Device Control Manager for HEMS Command Verification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) face challenges in standardizing control methods across different manufacturers and retailers, leading to operational errors and security risks when controlling household devices via networks, as operators may inadvertently or maliciously send incorrect control information to devices.

Innovation Solution

A device control management system that includes a device control manager with receiver, determinator, and transmitter circuitry, which verifies control information against stored reference information to ensure only authorized and correct commands are transmitted to controlled devices, preventing operational errors and malicious control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If control methods are standardized across different manufacturers, then interoperability and reliability improve, but device complexity increases due to verification requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol operation reliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The device control manager acts as an intermediary between the control device and the controlled device. It receives control information, verifies it against stored reference information, and forwards validated commands. This mediator approach ensures standardized control operations without requiring complex verification logic in each endpoint device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Reference information including operation commands and device identifiers is pre-stored in the device control manager before actual control operations. This preliminary preparation enables rapid verification during runtime without adding complex real-time processing requirements to the controlled devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If control information is verified against stored reference information, then operational errors are reduced, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational error reductionVSAvoidcontrol processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Reference information is pre-stored in the device control manager before control operations occur. This includes pre-defining valid operation commands, device identifiers, and control information formats. During runtime, the verification process simply compares incoming control information against these pre-prepared references, minimizing processing time while ensuring operational accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If authorization verification is performed for all control commands, then security against malicious control improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemalicious control protectionVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The device control manager serves as a security intermediary that centralizes authorization verification. It stores reference information about authorized devices and commands, and performs all security checks in one location rather than distributing complex verification logic across multiple devices. This approach enhances security while keeping individual device complexity low.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The verification and authorization functions are extracted from the controlled devices and concentrated in the device control manager. This separation allows the controlled devices to remain simple while the control manager handles all security-critical operations, protecting against malicious control without complicating the overall system architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS10319219B2Device, method, and system for managing device control

Publication Date: 2019.06.11 SHARP KK

AI summary

A first device according to one embodiment includes, but is not limited to, receiver circuitry, determinator circuitry, and transmitter circuitry. The receiver circuitry is configured and/or programmed to receive from a second device, first information for controlling a third device. The determinator circuitry is configured and/or programmed to determine whether or not the first information is to be transmitted to the third device, based on whether or not the first information is associated with second information stored in the first device. The second information includes at least a first operation command for controlling a first operation of the third device. The transmitter circuitry is configured and/or programmed to, in a case that the first information is determined to be transmitted to the third device, transmit the first information to the third device.