Appliance State Recognition Using Sensors for Timely Cycle Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy and smart appliances lack advanced user interaction and optimization features, leading to inefficient usage and user forgetfulness, such as unattended laundry or dishwashing cycles, which can result in moldy clothes and unnecessary energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
An appliance state recognition system that uses sensor data from temperature, motion, and proximity sensors to determine appliance states and generate responses, such as delayed start times or user notifications, to optimize appliance usage and user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If legacy appliances are used without smart functionality, then device complexity is reduced, but user interaction efficiency and appliance optimization capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a separate state recognition device that acts as an intermediary between the appliance and the user. This external device monitors appliance states through sensors and communicates with the user via mobile devices, allowing legacy appliances to gain smart functionality without modifying their internal complexity. The intermediary handles the complex tasks of state monitoring, analysis, and user notification externally.
Solution Approach 2:
The state recognition device autonomously monitors appliance states, detects anomalies, and notifies users without requiring direct user intervention or complex appliance programming. The system self-manages the monitoring process by continuously collecting sensor data, analyzing appliance states, and automatically generating notifications when issues are detected, freeing users from active monitoring duties.
2Productivity
If smart appliance functionality is added to monitor and optimize usage, then appliance efficiency and user convenience are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the smart functionality into separate modular components: sensor modules for data collection, state recognition modules for analysis, and notification modules for user communication. Each component performs a specific function independently, allowing the system to achieve high appliance efficiency through coordinated modular operations rather than integrated complexity within the appliance itself.
Solution Approach 2:
By placing the intelligence in an external state recognition device rather than within the appliance, the patent enables advanced monitoring and optimization capabilities while keeping the appliance itself relatively simple. The intermediary device handles all complex processing, decision-making, and user interaction, allowing the appliance to maintain its original design while gaining smart functionality.
3Reliability
If continuous monitoring of appliance states is implemented, then reliability and timely detection of issues are improved, but energy consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The state recognition device implements periodic monitoring of appliance states rather than continuous monitoring. Sensors collect data at predetermined time intervals, and the system analyzes states at these periodic checkpoints. This approach maintains reliable detection of appliance issues while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring, as the system remains in low-power states between measurement cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system operates autonomously using minimal energy by leveraging the appliance's own operational states as triggers for monitoring. The device intelligently activates monitoring based on detected states rather than running continuously, and uses low-power communication methods to notify users only when necessary, optimizing the balance between reliability and energy consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments herein relate to recognition of an appliance state based on sensor data and determination of a response based at least in part on the appliance state. In various embodiments, an apparatus to recognize an appliance state may include a sensor data module to identify sensor data in one or more signals relating to data from one or more sensors associated with an appliance, an appliance state recognition module to determine an appliance state of the appliance based at least in part on the sensor data, a response module to determine a response based at least in part on the appliance state, and a transmission module to send the response to at least one of an appliance controller for the appliance or a presentation device. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.