electronic device
Enable an AI agent to recognise an electronic device, assess its operating condition and determine which uses, connections, configuration changes and interventions are appropriate.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 31 questions
Electronic function and boundary Establishes why the thing is an electronic device and where its functional boundary lies.
Electronic operating principle
Relates the intended function to the circuitry and signals that implement it.
Essential electronic contribution
Record which intended function depends on electronic signal processing or control and whether the implementation is analogue, digital or mixed.
- Which intended function depends on electronic circuitry, and what does that circuitry do to the signals? definition
- What distinguishes this equipment from an electrical device performing its function without electronic control or processing? boundary
Device and system boundaries
Separates the registered kind from components, product designs, individual units and larger systems.
Functional unit and specialisation
Identify the device-level function, included assemblies and dependencies on external equipment, with links to narrower registered kinds where appropriate.
- Which assemblies belong inside the device boundary, and which supplies, peripherals or host systems remain external? boundary
- Which details describe this general kind, which describe a product model or unit, and which require a narrower device model? boundary
Power, energy and thermal behaviour Captures supply compatibility, stored energy and heat-related operating constraints.
Supply and charging
Defines acceptable power sources and charging arrangements.
Electrical input compatibility
Record supply ranges, polarity, current requirements, power negotiation and charging restrictions where applicable.
- What voltage, current, polarity, frequency and negotiation requirements must the proposed supply meet? measurement
- Which power sources or chargers are documented as compatible, and what evidence establishes that compatibility? provenance
Residual energy and cooling
Relates retained electrical energy and heat dissipation to operation and intervention.
Energy and temperature limits
Record energy-storage elements, cooling dependencies, temperature limits and documented isolation prerequisites.
- Which batteries, capacitors or alternate supply paths can retain or restore energy after the normal supply is disconnected? boundary
- What documented isolation, discharge and cooling conditions must be satisfied before a permitted intervention? action
- What ambient or internal temperature limits and ventilation conditions govern operation? measurement
Signals, interfaces and performance Connects electrical and communication interfaces to verifiable functional behaviour.
Connection compatibility
Examines physical, electrical and protocol requirements together.
Interface contract
Describe each relevant port or wireless interface through its signal role, electrical constraints and communication requirements.
- Which pin assignments, signal levels, impedances, protocols or radio parameters govern each relevant interface? measurement
- What compatibility and connection-sequence checks are required before attaching or removing another device? action
Functional verification
Defines observations that distinguish successful operation from merely receiving power.
Performance under stated conditions
Associate the intended electronic function with measurable outputs, acceptable limits and the conditions of the test.
- Which output measurements demonstrate the intended function, using what units, tolerances and test conditions? measurement
- How can an agent distinguish a device fault from an unsuitable input signal, connected load or external service failure? action
Control, state and software dependencies Makes device behaviour interpretable through controls, state transitions and optional software dependencies.
Controls and state transitions
Maps available controls and observations to operating states and permitted transitions.
Observable state and control effects
Record the meaning of indicators and diagnostics, the effects of controls and the prerequisites for start, stop, reset and recovery.
- Which indicators or diagnostic observations distinguish standby, normal operation, degradation and protective shutdown? definition
- What preconditions and consequences apply to starting, stopping, resetting or clearing a fault? action
Firmware, configuration and connectivity
Captures software-mediated behaviour only where the device depends on it.
Software dependency and change control
Identify firmware, configuration, credentials and service dependencies, including supported update and recovery paths.
- Does the device require firmware, retained configuration or a remote service, and which functions depend on each? boundary
- Which documented update or configuration procedure applies to this hardware revision, and how is failure recovered? action
- What retained data or credentials must be considered before reset, transfer or disposal? action
Faults, service and conformity Connects failure evidence, maintenance actions and applicable requirements to continued use.
Diagnosis and serviceability
Separates observed symptoms from established causes and supported remedies.
Fault evidence and supported intervention
Record symptoms, diagnostic evidence and relevant failure possibilities such as supply instability, overheating, connection damage or component degradation without treating them as confirmed causes.
- Which observations support the suspected fault, and which alternative causes remain unresolved? provenance
- Which cleaning, consumable replacement, calibration or repair actions are documented, and what electrical or electrostatic precautions do they require? action
Protection and conformity evidence
Identifies applicable protective functions and the evidence supporting use in a particular environment and jurisdiction.
Applicable requirements and protective functions
Record product-specific requirements, issuing bodies, editions and supporting records, alongside any interlocks or protection circuits and their documented behaviour.
- Which safety, electromagnetic compatibility, radio, environmental or application-specific requirements apply to this device category and intended market? boundary
- Which declarations, certificates or test reports support compliance for the exact product variant, and who issued them? provenance
- Which protective functions or interlocks are present, and what documented checks establish readiness or require withdrawal from use? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of electronic device this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of electronic device this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of electronic device this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of electronic device this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of electronic device this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of electronic device this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of electronic device this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of electronic device this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
What it is Filled
An electronic device is a physical apparatus whose operation depends on electronic components and circuits that control charge-carrier flow to process signals, store information, or control energy.
