Smart Home Policy Engine for Dynamic Device Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smart home devices are limited in their ability to adapt to diverse household norms and evolving environments, as they are typically designed for pre-determined tasks and functionalities, making it difficult to effectively manage and control them in dynamic or diverse household settings.
Innovation Solution
Implementing smart-device environment policies that use sensors and user interfaces to monitor activities, report on them, and provide control based on these activities, allowing for dynamic adjustment of device settings and behavior in response to changing conditions and user preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If smart devices are designed with pre-determined tasks and functionalities, then device reliability is improved, but device adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic device policies that can change over time based on learned household patterns and norms. Devices transition from static pre-determined functionalities to dynamic behaviors that adapt to evolving household requirements, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters of smart devices based on learned household patterns, norms, and contexts. By adjusting device behavior parameters dynamically rather than using fixed pre-determined tasks, the system maintains reliability while achieving adaptability to diverse household settings
2Ease of manufacture
If smart devices are designed for pre-determined tasks, then ease of manufacture is improved, but ease of operation in diverse households deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service through automated policy generation and execution. The system automatically learns household patterns and generates appropriate device policies without requiring manual programming or complex user configuration, making devices easy to manufacture while enabling them to operate seamlessly in diverse households
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary learning of household patterns and norms during an initial period, then uses this knowledge to automatically generate and execute appropriate device policies. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex user setup while ensuring devices operate appropriately in diverse household contexts
3Device complexity
If smart devices use fixed functionalities, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to evolving household needs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments device functionality into core fixed components and dynamic policy layers. The core device functionalities remain simple and fixed, while adaptability is achieved through separate policy generation and execution modules that learn from household patterns, resolving the contradiction between complexity and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a universal policy generation framework that can adapt any smart device to various household contexts. Rather than designing complex device-specific functionalities, the system uses a multi-functional policy layer that learns household patterns and generates appropriate behaviors, achieving adaptability without increasing base device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provided herein relate to implementing a household policy within a household environment. In one example, a method includes: receiving, at a processor, the household policy; interpreting the household policy to extract one or more conditional events associated with the household policy; monitoring, via at least one sensing smart device in the household environment, for satisfaction of the one or more conditional events; and when the one or more events is satisfied, implement one or more controls on at least one conditionally controlled smart device in the household environment, the at least one smart device affecting the household environment.