus. The washing apparatus had a standard depth of 60 cm. Furniture set 300 has a plurality of bathroom furniture positioned side-by-side along wall 600. Thus, the furniture set 300 forms a furniture row, and a recess 400 for inserting the individual household appliance 100 is reserved in the furniture row. The standard depth of each sanitary ware furniture is 45 cm.

In order to precisely place the individual appliance 100 in the recess 400 reserved for it, the present invention provides the frame assembly 200 with two bottom rails 800 parallel to each other for guiding the legs 500 at both sides of the individual appliance 100 during the insertion of the individual appliance 100 into the recess 400. The bottom rails 800 are fixed to the wall 600 by means of a common support 1000, and on the outer edges of said bottom rails 800, there is provided a respective raised edge 900 for laterally guiding the foot 500 of the free-standing appliance 100 during insertion of the free-standing appliance 100 into the recess 400.

In the present exemplary embodiment, two base rails 800 and a support 1000 form a U-shaped bracket 1200, which is connected to a fixed cross member 1400 of the frame assembly 200 by means of two pivot shafts 1300, wherein the fixed cross member 1400 can be connected to the wall 600. In addition, the U-shaped bracket 1200 is provided with end stops (not shown) in each of the two bottom rails 800 that may define the insertion position of the freestanding appliance 100 toward the wall 600. The U-shaped frame 1200, which is composed of the support 1000 and the two base rails 800, can be connected to the wall 600 by means of the fixed cross-member 1400 and the pivot 1300, so that the base rails 800 can be switched from a rest position (not shown), in which the base rails 800 can be arranged in a space-saving manner on the remaining parts of the frame assembly 200, to a use position shown in fig. 7, in which the base rails 800 can be arranged next to the base 1600 of the wall 600, in order to guide the feet 500 of the freestanding appliance 100. In the idle state (not shown), the U-shaped frame 1200 composed of the support member 1000 and the two bottom rails 800 can be turned upwards by the rotation shaft 1300, so that the frame assembly 200 can be stored, transported and simply used in a space-saving manner in the idle state of the bottom rails 800.

As shown in fig. 7, the fixing cross member 1400 of the present embodiment is provided for fixing a front wall (not shown). For this purpose, frame-like supports 1800 are provided on the fixed cross member 1400, which supports can be connected to the base 1600 or supported on the base 1600, on the one hand, and can be connected to the wall 600, on the other hand. Such as a threaded connection 2000 provided for this purpose. The height of the fixed beam 1400 can be adjusted by means of the frame-shaped frame 1800, so that the U-shaped bracket 1200 formed by the fixed beam 1400 and the two bottom rails 800 can be adjusted according to the different heights of the bottom 1600. Thus, the frame 1800 is provided with the height adjustment device 1900. For example, the height adjustment device 1900 of the rack 1800 may be provided as a rack 1800 consisting of segmented plug-in tubes which are movable relative to each other and which can be locked to each other in a predetermined position in a stepped or stepless manner. By means of the front wall, an intermediate space (not shown in detail) can be formed between the wall 600 and the front wall, which intermediate space can accommodate parts of the household appliance 1100 and/or connections between the freestanding appliance 100 and the household appliance 1100, for example. The intermediate space can also be used to partially accommodate the individual appliance 100 in the depth direction thereof, so that, for example, it is possible to keep the individual appliance 100 inserted into the recess 400 flush with the entire piece of furniture.

The working principle of the frame assembly for embedding the stand-alone appliance 100 will be explained by way of example.

A user (not shown) first installs the frame assembly 200 provided by the present invention in a recess 400 reserved for a free standing appliance 100 in a furniture set that can be placed against a wall 600. To this end, the user connects the frame assembly 200 to the wall 60 on the one hand and to the base 1600 on the other hand by means of the screw connection 2000, for example to a frame 1800 of the fixed cross beam 1400. The height adjustment device 1900 provided on the frame 1800 of the fixed beam 1400 enables the necessary height adjustment between the fixed beam 1400 and the U-shaped frame 1200 formed by the support 1000 and the base rail 800 connected by means of the pivot, and the base 1600.

