EP1338120A2

EP1338120A2 - Method and device for controlling a domestic appliance

Info

Publication number: EP1338120A2
Application number: EP01996947A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Arndt Berthold; Frank BÖLDT
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2000-11-15
Filing date: 2001-11-07
Publication date: 2003-08-27
Also published as: PL361596A1; WO2002041569A2; DE10056494A1; WO2002041569A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a domestic appliance, to a corresponding device and to a control system. The aim of the invention is to provide an improved method and a corresponding device for controlling a domestic appliance. To this end, the domestic appliance (2) is linked with a network (3) and receives control information (8) from a provider (6) via the network (3). Said control information (8) is evaluated and/or implemented at the location (A) of the domestic appliance (2).

Description

Method and device for controlling a domestic appliance

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a domestic appliance, a corresponding device and a system for controlling a domestic appliance.

Household appliances have been operated at least partially under program control for years. To this end, the household appliances are generally equipped with electronic controls today, by means of which a functional scope of the respective household appliance is determined. In addition, normal clocks are also often integrated in known household appliances, which in addition to displaying a current time also serve as a time switch for programming. In addition to increasing user convenience, various forms of programming can also be used, for example, to use special electricity and / or water tariffs, etc. A clock then serves as a switching signal generator within the control. Therefore, modern controls increasingly require a supply with very precise time information. But the provision of a time function is not unproblematic, since it gradually changes due to inaccuracies or time slips compared to other clocks in the household or the normal time of a respective time zone. Due to the nature of the system, such clocks have to be readjusted frequently on household appliances, at least every summer / winter time change. The additional problems associated with an interruption in the energy supply should only be referred to here in general, although various complex and expensive solutions have already been implemented in accordance with the prior art. Programming with regard to a selection of certain functions and a chronological classification of the operation of the household appliance must, however, also be carried out in any case, in addition to, for example, special ones

Tariff information must be accessed by utilities etc. A method of this type is consequently almost as complex as required, so that programming a correspondingly equipped domestic appliance is very complicated for a user.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an improved method and a corresponding device for controlling a domestic appliance. This object is achieved according to the invention by a method with the features of claim 1 and by a device with the features of claim 17. A system for controlling a domestic appliance according to claim 27 is also a solution to this problem. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the respective subclaims.

A method according to the invention provides that a domestic appliance is connected to a distributed network or a network. As part of such a network, the domestic appliance is designed to receive control information that is sent by a service provider. The domestic appliance evaluates the control information at its location and / or converts this information, depending on whether the received control information can be implemented directly or close to the machine by the home appliance, or whether it e.g. only contains parameters that can only be implemented by including them in a machine program of the household appliance. Different forms of implementing control information are described below with reference to

Further developments, different embodiments and exemplary embodiments are discussed separately.

By connecting the domestic appliance to a distributed network, a service provider can send information of the type mentioned at any time to a domestic appliance according to the invention. Sending over a distributed and thus widely branched network creates a sufficiently high speed with good system reliability. In addition, this information is only sent in electronic form via the network, so that in addition to the costs for the electronic creation of the information, there are no significant cost factors compared to other possible methods. Shipping, printing and / or service costs as well as a visit by a customer service agent to a customer on site are thus eliminated according to the present invention.

A connection of household appliances to a network is known per se. A system for networking home appliances is known, for example, from the product publication "The Siemens Home Electronic System HES" by Siemens Electrogeräte GmbH, Munich, in 1997. The central basis for this control and use of home appliances as networked applications is a PC, via which home appliances can be accessed control within the HES and have it checked. For this, many internal states of the connected household devices are mapped. The HES application is PC-based and therefore largely platform-dependent. In no case is outside information allowed into the local network, so that an HES as a local network is generally not accessible to an external service provider. The use of any type of interface of an HES system for connecting to a global network is also not known.

Within a control system according to the invention, an individual device number of the respective household appliance advantageously serves as an address within the network. The device number of the home appliance is an individual alphanumeric string that is stored internally as a unique identifier in the home appliance, e.g. B. in a non-volatile memory chip. In addition to the device type, this device number can also contain special information, such as information about special assemblies, standard software, data on the date of manufacture and the place of manufacture, etc. It is therefore advantageously not necessary for the household appliance to be set individually, for example when it is sold. The home appliance thus logs on to the service provider with its address, so to speak, that is, without a user's personal data. An individual adjustment of the household appliance, for example when selling, therefore advantageously does not have to take place. A service provider then uses this address to selectively send the individual control information to the household appliance via the network.

