Streaming Control Mode for Wireless Mesh Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current connected lighting systems, such as those using ZigBee networks, face limitations in responsiveness and data transmission rate, making it difficult to provide immersive and synchronized light effects with real-time audio/video content during home entertainment activities like gaming.
Innovation Solution
The system introduces a second control mode with higher data transmission rates for control messages, utilizing a proxy device to relay single-hop broadcast messages and allowing output devices to switch between control modes dynamically, enabling fluent and synchronized light effects with real-time content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a low-bandwidth wireless mesh network is used to control lighting devices, then the system maintains low power consumption and simple network structure, but the data transmission rate and responsiveness are insufficient for real-time audio/video content
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between two control modes: a first control mode for normal operation with lower transmission rates, and a second control mode (streaming control mode) for real-time content synchronization with higher transmission rates. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to achieve high-speed data transmission only when necessary, thereby maintaining low power consumption during normal operation while enabling immersive home entertainment experiences when required.
2Speed
If control messages are transmitted at higher rates via wireless mesh network, then responsiveness to real-time content is improved, but network bandwidth is exceeded and system reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments control messages into two distinct types: control messages of a first type for normal lighting control, and control messages of a second type for real-time content synchronization. By separating these message types and routing them through different control modes, the system can transmit high-rate control messages without overwhelming the entire network, thus maintaining reliability while achieving improved responsiveness for real-time content.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system switches between different control modes, then adaptability to different use cases is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller device and output devices are designed with multi-functionality to handle both control modes within a single system architecture. The controller device can transmit both types of control messages, and output devices can process both types, eliminating the need for separate hardware systems for different control scenarios. This universal design achieves adaptability to different use cases while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a connected device system that is adapted to form a low-bandwidth wireless mesh network (2) between a plurality of devices (3, 4, 5, 6). The connected device system (1) comprises multiple output devices (3, 4, 5) for outputting human-perceptible stimuli and a controller device (6) for controlling the stimulus outputs of the multiple output devices via the wireless mesh network. The controller device is adapted to switch a group of the multiple output devices from a first control mode, in the stimulus outputs are controlled by control messages of a first type, to a second control mode, in which the stimulus outputs are controlled by control messages of a second type. The control messages of the second type are transmitted to the output devices of the group at a higher rate than the control messages of the first type.