Distributed Smart Home Hubs for Low-Latency Device Interoperability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional home-automation systems rely on a single hub for controlling secondary devices, which limits interoperability, redundancy, and efficiency, as they often require network connectivity and may experience latency and reduced control capabilities due to protocol limitations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing multiple electronic devices as hubs within an environment, each storing and executing an instance of a control engine, allowing for distributed control and redundancy, and enabling local processing of user requests while maintaining network connectivity for remote control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single hub is used to control secondary devices, then the system structure is simple, but the interoperability and redundancy are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized hub function into multiple distributed electronic devices, each capable of independently controlling secondary devices. This segmentation creates redundancy as multiple devices can perform the same control functions, eliminating the single point of failure inherent in traditional single-hub systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Each electronic device in the system is designed with universal control capabilities through the control engine, enabling any device to potentially control any secondary device. This multi-functionality approach allows any electronic device to step into the role of a hub, providing both redundancy and flexibility in the system architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple electronic devices are used as hubs, then redundancy and interoperability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control engine is designed as a universal component that can be deployed on any electronic device, providing protocol translation and device control capabilities across multiple platforms. This universality enables diverse electronic devices to function as hubs without requiring device-specific implementations, thereby improving adaptability while managing complexity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The control engine acts as an intermediary layer between electronic devices and secondary devices, handling protocol translation and communication. This mediator approach allows the system to support multiple protocols and device types without increasing the complexity of individual electronic devices, as the control engine abstracts the complexity away from the host devices.
3Loss of time
If control processing is centralized in one hub, then the control logic is simple to manage, but latency increases due to network connectivity requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The control processing function is segmented and distributed across multiple electronic devices rather than centralized in one hub. Each device can independently process control requests locally, eliminating the need for centralized coordination and reducing the latency associated with network round-trips to a central controller.
Solution Approach 2:
Each electronic device is equipped with the control engine to autonomously handle control requests for secondary devices without needing to consult a central hub. This self-service capability allows devices to process control logic locally, significantly reducing latency by eliminating network dependency for control decisions.
4Quantity of substance
If a single hub is used, then the system is easier to operate, but the number of controllable secondary devices is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The control capacity is segmented across multiple electronic devices, each capable of controlling secondary devices independently. This distribution of control functions allows the system to manage a larger total number of secondary devices by dividing the control burden across multiple devices rather than requiring one hub to handle all devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The control engine provides universal control capabilities that can be deployed on multiple electronic devices, enabling the system to scale to control more secondary devices. By making the control function universal and device-agnostic, the system can leverage existing electronic devices as control nodes, thereby increasing the total number of controllable devices without requiring specialized hub hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
Traditional home-automation systems utilize a single hub for controlling secondary devices within a home. The techniques described herein, meanwhile, utilize multiple hubs within the environment and/or located remotely from the environment. For instance, an environment may include multiple electronic devices, each configured to control one or more secondary devices within the environment. In addition, a remote service may be configured to control one or more secondary devices within the environment. As such, each controlling device stores and executes an instance of a control engine, rather than relying on a single instance of a control engine located at a single controlling hub.