Smart Accessory Service Grouping for Unified Home Controls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Home automation systems face complexity in controlling multiple smart accessories due to varied feature sets, leading to user burden in managing individual devices and requiring manual configuration of service groups.
Innovation Solution
A computing device automatically generates and manages service groups based on historical usage patterns, selects common controls for presentation, and creates scenes to simplify user interaction, allowing for group control and notification management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If accessories are controlled individually, then each accessory can be managed with specific controls, but the user burden and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple accessories into a service group that can be controlled as a single entity. The system automatically groups accessories based on their features and usage patterns, allowing users to control multiple devices through unified controls rather than managing each accessory separately, thereby reducing operational complexity while maintaining individual accessibility when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The service group control mechanism provides universal control capabilities that work across different types of accessories. The system identifies common controls applicable to multiple accessories within a service group and presents them as unified controls, enabling a single control interface to manage diverse devices with varying feature sets.
2Adaptability or versatility
If service groups are manually configured, then users can create custom groups, but the configuration process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically generating service groups based on analysis of accessory features and historical usage patterns. The computing device autonomously identifies which accessories should be grouped together and creates the service groups without requiring manual user configuration, thereby eliminating the time-consuming setup process while still allowing users to review and customize groups if desired.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of accessory characteristics and usage patterns before service group creation. By pre-processing the data and identifying potential groupings in advance, the system prepares the optimal service group configuration automatically, reducing the need for manual intervention and subsequent adjustments by the user.
3Ease of operation
If common controls are presented for service groups, then group control is simplified, but controls specific to individual accessories may be overlooked
Solution Approach 1:
The control interface is segmented into hierarchical levels: service group controls for common functions and individual accessory controls for device-specific functions. The system presents controls in an organized structure where users can access group-level controls for quick operations and drill down to individual accessory controls when needed, ensuring neither level is overlooked while maintaining ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The service group acts as an intermediary layer between the user and individual accessories. The group control provides a simplified interface for common operations, while the system maintains direct access pathways to individual accessories for specialized controls. This intermediary structure allows users to work at the appropriate level of abstraction without losing access to detailed controls when necessary.
Data Source
AI summary
In some implementations, a computing device can automatically generate a service group. For example, accessories can be automatically grouped together based on various criteria (such as historical usage patterns). The accessories in the service group can be managed and/or controlled as if the accessories were a single accessory or entity. In some implementations, a computing device can intelligently select service group controls for presentation to the user so that the user can control the service group. For example, the computing device can select which service group controls to present and the order in which to present the controls based on features that are common among different accessories in the service group.