DE102017108063A1 - Method for operating a household appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a household appliance (1), wherein identification features of a user (2) and / or an external communication device (10) of a user (2) are received and compared with stored reference features, and wherein the user (2) in If a match is allowed, access to the household appliance (1) is allowed or not. In order to manage access to functions of the household appliance (1), it is proposed that authorization groups (3) are defined which determine a scope of authorization for access to functions of the household appliance (1), and wherein a user (2) of an authorization group (3 ).

Description

Field of engineering

The invention relates to a method for operating a household appliance, wherein identification features of a user and / or an external communication device of a user are received and compared with stored reference features, and wherein the user in the case of a match access to the household appliance is allowed or not.

State of the art

Methods for operating household appliances are known. The household appliance may, for example, be an electric motor driven food processor, in particular a cooking-mix appliance, or a cleaning appliance. As a cleaning device u.a. self-propelled or user-guided cleaning equipment, for example. Suction devices, mops, combined suction wipers, or even polishers, mowers or other in question.

The publication WO 2014/083029 A1 discloses, for example, an electrically operated food processor with a mixing vessel and an agitator associated with the mixing vessel and an associated heating device. The food processor has a camera which is directed to a user of the food processor and receives facial features of the user, which are compared by means of a face recognition software with stored in a Faces database reference features. Depending on a result of the face recognition, a work routine of the food processor is performed. The work routine can be, for example, activation of the food processor, activation of voice control and / or gesture control, or selection of recipes associated with the user.

The publication EP 2 617 341 A2 discloses an automatically movable cleaning device and a method for its operation, in which different actions of the cleaning device are triggered depending on a reception of an individualizing a specific transmitter device identifier. Upon detection of a stored identifier, for example, an alarm function, a traversing routine or an idle state can be triggered. The identifier can be, for example, a mobile number, an ID number of a mobile device or the like.

Summary of the invention

Although the aforementioned household appliances and methods for their operation have been proven in practice, it is an object of the invention to develop these and in particular to optimize triggering or allowing user-dependent actions of the household appliance.

To solve the above object, the invention initially proposes that authorization groups are defined which determine a scope of authorization for access to functions of the household appliance, and wherein a user is assigned to an authorization group.

According to the invention, each user is now assigned one or more predefined authorization groups with specific authorization profiles. The authorization groups are user groups with mostly several users who have similar authorizations for accessing the functions of the household appliance. In principle, however, an authorization group can also contain only a single user. Two authorization groups contain different access options to the household appliance, namely different access scopes. For example. the household appliance can be provided with a parental control, which provides for the "children" permission group only a small amount of access, while another group of rights, which does not include children, allows access to all the functions of the household appliance. For the "children" permission group, only those functions can be permitted that do not pose any danger to children. For example, if the home appliance is a food processor, the "children" entitlement group may be precluded from rotating the agitator at a speed above a predefined limit, a heater becoming warmer than a defined limit, and the like. Authorization groups may be defined as a function of different characteristics of possible users, for example depending on their age, daily routine, user habits for the household appliance and the like. In the case of a food processor, the habits of use may be, for example, certain eating habits of the user, for example an exclusively vegetarian or vegan diet, preparations with a low carbohydrate or fat content and others. In the case of a cleaning appliance, a usage habit may, for example, be a frequently combined performance of a suction cleaning with a subsequent wet wipe cleaning.

If a user identifies himself to the household appliance and it is determined that whose identification features correspond to stored reference features and an access authorization for the identified user is stored, the user receives, depending on the authorization group to which he is assigned, access to functions of the household appliance in the scope of the authorization associated with the authorization group. The identification of the user with respect to the household appliance can basically be carried out in different ways. For example. the user can identify himself by means of an individualizing identifier of a transmitter assigned to him, for example by means of a mobile phone number or a device ID. The transmitter is an external communication device to the household appliance, preferably a mobile device of the user, preferably a mobile phone, laptop, tablet computer o. The like. The identifier can be transmitted by Bluetooth, Wlan, ZigBee, UMTS, GSM o. In addition, the external communication device can also be a chip card, for example with an RFID chip, which can be read out by the household appliance with respect to the identifier.

