3D User Interface Generation for Intelligent Building Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Efficiently generating and reusing 3D user interfaces that effectively associate behaviors or animations with user interactions in intelligent building environments is challenging due to the complexity of mapping physical appliance functionalities to corresponding 3D widgets.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a functionality analyzer, 3D UI generation module, and state variable manager that abstracts appliance functionalities, converts state variables into 3D widgets, and integrates a communication protocol to enable real-time interaction and updates between 3D user interfaces and physical appliances, using model-driven 3D geometric modeling and BACNet protocol for communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual 3D user interface design is used for each appliance, then customization and precision are improved, but development time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates reusable 3D widget templates that can be copied and instantiated multiple times for different appliances. Instead of manually designing each UI from scratch, the system uses predefined templates that can be automatically instantiated and customized through configuration parameters, dramatically reducing development time while maintaining design consistency and quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables customization of 3D widgets through parameter configuration rather than manual design. By changing parameters such as appliance type, state variables, and behavioral properties, the system automatically generates customized UIs from generic templates, achieving precision customization without the time cost of manual design.
2Productivity
If comprehensive 3D widget libraries are created for all appliance types, then reusability and productivity are improved, but system complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the widget library into hierarchical categories (appliance types, functional components, state variables). This segmentation allows the complex library to be organized into manageable modules that can be independently developed, maintained, and reused. Each segment represents a specific appliance category or function, reducing the cognitive load and complexity of managing the overall library.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs 3D widgets with universal interfaces and standardized state variable structures that can work across multiple appliance types. A single widget template can serve multiple functions by configuring different parameters, reducing the need for appliance-specific widgets and simplifying the overall library structure while maintaining high reusability.
3Measurement precision
If detailed state variable mappings are implemented for all appliance functionalities, then interaction accuracy is improved, but mapping complexity and configuration time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-defines standard state variable mappings for common appliance types and functionalities. Instead of configuring mappings from scratch for each appliance, the system provides pre-configured templates with accurate mappings already established. This preliminary action ensures measurement precision while reducing the configuration effort and complexity for new appliance integrations.
4Speed
If real-time synchronization between 3D UI and physical appliances is implemented, then interaction responsiveness is improved, but system resource consumption and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic polling and event-driven update mechanisms that synchronize 3D UI state with physical appliances at optimized intervals. Instead of continuous real-time synchronization that consumes excessive resources, the system uses periodic updates triggered by state changes or time intervals, maintaining responsiveness while reducing overall resource consumption compared to continuous synchronization.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the application provides a method of generating a 3D user interface (UI) in a controller for an appliance in a physical environment. The method includes: abstracting the appliance to obtain to a appliance functionality description having variables of the appliance, operations of the state variables, and relationship among the state variables; converting the state variables into corresponding 3D widgets in the controller, wherein the state variable are mapped respectively into the 3D widgets; laying out the 3D widgets to form the 3D UI in the controller; constructing communication objects in the controller from the state variables, the state variables being mapped into the communication objects; and providing interaction between the 3D UI and the appliance by a communication protocol integrated with the appliance.