Device control method and electronic device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of the Internet of Things. Disclosed are a device control method and an electronic device. When users control smart devices in environments by means of portable control devices, the present application can automatically achieve, when rooms where the control devices are located change, the control devices controlling smart devices in the rooms after the change which are currently capable of responding to operations. The solution comprises: acquiring a first user operation on a movable control device; if the control device is located in a first area, in response to the first user operation, controlling a first device to perform an operation, the first device being one of at least one device among devices associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation; and if the control device is located in a second area, in response to the first user operation, controlling a second device to perform an operation, the second device being one of at least one device among devices associated with the second area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

Description

Device control method and electronic device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 28, 2023, with application number 202311288659.7 and application name “A device control method and electronic device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of Internet of Things technology, and in particular to a device control method and electronic device. Background Art

[0003] The Internet of Things (IoT) connects various types of devices, enabling information exchange between them and enabling intelligent management. The IoT has a wide range of applications, including smart homes, industrial production, disaster prevention and monitoring, logistics tracking, smart grids, smart transportation, smart logistics, video surveillance, and smart healthcare.

[0004] Taking the smart home field as an example, in order to experience the security, convenience and comfort brought by Internet of Things (IoT) devices (also known as smart devices), more and more users are installing smart devices in environments such as homes or offices, or even installing smart devices throughout the house (also known as whole-house intelligence, whole-house smart home, etc.). When users want to control smart devices in smart homes, in addition to controlling smart devices through physical buttons on smart devices (or physical switches connected to smart devices through circuits), they can also control smart devices through a portable control device that can be carried around and placed anywhere. The appearance of this portable control device is generally in the form of a mini knob, as shown in Figure 1. The top of the portable control device supports button operation and the surroundings support rotation operation. Therefore, this portable control device can also be called a smart knob. Users can control the smart devices in the smart home by rotating and pressing the smart knob.

[0005] Currently, before a user wants to use a smart knob to control a smart device in a room (such as the living room), the user needs to first configure the smart knob's control functions in that room to ensure that the user can use the smart knob normally in that room. However, after using the smart knob in that room, the user wants to use it to control a smart device in another room (such as the bedroom). The user needs to reconfigure the smart knob's control functions in the other room to ensure that the user can use the smart knob normally when the user takes the smart knob to the other room. The entire process is cumbersome and the user experience is poor.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a device control method and electronic device. When a user controls smart devices in an environment through a portable control device, when the room where the control device is located changes, the control device can automatically control the currently responsive smart devices in the changed room. The user does not need to manually configure the control function of the control device in the changed room, thereby reducing the user's operation complexity and ensuring the user's control experience.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0009] In a first aspect, a device control method is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a first user operation on a movable control device; if the control device is in a first area, controlling the first device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, the first device being one of at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation; if the control device is in a second area, controlling the second device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, the second device being one of at least one device associated with the second area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

[0010] The solution provided in the first aspect above allows, when a user operates a portable control device, to determine, based on the current location of the control device, at least one device currently capable of responding to the user's operation from devices associated with the area where the control device is located, and to identify one of these devices as the device that the user intends to control through the control device, thereby directly controlling the device to perform the corresponding operation. In this way, when the user wants to use the control device normally in a certain space, the user can directly take the control device to that space for use, without having to manually reconfigure the control function of the control device in that space. This reduces the user's operational complexity and ensures the user's control experience.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the above-mentioned acquisition of the first user operation on the movable control device includes: acquiring the first user operation on the movable control device at a first moment; the device control method of this solution also includes: acquiring the first user operation on the movable control device at a second moment; if the control device is in the first area, then in response to the first user operation, controlling a third device to perform an operation, the third device being one of at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation. The current moment can be the second moment, or it can be a moment delayed by a short time from the second moment, the short time being the time required to acquire, process, etc. the operation. In this way, when the user operates the control device at different moments, since the devices that can respond to the user operation at different moments may be different, this solution can determine a device from the devices associated with the current area of ​​the control device that can respond to the user operation at the current moment as the device that the user intends to control through the control device, thereby directly controlling the device to perform the corresponding operation.

[0012] For example, at 9 a.m., when a user operates a control device in the living room, they can directly adjust the volume of the smart speaker in the living room that is responsive to the operation. At 2 p.m., when a user operates a control device in the living room, they can directly adjust the opening and closing of the smart curtains in the living room that are responsive to the operation.

[0013] In one possible implementation, after controlling the first device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, the method further includes: obtaining a second user operation on the control device; if the control device is in the first area, then in response to the second user operation, switching to control the fourth device to perform the operation, the fourth device being another of the at least one device currently capable of responding to the first user operation among the devices associated with the first area. In this way, when the first device currently controlled by the control device is not the device the user wants to control, the user can also quickly switch to control another device by operating the control device. For example, when the user performs the first user operation on the control device, the volume of the smart speaker of the first device is currently controlled. If the user finds that it is not the device he wants to control, the user can also perform the second user operation on the control device again to quickly switch to control the brightness of the light of the smart lamp of another device.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first user operation is a rotation operation, and the second user operation is a key operation. In this way, when the user performs a rotation operation on the control device, this solution can automatically determine a device from the devices associated with the current area of ​​the control device and the devices that can respond to the user operation at the current moment as the device controlled by the control device, and control the device to perform the operation. If the user finds that the device automatically determined to be controlled is not the device the user wants to control, the user can also perform a key operation on the control device to quickly switch to another device to perform the operation. The other device is another device associated with the current area of ​​the control device and that can respond to the user operation at the current moment.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first user operation is a key operation, and the second user operation is a rotation operation. In this way, when the user performs a key operation on the control device, this solution can automatically determine a device from the devices associated with the current area of ​​the control device and the devices that can respond to the user operation at the current moment as the device controlled by the control device, and control the device to perform the operation. If the user finds that the device automatically determined to be controlled is not the device the user wants to control, the user can also perform a rotation operation on the control device to quickly switch to another device to perform the operation. The other device is another device associated with the current area of ​​the control device and can respond to the user operation at the current moment.

[0016] In one possible implementation, before obtaining a first user operation on a movable control device, the method further includes: obtaining a second user operation on the control device; if the control device is in the first area, then in response to the second user operation, determining that the controlled device of the control device is a fourth device, where the fourth device is another one of the at least one devices associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation; obtaining a third user operation on the control device; if the control device is in the first area, then in response to the third user operation, switching the controlled device of the control device to the first device.

[0017] In this way, when the user intends to operate the control device, such as performing a rotation operation on the control device, the present solution can automatically determine a device (such as the fourth device) from the devices associated with the current area of ​​the control device and the devices that can respond to the user operation at the current moment as the device controlled by the control device. The user can also continue to perform a third user operation for switching devices on the control device, such as a key operation, to quickly switch to another device (such as the first device) from the devices that can respond to the user operation at the current moment as the device controlled by the control device. In this way, when the user performs the first user operation on the control device, the other device (such as the first device) can be directly controlled to perform the operation.

[0018] In one possible implementation, before obtaining the third user operation on the control device, the method further includes: when determining that the controlled device of the control device is the fourth device, outputting prompt information, the prompt information is used to prompt the user that the controlled device of the control device is the fourth device. In this way, when the user intends to operate the control device, this solution automatically determines a device (such as the fourth device) from the devices associated with the current area of ​​the control device and the devices that can respond to the user operation at the current moment as the device controlled by the control device, and can prompt the user of the device currently controlled by the control device. The user can thereby determine whether it is the device he wants to control. If it is not the device the user wants to control, the user can perform a third user operation for switching the device on the control device, thereby quickly switching to another device (such as switching to the first device) as the device controlled by the control device.

[0019] In one possible implementation, before obtaining the third user operation on the control device, the method further includes: when it is determined that the controlled device of the control device is the fourth device, controlling the fourth device to perform the operation. In this way, when the user intends to operate the control device, this solution automatically determines a device (such as the fourth device) from the devices associated with the current area of ​​the control device and the devices that can respond to the user operation at the current moment as the device controlled by the control device, and can also directly control the device to perform the operation. In this way, the user can judge whether it is the device he wants to control based on the executed device. If it is not the device the user wants to control, the user performs the third user operation for switching the device on the control device, thereby quickly switching to another device (such as switching to the first device) as the device controlled by the control device.

[0020] In one possible implementation, before controlling the first device to perform an operation in response to a first user operation, the method further includes: obtaining device information of at least one device associated with the first area, the device information including device status and / or device control habits; and determining, based on the device information, that the controlled device of the controlling device is the first device. In this manner, this solution can automatically select, based on the device status and / or device control habits, a device from the at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the user operation as the device controlled by the controlling device.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the device status includes an operating status; and the device control habits include a device control frequency or a number of device controls. Thus, based on at least one of the device's operating status, device control frequency, and device control times, this solution can automatically select a device that is currently responsive to user operations from at least one device associated with the first area as the device controlled by the controlling device.

[0022] In one possible implementation, when the device information includes an operating status, determining that the controlled device of the controlling device is the first device based on the device information includes: when there is only one device in the at least one device with a controllable operating status, confirming that the controllable device is the first device. Because a device currently in a state that cannot be controlled by the controlling device cannot respond to instructions, this solution can select a device with a controllable operating status from the at least one device associated with the first area as the device controlled by the controlling device. It will be understood that if only one device has a controllable operating status, it will be directly selected as the device controlled by the controlling device.

[0023] The controllable state may be that the device is in an open state (power-on state) or a normal operating state.

[0024] In one possible implementation, when the device information includes device control habits, if at least one device associated with the first area includes multiple devices, such as a first device and a fifth device, then determining the controlled device of the controlling device as the first device based on the device information includes determining the controlled device of the controlling device as the first device when the device control frequency of the first device is greater than the device control frequency of the fifth device, or when the number of device controls performed by the first device is greater than the number of device controls performed by the fifth device. In this way, this solution can recommend the device that the user is accustomed to controlling as the device controlled by the current controlling device.

[0025] In one possible implementation, when the device information includes device status and device control habits, determining the controlled device of the controlling device as the first device based on the device information includes: when there are multiple devices in a controllable operating state within at least one device, determining the controlled device of the controlling device as the first device based on the device control frequency or the number of device controls, where the first device is the device with the highest device control frequency or the device with the most device controls among the multiple controllable devices. In this way, this solution can combine device operating status, device status, and device control habits to recommend the device controlled by the current controlling device. That is, if there are multiple devices in a controllable operating state within at least one device associated with the first area, the device that the user is accustomed to controlling can be selected as the device controlled by the current controlling device.

[0026] Optionally, if there are multiple devices with the highest control frequency or the highest control number, then a device may be selected in other ways (such as randomly) as the device controlled by the current controlling device.

