Home Appliance Voice Interface Layout for Reliable Speech Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home appliances require users to manually manipulate buttons and controls, which can be difficult for users unfamiliar with the operation methods, leading to a need for easier and more intuitive operation.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a microphone unit and a speaker unit into home appliances allows users to operate the appliances through voice commands, enhancing usability and simplifying the control interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual buttons and controls are provided for home appliance operation, then various functions can be implemented, but users unfamiliar with manipulation methods experience difficulty in operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical button manipulation with voice-based acoustic control. The microphone unit captures user speech, and the control unit processes voice commands to execute appliance functions, eliminating the need for physical button manipulation and significantly improving ease of operation for users unfamiliar with the control interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it processes traditional button inputs, recognizes voice commands through the microphone unit, and provides audio feedback through the speaker unit. This multi-functional approach allows the system to accommodate various user preferences and scenarios while maintaining a unified control architecture.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensing portions are disposed in the microphone unit for speech detection, then speech recognition accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The microphone unit is segmented into multiple sensing portions (microphone elements) arranged in a specific pattern. Each sensing portion captures acoustic signals from different spatial positions, enabling the control unit to analyze sound direction and improve speech recognition accuracy through spatial audio processing while maintaining modular construction.
3Reliability
If the microphone unit and speaker unit are spaced apart by a predetermined distance, then voice command recognition and audio feedback are optimized, but the control panel area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The microphone unit and speaker unit are positioned at different vertical heights on the control panel rather than only horizontally apart. This vertical dimension arrangement optimizes the acoustic path for voice recognition and feedback while minimizing the horizontal space occupied, thus reducing the overall control panel area while maintaining reliability.
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
This solution enables users to operate home appliances remotely and intuitively, improving user experience, reducing the complexity of control mechanisms, and potentially lowering manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a microphone unit disposed to direct to the front of the main body to detect a speech of a user
Implementation Method 2
a speaker unit disposed to be spaced apart from the microphone unit by a predetermined distance and outputting sound to the user
Data Source
AI summary
A home appliance includes an electrical equipment compartment disposed in an upper portion of the home appliance, and including an upper side that is open, an electrical equipment compartment cover to cover the open upper side of the electrical equipment compartment, and including a speaker hole, a microphone accommodating portion which protrudes upward from an upper side of the electrical equipment compartment cover and including an accommodating space and a front portion that includes microphone holes laterally spaced apart from each other and which face toward a front of the home appliance, a microphone unit including a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the accommodation space behind the microphone holes and including microphone chips mounted on the PCB, and a speaker unit disposed in the electrical equipment compartment to correspond to the speaker hole.