The user then secures the front wall (not shown) to the frame 1800 of the fixed beam 1400. Next, the user turns the U-shaped bracket 1200 composed of the support 1000 and the two bottom rails 800 from the fixed cross beam 1400 to the bottom 1600 by means of the rotating shaft 1300 until the two bottom rails 800 parallel to each other are laid on the bottom 1600. In this way, the two bottom rails 800 can be switched from the idle state to the use state. The user interfaces the individual appliance 100 with the household appliance 1100 and embeds the individual appliance with the feet 500 into the recess 400 reserved for the individual appliance 100 by means of the two bottom rails 800. The individual appliance 100 is moved in a direction parallel to the bottom rail 800, from the front left to the back right in the perspective of fig. 7. On the one hand, the two bottom rails 800 ensure that a freestanding appliance can be inserted into the recess 400 without requiring much effort, while being not limited by the material of the bottom. On the other hand, the two bottom rails 800 enable the necessary lateral guidance of the individual appliance by means of the raised edges 900 of the rails during insertion of the individual appliance into the recess 400, so that a precise positioning of the individual appliance 100 relative to the recess 400 and the furniture set 300 and the wall 600 is achieved.

The user inserts the freestanding appliance 100 as deeply as possible into the recess 400 until the feet 500 of the freestanding appliance 100 reach a position abutting against the end stops (not shown) of the two bottom rails 800. In this way, on the one hand, a lateral and precise positioning of the individual appliance 100 in the recess 400 in the direction of the wall 600 and, on the other hand, a precise positioning of the individual appliance 100 perpendicular to the wall 600 is achieved. Thus, in one aspect, the conduction of vibrations from the stand-alone appliance 100 to the frame assembly 200 or the furniture unit 300 can be effectively prevented. This makes it possible, for example, to prevent wear or at least functional impairment of the furniture assembly 300 and of the individual household appliance 100. On the other hand, noise generated by the individual household appliance 100 during operation can be prevented or at least reduced.

Subsequently, the user stands the furniture embedded in the furniture set 300 to which the furniture of the individual appliance 100 belongs along the front wall (not shown) in a position flush with the individual appliance 100 that has been embedded in the recess 400, to form an orderly row of furniture; thus, with the frame assembly 200 of the present invention, the individual appliance and the furniture of the furniture assembly 300 together form a visually unified whole. The embodiment of the frame assembly 200 of the present invention can realize: for example, a free-standing appliance 100 that fits into the recess 400 forms a flush, generally planar surface with the furniture assembly 300, because a free-standing appliance 100 that exceeds the furniture depth of the furniture assembly 300 by 15cm can fit into the space formed between the front wall and the wall 600; the furniture arrangement position of the furniture set 300 should be based on the front wall, and the frame assembly 200 is fixed on the wall.

Fig. 8 schematically illustrates another embodiment of a frame assembly 200 from a rear perspective (from a wall).

The frame assembly 200 has a housing 1800, said housing 1800 having two side by side compartments, said first compartment 10000 for accommodating a freestanding appliance 100, said second compartment 10100 being provided with various supporting means 10200 for various electronic components 10300 and various supporting means 10200 for a water guiding member 10400. The second compartment 10100 or the support device 10200 therein is used, for example, for fixing the (hot and/or cold) interface of a washbasin, which may also extend to the surface or into the second compartment 10100. A socket for a sensing device and/or a lighting device for use with a wash basin may also be provided. It is also possible to install consumption meters 11200 at the (hot and cold) water pipes fixed by the support means 10200, in the lower visible area of the second compartment 10100. The current required for the operation of the electronic components of the connection module 700, the consumption meter 11200, the temperature sensor, the pressure or flow sensor or the water conducting member 10400 can also be delivered to the respective members in a safe manner.

