CN108140938B

CN108140938B - HF transmission path in a domestic appliance

Info

Publication number: CN108140938B
Application number: CN201680058171.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: P.博森; J.埃登霍费尔; J.赖特纳
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2015-10-08
Filing date: 2016-10-05
Publication date: 2021-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2036-10-05
Also published as: DE102015219492A1; EP3360200B1; CN108140938A; WO2017060274A1; EP3360200A1

Abstract

A household appliance comprises a housing (200). The household appliance further comprises a communication unit (201) which is set up to receive or transmit electromagnetic signals and an external antenna (103, 122). The communication unit (201) is arranged in the housing (200). The household appliance further comprises the touch-sensitive screen (300) arranged on an outer wall (210) of the housing (200). The external antenna (103, 122) is arranged in or on the touch-sensitive screen (300) such that electromagnetic signals can be transmitted to a receiver outside the housing (200) or received by a transmitter outside the housing (200) by means of the external antenna (103, 122).

Description

HF transmission path in a domestic appliance

Technical Field

The invention relates to a household appliance having a communication unit. The household appliance may comprise an HF transmission path consisting of separate waveguide structures.

Background

Devices such as household appliances (e.g. washing machines, drying machines, dishwashers, ovens, refrigerators, etc.) or electrical appliances often have a housing which is metallic and therefore shielded from HF (high frequency) radiation for reasons of stability. As a result, it is often difficult to provide wireless communication capabilities (e.g., WLAN, bluetooth, GPS, UMTS, LTE, etc.) in such devices.

Disclosure of Invention

The present document addresses the technical task of providing wireless communication capabilities in a device having a shielded housing, in particular in a domestic appliance, in a cost-effective and reliable manner.

This object is achieved by the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are described in particular in the dependent claims.

According to one aspect, an apparatus is described. The device can comprise or correspond to a household appliance, in particular a household appliance such as a washing machine, a dryer, a dishwasher, an oven or a refrigerator. The device includes a housing having a plurality of housing walls. One or more (if necessary all) of the housing walls can comprise an electrically conductive material (for example a metal). Thus, the housing may have a characteristic of shielding against electromagnetic waves (particularly in the range of 30MHz to 300 GHz).

The device further comprises a communication unit (also referred to in this document as communication module) set up to receive or transmit electromagnetic signals and an external antenna. The electromagnetic signal may comprise a frequency in the above-mentioned frequency range of 30MHz to 300 GHz. The electromagnetic signal may for example comprise a bluetooth signal or a WLAN signal. In particular, the electromagnetic signal may conform to one of the band standards IEEE 802.11 or IEEE 802.15.1.

The device may include a touch-sensitive screen that enables a user of the device (Nutzer) to input control instructions onto the device (einzugeben). Such screens are typically arranged at an easily accessible (to the user) position of the housing, in particular on an outer wall of the housing.

The device further comprises a communication unit and an external antenna set up to receive or transmit electromagnetic signals. The communication unit can here receive or transmit electromagnetic signals directly or indirectly via an external antenna. In particular, the external antenna may correspond to a module antenna of the communication unit, which is directly connected to the communication unit. Alternatively, the external antenna of the second antenna may correspond to the waveguide structure described in this document.

The external antenna may be arranged in or on the touch-sensitive screen, so that electromagnetic signals can be transmitted to or received by a receiver outside the housing by means of the external antenna. This makes it possible for the external antenna to transmit electromagnetic signals to or receive electromagnetic signals from the external communication partner in a reliable manner, i.e. as unattenuated as possible. By arranging the external antenna in or on the touch-sensitive screen, wireless communication capabilities are thus provided in a cost-effective and reliable manner in a device having a shielded housing.

As already explained above, the communication unit can have a modular antenna. Here, the communication unit and the module antenna may be arranged in the housing (i.e. in the interior of the housing), so that communication between the communication unit and a communication partner outside the housing of the device (i.e. a transmitter or a receiver) is made difficult by the arrangement of the communication unit and the module antenna (in particular on the basis of a shielding effect (Wirkung) of the housing).