In one embodiment of the invention, a message is sent from the domestic appliance to a service provider to request control information to be sent. As a result, a transmission of control information by the household appliance is requested without user intervention being necessary. The individual device number serves as basic information for clear identification of the household appliance and as an address for the transmission of control information.

In a further development of the invention, the notification of the household appliance includes one

Basic information that includes the current status parameters of the household appliance. Such parameters describe, for example, a degree of filling in a household appliance. Based on this information, for example, a program can also be set without a program selection A short wash etc. can be set up for the user. However, parameters are also advantageously taken into account which, for example, indicate aging processes within a domestic appliance. Aging processes or wear cause, for example, an increase in the starting time of a washing machine motor used in a reversing operation. As a result of these aging processes of the motor, the time that the motor needs for a frequently occurring change in the direction of rotation from clockwise to counterclockwise rotation and vice versa is increased. Over the entire program time of the washing machine, however, a prescribed number of reversing cycles must be run through and a certain ratio of motor downtimes and motor operating times must be maintained. Otherwise, a deviation of an achievable washing mechanism from a predetermined washing mechanism that increases with engine aging occurs, which leads to a progressive deterioration in the washing results. This extension is taken into account on the basis of the notification of the domestic appliance by the service provider according to the invention when generating control information. Thus, even in older machines, the implementation of a method according to the invention on the basis of the control information from the service provider achieves a constant washing result, thereby extending the service life or useful life of the household appliance.

The message is advantageously sent from the domestic appliance to the service provider in order to request that control information be sent. This means that an individual home appliance only reports to the service provider when needed. This significantly reduces the load on the network and the service provider. The message is sent, for example, when the home appliance has been programmed by the user. In addition to other forms of release, this message can also be sent when the home appliance prepared for start is switched on without the user having to make any further setting selections. In the latter case, sensors o.a. the information for setting a program is automatically queried from the home appliance and sent to the service provider as the current status parameter of the home appliance.

In an essential development of the invention, the start of the domestic appliance is triggered by the control information from the service provider or by its transmission over the network. Thus, the user as a customer of an inventive Systems only one type of release of the household appliance, for example, by switching on the household appliance after filling has ended, as described above. The start of the home appliance is designed independently of the switching on and triggered by the service provider.

In one embodiment of the invention, the control information advantageously contains parts of a control program in addition to a start specification. Alternatively or in addition, special settings for a control program of the domestic appliance can also be contained in the control information, for example parameters, a duration of a program section or an engine speed or the like. concerning.

The control information advantageously results in a special timing of the implementation of program parts, the implementation of which, for example, requires a particularly large amount of electrical power. For example, such program sections can be shifted into a time with a favorable electricity tariff by delaying or delaying their execution.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the control information is used to transmit time information with a complete time specification and / or a transmission of pulses for time update to the domestic appliance. With this type of transmission of time information, there is a gradation in the information content of the transmitted information in such a way that the information transmission is divided into the transmission of a complete time specification and the transmission of impulses for the time update. This reduces the amount of information to be transmitted and relieves the strain on the network as a transmission channel. The pulses are preferably used for the synchronization of those made internally in the domestic appliance

Time update is used and can therefore also be sent as a package of several time pulses that have a defined time interval to each other. This completes the specification of a system time and a synchronization at least over a normal program runtime. Similar and further alternative methods are known, for example, from the field of radio clocks, but the electronic components used here for reception and signal processing are relatively expensive. Furthermore, reception in radio units is often impaired, especially in basements. However, household appliances should always function exactly regardless of their location. In addition, access according to the invention to a globally branched network can be used in addition to the transmission of control information for other data or information services without any significant restriction in performance. This always reliable time information can advantageously be used to support control on site in the household appliance and / or service information for the user via a display device. In any case, there is a current system time in the domestic appliance which is coupled to a local time with a sufficiently high level of accuracy.

In a development of the invention, at least some of the control tasks outside the domestic appliance are prepared and / or carried out in a powerful central computer of the service provider connected to the network. With the evaluation or inclusion of all the types of data known from the domestic appliance and the transmitted system data, the control can also be optimized in terms of time using neural networks, preferably taking into account special tariffs of various supply companies. A result from the central computer is then transmitted in the form of control information to the domestic appliance as a time control for using optimal tariff conditions.

