Domestic appliance, system comprising a domestic appliance and method for operating a domestic appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12064072-B2
Application number	US-202017640377-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2020
Priority date	Sep 9, 2019
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

A household appliance includes a control device configured to carry out a treatment program from a plurality of treatment programs, with each of the plurality of treatment programs being determined by a plurality of program parameters, an output unit configured to output a feedback survey in accordance with a feedback cycle to a user of the household appliance, and an adjustment unit configured to adjust the feedback cycle depending on a user feedback detected by an input means.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A household appliance, comprising:
a control device configured to carry out a treatment program from a plurality of treatment programs, each of the plurality of treatment programs being determined by a plurality of program parameters;
an output unit configured to output a feedback survey in accordance with a feedback cycle to a user of the household appliance, wherein the feedback cycle is a period of time between consecutive output of the feedback survey by the output unit; and
an adjustment unit configured to adjust the feedback cycle depending on a user feedback detected by an input means.

2. The household appliance of claim 1 , constructed in the form of a water-conducting household appliance.

3. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit is configured to automatically extend the feedback cycle for feedback with a positive content detected by the input means or to offer the user an extension of the feedback cycle via an output by the output unit.

4. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit is configured to automatically reduce the feedback cycle for feedback with a negative content detected by the input means or to offer the user a reduction of the feedback cycle via an output by the output unit.

5. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit is configured to adjust the feedback cycle depending on the user feedback detected by the input means and depending on data detected during use of the household appliance.

6. The household appliance of claim 4 , wherein the data detected during use of the household appliance comprises:
data about device settings of the household appliance,
data about treatment programs carried out,
data about user inputs made before or during the treatment programs carried out and detected by the input means,
an assessment history comprising a plurality of user feedbacks detected by the input means during the treatment programs carried out, and/or
at least one sensor signal or a series of sensor signals of a number of sensors built into the household appliance.

7. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit is configured to adapt a content of the feedback survey depending on the detected user feedback.

8. The household appliance of claim 7 , wherein the adjustment unit is configured to adapt a content of the feedback survey depending on the detected user feedback and depending on data detected during use of the household appliance.

9. The household appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a memory facility configured to store a series of a plurality of user feedbacks detected by the input means for a series of executed treatment programs, with each of the detected user feedback assigned to a corresponding one of the executed treatment programs being stored.

10. The household appliance of claim 9 , wherein the memory facility is configured to store the plurality of treatment programs in the form of an N-dimensional matrix, with matrix elements of the matrix being assigned to the plurality of treatment programs in one-to-one correspondence, wherein the matrix elements are each determinable from a plurality of specified N-dimensional input vectors.

11. The household appliance of claim 10 , further comprising:
a selection unit configured to interpret the user feedback detected by the input means for changing at least one of the program parameters and to select one of the specified N-dimensional input vectors depending on the interpreted feedback; and
a determination unit configured to determine a respective one of the matrix elements from the matrix using the selected one of the input vectors,
wherein the control device is configured to carry out the treatment program assigned to the respective one of the matrix elements.

12. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit is configured to adjust the feedback cycle depending on an emotional state of the user detected by an emotion detection unit.

13. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the input means is an integral part of the household appliance, said input means configured in at least one of two ways, a first way in which the input means includes a speech dialog system configured to detect the user feedback in the form of speech inputs as responses of the user to feedback questions of the feedback survey generated by the speech dialog system, a second way in which the input means includes a touch-sensitive display configured to detect the user feedback in the form of display inputs as responses of the user to feedback questions output by the display.

14. A system, comprising:
a household appliance comprising a control device configured to carry out a treatment program from a plurality of treatment programs, each of the plurality of treatment programs being determined by a plurality of program parameters, an output unit configured to output a feedback survey in accordance with a feedback cycle to a user of the household appliance, wherein the feedback cycle is a period of time between consecutive output of the feedback survey by the output unit, and an adjustment unit configured to adjust the feedback cycle depending on a user feedback detected by an input means; and
a facility external to the household appliance,
wherein the input means is embodied as an App installed on the external facility.

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Miller Daniel
• Paintner Kai
• Rommel Alexander
• Scheck Katharina
• Riehl Helena
• Meyer Manuel
• Heckes Matthias
• Hüdig Matthias

Classifications

• A47L2501/30

  Regulation of machine operational steps within the washing process, e.g. performing an additional rinsing phase, shortening or stopping of the drying phase, washing at decreased noise operation conditions · CPC title

• A47L2401/34

  Other automatic detections · CPC title

• A47L2301/08

  Other manual input · CPC title

• A47L15/46

  Devices for the automatic control of the different phases of cleaning {; Controlling devices (A47L15/449 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A47L15/4293

  Arrangements for programme selection, e.g. control panels; Indication of the selected programme, programme progress or other parameters of the programme, e.g. by using display panels · CPC title