The apparatus may further include at least one waveguide structure having a first antenna and a second antenna. The waveguide structure is at least partially disposed in a housing of the device. The waveguide structure is set up to receive by means of the first antenna and (in turn) emit by means of the second antenna an electromagnetic signal emitted by the module antenna (autoinden). Here, the second antenna may correspond to an external antenna. In the opposite direction, the waveguide structure is set up to receive electromagnetic signals by means of the second antenna and to transmit (senden) them onto the module antenna by means of the first antenna. For this purpose, typically at least the first antenna is arranged in a housing of the device. The waveguide structure is thus set up to convey electromagnetic signals within the housing of the device. The waveguide structure is preferably a passive structure (without electrical energy supply) and is therefore provided in a particularly cost-effective manner.

The second antenna (in particular the external antenna) may be arranged such that the electromagnetic signal can be transmitted to a receiver outside the housing or can be received by a transmitter outside the housing by means of the second antenna. For this purpose, the second antenna can optionally be arranged outside the housing of the device. Alternatively, for this purpose, the second antenna can be arranged at a position of the housing where the housing has a relatively high transmittance (e.g. a transmittance of 50%, 70%, 90% or more) for the electromagnetic signal (compared to other positions of the housing).

The application of the arranged waveguide structure enables to provide communication capabilities in a device, in particular in a domestic appliance, in a cost-effective and reliable manner. Thus, wireless networked devices may be provided in an efficient manner.

The waveguide structure may comprise an electrically conductive conductor circuit set up to transmit electromagnetic signals between the first antenna and the second antenna. This may, for example, allow electromagnetic signals to be conducted from a first antenna inside the housing to a second antenna outside the housing (or vice versa) via the conductor circuit. Thus, the communication unit can communicate with an external communication partner outside the housing (e.g., with a WLAN access point) in an efficient manner.

As already explained, the housing may comprise a (first) wall with an electrically conductive material (e.g. metal). The waveguide structure may have a dielectric carrier layer on which the conductor circuit is arranged. A dielectric carrier layer can be used here as a carrier layer for the conductor circuit. The waveguide structure may be arranged on the first wall such that the dielectric carrier layer insulates the conductor circuit from the first wall. For example, the waveguide structure can have an adhesive layer with which a dielectric carrier layer can be adhered to the first wall. The electrically conductive (first) wall of the housing thus acts in an effective manner as a mass for the strip conductor (microstrip line in the english language). The strip conductor thus formed is set up to transmit electromagnetic signals between the first antenna and the second antenna with relatively low losses.

Alternatively, the waveguide structure may be designed such that the electromagnetic signal between the first and second antennas is transmitted by electromagnetic coupling, in particular by resonant coupling, of the first and second antennas. For this purpose, the first antenna and the second antenna may be established such that the first antenna and the second antenna have a common resonance frequency. In particular, the first antenna and the second antenna may be identically set up. By using resonantly coupled antennas, a relatively lossless transmission of electromagnetic signals between the first and second antennas may be caused. In a similar manner, the first antenna of the waveguide structure and the module antenna can also be coupled by means of resonant electromagnetic coupling, in order to be able to transmit the electromagnetic signal as losslessly as possible.

The apparatus may include a plurality of waveguide structures. The waveguide structures are arranged such that the second antenna of the respective first waveguide structure is (resonantly) coupled to the first antenna of the adjacent second waveguide structure. In this way, a plurality of waveguide structures may form a path for the electromagnetic signal of the module antenna to reach the module antenna (202) out of the housing or from outside the housing. In particular, the first antenna of the first waveguide structure may be (resonantly) coupled to the module antenna on said path. Furthermore, the second antenna of the waveguide structure last in the path can enable a wireless connection with a communication partner outside the housing. By the application of the mutually arranged waveguide structures, a communication connection between an external communication partner, for example with a WLAN access point, and a communication unit can be established in a cost-effective and reliable manner.