In one embodiment of the invention, the control information required in each case is sent as a program, taking into account all transmitted system data and other settings. For this purpose, the relevant home appliance is mapped in particular on a corresponding virtual machine at the service provider in order to develop or compile the relevant program for the home appliance. The subject of such a program can be a counting loop, which triggers a start sequence in the household appliance in question in a defined, predetermined manner and that

Program in the home appliance thereby starts at a predetermined time. The device-internal control of the household appliance is designed so that it accepts this type of at least partial external control even beyond a start sequence.

The requests or messages from the domestic appliance are advantageously evaluated and / or collected by the service provider. From such a database, which grows steadily over time, differentiated customer profiles can be created and / or third-party use. Such individual customer profiles can be used for personal and / or situation-related advertising via the network.

The access of a domestic appliance or its connection to the distributed network can advantageously take place directly or indirectly. With indirect access that is

Home appliance, for example, connected to the distributed network via a local network, e.g. an HES. In the context of the present invention, the advantageous properties of local networks with an interconnection of different devices and their individual properties can thus be used in a household, for example as a network with partially shared use of the control information transmitted. Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, payment transactions, in particular with specially agreed conditions for use in a system according to the invention, are carried out via suitable devices of the local network, for example a computer. To contact the customer, the service provider hides a message e.g. on a display of a telephone, whereby it also activates a callback reservation. The customer then only has to lift the handset of the telephone and is automatically connected to the service provider, preferably via a service number free of charge for the customer. In this way, all further agreements on future payment processing can also be agreed once. Alternative devices in a household can also be a fax machine, a television or a PC with the corresponding individualized overlays.

In one embodiment of the invention, the Internet is provided as the global network, to which the domestic appliance can be connected via a telephone line. However, the domestic appliance is preferably connected to the service provider via the power line as a data connection. In the context of the present invention, the advantageous properties of other local networks with an interconnection of different devices in a household can also be used, for example an HES system as a cable or line-bound system. For example, only one connection and only one line system are required for the energy supply and access to the global network. Structural expansions in older households can thus be omitted, and household appliances according to the invention can be used universally anywhere in households. Alternatively, the home appliance can also be connected to a local network wirelessly, for example via radio or infrared data traffic. Especially with a wireless

In one embodiment of the invention, however, the home appliance can also exchange data by means of a radio link in the form of a long-distance connection with a service provider as the provider and / or operator of a distributed network. This fast direct connection can be used to bypass an alternative connection to a local data network, for example in order to relatively narrow a message

Transfer data content to a service provider faster. For this purpose, the service provider can also be contacted wirelessly directly from the household appliance, given the infrastructure.

With the interposition of a local network, personal and location-related data can also be combined in a very simple and secure manner with machine data of a message from a household appliance. This must e.g. then happen if a direct debit on an account has been agreed for a service of the service provider. In the case of concrete invoicing, a written statement must usually be sent to the customer, which is not easily possible if only one device number is known. The disclosure of personal information in particular is thus still in the hands of a customer through the choice of the design of a method according to the invention.

The control information transmitted via the network can be stored or processed in the household appliance and / or when the household appliance is connected to a local network in the household on another device. Permanent storage is not absolutely necessary, since the control information is generally used up after a program has been run once. After the program has run, a special situation to which control information is tailored is no longer available. The control information is therefore always updated. In connection with one of the above features of a preferred development of the invention, however, there is the possibility, with little or no additional equipment, that a service transmitted in addition to the control information, for example time information, is common to several household appliances connected to one another via a local network a household is transferred and shared by them. The evaluation can therefore take place in a different household appliance than the actual implementation. This results in a local system with a distributed system Control intelligence. According to this, it is preferred that the domestic appliance has a display for displaying the local time and / or remaining program time and / or additional information of the type specified below by way of example. The control of such a display can, however, be prepared by the control in a domestic appliance or other devices within the local network. Alternatively or additionally, a display can also be made within the local network on display devices of other household appliances.

A method according to the invention and a corresponding device create new and advantageous possibilities for transmitting control information into a household. In this way, in addition to the advantages taken up as examples above, effective contributions are made to lower the costs for the transmission of constantly updated information and its possible expansion within the scope described. The costs associated with the electronic creation or evaluation of the control information for the operator of a household appliance fall far behind that of conventional methods. It is always sufficient

