Unified Control Interface for Home Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face inconvenience in controlling and monitoring home appliances due to the need to select and authenticate each device separately within a home network system, making it difficult to manage multiple appliances simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A control device with a notification window that displays operation events and allows switching to chatting, service, or control screens based on user input, featuring a master key for integrated control and a chatting unit for easy communication with appliances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users control each electric device separately through selection and authentication, then device control functionality is achieved, but operation convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple device control functions into a single unified interface. The notification window consolidates device selection, authentication, and control operations that were previously separate steps, allowing users to manage multiple appliances through one integrated window rather than navigating through multiple device-specific interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification window serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays device status notifications, provides device selection capabilities, handles authentication, and enables direct control operations. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate interfaces for each control task, significantly improving operation convenience.
2Loss of time
If users access each device through separate authentication processes, then device security is maintained, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication when devices are initially registered or connected to the home network. Once authenticated, the notification window maintains access permissions, eliminating the need for repeated authentication processes. This preliminary action reduces subsequent access time while preserving security through initial verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification window automatically manages device access permissions and authentication states without requiring user intervention for each access. The system self-maintains security credentials and access rights, reducing time consumption while preserving reliability through automated permission management.
3Loss of information
If the interface displays detailed device information, then monitoring capability is improved, but interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The notification window segments device information display into hierarchical levels: summary information is displayed prominently for quick monitoring, while detailed information is available on-demand through expansion or separate views. This segmentation allows complete information availability without overwhelming the interface with all details simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface dynamically adjusts information display based on user interaction. The notification window can expand to show detailed device information when selected, and collapse to show only essential monitoring data when not in use. This dynamic behavior maintains information completeness while adapting interface complexity to current user needs.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a control device that controls an operation of at least one electric device and includes a user interface unit configured to receive an operation command for the at least one electric device, the user interface unit having a notification window associated with the at least one electric device in a home screen; and a control unit configured to, when an event associated with the at least one electric device has occurred, perform control such that notification information associated with the event is displayed in the notification window, and when the notification information is selected, perform control such that the home screen is switched to at least one of a service screen and a control screen.