Centralized Coupling Management for External Electronic Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Seamless and intuitive management of independent communication links between external electronic devices connected to a User Equipment (UE) is challenging due to their independence, especially in wearable devices lacking a user interface for connection management.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a transceiver, display, and processor is configured to receive device capability and coupling information from external devices, decide on the operability of these devices as a set, display a user interface for coupling, and transmit connection information in response to user input, facilitating the coupling and uncoupling of external electronic devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If independent communication links are established between external electronic devices and User Equipment, then each device can operate autonomously with its own connection, but seamless and intuitive management of these connections becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central controller (User Equipment) that acts as an intermediary to manage connections between multiple external electronic devices. The controller receives connection requests, determines operability based on device capabilities, and coordinates coupling between devices, thereby simplifying the management complexity while preserving independent operation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The User Equipment is designed with multi-functional capabilities to handle various device types and connection scenarios. It can manage different kinds of external devices (wearables, audio devices, etc.), process multiple connection requests simultaneously, and provide unified control interface, making the system adaptable to diverse situations while maintaining ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If wearable devices are used as external electronic devices, then portability and convenience are improved, but the devices lack user interface for connection management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the connection management functionality from the wearable devices themselves and relocates it to the User Equipment. The wearables only need to maintain basic communication capabilities for data transmission, while the complex management interface is provided by the User Equipment, thereby preserving portability while eliminating the need for additional interfaces on wearables.
Solution Approach 2:
The User Equipment serves as a mediator that handles all connection management operations for wearable devices. The wearables can remain simple and portable while the intermediary provides the necessary management capabilities, resolving the contradiction between portability and interface complexity.
3Reliability
If device capability information and coupling information are collected from multiple external devices, then the system can make informed decisions about device operability, but the signaling and management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having external devices pre-send their capability information and coupling information to the User Equipment before actual connection is needed. This advance preparation allows the controller to quickly determine operability without real-time complexity, as the assessment data is already available when connection requests occur.
Solution Approach 2:
External devices autonomously generate and transmit their own capability and coupling information to the User Equipment without requiring manual configuration or complex interaction. This self-service approach simplifies the overall signaling management, as devices automatically provide the necessary data for operability determination.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an electronic device for performing coupling between external electronic devices. An electronic device may include a transceiver, a display, and at least one processor operatively coupled to the transceiver and the display. The processor may be configured to receive, from a first external electronic device, device capability information and coupling information, receive, from a second external electronic device, device capability information and coupling information, decide whether the first external electronic device and the second external electronic device are operable as a set, decide whether to display a user interface for the coupling, display the user interface for the coupling through the display, identify a user input through the user interface for the coupling, displayed through the display, and transmit first connection information to the first external electronic device and transmit second connection information to the second external electronic device, in response to identifying the user input.