Semantic Rule Configuration for Home Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current management systems for consumer electronic and home automation devices require technical skills to define and program management rules, limiting user flexibility and ease of use due to the need for interpreting events and messages generated within the system.
Innovation Solution
A configuration method that transcribes device states and functions into semantic expressions, allowing users to define management rules through a user interface without requiring programming skills, using natural language understanding and semantic transcription to mask the complexity of rule engine programming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If management rules are defined using traditional programming approaches, then the system can implement complex device management logic, but the user requires technical skills to program and interpret events and messages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a configuration device as an intermediary between the user and the rules engine. This device provides a user interface that accepts high-level management rules from users, automatically translates them into programming language code, and compiles the code for execution by the rules engine. This intermediary layer shields users from technical complexity while enabling custom device management logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration device enables users to define and program management rules themselves without requiring external assistance from technicians or programmers. The automated translation and compilation processes allow end-users to independently customize system behavior through a simplified interface, making the system self-configurable.
2Ease of operation
If a user interface is provided for rule definition, then ease of use is improved, but the complexity of translating user-friendly rules into executable code increases
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration device extracts and isolates the translation and compilation functionality from the overall system architecture. By concentrating these complex processing tasks within a dedicated configuration device, the user interface remains simple while the complexity is contained in a separate component that handles code generation and compilation automatically.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system comprises a rules engine for applying rules for the management of apparatuses of the system. Each rule defines at least one action to be executed when at least one condition is fulfilled. To define a rule, a configuration device (200) comprises means for: obtaining (208) for each apparatus descriptions of possible states and of executable functions; transcribing (205, 206) the descriptions into semantic expressions; providing (205, 201) the semantic expressions to a user interface; allowing a user, via the user interface, to define at least one rule on the basis of at least one condition, on the basis of the semantic expressions of states, and of at least one action, on the basis of the semantic expressions of functions; and transcribing (204) each management rule, defined semantically via the user interface, into instructions interpretable by the rules engine.