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WO2018141839A1 - A household appliance comprising a sound source - Google Patents

A household appliance comprising a sound source Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2018141839A1
WO2018141839A1 PCT/EP2018/052498 EP2018052498W WO2018141839A1 WO 2018141839 A1 WO2018141839 A1 WO 2018141839A1 EP 2018052498 W EP2018052498 W EP 2018052498W WO 2018141839 A1 WO2018141839 A1 WO 2018141839A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
household appliance
sound
sound source
panel
noise
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2018/052498
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Ergin Arslan
Kenan Atac
Metin Gul
Ercan Altinsoy
Egemen TINAR
Original Assignee
Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Arcelik Anonim Sirketi filed Critical Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority to EP18702687.7A priority Critical patent/EP3576595A1/en
Publication of WO2018141839A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018141839A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10K—SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G10K11/00—Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound in general; Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general
    • G10K11/16—Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general
    • G10K11/175—Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general using interference effects; Masking sound
    • G10K11/1752—Masking
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
    • A47L15/0018—Controlling processes, i.e. processes to control the operation of the machine characterised by the purpose or target of the control
    • A47L15/0052—Noise reduction
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10K—SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G10K11/00—Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound in general; Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general
    • G10K11/16—Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general
    • G10K11/175—Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general using interference effects; Masking sound
    • G10K11/178—Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general using interference effects; Masking sound by electro-acoustically regenerating the original acoustic waves in anti-phase
    • G10K11/1785—Methods, e.g. algorithms; Devices
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10K—SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G10K9/00—Devices in which sound is produced by vibrating a diaphragm or analogous element, e.g. fog horns, vehicle hooters or buzzers
    • G10K9/12—Devices in which sound is produced by vibrating a diaphragm or analogous element, e.g. fog horns, vehicle hooters or buzzers electrically operated
    • G10K9/122—Devices in which sound is produced by vibrating a diaphragm or analogous element, e.g. fog horns, vehicle hooters or buzzers electrically operated using piezoelectric driving means
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L2401/00—Automatic detection in controlling methods of washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware, e.g. information provided by sensors entered into controlling devices
    • A47L2401/32—Vibration or sound detection
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10K—SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G10K2210/00—Details of active noise control [ANC] covered by G10K11/178 but not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • G10K2210/10—Applications
    • G10K2210/105—Appliances, e.g. washing machines or dishwashers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10K—SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G10K2210/00—Details of active noise control [ANC] covered by G10K11/178 but not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • G10K2210/30—Means
    • G10K2210/321—Physical
    • G10K2210/3211—Active mounts for vibrating structures with means to actively suppress the vibration, e.g. for vehicles

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a household appliance in which the noise it makes is masked out or cancelled.
  • Noise levels of household appliances have been considerably reduced by the advances in technology. However, it is difficult to reduce the noise levels to a desired degree due to mechanical motions such as rotation in household appliances. Noise is generated particularly in household appliances comprising a fan rotating in high speeds such as a range hood, oven, or a dryer.
  • the household appliances operating in environments lacking a background noise disturb the users due to the noise they generate.
  • Sound sources such as speakers are required to transmit the sound to be used in masking or cancelling of the noise.
  • the household appliances with low frequency noise characters have noises generally of low frequencies, the sound sources require to have large-sized diaphragms for being able to generate low frequency sounds.
  • the household appliances are generally produced in compact sizes, placement of large-sized sound sources into household appliances causes a problem.
  • the sound sources may be subjected to the oil or water in the household appliance, leading to failure of the sound sources or electrical leakages.
  • EP2594853 discloses a range hood comprising an electro-acoustic transducer enabling transmission of a sound to be used in masking the noise it generates.
  • the aim of the present invention is to realize a household appliance comprising a sound source suitable for sound output in a wide frequency band including low frequency to mask out or cancel its noise.
  • the household appliance realized to achieve the aim of the present invention and disclosed in the claims, comprises a sound source being integrated in the panels, enabling the panel forming the body to act as a speaker diaphragm and converting electric signals into sound signals.
  • a sound source being integrated in the panels, enabling the panel forming the body to act as a speaker diaphragm and converting electric signals into sound signals.
