Alarm System Slave Device ID Matching Power Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing alarm systems face inefficiencies in reducing the consumption current of slave devices while minimizing unnecessary consumption in the master device, particularly when using multicasting or unicasting methods.

Innovation Solution

The system employs a master device and slave devices with unique identification codes, where the slave devices stop reception processing if the received signal's identification code does not match their own, allowing the master device to transmit signals efficiently via multicasting while reducing unnecessary power consumption in both slave and master devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multicast signal is transmitted from master device to slave devices, then signal transmission speed and reliability are improved, but consumption current of slave devices increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal transmission reliabilityVSAvoidconsumption current of slave devices
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making each slave device have different reception behavior based on its own identification code. When a slave device receives a multicast signal, it checks whether the signal's destination ID matches its own ID. Only the matching slave device continues reception processing, while others stop early. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by maintaining multicast efficiency for the target device while reducing unnecessary power consumption for non-target devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Use of energy by moving object

If unicast signal is transmitted sequentially to all slave devices, then consumption current of slave devices is reduced, but consumption current of master device increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconsumption current of slave devicesVSAvoidconsumption current of master device
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by having the master device transmit signals using multicast format (which would normally reach all devices) but including specific destination ID information that limits actual reception to only the intended slave device. This partial application of multicast capability achieves unicast-like power savings for slave devices while avoiding the excessive power consumption of sequential unicast transmission from the master device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If multicast is used to transmit signals to specified slave devices, then signal transmission efficiency is improved, but other slave devices are also activated causing unnecessary power consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal transmission efficiencyVSAvoidunnecessary power consumption in slave devices
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the multicast signal into two functional parts: the multicast transmission mechanism (which provides efficiency) and the destination ID field (which provides specificity). Each slave device segments its response behavior based on whether its ID matches the destination ID in the signal. This segmentation allows the system to maintain multicast transmission efficiency while preventing unnecessary activation of non-target devices, thus resolving the energy loss issue.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4095819A1Alarm system and alarm device
Publication Date: 2022.11.30 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP4095819A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4095819A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4095819A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The problem to be overcome by the present disclosure is to reduce the consumption current of slave devices without wasting the consumption current of a master device more than necessary. An alarm system (1) includes a master device (10) and a plurality of slave devices (20) to communicate with the master device (10). The master device (10) includes a storage unit (104). The storage unit (104) stores a plurality of slave device identification codes to identify the plurality of slave devices (20) from each other. Each of the plurality of slave devices (20) includes a communications unit (101) and a control unit (205). The communications unit (101) receives a first communication signal including a first slave device identification code, which is one of the slave device identification codes. The control unit (205) controls the communications unit (101). The control unit (205) of each of the plurality of slave devices (20) compares, on detecting reception of the first communication signal, the first slave device identification code with a second slave device identification code, which is an identification code of its own slave device (20), and instructs the communications unit (101) of its own slave device (20) to stop performing reception processing when a result of comparison indicates that first and second slave device identification codes disagree with each other.