DE102023203888A1 - Household appliance with magnetically attachable attachment unit, system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a household appliance (1), having at least one fastening surface (4) provided on a user-accessible side (3A) of a non-metallic wall (3), wherein at least one magnet (6) acting through the wall (3) and at least one transformer coil (8) that can be supplied with current by means of the household appliance (1) are arranged on a side of the wall (3) facing away from the fastening surface (4), and wherein the household appliance (1) is designed so that it cannot be operated with respect to the fastening surface (4). The invention also relates to a system (1, 2) with a household appliance (1) and at least one non-operating attachment unit (2), which has at least one magnetic component (9), at least one transformer coil (10) and at least one functional component (11 - 14) that can be supplied with electrical power via the transformer coil (10), wherein when the attachment unit (2) is fastened to the fastening surface (4), when the at least one transformer coil (8) of the household appliance (1) is energized, an electrical voltage can be induced in the at least one transformer coil (10) of the attachment unit (2), by means of which voltage its at least one functional component (11 - 14) can be supplied with electrical power. The invention is particularly advantageously applicable to refrigerators, especially wine refrigerators, with at least one temperature sensor that is magnetically attached in a treatment chamber.

Description

The invention relates to a household appliance, having at least one fastening surface provided on a side of a non-metallic wall accessible to the user, wherein at least one magnet acting through the wall and at least one transformer coil that can be energized by the household appliance are arranged on a side of the wall facing away from the fastening surface. The invention also relates to a system with such a household appliance and at least one attachment unit that has at least one magnetic component, at least one transformer coil and at least one functional component that can be supplied with electrical power via the transformer coil, wherein the attachment unit can be magnetically coupled to the at least one magnet of the household appliance by means of the at least one magnetic component such that it can be magnetically detachably fastened to the fastening surface, and wherein when the attachment unit is fastened to the fastening surface and the at least one transformer coil of the household appliance is energized, an electrical voltage can be induced in the at least one transformer coil of the attachment unit, by means of which its at least one functional component can be supplied with electrical power. The invention further relates to a method for operating the system, in which at least one attachment unit is placed magnetically on at least one fastening surface and, when placed, energy is transferred from the transformer coil of the household appliance to the transformer coil of the attachment unit and the at least one functional component is supplied with electrical energy by the transformer coil of the attachment unit. The invention is particularly advantageously applicable to refrigerators, especially wine refrigerators, with at least one temperature sensor that is magnetically attached in a treatment chamber.

US 6,786,058 B2 discloses a control device for an electrical household appliance. The control device has an interface configured to enable a user to set or modify parameters of one or more operating elements of the appliance through a command and control circuit in communication with the appliance. The interface comprises one or more selectors arranged to enable setting or modification of the parameters of the appliance. The selectors are connected to an electrical resonant circuit arranged to generate or respond to a high frequency signal in a modifiable manner representing the setting or modification effected by the user. The signal is also detected by a sensor associated with the command and control circuit, enabling the command and control circuit to suitably set or modify the parameters of the operating elements for the controlled operation of the electrical household appliance.

US 7 404 298 B2 discloses a refrigerator having an outer casing defining an external appearance of the refrigerator, a connector detachably mounted on the outer casing for controlling the refrigerator, a power supply device on a side of the outer casing for receiving power from outside the refrigerator, converting it into a predetermined charging power and supplying it to the terminal, and an electrical connection part connected between the power supply device and the terminal.

US 2015/0211783 A1 discloses a refrigerator comprising a storage compartment, a door that opens and closes a front opening of the storage compartment, a terminal mounting part arranged on a front side of the door so that a portable information terminal is detachably mounted thereon, and a terminal power supply part that supplies power to the portable information terminal when the portable information terminal is mounted on the terminal mounting part.

It is the object of the present invention to at least partially overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular to provide an improved possibility of flexibly setting up household appliances.

This object is achieved according to the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments can be found in particular in the dependent claims.