  • a speaker with a diaphragm of approximately 20 cm is required to generate a bass sound of 100 Hz frequency, and it is not possible to mount a speaker of such size into a household appliance, whereas using the panels as diaphragm makes it possible to obtain sounds of such low frequencies.
  • a piezoelectric transducer is used as the sound source.
  • the electric signal sent by the control unit is transmitted to the panels by being converted to a sound signal on the piezoelectric transducer.
  • the panels being vibrated makes it possible to obtain all frequencies and increases the amplitude of the sound.
  • the sound source is integrated using printing or etching methods on the panel. This makes it possible to obtain sound sources custom designed according to the household appliance instead of using commercially available sound sources with certain specifications. Production costs are also reduced by producing the sound source in this manner.
  • improving the sound quality i.e. generating the desired sound signal is enabled by a physical filter positioned between the panel and the sound source, rather than using digital filtering.
  • the physical filter is made of a material different than that of the panel, and covers at least a portion of the panel.
  • the natural vibrational frequency of the panel can be modified by controlling the physical structure of the filter, and the sound amplitude can thus be modified without requiring digital filtering, by varying the natural vibrational frequency of the panel according to the frequency that is desired to be more dominant in the generated sound spectrum.
  • the structure and the size of the physical filter are determined by the producer according to the noise profile generated by the household appliance.
  • the same sound source can thus be used for different household appliances, and changing only the physical filter would be sufficient to effectively obtain the sounds in desired frequencies.
  • the physical filter is made of a material with shape memory.
  • Shape memory materials can change their shapes, i.e. rigidity, flexure coefficient, by applying signals of specific characteristics.
  • the natural vibrational frequency of the panel can be controlled in the desired manner by using shape memory material as the physical filter. This makes it possible to transmit the sound obtained by the control unit to the user, without being limited to the structural characteristics of the sound source.
  • the physical filter made of shape memory material is thermally controlled.
  • the natural vibrational frequency of the panel is modified by changing the temperature of the physical filter.
  • the physical filter made of shape memory material is electrically controlled. The physical filter is thus enabled to react more rapidly than by thermal control.
  • the household appliance may be a range hood, washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, dryer, or any small household appliance such as a kettle. Thanks to the invention, it becomes unnecessary to use an external equipment to mask out or cancel noises particularly of small-sized household appliances.
  • the panels of the range hood can be used as a speaker diaphragm and the desired sound can be propagated out, thanks to the sound source being integrated with the panels.
  • the sound source may be a commercially available vibration speaker, as well as of a custom structure as in the above-described embodiment.
  • the panels are enabled to act as a diaphragm by means of the sound source integrated with the panels, making it possible to obtain sound characters of almost all frequencies, particularly of low frequencies, within a small volume.
  • the regions where the sound source is used are of enclosed structure and are isolated from the outer environment or the internal environment of the appliance, thanks to the sound source occupying a compact space, and the useful lifetime of the sound source is extended by facilitating its prevention from being affected by the elements in the household appliance such as oil, water, or humidity.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic view of a household appliance.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic view of a sound source positioned on a panel in an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 3 is a schematic view of the sound source and the physical filter in a derivative of said embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 4 is a schematic view of the sound source in another embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 5 is a schematic view of the sound source and the physical filter in a derivative of another embodiment of the invention.
  • the household appliance (1) comprises a body (2), at least one panel (3) provided on the body (2), and a control unit (4) analyzing the noise generated by the household appliance (1), to cancel or mask said noise, and determining the masking or the cancelling sound.
  • the control unit (4) executes an algorithm masking or cancelling the noise generated by the household appliance (1).
  • the control unit (4) generates a sound to mask the noise of the household appliance (1), i.e. to prevent the noise from being perceived by the user, or to cancel the noise, by retrieving the noise from its memory or obtaining it by means of an external microphone (not shown in the figures).
  • the control unit (4) may obtain the sound to be used in masking or cancelling by retrieving from its memory or by finding it from the Internet.
  • the household appliance (1) of the invention comprises at least one sound source (5) enabling using said panel (3) as a vibration plate by converting the electric signals received from the control unit (4) integrated on the panel (3) to sound signals, and enabling masking or cancelling said noise by propagating the masking or cancelling sound.
