Timing-Based Device Control for Presence-Aware Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems require manual input to control multiple electrical devices across different spaces within a premises, leading to inconvenient settings and repeated adjustments, especially when users move between spaces, resulting in suboptimal device configurations.
Innovation Solution
A control device that stores timing information associated with operational modes for electrical devices and detects user presence to automatically determine and apply the appropriate operational mode based on the user's location and time, eliminating the need for manual input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual user input is used to control device settings, then the user can adjust each device individually, but the user is required to repeatedly change settings when moving between spaces and at different times
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables devices to automatically adjust their settings based on detected user presence and timing information, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The control device autonomously determines operational modes by comparing captured timing information with stored timing-device mode associations, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous user input.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-stores multiple timing information sets, each associated with different operational modes for various devices. By having these configurations prepared in advance, the system can quickly retrieve and apply the appropriate settings when a user enters a space, avoiding the need for real-time manual adjustment and reducing the time loss from repeated changes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If device settings are copied from one space to another, then the user experience is consistent across spaces, but the settings may be inconvenient for the current space and time
Solution Approach 1:
The system stores distinct timing information and operational mode associations for different physical spaces, allowing each space to have locally optimized device settings. Instead of uniformly copying settings across all spaces, the control device retrieves space-specific configurations based on the detected user location, ensuring that each space has settings appropriate to its characteristics and usage patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts device settings based on both the user's current space and the captured timing information. By comparing the timing data with stored associations, the system selects operational modes that are contextually appropriate for the current situation, making the settings flexible and adaptive rather than static and copied.
3Ease of operation
If multiple devices are controlled manually, then each device can be adjusted individually, but the complexity of controlling a large number of devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the control of multiple devices into a single automated process. Instead of requiring separate manual adjustments for each device, the control device simultaneously manages all electrical devices by retrieving a set of coordinated operational modes associated with the current timing and space, simplifying the user interaction while maintaining individual device control capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device serves as a universal controller that can manage multiple different types of electrical devices across different spaces. By storing and managing timing information associations for various device types (lights, television, air conditioner, etc.), the system provides a multi-functional control solution that reduces the overall complexity of managing diverse devices through a single interface.
Data Source
AI summary
A control device to provide control of electrical devices based on timing information. The control device stores device operational information which indicates an association between timing information and a plurality of operational modes for each of a set of electrical devices associated with a physical space. The control device detects a presence of a user within the physical space. The user is associated with an electronic apparatus. The control device further compares other timing information captured at a time of the detection of the presence of the user with the timing information. The control device determines an operational mode from the plurality of operational modes for each of the set of electrical devices based on the comparison. The control device further controls each of the set of electrical devices based on the determined operational mode.