Accessibility of the home appliance for the control information is largely ensured. In particular, there is no cost for sending printed information about special tariffs. Household appliances equipped with electronic controls can thus be started in the switched-on state by a start sequence which is sent by the service provider via the network to a specific domestic appliance. For this purpose, the home appliance requests a service by its message, which triggers the start sequence. The customer does not determine the cheapest time for starting a domestic appliance through the start sequence, but the customer leaves this decision to a service provider. The service provider sets this time according to a variety of optimization criteria and then triggers the start accordingly. For example, the start of a washing machine with energy-intensive operation can take place at a time when cheap electricity tariffs are charged. In addition, the cheapest electricity provider can be determined by the service provider. He can also process the billing only centrally for the electrical power consumed for the wash cycle as a process with energy requirements, i.e. in particular without contractual electricity supplier commitment in a procedure based on the "call by call" principle for each wash cycle with uniform overall invoicing. The entire planning and essential Parts of the registration and billing work or billing is used by the service provider Service provided to the customer. The customer saves money and is relieved of an extensive search and / or contracting, invoice processing and control.

Furthermore, modern washing machines are increasingly being equipped with a flow measurement. Thus, in the course of reporting a domestic appliance according to the invention, a planned or an actual water consumption and a corresponding amount of wastewater can be transmitted to the water supplier and the wastewater processor or the operator of a regionally responsible sewage treatment plant. They can calculate a price depending on the respective water pollution. Based on this data, particularly water-saving devices can be promoted through a special water price or the use of environmentally friendly detergents through special tariffs.

Finally, a method according to the invention also discloses new business areas for the manufacturer of home appliances according to the invention as a service agent or provider of the network and / or service provider, which is preferably available at any time. The necessary information is processed essentially in the form of electronic data, so that only a modern one is available to provide the control information

Server computer with an appropriate network is required.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are also explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. The drawing shows:

Figure 1 is a logic diagram for the basic representation of a control system according to the invention and

Figure 2: a sketched representation of a system of networked household appliances.

A system 1 according to the invention (FIG. 1) comprises a domestic appliance 2, which is located at a location A of an employee, that is to say with the operator of the domestic appliance 2 as a customer of the system 1. The domestic appliance 2 is connected via a global network 3 of a service intermediary 4 a computing unit 5 of a service provider 6, which is used to process a message 7 from the domestic appliance 2 and to send control information 8 ready. To establish contact between the customer at location A of the domestic appliance 2 and the service provider 6, a message 7 is sent from the domestic appliance 2 to the service provider 6 when the domestic appliance 2 prepared for starting is switched on. This message 7 contains an individual device number of the domestic appliance 2 as an address within the network 3, by means of which the domestic appliance 2 in question also clearly differs within a group of similar appliances without having to be known for its location A. The home appliance 2 can thus be addressed separately by the service provider 6 via the distributed network 3 for transmitting the control information 8.

The domestic appliance 2 sends the message 7 for requesting the control information 8 to the service provider 6 via the network 3. With the message 7, the domestic appliance 2 also sends current status information to the service provider 6, which then, together with the control information 8, carries out a calculation of an end time on the basis of the transmitted status information and carries out a comparison with the tariffs of different providers in the computing unit 5. A constant renewal of the tariff information and terms of use must therefore only be carried out centrally in a database belonging to the computer unit 5 of the service provider 6. The result in the form of a usage price is transmitted back to the domestic appliance 2 as an additional service 9 together with the control information 8. The selection of the energy supplier, the cost optimization through the use of a certain tariff during a period between the system start and the predetermined end time, a possible conclusion of a contract, etc. without direct involvement of the customer is only carried out on behalf of the service provider 6.

This entire service is subject to a fee for the customer, whereby all known billing models of a monthly flat rate, a subscription and a payment according to a usage tariff etc. come into consideration. However, the service provider 6 also finances its work by evaluating the current status information of a respective customer in order to provide the customer at location A with additional information 9 and product-specific information and advertising. Further messages 7 of the domestic appliance 2 improve the preparation of the advertising for the respective customer. In this way, a customer profile can be created, with individually tailored information or advertising on a display of the domestic appliance 2 is displayed. This advertising, also for third parties, finances the effort of the service provider 6 and can also be used to subsidize the actual service and / or the household appliance 2 when buying a new product.

Figure 2 shows a sketched representation of an information system 1 with various networked household appliances 2 in an exemplary illustrated household at location A. All of the schematically represented domestic appliances, such as e.g. Dishwasher 10, computer 11, telephone 12, or coffee machine, designed to send a message 7 via the network 3 to the service provider 6. In this case, the power supply line 13 is provided as the transmission path or global network 3 outside the household, to which each of the domestic appliances 2 must be connected for the supply of electrical energy. Each domestic appliance 2 is provided with an individual identifier, namely its individual appliance or manufacturing number as the address in the network 3. In this household, 2 control information 8 is received on each domestic appliance. A message 7 from one of the above-mentioned domestic appliances 2 automatically prompts the service provider 6 to select data corresponding to the appliance type and to send control information 8 and further information or services 9 to the customer at location A.