In particular, it is proposed that, to identify the user, the user's face is analyzed by means of a facial recognition routine, comparing facial features of the user with stored reference features. Face features, such as features of the eyes, nose or mouth, are analyzed in particular for facial recognition. In addition, other features can be compared, for example, a face shape, complexion and the like. For this purpose, the household appliance is equipped with an image capture device, for example a camera, which captures a user, takes a picture or a video of the user and detects the user's face therein. The detected face (s) therein is compared to a list of stored facial features to associate the face with a user registered to the home appliance. The image capture device is preferably associated with the household appliance, for example, integrated into a housing of the household appliance. Alternatively, however, the image capture device may also be an external device. An evaluation device associated with the image acquisition device, which performs the image processing for face detection and / or face recognition, is preferably integrated in the household appliance, but may also be associated with an external device, for example a local server or a network server. In particular, the image processing can also be carried out on a cloud server, wherein the images captured by the image capture device are then to be transmitted to the cloud server via a corresponding communication path.

Information about which users are assigned to which authorization group can either be stored in a memory of the household appliance or in an external memory. If an image capture device or another detection device transmits an image or an identifier of the user to an external server, the reference features of different users stored on the server can be compared with this image or this identifier. If the identification features of the user match stored reference features, the user can be identified. It then checks what permissions the detected user has. This check can also be done either on the external server, or within the household appliance, in the latter case, information about the identity of the detected user is transmitted to the household appliance. For the smooth functioning of the method, it is preferred that the authorization groups are stored in the household appliance itself or on a cloud server that is always accessible to the household appliance. It must be avoided that the authorization groups are stored on an external device which does not always have a communication connection to the device performing the analysis. In an unfavorable case, it could happen, for example, that the authorization groups are stored on a mobile device of the user, for example a mobile telephone, which is not in communication with the household appliance at the time of identification of another registered user. Therefore, preferred storage locations are either the household appliance itself or a cloud server that can always be reached.

The definition of authorization groups and the assignment of a new user to an authorization group can either take place on the household appliance itself, or by means of an external device, for example an external communication device, on which a corresponding application is installed. In particular, an external communication device allows for a correspondingly comfortable input interface, a simple and convenient definition of access rights, regardless of the existence and / or nature of a separate input interface of the household appliance.

The method can be performed explicitly on a plurality of locally distributed computing entities, namely on the household appliance itself, an external server and / or an external, in particular mobile, device. Furthermore, it is of course also possible that all calculations are made only on the appliance itself.

Furthermore, it is proposed that for each user a personal authorization profile is created, the user depending on his Authorization profile is assigned to an authorization group. The personal authorization profile of the user includes one or more different permissions to perform functions of the home appliance. For this purpose, an administrator of the household appliance, for example, a ready-made selection list with possible permissions for each user can be offered, from which this can select certain permissions. The authorizations can be, for example, options or actions of the household appliance, for example a start of cleaning, the use of an eco function of the household appliance, the start-up of a specific cleaning destination and the like. The authorizations may also relate, for example, to the use of the household appliance, in particular, for example, a cleaning robot in certain rooms. For example. It would be conceivable that children are not allowed to operate the cleaning robot in a home office or the like. After a personal authorization profile has been created for a user, the user is assigned to an authorization group which contains users with identical or at least very similar authorization profile. In this case, it can also be provided that an intersection is formed between the authorizations contained in the personal authorization profile of the user and the authorizations assigned to an authorization group, and a user is assigned to those authorization groups of several possible ones with which the greatest possible intersection exists. For an unambiguous assignment of the user to an authorization group, it may be provided that a minimum agreement must be given, which is defined either as a percentage and / or, if necessary, taking into account a grading of the authorizations according to importance.

It is proposed that the user obtains an authorization for the configuration of the household appliance and / or for the use of the household appliance with a defined range of functions, in particular for initiating defined control commands for operating the household appliance. Authorization to configure the home appliance allows a user to perform administrator activities, such as managing permissions for specific users. The administrator user is, for example, authorized to add, delete or block other users and to manage their authorizations for access to the functions of the household appliance. Furthermore, the configuration also relates to the assignment of specific users to an authorization group. Typically, the first user registered on the household appliance is often created as an administrator who receives authorization to configure the household appliance and is therefore also entitled to invite additional users, to whom he can then optionally grant administrator rights. The household appliance known users may be entitled to use a certain range of functions of the household appliance. This makes it possible for them to actively transmit control commands to a control device of the household appliance in order to trigger certain functions. If the household appliance is, for example, a food processor, the functional scope may include the operation of an agitator and / or a heating device. The operation of the agitator or the heating device can also be limited to certain operating ranges, for example, certain speed ranges, certain temperature ranges or the like. With reference to a household appliance embodied as a cleaning device, the scope of functions may, for example, relate to the operation of a motor-blower unit, possibly based on only certain power levels permitted to the user, the use of optional cleaning elements and the like.