The support device 10200 is movable (longitudinally) at least in the second compartment 10100. The frame assembly 200 comprises a frame 1800 on which a module coupling 10500 is arranged, by means of which two frames 1800 of substantially the same construction or size can be connected to each other (in alignment), so that a structure is achieved in which two compartments adjoin each other.

A plurality of damping elements 10600 can be arranged in the region of at least one base rail 800 and (not explicitly shown here) on the machine frame 1800.

In addition, as shown in the drawing, the frame 1800 leaves at least one lateral margin 10700 for the water guide member 10400 at a position near the bottom. Thus, the water guiding member 10400 may pass through the frame 1800 within the lateral void 10700, and/or may be integrated on the frame 1800. In this way, the outlet 11300 can be arranged in a space-saving manner on one side of the domestic appliance, or at least the water conducting component can be integrated at least partially in the rack 1800. Whichever way, a (micro) filter 11400 for filtering out micro-plastic may be provided at the outlet.

The frame assembly may also be provided with a data processing system 10900 having a processor 11000 that is configurable to perform the steps of:

a) supplying at least energy (current) and water to the stand-alone appliance 100 through the connection module 700;

b) supplying at least energy and water as required (simultaneously and/or staggered in time or on demand) by the individual appliance 100 through the connection module 700;

c) monitoring the consumption of the individual appliance 100 in terms of at least energy or water (e.g., by means of a consumption meter 11200); and is

d) When an abnormal consumption is found in step c), the supply of energy or water through the connection module 700 is stopped (or the shut-off valve is activated).

In case of finding an abnormal consumption in step c), an alarm signal is created which is sent to the remote control unit 10800.

To this end, a computer program product 11100 may be loaded into a data processing system with instructions that, when being executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out at least some of the above-mentioned steps of the method.

To summarize: the frame assembly (2) described in the first example is used for embedding a freestanding appliance (1) in a recess (4) of a furniture set (3) placed against a wall (6) or capable of being placed against a wall; the frame assembly comprises two mutually parallel bottom guide rails (8) for guiding the support legs (5) on two opposite sides of the free-standing appliance (1) in the process of embedding the free-standing appliance (1); wherein the base rail (8) can be fixed to the wall (6) by means of at least one support (10) and further comprises at least one connection module (7) for connecting the freestanding appliance (1) to a household appliance (11); wherein the connection module (7) is arranged to connect the connection module (7) to the domestic appliance (11) at the same time as the freestanding appliance (1) is connected to the connection module (7).

A second example describes a frame assembly according to the first example, wherein the connection module (7) is arranged to connect a self-contained water-carrying appliance (1) with a domestic appliance (11).

A third example describes a frame assembly according to any one of the first or second examples, wherein at least one leak sensor (15) is provided, wherein preferably a shut-off valve (17) is capable of automatically blocking the flow of supply water (20) to a self-contained appliance (1) configured as an appliance with water carrying capability, in response to a signal output by the leak sensor (15).

A fourth example describes a frame assembly (2) according to any one of the first to third examples, wherein one leakage sensor (15) is arranged at least one bottom rail (8).

A fifth example describes a frame assembly (2) according to any of the first to fourth examples, wherein a rack (18) is provided having at least two compartments (100,101), the first compartment (100) for accommodating a freestanding appliance (1) comprising a bottom rail (8), and the second compartment (101) having at least one support means (102) for electronic components (103), or at least one support means (102) for water guiding components (104).

A sixth example describes a frame assembly (2) according to any one of the first to fifth examples, wherein the at least one support means (102) is movable relative to the second compartment (101).

A seventh example describes a frame assembly (2) according to any of the first to sixth examples, wherein a rack (18) is provided, which rack is provided with module coupling means (105), and at least one rack (18), at least one compartment (100,101) or at least two bottom rails (8) of another stand-alone appliance (1).

