Gesture-Controlled Wand for Environmental Component Management

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional devices that aim to control or interact with environmental components face challenges in providing a rich feature set without increasing size or complexity, often simplifying the user interface, which can lead to reduced functionality or complex operational requirements.

Innovation Solution

An architecture that includes a housing with various input/output components, sensors, and an advisor component, allowing for rich interaction and management of environmental components, such as lights, thermostats, and game consoles, using orientation and gesture recognition to determine instructions and provide guidance through an avatar.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a device provides a rich feature set to control environmental components, then functionality is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeature setVSAvoidcomplexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical user interfaces (buttons, switches, displays) with gesture-based control. The gesture interface uses motion sensing to interpret user intentions, substituting physical interaction mechanisms with motion-based commands. This reduces the number of physical components needed while maintaining rich functionality for controlling environmental components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a gesture recognition system as an intermediary between the user and environmental components. This mediator translates physical gestures into control commands, eliminating the need for complex direct interfaces between users and multiple environmental devices. The gesture interface acts as a universal remote control mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a device provides a rich feature set to control environmental components, then functionality is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeature setVSAvoidease of use

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical user interfaces (buttons, switches, displays) with gesture-based control. The gesture interface uses motion sensing to interpret user intentions, substituting physical interaction mechanisms with motion-based commands. This reduces the number of physical components needed while maintaining rich functionality for controlling environmental components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The gesture interface system automatically recognizes and interprets user gestures without requiring manual configuration or complex menu navigation. The system self-adapts to user actions, automatically determining intent from motion patterns. This eliminates the need for users to learn complex operational procedures while maintaining access to rich functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Volume of moving object

If a device is miniaturized to improve portability, then convenience is improved, but user interface capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice sizeVSAvoiduser interface

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical user interfaces (buttons, switches, displays) with gesture-based control. The gesture interface uses motion sensing to interpret user intentions, substituting physical interaction mechanisms with motion-based commands. This reduces the number of physical components needed while maintaining rich functionality for controlling environmental components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent moves the user interface from the two-dimensional surface of the device (buttons, screens) to the three-dimensional space around the device through gesture recognition. By utilizing spatial motion in three dimensions, the system provides rich interface capabilities without requiring physical space on the device itself, enabling miniaturization while maintaining interface sophistication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS9171454B2Magic wand

Publication Date: 2015.10.27 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate rich interaction with and/or management of environmental components included in an environment. The architecture can exist in whole or in part in a housing that can resemble a wand or similar object. The architecture can utilize one or more sensor from a collection of sensors to determine an orientation or gesture in connection with the wand, and can further issue an instruction to update a state of an environmental component based upon the orientation. In addition, the architecture can include an advisor component to provide contextual and/or comprehensive guidance in an intuitive manner.