The object is achieved by a household appliance, having at least one fastening surface provided on a user-accessible side of a non-metallic wall, wherein at least one magnet acting through the wall and at least one coil (“transformer coil”) that can be energized by means of the household appliance are arranged on a side of the wall facing away from the fastening surface.

This household appliance has the advantage that, by providing the mounting surface, electrically operated units (“attachment units”) with basically any function can be detachably attached to it and then supplied with electrical energy wirelessly. The position of a mounting surface is practically only limited by the accessibility of a user. The advantage is that there is no time limitation on the provision of the attachment unit on the mounting surface due to a lack of energy.

• - über die Befestigungsfläche sind keine Steuerbefehle für das Haushaltsgerät empfangbar;
• - über die Befestigungsfläche sind keine Betriebsmodi des Haushaltsgeräts einstellbar (z.B. energiesparende Kühlung, Schnellkühlung, bestimmte Kühlzonen, usw.);
• - über die Befestigungsfläche sind keine Funktionseinheiten des Haushaltsgeräts aktivierbar oder deaktivierbar.

The fact that the household appliance is "designed to be non-operable with respect to the fastening surface" includes in particular that the household appliance cannot be operated via the fastening surface or the components of the household appliance arranged on the opposite side of the wall. This in turn can include one or more of the following properties:

• - no control commands for the household appliance can be received via the mounting surface;
• - no operating modes of the household appliance can be set via the mounting surface (e.g. energy-saving cooling, rapid cooling, certain cooling zones, etc.);
• - No functional units of the household appliance can be activated or deactivated via the mounting surface.

The household appliance is an electrically operated household appliance, e.g. a large household appliance or a small household appliance. The household appliance is in particular not accessories such as cooking utensils (pans, pots, etc.), food containers, etc.

The fact that the fastening surface is an area on a user-accessible side includes in particular that a user can reach it without tools.

The wall can be a wall of an outer casing or body. The wall can additionally or alternatively be a wall of an interior of the household appliance. The side accessible to the user can then be in particular the outside of the outer casing, a side facing the interior, etc.

The fact that the wall is non-metallic for magnetic (or generally permeable to magnetic or electromagnetic alternating radiation) has the advantage that electromagnetic fields can penetrate it, e.g. a magnetic field created by the at least one magnet, for example for magnetically fastening an attachment unit on the other side, and an electromagnetic (induction) field generated by the transformer coil, for example for supplying the attachment unit via the transformer or induction effect. The wall can be made of plastic, for example. The fact that the wall is non-metallic can in particular mean that the wall is non-metallic in the area of the fastening surface. Otherwise it can be metallic or partially metallic. However, the wall can also be completely non-metallic.

It is a further development that the fastening surface is not specially marked for the user. This can create a particularly high-quality impression. It is a further development that the fastening surface is marked for the user. This makes it easier for the user to arrange the fastening surface. The marking can be achieved in a further development by shaping the wall on the fastening surface, for example by embossing. It is a further development that the fastening surface is visually highlighted, e.g. by a border, a different surface texture compared to its surroundings, color, pattern, etc.

The at least one magnet can be a permanent magnet or an electromagnet.

The transformer coil can also be referred to as a primary coil and is particularly intended to be coupled to a transformer coil (secondary coil) of an attached add-on unit by transformer or induction.

It is a further development that the household appliance has exactly one such fastening surface. This is advantageously particularly clear for a user. It is a further development that the household appliance has several such fastening surfaces. This advantageously enables a particularly flexible and varied setup of the household appliance.

One embodiment is that the wall is a wall of a treatment chamber of the household appliance. This advantageously allows the treatment chamber or its contents to be monitored particularly flexibly. The treatment chamber can be, for example, a cooking chamber, a cooling chamber, a laundry treatment room, a dishwashing room, etc.

One embodiment is such that the at least one magnet and the at least one transformer coil are arranged in a backing part of the household appliance, which is attached to the side facing away from the wall. This enables particularly simple assembly of magnet(s) and transformer coil(s). The backing part can, for example, have a metallic wall, which is advantageous in order to prevent or at least suppress the emission of interference radiation into the household appliance.

