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Design A Universal Remote Control

If you were askedto design a universal remote control for a smart home please describe (withreasons) the design of the user interface.

Years ago settingup a remote control system for a home would have sounded like a thought out ofa wild imagination. However, there are things that man has come up with todaythat have made the world stand up and take notice. Wiring a home or puttingeverything on remote control is something that will probably increase inpopularity.The convenience that is offered through this is amazing, and technicians stillwork their way through details of how they could develop better systems for aremote control.

Designing auniversal remote control is something that would allow one to encompass accessto all devices in a home. There are several things to consider for this, andalso several devices that come under consideration in devising a smart homeplan.

Below are few ofthe points that may be made used of in order to piece together a system thatcould be operated by a universal remote control.

• An Intruder or burglar alarm, with several options
• Built in digital answering machine
• Fire (Smoke and heat) detectors
• Full Entertainment control
• Lighting control
• Remote access to the front door
• Telephone TV/FM and PC Data
• Automatic temperature control

In addition tothese there are more tasks that one might to control through the UniversalRemote Control. These include:

Laundry:

• Start washing in the machine
• Start draining
• Start drying

Kitchen:

• Boil water
• Prepare coffee
• Star warming food in microwave
• Remove foods from refrigerator

Washroom:

• Set water temperature for shower
• Close windows and ventilators
• Fill bathtub
• Maintain bathtub water at particular temperatures.

Lounge:

• Switch one TV
• Switch on recorder
• Start recording favorite TV program
• Turn on dim lights

Passage andEntrance:

.       Turn on Entrance light at dusk

.       Turn on passage light at dusk

Bedroom:

• Turn on heating apparatus
• Turn on dim lights in the bedroom

Considering thefew features above, a system may be set in place that could be managed by theuniversal remote control. These features and functions may be controlled byanyone 16 years of age and over.

Each of thefeatures would need to be timed in to the universal remote control, and onlyaccording to this timing would one be able to operate the device. Of course,one would have to know how to initiate and terminate operations individuallyand altogether as well.

In order to manageall operations to the greatest extent possible, there would have to be a numberof functions on the universal remote control device.

User Guide:

Observing thefigure above, it can be seen that the device is indeed a small and convenientone that can be easily accommodated in a person's pocket. However, it alsoneeds to be protected and insulated well. No passwords must be saved on thisdevice because it is possible for it to get lost. Losing it should not beanything serious to worry about, and this is because of the fact that it isjust like a key to all you stuff at home with the major exception that only oneperson can operate it. This is in fact the biggest quality of it all.

Coming back to theuse of the remote, it can be observed in the diagram that there are severalfeatures that enable one to access appliances in the home.

Functions andaccess of appliances through the universal remote control:

• Below the display screen in the diagram above, there is a button on the left top of the remote that is rectangle in shape; this is the 'On/Off' button. This switches the universal remote control on and off.
• Below the 'On/Off' button is an oval-shaped button, which is the main menu button. This button helps one to log in to the various places and equipment at home. Once this is done and a particular domain is selected within one's home, adjustments may be made with the help of the 'plus' (+) and 'minus' (-) buttons, and others buttons below.
• There are also button controls that can help reduce and elevate values for timing and intensity. These buttons (Function Keys) can provide one with direct access to an appliance instead of going though the menu, which takes more time. These are the buttons located on the left of the remote control device and are labeled accordingly. The direct access without using the menu is provided so that one may access appliance settings as quickly as possible. Changing the temperature and duration of heating required for one's heater at home is an example of the individual access that can be achieved, and unintended action that one may have triggered through the menu.
• The remaining buttons in the same row as the function buttons for individual appliances, are ones that help read quantities and change values of appliances, and provide direct shut down in case of an emergency.
• Each of the keys in the same row of the function keys is labeled. If you look at the diagram of the universal remote, you will notice that the keys are labeled from the bottom, and are done so column wise. This means that all the keys falling in one column has the same function for its related appliance. Each of the columns is labeled from left to right: 'Direct Shutdown', 'Pause', and 'Adjust'.