The waveguide structure may have a carrier layer (which comprises, for example, a dielectric carrier layer). The first antenna and the second antenna may be pressed onto the carrier layer. The conductor circuit of the waveguide structure can also be pressed onto the carrier layer. Thus, a pressed waveguide structure with cost-effectiveness can be used in the device.

The waveguide structure may have an adhesive layer with which the (pressed) waveguide structure may be adhered to the wall of the housing. Thus, an efficient mounting of the waveguide structure in the housing of the device is enabled.

Touch sensitive screens typically include conductive structures that are set up to detect a touch of the screen. For example, a (triangular) conductor circuit can be arranged on a touch-sensitive screen in order to detect the position of a touch of the screen. The second antenna may include at least a portion of the conductive structure. In other words, the second antenna may be at least partially integrated into the conductive structure of the screen. This enables a cost-effective and space-efficient provision of wireless communication capabilities in the device.

The conductive structure may at least partially include a metamaterial that imparts antenna characteristics to the conductive structure. In particular, the metamaterial may have a plurality of (identical) microstructures (for example having dimensions of 2mm, 1mm or less, respectively) each having an antenna function. Subsequently, a second antenna may be provided by the plurality of microstructures, which second antenna is capable of emitting or receiving electromagnetic signals having a specific effective range (e.g. 50m, 100m or more). For example, the metamaterial may comprise a plurality of (microscopic) electromagnetic oscillation circuits. Thus, in an efficient manner, the functionality of a touch sensitive screen can be combined with the antenna functionality.

Alternatively or additionally, the second antenna may be arranged on a touch insensitive part of the screen. This ensures that the second antenna can exchange electromagnetic signals with an external communication partner as unattenuated as possible.

According to another aspect, a waveguide structure for communicating electromagnetic signals is described. The waveguide structure may have one or more of the features described in this document. In particular, the waveguide structure may have a (typically dielectric) carrier layer with a first side and a second side. The carrier layer may be self-adhesive on the first side, so that the waveguide structure can be fixed with the first side on a surface (e.g. on a housing wall).

Further, the waveguide structure comprises a first antenna and a second antenna arranged on a second side of the carrier layer. In particular, the first antenna and the second antenna may be pressed onto the second side of the carrier layer. The antenna is designed such that the waveguide structure is capable of receiving electromagnetic signals by means of the first antenna and of emitting electromagnetic signals by means of the second antenna (and/or vice versa). Thus, the waveguide structure may be used in an efficient manner for transferring electromagnetic signals (e.g. for transferring through a shielded housing). In particular, a transmission path for electromagnetic signals may be established by a parallel (aneinadereihung) waveguide structure.

The waveguide structure, in particular the carrier layer, typically has a length and/or width of 1 to 10 cm. Furthermore, the waveguide structure typically has a thickness (perpendicular to the carrier layer) in the range of 1 mm. The self-adhesive waveguide structure can thus be designed as a kind of "patch" or "sticker which can be adhered to the wall of the shielded housing in order to provide a transmission path for electromagnetic signals.

According to another aspect, one or more of the waveguide structures described in this document are used to convey electromagnetic signals.

According to a further aspect, a household appliance, in particular a household appliance such as a washing machine, a dryer, a dishwasher, an oven or a refrigerator, is described. The household appliance comprises a housing having a plurality of housing walls. One or more (if necessary all) of the housing walls can comprise an electrically conductive material (for example a metal). Therefore, the housing can have a characteristic of shielding electromagnetic waves (particularly in the range of 30MHz to 300 GHz). The household appliance may have any combination of the features described in this document.

In particular, the household appliance comprises a touch-sensitive screen arranged on an outer wall of the housing. The touch-sensitive screen enables a user of the household appliance to input control instructions to the household appliance. Typically, touch sensitive screens include conductive structures that are set up to detect a touch of the screen.

