Home Gateway Group Control for Smart Device Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home network systems face increased user inconvenience and complexity in controlling multiple home devices due to the need for manual setting of multiple situations and devices, which is exacerbated by the growing number of devices and situations in smart home environments.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for efficiently grouping home devices based on preset conditions, control histories, and outdoor information, using a Home Gateway (HGW) to simplify the control process through one-touch mode and control history mode operations, and providing an improved User Interface (UI) for group control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual device settings are performed one by one for each situation, then precise device control is achieved, but user inconvenience and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large task of controlling multiple devices into smaller manageable units by automatically creating device groups based on situations. Instead of requiring users to manually configure each device individually, the system divides devices into logical groups (e.g., lighting group, entertainment group) based on their operational contexts and relationships, thereby reducing the complexity of the user interface and easing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring device groupings and control rules before users need to perform manual settings. The system automatically analyzes device relationships, operational patterns, and situation contexts to pre-establish control groups and association rules. When a situation occurs, the pre-configured groups are automatically activated, eliminating the need for users to perform time-consuming manual device-by-device configuration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of home devices and situations increases, then functionality and versatility improve, but the complexity of group control increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by creating a multi-functional automatic grouping system that handles diverse device types and situations through a unified approach. The system uses universal criteria (device relationships, operational patterns, situation contexts) to automatically group various devices regardless of their specific types or functions. This universal grouping mechanism allows the system to scale to accommodate increasing numbers of devices and situations without proportionally increasing control complexity, as the same automatic grouping logic applies across all device types and scenarios.
3Ease of operation
If automatic grouping based on device relationships and operational patterns is implemented, then ease of operation improves, but computational requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing device relationship analysis and operational pattern recognition in advance, during device registration and initial system setup. The system pre-computes device associations, groupings, and control rules based on device characteristics and initial operational data. This preliminary processing creates a ready-to-use configuration database that enables rapid automatic grouping when situations occur, significantly reducing the processing time required during actual operation while maintaining the benefits of intelligent automatic grouping.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and apparatus for controlling home devices on a group basis in a home network system are provided. The method includes collecting operation state information about a plurality of home devices, generating control history information about the plurality of home devices based on the collected operation state information, receiving a group control command for a group of home devices from among the plurality of home devices, the group of home devices being set based on the control history information, and controlling operations of the group of home devices according to the received group control command.