Abstract: A method and an apparatus for controlling a household appliance controlled using an internal control unit, and also a control system that improves current control of the household appliances includes connecting the household appliance to a local area network and, following a request by a user, receiving a control information item from a network, the control information item being evaluated and/or converted at a location of the household appliance to control the household appliance.

Abstract: A method and an electronic control unit for determining and optionally displaying the remaining time in a treatment program in a household appliance include superposing an initializing test program segment on the treatment programs in order to determine an "installed heating capacity" parameter that determines a gradient. To that end, a defined quantity of the medium is heated with an electrical heater for a predetermined period of time. The "installed heating capacity" parameter and/or a comparison value corresponding to its magnitude is calculated from the attained temperature increase, the defined quantity of the medium and the known period of time and is stored as an operand in a nonvolatile memory for later remaining-time determinations.

Abstract: An automatically controlled washing machine includes a laundry drum and a drive motor which drives the laundry drum at a plurality of different speeds for washing, rinsing and spinning. The speed of the drive motor is adjustable with an rpm control circuit and is determinable in accordance with set-point and actual rpm values. A control circuit of the washing machine can receive a signal during a spin cycle, which is a measure for an undesired braking of the drum (for instance from suds production) and is determined by a mutual ratio of the following operating parameters of the drive motor: the set-point rpm, the actual rpm, and a load-dependent electrical variable, such as a motor current.

Abstract: A method for determining an amount of laundry in an at least approximately horizontally supported drum for laundry being driven by a universal drive motor at a washing and drying rpm is performed on the basis of observations of parameters of an operation in a laundry handling machine. A drive moment at the drum drive motor is determined during a drum startup phase, for operating the drum at a controlled handling rpm at which the laundry is not held against a wall of the drum by centrifugal force.

Abstract: A method for determining a mass of wet laundry in a washing machine drum being driven by an rpm-controlled universal motor is performed with the aid of controller variables. The drum is operated before and/or during a spin cycle within first, second and third phases in a mass determining segment. The drum is operated in the first phase with a delayed rpm rise up to a final rpm above an application rpm at which the laundry is applied to a wall of the drum, and near but below a resonant rpm of a drive system. The drum is operated in the second phase with a constant command rpm equal to the final rpm of a ramp. The drum is operated in the third phase with an rpm running down to a minimum rpm without being driven, and with the rpm still being high enough to prevent a previously developed ring of laundry from separating or more than slightly separating from the drum wall.