# US 10,480,112 B2 · Method for operating a domestic appliance, and domestic appliance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,480,112 B2 - Document ID: US10480112B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/569,822 - Filed: 2014-12-15 - Published: 2015-06-18 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-17 - Assignees: Miele & Cie. KG - Applicants: Miele & Cie. KG - Inventors: Dirk Sieding; Helge Mueller; Bernd Merling; Rainer Bicker; Hartmut Linnemann; Karsten Henn; Jakob Wilken - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480112B2 ## CPC - D06F 37/02: Rotary receptacles, e.g. drums - D06F 33/47: Responding to irregular working conditions, e.g. malfunctioning of pumps (safety arrangements D06F37/42) - G05B 15/02: electric - G05D 7/0617: {specially adapted for fluid materials} - D06F 37/304: {Arrangements or adaptations of electric motors} - D06F 37/42: Safety arrangements, e.g. for stopping rotation of the receptacle upon opening of the casing door - D06F 58/50: Responding to irregular working conditions, e.g. malfunctioning of blowers - D06F 2103/24: Spin speed; Drum movements - D06F 2103/34: Humidity - D06F 2103/44: Current or voltage - D06F 2105/02: Water supply - D06F 2105/06: Recirculation of washing liquids, e.g. by pumps or diverting valves - D06F 2105/44: Opening, closing or locking of doors - D06F 2105/46: Drum speed; Actuation of motors, e.g. starting or interrupting - D06F 2105/52: Changing sequence of operational steps; Carrying out additional operational steps; Modifying operational steps, e.g. by extending duration of steps - D06F 2105/58: Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract A method for operating a domestic appliance with a housing, a rotationally movable drum disposed in the housing for receiving laundry, a motor for driving the drum, a control device for controlling the motor, and an evaluation unit. The method, once a program of the domestic appliance has started, includes controlling the motor via the controller such that the drum is driven by the motor and the drum is moved by an angle of less than 90 degrees. Upon attaining the angle the motor is de-energised. The method includes detecting a rotational-speed signal of the drum from when the motor is de-energised over a predetermined first period, and evaluating the detected rotational-speed signals via the evaluation unit by forming a value. The method also includes interrupting the program when the value is greater than a predetermined first threshold value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for operating a domestic appliance with a housing, a rotationally movable drum disposed in the housing for receiving laundry, a motor for driving the drum, a control device for controlling the motor, and an evaluation unit, the method, once a program of the domestic appliance has started, comprising the steps of: controlling the motor using the control device such that the drum is driven by the motor and the drum is moved by an angle of less than 90 degrees, and upon attaining the angle, the motor is de-energised; detecting a rotational-speed signal of the drum from when the motor is de-energised over a predetermined first period, and evaluating the detected rotational-speed signal using the evaluation unit by forming a value; and interrupting the program of the domestic appliance when the value is greater than a predetermined first threshold value, wherein the controlling, the detecting, and the interrupting the program of the domestic appliance when the value is greater than the predetermined first threshold value are performed before the program of the domestic appliance causes any water to be added to the drum. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the program is interrupted, the steps of claim 1 are repeated once a predetermined second period has elapsed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the value is formed by differentiation of the detected rotational-speed signal and absolute summation. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the angle is in a range between 20 degrees and 50 degrees. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a drive power of the motor is in a range from 50 W to 500 W. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the program of the domestic appliance is interrupted, a door of the domestic appliance, which closes a loading opening arranged in the housing for loading the drum, is at least one of unlocked, opened, or a warning signal is emitted. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: feeding a predetermined amount of water into the drum when the value is between a predetermined second threshold value, which is less than the predetermined first threshold value, and the predetermined first threshold value; detecting a rotational-speed signal of the drum over a predetermined third period after the predetermined amount of water has been fed into the drum; evaluating the detected rotational-speed signal using the evaluation unit by forming a variable; and interrupting the program of the domestic appliance over a predetermined fourth period when the variable is greater than a predetermined third threshold value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the domestic appliance is a washing machine and the program of the domestic appliance, when interrupted a predetermined number of times, is continued when the program of the domestic appliance provides for water to be fed into the drum, and wherein the program of the domestic appliance, when interrupted the predetermined number of times, is aborted when the program does not provide for any inflow of water into the drum. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein, when the program of the domestic appliance provides for water to be fed into the drum, the method further comprises the steps of: activating a pump in order to pump liquid out of the drum; detecting a rotational-speed signal of the drum over a predetermined fifth period; evaluating the detected rotational-speed signal using the evaluation unit by forming a pump-out value; interrupting the program of the domestic appliance over a predetermined sixth period when the pump-out value is greater than a predetermined fourth threshold value; repeating the above steps upon interruption of the program of the domestic appliance when the predetermined sixth period has elapsed a predetermined number of times; and aborting the program of the domestic appliance when the predetermined number of times is reached. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein: when the program of the domestic appliance provides for water to be fed into the drum, the method further comprises the steps of: activating an inflow of water into the drum, detecting a rotational-speed signal of the drum over a predetermined seventh period after the amount of water has been fed into the drum, evaluating the detected rotational-speed signal using the evaluation unit by forming a water-infeed value, interrupting the program of the domestic appliance over a predetermined eighth period when the water-infeed value is greater than a predetermined fifth threshold value, repeating the above steps upon interruption of the program of the domestic appliance when the predetermined eighth period has elapsed a predetermined number of times, and aborting the program of the domestic appliance when the predetermined number of times is reached; and when the program is not aborted, the method further comprises the steps of: deactivating the inflow of water into the drum, detecting a rotational-speed signal of the drum over a predetermined ninth period, evaluating the detected rotational-speed signal using the evaluation unit by forming a final recognition value, interrupting the program of the domestic appliance over a predetermined tenth period when the final recognition value is greater than a predetermined sixth threshold value, upon interruption of the program of the domestic appliance when the predetermined tenth period has elapsed, repeating the above steps from the step of deactivating the inflow of water into the drum a predetermined number of times, and aborting the program of the domestic appliance if the predetermined number of times is reached. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising repeating the steps of claim 7 upon interruption of the program of the domestic appliance once the predetermined fourth period has elapsed. ### Claim 12 A domestic appliance comprising: a housing; a rotationally movable drum arranged in the housing; a motor for driving the drum; a control device for controlling the motor; and an evaluation unit, wherein the control device is configured to: control the motor such that the drum is driven by the motor and the drum is moved by an angle of less than 90 degrees, and upon attaining the angle the motor is de-energised, detect a rotational-speed signal of the drum from when the motor is de-energised over a predetermined first period, and evaluating the detected rotational-speed signal using the evaluation unit by forming a value; and interrupt a program of the domestic appliance when the value is greater than a predetermined first threshold value, wherein the controlling, the detecting, and the interrupting are performed before the program of the domestic appliance causes any water to be added to the drum.