Distributed Home Automation Configuration for Multiple Control Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-scale home automation installations with multiple devices and central control units are complex to manage, requiring significant processing resources for conditional expression evaluation and action triggering, especially when involving multiple central control units and diverse communication protocols.
Innovation Solution
A configuration method that distributes conditional software code modules across multiple central control units, allowing each unit to evaluate and trigger actions locally, with a management unit coordinating and propagating notifications to ensure efficient resource utilization and simplified user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple central control units are used to manage large-scale home automation installations, then the number of monitored devices is increased, but the system complexity and difficulty of management increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the home automation installation into multiple independent zones, each managed by a separate central control unit. Each zone can be configured and managed independently, reducing the overall system complexity while enabling monitoring of a large number of devices across multiple zones. The segmentation allows users to interact with manageable subsets of devices rather than overwhelming single-point control.
2Ease of operation
If conditional expression evaluation is centralized on the management unit, then coordination across multiple central control units is simplified, but the processing and memory resources required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local evaluation of conditional expressions at each central control unit rather than centralized evaluation. Each central control unit independently evaluates conditions related to its local devices and triggers actions autonomously when conditions are met. This distributed approach significantly reduces the processing and memory resources required on the management unit while maintaining coordination through standardized communication protocols between control units.
3Use of energy by moving object
If conditional expression evaluation is distributed across multiple central control units, then processing resources on the management unit are reduced, but the complexity of coordinating between units increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal communication protocol and standardized data structures that enable all central control units to interact through common interfaces. Each control unit possesses the same functional capabilities to evaluate conditions, trigger actions, and communicate with the management unit. This universality simplifies coordination between distributed units by providing consistent methods for information exchange and conflict resolution, reducing the effective coordination complexity despite the distributed architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for configuring a home automation apparatus including a plurality of home automation devices and a plurality of central control units (U1, U2). The method is executed by a management unit (Sv) connected to the at least one home automation apparatus and includes the following steps: receiving (ETCfSv1) a configuration message (MCf) from a user (Usr) or an application (A) that is executed on the management unit (Sv) or another connected management unit, determining (ETCfSv3) a list (UL) of central control units (U1, U2) capable of executing at least one condition (Cnd) and/or at least one action (AcU1, AcU2) of a conditional expression (CE), and sending (ETCfSv6) a configuration message (MCfU1, MCfU2), including a definition of a conditional software code module (CCM), to the at least one central control unit (U1, U2) included in the list (UL).