  • the sound source (5) may be a vibration speaker without diaphragm, or any structure capable of converting electric signals to sound signals.
  • the panel (3) may be the walls of the household appliance (1) forming its body (2) and preferably made of metallic material.
  • the sound source (5) enables the sound coming from the sound source (5) to be propagated via the panel (3) by being integrated with the panel (3), wherein the panel (3) acts as a vibration plate, increasing the amplitude of the sound coming from the sound source (5).
  • low frequency sounds are obtained by vibrating the panels (3) without requiring usage of large speakers particularly in household appliances (1) generating low frequency noises.
  • the sound source (5) is connected to the control unit (4), and enables propagating out the sound to be used in cancelling or masking algorithms executed on the control unit (4).
  • the noise of the household appliance (1) is thus cancelled or masked out by means of the control unit (4) and the sound source (5) provided within and occupying a compact space.
  • Diaphragms are the main weight source of speakers, and by using the panel (3) as diaphragm, the weight of the household appliance (1) is prevented from increasing while the sound source (5) is prevented from generating vibrations due to weight, avoiding it to generate further noise inside the household appliance (1).
  • the sound source (5) is a piezoelectric transducer. It is not required to increase the dimensions of the household appliance (1) for performing noise masking or noise cancelling, thanks to the sound source (5) which is a piezoelectric transducer integrated on the panel (3) so as to occupy a compact space in the internal volume of the household appliance (1).
  • the sound source (5) is isolated from other components in the household appliance (1), preventing the components from vibrating and generating further noise by being effected from the sound source (5).
  • household appliances (1) such as range hoods, by reducing the size of the sound source (5), it may easily be enclosed and be prevented from getting dirty.
  • the sound source (5) is produced using printing or etching methods.
  • the sound source is produced by printing or etching methods on the panel (3) so as to be conform to the noise profile generated by the household appliance (1), i.e. in suitable size and structure.
  • the household appliance (1) comprises a physical filter (6) provided between the panel (3) and the sound source (5), made of a material different than that of the panel (3), enabling enhancing the sound quality/efficiency, i.e. generating the desired sound signal character, and covering at least a portion of the panel (3).
  • Digital filtering is required when it is desired to make modifications in the frequency-amplitude matrix of the sound coming from the sound source (5), and the obtained sound is propagated out from the sound source (5).
  • the digitally obtained sound cannot be propagated in equivalent quality through the sound source (5).
  • the modifications desired to be made in the frequency-amplitude matrix are made physically rather than digitally, thanks to the physical filter (6) positioned between the panel (3) and the sound source (5).
  • the diaphragm structure of the sound source (5) changes and the desired sound character is obtained preferably by instantly changing the structure and the shape of the physical filter (6).
  • the amplitude of the bass sounds are increased by enabling the panel (3) to resonate with the low frequencies coming from the sound source (5) by means of the vibrational mode structure of the physical filter (6) being adjusted according to bass frequencies ( Figure 3).
  • the structure and the size of the physical filter (6) are determined according to the noise profile of the household appliance (1).
  • the producer analyzes the noise generated by the household appliance (1) during its operation, and determines the structure and the size of the physical filter (6) according to the dominant frequency range.
  • This embodiment makes it possible to design separate physical filters (6) for separate household appliances (1). Moreover, by physical filtering, a good quality sound is obtained with a lower cost than digital filtering.
  • the physical filter (6) is made of a material with shape memory.
  • the vibrational mode structure of the physical filter (6) can easily be modified by the physical filter (6) being made of a shape memory material.
  • shape memory material By means of using shape memory material, the natural vibrational frequency of the panel can be modified and be shifted to the desired frequency band, by changing the rigidity of the physical filter (6) and therefore of the panel (3).
  • the tensility of the panel (3) is increased by contracting the physical filter (6) made of shape memory material, leading to an increase in the natural vibrational mode frequency.
  • the tensility of the panel (3) is decreased by loosening the physical filter (6), leading to a decrease in the natural vibrational mode frequency.
  • the amplitude of the sound in the desired frequency is naturally increased.
  • control unit (4) thermally controls the physical filter (6).
