DE102006030546A1 - Electronic module arrangement for e.g. stove, has electronic module designed as master-electronic module that is connected with central control circuit over data bus, and comprising connector for connection with another electronic module - Google Patents

Abstract

The arrangement has an electronic module comprising a sliding strip (6) for a household appliance, where the electronic module is designed as a master-electronic module (5b) that is integrally connected with a central control circuit (10) over a data bus. The module has a connector for connection with another electronic module. Slave-electronic modules (5a, 5c) are connected with the master-electronic module over a local interconnect network bus.

Description

The The invention relates to an electronic module assembly for a household appliance as well a so equipped Home appliance, in particular cooking appliance.

Out DE 299 12 917 U1 is a cooker with a stove plate of glass ceramic having built-in hob known, with at least one cooking zone on the hob, with a control and controls for operating the cooking zone, the built-in hob is installed directly in the stove. As controls are off DE 35 23 284 A1 or off DE 101 33 135 B4 For example, sliding strips known.

Usually the controls are all with a common control module coupled, which outputs the control values to a central control unit, which the corresponding function (s) in turn by means of the control values controls.

adversely it is that with many controls a large module has to be used, which is expensive to manufacture and install is. Also, in case of a functional change or extension of the Household appliance, in particular with an extension of a cooking appliance to additional cooking zones, the electronic module be redesigned. Both disadvantages increase the design and manufacturing costs.

It is therefore the object of the present invention, a possibility to simple, small-scale and cost-effective Configuration of an electronic module arrangement, in particular of control panels provide that can be easily expanded.

The The object is achieved by an electronic module arrangement according to claim 1 and a household appliance solved according to claim 8. Advantageous embodiments result in particular from the dependent claims individually or in combination.

The Electronic module arrangement for a household appliance has a first electronic module with at least one operating element for the household appliance on, wherein the first electronic module as a master electronic module is set up and at least one connection for connection with having a further electronic module.

Thereby this master electronic module is suitable as a smallest modular unit, not by redesigning this module but by unaufwendiges Connect further, in particular standardizable and simple electronic modules expandable is. Communication with other device units, eg. B. a central Control unit, essentially only needs once for the master electronic module the electronics assembly to be designed. Furthermore, there is the Possibility, to accommodate the relatively small master electronic module to save space and at an addition another electronic module this flexible and largely independent of Master electronic module to position.

So the first electronic module can be a z. B. for a production line minimum Number of operating or operating and display elements while others include Electronic modules additional Can include operating and operating and display elements. Applied to the example of a cooking appliance, d. H. an independent one Hotplate or a cooker, any electronic module can at least a group of operating and / or associated with a particular cooking zone Include display elements. In construction z. B. a hearth with four cooking zones can be a first master electronic module for a Cooker with only two cooking zones around another slave electronic module for two Cooking zones or extended by two slave electronic modules for each cooking zone be without the first master electronic module or its connection to other device elements changed needs to be. This reduces the design effort and thus the production costs considerably.

It is therefore advantageous if the electronic module assembly or the household appliance has at least one further electronic module that at least one Operating element for the household appliance and that a slave electronic module with respect to the first electronic module is.

to further simplification of the construction and the production is the first Control panel electronic module advantageously a master electronic module, and every other control panel electronics module is a slave electronic module. The at least one further electronic module can then z. B. without further significant design effort for the electronics be connected to the first electronic module.

The Master electronic module is conveniently connected to a central control unit, in particular integrally connected, d. h., That the central control unit integrally on the Master electronics module can be accommodated.

The Connection of the at least one slave electronic module to the master electronic module can be via each appropriate data transfer means happen z. B. wireless or wired, with a LIN bus is preferred. It can multiple slave electronic modules directly to the master electronic module be connected and / or connected in series.

It is considered cheap viewed if at least one operating element is a sliding strip, in particular, if several sliding strips arranged on a line are, which is particularly space-exploiting. Especially for sliding strips, but also for other controls, it is convenient if a signal evaluation circuit for the respective control element on the associated Electronic module is present, because so a sufficient signal strength or a favorable Signal to noise ratio on the data lines can be achieved.

