In-Home Health Intercom Gateway for Low-Power Event Alerts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern electronic devices face challenges in conserving battery power while efficiently communicating health events within a home environment, as existing transmission protocols like Wi-Fi and cellular networks consume significant power and may not be necessary for finding assistance within the same environment.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing short-range transmission protocols like Bluetooth or Zigbee for initial device communication, followed by power-efficient internet-based protocols like Wi-Fi or cellular for wider communication, to conserve battery life and ensure timely assistance is provided.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Wi-Fi or cellular networks are used for transmission, then communication range and reliability are improved, but battery power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission system is segmented into two stages: first using short-range protocols (Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee) for initial event detection and local communication, then using Wi-Fi or cellular networks only when necessary for broader dissemination. This segmentation allows the system to achieve reliable communication while minimizing energy consumption by using the lower-power protocol for the majority of communications.
Solution Approach 2:
A gateway device or hub acts as an intermediary between battery-powered user devices and the Wi-Fi/cellular network. The gateway maintains constant network connectivity while user devices communicate via low-power short-range protocols, eliminating the need for user devices to directly use power-intensive Wi-Fi or cellular transmissions.
2Use of energy by moving object
If short-range transmission protocols are used, then battery power consumption is reduced, but communication range and speed are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The communication process is segmented into phases: urgent local notifications use short-range protocols for immediate response, while non-urgent or broader notifications utilize Wi-Fi/cellular networks. This segmentation allows the system to achieve fast local response when needed while conserving energy for less time-critical communications.
3Use of energy by moving object
If short-range transmission protocols are used, then battery power consumption is reduced, but message dissemination speed across the home environment is slowed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing a mesh network of devices throughout the home environment using short-range protocols before an event occurs. When an event is detected, the pre-established network enables rapid message propagation without requiring devices to search for or establish connections at the moment of need, thus minimizing response time while maintaining low power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
A central hub or gateway device acts as an intermediary that receives messages from battery-powered devices via short-range protocols and rapidly distributes them across the home network using higher-power protocols. This intermediary approach allows battery-powered devices to maintain low power consumption while still achieving fast message dissemination through the hub's higher-speed connections.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for in-home health intercom and notification. In one example, a first device receives a message comprising a description of an event of a first person in an environment from a first user device using a first transmission protocol. The first device transmits the event message to the second computing device in the environment using a second transmission protocol, where the first device and the second device are in operable communication using a local area network. The first device receives, using the second transmission protocol, a response from the second device that the second computing device has transmitted the event message to a second user device.