It is a further development that the household appliance has an antenna at least for receiving of wireless data signals. which is intended to receive at least data. A receiver, transmitter or transceiver circuit can be connected to the antenna for this purpose.

One embodiment is that the antenna is arranged on the side of the wall facing away from the mounting surface. This has the advantage that data can be exchanged with an attached attachment unit through the mounting surface using short-range methods such as transformer coupling, e.g. via NFC, e.g. data can be received by the attachment unit, sent to the attachment unit, or both. Another advantage is that there is little crosstalk from jammers. Another development is that the antenna and, if applicable, the circuit is arranged in the back part.

However, the antenna can also be arranged somewhere other than on or in the area of the mounting surface. This advantageously enables a particularly flexible arrangement. A further advantage is that data can then also be exchanged with other entities via the antenna, e.g. with a user device, especially a mobile one, such as a smartphone, tablet, etc.

The antenna can be a component of a communication device, in particular a communication module, of the household appliance, which can then have, for example, a receiver, transmitter or transceiver circuit connected to the antenna.

The antenna or the communication device can, for example, exchange data via radio (e.g. Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.), generally wirelessly.

The received data can, for example, be processed by the household appliance, e.g. used as actual data for a control or regulation system.

It is a further development that the household appliance is network-capable. Data received by the antenna can then be fed into a network, e.g. the Internet, via the household appliance and can be accessed by a user via a user terminal, for example.

One embodiment is that the household appliance is a refrigeration appliance, e.g. a refrigerator, a freezer or a combination of these. The treatment room is then a cold room.

One design feature is that the household appliance is a wine refrigerator. This is particularly advantageous because it is particularly important that the atmosphere in the refrigerator compartment can be precisely adjusted over the long term, often differently in different zones of the refrigerator compartment. The exact setting also depends on the placement of the wine bottle(s).

The household appliance can alternatively be, for example, an oven with a cooking chamber, a laundry care appliance such as a washing machine and/or a tumble dryer, a dishwashing appliance such as a dishwasher, etc.

• - die Aufsatzeinheit mindestens ein magnetisches Bauteil, mindestens eine Transformatorspule und mindestens eine über die Transformatorspule mit elektrischer Leistung versorgbare Funktionskomponente aufweist, wobei
• - die Aufsatzeinheit mittels des mindestens einen magnetischen Bauteils so mit dem mindestens einen Magneten des Haushaltsgerät magnetisch koppelbar ist, dass sie an der Befestigungsfläche magnetisch lösbar befestigbar ist, wobei
• - bei Befestigung der Aufsatzeinheit an der Befestigungsfläche bei Bestromung der mindestens einen Transformatorspule des Haushaltsgeräts in der mindestens einen Transformatorspule der Aufsatzeinheit eine elektrische Spannung induzierbar ist, mittels der ihre mindestens eine Funktionskomponente mit elektrischer Leistung versorgbar ist.

The object is also achieved by a system with a household appliance as described above and with at least one attachment unit designed to be non-operating with respect to the household appliance, wherein

• - the attachment unit has at least one magnetic component, at least one transformer coil and at least one functional component that can be supplied with electrical power via the transformer coil, wherein
• - the attachment unit can be magnetically coupled to the at least one magnet of the household appliance by means of the at least one magnetic component in such a way that it can be magnetically detachably attached to the attachment surface, whereby
• - when the attachment unit is fastened to the fastening surface, when the at least one transformer coil of the household appliance is energized, an electrical voltage can be induced in the at least one transformer coil of the attachment unit, by means of which voltage its at least one functional component can be supplied with electrical power.

The system can be designed analogously to the household appliance, and vice versa, and has the same advantages.