With regard to an authorization for the configuration of the household appliance, it is proposed in particular that the configuration of the household appliance includes a definition of authorization groups and / or an assignment of a user to an authorization group. A user who holds an authorization for the configuration of the household appliance can also define new authorization groups for the operation of the household appliance or make a change to authorization groups. Furthermore, he is authorized to classify new users in an authorization group, to move users from a first authorization group to a second authorization group, and the like.

It can be provided that a user can not perform one or more or all functions of the household appliance when belonging to a specific authorization group. According to this embodiment, not only those users are registered with the household appliance, which may use the household appliance, but rather also those who are allowed to perform no function of the household appliance in an extreme case. In this case, the user is identified during the identification process on the household appliance and assigned to an authorization group, but then all the functions of the household appliance can be disabled for him. This is the case when the user belongs to an authorization group which can not operate the household appliance. This authorization group may, for example, be children living in a household, who could injure themselves in the use of the household appliance or cause damage to the household appliance. In particular, with regard to such authorization groups can be made after Identification may also be an attempted access to the home appliance stored and / or brought to the attention of an administrator.

It is proposed that authorization of a specific authorization group depend on a age of the assigned user and / or a day of the week and / or a time of day and / or time and / or location of the household appliance and / or presence of other appliances in the environment of the household appliance and / or weather conditions is defined. Depending on the age of the user, for example, an authorization group for adults and a permission group for children can be defined. An entitlement of a particular entitlement group may also vary in relation to days of the week, times of day and / or times, for example, to prohibit high volume operation of the home appliance during a lunch time or on Sundays for some or all of the entitlement groups. Furthermore, permissions are also available that prohibit certain users from cleaning certain areas of an apartment. For example. It is conceivable that children are not allowed to clean their parents' study. In the abstract, this means that, for example, the authorization to operate a cleaning robot is defined as a function of a current position of the robot in the respective household. In addition, authorizations can also be linked to external conditions. For example. The use of a lawn mower can be made dependent on current weather conditions. In particular, a start command for a lawnmower can be prevented if it rains at the planned location or rain is expected in the foreseeable future. Finally, an authorization can be made dependent on the presence of other devices in the environment of the household appliance. The other devices may, for example, be mobile communication devices. It can be provided that a permission group "children" is prohibited from using the household appliance if at least one mobile device belonging to a member of the "parent" permission group is not logged on to the home network. This means that children can not operate the appliance if their parents are probably away from home. For this purpose it is detected whether a device that the parents usually carry with them, in the home network, i. at home, logged in or not. It would also be conceivable to allow a particular user to use the household appliance exclusively when no telephone call is being made, no movie is being watched, or the like.

Furthermore, provision can be made for a function menu assigned on a display and / or specific operating buttons to be assigned as a function of an affiliation of a user to a specific authorization group. This can be set on the display or in relation to the operation keys of the household appliance, which functions or actions of the household appliance are available to the respective user. If the display is a touchscreen, only those fields of activity can be displayed whose assigned functions the user is allowed to choose. If the home appliance has mechanical operation buttons, certain operation buttons may be locked for actuation or at least programmed so that their operation does not result in the function normally associated with the operation button.

Furthermore, it is proposed that non-selectable functions of the function menu are displayed with a defined color for a particular group of rights, are not displayed at all and / or assigned to a locked operation key. After recognition of a user by an identification device of the household appliance, the profile of the corresponding authorization group is used to retrieve which functions are made available to the user for accessing the household appliance. Each permission group has a list of permissions assigned to it. Depending on this, an input interface of the household appliance is fully or partially adapted by u.a. For example, menu items are greyed out, menu items are not displayed, i. e. be hidden, individual operation buttons are locked or the entire input device is locked.

Finally, it is proposed that the authorization groups be stored in a local data memory of the household appliance or in a data store not located in the household appliance, in particular in a data store of an external web server. When storing the authorization groups in a separate memory of the household appliance, it is ensured that the authorization groups are always available at any time when a user wishes to identify himself to the household appliance. The same can also be achieved if the authorization groups are stored on an external server to which the household appliance has a permanent communication connection, for example in a home network. In principle, it is also possible that the authorization groups are stored on another device of the user or a device of another user, but here it must be ensured that the household appliance can always access this device, especially if it is a mobile Device that can be removed from a home network.

In addition to the above-described method for operating a household appliance, the invention also proposes a domestic appliance which has a device for receiving identification features of a user and / or an external communication device, wherein the device is set up to compare the identification features with stored reference features and to allow the user in the event of a match access to the household appliance, wherein in the memory authorization groups are deposited, which determine a scope of authorization for access to functions of the household appliance, and to which a user is assigned.