[0027] In one possible implementation, if the control device is in the first area, then in response to the first user operation, after controlling the first device to perform an operation, the method further includes: when the control device moves from the first area to the third area, obtaining the first user operation on the control device; in response to the first user operation, controlling the sixth device to perform an operation, the sixth device being one of at least one device associated with the third area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation. In this way, since the devices associated with different areas may be different, the devices that are currently capable of responding to the operation are also different. Therefore, when the user moves the control device from one area to another, this solution can automatically switch to determining at least one device that is currently capable of responding to the user operation from the devices associated with the other area, and determine one device from among them as the device that the user intends to control through the control device, so that the device can be directly controlled to perform the corresponding operation.

[0028] In one possible implementation, after controlling a sixth device to perform an operation in response to a first user operation, the method further includes: obtaining a second user operation on the control device; if the control device is in a third area, then, in response to the second user operation, switching control of a seventh device to perform an operation, where the seventh device is another of the at least one device associated with the third area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation. In this way, when the user moves the control device from one area to another, if the first device currently controlled by the control device is not the device the user wants to control, the user can also quickly switch control of another device by operating the control device. The other device is another device among the devices associated with another area that is currently capable of responding to the user operation.

[0029] In one possible implementation, before obtaining a first user operation on a movable control device, the method further includes: displaying a first interface including device options for multiple regions, wherein each region includes at least one device option; and in response to the first operation acting on the multiple device options, determining that multiple devices corresponding to the multiple device options are devices controllable by the control device, wherein the multiple device options include an option corresponding to a first device and an option corresponding to a second device. In this way, the user can configure the control function of the control device for devices in different regions at once, eliminating the need for multiple configurations.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first user operation is an operation on a physical key. For example, when the control device is a smart knob, the first user operation may be a rotation operation around the smart knob.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the first user operation is an operation on a virtual key. For example, when the control device is a control panel, the first user operation may be a touch operation on a virtual button displayed on the control panel.

[0032] In a second aspect, a device control method is provided, which is applied to a movable control device, the method comprising: obtaining a first user operation on the movable control device; if the control device is in a first area, controlling the first device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, wherein the first device is one of at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation; if the control device is in a second area, controlling the second device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, wherein the second device is one of at least one device associated with the second area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

[0033] In the solution provided by the first aspect above, when a user operates a portable control device, the control device can, based on its current location, determine at least one device that is currently capable of responding to the user's operation from devices associated with the current location, and then determine one of these devices as the device that the user intends to control through the control device, so that the control device can directly control the device to perform the corresponding operation. In this way, when the user wants to use the control device normally in a certain space, the user can directly take the control device to that space for use, without the user having to manually reconfigure the control function of the control device in that space, thereby reducing the user's operation complexity and ensuring the user's control experience.

[0034] Optionally, the movable control device is a movable smart knob.

[0035] Optionally, the first user operation may be a rotation operation or a key operation.

[0036] Optionally, in response to a first user operation, the control device may control the first device to perform an operation via the hub device. In this manner, the control device may forward the corresponding instruction to the first device via the hub device, causing the first device to perform the corresponding operation. Optionally, in response to the first user operation, the control device generates a first instruction; transmits the first instruction to the hub device; and the hub device controls the first device to perform the operation based on the first instruction. The first instruction may be an instruction for instructing the first device to perform the operation.

[0037] In a third aspect, a device control method is provided, which is applied to a central device, and the method includes: obtaining a first user operation reported by a movable control device; if the control device is in a first area, controlling the first device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, wherein the first device is one of at least one device associated with the first area that can currently respond to the first user operation; if the control device is in a second area, controlling the second device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, wherein the second device is one of at least one device associated with the second area that can currently respond to the first user operation.

[0038] In the solution provided by the first aspect above, when a user operates a portable control device, the control device can report the user operation to the central device. Thus, the central device can determine at least one device that can currently respond to the user's operation from the devices associated with the area where the control device is currently located, based on the area where the control device is currently located, and determine one device from among them as the device that the user intends to control through the control device, so that the central device can directly control the device to perform the corresponding operation. In this way, when the user wants to use the control device normally in a certain space, the user can directly take the control device to the space for use, without the user having to manually reconfigure the control function of the control device in the space, thereby reducing the user's operation complexity and ensuring the user's control experience.

[0039] Optionally, the above-mentioned central device can be a central control screen.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising: an acquisition unit and a response unit. The acquisition unit is configured to acquire a first user operation on a movable control device; the response unit is configured to, if the control device is in a first area, control the first device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, where the first device is one of at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation; and the response unit is configured to, if the control device is in a second area, control the second device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, where the second device is one of at least one device associated with the second area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

[0041] The electronic device provided in the fourth aspect above, when a user operates a portable control device, can, based on the current area of ​​the control device, determine at least one device that is currently capable of responding to the user's operation from the devices associated with the area where the control device is located, and determine one device from among them as the device that the user intends to control through the control device, so that the electronic device can directly control the device to perform the corresponding operation. In this way, when the user wants to use the control device normally in a certain space, the user can directly take the control device to that space for use, without the user having to manually reconfigure the control function of the control device in that space, thereby reducing the user's operation complexity and ensuring the user's control experience.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the acquisition unit is used to acquire a first user operation on the control device at a first moment. The acquisition unit is also used to acquire a first user operation on the movable control device at a second moment. The response unit is also used to control a third device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation if the control device is in the first area, the third device being one of at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation. In this way, when the user operates the control device at different moments, since the devices that can respond to the user operation at different moments may be different, the electronic device can determine a device from the devices associated with the current area where the control device is located and that can respond to the user operation at the current moment as the device that the user intends to control through the control device, so that the electronic device can directly control the device to perform the corresponding operation.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the acquisition unit is further used to acquire a second user operation on the control device. The response unit is also used to, if the control device is in the first area, respond to the second user operation, switch to control the fourth device to perform the operation, where the fourth device is another one of the at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation. In this way, when the first device currently controlled by the control device is not the device the user wants to control, the user can also quickly switch to control another device by operating the control device. For example, when the user performs the first user operation on the control device, the volume of the smart speaker of the first device is currently controlled. If the user finds that it is not the device he wants to control, the user can also perform the second user operation on the control device again to quickly switch to control the brightness of the light of the smart lamp of another device.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the first user operation is a rotation operation, and the second user operation is a key operation. Alternatively, the first user operation is a key operation, and the second user operation is a rotation operation.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the acquisition unit is further configured to acquire a second user operation on the control device. The response unit is further configured to, if the control device is in the first area, determine, in response to the second user operation, that the controlled device of the control device is a fourth device, where the fourth device is another of the at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation. The acquisition unit is further configured to acquire a third user operation on the control device. The response unit is further configured to, if the control device is in the first area, switch the controlled device of the control device to the first device in response to the third user operation.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the electronic device further includes an output unit configured to output prompt information when determining that the controlled device of the control device is the fourth device, wherein the prompt information is configured to prompt a user that the controlled device of the control device is the fourth device.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the responding unit is further configured to, when determining that the controlled device of the controlling device is the fourth device, control the fourth device to perform an operation.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the electronic device further includes a device determination unit for obtaining device information of at least one device associated with the first area, the device information including device status and / or device control habits; and determining, based on the device information, that the controlled device of the controlling device is the first device.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the device status includes a working status; and the device control habit includes a device control frequency or a device control number of times.

[0050] In a possible implementation, when the device information includes a working state, the device determining unit is configured to, when there is only one device in the at least one device whose working state is a controllable state, confirm that the device in the controllable state is the first device.

[0051] In one possible implementation, when the device information includes device control habits, if at least one device associated with the first area includes multiple devices, such as a first device and a fifth device, the device determination unit is used to determine that the controlled device of the controlling device is the first device when the device control frequency of the first device is greater than the device control frequency of the fifth device, or when the number of device controls of the first device is greater than the number of device controls of the fifth device.

[0052] In one possible implementation, when the device information includes the device status and the device control habits, the device determination unit is used to: when there are multiple devices in the controllable working state in at least one device, determine that the controlled device of the control device is the first device according to the device control frequency or the number of device controls, and the first device is the device with the highest device control frequency or the largest number of device controls among the multiple controllable devices.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the acquiring unit is further configured to acquire a first user operation on the control device when the control device moves from the first area to the third area. The responding unit is further configured to control a sixth device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, where the sixth device is one of at least one device associated with the third area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

[0054] In one possible implementation, the electronic device also includes a configuration unit for displaying a first interface, the first interface including device options in multiple areas, wherein each area includes at least one device option; in response to a first operation acting on the multiple device options, a plurality of devices corresponding to the multiple device options are determined to be devices that can be controlled by the control device, wherein the multiple device options include options corresponding to the first device and options corresponding to the second device.

[0055] In a fifth aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising one or more processors and one or more memories. The one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more memories are configured to store computer program code, wherein the computer program code comprises computer instructions. When the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the electronic device executes the device control method according to any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0056] Optionally, the electronic device may be a hub device or a movable control device.

[0057] Optionally, the movable control device may be a movable smart knob or a movable control panel.

[0058] In a sixth aspect, a device control system is provided, comprising a control device, a hub device, a first device, and a second device. The hub device receives a first user operation on the control device from a movable control device; if the control device is in a first area, the hub device controls the first device to perform the operation in response to the first user operation, where the first device is one of at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation; and if the control device is in a second area, the hub device controls the second device to perform the operation in response to the first user operation, where the second device is one of at least one device associated with the second area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

[0059] In a seventh aspect, a device control system is provided, comprising a control device, a hub device, a first device, and a second device. The control device receives a first user operation on a movable control device; if the control device is in a first area, the control device responds to the first user operation by controlling the first device via the hub device to perform an operation, wherein the first device is one of at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation; and if the control device is in a second area, the control device responds to the first user operation by controlling the second device via the hub device to perform an operation, wherein the second device is one of at least one device associated with the second area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

[0060] Optionally, the control device responds to the first user operation and controls the first device to perform an operation through the hub device, which may include: the control device generates a first instruction in response to the first user operation; sends the first instruction to the hub device; and the hub device controls the first device to perform an operation according to the first instruction.

[0061] In an eighth aspect, a chip system is provided, which is applied to an electronic device. The chip system includes one or more interface circuits and one or more processors. The interface circuits and processors are interconnected via a circuit. The interface circuits are configured to receive a signal from a memory of the electronic device and send the signal to the processor. The signal includes computer instructions stored in the memory. When the processor executes the computer instructions, the electronic device executes the device control method of any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0062] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on an electronic device, the electronic device executes the device control method in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0063] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the device control method in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0064] It can be understood that the beneficial effects that can be achieved by the methods of the second and third aspects, the electronic devices of the fourth and fifth aspects, the device control systems of the sixth and seventh aspects, the chip system of the eighth aspect, the computer-readable storage medium of the ninth aspect, and the computer program product of the tenth aspect provided above can be referred to the beneficial effects of the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0065] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a configuration interface provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another configuration interface provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG4 is a flow chart of a device control method in the related art;

[0069] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a smart home system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG7 is a flow chart of a device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG8 is a second schematic diagram of a scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG9 is a flow chart of another device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG10 is a third schematic diagram of a scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG11 is a fourth schematic diagram of a scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG12 is a flow chart of another device control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG13 is a flow chart of another device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG14 is a fifth schematic diagram of a scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG15 is a sixth schematic diagram of a scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG16 is a first schematic diagram of device switching provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG17 is a second schematic diagram of device switching provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG18 is a third schematic diagram of device switching provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG19 is a fourth schematic diagram of device switching provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG20 is a fifth diagram of device switching provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG21 is a flow chart of another device control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of a configuration interface provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0087] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0088] With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), a wide variety of smart devices have become part of people's lives. Currently, the concept of a smart home has been proposed for the home use of smart devices. Using the home as a platform and leveraging IoT and automated control technologies, a smart home integrates and controls various smart devices throughout the home, enhancing safety, convenience, and comfort.