• - die Aufsatzeinheit keine Steuerbefehle an das Haushaltsgerät überträgt;
• - über die Aufsatzeinheit keine Betriebsmodi des Haushaltsgeräts (z.B. energiesparende Kühlung, Schnellkühlung, bestimmte Kühlzonen, usw.) einstellbar sind;
• - über die Aufsatzeinheit keine Funktionseinheiten des Haushaltsgeräts aktivierbar oder deaktivierbar sind;
• - die Aufsatzeinheit keinen Ersatz für eine Bedienoberfläche des Haushaltsgeräts darstellt;
• - das Haushaltsgerät über eigenständige Bedienschnittstellen (z.B. eine Bedienblende, ein auf einem Nutzerendgerät ablaufendes Applikationsprogramm, usw.) vollumfänglich bedienbar ist.

The fact that the attachment unit is “not designed to operate the household appliance” includes in particular that the household appliance cannot be operated via the attachment unit, i.e. it is not an operating unit for the household appliance. This in turn can include that

• - the attachment unit does not transmit control commands to the household appliance;
• - no operating modes of the household appliance (e.g. energy-saving cooling, rapid cooling, specific cooling zones, etc.) can be set via the add-on unit;
• - no functional units of the household appliance can be activated or deactivated via the attachment unit;
• - the attachment unit is not a substitute for a user interface of the household appliance;
• - the household appliance can be fully operated via independent operating interfaces (e.g. a control panel, an application program running on a user terminal, etc.).

The attachment unit is in particular a unit that can be handled uniformly by a user, e.g. in the form of a module or electrically operated accessory.

The magnetic component can be a ferromagnetic component, i.e. a component with ferromagnetic properties. It can, for example, contain iron, cobalt and/or nickel or any combination thereof, also as an alloy. The magnetic component can be a permanent magnet. The at least one magnetic component can be a permanent or ferromagnetic material volume, e.g. a ring, a group of permanent magnets, etc. When attached to the mounting surface, the magnetic component is magnetically attracted by the corresponding magnet of the household appliance and the attachment unit is then held to the mounting surface with such a force that it can be removed again by a user without difficulty.

The at least one secondary or transformer coil of the attachment unit can be coupled inductively or transformator-wise to the corresponding primary or transformer coil of the household appliance at the latest when it is attached to the fastening surface, so that the at least one functional component connected to it can be supplied with electrical power.

It is a further development that the induction voltage applied to the secondary coil is shaped before it is applied to the at least one functional component, e.g. rectified and/or smoothed. For this purpose, for example, a bridge circuit and/or a smoothing capacitor can be present between the terminals of the secondary coil and the terminals of the at least one functional component.

• - Sensor,
• - Informationsanzeige,
• - Bedienelement,
• - Kommunikationseinrichtung,
• - RFID-Leseeinrichtung,
• - Beleuchtungseinrichtung,
• - Energiespeicher,
• - Elektronik,
• - Schalter

umfasst bzw. ist. Dies umfasst, dass auch mehrere artgleiche Funktionskomponenten vorhanden sein können, z.B. mehrere Sensoren, beispielsweise zum Messen unterschiedlicher Stoffe oder Zustände, mehrere Bedienelemente, usw. Es ist eine Weiterbildung, dass die Aufsatzeinheit ein oder mehrere der obigen Funktionskomponenten nicht aufweist, z.B. keine Informationsanzeige und/oder kein BedienelementIt is an embodiment that the at least one functional component comprises at least one component from the group

• - Sensor,
• - information display,
• - control element,
• - communication device,
• - RFID reader,
• - lighting equipment,
• - energy storage,
• - Electronics,
• - Switch

This includes that several functional components of the same type can be present, e.g. several sensors, for example for measuring different substances or conditions, several operating elements, etc. It is a further development that the attachment unit does not have one or more of the above functional components, e.g. no information display and/or no operating element

• - Temperatursensor,
• - Feuchtigkeitssensor,
• - pH-Sensor,
• - Sauerstoffsensor,
• - optischer Sensor,
• - chemischer Sensor

umfasst, ist aber nicht darauf beschränkt. Der Temperatursensor kann ein Temperaturfühler oder ein IR-Sensor, insbesondere IR-Kamera, sein. Der optische Sensor kann eine Kamera sein. Der Sensor kann auch eine Kombination der obigen Sensoren sein, z.B. ein Spektrometer auf Basis einer kombinierten optischen/IR-Kamera. Der chemische Sensor ist insbesondere dazu eingerichtet, ein oder mehrere chemische Stoffe oder Stoffverbindungen zu detektieren. Es ist eine Weiterbildung, dass die Aufsatzeinheit keinen Sensor aufweist, also sensorlos ausgebildet ist.It is a further development that the at least one sensor has at least one sensor from the group