  • a Peltier member is used preferably in contact with the physical filter (6). The Peltier member is brought to varying temperatures according to the signal transmitted by the control unit (4), thereby providing controlling of the physical filter (6).
  • control unit (4) electrically controls the physical filter (6).
  • a faster control is provided by controlling the physical filter (6) electrically.
  • the sound source (5) is produced using printing or etching methods on the physical filter (6).
  • the physical filter (6) comprising the sound source (5) can be conveniently integrated to various household appliances by means of this embodiment ( Figure 5).
  • the sound source (5) is positioned so as to be on the center of the panel (3).
  • This embodiment enables the panel (3) to be vibrated in a better manner.
  • the position on the panel (3) of the sound source (5) in other words the vibration source, affects the natural vibrational frequency of the panel (3). Therefore, in various embodiments of the invention, the position of the sound source (5) on the panel (3) may be changed according to the noise profile of the household appliance (1).
  • the household appliance (1) of the invention makes it possible to obtain sounds in desired frequencies including low frequencies by means of using the panels (3) of the household appliance (1) without requiring a large-sized speaker. Also, a sound source (5) customized for the household appliance (1) is provided by means of the other embodiments of the invention. A solution is thus found to the inadequacies brought about by speakers in noise masking or noise cancelling applications, and the noise of the household appliance (1) is masked or cancelled in a much better manner.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Soundproofing, Sound Blocking, And Sound Damping (AREA)
  • Ventilation (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a household appliance (1) comprising a body (2), at least one panel (3) provided on the body (2), and a control unit (4) analyzing the noise generated by the household appliance (1), so as to cancel or mask said noise, and determining the masking or the cancelling sound.

Description

A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE COMPRISING A SOUND SOURCE
The present invention relates to a household appliance in which the noise it makes is masked out or cancelled.
Noise levels of household appliances have been considerably reduced by the advances in technology. However, it is difficult to reduce the noise levels to a desired degree due to mechanical motions such as rotation in household appliances. Noise is generated particularly in household appliances comprising a fan rotating in high speeds such as a range hood, oven, or a dryer. The household appliances operating in environments lacking a background noise, disturb the users due to the noise they generate. There are applications in which the noise generated by the household appliances are masked out or cancelled by using sound in a phase opposite of the noise. Sound sources such as speakers are required to transmit the sound to be used in masking or cancelling of the noise. Since the household appliances with low frequency noise characters have noises generally of low frequencies, the sound sources require to have large-sized diaphragms for being able to generate low frequency sounds. However, since the household appliances are generally produced in compact sizes, placement of large-sized sound sources into household appliances causes a problem. In addition, the sound sources may be subjected to the oil or water in the household appliance, leading to failure of the sound sources or electrical leakages.
State of the art Korean patent application no. KR20090119509, mentions a washing machine in which the noise it generates is masked out.
State of the art European patent application no. EP2594853, discloses a range hood comprising an electro-acoustic transducer enabling transmission of a sound to be used in masking the noise it generates.
State of the art Korean patent application no. KR20020040267, mentions a washing machine in which the noise it generates is masked out.
State of the art United States patent application no. US2003103632, mentions masking a noise with white noise of specified amplitudes by portioning said noise desired to be masked into specified time blocks and frequency intervals.
State of the art international patent application no. WO2004088607, mentions masking hospital noise by white noise to comfort the patients.
State of the art international patent application no. WO2014016723, mentions a sound masking method used in masking out a noise coming from a certain direction.
The aim of the present invention is to realize a household appliance comprising a sound source suitable for sound output in a wide frequency band including low frequency to mask out or cancel its noise.
The household appliance realized to achieve the aim of the present invention and disclosed in the claims, comprises a sound source being integrated in the panels, enabling the panel forming the body to act as a speaker diaphragm and converting electric signals into sound signals. By means of the invention, sound output from a household appliance is provided without requiring placement of a large-sized speaker into the household appliance. The amplitude of the generated sound is increased without requiring an external diaphragm, by vibrating the panels of the household appliance by means of the sound source. Thus, sound is obtained in a wide frequency range including low frequencies while enabling the sound source to occupy a compact volume in the household appliance. For example, a speaker with a diaphragm of approximately 20 cm is required to generate a bass sound of 100 Hz frequency, and it is not possible to mount a speaker of such size into a household appliance, whereas using the panels as diaphragm makes it possible to obtain sounds of such low frequencies.
