UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING METHODS AND APPARATUS

• US 20160161927A1
• Filed: 12/04/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zave, Pamela, Cheung, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,927,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

Ubiquitous computing methods and apparatus are disclosed. An example method includes determining a first setting to control an actuator; setting a first record in a record list, the first record including the first setting, a first immediacy of the first setting, and a first priority of the first setting; determining a second setting; setting a second record in the record list, the second record including the second setting, a second immediacy of the second setting, and a second priority of the second setting, the second priority being lower than the first priority; selecting the first record from the record list based on the first priority being higher than the second priority; deleting the second record from the record list based on the second immediacy; and outputting the first setting to control the actuator when a current setting of the actuator is different than the first setting.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a first actuator setting to control an actuator based on an input signal;

setting a first record in a record list, the first record including the first actuator setting, a first immediacy of the first actuator setting, and a first priority of the first actuator setting;

determining a second actuator setting to control the actuator based on the input signal;

setting a second record in the record list, the second record including the second actuator setting, a second immediacy of the second actuator setting, and a second priority of the second actuator setting, the second priority being lower than the first priority;

selecting the first record from the record list based on the first priority being higher than the second priority;

deleting the second record from the record list based on the second immediacy; and

outputting the first actuator setting to control the actuator when a current setting of the actuator is different than the first actuator setting.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a third actuator setting to control the actuator based on the input signal;

setting a third record in the record list, the third record including the third actuator setting, a third immediacy of the third actuator setting, and a third priority of the third actuator setting, and the third priority being lower than the first and second priorities;

determining a fourth actuator setting that is not to affect the actuator;

setting a fourth record in the record list, the fourth record including the fourth actuator setting, the first priority, and a same feature identifier as the first record;

deleting the first record from the record list based on the fourth actuator setting;

comparing the current setting of the actuator to the third actuator setting; and

outputting the third actuator setting to control the actuator when the current setting of the actuator is different than the third actuator setting.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the fourth actuator setting comprises an indication that a behavioral requirement of the actuator is indifferent to a state of the actuator.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first record further comprises a first time, the method further comprising:

determining a fourth actuator setting to control the actuator; and

setting a fourth record in the record list, the fourth record including the fourth actuator setting, a fourth immediacy of the fourth actuator setting, a fourth priority of the fourth actuator setting that is equal to the first priority, and a second time that is prior to the first time, the selecting the first record from the record list being based on the first time being more recent than the second time.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first immediacy indicates that the first record is to be maintained until a third record having a same feature identifier as the first record is generated to at least one of replace and delete the first record.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising generating the input signal based on at least one of a first sensor signal from a physical sensor and an object state sensor signal from an object state sensor.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first record and the second record in the record list; and

ordering the first record and the second record in the record list based on the first priority and the second priority, wherein the selecting the first record from the record list is based on the first record being first in an order of records in the record list.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

an actuator to control an output device;

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

determining a first actuator setting to control the actuator based on an input signal;

setting a first record in a record list, the first record including the first actuator setting, a first immediacy of the first actuator setting, and a first priority of the first actuator setting;

determining a second actuator setting to control the actuator based on the input signal;

setting a second record in the record list, the second record including the second actuator setting, a second immediacy of the second actuator setting, and a second priority of the second actuator setting, the second priority being lower than the first priority;

selecting the first record from the record list based on the first priority being higher than the second priority;

deleting the second record from the record list based on the second immediacy; and

outputting the first actuator setting to control the actuator when a current setting of the actuator is different than the first actuator setting.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a third actuator setting to control the actuator based on the input signal;

setting a third record in the record list, the third record including the third actuator setting, a third immediacy of the third actuator setting, and a third priority of the third actuator setting, and the third priority being lower than the first and second priorities;

determining a fourth actuator setting that is not to affect the actuator;

setting a fourth record in the record list, the fourth record including the fourth actuator setting, the first priority, and a same feature identifier as the first record;

deleting the first record from the record list based on the fourth actuator setting;

comparing the current setting of the actuator to the third actuator setting; and

outputting the third actuator setting to control the actuator when the current setting of the actuator is different than the third actuator setting.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the fourth actuator setting comprises an indication that a behavioral requirement of the actuator is indifferent to a state of the actuator.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first record further comprises a first time, and the operations further comprise:

determining a fourth actuator setting to control the actuator; and

setting a fourth record in the record list, the fourth record including the fourth actuator setting, a fourth immediacy of the fourth actuator setting, a fourth priority of the fourth actuator setting that is equal to the first priority, and a second time that is prior to the first time, the selecting the first record from the record list being based on the first time being more recent than the second time.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the first immediacy indicates that the first record is to be maintained until a third record having a same feature identifier as the first record is generated to at least one of replace and delete the first record.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise generating the input signal based on at least one of a first sensor signal from a physical sensor and an object state sensor signal from an object state sensor.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the first record and the second record in the record list; and

ordering the first record and the second record in the record list based on the first priority and the second priority, wherein the selecting the first record from the record list is based on the first record being first in an order of records in the record list.

15. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a first actuator setting to control the actuator based on an input signal;

setting a first record in a record list, the first record including the first actuator setting, a first immediacy of the first actuator setting, and a first priority of the first actuator setting;

determining a second actuator setting to control the actuator based on the input signal;

setting a second record in the record list, the second record including the second actuator setting, a second immediacy of the second actuator setting, and a second priority of the second actuator setting, the second priority being lower than the first priority;

selecting the first record from the record list based on the first priority being higher than the second priority;

deleting the second record from the record list based on the second immediacy; and

outputting the first actuator setting to control the actuator when a current setting of the actuator is different than the first actuator setting.

16. A storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a third actuator setting to control the actuator based on the input signal;

setting a third record in the record list, the third record including the third actuator setting, a third immediacy of the third actuator setting, and a third priority of the third actuator setting, and the third priority being lower than the first and second priorities;

determining a fourth actuator setting that is not to affect the actuator;

setting a fourth record in the record list, the fourth record including the fourth actuator setting, the first priority, and a same feature identifier as the first record;

deleting the first record from the record list based on the fourth actuator setting;

comparing the current setting of the actuator to the third actuator setting; and

outputting the third actuator setting to control the actuator when the current setting of the actuator is different than the third actuator setting.

17. A storage medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the fourth actuator setting comprises an indication that a behavioral requirement of the actuator is indifferent to a state of the actuator.

18. A storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the first record further comprises a first time, the operations further comprising:

determining a fourth actuator setting to control the actuator; and

setting a fourth record in the record list, the fourth record including the fourth actuator setting, a fourth immediacy of the fourth actuator setting, a fourth priority of the fourth actuator setting that is equal to the first priority, and a second time that is prior to the first time, the selecting the first record from the record list being based on the first time being more recent than the second time.

19. A storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the first immediacy indicates that the first record is to be maintained until a third record having a same feature identifier as the first record is generated to at least one of replace and delete the first record.

20. A storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the first record and the second record in the record list; and

ordering the first record and the second record in the record list based on the first priority and the second priority, wherein the selecting the first record from the record list is based on the first record being first in an order of records in the record list.