• - temperature sensor,
• - humidity sensor,
• - pH sensor,
• - oxygen sensor,
• - optical sensor,
• - chemical sensor

includes, but is not limited to, the following. The temperature sensor can be a temperature sensor or an IR sensor, in particular an IR camera. The optical sensor can be a camera. The sensor can also be a combination of the above sensors, e.g. a spectrometer based on a combined optical/IR camera. The chemical sensor is in particular designed to detect one or more chemical substances or substance compounds. It is a further development that the attachment unit does not have a sensor, i.e. is designed to be sensorless.

It is a further development that the at least one information display comprises a screen display, whereby even more complex information can be displayed particularly easily. The screen display can be, for example, a segment display, e.g. 7-segment display, a liquid crystal display or a touch-sensitive display or touchscreen. The at least one information display can alternatively or additionally have one or more indicator lights, e.g., in particular, different colored lamps or LEDs. By means of the at least one information display, in particular Display data and states of the attachment unit, e.g. display sensor data, output error messages, etc. It is a further development that the attachment unit has no screen display and/or no indicator light, in particular no information display, i.e. is designed without a display.

It is a further development that the at least one control element has one or more buttons, e.g. micro buttons or sensor buttons. The at least one control element can additionally or alternatively be a touchscreen. Using the at least one control element, the attachment unit can in particular be adjusted, e.g. reset, check its status, etc. It is a further development that the attachment unit has no buttons, i.e. is designed to be buttonless.

It is a further development that the at least one communication device is set up for wireless and/or wired communication with an entity external to the attachment unit. It can comprise, for example, a USB module, a Bluetooth module and/or a WiFi module. If the communication device is a wireless communication device, it can have a corresponding antenna.

The external instance can be the household appliance, an accessory that can be coupled to it, such as a core temperature sensor, etc., and/or an instance that is also external to the household appliance, e.g. a mobile user device such as a smartphone, a tablet, etc. If the external instance is the household appliance, data generated by the attachment unit, in particular sensor data, can be transmitted to the household appliance, which can then control its operation, e.g. by using the data as input data for a control or regulation system, e.g. temperature control.

Alternatively or additionally, certain functional units such as a lighting device, an RFID reader, etc. can be optionally switched on and off or activated and deactivated via the household appliance, etc.

It is generally a design that the at least one functional component comprises a communication device that is set up to exchange data wirelessly through the wall, e.g. via Bluetooth, NFC, etc., at least when the attachment unit is attached to the attachment surface with the household appliance, in particular via its antenna. It is a further development that the functional component is in the form of at least one transmitter. Alternatively, the communication device can be in the form of at least one receiver and/or at least one transceiver.

It is a further development that the at least one communication device has a coil for transformer coupling with a corresponding coil of the household appliance, via which data can be transmitted unidirectionally or bidirectionally between the household appliance and the add-on unit. These communication coils then serve as antennas. The communication coils can be different coils from the transformer coils that transmit the operating power for the add-on unit. However, the communication coils can also correspond to the transformer coils that transmit the operating power for the add-on unit, for example by amplitude and/or frequency modulating the power transmission signal with data information. This further development can be implemented particularly compactly and inexpensively.

It is a development that the at least one lighting device is designed to illuminate a display device of the attachment unit, e.g. a display of the attachment unit. It is a development that the lighting device is designed to illuminate a treatment room of the household appliance, for example in the sense of general lighting, in particular with white light, or in the sense of decorative lighting with - possibly also changing - colored light. It is a development that the lighting device is designed or can be controlled to serve as a flash light, which is particularly advantageous if a picture of the contents of the treatment room is to be taken. The lighting device can in particular comprise one or more LEDs.

