The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a control device for a household appliance, in which a control panel with electrically interacting components is designed. Moreover, an electronic module with electronic components is designed, and the electronic module is electrically connected with the control module. Moreover, the invention relates to a control device as well as a household appliance comprising such control device.

Household appliances are known in manifold designs. In this connection there are household appliances for the care of laundry pieces, such as for instance a washing machine or a dryer or a washer-dryer. Moreover, household appliances for preparing food are known, such as for instance baking ovens or hobs or microwave cooking devices or steam cookers. Moreover household appliances are known for storing and preserving food, with reference being made to cooling appliances or freezers or fridge-freezers. Moreover, also household appliances for cleaning dishes are known. In the case of such household appliances it is common that they comprise a control device, via which control programs can be selected and started and other settings can be made as well. It is also known in this connection that various variants of specific household appliances and also various appliance types are given, in which the control devices are individually designed. By such formation of variants and range of types therefore most varied different control devices must be developed and provided, which involves considerable development effort or also a considerable diversity in parts.

In this connection for instance in Fig. 1 a shows in entirely schematic representation a control device 1 for a corresponding household appliance. This control device 1 comprises a control panel 2 with electrically interacting components 3, 4, and 5. The control device 1 moreover separate from the control panel 2 comprises an electronic module 6, which comprises electronic components 7, 8, and 9. The electrically interacting components 3 to 5 moreover are electrically connected with the electronic components 7 to 8 so that here for example by activating the components 3 to 5 through the user a corresponding signal generation in the electronic module 6 is effected so that, in turn, a corresponding operation program of the household appliance is selected and started or some other setting is effected. In Fig. 1 a in this connection a first embodiment of the control device 1 is shown. In Fig. 1 b, which equally shows a control device 1 from the prior art, here a variant of the control device 1 in Fig. 1 a is provided, which thus is employed for another device type or another variant of the device type of a household device. As can be seen in this connection, both the electronic module 6' of the control device V as well as a control panel 2' is designed to differ from the control device 1 . This concerns the position of the electrically interacting components 3' to 5' equally as the electronic components T to 9', on the other hand. Due to the required electrical connection between the electrically interacting components 3' to 5' and the electronic components 7' to 9' these named components therefore are to be designed to be adjusted to each other as to their position in the control panel 2 or 2' and the associated electronic module 6 or 6'. The control devices that are here merely shown schematically and exemplary therefore explain the problem already set out in the above.

It is the task of the present invention to provide a method as well as a control device, and a household appliance, with which or in which formation of a variant of a control device is simplified.

This task is solved by a method, a control device, and a household appliance according to the independent claims. In a method for manufacturing a control device for a household device according to the invention a control panel is provided, which is configured to comprise electrically interacting components. Moreover an electronic module for the control device is provided, which moreover configured to comprise electronic components. The electronic module is electrically connected with the control panel, which is a component that is separate from the electronic module. An essential idea of the invention is to be seen in that for manufacturing variants of the control device with the electronic module as identical component for at least both variants or the control panel as identical component for at least both variants an electrically connecting connection adapter is provided, which for electrical connection of an electronic module with a control panel is arranged between the electronic module and the control panel. This connection adapter with regard to its integrated electrical cable routing is configured and provided variant-specifically. The connection adapter is a component that then is also built into the finished variant of the control device and therein is also required and remains present as essential functional component. By this method according to the invention it is thus possible that various variants of a control device with an electronic module or a control panel can be manufactured as identical component. Thereby a considerable component requirement is reduced and in this regard also development efforts and storage capacity reduced. It is thus possible that variants of a control device with regard to specific essential functional components of the control device comprising at least one identical component can be designed. Since in this connection the specifically named possible identical components, namely the electronic module or the control panel are also central components of the control device, a use of identical components of at least one of these components is an essential improvement. This is also the case with regard to the incurred costs of such control device. According to the invention this is achieved by an additional, in particular separate component element, namely the connection adapter, being replaced and this is not employed as identical component for several control devices, but designed to be variant-individual. By this design it is therefore facilitated that electrically interacting components, on the one hand, or electronic components, on the other hand, irrespective of their use in a variant of a control device can always be designed immediately within the electronic module or a control panel with regard to the number and the position, at which they are located, and nevertheless an electrical connection with the then other components in the non-identical component of the control device is easy to be achieved by a connection adapter without causing any problems.

