Range hood ventilation system and control therefor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional range hood ventilation systems require physical contact with switches, limiting user control and hygiene during cooking, as they often have limited settings and functions.
Innovation Solution
A ventilation system equipped with sensors, such as time-of-flight sensors, arranged in an array to detect user gestures within a designated gesture field, allowing for touchless control of fan speed and light intensity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If physical switches are used for controlling range hood ventilation, then the control mechanism is simple and reliable, but user contact is required which compromises hygiene during cooking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical physical switches with an optical sensing system using time-of-flight sensors. The sensors detect hand gestures in the gesture field and convert them into control commands, eliminating the need for physical contact with switches while maintaining control functionality. This substitution of mechanical control with optical detection resolves the hygiene issue without significantly increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a gesture field as an intermediary space between the user and the control system. Hand gestures performed within this field serve as the intermediary mechanism to transmit control intentions without direct contact with physical components. This intermediary approach allows users to maintain hygiene while still effectively controlling the range hood ventilation system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional physical switches are used, then the control system is simple, but the number of settings and functions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control capabilities where the system can recognize multiple different hand gestures and map them to various control functions and settings. The gesture recognition system dynamically adapts to different user inputs, enabling versatile control of fan speeds, light intensity, and other functions. This dynamic approach allows the system to provide numerous settings and functions while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
3Ease of operation
If touchless gesture control is implemented, then hygiene is improved and control versatility increases, but sensor complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical switches with time-of-flight optical sensors that detect hand gestures in a designated gesture field. This substitution enables touchless control operation, improving ease of use and hygiene during cooking activities. The optical sensing system provides versatile gesture recognition capabilities while maintaining a manageable level of system complexity through efficient sensor implementation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables users to control range hood ventilation systems without physical contact, enhancing hygiene and convenience by allowing for more nuanced control of fan speed and light intensity through recognized gestures.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of sensors comprises a number of time-of-flight sensors
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a ventilation system includes at least one user directed component and a plurality of sensors configured to detect a plurality of control gestures within a gesture field designated for presentation of control gestures by a user. The ventilation system may further be configured such that a control gesture of the plurality of control gestures is presented within the gesture field for detection of said control gesture by the plurality of sensors, and the plurality of sensors recognizes the control gesture as corresponding to an operation of the at least one user directed component. The ventilation system may still further include a controller for polling the plurality of sensors and converting a recognized control gesture to a command signal for operating the at least one user directed component.