Multi-modal multi-device alerts for synchronized sensory feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Machine-generated alerts often fail to effectively grab the operator's attention and convey their meaning, leading to unawareness, intentional ignoring, or misinterpretation, which can hinder successful machine operation.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a computer application to generate unique multi-modal output signatures, coordinating patterns of transducer, speaker, and display outputs across multiple devices to provide synchronized alerts, incorporating visual, auditory, and haptic feedback, ensuring consistent and cohesive communication of alerts across various touchpoints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple output modes (visual, sound, haptics) are combined through multiple devices to provide alerts, then user awareness and alert effectiveness are improved, but device complexity and system coordination requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The alert system is segmented into distinct output modes (visual, auditory, haptic) that can be independently controlled and coordinated. Each output type is managed as a separate channel with its own patterns and signatures, allowing the system to activate only the necessary subsets for each alert type, thereby reducing unnecessary complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects and coordinates different output modes based on the specific alert type and context. The alert application dynamically generates and applies unique multi-modal output signatures that coordinate patterns across active devices, adapting the complexity of coordination to the specific situation rather than maintaining fixed complex connections between all components.
2Loss of information
If unique multi-modal output signatures are generated for each alert type with coordinated patterns across devices, then alert meaning conveyance is improved, but the complexity of pattern coordination and synchronization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses parameter changes in output patterns (timing, intensity, sequence) to convey different alert meanings without requiring completely separate coordination protocols for each alert type. By varying parameters within a unified multi-modal framework, the system maintains information conveyance while reducing coordination complexity through pattern recognition and parameter-based differentiation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If synchronized patterns are coordinated across printer and portable device transducers and displays, then brand recognition and user loyalty are improved, but the requirements for precise timing and coordination increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic action patterns in alert output signatures, using rhythmic and temporal patterns that are inherently recognizable and brand-identifying. These periodic patterns are designed to be synchronized across devices with tolerance for minor timing variations, reducing the stringency of synchronization requirements while maintaining brand recognition through consistent rhythmic signatures.
Data Source
AI summary
An app maintains different multi-modal output signatures. Each multi-modal output signature contains instructions for transducer output with speaker output and/or display output. Also, each multi-modal output signature is unique and different from all other multi-modal output signatures. Further, each different multi-modal output signature corresponds to only one of many possible alerts that may be generated by a printer. The app is adapted to control the printer user interface system and/or a portable device user interface system, to output these multi-modal output signatures in coordination.