Adaptive Signal Tone Volume for Household Appliance Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances often fail to alert users effectively due to signal tones being too low or not adapted to the ambient noise or user's distance, leading to potential overlooking of important alerts or notifications.
Innovation Solution
A device integrated into household appliances that adjusts the volume of signal tones based on the user's distance and ambient noise, using sensors to detect the user's presence and noise levels, ensuring the signal is perceivable regardless of location or background noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the volume of signal tones is kept at a fixed level, then the device complexity is reduced, but the user may not perceive the signal when at a distance or in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the signal tone volume adjustable rather than fixed. The volume can be dynamically changed based on user distance (detected by distance sensors) and ambient noise levels (detected by noise sensors), ensuring reliable signal perception under varying conditions without requiring overly complex adaptive systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback mechanisms where distance sensors and noise sensors continuously monitor the environment and user position, then feed this information back to the volume control device. This feedback loop allows the system to automatically adjust the signal tone volume to ensure the user can always hear alerts, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity
2Reliability
If the volume of signal tones is increased to ensure perception at distance, then signal perception reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the signal tone volume adjustable rather than fixed. The volume can be dynamically changed based on user distance (detected by distance sensors) and ambient noise levels (detected by noise sensors), ensuring reliable signal perception under varying conditions without requiring overly complex adaptive systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the volume parameter of the signal tone based on detected conditions. When the user is far from the appliance or ambient noise is high, the volume parameter is increased to ensure perception. When the user is close or noise is low, the volume is reduced, optimizing energy consumption while maintaining reliability
3Reliability
If the volume of signal tones is increased to overcome ambient noise, then signal perception reliability is improved, but user convenience deteriorates due to potentially excessive volume when user is close
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the signal tone volume adjustable rather than fixed. The volume can be dynamically changed based on user distance (detected by distance sensors) and ambient noise levels (detected by noise sensors), ensuring reliable signal perception under varying conditions without requiring overly complex adaptive systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the volume parameter of the signal tone based on detected conditions. When the user is far from the appliance or ambient noise is high, the volume parameter is increased to ensure perception. When the user is close or noise is low, the volume is reduced, optimizing energy consumption while maintaining reliability
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (200) for adjusting the volume of a signal tone for signaling a status of a household appliance (100). The device (200) has an interface for receiving a distance signal that represents a distance between a user of the household appliance and the household appliance (100), and a setting device that is designed to set a volume value for the signal tone using the distance signal.