[0089] Among them, smart devices can be household devices, such as audio and video devices (such as large-screen devices, Bluetooth speakers, etc.), lighting equipment (such as ceiling lights, table lamps, spotlights, etc.), environmental control equipment (such as air conditioners, air purifiers, etc.), anti-theft alarm equipment (such as human sensors, cameras, etc.), etc., and can also be gateway devices (such as switches), router devices, etc., and can also be gateway sub-devices (such as Bluetooth devices, wireless transceiver devices RF433). The embodiments of this application do not limit the types of smart devices in smart homes.

[0090] Generally, the control methods of smart devices may include the following: first, controlling the smart device through physical buttons on the smart device or physical switches connected to the smart device through circuits; second, controlling the smart device through a remote control that comes with the smart device, such as an infrared remote control or a Bluetooth remote control; third, remotely controlling all smart devices connected to a wireless network (such as a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network) through other terminals such as mobile phones and tablets; fourth, controlling the smart device configured by the smart knob through button operations or rotation operations of the smart knob.

[0091] As shown in FIG1 , the smart knob 100 is a portable control device in a smart home that can be carried around. The smart knob is a knob button that can be used to control a smart device by rotating or pressing the knob. Specifically, the smart knob 100 may include a pressing component 101 at the top and a rotating component 102 formed around the pressing component. The rotating component 102 may have a ring or annular shape and may rotate in a circumferential direction. Thus, the top of the rotating component 102 may support button operation, while the surrounding area may support rotation operation.

[0092] Currently, before controlling a smart device with a smart knob, the knob's control functions must be configured. This can be done through the smart home control panel. This control panel displays the smart home's human-computer interface. Users can view the smart knob's configuration interface on the interface. In this interface, users can input settings by tapping the screen or speaking voice commands to configure the smart device to be controlled by the knob's buttons or rotations.

[0093] As an example, as shown in (a) of Figure 2, the smart home may include a central control screen 200, and the human-computer interaction interface displayed on the central control screen 200 may include a smart knob control 201 for providing functions related to the smart knob. When the user clicks on the smart knob control 201 displayed on the central control screen 200, in response to the click operation, the central control screen 200 displays a function menu of the smart knob as shown in (b) of Figure 2. The function menu includes an option 202 for writing a smart knob, which is used to provide the user with a manual configuration function of the smart knob. When the user clicks on the option 202 for writing a smart knob, in response to the click operation, the central control screen 200 displays a function configuration interface of the smart knob in the living room as shown in (c) of Figure 2. The function configuration interface includes a living room option 203, a button option 204, a rotation option 205, a confirmation option 206, etc.

[0094] The Living Room option 203 indicates that the smart knob's control functions are currently being configured for the living room. Optionally, the Living Room is the default configuration space. If the user prefers to use the smart knob in another space rather than the living room, they can click the Living Room option 203 to enter the smart knob configuration interface. This interface includes options for bedroom, study, bathroom, kitchen, hallway, dining room, and more. If the user prefers to use the smart knob in the bedroom, they can select the Bedroom option to enter the bedroom configuration interface for the smart knob.

[0095] Key option 204 is used to trigger configuration of the smart knob's key functions. Rotation option 205 is used to trigger configuration of the smart knob's rotation function. Taking the configuration of the smart knob's rotation function as an example, the user can click on rotation option 205. In response to this click, as shown in FIG2 (c), the central control screen 200 can highlight rotation option 205 and display the configuration interface for the smart knob's rotation function in the lower display area. This configuration interface includes the smart devices that can be controlled by rotating the smart knob and the corresponding function options.

[0096] As shown in FIG2 (c), the configuration interface may include functional options such as the overall brightness of the lights, the overall volume of the speakers, and the opening and closing of the curtains. The user selects one of these options, such as the overall brightness of the lights, as the rotation control function of the smart knob. The user can then click the OK option 206 to confirm the current manual configuration. In response to this click, the central control screen 200 may display the smart knob association interface shown in FIG2 (d), which writes (i.e., associates) the current user-configured function to the smart knob of the entity to be configured.

[0097] The smart knob association interface may include associated prompt information 207 of the smart knob to prompt the user that the currently manually configured function can be written into the entity's smart knob by placing the entity's smart knob close to the designated area of ​​the central control screen 200. As shown in Figure 3, after the user places the entity's smart knob 100 close to the designated area of ​​the central control screen 200, the above-mentioned user-manually configured function can be successfully written into the smart knob 100, and the central control screen 200 can display a prompt message of successful writing. Thus, when the user takes the smart knob 100 to the living room, by rotating the smart knob 100, the brightness of the lights in the living room can be directly controlled. For example, rotating the smart knob 100 counterclockwise reduces the brightness of the lights in the living room; rotating the smart knob 100 clockwise increases the brightness of the lights in the living room.

[0098] It is understood that when there are multiple smart knobs in a smart home, if the user wants to configure another smart knob instead of the smart knob 100, the user can also place the other smart knob close to the designated area of ​​the central control screen 200, so that the function manually configured by the user can be successfully written to the other smart knob. In this way, when the user takes the other smart knob to the living room, he can also directly control the brightness of the living room lights by rotating the other smart knob.

[0099] Similarly, when the button functions of the smart knob 100 need to be configured, the user can also click the button option 204 to enter the configuration interface of the button functions of the smart knob. The button function configuration of the smart knob is completed through similar steps as above. No more details will be given here.

[0100] The following is an introduction to the implementation process of controlling smart devices through smart knobs in related technologies.

[0101] For example, as shown in FIG4 , the implementation process of controlling a smart device through a smart knob in the related art may include S40 to S47:

[0102] S40. The input device displays a knob configuration interface.

[0103] The input device may be deployed (installed) with IoT application software for controlling a central device or smart device. The IoT application software may be a mini-program, application (APP), or other software program. Users can manually configure the control functions of the smart knob through the human-computer interaction interface of the IoT application software.

[0104] In some scenarios, the input device may be a control panel, a smart phone, a smart TV, etc. in a smart home. The control panel may be the central control screen 200 described above, and the displayed knob configuration interface may be the function configuration interface of the smart knob in the living room as shown in (c) in FIG2 .

[0105] S41: The input device detects the user's configuration operation. Based on the user's configuration operation, the control function of the smart knob is configured. The configuration process can be seen in Figures 2 and 3.

[0106] S42. After the user completes the configuration of the smart knob through the input device of the smart home, the input device may promptly report the knob control function configured by the user to the central device.

[0107] Among them, the central device can be understood as the central controller of the smart home, which is generally an integrated business hub service, resident in the environment, and long-lasting device, such as the central control screen, smart TV, smart router, set-top box and other devices.

[0108] The reported knob control function configured by the user includes the corresponding relationship between the smart knob configured this time and the functions of the controllable smart device, such as rotating the smart knob 100 -> the overall brightness of the living room lamp.

[0109] S43. After receiving the knob control function configured by the user, the central device may save it and overwrite the knob control function configured last time, that is, the control function of the subsequent smart knob shall be based on the knob control function configured by the user this time.

[0110] The hub device may include a processor or hardware / software module for implementing the control function of the smart knob. The hardware / software module may be called a knob control module or a hub subsystem.

[0111] S44. When the smart knob detects that it is rotated or pressed by the user, it may report the rotation event or the key press event to the central device.

[0112] S45. The central device converts the rotation event or key event into a device control command according to the latest saved configuration of the knob control function.

[0113] If the smart knob reports a rotation event, the central device can determine that the corresponding device control command is to adjust the overall brightness of the living room light based on the latest saved correspondence between the knob control functions.

[0114] S46. The central device sends the device control command to the controlled device.

[0115] For example, if the device control command is to adjust the overall brightness of the living room lamp, the central device can determine that the controlled device corresponding to the rotation event currently reported by the smart knob 100 is the living room lamp, so that the central device can send the device control command to adjust the overall brightness of the lamp to the living room lamp.

[0116] S47: The controlled device performs corresponding operations according to the device control command, such as adjusting the overall brightness of the living room lamp.

[0117] However, while smart knobs can currently control the functions of a specific smart device in the space they are configured for, their location often changes because they are portable and can be placed anywhere. Using the above solution, users would need to reconfigure the smart knob's functions each time the space it is located changes. This cumbersome process fails to meet users' immediate needs and results in a poor user experience.

[0118] Taking the rotation function of a smart knob as an example, as shown in Figure 5 (a), although rotating the smart knob can control the function of a smart device in the space it is configured for, such as the brightness of a smart light, the volume of a smart speaker, the opening and closing of a smart curtain, the temperature of a smart air conditioner, or the wind direction of a smart air conditioner, as shown in Figure 5 (b), after the user configures the smart knob's control function in the living room, the user can use the smart knob normally in the living room. However, when the user moves the smart knob from the living room to the bedroom, the smart knob still controls the smart device in the living room, and the user cannot control the smart device in the bedroom. Therefore, the user must reconfigure the smart knob's control function in the bedroom before it can be used normally in the bedroom. After using the smart knob in the bedroom and moving it back to the living room, the user still needs to reconfigure the smart knob to use it normally in the living room. This means that the user needs to manually reconfigure the smart knob every time it changes room location. Similarly, current smart knobs are limited in the number of controlled devices they can configure, requiring users to manually reconfigure the controlled device when they want to switch it. This fails to meet users' immediate needs and results in a poor user experience.

[0119] Based on the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a device control method. When a user controls smart devices in an environment through a portable control device, when the room where the control device is located changes, the control device can automatically control the smart devices in the changed room. The user does not need to manually configure the control function of the control device in the changed room, thereby reducing the user's operation complexity and ensuring the user's control experience.

[0120] It is understood that the device control method provided in the embodiments of this application is not limited to the applicable fields. For example, it can be used in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT), such as smart home, industrial production, and video surveillance. This application will use the smart home field as an example to specifically illustrate the device control method.

[0121] As shown in Figure 6, an embodiment of the present application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a smart home system (also known as a device control system). The smart home system 600 may include a smart device 610, a hub device 620, and a control device 630. Among them, the smart device can be all devices in the home that can access the communication network. Scenarios in which smart devices access the communication network may include scenarios in which the smart device directly accesses the communication network, scenarios in which the smart device relies on other devices to access the communication network, and so on.

