Automated Remote Diagnosis via Visual Device State Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of modern electronic devices leads to time-consuming and error-prone customer support sessions due to the difficulty in describing device status, resulting in inefficient remote diagnosis and problem resolution.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a camera module connected to a processor to acquire imagery of a device, compare it to a database of known devices, determine difference vectors, and display resolution instructions to restore the device to a preferred functioning state, comprising a training component to learn device characteristics and failure modes, a diagnostic component for unskilled users, and a problem resolution component to guide users in fixing issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If customer support personnel manually diagnose device issues through verbal description, then human judgment and flexibility are maintained, but diagnosis time and error rates increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual verbal description and human judgment system with an automated image recognition and analysis system. The camera captures device status indicators (LEDs, display screens, cable connections) and the processor automatically analyzes these visual cues to diagnose issues, substituting the mechanical process of human observation and interpretation with automated optical detection and computational analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables customers to perform self-diagnosis by capturing images of their device status indicators and receiving automated diagnostic results. The customer serves themselves by taking photos of the device state, and the system automatically processes these images to identify problems without requiring support personnel intervention for the initial diagnosis phase.
2Adaptability or versatility
If device functionality is increased to provide multiple services, then device versatility improves, but device complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The diagnostic system is designed to handle multiple device types and service functions (cable TV, internet, telephone) through a single universal platform. The image recognition system can identify various device models and status indicators, and the database contains diagnostic knowledge for multiple service types, allowing one system to serve multiple diagnostic purposes across different device functionalities.
3Measurement precision
If detailed device status description is required for accurate diagnosis, then diagnosis precision improves, but customer effort and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring customers to verbally describe device status or manually check multiple components, the system uses a camera to create visual copies (photographs) of the device status indicators. These image copies capture all relevant status information simultaneously (LED colors, display messages, cable connections) without requiring the customer to interpret or describe each element, reducing effort while maintaining diagnostic precision.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes methods and systems for providing instructions automatically to a user that return the status of an electronic device to a preferred functioning state. In a training stage, imagery of electronic devices with known device states are acquired and stored in a database, along with instructions to return the state of each electronic device to a preferred functioning state. In a diagnostic stage, imagery of a first electronic device is acquired and compared to imagery of the electronic devices in different states in the database. A proximity measure between each of the electronic devices in different states in the database, and the first electronic device is computed. The most likely states of the first device are determined based on the proximity measure. The instructions to return the state of the electronic device to a preferred functioning state are then displayed to a user on a screen display module.