In an embodiment of the invention, a piezoelectric transducer is used as the sound source. The electric signal sent by the control unit is transmitted to the panels by being converted to a sound signal on the piezoelectric transducer. The panels being vibrated makes it possible to obtain all frequencies and increases the amplitude of the sound.
In another embodiment of the invention, the sound source is integrated using printing or etching methods on the panel. This makes it possible to obtain sound sources custom designed according to the household appliance instead of using commercially available sound sources with certain specifications. Production costs are also reduced by producing the sound source in this manner.
In another embodiment of the invention, improving the sound quality, i.e. generating the desired sound signal is enabled by a physical filter positioned between the panel and the sound source, rather than using digital filtering. The physical filter is made of a material different than that of the panel, and covers at least a portion of the panel. The natural vibrational frequency of the panel can be modified by controlling the physical structure of the filter, and the sound amplitude can thus be modified without requiring digital filtering, by varying the natural vibrational frequency of the panel according to the frequency that is desired to be more dominant in the generated sound spectrum.
In another embodiment of the invention, the structure and the size of the physical filter are determined by the producer according to the noise profile generated by the household appliance. The same sound source can thus be used for different household appliances, and changing only the physical filter would be sufficient to effectively obtain the sounds in desired frequencies.
In another embodiment of the invention, the physical filter is made of a material with shape memory. Shape memory materials can change their shapes, i.e. rigidity, flexure coefficient, by applying signals of specific characteristics. The natural vibrational frequency of the panel can be controlled in the desired manner by using shape memory material as the physical filter. This makes it possible to transmit the sound obtained by the control unit to the user, without being limited to the structural characteristics of the sound source.
In a version of this embodiment, the physical filter made of shape memory material is thermally controlled. The natural vibrational frequency of the panel is modified by changing the temperature of the physical filter. In another version of this embodiment, the physical filter made of shape memory material is electrically controlled. The physical filter is thus enabled to react more rapidly than by thermal control.
In other embodiments of the invention, the household appliance may be a range hood, washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, dryer, or any small household appliance such as a kettle. Thanks to the invention, it becomes unnecessary to use an external equipment to mask out or cancel noises particularly of small-sized household appliances.
When the household appliance is a range hood, the panels of the range hood can be used as a speaker diaphragm and the desired sound can be propagated out, thanks to the sound source being integrated with the panels.
The sound source may be a commercially available vibration speaker, as well as of a custom structure as in the above-described embodiment.
In the household appliance of the invention, the panels are enabled to act as a diaphragm by means of the sound source integrated with the panels, making it possible to obtain sound characters of almost all frequencies, particularly of low frequencies, within a small volume. The regions where the sound source is used are of enclosed structure and are isolated from the outer environment or the internal environment of the appliance, thanks to the sound source occupying a compact space, and the useful lifetime of the sound source is extended by facilitating its prevention from being affected by the elements in the household appliance such as oil, water, or humidity.
The household appliance realized to achieve the aims of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a schematic view of a household appliance.
Figure 2 is a schematic view of a sound source positioned on a panel in an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic view of the sound source and the physical filter in a derivative of said embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 is a schematic view of the sound source in another embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 is a schematic view of the sound source and the physical filter in a derivative of another embodiment of the invention.
The elements in the figures are numbered individually and the correspondence of these numbers are given hereinafter.
  1. Household appliance
  2. Body
  3. Panel
  4. Control unit
  5. Sound source
  6. Physical filter
The household appliance (1) comprises a body (2), at least one panel (3) provided on the body (2), and a control unit (4) analyzing the noise generated by the household appliance (1), to cancel or mask said noise, and determining the masking or the cancelling sound. In the household appliance (1), the control unit (4) executes an algorithm masking or cancelling the noise generated by the household appliance (1). The control unit (4) generates a sound to mask the noise of the household appliance (1), i.e. to prevent the noise from being perceived by the user, or to cancel the noise, by retrieving the noise from its memory or obtaining it by means of an external microphone (not shown in the figures). The control unit (4) may obtain the sound to be used in masking or cancelling by retrieving from its memory or by finding it from the Internet.