In one embodiment, the at least one electrical energy storage device is an energy storage device that can be recharged via the at least one transformer coil of the attachment unit. This is particularly simple and user-friendly. In another embodiment, the at least one energy storage device comprises or is a rechargeable battery or capacitor. The energy storage device can also comprise charging electronics for controlling a charging process. The provision of the energy storage device is particularly advantageous in order to be able to use or operate the attachment unit even when it is removed from the mounting surface, for example in order to read the display device, make settings using the operating elements, etc.

However, the at least one energy storage device can in principle also be a non-rechargeable battery that can be replaced by a user, e.g. a button cell or a AAA battery. In a further development, the at least one electrical energy storage device can be an energy storage device that can be recharged via an electrical connection of the attachment unit.

It is a further development that the at least one electronic unit has a data processing device such as a microcontroller, ASIC, FPGA, A/D converter. The electronic unit can be hard-wired and/or programmable. It is a further development that the electronic unit is assigned a permanently programmed or freely programmable data memory, e.g. for storing sensor data, states, settings, programs, etc.

It is a further development that the at least one switch is designed to be blocking when not energized and to be conductive when energized. This has the advantage that battery power can be saved when the attachment unit is removed if an energy storage device is present. Instead of or in addition to a switch connected to the secondary coil, a switch, in particular a magnetic switch, can also be present in the attachment unit for the same purpose, which changes its state mechanically or magnetically when put on, e.g. from blocking to conductive.

• - als reine Energieversorgung für eine daran befestigte Aufsatzeinheit. Die Aufsatzeinheit kann optional dazu vorgesehen sein, zu kommunizieren, aber nicht durch die Befestigungsfläche. Dies kann umfassen, dass die Aufsatzeinheit über die Befestigungsfläche mit elektrischer Energie versorgt wird und auch mit dem Haushaltsgerät kommuniziert, aber die Kommunikation nicht durch die Befestigungsfläche erfolgt, sondern z.B. über eine davon getrennt positionierte Antenne des Haushaltsgeräts.
• - als Energieversorgung und Kommunikationsschnittstelle für die Aufsatzeinheit.

The mounting surface can therefore be used and/or set up as follows:

• - as a pure power supply for an attached add-on unit. The add-on unit can optionally be designed to communicate, but not through the mounting surface. This can include the add-on unit being supplied with electrical power via the mounting surface and also communicating with the household appliance, but the communication not taking place through the mounting surface, but rather, for example, via a separately positioned antenna of the household appliance.
• - as a power supply and communication interface for the attachment unit.

The attachment unit can, for example, be used as a pure sensor unit and/or be configured to transmit sensor data wirelessly, in particular to the household appliance, alternatively or additionally to at least one other instance such as a network or directly to a mobile user terminal.

In particular, a system can then be included comprising a wine refrigerator with several locally distributed fastening surfaces on the wall of its cooling chamber/wine storage room, which only serve for the supply of energy, and comprising an attachment unit which is only designed as a temperature sensor, which can be attached to a respective fastening surface and supplied with electrical energy via it and which is designed to transmit temperature data measured by it, possibly after processing such as A/D conversion, etc., to the wine refrigerator.

If the household appliance is a wine refrigerator, for example, there can be several locally distributed fastening surfaces on the side of the wall/inner liner facing the cooling compartment, to which a user can attach an electrical temperature sensor unit with a temperature sensor and a Bluetooth or WiFi communication module. This is particularly advantageous because the storage temperature of wine should be recorded particularly precisely in order to enable optimal storage. The closer the temperature sensor unit can be positioned to the wine bottle(s), the more accurate the temperature determination at the location of the wine bottle(s). The temperature sensor can then send the measured temperature via Bluetooth, WiFi, etc., e.g. to the wine refrigerator and/or to a user's end device and/or directly to a router in a network.

