Smart Home Controller for Automatic Property Damage Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems lack the ability to effectively aggregate and analyze data from smart appliances to detect and mitigate risks associated with insurance-related events in homes, leading to inadequate prevention and management of property damage.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that utilizes a smart home controller to monitor various conditions within a property, receive sensor data, detect potential insurance-related events, and automatically take corrective actions to prevent or mitigate damage by communicating with and controlling connected devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If smart appliances communicate data via mesh networks, then data availability for risk detection improves, but the ability to aggregate and analyze this data effectively remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central controller or server as an intermediary component that receives data from multiple smart appliances via mesh networks, aggregates the data, performs risk analysis, and coordinates mitigation actions. This intermediary handles the complexity of data aggregation and analysis centrally, allowing individual appliances to remain relatively simple while achieving comprehensive risk detection through the coordinated system.
2Reliability
If the system automatically detects and mitigates insurance-related events, then property damage prevention improves, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary risk assessment and detection by continuously monitoring sensor data from smart appliances before actual damage occurs. It identifies potential insurance-related events (such as water leaks, fire hazards, or equipment failures) and automatically initiates mitigation actions in advance, preventing property damage before it happens rather than responding after damage occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service automation where the smart home controller automatically detects risks, analyzes sensor data, determines appropriate mitigation actions, and executes commands to appliances without requiring constant human intervention. This automated self-service approach improves reliability by ensuring consistent monitoring and response while managing complexity through algorithmic decision-making rather than manual processes.
3Measurement precision
If the system monitors various conditions continuously, then risk detection accuracy improves, but energy consumption and system resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic monitoring of various conditions within the property, where sensors continuously or at scheduled intervals collect data from smart appliances and environmental conditions. This periodic action ensures adequate risk detection accuracy by regularly updating the risk assessment while managing energy consumption through scheduled monitoring cycles rather than constant maximum-intensity monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for automatically mitigating risks of insurance-related events to a property are provided. According to certain aspects, a smart home controller or insurance provider remote processor may analyze data received from a plurality of smart devices disposed on, within, or proximate to a property, as well as data received from an insurance provider. If it is determined that an actual or potential risk of property damage exists, the smart home controller or insurance provider remote processor may automatically issue commands to one or more smart devices to take actions that mitigate the risk. The smart home controller may also transmit information about the actual or potential risks and any mitigative actions to an insurance provider. The insurance provider remote processor may interpret the transmitted data to perform insurance activities, such as providing a discount and/or adjusting an insurance premium or policy associated with the property.