According to this embodiment, the household appliance is designed to carry out a method described above. This results in the features and advantages of the household appliance according to the advantages and features of the operating method described above.

list of figures

• 1 ein Haushaltsgerät gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform,
• 2 einen Vergleich von Gesichtsmerkmalen eines Nutzers mit in einem Datenspeicher gespeicherten Referenzmerkmalen registrierter Nutzer,
• 3 ein Haushaltsgerät gemäß einer zweiten Ausführungsform.

In the following the invention will be explained in more detail by means of exemplary embodiments. Show it:

• 1 a household appliance according to a first embodiment,
• 2 a comparison of facial features of a user with reference features of registered users stored in a data memory,
• 3 a household appliance according to a second embodiment.

Description of the embodiments

1 shows a household appliance 1 , which is designed here as an electromotive food processor. The household appliance 1 has a mixing vessel 11 in which an agitator (not shown) is arranged, as well as a stirring vessel 11 associated heating device (also not shown). The household appliance 1 has a display 4 to display a function menu 6 in which a user 2 of the household appliance 1 certain functions of the household appliance 1 For example, an operation of the agitator and / or the Heizeirichtung, the execution of a recipe preparation, the selection of a particular recipe from a set of available recipes and the like. The household appliance 1 also has an operation button 5 , which here is a rotary selector switch, with which on the one hand the household appliance 1 can be turned on and off and on the other inputs can be confirmed, a certain speed can be set, etc. In a front area of the household appliance 1 there is an image capture device 13 , here a camera, which has a detection area 12 has, in which images can be recorded. Furthermore, the household appliance 1 a local data store 7 on, in which reference features of users 2 are stored on the home appliance 1 are registered and if necessary for the use of the household appliance 1 are entitled.

The household appliance 1 is in communication with an external data memory 8th , here a web server, in which permission groups 3 of users 2 are stored. The authorization groups 3 each contain a plurality of users 2 , which have the same authorization profiles for access to functions of the household appliance 1 exhibit. The household appliance 1 is in communication with the external data storage via an internet connection 8th so that information about the permission groups stored there 3 can be retrieved.

The invention in the context of the embodiment according to 1 works, for example, so that a user 2 on the household appliance 1 approaches and enters the coverage area 12 the image capture device 13 goes. To stand up to the household appliance 1 to identify, the user can 2 now, for example, manually on the display 4 displayed function menu 6 trigger a facial recognition. For face recognition, the image capture device takes 13 one or more pictures of the user 2 on. These images are sent to an evaluation device of the household appliance 1 transmitted, on the one hand, the face of the user 2 on the other hand image features of the face, such as features of the eyes, the nose, the mouth, with in the local data memory 7 of the household appliance 1 deposited reference features of the household appliance 1 registered users 2 to compare. This process is in 2 shown.

Unless a match of the user's facial features 2 can be found with reference features, on the person of the user 2 getting closed. Based on this causes an evaluation of the household appliance 1 a communication with the external data memory 8th ie the web server on which several authorization groups 3 of users 2 are stored. In the authorization groups 3 are users 2 grouped with different permission profiles, with each permission group 3 different functions of the household appliance 1 may dial. For example. can be an authorization group 3 to be a group of children, which only one limited functionality of the household appliance 1 while a second permission group 3 a group of adults is who the full range of functions of the household appliance 1 may use. The one from the household appliance 1 recognized users 2 will now use the in the permission groups 3 saved users 2 compared. If a match between the just identified user 2 and a user 2 a permission group 3 is found, the associated authorization profile of the relevant authorization group 3 to the household appliance 1 transmitted. The authorization profile is then used by the evaluation device of the household appliance 1 evaluated, whereupon the function menu 6 which is on the display 4 is displayed, is adjusted so that only access to such functions of the household appliance 1 can be done which of the authorization group 3 of the user 2 correspond. This is the user 2 For example, to an adult, which all the functions of the household appliance 1 may use. Therefore, on the display 4 the maximum extensive function menu 6 displayed.

