Smart Home Water Leak Control for Automated Damage Mitigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems fail to aggregate and analyze data from smart appliances to effectively manage and reduce risks associated with insurance-related events, such as home damage and personal property damage, leading to inefficiencies in prevention and mitigation.
Innovation Solution
A smart home controller communicates with various smart devices and sensors to gather data, analyze potential or actual risks, and autonomously issue commands to mitigate or prevent damage, while also notifying homeowners and insurance providers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If smart appliances communicate data via mesh networks, then data availability for risk detection is improved, but the ability to aggregate and analyze this data effectively is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system comprising a controller and processing system that aggregates data from multiple smart appliances via mesh networks. This intermediary layer collects, processes, and analyzes data from various sources (water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers) to detect potential water damage risks, thereby solving the problem of insufficient data aggregation and analysis capability while maintaining the benefits of mesh network data availability.
2Loss of time
If the system autonomously issues commands to mitigate damage, then response time is improved, but the complexity of the control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring mitigation commands and decision logic in advance. When potential water damage is detected, the controller automatically executes pre-planned mitigation actions (such as shutting off water supplies or activating pumps) without requiring real-time human intervention. This approach enables rapid response while managing control system complexity through automated decision-making algorithms that were established during system setup.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the controller continuously monitors appliance data, compares it against threshold values, and automatically adjusts mitigation actions based on the detected risk level. This closed-loop control system enables autonomous response while managing complexity through standardized feedback processing rules and decision matrices that evaluate multiple appliance states simultaneously.
3Reliability
If the system proactively addresses potential threats, then damage prevention capability is improved, but the cost of implementation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service functionality where smart appliances automatically report their operational status and potential issues to the controller without requiring manual inspection or external monitoring services. The controller then autonomously executes mitigation actions based on the received data, reducing the need for expensive external property management services, regular manual inspections, and rapid response teams while maintaining high damage prevention capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for automatically mitigating risks of water damage to a property caused by insurance-related events are provided. A smart home controller and/or insurance provider remote processor may analyze data received from a smart device disposed on, within, or proximate to a property associated with monitoring water flow, as well as data received from an insurance provider. If it is determined that an actual or potential risk of water leakage exists, the smart home controller or remote processor may automatically issue commands to the smart device to take actions that mitigate the risk of water damage. The smart home controller may transmit information about the actual or potential water leakage risks and any mitigative actions to an insurance provider. The insurance provider remote processor may interpret the transmitted data and perform insurance activities, such as providing a discount or premium, and/or adjusting an insurance policy associated with the property.