Smart Remote Carousel Spatial Interface Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for controlling multiple smart devices in residential settings are inefficient and prone to errors due to the need for separate mobile applications or universal remotes with irrelevant input buttons, leading to cumbersome and time-consuming operations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a control device with beacons and an interface module to determine the spatial position and orientation, displaying relevant user interfaces for multiple devices, allowing seamless control through a dynamic spatial selection algorithm and carousel module, enabling efficient and reliable control of multiple devices with minimal user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If separate mobile applications or universal remotes are used to control multiple smart devices, then device control capability is provided, but operational efficiency deteriorates and user time increases due to cumbersome switching between apps and irrelevant input buttons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple device control functions into a single mobile application with a unified interface. The system merges the functionality of separate device-specific applications and universal remotes into one integrated solution that can control multiple smart devices simultaneously, eliminating the need to switch between different applications and reducing operational time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automatic device identification and interface adaptation based on the user's spatial position and orientation. The carousel module automatically displays relevant device interfaces without requiring manual selection, and the system self-adjusts the displayed interface based on detected gestures and spatial context, reducing the time users spend navigating through irrelevant options.
2Adaptability or versatility
If universal remotes with multiple input buttons are used to control different devices, then versatility in device control is achieved, but operational complexity increases and errors occur due to irrelevant input buttons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by dynamically adapting the user interface based on the user's spatial location and orientation relative to devices. The system displays different sets of input buttons and controls depending on which device the user is facing or pointing toward, ensuring that only relevant controls are visible at any given moment. This eliminates irrelevant input buttons while maintaining versatility across multiple devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface is made dynamic through the carousel module that automatically rotates and updates displayed device interfaces based on detected user gestures and spatial position. The system continuously adapts the visible controls to match the user's current orientation and intent, transforming a static complex interface into a dynamic context-aware interface that simplifies operation while maintaining broad device compatibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual selection of device interfaces is required in a carousel module, then device selection capability is provided, but ease of operation deteriorates due to time-consuming scrolling through interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The carousel module implements self-service by automatically determining which device interface to display based on the user's spatial position, orientation, and detected gestures. Instead of requiring manual scrolling through all available device interfaces, the system autonomously selects and displays the most relevant interface, and can predict user intent based on movement patterns to pre-load anticipated selections, dramatically improving ease of operation while maintaining full device selection capability.
4Ease of operation
If spatial position and orientation detection is implemented to automatically display device interfaces, then ease of operation improves through intuitive control, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing algorithms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a smartphone or tablet device that serves multiple functions: it acts as the remote control interface, the spatial position and orientation detection system, the carousel module controller, and the display device all in one universal platform. By leveraging the existing multi-functional capabilities of mobile devices (which already contain cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and powerful processors), the system achieves intuitive spatial-based control without adding separate dedicated hardware components, thereby managing complexity while improving ease of operation.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
Provided is a system, method, and apparatus for controlling a plurality of devices. The system includes a remote control device comprising a processor configured to generate a carousel zone comprising at least a subset of graphical icons of a plurality of graphical icons, determine a first target device and a second target device from the plurality of devices, generate a first user interface based on the first target device, the first user interface associated with a first set of commands, in response to a user input, generate a second user interface based on the second target device, the second user interface associated with a second set of commands, control the first target device based on the first set of commands, and control the second target device based on the second set of commands.