APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A CONTEXT-AWARE INFORMATION MODEL FOR CONTEXT INFERENCE

• US 20120123988A1
• Filed: 06/02/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Su Myeon
• Application Number:
  US13/152,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20120123988A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models

Abstract

An apparatus and method for generating a context-aware information model are provided. A context-aware information model generation apparatus may generate a final model using at least one candidate context-aware information model that is determined based on sensor information. Additionally, the context-aware information model generation apparatus may infer a context of a user based on the generated final model.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a context-aware information model, the apparatus comprising:

a candidate model determiner to determine at least one candidate context-aware information model from among a plurality of context-aware information models, based on sensor information, wherein the plurality of context-aware information models are classified into a plurality of categories; and

a final model generator to generate a final model using the determined at least one candidate context-aware information model.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the candidate model determiner comprises:

a comparing unit to determine whether the sensor information has changed by comparing the sensor information with previous sensor information; and

a determining unit to determine, as the at least one candidate context-aware information model, at least one context-aware information model corresponding to the changed sensor information from among the plurality of context-aware information models, in response to the comparing unit determining that the sensor information has changed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the final model generator generates the final model by combining a plurality of candidate context-aware information models.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor information receiver to receive sensor information comprising at least one of location information, transportation information, speed information, time information, weather information, illumination information, noise information, and traffic information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a context inferring unit to extract context-aware information corresponding to the sensor information from the generated final model, and to infer a context of a user based on the extracted context-aware information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface providing unit to provide a response to a query that is requested by at least one application, based on the final model.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a database to categorize the plurality of context-aware information models into a first sub-category, to store the categorized context-aware information models, to categorize the first sub-category into a second sub-category, and to store the context-aware information models categorized as the second sub-category.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the database groups a plurality of pieces of model information regarding the context-aware information models categorized as the second sub-category, and stores the plurality of pieces of grouped model information in such a way that common information from among the plurality of pieces of model information is shared.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the database stores tag information of each of the plurality of the context-aware information models.

10. A method of generating a context-aware information model, the method comprising:

determining at least one candidate context-aware information model from among a plurality of context-aware information models, based on sensor information, wherein the plurality of context-aware information models are classified into a plurality of categories; and

generating a final model using the determined at least one candidate context-aware information model.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining comprises:

determining whether the sensor information has changed by comparing the sensor information with previous sensor information; and

determining, as the at least one candidate context-aware information model, at least one context-aware information model corresponding to the changed sensor information from among the plurality of context-aware information models, in response to determining that the sensor information has changed.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating comprises generating the final model by combining a plurality of candidate context-aware information models.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving sensor information comprising at least one of location information, transportation information, speed information, time information, weather information, illumination information, noise information, and traffic information.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

extracting context-aware information corresponding to the sensor information from the generated final model, and inferring a context of a user based on the extracted context-aware information.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a response to a query that is requested by at least one application, based on the final model.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

managing a database configured to categorize the plurality of context-aware information models as a first sub-category, to store the categorized context-aware information models, to categorize the first sub-category as a second sub-category, and to store the context-aware information models categorized as the second sub-category.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the managing comprises grouping a plurality of pieces of model information regarding the context-aware information models categorized as the second sub-category, and storing the plurality of pieces of grouped model information in such a way that common information from among the plurality of pieces of model information is shared.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the managing comprises storing tag information of each of the plurality of context-aware information models.

19. A context-aware device, comprising:

a comparing unit to compare current sensor information with previous sensor information to determine whether sensor information has changed; and

a determining unit to determine at least one context-aware information model based on changed sensor information.

20. The context-aware device of claim 19, further comprising:

a final model generator to generate a final model by combining a plurality of context-aware information models to generate a single final context-aware information model.

21. The context-aware device of claim 20, further comprising:

a context inference unit to extract context-aware information from the single final context-aware information model and to infer the context of a user of the context-aware device based on the extracted context-aware information.