Abstract: A system that includes one or more household appliances that belong to the same household environment and are connected to a network monitors diagnostic and/or statistical information produced by the electronic control systems of the appliances. The electronic control systems provided the diagnostic and/or statistical information to the network and a monitoring device monitors the household appliances by selecting, picking up, organizing and storing the diagnostic and/or statistical information provided to the network by the electronic control systems of the respective appliances. The monitoring device further makes the organized information explicit, that is, available either locally at the appliances or remotely within or outside the household environment. The diagnostic information for a given appliance is representative of the operational efficiency of various electrical and mechanical components of the appliance.

Abstract: There are described a method and a system for the transmission/reception or communication of data and/or information on electric line between two electronic control devices, including: an electric user (HA), in particular a household appliance, having a first electronic control system asnd at least a first electric load; a monitoring or control device (SA), having a second electronic control system, said device (SA) being located on said line between an electric power source and said first electric load. According to the invention, the transmission/reception or communication of data and/or information on said line is realized by means of an electric power modulation between said user (HA) and said device (SA), and/or vice-versa.

Abstract: A method is described, for managing the energy consumption of electric users (LB, LS, FO, PG, CO), including household appliances, in a domestic environment (A), said users being operatively connected in a network (RE), each one of said users (LB, LS, FO, FG, CO) presenting an electric load to a source of electric energy, comprising the steps of: presetting an appropriate maximum limit of power (Pmax) which can be supplied by said source of electric energy, providing each user (LB, LS, FO, FG, CO) with control means for managing its own consumption of electric energy, measuring the instantaneous total consumption of the electric energy (Ply) supplied by said source to said domestic environment (A), transmitting to the control means of each one of said users (LB, LS, FO, FG, CO), by means of said network (RE), information relating to the instantaneous total consumption of the supplied electric energy (PIT), making the control means of each one of said users (LB, LS, FO, FG, CO) capable of adjusting the electri

Abstract: A method for estimating the duration of the interruptions in the supply from the electric mains in an electric appliance having an electronic control, in particular a household appliance, includes the steps of (a) on the occasion of an interruption of the supply voltage of the apparatus, measuring and storing the value of at least one quantity that is characteristic of the operating status of the apparatus; (b) on the occasion of the restoration of the supply voltage, measuring the current value of the at least one characteristic quantity; (c) comparing the stored value and the current value of the at least one characteristic quantity; and (d) estimating, on the basis of the comparison, the duration of the interruption of the supply voltage.

Abstract: A system provides to respective appliances information relating to the total power consumption and, as appropriate, other information relating to the operating conditions of the other appliances and/or environmental conditions. The respective appliances process the information individually, to determine if they should alter their current levels of power consumption.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for management of energy consumption by appliances connected to a powered network wherein a plurality of the appliances are each provided with a programmed electronic control system adapted to transmit and receive to and from other electronic control systems and a device for measuring total network power consumption, information from which the power consumption of the appliances on the network and the maximum power available from the network can be determined. Each control system adjusts the power consumption of its corresponding appliance in accordance with the information that it receives and the instructions with which it is programmed without need for a central control unit or user intervention.

Abstract: A control system for a household appliance having an electronic control unit, and a selection device located on a control panel for selecting predetermined basic functions of the apparatus. First information is encoded within the electronic control unit for allowing the appliance to perform the basic functions as a function of the selection made through the selection device. Second information is encoded within the electronic control unit for allowing the appliance to perform functions in addition to the ones that can be selected through the selection device. The electronic unit is adapted to interface with an optional external electronic device for enablement and selection of the performance of the additional functions in a simplified manner.

Abstract: A system for controlling the consumption of a household appliance, comprising an electronic microcontroller and non-volatile memory device associated with the microcontroller, the household appliance being connected during use with at least one source of an external resource (water, electric energy, gas, etc.), the external resource being required by the apparatus for carrying out an operating cycle, where the apparatus also comprises a setting device for the manual selection of one or more operating parameters, and signaling device. Coded information are contained within a memory, which are used by the control system as a function of at least one selection actuated through the setting device, for calculating the consumption of the external resource required by the household appliance to execute an operating cycle, the signaling means being capable, if required, to show the consumption level of the external resource.