[0122] Optionally, the smart device 610 can be a household appliance, such as a smart door lock, a smart speaker, a smart curtain, a smart air conditioner, a smart camera, a smart TV, a sweeping robot, a smart socket, a smart desk lamp, a smart refrigerator, a smart water heater, etc.

[0123] Optionally, the smart device 610 may also be a sensor device for sensing surrounding environmental information. Examples include a camera, infrared sensor, human motion sensor, air quality monitor, gas monitor, flood monitor, smoke alarm, valve monitor, etc. The sensor device in the embodiments of the present application may sense the presence of a user and the user's location information.

[0124] Optionally, the smart devices 610 can be interconnected through a communication network. The communication network can be a wired network or a wireless network. For example, the communication network can be a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet. The communication network can be implemented using any known network communication protocol, and the network communication protocol can be various wired or wireless communication protocols, such as Ethernet, universal serial bus (USB), FireWire, global system for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), time-division code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), a communication protocol that supports network slicing architecture, or any other suitable communication protocol.

[0125] For example, the smart devices 610 may establish a Wi-Fi connection through a Wi-Fi network. For another example, multiple smart devices 610 may be connected to each other through one or more servers after logging into the same account.

[0126] Optionally, smart device 610 may also be a network access device for connecting to a local area network (LAN) or the internet. Examples include routers and gateway devices. For example, one or more routers may be deployed throughout a home to form a LAN or access a LAN or the internet. Once one or more home devices are connected to a router, they can communicate with other devices within the LAN or the internet through the network channels provided by the router.

[0127] Optionally, the smart device 610 can also be a gateway sub-device, which does not have the ability to connect to the Internet directly and needs to rely on other devices to access the local area network or the Internet. The other device may refer to a smart device with networking capabilities and the ability to mount sub-devices, such as a gateway device with the ability to manage certain protocol sub-devices. Among them, gateway sub-devices include Bluetooth sub-devices, low-power Bluetooth (bluetooth low energy, BLE) sub-devices, power line communication (power line communication, PLC) sub-devices, Zigbee (Zigbee) sub-devices, etc. The connection between the gateway device and the gateway sub-device can be Bluetooth protocol, PLC protocol, Zigbee protocol, etc. Gateway devices of different communication protocols manage gateway sub-devices of their respective corresponding protocols.

[0128] Optionally, multiple smart devices 610 may be divided into one or more device subsystems based on the type and capabilities of the smart devices 610. The types of the device subsystems may include a lighting subsystem, an air conditioning subsystem, a sunshade subsystem, an environmental monitoring subsystem, a safety protection subsystem, a network subsystem, a water use subsystem, and the like.

[0129] Optionally, the smart device 610 can also be classified according to the spatial attributes of the smart device 610. The spatial attributes of the smart device 610 can indicate the location of the smart device 610. For example, if the spatial attribute of the smart device 610 is kitchen, it can indicate that the smart device 610 is located in the kitchen. According to the spatial attributes of the smart device 610, multiple smart devices 610 can be divided into device subsystems corresponding to each space. Among them, a device subsystem can include multiple smart devices 310 with the same spatial attributes. For example, smart devices such as smart table lamps, smart air conditioners, and smart curtains in the living room can serve as device subsystems for the living room.

[0130] The hub device 620 is also called a hub, a central control system or a host. The hub device 620 can be used to manage each smart device 610 in the smart home system 600. For example, the hub device 620 can obtain the operating status of each smart device 610, which includes an open state (or a power-on state), a closed state (or a power-off state), a working state, a sleep state, a low power state, a fault state, etc. For another example, the hub device 620 can send corresponding control instructions to the smart device 610 to control the smart device 610 to implement the corresponding function. Optionally, each smart device 610 can also send corresponding control instructions to the hub device 620 to forward the control instructions to other smart devices via the hub device 620.

[0131] Optionally, the hub device 620 may execute the device control method provided in the present application, so that when the space where the control device 630 is located changes, the control device 630 can automatically control the smart device 610 in the changed space.

[0132] Optionally, the entire house may be provided with only one central device 620 . The sensor devices in each room or area may send the detected location information of the control device 630 to the central device 620 .

[0133] In some scenarios, multiple hub devices 620 may be set up throughout the house. Each hub device 620 manages multiple smart devices 610 in the smart home system 600. Optionally, a hub device may be set up in each room or area of ​​the house. The sensor device in each room or area can send the location information of the detected control device 630 to the hub device in the room or area. Optionally, some rooms or areas may not need to be equipped with a hub device; that is, not all rooms or areas are equipped with a hub device. For example, the restaurant may not be equipped with a hub device. The dining room and the entrance corridor share a hub device, or the dining room and the living room share a hub device.

[0134] Optionally, a central device may be provided in each of the above-divided device subsystems. When the multiple smart devices 610 in the smart home system 600 are divided into device subsystem 1 and device subsystem 2, a central device may be provided in each of device subsystem 1 and setting subsystem 2.

[0135] In some scenarios, multiple hub devices throughout a home can be independent and communicate with the cloud separately. The cloud can be used to manage the various smart devices 610 in the smart home system 600 through the multiple hub devices. For example, the cloud can obtain the operating status of each smart device 610 through the multiple hub devices 620. For another example, the cloud can send corresponding control instructions to each hub device 620 to control each hub device 620 to perform corresponding functions.

[0136] In some scenarios, multiple hub devices throughout the house can also communicate with each other. Optionally, among the multiple hub devices in the house, there may be a hub device for unified management of the multiple hub devices. This hub device can be defined as the control center of the smart home system. In this way, other hub devices can send relevant information to the control center, which will make centralized decisions and management. The control center can also send corresponding control instructions to other hub devices to instruct other hub devices to control the corresponding smart devices to achieve corresponding functions.

[0137] Alternatively, the cloud may communicate only with the control center. For example, the cloud may send control instructions to the control center, which in turn sends corresponding control instructions to each hub device to control each hub device to implement corresponding functions.

[0138] Optionally, the control hub can also assume the function of a central device in a certain room or area. For example, the control hub can also assume the function of a central device in the living room. In one example, a central device is set up for each room or area outside the living room. When the control hub communicates with the smart devices in the rooms or areas outside the living room, it still goes through the central devices in each room or area; when communicating with the smart devices in the living room, the control hub communicates directly without the need to deploy a central device in the living room for communication.

[0139] Optionally, the hub device can also serve as a network access device for connecting to a local area network or the internet. Thus, smart device 610 can access the network by accessing the hub device. In one embodiment, hub device 620 can be integrated with a router into a single device. For example, hub device 620 and a router can be integrated into a single router, meaning that a single router in the entire house can function as hub device 620.

[0140] Optionally, the hub device 620 can act as an edge node to communicate with the cloud. The cloud can refer to a server cluster on the Internet. Optionally, the cloud can be a server corresponding to the smart home platform.

[0141] The control device 630 is a portable control device in the smart device system 600 that can be carried around and placed anywhere. The portable control device generally has a miniature knob shape, as shown in FIG1 . The top of the portable control device supports button operation, and the surrounding area supports rotation. Therefore, the portable control device 630 can also be referred to as a smart knob. Users can control the smart devices 610 in the smart home system 600 by rotating and pressing the smart knob. This application does not limit the shape of the control device; for example, the portable control device can also have a miniature spherical shape.

[0142] Optionally, when the control device 630 detects that it is rotated or pressed by the user, it can send a rotation event or a key event to the hub device 620 to turn on or off the smart device 610 and adjust the parameters of the smart device 610 (such as adjusting the brightness of the smart light) through the hub device 620.

[0143] Optionally, the control device 630 may include a wireless communication module, such as a WiFi module, a Bluetooth (BL) module, etc. The sensor device in the smart home system can sense the location information of the control device 630 through the wireless communication signal strength between the sensor device and the control device 630.

[0144] In some scenarios, the smart home system 600 may also include a cloud. Optionally, the cloud may also serve as a control center to execute the device control method provided in this application, so that when the space where the control device 630 is located changes, the control device 630 automatically controls the smart device 610 in the changed space.

[0145] In one embodiment, the hub device 620 can send the received location information of the control device 630 to the cloud. Furthermore, the hub device 620 can also send the control information of the hub device 620 on the smart device 610 to the cloud. Furthermore, the hub device 620 can also upload various information generated during the operation of the smart device 610 to the cloud for user viewing.

[0146] In one example, the smart home system 600 also includes one or more input devices (for example, the input device is a control panel, a mobile phone, etc.). For example, the control panel can display the human-computer interaction interface of the smart home system 600. The user can view the connection information of each device in the smart home system 600, the operating information of the smart device 610, and / or the control information of the hub device 620 on the smart device 610 on the human-computer interaction interface. The user can also input control commands by clicking on the screen or by voice on the human-computer interaction interface to control the devices in the smart home system 600 or manually configure the control functions of the control device 630. For example, a smart life application is installed on the mobile phone, and when the smart life application is started on the mobile phone, the human-computer interaction interface of the smart home system 600 can be displayed. The user can view the connection information of each device in the smart home system 600, the operating information of the smart device 610, and / or the control information of the hub device 620 on the smart device 610 on the human-computer interaction interface, and can also complete the function configuration of the control device 630 on the human-computer interaction interface.

[0147] Optionally, a control panel can be provided in each room or area of ​​the house. The control panel of each room or area can display a human-computer interaction interface for that room or area. The user can view the connection information of each device in the room or area, the operating information of the smart device 610 in the room or area, and / or the control information of the hub device 620 over the smart device 610 on the human-computer interaction interface. The user can also complete the function configuration of the control device 630 in the room or area on the human-computer interaction interface.

[0148] In some scenarios, the hub device 620 can be a control panel. When there are multiple hub devices in the house, and there is a hub device (i.e., a control hub) for unified management of the multiple hub devices, the control hub for managing the multiple hub devices can be a central control panel (also called a central control screen).

[0149] It should be noted that the architecture of the smart home system shown in FIG6 is only one implementation of the embodiment of the present application. In actual applications, the smart home system may also include more or fewer devices, which is not limited here.

[0150] The following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes a device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This device control method can be applied to the aforementioned hub device / cloud. The following description uses the example of a hub device, where the control device is a smart knob, as an example to provide a detailed description of this device control method.

[0151] Please refer to FIG7 , which provides a device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device control method includes:

[0152] S710: When the smart knob detects a user operation, it reports an operation event corresponding to the user operation to the central device.

[0153] A user operation is an action performed by the user on the smart knob, which can be rotating the smart knob four times or pressing the top of the smart knob. When the user rotates the smart knob four times, it can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, and the rotation range can be one full rotation (360°), half a rotation (180°), or a quarter rotation (90°). When the user presses the top of the smart knob, it can be pressed hard, lightly, long, pressed once (single press), pressed twice in a row (double press), etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the operations performed by the user on the smart knob.

[0154] When a user rotates the smart knob four times or presses the top of the smart knob, the smart knob can report corresponding operation events to the hub device. These operation events include rotation events generated by the smart knob based on the user rotating the smart knob four times or key events generated by the user pressing the top of the smart knob.