An eighth example describes a frame assembly (2) according to any one of the first to seventh examples, wherein a damping element (106) is provided in at least one bottom rail (8), or in at least one frame (18).

A ninth example describes a frame assembly (2) according to any one of the first to eighth examples, wherein the mutually parallel bottom rails (8) are telescopic.

A tenth example describes a frame assembly (2) according to any one of the first to ninth examples, wherein a chassis (18) is provided, leaving at least one lateral blank area (107) for the water guiding member (104).

An eleventh example describes a method of operating a freestanding appliance (1) according to any of the first to tenth examples within a frame assembly (2), the method of operation comprising the steps of: (a) -supplying at least energy or water to the self-contained appliance (1) through the connection module (7); (b) -supplying at least energy or water through said connection module (7) according to the requirements of said stand-alone electric appliance (1); (c) -monitoring the free-standing appliance (1) at least in terms of energy or water consumption; (d) when an abnormal consumption is found in step c), the supply of at least energy or water to the individual household appliance (1) through the connection module (7) is stopped.

A twelfth example describes a method according to the tenth example, wherein upon finding an abnormal consumption in step c), an alarm signal is created which is sent to the remote control unit (108).

A thirteenth example describes a data processing system (109) comprising a processor (110) arranged to perform the method of any of the tenth to eleventh examples.

A fourteenth example describes a computer program product (111) comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform at least the steps of the method of any of the tenth to eleventh examples when the program is executed by the computer.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a frame assembly for embedding a freestanding appliance in a wall recess as described below.

From the prior art, combinations of individual household appliances with furniture units, for example with kitchen or bathroom furniture units, are known. In combination, the individual appliance is located beside the furniture unit. In this case, the individual home appliances are generally not in harmony with the living environment.

At the same time, it should also be noted that more and more stand-alone appliances are used in combination with each other in a living or kitchen space. On the one hand, this results in that the recessed space of the floor steps and/or walls often needs to be used for arranging the above-mentioned appliances in order to stand them (together). But this also comes with the problem of how water and/or current is supplied. Furthermore, due to the higher likelihood of wear in living or bathroom areas, it is desirable to be able to flexibly locate and reliably monitor the functionality of individual appliances and their connections.

It is therefore an object of a further aspect of the present invention to at least partially solve the problems of the prior art described and in particular to enable a structurally simple combination of a stand-alone appliance with at least one piece of furniture with a visually pleasing aesthetic effect and/or with greater stability.

These problems are solved by a method and a device with the technical features described in the embodiments described below. It must be pointed out that the technical features described separately in the embodiments can be combined with each other in any technically meaningful way and constitute further aspects of the invention. Furthermore, the technical features given in the examples are explained and explained in more detail in the description, in which further preferred versions of the invention are presented.

The invention provides a frame assembly for inserting a freestanding appliance into a recess of a furniture unit which is or can be placed against a wall, comprising two bottom rails which are arranged parallel to each other and serve to guide the support legs on both sides of the freestanding appliance during insertion, wherein the bottom rails can be fastened to the wall by means of at least one support element. Furthermore, at least one connection module is provided for connecting the individual household appliance to a household appliance; wherein the connection module is connected to the household appliance at the same time as the freestanding appliance is connected to the connection module.

The advantage that can be achieved is that the combination of a freestanding appliance and at least one piece of furniture with a visually pleasing appearance is improved in a constructionally simple manner. The combination with visual aesthetic feeling between the independent household appliance and at least one piece of furniture means that the independent household appliance and the furniture set are integrated in appearance; the furniture set is the furniture set which is placed against a wall body or can be placed against a wall body. It is therefore necessary to insert the individual household appliance precisely into the recess reserved for the individual household appliance of the furniture unit. This is achieved in a constructionally simple manner by the frame assembly provided by the invention.

