Smart Plug Power Analysis for Legacy Device Event Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The home automation system requires individual sensors to monitor events in legacy devices, limiting its expansion and versatility, as it cannot effectively monitor events in devices without additional sensor installations, regardless of device type, model, or capacity.
Innovation Solution
A smart plug device installed on the power supply route of a target device, equipped with a power measurement unit and an event determination unit, monitors power signal characteristics to predict and detect events without additional sensors, using thresholds set based on power consumption patterns and power factors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual sensors are attached to each legacy device to monitor events, then event monitoring capability is improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a power analysis device as an intermediary component that monitors power consumption characteristics to detect device events. Instead of attaching sensors directly to each legacy device, the power analysis device intercepts and analyzes power signals on the power line, serving as a mediator that translates power consumption patterns into event information without modifying the legacy devices themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical sensor attachments with electrical signal analysis. By analyzing power consumption characteristics through electrical measurements of voltage, current, and power factor, the system detects device events without mechanical sensor installation. This substitution eliminates the need for physical modification of legacy devices while maintaining event monitoring capability.
2Measurement precision
If additional sensors are installed on legacy devices to monitor specific events, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The power analysis device acts as an intermediary that performs event detection through power signal analysis rather than direct sensor attachment. The device analyzes power consumption patterns, voltage changes, and current characteristics to infer device events, providing accurate measurement without requiring users to physically install sensors on legacy devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables legacy devices to be monitored through their inherent power consumption characteristics without requiring any modification or additional components on the devices themselves. The power analysis device autonomously analyzes power signals and detects events based on predefined thresholds and patterns, making the system easy to deploy on existing devices.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the home automation system is expanded to include more device types, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power analysis device is designed with universal functionality to monitor various types of legacy devices through a single platform. By analyzing common power consumption characteristics such as voltage, current, and power factor patterns, the device can detect events across different device categories including refrigerators, washing machines, and other household appliances without requiring device-specific sensors or configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves adaptability to different device types by dynamically adjusting monitoring parameters and thresholds based on device identification and power consumption patterns. The power analysis device modifies its analysis parameters, such as sampling rates, threshold values, and detection algorithms, to optimize event detection for each specific device type while maintaining a unified system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for sensing an event occurring from a target device in a smart plug installed on a supply route of power applied to the target device. To this end, a power measurement unit which comprises the smart plug measures power supplied to the target device, and an event determination unit predicts an event occurring from the target device on the basis of a power signal characteristic of the supplied power measured by the power measurement unit. The power signal characteristic indicates a variation characteristic of the supplied power caused by the occurrence of the event on the basis of supplied power before the event occurs from the target device.