Home Appliance Operating Sound Customization for User Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Home appliances lack the ability to provide user-customized operating sounds, as the variety of sounds corresponding to different operating states are fixed during manufacturing and cannot be adjusted according to a user's preferences.
Innovation Solution
A home appliance system that includes a storage unit for sounds, a manipulation unit for user input, a sound output unit, and a controller to select and output user-defined operating sounds based on predetermined conditions, allowing users to input or download sounds and map them to specific appliance events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If operating sounds are fixed during manufacturing, then the home appliance can provide consistent and reliable auditory feedback, but the user cannot customize the operating sounds according to their preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The home appliance pre-provides multiple candidate operating sounds during manufacturing, stored in a storage unit. This preliminary preparation allows users to select and customize their preferred sounds without adding complexity to the manufacturing process, as the sound library is already prepared in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
A controller acts as an intermediary between the storage unit containing multiple sounds and the sound output unit. The controller manages the mapping and selection of sounds based on operating states, enabling customization without requiring direct user intervention in the hardware architecture.
2Ease of operation
If multiple operating sounds are provided for different operating states, then the user can receive specific feedback for each state, but the user cannot select their preferred sounds from the available options
Solution Approach 1:
The home appliance provides auditory feedback through the sound output unit based on the selected operating sounds. The controller monitors operating states and outputs the corresponding selected sounds, creating a feedback loop that confirms the customization is working as intended, enhancing ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sound output unit and controller are designed to handle multiple sound types and operating states universally. The system can accommodate various sound formats and map them to different operating conditions, allowing users to customize sounds for multiple states without requiring separate hardware for each function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the home appliance stores multiple candidate sounds, then the user has options for customization, but the storage and management system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and stores only the essential sound data needed for operating feedback in the storage unit, rather than storing complete audio files or extensive sound libraries. This extraction of necessary sound elements provides variety for customization while minimizing the quantity of stored data.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a home appliance that outputs an operating sound, if a predetermined operating sound output condition is satisfied, the home appliance including: a storage unit that stores at least one sound; a manipulation unit through which a sound to be set as the operating sound is selected from among the at least one sound from a user; a sound output unit that outputs the operating sound; and a controller that controls the sound output unit to output the sound selected by the user to the operating sound, if the operating sound output condition is satisfied. The user directly inputs sounds to the home appliance and selects an operating sound from among the sounds so that the home appliance capable of providing various operating sounds according to a user's taste can be provided.