The independent household appliances can be safely and accurately guided to be embedded into the reserved concave parts by the aid of the bottom guide rails which are parallel to each other. By means of the at least one support, two base rails parallel to one another can be fastened to the wall, so that a spatially exact adaptation of the individual household appliance to the recess reserved for it can be achieved in a particularly simple manner.

The stand-alone appliance may be, for example, a washing apparatus, a tumble dryer, a combined appliance for washing and drying laundry, or a dishwasher, etc. The furniture set may be, for example, a single kitchen cabinet including a plurality of kitchen appliances, or may be a plurality of bathroom furniture in a bathroom space.

The term "free-standing appliance" should be understood in a broad sense and has a variety of structural types of feet on the free-standing appliance that rest the free-standing appliance on the ground. For example, the feet themselves may be rollers or a configuration with rollers. The roller may be at least partially lockable to prevent the freestanding appliance from rolling off during operation. The feet may also be provided in other forms. The feet of a single stand-alone appliance may also be a hybrid arrangement of different configurations. The bottom rail of the frame assembly provided by the present invention for guiding a free standing appliance foot during insertion can have a variety of configurations.

Furthermore, at least one connection module is provided in the frame assembly for connecting the individual household appliance to the household appliance, wherein the connection module is connected to the household appliance at the same time as the individual household appliance is connected to the connection module.

This can significantly simplify the connection configuration of the stand-alone appliance to the household appliance. In principle, the at least one connection module set can be freely selected within suitable ranges, depending on the type, operating principle, material, size, number and configuration.

It follows that the connection module alone can solve the problem described at the outset. In addition, to solve the problem mentioned at the outset, at least one connection module is provided in the frame assembly for connecting the individual household appliance to the household appliance, wherein the connection module is provided on the one hand for connecting the individual household appliance to the connection module and on the other hand for connecting the connection module to the household appliance. In particular, the frame assembly may be modified with the water or energy carrying components, sensors, racks, data processing systems, etc., described again herein, without necessarily utilizing bottom rails that are parallel to each other.

The at least one connection module may be provided as a standard connection module adapted to a plurality of independent home appliances different from each other. For example, such a standard connection module can be used to connect both a self-contained appliance with a water-carrying function and a self-contained appliance without a water-carrying function.

In an advantageous further development, the connection module is provided for connecting a freestanding household appliance, which is provided as a household appliance with a water-carrying function, to the household appliance. This simplifies the connection of the water-conducting household appliance to the household appliance. The connection module can be provided as a cold water connection and/or a hot water connection for the individual household appliance.

In an advantageous development, the connection module has a shut-off valve and/or (at least) one leakage sensor; the preferred stop valve can automatically block the water supply from flowing to an independent household appliance according to a signal output by the leakage sensor (electrical or electronic), and the independent household appliance is set as a household appliance with a water carrying function. Therefore, when the independent household appliance leaks, the water can be effectively prevented from being continuously supplied to the independent household appliance. The corresponding safety device can also be omitted in a stand-alone appliance.

Furthermore, the frame assembly may comprise (at least) one leakage sensor, which is provided at least at the at least one bottom rail. Leak sensors may also be provided at both bottom rails. In particular, a sensor for detecting water can be provided at the bottom rail, for example as a capacitive sensor for detecting water. To this end, the bottom rail may be provided in a partially electrically conductive, but partially electrically insulating form. The base rail can be connected in particular to a power supply and/or to elements for measuring and metering.

