Outdoor Messaging Display for Home Automation Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Residents often face challenges in responding to visitors at their doorstep, such as unwanted solicitors or safety concerns, due to inability or unwillingness to physically answer the door, especially when they are busy or not home.
Innovation Solution
A home automation system with an outdoor messaging display that includes an arrival detection device, a display device near the door, and a home automation controller, allowing residents to send messages to visitors through various devices, including mobile devices, and enabling visitors to respond via a coupling code or keyboard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the resident physically answers the door, then the resident can directly interact with the visitor, but the resident's safety is compromised and the resident is disturbed from busy tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an outdoor display device as an intermediary between the visitor and the resident. The display shows messages from the resident to the visitor and receives visitor responses, eliminating the need for physical door interaction while maintaining communication capability. This mediator resolves the contradiction by enabling response without exposing the resident to safety risks or disturbances.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical action of physically opening the door with an electronic communication system. Instead of mechanical door interaction, the system uses display devices, processors, and communication protocols to transmit messages bidirectionally between visitor and resident, solving the contradiction by substituting physical engagement with electronic mediation.
2Loss of information
If the resident uses traditional doorbell, then the resident can be alerted to visitor arrival, but the resident cannot communicate with the visitor without physically answering the door
Solution Approach 1:
The outdoor display device serves as an intermediary communication channel that eliminates information loss. It displays resident messages to the visitor and captures visitor responses, providing continuous bidirectional communication without requiring the resident to physically answer the door, thus resolving both the communication gap and the ease of operation issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The system integrates multiple functions into a single outdoor display unit: displaying messages to visitors, receiving visitor input via keyboard or mobile device, communicating with the resident through the network, and providing two-way communication capability. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by enabling comprehensive visitor interaction without physical door access.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the resident is not home or is busy, then the resident can avoid unwanted interaction, but the resident cannot provide any response to the visitor
Solution Approach 1:
The outdoor display device acts as an intermediary that enables the resident to communicate with visitors even when absent or busy. The display shows pre-configured or selected messages from the resident and receives visitor responses, maintaining information exchange without creating unwanted direct interactions, thus resolving both contradictions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows the resident to pre-configure messages and response strategies before the visitor arrives or before needing to respond. The resident can select from predefined messages or prepare responses in advance, enabling timely communication without requiring immediate physical presence or direct interaction, thereby avoiding unwanted engagement while maintaining communication capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An outdoor messaging display for a home automation system can include an arrival detection device for detecting a visitor's arrival. The system can also include a display device attached near a door that is capable of displaying text to the visitor. The system can also include a home automation controller that can receive a notification from the arrival detection device indicating that a visitor has arrived or has been detected. The home automation controller can send an alert to a device of the resident indicating that the visitor has arrived or been detected. The home automation controller can receive a message from the resident and output the message to the output display for the visitor to read.