If the customer wants the dishwasher 10 to run at night in order to be able to use a cheaper electricity tariff, he specifies a specific washing program and switches on the domestic appliance 2. It is no longer necessary for the customer to select a start time, taking into account the current tariff structure of the suppliers, since the service provider 6 initiates the start by means of control information 8 via the network 3. The dishwasher 10 sends a message 7 with all the current status parameters of this domestic appliance 2 to the service provider 6, that is to say the degree of filling and the type of

Loading and the selected program. The dishwasher 10 receives the control information 8 as feedback. The start time is then set correctly, and an end time for this washing program is also shown on a display of the dishwasher 10.

However, if the liquid water softener in the dishwasher 10 almost runs out, so that it is only available in a small amount and sufficient for this selected program, this parameter has been sent to the service provider 6 together with the message 7. In addition to the lighting up of a corresponding operating display on the Dishwasher 10 itself, service provider 6 also automatically sends advertising information about recommended water softeners, their manufacturers, current price and national suppliers, etc., to dishwasher 10 from the database as service 9. This information is also shown on the display, which is structured in several lines as a plain text display. So even during normal operation or programming, the local time can be shown on the display together with a

The remaining program time and / or charge information for the dishwasher 10 are displayed.

The information system 1 shown is compatible with an already existing local network 14, so that, based on the local network 14, the services 9 are also displayed and / or reproduced with the sending of additional information to a home appliance 2, which the customer can select as desired. other electrical equipment at location A, in particular for billing purposes.

Three other special application and exemplary embodiments are described below without separate illustrations: 1. Energy billing per wash cycle

In the case of a washing machine, service provider 6 is informed of the washing program and the load in message 7. This can be done at the beginning or at the end of the wash cycle. An energy supplier automatically calculates the

Energy consumption, here laundry at 90 ° C + 4.5 kg load = 1.8 kWh and 1.8 kWh * X DM / kWh = billing price of an energy supplier. If information about an approximate energy requirement is sent in advance, the service provider 6 finds the currently cheapest electricity supplier from a number of competing providers for the customer and concludes a precisely defined electricity supply contract with this provider. The settlement price and any savings achieved by the service provider 6 are transmitted to the customer, for example at the end of the washing program, and are displayed on the household appliance 2 on a display device. The switching on and controlling of the domestic appliance 2 thus takes place on the basis of an interrelated exchange of information between the domestic appliance 2 and the service provider 6 for the benefit of the customer or user of the domestic appliance 2. The service provider 6 provides the customer with all the advantages of active energy management in one Household used, the service provider 6 a flat rate or, if the workload is higher, also a Have the customer contractually assure payment according to a tariff in advance.

2. Water / waste water billing per wash cycle

In washing machines, the amount of water per wash cycle can be calculated based on a flow measurement. The price may vary depending on the average water pollution or depending on the used

Detergents are formed, for example with regard to the environmental compatibility and / or degradability of the surfactants. The sewage suppliers can e.g. provide easily degradable detergents for their customers and charge a special price for washing machine wastewater. Alternatively, the detergent manufacturers can make the detergent available for a fee. Direct promotion of environmentally friendly devices can also take place in the course of supplying and billing individual consumption, since the devices of the customers or customers are known precisely on the basis of their identifier, which serves as the address. Here, too, the service provider acts as a link in interactive energy and resource management with energy and resource providers and an end user. The time control by the service provider also leads to an optimization of the utilization of the utilities and the achievement of price advantages for customers. For the customer, there is also a bill that can be broken down in detail or a billing of differentiated resource prices by the service provider in cooperation with several utilities.

3. Pyrolytic cleaning in the stove or oven

With this type of cleaning, heat build-up can be converted to ashes in a stove or oven, which can be easily removed or removed. Cleaning with the use of chemical agents or mechanically effective processes is thus no longer necessary. However, this type of cleaning requires relatively high temperatures and therefore also a lot of electrical power. Accordingly, such a measure is preferably applied using low-cost electricity tariffs, for example at night. In any case, the domestic appliance must have been released for pyrolytic cleaning beforehand in order to rule out incorrect operation. One possibility is to mechanically lock the household appliance until cleaning is complete, so that the household appliance is securely closed and no objects can be placed in a room to be cleaned in the meantime. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

system

Home appliance global network

service negotiator

computer unit

service provider

report

control information

Service

dishwasher

computer

phone

Power supply line local network

Location of the household appliance 2

Claims

claims

1. A method for controlling a domestic appliance, characterized in that a domestic appliance (2) is connected to a distributed network (3) and receives control information (8) via the network (3) from a service provider (6) and the control information (8 ) is evaluated and / or implemented at the location (A) of the household appliance (2).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that an individual device number of the respective household appliance (2) is used as an address within the network (3).