In the frame assembly, a frame having at least two compartments may be provided; wherein the first compartment comprises a compartment for housing a freestanding appliance (having a bottom rail) and the second compartment has at least one electronic component support means or at least one water conducting component support means. A "compartment" is understood here to mean, for example, a window or a space which is formed by a frame, for example of the type which partially or completely (if appropriate with a bottom) encloses the compartment, or of another type of frame. The compartment should in particular remain parallel to the wall. A first compartment in the housing is capable of at least partially housing a freestanding appliance therein. Preferably, more compartments (left and right) can be placed adjacent to each other and independently in the area of the rack. The compartments may be, but need not be, of substantially the same size. The second compartment comprises at least one support means on which the electronic components and/or the water conducting components can be (securely) mounted and/or fixed. The support device can be provided with a plurality of mounting positions for electronic components and/or water-guiding components, so that the mounting suitable for various space conditions can be realized. The support means may in particular be a beam with mounting openings (at least partially covering or passing through the second compartment) or a beam frame, for example a jig, a support frame or a housing or the like may be mounted. The electronic components may be sensors, power supplies, plugs, data processing systems, and the like. The water conducting members may be water pipes (e.g. (rigid) pipes and/or (flexible) hoses, etc.), valves, reservoirs, etc.

At least one support means is movable relative to the second compartment. This means, for example: the rack has a plurality of connection or mounting locations for one or more support devices. In this case, "movable" means, in particular, that the support device can be detached (at least partially) from a first predetermined position of the machine frame and can be fixed in a second predetermined position. A guide element can be provided for this purpose.

In which housing a module coupling means may be provided and at least one housing of another freestanding appliance, at least one compartment and/or at least one pair of bottom rails may also be provided. Thereby, the rack may be modularly expandable, in particular in a manner forming a plurality of compartments. This may provide, for example, another compartment for a wash basin, and another compartment for a toilet, etc. The module coupling means are in particular provided for the same or similar type of mounting system as the other components in the rack and/or frame assembly; the components that adjoin one another are usually provided with corresponding plug connectors, screw systems and form-fitting connections. The module coupling means may also be constructed as a separate module which may be mounted on the frame or frame assembly (at a predetermined location).

Damping elements may be mounted in/on at least one bottom rail or in/on at least one frame. Damping may reduce (vibration) motion (e.g., shaking of the cleaning device) and/or noise (subsequently generated, or emitted by a stand-alone appliance). In particular, at least one damping element can be inserted into a slot or gap between the free-standing appliance and the frame assembly and/or the rack. This avoids direct contact between the individual appliance and the frame assembly, thereby allowing the frame assembly to remain substantially fixed in position relative to the wall during operation of the appliance. Thereby simplifying the connection structure at one end of the home appliance. The experience of operating such a stand-alone appliance in a living area can thereby be further improved.

The mutually parallel bottom rails can be designed to be telescopic. This means in particular that the length of the base rail can be extended or retracted in the longitudinal direction (parallel to the insertion direction of the individual household appliance), and that the sections of the base rail can be plugged into one another and locked to one another in a predetermined position, if required. In this way, the frame assembly can be adapted to different individual household electrical appliances and/or structural space conditions.

The frame may be configured to have a structure in which a lateral blank region for disposing the water guide member is left. By "transverse" is meant, in particular, that a blank space is left (at least also) adjacent to the right and left of the compartment, or substantially perpendicular to the compartment. Preferably, the lateral void area intersects or (directly) adjoins the plane of the compartment. The lateral blank area may be disposed on the lower half of the frame near the bottom. It is even possible to arrange the lateral void area below the location of the bottom rail. The blank area may be provided in the frame itself, or in a connection piece on the frame, in the type of opening. The blank area may house, surround and/or secure the water-conducting component. The connection between the blank area and the water guiding member may be fixed (for example, by welding) or detachable. This can be achieved, for example, by: the water pipes are led to the compartments without wasting space.

Furthermore, based on another perspective, there is also provided an operating method for a stand-alone appliance, the method comprising at least the steps of:

a) supplying at least energy or water to the freestanding appliance through the connection module;

b) supplying at least energy or water through the connection module as required by the self-contained appliance;

c) monitoring the consumption of at least energy or water by the individual appliance; and is

d) When an abnormal consumption is found in step c), the supply of energy or water through the connection module is stopped.