Especially advantageous is the use of the electronic module assembly for cooking appliances, since these often as devices with different number of cooking zones within a product family be extended, for. From 2 to 3, 4, 5 or more cooking zones. Then it is, as already mentioned above, particularly favorable if each electronic module at least one associated with a cooking zone Group of control and / or display elements includes, for. At least a sliding strip for setting a cooking level and / or a Timer function of the assigned cooking zone.

in the The following will be an embodiment of Invention shown schematically with the aid of a figure. This Execution management examples is not to be construed as limiting the invention; The figure is not to scale.

1 shows a plan view of elements of a hob;

1 shows a plan view of a hob 1 a hearth 2 , showing the positions of some associated functional elements, namely the positions of four separately controllable cooking zones 3 which are defined here by a region of a glass-ceramic plate which can be heated by means of radiant heaters (not shown), as well as the position of a control panel 4 Internally in three sub-panels 4a . 4b . 4c is divided. The cooking zones 3 can be designed differently from each other, for. B. functional with an additional roaster zone (top left cooking zone), with different diameters and / or heating powers.

For a clear description of the control panel 4 only those operating and display elements are provided with reference numerals, which will be discussed in more detail below; Round elements are buttons, and square elements are indicators. Apart from the buttons and lights, there are also sliding strips 6 (often called "sliders" or adjusting strips) in the form of linear sliding strips and alphanumeric displays 7 in the form of 7 segment displays.

The operating and display elements of the sub-panels 4a . 4b . 4c are on respective electronic modules or boards 5a . 5b . 5c applied, the appropriate electrical connections (not shown) for power supply and / or signal transmission. In this embodiment, the middle, largest sub-panel 4b or electronic module 5b as master control panel (main control panel) or master electronic module 5b designed, and the other sub-panels 4a . 4c or electronic modules 5a . 5c as slave operating fields (pending control panels) or slave electronic modules 5a . 5c , The slave electronic modules 5a . 5c each have an evaluation electronics (not shown) for the implementation of the measurement signals of their associated sliding strip 6 and keys in data signals, as a direct transmission of the relatively weak measurement signals to the master electronic module 5b would increase an evaluation error. More specifically, the electronic modules have 5a C in this embodiment only the one touch-sensitive control, e.g. B. the sliding strip 6 , associated sensor on, z. B. a capacitive, resistive or piezoelectric transducer. By pressing the sensor a mechanical coupling with the device surface, here: a glass ceramic hob plate, causes. When touching the glass ceramic plate above the sensor, this is easily deformed, which detect the sensor. Such touch-sensitive controls become an operating element of a control panel 4 thus by the device surface in combination with the pressed-on electronic module 5a -C defined.

Only the master electronic module 5b is directly with the central control circuit 10 via a first data bus 11 or a first part 11 a common data bus of the stove 2 connected. The sub-electronics modules 5a . 5b . 5c are for data transmission via a second data bus 12 or a second part 12 connected to the common data bus. The data bus 11 . 12 Here is a LIN ("Local Interconnect Network") - Fieldbus, as this is particularly cost-effective to implement. The master electronic module 5b then corresponds to the LIN master, the other electronic modules 5a . 5c one LIN slave each.

In particular, the control panel 4 designed with the associated control and display elements so that each cooking zone 3 is controllable by a respective group of operating and display elements. Each such group comprises here at least a sliding strip 6 , an alphanumeric display 7 , a timer control 8th and a temperature indicator light 9 , The sliding strip 6 Used to set operating parameters of the associated cooking zone 3 , such as a cooking level or a time setting ("timer setting"). The alphanumeric display 7 indicates the value of the currently active operating parameter. By pressing the Timer control element 8th a time setting mode may be activated, e.g. For example, a cooking time with the cooking zone switched on 3 and an alarm time when the cooking zone is switched off 3 , The temperature indicator light 9 Lights up for user warning when the associated cooking zone 3 exceeds a preset temperature. Thus, a particular cooking zone 3 controlled only by their assigned group; the control of the different cooking zones 3 can be done in parallel and independently.

