Centralized IoT Hub for Hotel Room Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deploying consumer-grade IoT controllable devices in hospitality establishments, such as hotels, is hindered by the need for separate hubs in each room, which is costly and management-intensive, and does not account for shared management or radio interference from internal structures.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a control server connected to a computer network, with multiple hubs distributed throughout the establishment, allowing user devices to remotely control in-room IoT devices by determining the associated room and target device, and sending commands through the appropriate hub, without requiring a separate hub for each room.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate hub is installed in each guest room, then each room can independently control its IoT devices, but the cost and management complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple room-specific hub functions into a single centralized hub that serves the entire hospitality establishment. The hub maintains separate control channels for different rooms while eliminating the need for multiple physical hub devices. This merging approach reduces deployment complexity and cost while preserving independent device control capability through virtual segmentation of control domains.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized hub is designed to perform multiple functions across different rooms simultaneously. It can control IoT devices in multiple guest rooms, manage different user authorizations, and handle various device types (lights, thermostats, locks, etc.) through a single universal platform, eliminating the need for room-specific specialized hubs.
2Reliability
If each room is treated as a separate IoT system, then room isolation is maintained for security, but the management and configuration becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements logical segmentation within a unified physical hub. Each guest room is assigned a unique control domain or virtual network segment that maintains security isolation. The hub internally routes commands and data between rooms through segregated channels, preserving security boundaries while allowing centralized management of all rooms through a single interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized hub acts as an intermediary between user devices and IoT devices across multiple rooms. It manages authorization, routes commands appropriately, and maintains security policies while providing simplified user access. The hub mediates all communications, allowing easy management through a single point of control while maintaining the necessary security separations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If consumer grade hubs are deployed in each room, then IoT device control is enabled, but radio interference from internal structures affects performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the hub function from individual rooms and relocates it to a centralized location with favorable radio frequency characteristics. By removing the hub from confined room spaces where internal structures cause interference, the system achieves better wireless communication performance while maintaining full control capability over distributed IoT devices throughout the establishment.
4Device complexity
If a centralized control system is implemented across multiple rooms, then cost and management are reduced, but latency in command delivery may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring the centralized hub with room-specific control parameters, device mappings, and authorization rules before operation. The hub maintains ready-state communication channels with all IoT devices, so when commands are issued, they can be rapidly routed and executed without delay from configuration or setup processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Internet of things (IoT) hubs are distributed in a hospitality establishment and are connected to a control server. Various IoT devices are installed in each room or other separate guest area within the hospitality establishment. The hubs are located such that each IoT device is within a predetermined distance from at least one hub. The control server has mappings of which IoT devices are in which rooms and has mappings of which hubs are used to control which IoT devices. When a state change message is received from a user device, the control server confirms the user device is currently associated with at least one guest room and then determines which target IoT devices are affected by the state change message. The control server then sends commands to the various one or more hubs that control the target IoT devices in order to effect the state changes.