By this connection adapter then also being provided and manufactured as component that is separate from the electronic module and as to the control panel, its manufacture is possible to be performed highly individually and separately, whereby als very material- specific and form-specific connection adapters can be produced in a simple way.

Preferably it is envisaged that only the electronic module is provided as identical component for the at least two variants of a control device that is composed of an electronic module, a control panel, and a connection adapter as essential components. The electronic module in this connection represents a particularly important component, since it requires particularly intensive development with regard to its internal structure and the use of electronic components and other elements. Therefore if for the very electronic module a use as identical component in at least two variants of the control device can be facilitated, thereby the considerable development effort required can be reduced.

Preferably it is envisaged that the connection adapter is generated by a fused deposition modelling. The fused deposition modelling refers to a manufacturing method from the field of so-called rapid prototyping, by which a workpiece is constructed layer by layer from a fusable plastic material. Manufacture machines for the fused deposition modelling are to be categorized in particular as belonging to machine class of 3D printers. The fused deposition modelling is based on the liquefaction of a wire-like plastic or wax material through heating. During the subsequent cooling the material solidifies. The application of material is preferably effected by extruding by means of a heating nozzle that is freely movable within the manufacture plane. In the layer-by-layer modelling thus individual layers fuse to render a complex element. By way of the fused deposition modelling it is therefore facilitated in a particularly advantageous way that individual routes of electrical wires within the interior of the connection adapter are created and then surrounded to be protected by an electrically insulating material, in particular a plastic material, and in this connection thus only these wires are left uncovered at their inputs and outputs, in order to then be able to contact them by the electrically interacting components, on the one hand, and the electronic components, on the other hand. By way of the fused deposition modelling therefore with regard to the electrical insulation of the connection adapter also a particularly advantageous manufacture option is provided so that also with regard to the number and complex direction routings of the electrical wires in the interior of the connection adapter complex requirements are accounted for and this can then also be effected with a high degree of precision.

Preferably it is envisaged that the electric cable routing in the connection adapter except for the lead ends is designed to be internally positioned in the connection adapter. The above-named advantages are reaffirmed thereby.

Preferably it is envisaged that the connection adapter is also designed to be relatively stable so that the electronic module and/or the operation panel are held mechanically contacted adjacent thereto, in particular positionally. Preferably, by the electrically interacting and the electronic components a touch-sensitive control area of the control device is generated. Precisely in the case of such touch- sensitive control devices the invention is particularly advantageous, since the numerous electrically interacting components need to be very comprehensively and variedly in connection with the electronic components. This is in particular also required in the case of producing and manufacturing of capacitive sensors as touch-sensitive elements of the control device. Preferably, it is envisaged that as electronic components sensors are designed and as electrically interacting components touch areas that are electrically interacting with the sensors.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a control device for a household appliance, which is manufactured as a variant by a method according to the invention or an advantageous design thereof.

The control device according to the invention comprises a control panel and an electronic module and a connection adapter arranged between the control panel and the electronic module, through which an electric connection between the electrically interacting components of the control panel and the electronic components of the electronic module is generated. The first variant of the control device is designed in that in comparison with a second variant of the control device it comprises the electronic module as identical component and the control panel is a non-identical component. The connection adapter then provided in this variant is configured to be adapted by this variant, and this with regard to its cable routing being configured to extend within the connection adapter.

A further variant of a control device in this connection therefore differs in a different design of the control panel that is reflected with regard to the number and/or position of the electrically interacting components. Moreover, then a design of a connection adapter that is adjusted to this number and/or position is provided.

