Controlling Device Removal Detection With Periodic Signals
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The hospitality industry experiences a high attrition rate of controlling devices, such as remote controls, due to frequent misplacement or removal by guests, leading to operational inefficiencies and maintenance challenges.
Innovation Solution
A controlling device adapted to periodically transmit status signals to a paired decoder box, which alerts the facility's central distribution server if the signal is not received within a specified time, triggering maintenance alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If controlling devices are provided as standard guest room equipment, then guest convenience is improved, but device attrition rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the decoder box monitors for periodic status signals from the controlling device. When the device is removed or misplaced, the system detects the absence of signals and generates alerts to the front desk, enabling timely recovery of the device while maintaining guest convenience.
2Reliability
If periodic status signals are transmitted by the controlling device, then device removal detection is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controlling device transmits status signals periodically rather than continuously, allowing the device to enter low-power states between transmissions. This periodic action maintains reliable detection capability while significantly reducing battery power consumption.
3Loss of time
If the decoder box monitors for status signals continuously, then device removal detection speed is improved, but processing load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The decoder box is pre-configured with expected signal parameters and detection thresholds. When a status signal is received, the system performs a simple presence/absence check rather than continuous complex analysis, reducing processing load while maintaining fast detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for using a controllable appliance to report an inoperable state of a controlling device. The appliance is caused to repeatedly determine, at a first predetermined timed interval, if a wireless notification signal, repeatedly transmitted by the controlling device at a second predetermined timed interval, has been received from the controlling device. When the wireless notification signal has not been received from the controlling device within the first predetermined timed interval, the appliance is caused to issue a status notification that the controlling device is in an inoperable state.