The steps given here may be performed in time in sequence in the order a), b), c), d), but need not be operated exactly in this order. In particular, some of these steps may be performed at least temporally simultaneously or overlapping one another.

According to step a), at least energy and/or water can be supplied to the individual household appliance by means of the connection module. This means that the energy and/or water-conducting connection means of the domestic appliance are guided to the individual household appliance and can be switched off or on there.

According to step b), if the individual household appliance requires energy and/or water for operation, the household appliance can be switched on, the energy and/or water being provided by the connection module. In particular, the valves and/or switches can be operated as desired.

According to step c), the consumption of energy and/or water by the individual household appliance can be monitored, which can be carried out simultaneously with or/and at intervals of time with steps a) and/or b). For this purpose, consumption meters, sensors, measuring systems, etc., for example, which are directly included in the preferred embodiment, may be used.

For example, consumption values specifically set for the individual household appliance and/or predetermined for the (previous, stored and/or analyzed) use of the individual household appliance may be used. These values may be pre-entered or persisted/stored in the data processing system. During the performance of step c), or within the scope of step c), it can be (repeatedly) checked whether the measured consumption deviates from a predetermined, expected and/or customary consumption value. In this case, tolerance values or deviations (which are fixed) can also be predetermined and can be classified as predictable and acceptable.

However, if in step c) an abnormal consumption is found, the supply of energy and/or water to the individual household appliance via the connection module is stopped or interrupted according to step d). This can be achieved in particular by actuating at least one (central) switch and/or at least one (central) valve. In particular, the blocking can be implemented in the connection module and/or in the section between the connection module and the domestic appliance.

Other operations may need to be set up before step d) ends and step a) can be started again. However, step c) may still be performed.

With this method it is possible to find in particular an unexpected situation of abnormal (quiescent) current consumption and/or water leakage.

In case a consumption anomaly is found in step c), an alarm signal is created which is sent to the remote control unit 10800. This step may involve comparing predetermined/expected and/or typical consumption, and may also involve taking into account the actual demand for energy and/or water. Upon finding an intolerable large deviation, a signal to send an alarm can be created before, during and/or after performing step d). The signal may be created in a form that can be transmitted to a remote control unit, e.g. a wireless signal may be transmitted via a transmitting unit to a remote (spatially) and/or indoor remote control unit. The wired and/or wireless signals may then be forwarded. Wireless communication standards may be used, such as WiFi, 5G, LTE, and the like. The remote control unit may be arranged to display an alarm message and/or to activate and/or deactivate remote operation of the connection module, the electrical component, the water conducting component, and/or the household appliance component. In particular, the blocking state in step d) may be (manually) determined, enhanced and/or released.

Preferably a data processing system comprising a processor configured to (at least stepwise) perform the provided method. The system or processor may be located within and/or outside the area of the frame assembly, for example, within a building in which the domestic appliance is located.

There is further provided, inter alia, a computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, enable the computer to carry out at least some or all of the steps of the provided method. The computer program product may also be loaded and/or stored in a more recent electronic form, or be provided on a corresponding data processing system.

The various descriptions relating to the frame assembly and its operation may describe in more detail (respectively) the methods relating to the data processing and/or the computer program product, and vice versa.

With regard to the method, the data processing system and the computer program product, it should also be noted that these may also be used for a frame assembly having at least one connection module for connecting a freestanding appliance to a home appliance, wherein the connection module is arranged for connecting a freestanding appliance to the connection module and for connecting the connection module to a home appliance. In particular, the frame assembly may be modified with the water or energy conducting members, sensors, racks, data processing systems, etc., described again herein, without necessarily providing bottom rails that are parallel to each other.