• - mindestens eine Aufsatzeinheit auf mindestens eine Befestigungsfläche magnetisch haftend aufgesetzt wird und
• - mit dem Aufsetzen Energie von der Transformatorspule des Haushaltsgeräts auf die Transformatorspule der Aufsatzeinheit transformatorisch übertragen wird und
• - die mindestens eine Funktionskomponente von der Transformatorspule der Aufsatzeinheit mit elektrischer Energie versorgt wird.

The object is also achieved by a method for operating a system as described above, in which

• - at least one attachment unit is magnetically attached to at least one mounting surface and
• - when it is put on, energy is transferred from the transformer coil of the household appliance to the transformer coil of the attachment unit and
• - at least one functional component is supplied with electrical energy from the transformer coil of the attachment unit.

The method can be designed analogously to the household appliance and/or to the system, and vice versa, and has the same advantages.

The above-described properties, features and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more readily understood in connection with the following schematic description of an embodiment, which is explained in more detail in connection with the drawings.

1 shows a section in side view of a system 1, 2 with a household appliance in the form of a refrigerator 1 - in particular a wine refrigerator - with an attached attachment unit in the form of a sensor module 2.

The refrigerator 1 has a non-metallic wall in the form of a so-called inner liner 3 made of plastic, which encloses a treatment space in the form of a cooling chamber K. The inner liner 3 can be present in the body or, in particular in the case of a conventional refrigerator, but usually not in the case of a wine refrigerator, on the inside of at least one door. On the side 3A of the inner liner 3 that is accessible to the user and faces the cooling chamber K, there is a fastening surface 4 to which the sensor module 2 can be attached in a magnetically detachable manner. The fastening surface 4 can be highlighted by shaping or optically.

For this purpose, a backing part 5 is attached to the side 3B of the inner liner 3 facing away from the fastening surface 4 and thus the cooling chamber K, in which at least one magnet 6 (here, for example, a ring magnet) and a primary (transformer) coil 8 that can be powered by the refrigerator 1 via corresponding electrical lines 7 are arranged or housed. The backing part 5 is thus located in the area between the inner liner 3 and the outer casing or between the inner liner 3 and the outside of a door that is not accessible and cannot be seen by a user. An independent antenna (not shown) can also be housed in the backing part 5, at least for receiving wireless data signals through the inner liner 3; alternatively, the primary coil 8 can also serve as a data coil. A transmitting, receiving or transceiver circuit can also be accommodated in the backing part 5, which can be connected to the independent antenna or the primary coil 8, e.g. for signal modulation and/or demodulation.

The sensor module 2 has a ferromagnetic ring, e.g. made of iron or steel, as a magnetic component 9, which lies opposite the magnet 6 when the sensor module 2 is placed on the mounting surface 4 and is magnetically attracted by it. The sensor module 2 also has a secondary (transformer) coil 10, which is coupled inductively or transformer-like to the primary coil 8 at the latest when the sensor module 2 is placed on the mounting surface 4 (possibly even at a short distance of a few centimeters). If the coupling is present and the primary coil 8 is energized in particular with an alternating current, electrically operated functional components can be supplied with electrical power from the secondary coil 10. For this purpose, the terminal voltage of the secondary coil 10 can optionally be rectified and/or smoothed.

• - ein Temperatursensor 11 zum Abfühlen einer modulexternen Temperatur, z.B. hier der Temperatur des Kühlraums K;
• - ein LCD-Display 12, z.B. zum Anzeigen der durch den Temperatursensor 11 gemessenen Temperatur;
• - ein Bluetooth-Modul 13 zum Kommunizieren von Daten, beispielsweise der durch den Temperatursensor 11 gemessenen Temperatur, über Bluetooth (allg.: über Funk);
• - eine wiederaufladbare Batterie 14, ggf. mit zugehöriger Ladeelektronik (o. Abb.).

The following functional components are available as examples:

• - a temperature sensor 11 for sensing a temperature external to the module, e.g. here the temperature of the cooling chamber K;
• - an LCD display 12, e.g. for displaying the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 11;
• - a Bluetooth module 13 for communicating data, for example the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 11, via Bluetooth (generally: via radio);
• - a rechargeable battery 14, if necessary with associated charging electronics (not shown).

