Battery-Powered IoT Mode Switching via Wi-Fi Presence Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IoT devices struggle with inefficient power management and user experience enhancements, particularly in battery-operated devices, as they often remain in standby mode until manually activated, leading to missed user interactions and increased power consumption.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a Wi-Fi module to detect end-user presence and motion, switching IoT devices from standby to active mode when the user enters the monitored environment, and triggering specific actions based on user movement between environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the IoT device remains in standby mode until manually activated, then power consumption is reduced, but user interactions are missed and responsiveness is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of user presence using Wi-Fi module signals before the user actually interacts with the IoT device. This allows the device to transition from standby to active mode in advance, ensuring it is ready to respond immediately when the user arrives, thus maintaining responsiveness while minimizing the duration of high-power operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection mechanism (Wi-Fi module signal analysis) that mediates between the standby state and full active operation. By detecting user presence through Wi-Fi signals as an intermediate step, the system can make informed decisions about when to activate, balancing power consumption with responsiveness without requiring constant full operation
2Reliability
If the IoT device switches to active mode upon detecting user presence, then responsiveness is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic detection of user presence through Wi-Fi signals rather than continuous monitoring. It checks for user presence at intervals and only transitions to active mode when presence is detected, thereby maintaining responsiveness to user arrival while significantly reducing overall power consumption compared to continuous active operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic operational modes where the IoT device can transition between standby and active states based on real-time detection of user presence. This dynamic adjustment allows the device to optimize its power consumption by being active only when necessary, while maintaining the ability to respond promptly when users are detected
3Reliability
If the Wi-Fi module continuously monitors for user presence, then device responsiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The Wi-Fi module performs periodic scanning and analysis of signals rather than continuous monitoring. It checks for characteristic user device signals at scheduled intervals, maintaining adequate detection accuracy while consuming far less energy than continuous monitoring would require
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a method includes using a Wi-Fi module of a computing device to detect that an end-user has entered a monitored environment of the computing device, where the computing device is separate from, and communicatively coupled over an Internet of Things (IoT) network to, a battery-powered IoT device. The method also includes in response to detecting that the end-user has entered the monitored environment of the computing device, causing the IoT device to switch from operating in a standby mode to instead operating in an active mode, where operation in the standby mode comprises a mode in which the IoT device consumes less power than when operating in the active mode.