Voice control system for sitting and/or reclining furniture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing voice-controlled seating and reclining furniture systems require users to have access to a wired remote control, which can be inconvenient, especially when the furniture is in a lying position and the remote is not accessible or difficult to reach.
Innovation Solution
A voice control system utilizing an intelligent personal assistant (IPA) to receive voice commands and convert them into control commands for actuators, using wireless interfaces like WLAN or Bluetooth, allowing users to control furniture components such as seat, back, headrest, and armrests with spoken commands, and incorporating speech recognition and processing in the cloud for efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a wired remote control is used to control actuators, then the control functionality is reliable and direct, but the ease of operation deteriorates when the furniture is in a lying position and the remote is not accessible or difficult to reach
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wired remote control system with a voice-based control system using an intelligent personal assistant (IPA). Users can issue voice commands to control actuators without physically reaching for or manipulating a remote control device, thereby improving ease of operation especially when in a lying position where the remote is inaccessible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intelligent personal assistant (IPA) as an intermediary between the user and the actuator control system. The IPA receives voice commands, processes them through speech recognition algorithms, and converts them into control commands for the actuators, serving as a mediator that eliminates the need for direct physical interaction with a remote control.
2Measurement precision
If voice commands are processed in the cloud on third-party servers, then speech recognition accuracy is improved, but the loss of time increases due to internet connection requirements and data transmission delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by downloading and storing speech recognition data, algorithms, and voice command patterns locally in the furniture's control unit before they are needed. This allows the system to perform speech recognition processing locally without requiring real-time internet connection or cloud server communication, thereby reducing response time while maintaining recognition accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit in the furniture is designed to perform multiple functions: it can process speech recognition locally using stored algorithms, communicate with cloud services when needed, and directly control actuators. This multi-functionality allows the system to operate independently of cloud connectivity while maintaining the option to enhance capabilities through cloud integration when available.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The present invention relates to a voice control system for furniture. The voice control system comprises a piece of furniture with at least one component that can be manipulated by means of an actuator and an intelligent personal assistant (IPA) for receiving voice commands to actuate the at least one actuator. The IPA is configured to convert the voice commands into control commands for activating the at least one actuator. Furthermore, the furniture has a data interface and a control unit, which is connected between the data interface and the at least one actuator and is configured to selectively actuate the at least one actuator based on the control commands.