Method and system for controlling and/or communicating with a household appliance by means of voice commands with verification of the enabling of a remote control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing voice control systems for household appliances lack effective verification procedures for remote control enabling, leading to potential malfunctions and hazards, and are cumbersome, affecting speed and simplicity of use.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that processes voice commands to determine if remote control enabling is required, performing verification procedures only when necessary, using integrated voice receiving and processing means to recognize queries and requests, and enabling remote control if necessary, ensuring safe and efficient execution of commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If verification procedures for remote control enabling are applied to all voice commands, then safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voice command processing into two distinct categories: commands requiring remote control verification and commands not requiring verification. The system analyzes each voice command to determine its category and applies verification procedures only to the appropriate subset, thereby maintaining safety while reducing overall system complexity and operational burden.
2Reliability
If verification procedures for remote control enabling are applied to all voice commands, then safety and reliability are improved, but processing time and operational speed decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voice command processing into two distinct categories: commands requiring remote control verification and commands not requiring verification. The system analyzes each voice command to determine its category and applies verification procedures only to the appropriate subset, thereby maintaining safety while reducing overall system complexity and operational burden.
3Reliability
If rigid and indiscriminate application of remote control procedures is implemented, then safety is improved, but ease of operation and user effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voice command processing into two distinct categories: commands requiring remote control verification and commands not requiring verification. The system analyzes each voice command to determine its category and applies verification procedures only to the appropriate subset, thereby maintaining safety while reducing overall system complexity and operational burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies verification procedures partially rather than universally - only to voice commands that are determined to require remote control enabling. This partial application of verification maintains safety for critical operations while avoiding unnecessary complexity for routine commands, thereby improving ease of operation.
4Productivity
If verification procedures are applied selectively based on command analysis, then operational speed and simplicity are improved, but reliability may deteriorate if verification is skipped
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voice command processing into two distinct categories: commands requiring remote control verification and commands not requiring verification. The system analyzes each voice command to determine its category and applies verification procedures only to the appropriate subset, thereby maintaining safety while reducing overall system complexity and operational burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the voice command analysis determines whether verification is needed, and the verification status feeds back into the command execution process. This ensures that safety-critical commands receive appropriate verification while maintaining efficient processing for non-critical commands.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for controlling and/or communicating with a household appliance 100 by means of voice commands and with verification of remote control enabling is described. The method comprises the steps of receiving an acoustic voice signal SV, corresponding to a voice query and/or request expression pronounced by a user, and generating a corresponding first electric signal SE representative of the acoustic voice signal SV, by voice receiving means 2 integrated in the household appliance 100. The method then provides generating a query and/or request electric signal SR, on the basis of the received first electric signal SE, by first processing means 3 integrated in the household appliance 100 operatively connected to said voice reception means 2; and transmitting the query and/or request electric signal SR to second processing means 4. The method then comprises the steps of processing, performed by the second processing means 4, the query and/or request electric signal SR to identify a user query and/or request; and of recognizing if the user query and/or request is a command and/or control action which requires remote control enabling. If the user query and/or request is recognized as a command and/or control action which does not require remote control enabling, the method proceeds directly with the steps of determining a response to be provided to the user on the basis of the identified user query and/or request and generating a response electric signal C corresponding to the determined response, by the second processing means 4; then transmitting the aforesaid response electric signal C to the first processing means 3 of the household appliance; finally, providing the user with a visual and/or written and/or voice response, by display means 5 or sound reproduction means 7 comprised in the household appliance 100, on the basis of the aforesaid response electric signal C. If the user query and/or request is recognized as a command and/or control action which requires remote control enabling, the method provides performing a remote control verification and/or enabling procedure and then performing the aforesaid steps of determining and providing a response to the user, depending on the outcome of the remote control verification procedure. The aforesaid remote control verification and/or enabling procedure firstly provides verifying whether a remote control enabling state is activated in the household appliance 100. If it is verified that a remote control enabling state is activated in the household appliance 100, the method provides executing the command and/or control action in the household appliance 100. If it is verified that a remote control enabling state is not activated in the household appliance 100, the method provides setting a standby state and asking the user for an enabling action before executing the command and/or control action.