The front wall assembly (frame assembly) according to the invention, which can be expanded in a modular manner, is particularly equipped with an integrated shut-off member for the cold water circuit or, at the same time, with a supply device of renewable energy, such as a consumption meter. The front wall assembly provides power and monitoring for appliances connected in the sanitary area, such as washers/dryers, toilets and sinks, and allows these appliances to be more easily operated. With this extension, the cleaning device can be integrated in a space-saving manner in the front wall assembly (about 15cm) and a uniform overall arrangement of the simple installation modules at the outer interface is achieved. Thus, the cleaning equipment and the bathroom furniture are integrated visually in a manner that the whole external connection surface is unified. Therefore, it is preferred that the connection is located in an adjacent technical part (second compartment) with integrated WPS (water protection system), rather than behind the cleaning device (first compartment).

Claims (13)

1. -embedding a freestanding appliance in a frame assembly (2) of a recess (4) of a furniture unit, the furniture unit being or being placeable against a wall; the frame assembly comprises at least one connection module (22) connecting the freestanding appliance (3) with a household appliance; wherein the connection module (22) is connected to the domestic appliance while the free-standing domestic appliance (3) and the connection module (22) are connected by at least one connection (26).

2. The frame assembly (2) of claim 1, wherein: the connecting module (22) is provided with an independent household appliance (3) with a water carrying function and a household facility; the connection module (22) having at least one water supply line (34, 40) and one water discharge line (46); the water supply pipeline is provided with a purified water outlet (36, 42) at the end of a household facility, and is provided with a purified water inlet (38, 44) at the end of an independent household appliance (3); the drainage pipeline is provided with a sewage inlet (48) at the end of the independent household appliance (3) and a sewage outlet at the end of the household appliance.

3. The frame assembly (2) according to claim 2, wherein: a shut-off valve (52, 54) is arranged in the water supply line (34, 40); wherein the stop valves (52, 54) automatically block the supply of purified water to the individual household appliance (3) with water carrying function according to the output signal of the leakage sensor.

4. The frame assembly of claim 3, wherein: the leakage sensor is integrally mounted to the connection module.

5. Frame assembly (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: the connection module (22) has at least one electrical socket (50) for connection to a household appliance for supplying the individual household appliance (3).

6. Frame assembly (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: the frame assembly (2) is provided with an internal space (56) for accommodating a freestanding appliance; the inner space is limited within the frame assembly (2), and the connection module (22) is disposed outside the inner space (56).

7. Frame assembly (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the connection module (22) is arranged on the frame assembly (2) in such a way that the connection elements (24, 26) on the rear side of the individual appliance (3) are connected to the connection module (22).

8. Frame assembly (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the frame assembly (2) is provided with a first frame (58) and a second frame (60) which are independent; wherein the first frame (58) is configured for accommodating a freestanding appliance (3) and the second frame (60) is configured for accommodating a connection module (22); the second frame (60) and the first frame (58) are connected in the frame assembly (2) in a mode that the second frame (60) is installed on the side edge of the first frame (58).

9. System (1) with a frame assembly (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a freestanding appliance (3).

10. The system (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that: the matching connection mode between the frame assembly (2) and the independent household appliance (3) is as follows: in a first connection process, the free-standing appliance (3) is connected to the connection module (22) by at least one connection (24, 26), said connection (24, 26) comprising at least one detachable connection; in a second connection process, the connection is connected to a freestanding appliance (3).

11. The system (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that: the detachable connecting piece is arranged as a water guide connecting hose between the connecting module (22) and the independent household appliance (3).

12. The system (1) according to any one of claims 10 or 11, wherein: quick locking means (28, 30, 32) are provided between the detachable connection and the free-standing appliance (3) and/or between the detachable connection and the connection module, which means are adapted to each other.

13. The system (1) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: a protruding part (62) is arranged at the rear part of the cover body of the independent household appliance (3), and a detachable connecting piece is arranged in an installation space (66) formed between the protruding part (62) at the rear part of the cover body and a rear wall (64) of the independent household appliance when the independent household appliance (3) embedded into the concave part and the connecting module (22) are in a connected state.

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