Providing a user interface for devices of a home automation system

• US 9,306,763 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Savant Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Savant Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Tatzel, David W., Jacobson, Arthur A., Cipollo, Nicholas J., Ronquillo Rodriguez, Jose J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGGETT, ANDREA C.
• Application Number:
  US14/561,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a custom user interface (UI) is provided for a plurality of devices of a home automation system within a structure. A configuration database is constructed that stores logical representations. The logical representations stored in the configuration database to include components, services, rooms, and zones. A mobile application (app) finds and connects to the configuration database. The mobile app then queries the configuration database. Based on the querying, the mobile app presents a custom user interface (UI) to the user on a display screen, wherein the custom UI is usable to control one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system.

Claims

1. A method of providing a custom user interface (UI) for a plurality of devices of a home automation system within a structure, comprising:

constructing a configuration database that stores logical representations that describe a configuration of the plurality devices of the home automation system, the plurality of devices including at least one audio/video device, lighting device, heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) device, security devices, shade control device, or energy conservation device located within the structure, the logical representations stored in the configuration database to include;

components that represent the plurality of devices of the home automation system,

services that represent activities a user can participate in and that are provided by one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system,

rooms that represent portions of the structure to which one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system provide services, and

zones that represent sets of home automation system functionality;

maintaining the configuration database on an electronic device;

finding and connecting to the configuration database by a mobile application (app) executing on a mobile device;

querying the configuration database by the mobile app; and

based on the querying, generating, by the mobile app, a custom user interface (UI) that is presented to the user on a display screen, wherein the custom UI is usable to control one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical representations stored in the configuration database further include:

workflows that represent actions executed by the plurality of devices of the home automation system that when executed implement at least portions of services.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the workflows is customized to implement actions unique to the configuration of the home automation system, and at least one of the workflows is standardized to implement actions common to the configuration of multiple different home automation systems.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising

determining that the configuration database has been updated to indicate a new configuration of the plurality of devices of the home automation system;

and

in response to the determining that the configuration database has been updated, providing updated information from the updated configuration database to the mobile app.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintaining the configuration database comprises sharing the configuration database among a plurality of electronic devices to provide consistent description of the configuration of the plurality devices of the home automation system to different electronic devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone, and the display screen is part of the smartphone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a tablet computer, and the display screen is part of the tablet computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the zones represents a floor of the structure.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the configuration database includes a data structure that maps the at least one of the zones to rooms.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each component is associated with a profile that describes at least the represented device'"'"'s capabilities and input/output (I/O) interfaces.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the rooms is associated with a unique room name that is unique among the logical representations for the structure.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the services includes commands or states that are controllable by the mobile app.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the mobile app, state information during ongoing operation of the home automation system; and

presenting, by the mobile app, the state information in the custom UI.

14. A non-transitory electronic-device readable medium having instruction stored thereon, the instruction when executed by a processor being operable to:

maintain a configuration database that stores logical representations that describe a configuration of a plurality devices of a home automation system of a structure, the plurality of devices including at least one audio/video device, lighting device, heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) device, security device, shade control device, or energy conservation device of the structure, the logical representations stored in the configuration database to include;

services that represent activities a user can participate in and that are provided by one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system, and

rooms that represent portions of the structure to which one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system provide services;

provide a connection to the configuration database to a mobile application (app);

respond to a query to the configuration database from the mobile app, the response to include information usable by the mobile app to build a custom user interface (UI) that controls one or more of the plurality devices of a home automation system;

update the configuration database to indicate a new configuration of the plurality of devices of the home automation system; and

provide updated information to the mobile app usable by the mobile app to build an updated custom UI that controls one or more of the plurality devices of the home automation system.

15. The non-transitory electronic device readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logical representations stored in the configuration database further include:

components that represent the plurality of devices of the home automation system.

16. The non-transitory electronic device readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logical representations stored in the configuration database further include:

zones that represent sets of home automation system functionality.

17. The non-transitory electronic device readable medium of claim 14, wherein the logical representations stored in the configuration database further include:

workflows that represent actions executed by the plurality of devices of the home automation system to implement at least portions of services.

18. The non-transitory electronic device readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions when executed are further operable to:

obtain state information during ongoing operation of the home automation system; and

present the state information in the custom UI.

19. A method for providing a custom user interface (UI) for a plurality of devices of a home automation system within a structure, comprising:

querying, by a mobile application (app) executing on a mobile device having a processor and a touch-sensitive display screen, a configuration database that stores logical representations that describe a configuration of the plurality devices of the home automation system, the plurality of devices including at least one audio/video device, lighting device, heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) device, security device, shade control device, or energy conservation device located within the structure, the logical representations stored in the configuration database to include;

components that represent the plurality of devices of the home automation system;

services that represent activities a user can participate in and that are provided by one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system,

rooms that represent portions of the structure to which one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system provide services, and

zones that represent sets of home automation system functionality;

based on the querying, generating a custom user interface (UI) of the mobile app usable to control one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system; and

in response to input in the custom UI, changing a state of one or more of the plurality of devices of the home automation system,

wherein the configuration database is updated in response to the changed state to reflect a new configuration of the home automation system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the logical representations stored in the configuration database further include:

workflows that represent actions executed by the plurality of devices of the home automation system to implement at least portions of ones of the services.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the updated configuration database is shared with one or more other mobile devices.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

maintaining the configuration database on the mobile device.