Home Appliance Voice Activation From User Action Cues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home appliances require users to explicitly utter a trigger command before initiating voice recognition, which can be inconvenient and inefficient, especially when a user action indicates an intention to provide voice commands.
Innovation Solution
A home appliance system that detects user actions, such as opening a door, to automatically initiate the voice recognition mode without requiring a specific trigger command, and outputs distinct audio signals to inform the user of the mode activation, allowing for seamless voice command input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the home appliance operates in voice recognition mode only when a trigger command is detected, then power consumption is reduced and false activations are avoided, but user convenience deteriorates as users must explicitly utter trigger commands even when their actions clearly indicate intent to provide voice commands
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of user actions (door opening, button pressing, approach detection) before activating voice recognition mode. This preliminary action allows the system to anticipate user intent and activate voice recognition proactively, eliminating the need for explicit trigger commands while maintaining power efficiency by keeping the system in a low-power state until user actions are detected
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary detection mechanism (sensor detecting user actions) that mediates between the user's physical actions and the voice recognition activation. This intermediary layer translates physical actions into activation signals, allowing the system to respond to implicit user intent without requiring explicit verbal triggers, thus improving convenience while managing power consumption strategically
2Ease of operation
If the home appliance continuously monitors for user actions to activate voice recognition mode, then user convenience is improved by automatic activation, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multi-functional sensors that serve dual purposes: monitoring user actions for voice recognition activation and providing feedback for other appliance functions. By making sensors universal, the system avoids adding dedicated complexity solely for voice activation detection, as the same sensors contribute to multiple system functions simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the voice recognition activation logic with existing control processing routines. Rather than creating a separate complex detection system, the activation determination is integrated into the existing control flow, combining multiple functions (user action detection, voice recognition management, and general control) into a unified processing framework that reduces overall system complexity
3Loss of information
If the home appliance outputs distinct audio signals for different activation events, then user understanding is improved by clear feedback, but device complexity increases due to additional audio processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality differentiation by selecting specific audio feedback characteristics (tone, volume, pattern) based on the activation context. Rather than using a single generic activation sound, the system tailors the audio feedback quality to match the specific activation event (door opening vs. button press vs. approach), providing nuanced information feedback while using simple audio output hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes audio parameters (frequency, amplitude, duration) based on the activation event type to provide differentiated feedback. By modifying existing audio parameters rather than generating entirely different audio signals, the system achieves informative feedback with minimal additional processing complexity, leveraging parameter variation instead of structural complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
A home appliance is provided. The home appliance includes a sensor, a microphone, a speaker, and a processor. The processor is configured to, based on one of a first event wherein a user action is detected through the sensor or a second event wherein a trigger command for initiating a voice recognition mode is input through the microphone occurring, operate in the voice recognition mode, and control the speaker to output an audio signal corresponding to the event occurred, and the audio signal is an audio signal set differently for each of the first event and the second event.