Home Appliance Noise Control via Sleep Phase Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing home appliance control systems struggle to identify and mitigate noise sources that disturb users' sleep, leading to reduced overall efficiency as all appliances operate in low-noise mode unnecessarily, and it is challenging to determine the appropriate level of restriction for each device to ensure undisturbed sleep.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that obtain user sleep information and operation data from multiple home appliances, determine the noise source device causing disturbance, and adjust its operation to keep noise within a deep sleep range, optimizing noise levels for improved sleep quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If all home appliances operate in low-noise mode during sleeping hours, then user sleep is protected from noise disturbance, but overall use efficiency of the appliances is lowered

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoise disturbance to user sleepVSAvoidoverall use efficiency of appliances

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the appliance control by identifying specific noise source devices among multiple appliances and controlling only those devices individually, rather than controlling all appliances collectively. This allows non-noise-source appliances to maintain normal operation while noise sources are restricted, thus protecting sleep while preserving overall efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different control strategies to different appliances based on their individual noise characteristics. Noise source devices are controlled to operate in low-noise mode during sleeping hours, while non-noise-source devices are allowed to operate normally, creating localized quality control rather than uniform restriction across all appliances.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Object-affected harmful factors

If operation capabilities of home appliances are restricted to reduce noise, then sleep quality is improved, but it is difficult to determine the appropriate level of restriction for each device

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoise disturbance to user sleepVSAvoiddetermination of restriction level for each device

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically identifies noise source devices and determines appropriate restriction levels without requiring manual user input or judgment. The electronic device autonomously analyzes appliance operation information, identifies which devices are causing noise disturbance, and independently decides the control strategy for each device, making the process easy to operate while achieving sleep protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses sleep information (such as sleep phase changes) as feedback to identify when noise disturbance occurs and which appliance is the noise source. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically adjust the operation of noise source devices in real-time, determining appropriate restriction levels based on actual sleep impact rather than requiring pre-set manual parameters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Object-affected harmful factors

If operation performance of home appliances is restricted during sleeping hours, then noise disturbance is reduced, but it is not easy to identify the specific noise source device among multiple appliances

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoise disturbance to user sleepVSAvoididentification of noise source device

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system correlates sleep phase change information with appliance operation information to identify the noise source device. When a sleep phase change is detected, the system checks which appliance was operating at that moment, using this feedback relationship to pinpoint the specific noise source among multiple appliances, making identification straightforward and accurate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces manual noise source identification with automated electronic detection and analysis. The electronic device automatically processes appliance operation information and sleep information to identify noise sources, substituting mechanical or manual detection methods with electronic automation, thereby simplifying the identification process among multiple appliances.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20250013423A1Method of controlling home appliance and electronic device for performing the method

Publication Date: 2025.01.09 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

A method of controlling a home appliance, and an electronic device for performing the method are provided. The method includes obtaining sleep information of a user and operation information of each of a plurality of home appliances, determining a noise source device which causes noise outside a deep sleep range, from among the plurality of home appliances, at a time when a sleep phase of the user included in the sleep information is changed, and controlling operation of the noise source device so that noise caused from the noise source device is generated within the deep sleep range.