Moreover, the invention also relates to a household appliance which comprises a control device according to the invention or an advantageous design thereof. Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following by referring to schematic drawings. These show in:

Fig. 1 a a schematic representation of a first variant of a control device known from the prior art;

Fig. 1 b a schematic representation of a second variant of a control device known from the prior art;

Fig. 2a a schematic representation of an embodiment of a first variant of a control device according to the invention; and

Fig. 2b a second variant of a control device according to the embodiment of the invention, which differs from the first variant according to Fig. 2a by only partly different components.

In the figures same elements or elements having the same function are equipped with the same reference signs.

In Fig. 2a in a schematic representation an embodiment of a control device 1 " is shown, which is arranged on a household appliance for the care of laundry pieces or for storage and preservation of food or fort he preparation of food or for cleaning dishes. The schematic view of the control device 1 " shows a first variant of a control device 1 ", whcih can be mounted on a specific appliance type of the household appliance or on a specific variant of a appliance type.

This first variant of the control device 1 " comprises a control panel 2", which may for instance be a front side facia panel. The control device 1 " comprises electrically interacting components 3", 4", and 5", which, however, are not to be understood as being limited as to number and position. The control device 1 " moreover comprises an electronic module 6", which is separate from the control panel 2", which equally is not to be understood as limiting in terms of number and position, but merely as exemplary components 7", 8", and 9". The electronically interacting components 3", 4", and 5" in the embodiment represent electrically interacting touch areas of a touch-sensitive control area 10. The touch-sensitive touch area 10 besides the named electrically interacting components 3" to 5" also comprise the electronic components 7" to 9", wherein these electronic components 7" to 9" are sensors. For electrical connection of the electrically interacting components 3" to 5" with the electronical components 7" to 9" a connection adapter 1 1 is provided, which is configured and arranged as component that is separate from the control panel 2" and from the electronic module 6". It is moreover arranged between the control panel 2" and the electronic module 6". The connection adapter 1 1 is designed for electric connection between the electrically interacting components 3" to 5" and the electronic components 7" to 9".

The connection adapter 1 1 is manufactured as fused depositing modelling component and comprises an integrated cable routing 12 with electrical wires 13, 14, and 15, which except for the wire inputs and wire outputs are entirely surrounded by and embedded in an electrically insulating material 16, in particular a plastic material. The connection adapter 1 1 with regard to the number of wires 13 to 15 as well as the position of inputs and outputs into the connection adapter 1 1 and out of the connection adapter 1 1 is adjusted to this specific variant of the control device 1 ". In Fig. 2b a further control device 1 "' is shown in a schematic view, which represents a variant of the control device 1 ". As can be seen, the two control devices 1 " and 1 "' comprise the electronic module 6" as identical component. For the representation of the different variants here it is envisaged that the control panel 2" is different from a control panel 2"' of the control device 1 "'. In the embodiment this is realized to the effect that the positions of electrically interacting components 3"' to 5"' in the control panel 2"' are different from the electrically interacting components 3" to 5" in the control panel 2". Adjusted thereto, in turn, the connection adapter 1 1 ' in Fig. 2b is designed variant-specific, in that the routings of the electric wires 13', 14', and 15' in the connection adapter 1 1 ' are different from the routings of the wires 13 to 15 in Fig. 2a.

The routings of wires 13' to 15' in Fig. 2b again are variant-individual configured with respect to the position and thus the required electric connection between the electrically interacting components 3"' to 5"' to the electronic components 7" to 9". Alternatively, it may also be envisaged that in at least two different variants of control devise, as they represent embodiments of the invention, not the electronic module 6" represents the identical component, but the control panel is the identical component.

LIST OF REFERENCES v 1 " 1 "' control device

2' 2" 2"' control panel

, 3 , 3 , 3"' electrically interacting component

, 4', 4", 4- electrically interacting component

, 5 , 5 , 5"' electrically interacting component

, 6', 6" electronic module

, 7', 7" electronic component

, 8', 8" electronic component

, 9', 9" electronic component

0 touch-sensitive control area

1 , 11 " connection adapter

2, 12' cable routing

3, 13' wire

4, 14' wire

5, 15' wire

6 insulating material