Appliance Image Overlay for Clear Energy Control Instructions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulty in identifying specific appliances and control methods to achieve energy-saving targets in building energy management systems, as existing systems fail to provide clear control information for non-communicating appliances and vary by household appliance configurations.
Innovation Solution
A control information display apparatus that obtains and displays control information and images of appliances, allowing users to select and superimpose control information on images of appliances, enabling clear presentation of necessary control actions for energy-saving goals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If control information is presented without specific appliance identification, then the control request can be generally communicated, but the user cannot specifically find out the target appliance and control method
Solution Approach 1:
The control information is segmented and associated with specific appliances through image data. Each appliance in the image is identified and labeled with its corresponding control information, allowing users to see exactly which appliance requires which control action. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing both complete control information and specific appliance identification simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Image data serves as an intermediary between the control information and the appliances. The image visually represents the appliances in the user's environment, and control information is overlaid on or associated with the corresponding image regions. This intermediary allows users to easily identify target appliances while receiving comprehensive control instructions.
2Device complexity
If control information is presented without visual appliance images, then the system complexity is reduced, but the user cannot visually identify which appliance to control
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a visual dimension to the control information presentation by incorporating image data. Instead of only textual or numerical control information, the system overlays or associates control data with visual representations of appliances. This dimensional addition improves appliance identification accuracy while maintaining manageable system complexity through efficient image-processing techniques.
3Loss of information
If detailed control information is provided for all appliances, then complete control coverage is achieved, but the information becomes difficult to navigate and understand
Solution Approach 1:
Control information is presented with local quality by associating specific control instructions with specific regions in the image corresponding to individual appliances. Instead of presenting a uniform list of all appliance controls, the system provides localized control information only for appliances that require attention, making the information easier to navigate while maintaining complete coverage of necessary controls.
Data Source
AI summary
A management unit including: a demand plan generating unit that obtains control information items related to energy consuming appliances; an obtaining unit that obtains picture data items showing the appliances; a memory which stores the picture data items obtained by the obtaining unit; a selecting unit which selects a picture data item from selection candidates including the picture data items stored in the memory, based on a specified control mode; a processor that executes processing for superimposing the control information items corresponding to the appliances in the picture data item selected by the selecting unit; and an output unit which displays the picture data item with the superimposed control information item.