[0155] Optionally, the operation event includes information such as the operation event type, operation time, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the information included in the operation event.

[0156] When the operation event is a rotation event, the rotation event may include the rotation event type and the rotation operation time. For example, if a user rotates the smart knob three-quarters of a turn clockwise at time T1, the rotation event reported by the smart knob will include the rotation event type (4 consecutive clockwise rotations) and the rotation time T1.

[0157] If the operation event is a key press event, the key press event may include the key press event type and key press duration. For example, if the user presses the top of the smart knob twice consecutively at time T2, the key press event reported by the smart knob includes the key press event type (double-click) and the key press duration (T2).

[0158] As a way, the smart knob can be connected to the hub device of the smart home system, so that the smart knob can report the generated operation events to the hub device through upstream devices. The upstream devices can be gateway devices, routers, etc. around the smart knob.

[0159] Alternatively, the smart knob can communicate and interact with sensor devices in the smart home system, so that the smart knob can report the generated operation events to the central device through the sensor devices. The sensor devices can be infrared sensors, distance sensors, millimeter wave radars, etc.

[0160] S720: The central device receives an operation event from the smart knob.

[0161] In the embodiment of the present application, the hub device can monitor the operation events from the smart knob in real time. When the operation event from the smart knob is monitored, the device control method of the embodiment of the present application is executed, that is, the smart device at the location of the smart knob is automatically selected as the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control, without the need for manual reconfiguration by the user.

[0162] S730: The central device obtains the current location information of the smart knob.

[0163] Optionally, the location information includes the coordinates of the current location of the smart knob. As an example, a coordinate system of the entire house can be established, so that the current location information of the smart knob can be obtained by calculating the coordinates of the current location of the smart knob.

[0164] Optionally, the location information includes the local area where the smart knob is currently located. As an example, the local area where the smart knob is currently located may refer to an area with a radius of R, with the coordinates of the current location of the smart knob as the origin. The value of R may be pre-set, such as 2 meters, and may be pre-stored in the hub device.

[0165] Optionally, the location information includes the space the smart knob is currently located in. Spaces can be divided based on rooms, such as kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms. Spaces can also be divided based on areas, such as office areas, lunch areas, and fitness areas.

[0166] In some embodiments, the smart home system may include sensor devices, such as cameras, distance sensors, infrared sensors, millimeter-wave radars, etc. The present application does not limit the sensor devices. The sensor devices may be used to sense the current location of the smart knob and may also be used to sense operation events reported by the smart knob.

[0167] Sensor devices can be connected to the hub device of the smart home system, allowing the hub device to obtain the perception information reported by the sensors. Specifically, the sensor device can report the location information of the smart knob it senses to the hub device through the upstream device.

[0168] In one scenario, when the central device is the control center for the entire house, if there are other central devices deployed in one or more rooms / areas in the house, the location information of the smart knob reported by the sensor devices in these rooms / areas can also be transmitted to the control center through other central devices.

[0169] In some scenarios, the perception information reported by the sensor device also includes the user's position, direction (angle), etc. in the whole house, and may also include the user's identity information (such as physical characteristics such as face and clothing, and identity category information such as adult and child). The central device can also combine this perception information to automatically select the controlled device that the current smart knob needs to control from the smart devices at the location of the smart knob. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the perception information reported by the sensor.

[0170] It should be noted that S730 can be executed after S710 to S720 or before S710 to S720. The present embodiment of the application does not limit the order in which S730 and S710 to S720 are executed. For example, S730 can be executed at a fixed time period, such as the hub device obtains the current location information of the smart knob every 5 seconds.

[0171] S740: The central device determines the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control from the smart devices associated with the location information.

[0172] The smart device associated with the location information of the smart knob may be a smart device near the location information of the smart knob.

[0173] Optionally, if the hub device obtains the current location coordinates of the smart knob, the hub device may identify smart devices within a designated area as being near the smart knob's location information. The designated area may be an area with a radius of r, centered at the current location coordinates of the smart knob. The value of R may be pre-set, such as 3 meters, and may be pre-stored in the hub device.

[0174] Optionally, if the hub device obtains the local area where the smart knob is currently located, the hub device may regard the smart devices located in the local area as smart devices near the location information of the smart knob.

[0175] Optionally, if the hub device knows the space where the smart knob is currently located, it can identify the smart devices in that space as being near the smart knob's location. For example, if the space is divided based on rooms, and the smart knob is currently located in the living room, the smart devices in the living room are considered to be near the smart knob's current location. If the space is divided based on areas, and the smart knob is currently located in the office area, the smart devices in the office area are considered to be near the smart knob's current location.

[0176] In some embodiments, the hub device can save the historical configuration record of the smart knob, which includes the functions of all controllable smart devices that the smart knob has been historically configured to control. Optionally, when there are multiple smart knobs in the smart home system, the historical configuration records of the multiple smart knobs can be shared.

[0177] For example, when the smart home system includes smart knob A and smart knob B, if the user first configures the knob control function of smart knob A to control the brightness of the living room light, and first configures the knob control function of smart knob B to control the brightness of the bedroom light, the hub device can merge the configurations of smart knob A and smart knob B to save and manage them as a unified historical configuration record of the smart knob.

[0178] In other words, the historical configuration records saved by the hub device include the functions of all smart devices that can be controlled by the smart knob, without distinguishing which smart knob is which. For example, in the historical configuration records saved by the hub device, each smart knob can control the brightness of both the living room light and the bedroom light. In this way, even if the user does not configure Smart Knob A to control the bedroom function, due to the shared historical configuration records, the user can control the brightness of the bedroom light by taking Smart Knob A to the bedroom.

[0179] In the embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the location information of the smart knob, the hub device can search for smart devices associated with the location information of the smart knob from the historical configuration records based on the location information. In other words, the smart devices here are all controllable smart devices configured by the smart knob.

[0180] The hub device can then determine the device that the smart knob currently needs to control from the smart devices associated with the smart knob's location information. This allows the hub device to automatically select the smart device near the smart knob as the device that the smart knob currently needs to control when the user uses the smart knob to control a smart device in the environment. This allows the smart knob to control the smart devices near the smart knob.

[0181] For example, as shown in Figure 8, when the smart knob is in the living room, the hub device can find the smart knob in the living room from the historical configuration record and control smart devices such as smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners. At this time, if the smart knob reports an operation event, the hub device can select the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control, such as the smart air conditioner, from among the smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners.

[0182] In some embodiments, the smart devices controlled by the rotation function of the smart knob may be different from the smart devices controlled by the button function of the smart knob. For example, rotating the smart knob may control the temperature of a smart air conditioner or the opening and closing of smart curtains, while pressing the top of the smart knob may control the brightness of a smart light or the volume of a smart speaker. The hub device may save a history of configurations based on the button function and the rotation function of the smart knob.

[0183] For example, the central device can save a first historical configuration record and a second historical configuration record. The first historical configuration record includes the functions of smart devices that can be controlled by all knob operations that have been historically configured by the smart knob, and the second historical configuration record includes the functions of smart devices that can be controlled by all button operations that have been historically configured by the smart knob.

[0184] Therefore, the hub device can also search for the smart device associated with the current position of the smart knob from the corresponding historical configuration record based on the operation event currently reported by the smart knob. For example, when the smart knob reports a rotation event, the hub device can search for the smart device associated with the current position of the smart knob from the first historical configuration record.

[0185] S750: The central device sends a control command to the controlled device in response to the operation event.

[0186] In this embodiment of the present application, the historical configuration records stored by the hub device may include the correspondence between the operation events of the smart knob and the functions of the controllable smart devices. In this way, the hub device can determine the operation that the controlled device needs to perform based on this correspondence, and thus generate the corresponding control instructions, which are then sent to the controlled device.

[0187] For example, when the smart knob is located in the living room, if the central device determines that the controlled device is the living room lamp, the central device can determine that the brightness of the living room lamp needs to be adjusted based on the corresponding relationship in the historical configuration record: the rotation operation of the smart knob - controls the brightness of the living room lamp. The central device can then generate corresponding control commands, such as "adjust the brightness of the lamp", based on the operation event reported by the current smart knob.

[0188] Optionally, the hub device can also generate corresponding control commands based on the operation event type in the operation event. For example, if the rotation event reported by the smart knob includes the rotation event type of four consecutive clockwise rotations, the hub device may generate a control command to increase the brightness of the light to four different levels.

[0189] S760: The controlled device performs a corresponding operation based on the control command.

[0190] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving a control command from a central device, a controlled device can perform a corresponding operation based on the control command. For example, if the controlled device is a living room lamp and the central device issues a control command to increase the lamp's brightness by four levels, the living room lamp can increase its brightness by four levels.

[0191] The device control method provided by the embodiments of the present application can automatically select nearby smart devices as the controlled devices based on the real-time location of the smart knob when a user controls a smart device in an environment using a portable smart knob. Therefore, when the user wants to use the smart knob normally in a certain space, the user can directly take the smart knob to that space and use it, without having to manually reconfigure the control function of the smart knob in that space. This reduces the user's operational complexity and ensures a consistent control experience.

[0192] The following will take the case where the smart knob is currently in the first position as an example to introduce another device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0193] Please refer to FIG9 , which provides another device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device control method includes:

[0194] S910. The smart knob reports the first event to the central device.

[0195] The first event may be a first rotation event or a first key event.

[0196] S920: The hub device receives a first event from the smart knob.

[0197] S930: The central device detects that the smart knob is currently in the first position.

[0198] The first position may mean that the smart knob is currently located at a first position coordinate, or the smart knob is currently located in a first local area, or the smart knob is currently located in a first space, and the first space may be a first room or a first area.

[0199] S940: The hub device obtains device information of the smart device associated with the first location.

[0200] Optionally, the device information includes the operating status of the device. The operating status may include a switch state, i.e., an open state (on state) or a closed state, and may also include a working state, a dormant state, a fault state, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the operating status of the device.

[0201] Among them, the smart device associated with the first position may be a smart device near the first position. When the first position is the first position coordinate, the hub device may regard the smart devices located in the designated area as smart devices near the first position. Among them, the designated area may be an area with the first position coordinate as the origin and a radius of r. When the first position is the first local area, the hub device may regard the smart devices located in the first local area as smart devices near the first position. When the first position is the first space, such as the first room or the first area, the hub device may regard the smart devices located in the first space, such as the smart devices in the first room or the smart devices in the first area, as smart devices near the first position.

[0202] For example, if the first location is the first room, the hub device can obtain the on / off status of the smart devices in the first room. The smart devices in the first room are controllable smart devices configured with the smart knob. The hub device can also obtain the working status, sleep status, fault status, etc. of the smart devices in the first room.

[0203] For example, if the controllable smart devices configured by the smart knob in the first room include smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners, the central device can obtain the switch status of the smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, smart air conditioners, etc.

