Alarm Clock Sensor Zoning for Accurate Wake-Up Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional alarm systems fail to confirm the accuracy of user position detection, leading to potential misjudgment of wake-up times.
Innovation Solution
An alarm clock system that includes a sensor to detect the position of a user relative to a stationary device, adjusting alarm sounds and image generation based on sensor output, with distinct areas for detection and response, and allowing user customization of settings and images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the alarm clock uses sensor detection to determine user wake-up, then the wake-up timing accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases due to multiple detection areas and processing modes
Solution Approach 1:
The detection space is segmented into multiple distinct areas: a first area for detecting user presence during alarm playback, and a second area for detecting user movement in response to the alarm. This segmentation allows the system to track user behavior through different stages (from presence to movement) and accurately determine wake-up timing based on the sequence of detections across these divided zones.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the alarm clock generates images continuously in the first time period, then the user experience is enhanced, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image generation is performed periodically at specific time intervals rather than continuously. The system generates images at predetermined time points during the first time period, and then switches to sensor-response-based generation in the second time period. This periodic approach maintains user experience while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous generation.
3Productivity
If the alarm clock stops alarm sound when user movement is detected, then the wake-up effectiveness is improved, but the reliability decreases if the user is still asleep
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensor detection to provide feedback about user movement in real-time. When movement is detected in the second area, this feedback triggers the alarm sound to be stopped. The system continuously monitors for further movement or presence changes, allowing it to reliably determine when the user has truly awakened and left the bed, rather than making a single premature decision.
Data Source
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AI summary
An alarm clock includes: a clock part 331 configured to measure time; a sensor 21, output of which changes in accordance with a position of a surrounding object; a setting part 332 configured to set a first time based on input by a user; an image generation part 336 configured to generate an image; and a sound control part 335 configured to play an alarm sound when a time measured by the clock part reaches a time determined in accordance with the first time. The image generation part generates an image regardless of output of the sensor in a first time period including a time before the first time, and executes sensor response image generation processing for generating an image in accordance with output of the sensor in a second time period which is different from the first time period.