The household appliance (1) of the invention comprises at least one sound source (5) enabling using said panel (3) as a vibration plate by converting the electric signals received from the control unit (4) integrated on the panel (3) to sound signals, and enabling masking or cancelling said noise by propagating the masking or cancelling sound. The sound source (5) may be a vibration speaker without diaphragm, or any structure capable of converting electric signals to sound signals. The panel (3) may be the walls of the household appliance (1) forming its body (2) and preferably made of metallic material. The sound source (5) enables the sound coming from the sound source (5) to be propagated via the panel (3) by being integrated with the panel (3), wherein the panel (3) acts as a vibration plate, increasing the amplitude of the sound coming from the sound source (5). With the present invention, low frequency sounds are obtained by vibrating the panels (3) without requiring usage of large speakers particularly in household appliances (1) generating low frequency noises. The sound source (5) is connected to the control unit (4), and enables propagating out the sound to be used in cancelling or masking algorithms executed on the control unit (4). The noise of the household appliance (1) is thus cancelled or masked out by means of the control unit (4) and the sound source (5) provided within and occupying a compact space. Besides masking or cancelling sounds, it is also possible to listen to music by means of the sound source (5). For example, when the household appliance (1) is not actively operated, i.e. not making noise, the user can listen to music using the sound source (5) like a normal speaker. Diaphragms are the main weight source of speakers, and by using the panel (3) as diaphragm, the weight of the household appliance (1) is prevented from increasing while the sound source (5) is prevented from generating vibrations due to weight, avoiding it to generate further noise inside the household appliance (1).
In an embodiment of the invention, the sound source (5) is a piezoelectric transducer. It is not required to increase the dimensions of the household appliance (1) for performing noise masking or noise cancelling, thanks to the sound source (5) which is a piezoelectric transducer integrated on the panel (3) so as to occupy a compact space in the internal volume of the household appliance (1). In addition, the sound source (5) is isolated from other components in the household appliance (1), preventing the components from vibrating and generating further noise by being effected from the sound source (5). Moreover, in household appliances (1) such as range hoods, by reducing the size of the sound source (5), it may easily be enclosed and be prevented from getting dirty.
In another embodiment of the invention, the sound source (5) is produced using printing or etching methods. In this embodiment, it becomes possible to produce the sound source (5) as integrated on the panel (3). The sound source is produced by printing or etching methods on the panel (3) so as to be conform to the noise profile generated by the household appliance (1), i.e. in suitable size and structure. By obtaining a sound source (5) suitable for the household appliance (1) instead of using conventional sound sources (5), efficiency in cancelling or masking the noise is increased and production costs are reduced (Figure 4).
In another embodiment of the invention, the household appliance (1) comprises a physical filter (6) provided between the panel (3) and the sound source (5), made of a material different than that of the panel (3), enabling enhancing the sound quality/efficiency, i.e. generating the desired sound signal character, and covering at least a portion of the panel (3). Digital filtering is required when it is desired to make modifications in the frequency-amplitude matrix of the sound coming from the sound source (5), and the obtained sound is propagated out from the sound source (5). However, due to the structural inadequacy brought about by the compactness of the sound source (5) on the household appliance (1), the digitally obtained sound cannot be propagated in equivalent quality through the sound source (5). In this embodiment, the modifications desired to be made in the frequency-amplitude matrix, are made physically rather than digitally, thanks to the physical filter (6) positioned between the panel (3) and the sound source (5). The diaphragm structure of the sound source (5) changes and the desired sound character is obtained preferably by instantly changing the structure and the shape of the physical filter (6). For example, when it is desired to hear bass sounds on low frequencies dominantly, the amplitude of the bass sounds are increased by enabling the panel (3) to resonate with the low frequencies coming from the sound source (5) by means of the vibrational mode structure of the physical filter (6) being adjusted according to bass frequencies (Figure 3).
In another embodiment of the invention, the structure and the size of the physical filter (6) are determined according to the noise profile of the household appliance (1). The producer analyzes the noise generated by the household appliance (1) during its operation, and determines the structure and the size of the physical filter (6) according to the dominant frequency range. This embodiment makes it possible to design separate physical filters (6) for separate household appliances (1). Moreover, by physical filtering, a good quality sound is obtained with a lower cost than digital filtering.