3. The method according to one or both of the preceding claims, characterized in that the household appliance (2) to a service provider (6) with a message (7) transmits basic information.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that current status parameters of the household appliance (2) are also sent in the message (7).

5. The method according to claim 3 and / or claim 4, characterized in that a message (7) from the domestic appliance (2) to a service provider (6) for sending control information (8) is sent.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the message (7) from the home appliance (2) prepared for start to the service provider

(6) is sent, especially when the household appliance (2) prepared for starting is switched on.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the start of the household appliance (2) by the control information (8) of the service provider (6) and / or by their transmission over the network (3) is triggered.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the control information (8) in addition to a start specification also parts of a control program and / or special settings of the control program of the household appliance (2) are included.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control information (8) a special time implementation of

Program parts is effected, the implementation of which, for example, requires a particularly large amount of electrical power.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that with the control information (8) a time information with a complete time and / or of pulses for time update is transmitted to the home appliance (2).

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least part of the home appliance control tasks outside the home appliance (2) in a central computer (5) connected to the network (3)

Service provider (6), preferably a neural network, prepared and / or executed and transmitted to the household appliance (2) via the control information (8) becomes.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control information (8) is executed as a time control in the household appliance (2) for using optimal tariff conditions.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the respectively required control information (8) developed as a program, taking into account all transmitted system data and other settings, in particular under mapping on a corresponding virtual machine at the service provider (3), and the relevant one Program is sent to the home appliance (2).

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the requirements or messages of the domestic appliance (2) are evaluated and / or collected by the service provider in order to create differentiated customer profiles for own and / or third-party use and / or individual and / or send situation-related advertising over the network (3).

15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the access of a domestic appliance (2) or its connection to the distributed network (3) as a global network takes place directly or indirectly, in particular via a local one

Network (14), for example an HES or a similar system.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for a respective process with energy requirements without contractual

The cheapest electricity supplier is determined and the billing for each of these processes is based on the electrical power consumed by the service provider (6), in particular in a process based on the “call by Cair principle.

17. Device for controlling a domestic appliance, characterized in that a domestic appliance (2) is connected to a distributed network (3) and for receiving control information (8) from a service provider (6) from the

Network (3) and the evaluation and / or direct implementation.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the household appliance (2) is equipped with an electronic control.

19. Device according to one of the preceding claims 17 and 18, characterized in that the domestic appliance (2) is designed to start a program by the control information (8) of the service provider (6).

20. Device according to one of the preceding claims 17 to 19, characterized in that the device-internal control of the household appliance (2) is designed such that it accepts a type of at least partial external control by program elements which via the control information (8) of the Service provider (6) were created and sent individually.

21. Device according to one of the preceding claims 17 to 20, characterized in that the domestic appliance has a display for displaying local time and / or remaining program time and / or additional information.

22. Device according to one of the preceding claims 17 to 21, characterized in that a global network and in particular the Internet is provided as the network (3), with which the household appliance (2) is preferably connected via a telephone line.

23. Device according to one of the preceding claims 17 to 22, characterized in that the domestic appliance (2) is connected via a power supply line (13) as a data line to the service provider (6).

24. Device according to one of the preceding claims 17 to 23, characterized in that the household appliance (2) is connected directly via a wireless data connection to a service provider (4) or the service provider (6).

25. Device according to one of the preceding claims 17 to 24, characterized in that the domestic appliance (2) with the interposition of a local area network (14), in particular an HES system, is connected to the global network (3).

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that the local network (14) for combining the machine data of a message (7) of a domestic appliance (2) with personal and location-related data is designed, in particular for the delivery of data which Billing and / or preparation of a written invoice for the services provided and / or further charged by the service provider (6) are provided.

27. System for controlling a domestic appliance, characterized in that - a domestic appliance (2) according to a method according to one or more of the

Claims 1-16 and / or as a device according to one or more of claims 17-26 and is connected via a network (3) of a service intermediary (4) to a computing unit (5) of a service provider (6).