Furthermore, the household appliance comprises a communication unit and an antenna (e.g. a module antenna) which are set up to receive or transmit electromagnetic signals. The electromagnetic signal may comprise a frequency in the above-mentioned frequency range of 30MHz to 300 GHz. The electromagnetic signal may for example comprise a bluetooth signal or a WLAN signal. In particular, the electromagnetic signal may conform to one of the band standards IEEE 802.11 or IEEE 802.15.1.

The communication unit is disposed in the housing. In another aspect, the antenna is disposed in or on a touch-sensitive screen. In particular, the antenna may comprise at least a portion of the conductive structure of the touch sensitive screen. This makes it possible to provide a space-efficient and reliable (i.e. as far as possible unattenuated) wireless communication capability in the domestic appliance.

It should be noted that the devices and systems described in this document can be used either alone or in combination with other devices and systems described in this document. Further, any aspects of the devices and systems described in this document can be combined with one another in a variety of ways. In particular, the features of the claims can be combined with one another in various ways.

Drawings

The invention is further described with the aid of examples. In this case, the amount of the solvent to be used,

FIGS. 1a, 1b, 1c are exemplary waveguide structures for conducting electromagnetic waves;

fig. 2a, 2b are exemplary arrangements of waveguide structures in a household appliance; and is

Fig. 3a, 3b, 3c are exemplary antenna structures on or in a touch-sensitive screen of a domestic appliance.

Detailed Description

As described at the outset. This document addresses the efficient provision of wireless communication capabilities in an apparatus or device having an at least partially shielded housing. The device or apparatus preferably corresponds to a household appliance. Alternatively, however, other devices with an at least partially shielded housing, for example motor vehicles with a shielded vehicle body, are also conceivable. For communication via a wireless communication link, the household appliance can have a communication unit 201 with an antenna 202 (see fig. 2a and 2 b). The communication unit 201 may, for example, be set up to establish a communication connection of WLAN, bluetooth, GPS, UMTS, LTE, etc. with a communication partner (kommunik _ spartner).

In order to establish a reliable communication connection (Aufbau), the communication unit 201 with the antenna 202 must be arranged at a position (Ort) within the housing 200 of the household appliance (lnnerhalb), at which position it is possible to radiate as little loss as possible and to receive electromagnetic radiation (Strahlen) as little loss as possible in the frequency range between 3MHz and 300GHz, in particular between 30MHz and 300 GHz. However, this is typically not possible, particularly when using a metal housing 200.

One possibility is to mount (verbauen) the communication unit 201 at any location in the housing 200 of the domestic appliance and to connect the additional antenna at the advantageous radiation/reception location to the communication unit 201 by means of a coaxial (koaxiale) wire. However, such wiring (Verkabelung) through the housing 200 of the household appliance is expensive and costly.

In an efficient manner, a pressed

waveguide structure

100, 110, 120 (see fig. 1a, 1b, 1 c) can alternatively be used in order to conduct electromagnetic waves emitted by an antenna 202 (also referred to as module antenna in this document) of the communication unit 201 from the housing 200 of the household appliance or to conduct electromagnetic waves outside the housing 200 in the opposite direction to the antenna 202 of the communication unit 201.

The

waveguide structure

100, 110 comprises a first antenna 101, a conductor circuit 102 and a second antenna 103. Electromagnetic waves are received by the first antenna 101, conducted onto the second antenna 103 by the conductor circuit 102 and transmitted by the second antenna 103 (or vice versa). The conductor circuit 102 is typically arranged here on a dielectric carrier layer 105 of the

waveguide structure

100, 110.

The waveguide structure 120 comprises a first antenna 121 and a second antenna 122 (resonantly) coupled to each other and thus may enable transmission of electromagnetic waves from the first antenna 121 to the second antenna 122 (or vice versa). The

antennas

121, 122 are arranged here on a carrier layer.

