Adaptive User Interface for Multi-Appliance Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current user interfaces for multiple appliances are inefficient and inconvenient due to heterogeneity across devices, making it difficult to control and display interfaces on various controllers, especially with limited display sizes, and require manual management of multiple interfaces for simultaneous tasks.

Innovation Solution

An automated system generates an adaptive user interface by analyzing appliance description specifications, including functionality and semantic information, to create a unified interface that can be dynamically updated and optimized for different controllers, allowing for efficient display and control of multiple appliances within a physical environment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If a web page is designed for desktop, then it provides comprehensive information and control options, but it becomes too large for PDA and mobile phone displays requiring frequent scrolling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation densityVSAvoidusability on mobile devices

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The user interface dynamically adapts its layout, content prioritization, and navigation structure based on the detected device type and display characteristics. The system generates different interface versions for desktop, PDA, and mobile devices, automatically adjusting to optimize usability for each platform while maintaining comprehensive control capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple appliance interfaces are displayed in a single window, then it provides centralized control, but the limited display size prevents proper viewing of all interfaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-appliance control capabilityVSAvoiddisplay area

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the control interface into multiple device-specific windows or panels, each optimized for displaying and controlling specific appliances or appliance groups. Users can switch between these segmented views based on the device type and the appliances they wish to control, maintaining comprehensive multi-appliance control while respecting display size limitations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The interface utilizes hierarchical navigation and multi-level organization to present appliance controls across different dimensional layers. Users can access appliance interfaces through a structured navigation system that organizes controls by appliance type, location, or priority, allowing comprehensive control of multiple appliances without requiring all interfaces to be simultaneously visible on the display.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of manufacture

If manual programming creates high quality interfaces for each controller type, then it ensures optimal customization, but it is impossible due to the heterogeneity of devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterface customizationVSAvoidcontroller heterogeneity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs a universal interface generation framework that automatically adapts to multiple controller types through a single unified approach. The framework includes device detection capabilities that identify the controller type and automatically select or generate appropriate interface templates and control mechanisms, eliminating the need for manual programming for each device type while maintaining high-quality customized interfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Ease of operation

If users manually manage multiple single user interfaces for simultaneous tasks, then it provides direct control over each appliance, but it becomes inconvenient and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveappliance control efficiencyVSAvoidtime for task completion

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges multiple appliance interfaces into a unified control environment where users can access and control multiple appliances through a single interface framework. The unified interface integrates controls for different appliances in a coordinated manner, allowing users to perform tasks across multiple devices without switching between separate interfaces, thereby reducing time loss and improving operational efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS8276069B2Method and system for automatically generating an adaptive user interface for a physical environment

Publication Date: 2012.09.25 RESIDEO USA LLC

AI summary

A system and method for automatically generating an adaptive user interface for a plurality of appliances within a physical environment. Appliance description specifications of the appliances are generated from provided appliance functionality information and semantic information of related appliances and/or related environment information. The appliance description specifications can be analyzed to construct a semantic functionality relationship among the appliances and the adaptive user interface can be rendered based on an interface elements relationship which is a transformation of the semantic functionality relationship. The system has a user interface rendering module, which when run on a controller, implements the aforesaid appliance description specification generation and analysis, and adaptor modules, which when run on the appliances, maintain the appliance description specifications and allow exchange of same between the controller and appliances.