In another embodiment of the invention, the physical filter (6) is made of a material with shape memory. The vibrational mode structure of the physical filter (6) can easily be modified by the physical filter (6) being made of a shape memory material. By means of using shape memory material, the natural vibrational frequency of the panel can be modified and be shifted to the desired frequency band, by changing the rigidity of the physical filter (6) and therefore of the panel (3). For example, the tensility of the panel (3) is increased by contracting the physical filter (6) made of shape memory material, leading to an increase in the natural vibrational mode frequency. Likewise, the tensility of the panel (3) is decreased by loosening the physical filter (6), leading to a decrease in the natural vibrational mode frequency. By this means, the amplitude of the sound in the desired frequency is naturally increased.
In another embodiment of the invention, the control unit (4) thermally controls the physical filter (6). In this embodiment, a Peltier member is used preferably in contact with the physical filter (6). The Peltier member is brought to varying temperatures according to the signal transmitted by the control unit (4), thereby providing controlling of the physical filter (6).
In another embodiment of the invention, the control unit (4) electrically controls the physical filter (6). A faster control is provided by controlling the physical filter (6) electrically. Thus, sounds of varying frequencies, particularly the sounds in a wide frequency band, can be obtained in high quality without requiring digital filtering.
In another embodiment of the invention, the sound source (5) is produced using printing or etching methods on the physical filter (6). The physical filter (6) comprising the sound source (5) can be conveniently integrated to various household appliances by means of this embodiment (Figure 5).
In another embodiment of the invention, the sound source (5) is positioned so as to be on the center of the panel (3). This embodiment enables the panel (3) to be vibrated in a better manner. The position on the panel (3) of the sound source (5), in other words the vibration source, affects the natural vibrational frequency of the panel (3). Therefore, in various embodiments of the invention, the position of the sound source (5) on the panel (3) may be changed according to the noise profile of the household appliance (1).
The household appliance (1) of the invention makes it possible to obtain sounds in desired frequencies including low frequencies by means of using the panels (3) of the household appliance (1) without requiring a large-sized speaker. Also, a sound source (5) customized for the household appliance (1) is provided by means of the other embodiments of the invention. A solution is thus found to the inadequacies brought about by speakers in noise masking or noise cancelling applications, and the noise of the household appliance (1) is masked or cancelled in a much better manner.

Claims (8)

  1. A household appliance (1) comprising a body (2), at least one panel (3) provided on the body (2), and a control unit (4) analyzing the noise generated by the household appliance (1) so as to cancel or mask said noise and determining the masking or the cancelling sound, characterized by at least one sound source (5) enabling using said panel (3) as a vibration plate by converting the electric signals received from the control unit (4) integrated on the panel (3) to sound signals, and enabling masking or cancelling said noise by propagating a masking or an cancelling sound.
  2. A household appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the sound source (5) which is a piezoelectric transducer.
  3. A household appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the sound source (5) produced by printing or etching methods.
  4. A household appliance (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a physical filter (6) provided between the panel (3) and the sound source (5), made of a material different than that of the panel (3), enabling enhancing the sound quality/efficiency, and covering at least a portion of the panel (3).
  5. A household appliance (1) according to claim 4, characterized by the physical filter (6) whose size and structure is determined according to the noise profile of the household appliance (1).
  6. A household appliance (1) according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterized by the physical filter (6) made of a material with shape memory.
  7. A household appliance (1) according to claim 6, characterized by the control unit (4) thermally controlling the physical filter (6).
  8. A household appliance (1) according to claim 6, characterized by the control unit (4) electrically controlling the physical filter (6).
PCT/EP2018/052498 2017-02-03 2018-02-01 A household appliance comprising a sound source WO2018141839A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

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EP18702687.7A EP3576595A1 (en) 2017-02-03 2018-02-01 A household appliance comprising a sound source

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TR2017/01638A TR201701638A2 (en) 2017-02-03 2017-02-03 A HOME DEVICE WITH A SOUND SOURCE
TRA2017/01638 2017-02-03

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EP3576595A1 (en) 2019-12-11

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