The followingwould be the function buttons:

Row 1 Laundry:

• Start washing in the machine
• Start draining
• Start drying
• Check water level

Row 2 Kitchen:

• Boil water
• Check water level
• Prepare coffee
• Star warming food in microwave
• Check oven for contents

Row 3 Washroom:

• Set water temperature for shower
• Check if the bathtub is plugged
• Close windows and ventilators
• Fill bathtub
• Maintain bathtub water at particular temperatures.

Row 4 Lounge:

• Switch one TV
• Switch on recorder
• Start recording favorite TV program
• Turn on dim lights

Row 5 Passage andEntrance:

1.           Turn on Entrance light at dusk

2.           Turn on passage light at dusk

Row 6 Bedroom:

• Turn on heating apparatus
• Turn on dim lights in the bedroom

DailyAdjustment:

It must be notedthat some or all the features might need to be adjusted everyday. Also, some ofthe features might not need to be adjusted at all because of the need toperform particular operations daily at a fixed time. This means that once thewhole system or part of it is set, one does not necessarily have to switch iton and off. This is because the system is programmable, and whatever time onedesignates to a particular device at home to start up, it will do soaccordingly.

Programming:

Programming thesystem is believed to be the best feature about the remote access set up. Hereit is important to mention that some people actually have a very hard timesetting up a video recording system, and so, they may escape this routine byhaving someone program the remote system for them (Sample of TelephoneRecording System: Illustration 1).

Programming andRecording:

Having an optionfor setting up a recording system in a lounge, one may record favoriteprograms. This is achievable through the menu feature or through direct accessof the function buttons. Accessing the lounge means that there will be anoption in the settings that would allow one to access the Video recorder. Afteraccessing the video recorder through the menu or through the lounge function button,the 'adjust' button would allow access to recording 'settings'. It is thesesettings that could be adjusted easily in order to schedule a start up and shutdown time for a recording. While setting the timings, you must use the 'Plus'and 'Minus' keys.

According towhatever show is coming on television of radio, one may have the remote accesssystem programmed accordingly. An alternative to this is the feature that theremote access system enables one to have. This is the ability to start up a recordingmanually once it has already been wired. What one needs to do is simply pressthe recording system button to start the process, and all that is needed is thetiming of the program so it can be initiated and shut down as well.

It is true to saythat each and every detail of an appliance may be noted, and relayed to theperson who controls it with a remote. In this way, one may attain as manydetails as one likes in order to make use of as much information as possiblefor better control. However, there probably would need to be added features ofthe overall system in order to facilitate this.

Custom-maderemotes:

The more detailthat one has about an appliance, the better control s/he will have. The numberof details that one requires might even be tailored according to what anindividual wants. This would mean that there would have to be custom-maderemotes produced for individuals who want to know special details. There couldalso be a range of these remotes produced from which one may make a choiceaccording to what suits him or her best.

As one can observefrom the above description, there are evidently many things that can becontrolled from a remote device. Using a remote device could really make thingsmuch easier and convenient. It can also save time especially when a person doesnot have much of it to spare.

References:

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Feder, B. 2003. "How to Find That Needle Hopelessly Lost In theHaystack." The New York Times, New York, NY.

Hall, John., Phillippi, Ryan., & Robbins, Tim. 2000 Will wedestroy ourselves with technology that we make? Anti-Trust. MGM

Lange, Larry. (10 June 1996). "Smart house: underconstruction." Electronic Engineering Times.

Shneiderman, Ben. 1998. Designing the User Interface: Strategies forEffective Human-Computer Interaction, Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Smart House. Title Page. (May 8, 1996). http://www.smart-house.com/

TAGSYS' CTO Takes Center Stage at Chicago Frontline Conference toDeliver RFID Facts on HF vs. UHF in Item-Level Pharma Solutions, Sep 10, 2004.http://www.tagsys.net/rfid-news-118-2-1.html

TAGSYS Takes Quantum Leap In Tripling Its RFID Tag Production Jul26, 2004http://www.tagsys.net/rfid-news-111-2-1.html

The 'Smart House' is Here." (13 Apr. 1995). Newsbytes.

Assessment of target system, Accessed 3-31-2005. http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/projects/RenaissanceWeb/project/Documents/training/D333EvSt.ppt

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