System and method for using sound to monitor the operation of a washing machine appliance

A method of operating a washing machine appliance, the washing machine appliance comprising a wash basket rotatably mounted within a wash tub, a motor operably coupled to the wash basket for selectively rotating the wash basket, and a microphone for monitoring sound generated by the washing machine appliance, the method comprising:

• obtaining a sound signal generated during operation of the washing machine appliance using the microphone;
• generating a spectrogram from the sound signal, the spectrogram representing a sound frequency and a sound amplitude over time;
• identifying a sound signature by analyzing the spectrogram using an image recognition process;
• and
• adjusting at least one operating parameter of the washing machine appliance based at least in part on the identification of the sound signature.

An appliance comprising:

• a microphone for monitoring sound generated during operation of the appliance;
• and
• a controller operably coupled to the microphone, the controller being configured for:
• obtaining a sound signal generated during operation of the appliance using the microphone;
• generating a spectrogram from the sound signal, the spectrogram representing a sound frequency and a sound amplitude over time;
• identifying a sound signature by analyzing the spectrogram using an image processing technique;
• and
• adjusting at least one operating parameter of the appliance based at least in part on the identification of the sound signature.