Multinodal Power Sensing with RFID User Proximity Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies for monitoring electrical device usage do not effectively associate specific device usage with a specific user, limiting the ability to create user profiles for energy efficiency and tailored energy payment mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A system that measures power consumption by electrical objects, determines user proximity to the device using RFID tags or similar technologies, and transmits this information to a remote server, allowing for user identification and energy usage tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If device complexity is increased to enable user identification and proximity detection, then information completeness improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote server as an intermediary to handle user identification, device proximity detection, and power consumption data aggregation. Instead of embedding complex identification and tracking systems in each monitoring device, the server acts as a central mediator that receives data from multiple sources (power sources, devices, RFID readers) and performs the complex processing of user identification and association. This resolves the contradiction by externalizing complexity to the server infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote server performs multiple functions: it stores user profiles, detects device proximity through RFID tags, aggregates power consumption data from multiple power sources, identifies users based on proximity and device associations, and enables personalized energy payment mechanisms. By consolidating these diverse functions in a single multi-functional platform, the system avoids duplicating complexity across multiple specialized systems.
2Measurement precision
If measurement precision is improved to track specific user power consumption, then information accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the measurement and processing functions across multiple components: power sources measure local power consumption, RFID readers detect proximity, devices track usage patterns, and the remote server aggregates and analyzes all data. This segmentation allows each component to perform a simple, precise measurement function without requiring complex integrated systems, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote server acts as an intermediary that collects precise measurement data from multiple distributed sensors and processing nodes. Rather than requiring each individual device to perform complex analysis, the server aggregates the precise measurements and performs the sophisticated user identification and consumption attribution, maintaining measurement precision while distributing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A power source provides power (e.g., electrical power) to a powered object. The object is identified and the amount of power consumed by the object is measured. Information representing the object identity and the amount of power consumed by the object is transmitted to a remote server. Proximity between a device and the object may be determined, in response to which the device may obtain the information representing the object identity and the amount of power consumed by the object, and transmit such information to the remote server, in addition to information representing an identity of a user of the device.