Connected Device Task Rescheduling for Outage Avoidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Utility outages can disrupt the completion of automated tasks scheduled by connected devices, as many outages are foreseeable and planned, leading to interruptions in service.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that reschedules automated tasks to avoid conflicts with planned service disruptions by receiving outage information and determining whether the outage conflicts with the scheduled task, allowing for modification of the task to be completed at a different time, thereby mitigating the impact of the outage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If automated tasks are scheduled at convenient times for users, then task completion efficiency is improved, but service disruptions during these times can interrupt task completion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetask completion efficiencyVSAvoidtask completion reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by checking for scheduled outages before finalizing task schedules. The outage detection module proactively identifies planned service disruptions, and the task scheduling module adjusts schedules in advance to avoid these outages, ensuring tasks are scheduled during periods of reliable service operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the outage detection module continuously monitors for service disruptions and feeds this information back to the task scheduling module. This feedback loop enables dynamic adjustment of task schedules based on real-time outage information, maintaining both efficiency and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If noisy or bothersome tasks are scheduled at convenient times, then user comfort is improved, but these tasks may still be interrupted by foreseeable outages

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser comfortVSAvoidtask completion reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If tasks are scheduled without considering outage information, then scheduling simplicity is maintained, but task interruption occurs during service disruptions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvescheduling system complexityVSAvoidtask completion reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the scheduling function into distinct modules: an outage detection module that identifies service disruptions, a task scheduling module that creates task schedules, and a conflict resolution module that adjusts schedules. This modular segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, maintaining overall system simplicity while improving reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10530652B2Outage avoidance for connected devices

Publication Date: 2020.01.07 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

An approach for outage avoidance. The approach receives a scheduled task, wherein the scheduled task is completed at a scheduled time by a device. The approach receives an outage time of a service disruption, wherein the service disruption occurs at the outage time. The approach determines whether the service disruption conflicts with the scheduled task, based on the outage time and the scheduled time. Responsive to a determination that the service disruption conflicts with the scheduled task, the approach modifies the scheduled task to be completed at a modified time, wherein the outage time does not conflict with the modified time.