US 6,756,998 B1 · User interface and method for home automation system

A method of interfacing between a user and a home automation system for a home having a plurality of rooms, the home automation system including a plurality of controlled objects and sensors placed in the rooms, a computer connectable to a display and an input device, and a control network connecting the computer to the plurality of controlled objects and sensors, the method comprising:

generating room images corresponding to the rooms in the home, wherein for each room image, the room image generation includes:
displaying a list of room types on the display;
selecting, by the user using the input device, one of the room types;
and
assigning the room in the home corresponding to the room image to the selected room types;
generating images of controlled object icons that correspond to the controlled objects placed in the rooms;
assigning each of the rooms to one of a plurality of room occupancy states, wherein each room occupancy state is associated with a unique color;
and
displaying the generated rooms images and the controlled object icon images on the display, wherein each controlled object icon image is displayed in one of the room images that corresponds to the room in which the corresponding controlled object is placed in the home, and each of the room images is displayed using the color associated with the room state assigned to the corresponding room;
wherein the computer controls the controlled objects in each of the rooms in response to which of the plurality of room occupancy states is assigned to the room.

7 more elements

A method of interfacing between a user and a home automation system for a home having a plurality of rooms, the home automation system including a plurality of controlled objects and sensors placed in the rooms, a computer connectable to a display and an input device, and a control network connecting the computer to the plurality of controlled objects and sensors, the method comprising:

generating room images corresponding to the rooms in the home;
generating images of controlled object icons that correspond to the controlled objects placed in the rooms;
assigning each of the rooms to one of a plurality of room occupancy states, wherein each room occupancy state is associated with a unique color;
displaying the generated rooms images and the controlled object icon images on the display, wherein each controlled object icon image is displayed in one of the room images that corresponds to the room in which the corresponding controlled object is placed in the home, and each of the room images is displayed using the color associated with the room state assigned to the corresponding room;
wherein the computer controls the controlled objects in each of the rooms in response to which of the plurality of room occupancy states is assigned to the room;
wherein for each of the generated controlled object icon, the method further includes:
linking the controlled object icon with the corresponding controlled object in the home by associating an address on the control network of the corresponding controlled object with the controlled object icon;
wherein the control object icon generation further includes:
selecting, by the user using the input device, one of the room images,
displaying a list of controlled object types on the display,
selecting, by the user using the input device, one of the controlled object types, and
placing the controlled object icon corresponding to the selected controlled object type in the selected one room image;
and
assigning a set of attributes to each of the controlled objects, wherein the set of attributes for each controlled object varies depending upon the controlled object type corresponding to the controlled object, wherein the computer further controls the controlled objects in each of the rooms in response to the set of attributes assigned to the controlled object.

11 more elements

A method of interfacing between a user and a home automation system for a home having a plurality of rooms, the home automation system including a plurality of controlled objects and sensors placed in the rooms, a computer connectable to a display and an input device, and a control network connecting the computer to the plurality of controlled objects and sensors, the method comprising:

generating room images corresponding to the rooms in the home;
generating images of controlled object icons that correspond to the controlled objects placed in the rooms;
generating images of sensor icons that correspond to the sensors placed in the rooms;
assigning each of the rooms to one of a plurality of room occupancy states, wherein each room occupancy state is associated with a unique color;
displaying the generated rooms images, the sensor icon images, and the controlled object icon images on the display, wherein each sensor icon image and controlled object icon image is displayed in one of the room images that corresponds to the room in which the corresponding sensor and controlled object is placed in the home, and each of the room images is displayed using the color associated with the room state assigned to the corresponding room;
wherein the computer controls the controlled objects in each of the rooms in response to which of the plurality of room occupancy states is assigned to the room;
wherein the generation of the sensor icons further includes:
selecting, by the user using the input device, one of the room images;
displaying a list of sensor types on the display;
selecting, by the user using the input device, one of the sensor types;
and
placing the sensor icon corresponding to the selected sensor type in the selected one room image;
wherein the generation of each of the sensor icons further includes:
linking the sensor icon with the corresponding sensor in the home by associating an address on the control network of the corresponding sensor with the sensor icon;
and
assigning a set of attributes to each of the sensors, wherein the set of attributes for each sensor varies depending upon the sensor type corresponding to the sensor, wherein the assignment for each of the rooms to one of the plurality of room occupancy states is performed in response to the set of attributes assigned to at least one of the sensors in the room.

13 more elements

A method of interfacing between a user and a home automation system for a home having a plurality of rooms, the home automation system including a plurality of controlled objects and sensors placed in the rooms, a computer connectable to a display and an input device, and a control network connecting the computer to the plurality of controlled objects and sensors, the method comprising:

generating room images corresponding to the rooms in the home;
generating images of controlled object icons that correspond to the controlled objects placed in the rooms;
assigning each of the rooms to one of a plurality of room occupancy states, wherein each room occupancy state is associated with a unique color;
displaying the generated rooms images and the controlled object icon images on the display, wherein each controlled object icon image is displayed in one of the room images that corresponds to the room in which the corresponding controlled object is placed in the home, and each of the room images is displayed using the color associated with the room state assigned to the corresponding room;
wherein the computer controls the controlled objects in each of the rooms in response to which of the plurality of room occupancy states is assigned to the room;
and
wherein the assigning of the occupancy states further includes:
assigning the rooms to a first room occupancy state;
displaying an action icon on the display;
simulating, by the user, occupancy of a person in one of the room images by:
activating the action icon using the input device, and then
selecting the one room image using the input device;
and
re-assigning the room in the home corresponding to the one room image to a second room occupancy state in response to the simulating of occupancy.

11 more elements

A method of interfacing between a user and a home automation system for a home having a plurality of rooms, the home automation system including a plurality of controlled objects and sensors placed in the rooms, a computer connectable to a display and an input device, and a control network connecting the computer to the plurality of controlled objects and sensors, the method comprising:

generating room images corresponding to the rooms in the home;
generating images of controlled object icons that correspond to the controlled objects placed in the rooms;
assigning each of the rooms to one of a plurality of room occupancy states, wherein each room occupancy state is associated with a unique color;
displaying the generated rooms images and the controlled object icon images on the display, wherein each controlled object icon image is displayed in one of the room images that corresponds to the room in which the corresponding controlled object is placed in the home, and each of the room images is displayed using the color associated with the room state assigned to the corresponding room;
wherein the computer controls the controlled objects in each of the rooms in response to which of the plurality of room occupancy states is assigned to the room;
and
wherein the assigning of the room occupancy states further includes:
assigning each of the rooms to a first room occupancy state;
displaying an action icon on the display;
simulating, by the user, occupancy of a person in a plurality of the room images by:
activating the action icon using the input device, and then
selecting the plurality of room images using the input device;
and
re-assigning the rooms in the home corresponding to the plurality of room images to a second room occupancy state in response to the simulating of occupancy.

11 more elements