3 shows a further embodiment of the invention, in which the household appliance 1 is a cleaning robot. The household appliance 1 has in a conventional manner via a not-shown motor-blower unit and several cleaning elements 10 , of which in the 3 only one side brush is visible. The household appliance 1 is with an image capture device 13 equipped, namely here again a camera, and a display 4 to display a function menu 6 for the operation of the household appliance 1 , The household appliance 1 is in communication with a first external device 9 , which is for example a tablet computer here. On this external device 9 are multiple permission groups 3 saved which users 2 include. Between the household appliance 1 and the external device 9 There is a communication connection via a home network (WLAN). The image capture device 13 has a detection area 12 on, in which a user 2 with a second external device 9 , namely a mobile phone. The user 2 is in the example shown a child, which has limited access rights to the household appliance 1 features. The device 9 of the user 2 has identifiers that identify the user 2 opposite the household appliance 1 can identify. In the illustrated case of a trained as a mobile device 9 is the identification feature, for example, an optical code, in particular a barcode or QR code, which permanently on a housing top of the device 10 is applied so that the user 2 That is, the child does not need to take any further steps to display the code. Alternatively, the code could also be on the display 4 of the device 9 are displayed. The image capture device 13 detects the code, which is then from the household appliance 1 over the home network to the other device 9 is transmitted. Then evaluates a computing device of the external device 9 Examine the code and verify that the contained features match stored reference features. If a match is found and the user 2 (or the device 9 of the user 2 ), it is determined which of those in the device 9 stored permission groups 3 the user 2 belongs. Then the authorization group 3 assigned functions of the household appliance 1 to a control device of the household appliance 1 be transmitted there, possibly in a local data store 7 be saved and to adjust the on the display 4 displayed function menus 6 serve. In the example shown, there are several functions for the user 2 locked, with individual functions within the function menu 6 are no longer selectable or the operation buttons 5 assigned functions no longer by pressing the button 5 can be controlled. The permissions of a permission group 3 may also provide that the authorizations depending on certain days of the week, times or external conditions, such as weather conditions are assigned. For example. it can be individual users 2 be prohibited, the household appliance 1 during a midday rest.

Although the illustrated embodiments only certain household appliances 1 picture, it goes without saying that the household appliance 1 For example, a lawnmower, a polishing device, a user 2 can be hand-held cleaning device or the like. Furthermore, the authorization groups 3 and also the reference features of the users 2 both in a local data store 7 of the household appliance 1 , in an external data store 8th an Internet-based server or in an external device 9 be stored, which is not the home appliance 1 itself is.

The permission to access the functions of the household appliance 1 can also have an administrator status of the household appliance 1 affect, making it a user 2 a specific permission group 3 is allowed, the configuration of the household appliance 1 to change and more users 2 as registered persons on the household appliance 1 permit. In addition, the administrator user can add the other users 2 in authorization groups 3 Sort and thus on their permission to access functions of the household appliance 1 decide.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

household appliance

2

user

3

Rights group

4

display

5

actuating button

6

function menu

7

data storage

8th

data storage

9

device

10

cleaning element

11

mixing vessel

12

detection range

13

Image capture device

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• WO 2014/083029 A1 [0003]
• EP 2617341 A2 [0004]

Claims (10)

A method of operating a household appliance (1), wherein identification features of a user (2) and / or an external communication device (10) of a user (2) are received and compared with stored reference features, and wherein the user (2) in case of a match Access to the household appliance (1) is allowed or not, characterized in that authorization groups (3) are defined which determine a scope of authorization for access to functions of the household appliance (1), and wherein a user (2) of an authorization group (3 ). Method according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the face of a user (2) is analyzed by means of a facial recognition routine, wherein facial features of the user (2) are compared with stored reference features. Method according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that a personal authorization profile is created for each user (2), wherein the user (2) is assigned to an authorization group (3) depending on his authorization profile. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the user (2) an authorization for the configuration of the household appliance (1) and / or the use of the household appliance (1) with a defined range of functions, in particular for initiating defined control commands for operating the household appliance (1 ) receives. Method according to Claim 4 , characterized in that the configuration of the household appliance (1) includes a definition of authorization groups (3) and / or an assignment of a user (2) to an authorization group (3). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a user (2) when belonging to a specific authorization group (3) one or more or all functions of the household appliance (1) can not perform. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an authorization of a specific authorization group (3) as a function of a age of the associated user (2) and / or a day of the week and / or a time of day and / or time and / or location the household appliance (1) and / or a presence of other devices (9) in the environment of the household appliance (1) and / or weather conditions is defined. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a displayed on a display (4) and / or certain operation keys (5) assigned function menu (6) depending on a membership of a user (2) to a certain authorization group (3) becomes. Method according to Claim 8 , characterized in that non-selectable functions of the function menu (6) are represented with a defined color for a certain group of rights (3), not shown at all and / or assigned to a locked operation key. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the authorization groups (3) in a local data memory (7) of the household appliance (1) or in a not in the household appliance (1) located data memory (8), in particular in a data memory (8). an external web server.

Images