[0204] For example, as shown in Figure 10, the smart light is on, the smart curtains, the smart speaker, and the smart air conditioner are all off. For another example, as shown in Figure 11, the smart light, the smart curtains, and the smart speaker are on, and the smart air conditioner is off.

[0205] Optionally, the device information includes historical control information of the device. The historical control information may be historical control information from the first power-on to the current time, or historical control information within a specified time period. The specified time period may be the most recent week or the most recent month.

[0206] The historical control information may include device control frequency or device control times. Taking the first location as the first room as an example, the hub device may obtain the device control frequency or device control times of the smart devices in the first room.

[0207] For example, taking the first room as the living room, if the smart devices that can be controlled by the smart knob in the first room include smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners, the hub device can obtain the device control counts of the smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners. For example, the device control counts of each smart device can be shown in Table 1:

[0208] Table 1

[0209] Optionally, the historical control information is historical control information of smart devices being controlled by the smart knob. As a method, each time the hub device receives an operation event reported by the smart knob and issues a control instruction to the corresponding smart device based on the operation event, it can record the smart device controlled by the current smart knob. The recorded content may include information such as the controlled smart device, the time of control, and the location of the smart device. Based on the control record of the smart knob, the hub device can then count the number of times each smart device was controlled by the smart knob, or the frequency with which each smart device was controlled by the smart knob.

[0210] Optionally, the historical control information may also be historical control information for all controlled smart devices, that is, the cumulative number of times a smart device has been controlled includes both the number of times a user controls the smart knob and the number of times a user controls the device through other methods such as a central control screen, a mobile phone, or a physical switch on the device. The hub device can centrally manage the records of smart devices controlled by these control methods to count the total number of times each smart device has been controlled, or the total frequency of control of each smart device.

[0211] It can be understood that the device information obtained by the central device may include at least one of the operating status and historical control information of the above-mentioned device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the content of the obtained device information.

[0212] S950: The hub device determines, based on the device information, a first device that the smart knob currently needs to control from the smart devices associated with the first location.

[0213] In one scenario, the hub device may determine the first device from smart devices associated with the first location based on an operating state of the device.

[0214] As one approach, the hub device may determine the first device from the smart devices associated with the first location based on a first device state. The first state may be an open state or an operating state. For example, if the first state is an open state, the hub device may determine the currently open smart device from the smart devices associated with the first location, and determine the first device based on the currently open smart devices.

[0215] Optionally, when there is only one smart device in the first state among the smart devices associated with the first position, the hub device may automatically determine the smart device in the first state as the first device that the smart knob currently needs to control.

[0216] For example, taking the first state as being on, as shown in Figure 10, among the smart devices associated with the first location, only the smart light is on, while the smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioner are all off. The hub device can default to the smart light as the first device currently controlled by the smart knob. In this case, when the hub device receives an operation event reported by the smart knob, it can generate a control command for the smart light, such as controlling its brightness, to achieve control of the smart light.

[0217] In some embodiments, if there are multiple smart devices associated with the first position that are in the turned-on state, but only one device is in the working state, that is, the other devices are in the sleep state, the hub device can also automatically determine the smart device in the working state as the first device that the smart knob currently needs to control.

[0218] In one scenario, the hub device may also determine the first device from smart devices associated with the first location based on historical control information of the device.

[0219] As one approach, the hub device can identify, from among the smart devices associated with the first location, smart devices whose device control frequency or device control count meets a preset condition, and then determine the first device based on the smart devices whose device control frequency or device control count meets the preset condition. The preset condition can be that the device control frequency is greater than the first frequency, or the device control frequency is the maximum frequency, or the device control count is greater than the first count, or the device control count is the maximum count. In this way, the hub device can automatically select the smart device that the user is accustomed to controlling as the controlled device for the current smart knob.

[0220] Optionally, the hub device may compare the device control counts of each smart device associated with the first position to preferentially select the smart device with the greater number of control counts as the controlled device for the current smart knob. For example, when the smart devices associated with the first position include a first device and a third device, the hub device may compare the device control counts of the first device and the third device. When the device control frequency of the first device is greater than the device control frequency of the third device, or when the device control counts of the first device are greater than the device control counts of the third device, the hub device may select the first device as the controlled device to be controlled by the current smart knob.

[0221] In one scenario, the hub device may also determine the first device from the smart devices associated with the first location based on the operating status of the device and the historical control information of the device.

[0222] As one approach, if only one smart device associated with the first location is in the first state, the hub device can automatically determine this smart device in the first state as the first device currently to be controlled by the smart knob. If multiple devices are in the first state, the hub device can continue to determine the first device from among the multiple smart devices in the first state based on historical control information of the devices.

[0223] For example, as shown in Figure 11, since among the smart devices associated with the first location, multiple devices such as smart lights, smart curtains, and smart speakers are turned on, while the smart air conditioner is turned off, the hub device can compare the cumulative number of controlled times of the smart lights, smart curtains, and smart speakers. Among them, the smart speaker has the largest number of controlled times, so the hub device can automatically determine the smart speaker with the largest number of controlled times as the first device currently to be controlled by the smart knob. It is understandable that although the smart air conditioner has the largest number of controlled times among the four smart devices, it is not selected as the controlled device because it is turned off.

[0224] S960: The hub device sends a first control command to the first device in response to the first event.

[0225] After the hub automatically selects the first device that the smart knob currently needs to control, it can generate a corresponding control command based on the first event and send it to the first device. For example, if the first event is a rotation event and the first device is a smart speaker, the corresponding first control command can be "adjust the speaker volume" and sent to the smart speaker.

[0226] S970: The first device performs a first operation based on the first control command.

[0227] For example, the smart speaker can adjust its own volume level based on the first control command "adjust the volume of the speaker".

[0228] It can be understood that when the smart knob reports the first event to the hub device, if the smart knob is currently in the second position, the hub device can also obtain the device information of the smart device associated with the second position, so as to determine the second device that the smart knob currently needs to control from the smart devices associated with the second position based on the device information. The hub device can then send a second control command to the second device in response to the first event, so that the second device can perform the second operation based on the second control command. The second position can refer to the smart knob currently being located at the second position coordinates, or the smart knob currently being located in the second local area, or the smart knob currently being located in the second space, which can be a second room or a second area. The entire process can refer to the description of the smart knob being located at the first position, and is not limited here.

[0229] In this way, no matter where the smart knob is currently located, the central device can automatically select the smart device near the current position of the smart knob as the controlled device, without the user having to manually configure it back and forth.

[0230] The present application provides a device control method that, when a user controls a smart device in an environment using a portable smart knob, automatically selects a suitable smart device near the location of the smart knob as the controlled device from among the smart devices associated with the smart knob, based on the device's operating status and / or historical control information. Thus, when a user wants to use the smart knob normally in a certain space, they can directly take the smart knob to that space and use it, without having to manually reconfigure the control function of the smart knob in that space. This reduces the user's operational complexity and ensures a better control experience.

[0231] In this embodiment of the present application, when the position of the smart knob changes, the hub device can also automatically select the smart device near the changed position of the smart knob as the controlled device of the smart knob, eliminating the need for the user to manually reconfigure the control function of the smart knob at the changed position.

[0232] The following will take the movement of the smart knob from the first position to the third position as an example to introduce another device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0233] Please refer to FIG12, which provides another device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device control method includes:

[0234] S980. The smart knob moves from the first position to the third position.

[0235] The third position may refer to the smart knob being currently located at a third position coordinate, or the smart knob being currently located in a third local area, or the smart knob being currently located in a third space, which may be a third room or a third area. The user can change the position of the smart knob in the environment. For example, the user can move the smart knob from the living room to the bedroom, or from the living room to the kitchen.

[0236] In an embodiment of the present application, when the user holds the smart knob in the first position and performs a rotation or pressing operation to control the first device, the user can also directly move the smart knob to the third position to control the smart device at the third position without manually reconfiguring the control function of the smart knob in the third position.

[0237] S990. The smart knob reports the second event to the central device.

[0238] The second event may be a second rotation event or a second key event.

[0239] S1000. The central device receives a second event from the smart knob.

[0240] S1010. The central device detects that the position of the smart knob changes to the third position.

[0241] Since the hub device detected that the smart knob was in the first position last time, when the smart knob moves from the first position to the third position, the hub device can detect that the position of the smart knob has changed, and the smart knob detected this time is in the third position.

[0242] S1020: The central device is changed to obtain device information of a smart device associated with a third location.

[0243] The smart device associated with the third location may be a smart device near the third location. For example, taking the third location as the third room, the hub device may obtain device information of the smart device in the first room. The smart device in the first room is a controllable smart device configured with the smart knob. The device information obtained by the hub device may include at least one of the operating status and historical control information of the aforementioned device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the content of the obtained device information.

[0244] Because the hub device determines the smart device associated with the first position, when the smart knob moves from the first position to the third position, the hub device can detect the change in position of the smart knob and synchronously change to determine the smart device associated with the third position. After determining the smart device associated with the third position, the hub device can obtain device information of the smart device associated with the third position.

[0245] For example, when the first location is the living room, and the smart devices in the living room that can be controlled by the smart knob include smart speakers and smart air conditioners, after the central device obtains the device information of the smart speakers and smart air conditioners, if it detects that the smart knob is moved from the living room to the bedroom, then since the smart devices in the bedroom that can be controlled by the smart knob include smart curtains, smart screens, smart lights, etc., the central device can be updated to obtain the device information of smart curtains, smart screens, and smart lights.

[0246] S1030: The hub device determines, based on the device information, a fourth device that the smart knob currently needs to control from the smart devices associated with the third position.

[0247] For example, if the smart knob is in the first location, such as the living room, the central device determines that the first device the smart knob needs to control is the smart speaker based on the device information of the smart speaker and smart air conditioner obtained in the first location. When the smart knob moves to the third location, such as the bedroom, the central device updates the device information of the smart curtains, smart screen, and smart lights obtained in the third location and determines that the smart knob needs to control the fourth device, such as the smart screen, instead of the first device.

[0248] S1040: The central device sends a third control command to the fourth device in response to the second event.

[0249] Based on the changed position of the smart knob, the hub device automatically selects the fourth device that the smart knob currently needs to control. Then, based on the second event reported by the smart knob, the hub device can generate a corresponding third control command and send it to the fourth device. For example, if the second event is a key press event and the fourth device is a smart screen, the corresponding third control command can be "Adjust the volume of the smart screen" and sent to the smart screen.

[0250] S1050: The fourth device performs a third operation based on the third control command.

[0251] For example, the fourth device is a smart screen. The smart screen can adjust its own volume level based on the third control command "adjust the volume of the smart screen".

[0252] It can be understood that if the smart knob moves to the third position and reports a new operation event to the central device, the central device can also determine the device that the smart knob currently needs to control from the smart devices associated with the third position based on the device information, and send corresponding control instructions to the device.

