Multi-User Presence Tracking for Accurate Smart Home Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In smart home systems with multiple users, existing geo-fence-based automation technologies often result in undesirable functionality, where devices are turned off when one user leaves, even if others remain in the house, due to the lack of tracking the presence state of all users.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where a resident controller tracks the presence state of multiple users by registering their mobile devices and updating user states based on boundary-crossing signals, allowing devices to be controlled based on whether at least one user is home, thereby preventing unnecessary state changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If geo-fence-based automation is used to control devices when users leave the home, then energy efficiency is improved by turning off devices, but undesirable functionality occurs when devices are turned off even though other users remain in the house
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the user group into individual user presence states. Instead of treating the home presence as a single binary state, it tracks each user's presence separately and aggregates them to determine the overall home presence state, ensuring devices are controlled only when all users are absent.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring boundary-crossing signals from multiple mobile devices and updating the home presence state based on aggregated user states. This feedback loop ensures that device control actions are taken only when the aggregated presence state indicates all users have left.
2Speed
If individual user boundary-crossing signals are used to trigger device actions, then device responsiveness is improved, but device complexity increases due to need to track multiple user states
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges individual user presence states into a single aggregated home presence state. By combining multiple binary user states (present/absent) into one collective state, the system maintains fast response to individual boundary crossings while simplifying the overall control logic to a single presence determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The resident controller is designed with multi-functionality to handle both individual user state tracking and aggregated home presence determination. This universal controller can process boundary-crossing signals from any user and automatically update the overall presence state, eliminating the need for separate control mechanisms for each user.
3Reliability
If presence state tracking for multiple users is implemented, then automation accuracy is improved by preventing premature device shutdown, but use of energy increases due to continuous monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-registering multiple mobile devices and their corresponding users before automation is needed. This pre-registration establishes the framework for tracking user states, so that when boundary crossings occur, the system can immediately aggregate presence states without requiring complex real-time setup, reducing the energy overhead of continuous monitoring.
Data Source
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AI summary
In some embodiments, a resident controller at a specified location performs a method including registering a plurality of mobile devices of a plurality of users and a device profile for a resident device to be controlled based on a location of the plurality of users, and establishing a user state for each of the plurality of users corresponding to their location. In some embodiments, the mobile devices can provide boundary-crossing signals when their location cross a boundary corresponding to the specified location causing the resident controller to update the user states based on the boundary-crossing signals and update a presence state of the specified location based on changes to the user states, where the device profile specifies a first action to be performed when the presence state transitions to a first presence value.