Position-Aware UE Pointing for Intuitive Indoor Appliance Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional remote controls require prior knowledge of appliance codes for operation and lack intuitive control methods in indoor environments, and existing systems for identifying and controlling appliances are cumbersome or require additional sensors.
Innovation Solution
A UE device uses short-range wireless communication and indoor navigation to identify and control appliances by determining its position and orientation within a predefined frame of reference, establishing a wireless connection or communicating with a central server to control appliances without individual wireless capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional remote controls are used to operate appliances, then control functionality is achieved, but prior knowledge of appliance codes is required and the operation is not intuitive
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables appliances to automatically identify and control themselves based on their own transmitted information. The appliance autonomously provides its identification and capability data, eliminating the need for users to manually input or remember codes, thus achieving self-service operation
Solution Approach 2:
A communication module acts as an intermediary between the user equipment and the appliance. This intermediary automatically transmits appliance information to the control system, mediating the interaction and eliminating the need for direct user knowledge of appliance codes
2Measurement precision
If additional sensors are added to enable appliance identification, then identification accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical sensor-based detection with wireless communication-based identification. Instead of using additional physical sensors to detect appliances, the system uses communication modules to exchange identification information, substituting a mechanical/sensor system with an electromagnetic communication system
Solution Approach 2:
The communication module serves multiple functions: it transmits control signals, exchanges identification information, and enables bidirectional communication. This multi-functional component eliminates the need for separate dedicated sensors for each identification task, reducing overall device complexity
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A user equipment (UE) device (102) pointed at an appliance (104a-e) to be controlled, or at an object that is to be accessed or about which information needs to retrieved, determines its position and orientation within an environment (100) with respect to a fixed frame of reference. The appliance to be controlled is identified based on a determined position and orientation of the UE device and a known position of the appliance. The UE device controls the identified appliance by establishing a wireless communication link between the identified appliance and UE device based on a wireless technology that is compliant with both the appliance and the UE device. The UE device may control another appliance via a central control computer server (160) to which the other appliance is interfaced, when the other appliance is not configured for wireless communication.