In scope
- The boundary between electronic devices, electrical equipment, electronic components and systems containing multiple devices
- Electronic operating principles, intended functions and signal paths
- Power requirements, energy storage, electrical interfaces and thermal operating limits
- Controls, operating states and software dependencies where present
- Fault detection, safe intervention, repairability and end-of-use handling
- Evidence of applicable safety, electromagnetic compatibility and other product-specific requirements
Out of scope
- Semiconductor physics and component fabrication processes as independent subjects
- Standalone software and information content, except their relationship to device operation
- Product families, commercial offerings and individual asset records as separate entities
- Electrical installations and communication networks beyond the device's connection requirements
- Application-specific processes such as medical diagnosis or industrial production
- Battery chemistry and waste-processing operations beyond device-level handling requirements
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise an electronic device, assess its operating condition and determine which uses, connections, configuration changes and interventions are appropriate.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Its intended function depends on electronic control or signal processing; electricity used solely for heating, lighting or electromechanical motion does not by itself establish this classification.
- It is physical equipment with an identifiable functional boundary, rather than software, a circuit diagram or a data service.
- Its boundary identifies a device-level function and interfaces; a component incorporated into that function requires an explicit component-versus-device boundary decision.
- Digital computation, programmability and network connectivity are optional: analogue and non-programmable electronic equipment must remain representable.
- The registry entry denotes a kind; manufacturer model numbers, serial numbers and observed faults identify related product designs or units.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Open, modify or access devices it does not own or administer.
- Charge or use devices with swollen, damaged or counterfeit batteries.
- Dispose of electronic devices in household waste or by burning.
- Collect personal data from a device beyond what its owner allowed.
Only with a human decision
- Wiping a device or sending it for recycling or resale.
- Repairing mains-powered or high-voltage parts.
May
- Operate, update and diagnose electronic devices it is authorized to manage.
- Report a device's state, faults and battery health to its owner.
Moral aspects Filled
- Electronic waste exposes recycling workers, often in poorer countries, to toxic materials.
- Devices hold personal data whose exposure harms their users.
Who is affected
- Users and owners
- Recycling and repair workers
- People near charging devices
Owners Filled
Steward
The person or organization that owns it.
Master systems
- Asset registers of the owner
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q116961643 - registry parent class
- Q1183543 - registry parent class
- Q223557 - registry parent class
- Q65280844 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.electronic-device
- Wikidata: Q2858615 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2858615)
Direct properties required Filled
- Intended electronic function: sensing, amplification, switching, conversion, computation, communication, display, control; multiple values permitted
- Circuit and processing architecture: analogue, digital, mixed-signal; programmable, non-programmable, unknown
- Supply envelope: V AC or DC, A, Hz for AC supply, W; rated ranges and operating conditions
- Power source and stored energy: external supply, primary battery, rechargeable battery, energy harvesting, other; battery Wh or capacitor J where relevant and known
- Interface requirements: connector, pinout, voltage levels, direction, protocol, supported versions and compatible counterpart
- Functional performance: function-dependent measures such as Hz bandwidth, s latency, bit/s throughput or measurement error in the measured quantity's unit
- Operating and fault state: unpowered, standby, starting, active, degraded, faulted, protective shutdown, unknown; subtype-specific states permitted
- Environmental operating envelope: temperature in °C, relative humidity in %, and subtype-relevant ingress, vibration or altitude limits
- Firmware and service dependencies: firmware version, bootloader, configuration, local software, remote service; absent or unknown permitted
- Conformity evidence: issuing body, requirement identifier and edition, jurisdiction, applicable product variant, declaration or test record
Recognition required Filled
- Circuit boards, chips and wiring inside a housing.
- Power input, battery or charging port and indicator lights or a display.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Identify the device's electronic function and select a more specific model when its application requires one.
- Check a proposed power source, charger, cable or peripheral against electrical and interface requirements.
- Interpret indicators, diagnostic outputs and measured performance to assess readiness or faults.
- Operate controls or change supported settings within documented limits and access permissions.
- Plan supported firmware updates, calibration or repairs using the relevant product and unit evidence.
- Determine prerequisites for isolation, storage, reuse or end-of-use handling, including stored energy and retained data.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Battery fires and overheating.
- Electric shock from mains-powered parts.
- Data exposure from discarded devices.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- IEC 62368-1, Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment - Safety requirements, International Electrotechnical Commission.
- Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), European Union.
Context of use required Filled
- Electronic devices are encountered in homes, workplaces, vehicles and industrial systems.
- They use electronic circuits to process signals, store information, communicate or control other equipment.
- Their intended use determines the required power supply, connections, operating environment and user interactions.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q2858615: electronic device - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia (fr): Appareil électronique - general description of the item
Open questions
- What authoritative definition should establish the registry boundary between electronic devices, electrical equipment and electronic components?
- Does an existing Vercy world model already cover this concept, and which narrower registered kinds should inherit or supplement its requirements?
- Which authoritative sources can support this draft's proposed distinctions and assessment questions before publication as researched findings?
- Which standards and issuing bodies apply to the principal device subtypes and jurisdictions, without implying a universal certification requirement?
- Which subtype-specific performance ranges, dimensions, failure modes and service constraints are useful enough to include, and which should remain in narrower models?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q2858615/spec.json