[0253] The embodiment of the present application provides a device control method. When a user controls a smart device in an environment through a portable smart knob, the hub device can automatically switch the controlled device of the smart knob to the control of the smart device in the changed room after the room where the smart knob is located is changed. This method does not require the user to manually configure the control function of the control device in the changed room, thereby reducing the user's operation complexity and ensuring the user's control experience. Therefore, when the user wants to move to a certain space to use the smart knob normally, the user can directly take the smart knob to that space for use, without the user having to manually reconfigure the control function of the smart knob in the space, thus reducing the user's operation complexity and ensuring the user's control experience.

[0254] In some embodiments, when there are multiple smart devices associated with the location of the smart knob, the user can also manually operate the smart knob to switch and select one smart device from the multiple associated smart devices as the controlled device of the smart knob. Optionally, after controlling a smart device, the user can manually operate the smart knob again to switch and select one smart device from the multiple associated smart devices as the controlled device of the smart knob when they find that it is not the device they want to control. Optionally, the user can also be prompted to the controlled device of the current smart knob. Thus, when the user finds that it is not the device they want to control, they can manually operate the smart knob again to switch and select one smart device from the multiple associated smart devices as the controlled device of the smart knob.

[0255] The following takes the case where the smart knob is in the first position as an example to introduce another device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0256] Please refer to FIG13, which provides another device control method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device control method includes:

[0257] S1310. The smart knob reports the third event to the central device.

[0258] The first or second event is an operational event that triggers the control function of the smart knob. In response to the first or second event, the hub device can automatically select the controlled device of the smart knob for control. The third event is an operational event that triggers the switching of the controlled device of the smart knob, which can be a third rotation event or a third key event. In response to the third event, the hub device can trigger the switching of the controlled device of the smart knob or the switching of the function of the controlled device.

[0259] The smart device may include multiple functions, and the smart knob may control different functions of the same smart device. The hub device may also trigger a switch between different functions of the device controlled by the smart knob in response to a third event. For example, if the smart knob can control multiple functions of a smart air conditioner, such as wind direction, temperature, cooling mode, and heating mode, the hub device may also trigger a switch between the wind direction, temperature, cooling mode, and heating mode of the smart air conditioner controlled by the smart knob in response to a third event.

[0260] Optionally, the third event can be different from the first or second event. For example, the first or second event can be a single-click event, and the third event can be a double-click event. In this way, the user can control the smart device by single-clicking the top button of the smart knob, or can switch the smart device or smart device function currently controlled by the smart knob by double-clicking the top button of the smart knob.

[0261] For another example, the first event or the second event is a rotation event, and the third event is a key event. In this way, the user can control the smart device by rotating the smart knob, or can switch the smart device or the function of the smart device currently controlled by the smart knob by pressing the top button of the smart knob.

[0262] For another example, the first event or the second event is a key event, and the third event is a rotation event. In this way, the user can control the smart device by pressing the smart knob, or can switch the smart device or the function of the smart device currently controlled by the smart knob by rotating the smart knob.

[0263] Optionally, the third event can be the same as the first or second event. Before reporting the third event, the smart knob can report a switch triggering event to alert the hub device that it is about to switch functions of the smart knob's controlled device or switch functions of the controlled device. The hub device can then identify subsequent third events reported by the smart knob as operational events that trigger a switch of the smart knob's controlled device.

[0264] The triggering event for switching can be a long press, a hard press, or a double-click of the smart knob. This allows users to control the smart device by pressing or rotating the smart knob. To switch the controlled device of the smart knob, users can also press or long press the smart knob to enter the controlled device switching mode. Then, by pressing or rotating the smart knob, users can switch the smart device or smart device function currently controlled by the smart knob.

[0265] After the user determines the controlled device currently being switched by the smart knob, the smart knob can also report a switch exit event to notify the central device that the smart knob is about to exit the switching function of the controlled device or the switching function of the controlled device. The central device can then identify subsequent operation events reported by the smart knob as operation events that triggered the smart knob's control function.

[0266] S1320: The central device receives a third event from the smart knob.

[0267] S1330: The central device detects that the smart knob is currently in the first position.

[0268] S1340: The hub device obtains multiple smart devices associated with the first location.

[0269] Exemplarily, when the first location is the living room, as shown in FIG14 , the smart devices controllable by the smart knob in the living room include smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners.

[0270] S1350: In response to the third event, the hub device switches and selects a device from the multiple smart devices associated with the first position as the first device that the smart knob at the first position currently needs to control.

[0271] Optionally, each time the user rotates or presses the smart knob, the smart knob reports a third event, and the hub device sequentially switches from the multiple smart devices associated with the first position based on each third event.

[0272] For example, in the first location, as shown in Figure 14, the living room is the first location. If the smart devices controllable by the smart knob in the living room include smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners, the hub device can switch the controlled device currently controlled by the smart knob between the smart lights, smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners based on the third event reported by the smart knob each time. The controlled device that the user confirms switching to is the first device that the smart knob in the first location wants to control.

[0273] Optionally, the hub device may also switch and select one device from the multiple smart devices associated with the first location based on the operating status of the multiple smart devices associated with the first location as the first device at the first location.

[0274] As one approach, the hub device may switch and select one device from multiple smart devices associated with the first location as the first device at the first location based on the first state of the device, wherein the first state may be an open state or a working state.

[0275] For example, when the first position is the living room, as shown in FIG15 , among the smart devices controllable by the smart knob in the living room, the smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners are all in the open state, and only the smart air conditioner is in the closed state. Therefore, the central device can switch the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control between the smart curtains, smart speakers, and smart air conditioners that are in the open state according to the third event reported by the smart knob each time. For example, when the smart knob reports the third event 1 for the first time, the central device can switch the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control to the smart light. Later, when the smart knob reports the third event 2 again, the central device can switch the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control to the smart curtains. Later, when the smart knob reports the third event 3, the central device can switch the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control to the smart speaker.

[0276] Optionally, when the device types or the number of smart devices associated with the first position are different, the controlled devices switched by pressing or rotating the smart knob are also different.

[0277] For example, as shown in FIG16(a), when the smart devices associated with the first position include four types of smart devices, the hub device can switch sequentially between the four types of smart devices, such as switching in the order of smart lights -> smart air conditioners -> smart curtains -> smart speakers -> smart lights, etc. The four types of smart devices can be sorted from most to least according to the number of times the devices are controlled, or they can be arranged in order of the time when the controlled devices are configured as smart knobs. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order of arrangement of the smart devices associated with the first position.

[0278] For another example, as shown in (b) of Figure 16, when the smart devices associated with the first position include three types of smart devices, the central device can switch sequentially among the three types of smart devices, such as switching in the order of smart lights -> smart curtains -> smart speakers -> smart lights...

[0279] For another example, as shown in Figure 17(a), if the smart devices associated with the first location include two types of smart devices, the hub device can switch between the two types of smart devices. It is understood that, as shown in Figure 17(b), if there is only one type of smart device associated with the first location, the hub device will not switch. There is no switching response when the user rotates or presses the smart knob.

[0280] In this way, the user cannot manually configure the control function of the smart knob. The user can directly rotate or press the smart knob to automatically switch the controlled device of the smart knob.

[0281] S1360. The smart knob reports the first event to the central device.

[0282] The central device switches and selects one device from multiple smart devices associated with the first position as the first device that the smart knob at the first position currently needs to control. After confirming the switch selection, when the user subsequently rotates or presses the smart knob, the central device can directly control the first device to implement the corresponding function.

[0283] S1370: The central device receives a first event from the smart knob.

[0284] S1380: When the hub device detects that the smart knob is still in the first position, in response to the first event, the hub device sends a first control command to the first device.

[0285] For example, when confirming that the first device selected for switching is a smart curtain, if the smart knob reports a first rotation event, the central device can generate a corresponding first control command based on the first rotation event, which is "adjust the opening and closing degree of the smart curtain", and send it to the smart curtain.

[0286] S1390. The first device performs a first operation based on the first control command.

[0287] For example, when the first device is a smart curtain, the smart curtain can adjust the opening and closing degree of its own curtain according to the first control command of "adjusting the opening and closing degree of the smart curtain".

[0288] In some scenarios, the hub device can also detect changes in the operating status of smart devices associated with the location of the smart knob. Taking the on / off state as an example, if at least one of the smart devices associated with the location of the smart knob is detected to have switched from an on state to an off state, the number of controlled devices currently switchable by the smart knob will decrease. If at least one of the smart devices associated with the location of the smart knob is detected to have switched from an off state to an on state, the number of controlled devices currently switchable by the smart knob will increase.

[0289] In an embodiment of the present application, when the operating status of a device in the smart device associated with the location of the smart knob changes, causing the controlled device that the smart knob can currently switch to change, the central device can automatically adjust the controlled device that the smart knob can switch, and the corresponding switching method.

[0290] As an example, as shown on the left side of (a) in FIG18 , when the smart knob is currently in the living room, at the first moment, the smart lights, smart speakers, smart curtains, and smart air conditioners in the living room are all turned on. At this time, if the user rotates or presses the smart knob to switch the controlled device currently selected by the smart knob, the central device can determine that the set of controlled devices that the smart knob can switch to is smart lights, smart speakers, smart curtains, and smart air conditioners. Thus, the central device can respond to the user's rotation or pressing of the smart knob and switch between the four types of devices: smart lights, smart speakers, smart curtains, and smart air conditioners. As shown on the left side of (b) in FIG18 , the switching order is smart lights -> smart air conditioners -> smart curtains -> smart speakers -> smart lights, etc.

[0291] As shown on the right side of (a) in Figure 18, if the smart speaker in the living room switches from on to off at the second moment, while the smart lights, smart curtains, and smart air conditioner are still on, if the user rotates or presses the smart knob to switch the controlled device currently selected by the smart knob, the hub device can determine that the set of controlled devices switchable by the smart knob has changed to smart lights, smart curtains, and smart air conditioner. Thus, the hub device can respond to the user's rotation or pressing of the smart knob and switch between the three types of devices. As shown on the right side of (b) in Figure 18, the switching order is smart lights -> smart air conditioner -> smart curtains -> smart lights...

[0292] In some scenarios, the hub device can also detect the number of smart devices associated with the location of the smart knob. It is understandable that when smart devices in other locations are moved to the location of the smart knob, the number of smart devices associated with the location of the smart knob will increase, and when the smart devices at the location of the smart knob are moved to other locations, the number of smart devices associated with the location of the smart knob will decrease. In an embodiment of the present application, when the number of smart devices associated with the real-time location of the smart knob changes due to the movement of the location of the smart device, the hub device can automatically adjust the controlled devices that can be switched by the smart knob, as well as the corresponding switching method.

[0293] As an example, as shown on the left side of Figure 19 (a), when the smart knob is currently in the bedroom, at the first moment, the only smart device that can be controlled by the smart knob in the bedroom is a smart light. At this time, when the user rotates or presses the smart knob to switch the controlled device, the hub device may determine that the set of controlled devices that can be switched by the smart knob is a single smart light, and thus the hub device will not respond to the switch. As shown on the left side of Figure 19 (b), the switch is unresponsive.

