Appliance Mobile Device Pairing for Adaptive Output

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Solution Overview

Problem

Household appliances face challenges in providing long-term, reliable additional functions like recipe displays due to the mismatch between their lifespan and the lifespan of the platforms providing these functions, and equipping them with powerful processing devices is cost-intensive, with uncertain future requirements.

Innovation Solution

A wireless coupling between a household appliance and a mobile device allows for adaptive output perception and control based on user distance, using sensors like ultrasonic, radar, or LiDAR, and communication technologies like WLAN, Bluetooth, or UWB, enabling the use of Android operating systems and dynamic adaptation of display and sound outputs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a household appliance is equipped with a powerful processing device to provide additional functions, then the functionality and versatility are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovefunctionalityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary that hosts the processing power and additional functions (recipes, notifications, etc.). The household appliance only needs minimal processing capabilities to communicate with the mobile device, thereby achieving enhanced functionality without incurring high manufacturing costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the complex processing requirements and additional function modules from the household appliance and relocates them to the mobile device. This allows the appliance to maintain simple, cost-effective hardware while still providing access to sophisticated features through wireless communication.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a household appliance is equipped with a powerful processing device to meet future requirements, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuture adaptabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the system dynamically adaptable by allowing the mobile device to update and modify functions remotely. The appliance can adapt to new requirements through software updates transmitted via the communication device, eliminating the need for hardware upgrades and reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining future adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile device serves as a universal platform that can provide multiple different functions (recipes, notifications, controls) across different household appliances. This multi-functional approach allows a single device to meet various future requirements without requiring each appliance to be pre-equipped with specialized hardware.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Illumination intensity

If the display output size is increased for distant users, then the perceptibility is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay perceptibilityVSAvoidoutput adaptation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the communication device determines the distance between the user and appliance, and this distance information feeds back to automatically adjust the display output size. This automated feedback loop eliminates the need for complex manual adjustment mechanisms while ensuring optimal perceptibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-adjustment of display parameters based on automatically determined distance information. The appliance monitors user proximity and autonomously modifies its output characteristics without requiring complex user interfaces or manual intervention, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3993452B1Pairing a home appliance with a mobile device
Publication Date: 2024.06.19 BOSCH SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GMBH
  • EP3993452B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3993452B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A household appliance comprises a communication device for wireless communication; an output device; a device for determining the distance to a mobile device; a processing device configured to wirelessly pair the mobile device with the household appliance and to provide an output from the mobile device on the output device depending on the determined distance.