Other Operating and display elements can For example, a main switch, a lock button to Wischschutz, a Bräterzonenzuschalttaste, a main menu key, a menu display field, etc.

In the embodiment shown, the spatial arrangement of the sliding strips 6 so that they are along a line at the edge of the hob 2 are aligned, not according to the arrangement of the cooking zones 3 , what the cooking zones 3 Creates space.

The shown embodiments are not intended to limit the invention in any way. So can the individual electronic modules other numbers of control groups or operating elements. For example, for a Cooker with 5 cooking zones a fourth slave electronic module with a Group of control and / or display elements for the fifth cooking zone either with the master electronic module or with one of the slave electronic modules be connected. If the fourth slave electronic module with a the slave electronic module shown in the figure is connected, There are two slave electronic module connected in series, and the LIN bus will go through with the master electronics module directly connected slave electronic module looped through. At the operation of cooking zones is the number of sliding strips to the number of cooking zones customizable (eg, 2, 3, or 5), but may also be different, e.g. B., when using a common sliding strip for all cooking zones, the controller then being activated by a cooking zone selection switch can be made. Also, sliding strips are for adjusting others Parameter possible. In addition, the nature of the sliding strip is not limited and can z. Capacitive, piezoelectric, mechanical, inductive, optical, etc. include sensor types, if desired also in combination, or linear and / or circular sliding strips. The data transmission can, for example, over others instead of a LIN bus Field buses, an IEEE 1394 bus, a USB bus, Ethernet connections, various other serial or parallel buses, via Bluetooth connections, infrared connections or GSM, EDGE, UMTS or WLAN connections etc. take place.

1

hob

2

stove

3

cooking zone

4

Control panel

4a

slave panel

4b

Master control panel

4c

slave panel

5a

Slave electronics module

5b

Master electronic module

5c

Slave electronics module

6

lubricating strip

7

alphanumeric display

8th

Timer control element

9

Temperature indicator light

10

central control circuit

11

bus

12

bus

Claims (10)

Electronic module arrangement ( 5 ) for a household appliance ( 2 ), wherein the electronic module arrangement ( 5a . 5b . 5c ) a first electronic module ( 5b ) with at least one operating element ( 6 ) for the household appliance ( 2 ), characterized in that the first electronic module as a master electronic module ( 5b ) and at least one connection for connection to a further electronic module ( 5a . 5c ) having. Electronic module arrangement ( 5 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the master electronic module ( 5b ) with a central control unit ( 10 ), in particular integrally connected. Electronic module arrangement ( 5 ) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one slave electronic module ( 5a . 5c ) with the master electronic module ( 5b ) can be connected via a LIN bus. Electronic module arrangement ( 5 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one further electronic module ( 5a . 5c ), which at least one operating element ( 6 ) for the household appliance ( 2 ), and which a slave electronic module with respect to the first electronic module ( 5b ). Electronic module arrangement ( 5 ) according to claim 4, characterized in that the at least one operating element is a sliding strip ( 6 ). Electronic module arrangement ( 5a . 5b . 5c ) according to claim 5, characterized in that the sliding strips ( 6 ) of each electronic module ( 5a . 5b . 5c ) are arranged on a line. Electronic module arrangement ( 5a . 5b . 5c ) according to claim 6, characterized in that a signal evaluation circuit for the respective sliding strip ( 6 ) on the associated electronic module ( 5a . 5b . 5c ) is available. Household appliance, in particular cooking appliance ( 2 ), with an electronic module arrangement ( 5 ) according to any one of the preceding claims. Cooking appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that each electronic module ( 5a . 5b . 5c ) at least one of a cooking zone ( 3 ) associated group of control and / or display elements ( 6 . 7 . 8th . 9 ). Cooking appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that each group of operating and / or display elements ( 6 . 7 . 8th . 9 ) at least one sliding strip ( 6 ) for setting a cooking level and / or a timer function of the associated cooking zone ( 3 ).