By means of the

waveguide structure

100, 110, 120, a path through the housing 200 of the household appliance can be established in a flexible and efficient manner in order to conduct electromagnetic waves of the module antenna 202 of the communication unit 201 out of the housing 200 or in the opposite direction from a point outside the housing 200 to the module antenna 202 of the communication unit 201. This is done in the example in fig. 2a by the waveguide structure 120. Here, the electromagnetic wave emitted (abgetrahlte) by the module antenna 202 is received by the first antenna 121 of the first waveguide structure 120 and transmitted onto the second antenna 122 of the first waveguide structure 120. Subsequently, the second antenna 122 in turn emits electromagnetic waves received by the first antenna 121 of the following waveguide structure 120, and so on, until finally the electromagnetic waves of the second antenna 122 of the last waveguide structure 120 are emitted on the path (Pfad) coming out of the housing 200. In the opposite direction, the electromagnetic waves of the second antenna 122 of the last waveguide structure 120 can thus be guided through the housing 200 towards the module antenna 202 of the communication unit 201.

Fig. 2b shows an exemplary application of the waveguide structure 100 at a wall 210 of a housing 200 of a domestic appliance. The first antenna 101 of the waveguide structure 100 is arranged on a first (inner) side of the housing wall 210 and may be used for receiving electromagnetic waves emitted by the module antenna 202. For this purpose, the first antenna 101 and the module antenna 202 may be resonantly coupled to each other. The received electromagnetic waves are then conducted by the conductor circuit 102 onto the other (outer) side of the housing wall 210 and are emitted there by the second antenna 103 of the waveguide structure 100. In the opposite direction, such electromagnetic waves may be received by the second antenna 103 and passed (weitergeleitet) onto the module antenna 202 of the communication unit 201.

The application of a relatively simple

pressed structure

100, 110, 120 for HF (high frequency) waveguides in domestic appliances is thus described. These

structures

100, 110, 120 are composed of coupled structures of preferably resonant construction. Is embodied to be self-adhesive, so that these

structures

100, 110, 120 can be placed flexibly in domestic appliances (placieren). The

structures

100, 110, 120 can be used to conduct HF signals through the household appliance and emit them at suitable locations. The

structures

100, 110, 120 can be placed in the household appliance independently of one another and can be freely coupled if necessary (as in the case of the structure 120). Alternatively, the two

antenna structures

101, 103 may be coupled by a wire 102, wherein the wire 102 assumes the waveguide. Here, the first antenna 101 receives the HF signal and the second antenna 103 transmits the HF signal at a suitable position.

The application of the

waveguide structure

100, 110, 120 shows a simple and cost-effective alternative to the use of coaxial wires with additional antennas in domestic appliances.

Even when the

waveguide structure

100, 110, 120 is used, it may be difficult to leave (reservieren) a suitable position on the housing 200 of the domestic appliance for transmitting/for receiving electromagnetic waves. On the other hand, household appliances usually have a touch-sensitive screen arranged at the outside of the housing 200 of the household appliance. Touch sensitive screens typically have conductive structures (e.g., conductor circuits arranged to emulate a checkerboard).

The touch-sensitive screen can be used in an efficient manner as an antenna for transmitting or for receiving electromagnetic waves on the basis of its positioning and, if necessary, on the basis of the available conductive structures. This is exemplarily shown in fig. 3a, 3b, 3 c. The touch sensitive screen 300 comprises triangular conductor circuits 301, wherein the groupings 302 may act as antennas (see fig. 3 a). Fig. 3b shows an example in which a partial area of the screen 300 for the dedicated antenna 312 is used (without using the conductive structure 301 of the screen 300). Fig. 3c shows an example in which the microstructure 322 for providing an antenna has been integrated into the triangular conductor circuit 301 of the screen 300. In other words, for the conductor circuit 301 of the screen 300, a metamaterial that imparts a function of an antenna to the conductor circuit 301 may be used.

Thus, the touch overlay 301 (i.e. the electrically conductive capable structure) of the touch display 300 can be used for HF transmission and for HF reception. To this end, additional suitable structures may be applied to the touch cover (e.g., dipole antennas, metamaterials, etc.) if desired. Alternatively, the HF signal can be appropriately coupled into the existing structure 301 of the touch display 300. Here, the touch cover 301 is used as an antenna in addition to the original (eigentlichen) function. Here, the touch cover 301 can be optimized with respect to the HF function. In particular, a metamaterial can be used for this purpose, as can be shown, for example, in fig. 3 c.