[0294] As shown on the right side of (a) in Figure 19, if there is a smart speaker moved from the living room to the bedroom at the second moment, then a smart speaker is newly added to the bedroom at the second moment. At this time, if the user rotates or presses the smart knob to switch the controlled device currently selected by the smart knob, the central device can determine that the set of controlled devices that can be switched by the smart knob is changed to smart lights and smart speakers, so that the central device can respond to the user's rotation or pressing of the smart knob to switch between smart lights and smart speakers, as shown on the right side of (b) in Figure 19.

[0295] It is understandable that if the smart knob is located in the living room, initially the smart devices that can be controlled by the smart knob in the living room include smart lights, smart speakers, smart curtains, smart air conditioners, etc. Since the smart speaker in the living room has been moved to the bedroom, the smart devices that can be controlled by the smart knob in the living room are now reduced to smart lights, smart curtains, and smart air conditioners. At this time, if the user rotates or presses the smart knob to switch the currently selected controlled device, the hub device can determine that the set of controlled devices that can be switched by the smart knob has changed to smart lights, smart curtains, and smart air conditioners. The hub device can thus respond to the user's operation of rotating or pressing the smart knob and switch between the three types of devices: smart lights, smart curtains, and smart air conditioners.

[0296] In some scenarios, when the position of the smart knob changes, the number of smart devices associated with the location of the smart knob may increase or decrease. In the embodiment of the present application, when the position of the smart knob changes, resulting in a change in the number of smart devices associated with the real-time location of the smart knob, the hub device can automatically adjust the controlled devices that the smart knob can switch, as well as the corresponding switching method.

[0297] As an example, as shown on the left side of Figure 20 (a), if the smart knob is in the living room at the first moment, the smart devices in the living room that can be controlled by the smart knob include smart lights, smart speakers, smart curtains, smart air conditioners, etc. At this time, if the user rotates or presses the smart knob to switch the controlled device currently selected by the smart knob, the hub device can determine that the set of controlled devices that can be switched by the smart knob is smart lights, smart speakers, smart curtains, and smart air conditioners. Therefore, the hub device can respond to the user's rotation or pressing of the smart knob and switch between the four types of devices: smart lights, smart speakers, smart curtains, and smart air conditioners, as shown on the left side of Figure 20 (b).

[0298] As shown on the right side of Figure 20 (a), if the smart knob is moved to the bedroom at the second moment, the smart devices in the bedroom that can be controlled by the smart knob include smart lights and smart speakers. At this time, if the user rotates or presses the smart knob to switch the controlled device currently selected by the smart knob, the hub device can determine that the set of controlled devices that can be switched by the smart knob has changed to smart lights and smart speakers. Therefore, the hub device can respond to the user's rotation or pressing of the smart knob and switch between smart lights and smart speakers in turn, as shown on the right side of Figure 20 (b).

[0299] The present invention provides a device control method that allows a user to quickly switch the currently selected device by rotating or pressing a portable smart knob when controlling a smart device in an environment. This method eliminates the need for the user to manually reconfigure the function of the controlled device to be controlled by the smart knob, reducing operational complexity and ensuring a superior user experience.

[0300] The following describes the implementation process of controlling smart devices through smart knobs in this application.

[0301] Please refer to Figure 21, which shows an implementation process of controlling a smart device through a smart knob provided by an embodiment of the present application. The implementation process may include S211 to S223:

[0302] S211. The input device displays a knob configuration interface.

[0303] As an example, when the input device is a central control screen, the displayed knob configuration interface may be as shown in Figure 22. The knob configuration interface may include different smart devices in different rooms.

[0304] S212: The input device detects a configuration operation by the user.

[0305] As an example, a user can configure multiple smart devices supported by the smart knob's control function at once from the knob configuration interface. For example, as shown in Figure 22, a user can select multiple smart devices in different rooms or multiple smart devices in the same room from the knob configuration interface as the multiple smart devices that can be controlled by the currently configured smart knob.

[0306] S213. After the user completes the configuration of the smart knob through the input device of the smart home, the input device can promptly report the user-configured knob control function to the central device.

[0307] S214. When the central device detects that the user configures the knob control function for the first time, it creates a historical configuration record of the knob.

[0308] S215. The central device saves the knob control function configured by the user each time in the historical configuration record.

[0309] S216. The central device obtains the location of the smart knob.

[0310] S217: The central device determines the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control from the historical configuration records according to the location of the smart knob.

[0311] S218: The input device reports an operation event, where the operation event includes a rotation event or a key event.

[0312] S219: The central device detects a position change of the smart knob.

[0313] S220: The central device changes the controlled device that the smart knob currently needs to control according to the changed position of the smart knob and the historical configuration record.

[0314] S221: The central device converts the rotation event or key event into a device control instruction.

[0315] S222. The central device sends device control instructions.

[0316] S223. The central device performs corresponding operations based on the device control instructions.

[0317] In some embodiments, a device control method provided in an embodiment of the present application can also be applied to the cloud. After the central device detects the location information of the smart knob and the operation events reported by the smart knob, it can report it to the cloud. The cloud automatically selects the controlled device of the smart knob based on the location information of the smart knob and the operation events reported by the smart knob in real time, and sends the corresponding control instructions to the central device, so that the central device can forward the control instructions to the controlled device.

[0318] Some embodiments of the present application further provide an electronic device, which may include a memory and one or more processors. The memory and processors are coupled. The memory is configured to store computer program code, which includes computer instructions. When the processor executes the computer instructions, the electronic device may perform the functions or steps performed by the hub device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0319] Among them, the electronic device can be a central device, an edge cloud node, or a cloud server, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0320] Some other embodiments of the present application further provide a device control apparatus, which can be applied to the electronic device described above and is used to execute the functions or steps executed by the hub device in the method embodiment described above.

[0321] Optionally, the device access device can specifically be a chip, component or module, which may include a connected processor and memory; wherein the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, and when the device is running, the processor can execute the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to enable the chip, component or module to execute the device access method executed by the central device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0322] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor and at least one interface circuit. The processor and the interface circuit can be interconnected through lines. For example, the interface circuit can be used to receive signals from other devices (such as the memory of an electronic device). For another example, the interface circuit can be used to send signals to other devices (such as a processor). Exemplarily, the interface circuit can read instructions stored in the memory and send the instructions to the processor. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the electronic device can execute the various steps performed by the central device in the above embodiment. Of course, the chip system can also include other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0323] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer storage medium, which stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on an electronic device, the electronic device executes the above-mentioned related method steps to implement the device access method executed by the central device in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0324] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product. When the computer program product runs on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned related steps to implement the device access method executed by the central device in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0325] Among them, the electronic device, computer storage medium, computer program product or chip provided in this embodiment is used to execute the corresponding method provided above. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0326] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0327] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0328] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0329] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0330] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, chip, etc.) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0331] In the above, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. It should be understood that in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0332] References to "embodiments" in this application mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in this application may be combined with other embodiments.

[0333] The above content is only a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Any changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A device control method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Acquire a first user operation on a movable control device; If the control device is in the first area, in response to the first user operation, controlling a first device to perform an operation, the first device being one of at least one device currently capable of responding to the first user operation among the devices associated with the first area; If the control device is in the second area, then in response to the first user operation, the second device is controlled to perform an operation, where the second device is one of at least one device associated with the second area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The obtaining of a first user operation on a movable control device includes: Acquire the first user operation on the control device at a first moment; The method further comprises: acquiring the first user operation on the control device at a second moment; If the control device is in the first area, then in response to the first user operation, a third device is controlled to perform an operation, where the third device is one of at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: After controlling the first device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, the method further includes: Acquire a second user operation on the control device; If the control device is in the first area, then in response to the second user operation, the control device switches to control a fourth device to perform an operation, where the fourth device is another one of the at least one device associated with the first area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first user operation is a rotation operation, and the second user operation is a key operation.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Before acquiring the first user operation on the movable control device, the method further includes: Acquire a second user operation on the control device; If the control device is in the first area, in response to the second user operation, determining that the controlled device of the control device is a fourth device, the fourth device being another one of the at least one device currently capable of responding to the first user operation among the devices associated with the first area; Acquire a third user operation on the control device; If the control device is in the first area, in response to the third user operation, the controlled device of the control device is switched to the first device.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Before acquiring a third user operation on the control device, the method further includes: When it is determined that the controlled device of the control device is the fourth device, outputting prompt information, where the prompt information is used to prompt a user that the controlled device of the control device is the fourth device; or When it is determined that the controlled device of the control device is the fourth device, the fourth device is controlled to perform an operation.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Before controlling the first device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, the method further includes: Acquire device information of at least one device associated with the first area, the device information including device status and / or device control habits; According to the device information, it is determined that the controlled device of the control device is the first device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The device status includes a working status; the device control habit includes a device control frequency or a device control number of times.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that When the device information includes the working state, determining, according to the device information, that the controlled device of the control device is the first device includes: When the number of devices in the at least one device whose working state is a controllable state is one, it is confirmed that the device in the controllable state is the first device.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that When the at least one device includes the first device and the fifth device, and the device information includes the device control habit, determining, according to the device information, that the controlled device of the control device is the first device includes: When the device control frequency of the first device is greater than the device control frequency of the fifth device, or when the device control times of the first device are greater than the device control times of the fifth device, it is determined that the controlled device of the controlling device is the first device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: When the device information includes the device state and the device control habit, determining, according to the device information, that the controlled device of the control device is the first device includes: When there are multiple devices whose working state is a controllable state in the at least one device, the controlled device of the control device is determined to be the first device according to the device control frequency or the device control times, and the first device is the device with the highest device control frequency or the device with the largest number of device control times among the multiple devices in the controllable state.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: If the control device is in the first area, after controlling the first device to perform an operation in response to the first user operation, the method further includes: When the control device moves from the first area to a third area, acquiring the first user operation on the control device; In response to the first user operation, a sixth device is controlled to perform an operation, where the sixth device is one of at least one device associated with the third area that is currently capable of responding to the first user operation.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: Before acquiring the first user operation on the movable control device, the method further includes: Displaying a first interface, wherein the first interface includes device options in multiple regions, wherein the device options in each region include at least one; In response to a first operation acting on a plurality of device options, a plurality of devices corresponding to the plurality of device options are determined to be devices controllable by the control device, wherein the plurality of device options include options corresponding to the first device and options corresponding to the second device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The first user operation is an operation on a physical key or an operation on a virtual key.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device includes a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory is used to store program code, the program code includes instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the electronic device executes the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that The electronic device is a movable control device.

17. The device according to claim 16, characterized in that The control device is a smart knob.

18. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that The electronic device is a hub device.

19. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system is applied to an electronic device; the chip system includes one or more interface circuits and one or more processors; the interface circuit and the processor are interconnected through lines; the interface circuit is used to receive a signal from a memory of the electronic device and send the signal to the processor, the signal including a computer instruction stored in the memory; when the processor executes the computer instruction, the electronic device executes the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

20. A readable storage medium, characterized in that: The method comprises instructions, which, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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