AR Visualization for Smart-Home Sensor Placement and Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation and optimization of smart-home devices are challenging due to invisible fields of view, such as sensor ranges and communication areas, which are difficult for non-expert users to visualize and optimize, leading to inefficient placement and potential gaps or overlaps in coverage.
Innovation Solution
A method using a mobile computing device with a camera to render and display virtual objects representing the fields of view of smart-home devices, allowing users to visualize and optimize device placement by overlaying instructions and environmental information, such as obstructions and interference sources, in real-time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users install smart-home devices without visualization tools, then installation process is simple, but device placement optimization is difficult leading to coverage gaps or overlaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary visualization system that includes a camera, processing device, and display device. This intermediary system captures images of the installation environment, processes them to generate augmented reality visualizations showing sensor coverage areas, and displays them to the user. The intermediary acts as a mediator between the simple installation process and the need for precise placement optimization, providing coverage visualization without requiring complex specialized equipment from the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical installation environment through augmented reality visualization. The system captures the real-world scene via camera and overlays virtual representations of sensor coverage areas, field-of-view cones, and coverage zones onto the live feed. This virtual copy allows users to visualize invisible electromagnetic fields and coverage areas, enabling precise placement decisions without physically installing each device and testing coverage manually.
2Measurement precision
If users manually optimize device placement without assistance, then system complexity is low, but coverage optimization accuracy is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service coverage optimization by providing users with automated visualization tools that show sensor coverage areas, field-of-view cones, and potential coverage zones. Users can independently assess placement quality by viewing the augmented reality overlay that displays coverage information, allowing them to adjust device positions to achieve optimal coverage without requiring expert assistance or complex manual calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously captures images of the installation environment, processes them to determine coverage areas based on device positions and sensor characteristics, and displays the coverage visualization in real-time. This feedback loop allows users to see the effect of placement decisions immediately and make iterative adjustments to achieve optimal coverage, transforming the installation process from trial-and-error to informed optimization.
3Loss of information
If no visualization of invisible fields is provided, then device cost is low, but user understanding of coverage areas is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color changes and visual differentiation in the augmented reality overlay to represent different coverage areas and sensor types. The system uses distinct visual indicators such as colored cones for field-of-view, shaded areas for coverage zones, and different graphical elements for various sensor types. These visual transformations convert invisible electromagnetic fields and coverage areas into visible, color-coded representations that users can easily understand and interpret.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a visual dimension to the invisible coverage areas by projecting two-dimensional coverage zones and three-dimensional field-of-view cones onto the live camera feed. This dimensional transformation converts abstract coverage data into spatially accurate visual representations that overlay the physical environment, allowing users to perceive coverage areas in the same spatial context as the actual devices and objects they monitor.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for guiding installation of smart-home devices may include capturing, by a camera of a mobile computing device, a view of an installation location for a smart-home device; determining, by the mobile computing device, an instruction for installing the smart-home device at the location; and displaying, by a display of the mobile computing device, the view of the installation location for a smart-home device with the instruction for installing the smart-home device.