When the sensor module 2 is placed on the fastening surface 4, if there is no rechargeable battery 14 or if it is empty, the functional elements 11 to 13 are activated by supplying them with energy, otherwise the battery 14 is charged or kept charged with already activated functional components 11 to 13. Optionally, by placing it on the fastening surface 4, at least one switch, in particular a magnetic switch, can be closed, which activates all or selectively some of the functional components 11 to 13. This can, for example, advantageously help to save battery power when the sensor module 2 is removed.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown.

In general, “a”, “an”, etc. can be understood to mean a singular or a plural, in particular in the sense of “at least one” or “one or more”, etc., unless this is explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression “exactly one”, etc.

A numerical value may also include the exact number stated as well as a usual tolerance range, as long as this is not explicitly excluded.

list of reference symbols

1

Refrigerator

2

sensor module

3

innerliner

3A

Side of the inner liner 3 facing the cooling chamber K

3B

Side of the inner liner 3 facing away from the cooling chamber K

4

mounting surface

5

backing part

6

magnet

7

Electrical line

8

primary coil

9

Magnetic component

10

secondary coil

11

temperature sensor

12

LCD display

13

Bluetooth module

14

battery

K

cold storage room

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was 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 accepts no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• US 6786058 B2 [0002]
• US 7404298 B2 [0003]
• US 20150211783 A1 [0004]

Claims (11)

Household appliance (1), having at least one fastening surface (4) provided on a user-accessible side (3A) of a non-metallic wall (3), wherein at least one magnet (6) acting through the wall (3) and at least one transformer coil (8) that can be energized by means of the household appliance (1) are arranged on a side of the wall (3) facing away from the fastening surface (4), and wherein the household appliance (1) is designed so that it cannot be operated with respect to the fastening surface (4). Household appliance (1) after claim 1 , wherein the wall (3) is a wall (3) of a treatment chamber (K) of the household appliance (1). Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one magnet (6) and the at least one transformer coil (8) are arranged in a backing part (5) which is fastened to a remote side (3B) of the wall (3). Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an antenna (8) is arranged on the side (3A) of the wall (3) facing away from the fastening surface (4) at least for receiving wireless data signals through the wall (3). Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the household appliance (1) is a refrigeration appliance. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the household appliance (1) is a wine refrigerator. System (1, 2) with a household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims and at least one attachment unit (2) designed to be non-operable with respect to the household appliance (1), wherein - the attachment unit (2) has at least one magnetic component (9), at least one transformer coil (10) and at least one functional component (11 - 14) that can be supplied with electrical power via the transformer coil (10), wherein - the attachment unit (2) can be magnetically coupled to the at least one magnet (6) of the household appliance (1) by means of the at least one magnetic component (9) in such a way that it can be magnetically detachably fastened to the fastening surface (4), wherein - when the attachment unit (2) is fastened to the fastening surface (4), when the at least one transformer coil (8) of the household appliance (1) is energized, an electrical voltage can be induced in the at least one transformer coil (10) of the attachment unit (2), by means of which its at least one functional component (11 - 14) can be supplied with electrical power. System (1, 2) after claim 7 , wherein the at least one functional component comprises at least one sensor, in particular a temperature sensor. System (1, 2) according to one of the Claims 7 until 8 , wherein the at least one attachment unit (2) has at least one rechargeable battery which can be charged via the at least one transformer coil of the attachment unit (2). System (1, 2) according to one of the Claims 7 until 9 , wherein the at least one functional component comprises at least one transmitter which is designed to exchange data through the wall (3) with the antenna of the household appliance (1) when the attachment unit (2) is fastened to the fastening surface (4). Method for operating a system (1, 2) according to one of the Claims 7 until 10 , in which - at least one attachment unit (2) is placed magnetically on at least one fastening surface (4) and - upon placement, energy is transferred by transformer from the transformer coil (8) of the household appliance (1) to the transformer coil (10) of the attachment unit (2) and - the at least one functional component (11 - 14) is supplied with electrical energy from the transformer coil (10) of the attachment unit (2).

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