The use of the touch-sensitive screen 300 as an antenna can improve the performance of the household appliance with regard to HF transmission and HF reception. Depending on the position of the touch-sensitive screen 300, the antenna is here automatically located on the outside of the housing 200 of the household appliance. Furthermore, the touch-sensitive screen 300 is typically easy to access and therefore generally has good properties with respect to HF transmission/reception. The touch operation on the screen 300 is usually performed only for a short time, so that HF transmission or HF reception is only slightly affected due to the touch operation. Furthermore, it is not necessary to be able to cover the antenna structure, as a user of the household appliance usually wants to see the screen 300.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. It should be noted in particular that the description and the drawings shall only clarify the principle of the proposed device and system.

Claims

1. A household appliance, comprising a housing, which,

a housing (200);

a touch-sensitive screen (300) disposed on an outer wall (210) of the housing (200); and

a communication unit (201) and an external antenna (103, 122) set up to receive or transmit electromagnetic signals; wherein the communication unit (201) is arranged in the housing (200); and wherein the external antenna (103, 122) is arranged in or on the touch-sensitive screen (300) such that electromagnetic signals can be transmitted to a receiver outside the housing (200) or can be received by a transmitter outside the housing (200) by means of the external antenna (103, 122),

wherein,

the touch-sensitive screen (300) comprises an electrically conductive structure (301) which is set up to detect a touch of the screen (300); and is

The external antenna (202, 103, 122) comprises at least a part of a conductive structure (301),

and wherein the one or more of the one,

the conductive structure (301) comprises at least in part a metamaterial imparting antenna properties to the conductive structure (301).

2. The household appliance of claim 1,

the metamaterial comprises a plurality of electromagnetic oscillation circuits (322).

3. The household appliance of claim 1 or 2,

the communication unit (201) comprises a module antenna (202);

the household appliance comprises at least one waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) with a first antenna (101, 121) and a second antenna (103, 122),

the waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) is set up,

-receiving by means of the first antenna (101, 121) and emitting by means of the second antenna (103, 122) an electromagnetic signal emitted by the module antenna (202); and/or

-receiving electromagnetic signals by means of the second antenna (103, 122) and transmitting to the module antenna (202) by means of the first antenna (101, 121);

the second antenna (103, 122) is the external antenna (103, 122).

4. The household appliance according to claim 3, wherein the waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) comprises an electrically conductive conductor circuit (102) established to transmit the electromagnetic signal between the first antenna (101) and the second antenna (103).

5. The household appliance of claim 4,

the housing (200) comprises a first wall (210) comprising an electrically conductive material;

the waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) has a dielectric carrier layer (105), the conductor circuit (102) being arranged on the dielectric carrier layer (105); and is

The waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) is arranged on the first wall (210) such that the dielectric carrier layer (105) insulates the conductor circuit (102) from the first wall (210).

6. The household appliance according to claim 3, wherein the waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) is designed such that the electromagnetic signal between the first antenna (121) and the second antenna (122) is transmitted by electromagnetic coupling of the first antenna (121) and the second antenna (122).

7. The household appliance of claim 6,

the electromagnetic coupling is a resonant coupling.

8. Household appliance according to claim 3, wherein the household appliance comprises a plurality of waveguide structures (100, 110, 120), wherein the plurality of waveguide structures (100, 110, 120) forms a path for the electromagnetic signal of the module antenna (202) to reach the module antenna (202) out of the housing (200) or out of the housing (200).

9. The household appliance of claim 3,

the waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) has a carrier layer; and is

Pressing the first antenna (101, 121) and the second antenna (103, 122) onto the carrier layer; and/or

The waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) has an adhesive layer, with which the waveguide structure (100, 110, 120) can be adhered to a wall (210) of the housing (200).