Activity-Adapted Lighting Automation via Sensor-Based Pattern Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face limited control over personalizing automated environments or overly complex controls, making it difficult to achieve satisfactory activity-based automation in lighting systems.
Innovation Solution
An automation system with a controller that recognizes user activities through sensors and allows users to associate activity combinations with desired settings, enabling activity-based control of appliances without requiring programming expertise, applicable to various environments and appliance types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users are given extensive control over personalizing automated environments, then adaptability and personalization improve, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the automation control into two distinct layers: a complex backend configuration layer (accessible to developers) and a simple user interaction layer (accessible to end users). This segmentation allows extensive personalization capabilities to exist in the backend while presenting a simplified interface to users, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (the activity detection and pattern recognition system) that translates complex environmental sensor data into simple, recognizable activity patterns. This intermediary layer enables users to control automation based on high-level activity concepts rather than complex sensor configurations, improving ease of operation while maintaining system adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If extensive programming is required for automation personalization, then adaptability improves, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service automation by automatically detecting user activities through sensors and patterns, and autonomously executing the associated automation rules. Users simply need to select their desired automation from predefined options based on their activity patterns, rather than programming the automation logic themselves. This eliminates the need for programming while maintaining high adaptability to user needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of user interaction from programming-based configuration to selection-based configuration. Instead of requiring users to write code or configure complex parameters, the system presents pre-defined automation options that users can select based on their activity patterns, dramatically improving ease of operation while preserving personalization capabilities.
3Ease of operation
If simple controls are provided for automation, then ease of operation improves, but adaptability and personalization deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to the control system by introducing activity-based triggering. Instead of simple time-based or button-based controls, the system incorporates activity recognition as an additional dimension, allowing simple user interactions to trigger complex, personalized automation sequences based on detected activity patterns, thereby maintaining simplicity while enhancing adaptability.
4Measurement precision
If complex programming is required for activity-based automation, then measurement precision of user activities improves, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex activity recognition and pattern matching algorithms from the user-facing interface and places them in the backend system. This extraction allows the system to maintain high measurement precision for activity recognition while keeping the user interface simple and free of programming requirements, resolving the contradiction between precision and complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An automation system for providing activity-adapted automation in an environment, comprising at least one controllable appliance (1), and a sensor (3) arranged to collect sensor data associated with user activities in the environment. A controller includes a user behavior analyzer (6), arranged to recognize, based on the sensor data, user activities and to identify unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities, and a user interface (4), arranged to display the unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities and representations of the predefined automation settings, and to allow the user to associate each unique combination with a desired setting. The controller is further adapted to subsequently control the appliance according to the predefined automation setting associated with a currently recognized combination of user activities. This provides activity-based automation of the environment, in accordance with preprogrammed preferences of the user, without requiring any programming experience.