Time Window Sequence Configuration

Overview

The TimeWindowSequence model is used to configure allowed time slots for home appliance runs. It contains a collection of TimeWindow objects that define when appliances can operate.

Basic Structure

A TimeWindowSequence is configured as a JSON object with a windows array:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "duration": "PT2H",
      "day_of_week": null,
      "date": null,
      "locale": null
    }
  ]
}

TimeWindow Fields

Each TimeWindow object has the following fields:

• start_time (required): Time when the window begins

• duration (required): How long the window lasts

• day_of_week (optional): Restrict to specific day of week

• date (optional): Restrict to specific calendar date

• locale (optional): Language for day name parsing

Time Formats

Start Time (start_time)

The start_time field accepts various time formats:

24-Hour Format

{
  "start_time": "14:30"        // 2:30 PM
}

12-Hour Format with AM/PM

{
  "start_time": "2:30 PM"      // 2:30 PM
}

Compact Format

{
  "start_time": "1430"         // 2:30 PM
}

With Seconds

{
  "start_time": "14:30:45"     // 2:30:45 PM
}

With Microseconds

{
  "start_time": "14:30:45.123456"
}

European Format

{
  "start_time": "14h30"        // 2:30 PM
}

Short Formats

{
  "start_time": "14"           // 2:00 PM
}

{
  "start_time": "2PM"          // 2:00 PM
}

Decimal Time

{
  "start_time": "14.5"         // 2:30 PM (14:30)
}

With Timezones

{
  "start_time": "14:30 UTC"
}

{
  "start_time": "2:30 PM EST"
}

{
  "start_time": "14:30 +05:30"
}

Duration (duration)

The duration field supports multiple formats for maximum flexibility:

ISO 8601 Duration Format (Recommended)

{
  "duration": "PT2H30M"        // 2 hours 30 minutes
}

{
  "duration": "PT3H"           // 3 hours
}

{
  "duration": "PT90M"          // 90 minutes
}

{
  "duration": "PT1H30M45S"     // 1 hour 30 minutes 45 seconds
}

Human-Readable String Format

The system accepts natural language duration strings:

{
  "duration": "2 hours 30 minutes"
}

{
  "duration": "3 hours"
}

{
  "duration": "90 minutes"
}

{
  "duration": "1 hour 30 minutes 45 seconds"
}

{
  "duration": "2 days 5 hours"
}

{
  "duration": "1 day 2 hours 30 minutes"
}

Singular and Plural Forms

Both singular and plural forms are supported:

{
  "duration": "1 day"          // Singular
}

{
  "duration": "2 days"         // Plural
}

{
  "duration": "1 hour"         // Singular
}

{
  "duration": "5 hours"        // Plural
}

Numeric Formats

Seconds as Integer

{
  "duration": 3600             // 3600 seconds = 1 hour
}

{
  "duration": 1800             // 1800 seconds = 30 minutes
}

Seconds as Float

{
  "duration": 3600.5           // 3600.5 seconds = 1 hour 0.5 seconds
}

Tuple Format [days, hours, minutes, seconds]

{
  "duration": [0, 2, 30, 0]    // 0 days, 2 hours, 30 minutes, 0 seconds
}

{
  "duration": [1, 0, 0, 0]     // 1 day
}

{
  "duration": [0, 0, 45, 30]   // 45 minutes 30 seconds
}

{
  "duration": [2, 5, 15, 45]   // 2 days, 5 hours, 15 minutes, 45 seconds
}

Mixed Time Units

You can combine different time units in string format:

{
  "duration": "1 day 4 hours 30 minutes 15 seconds"
}

{
  "duration": "3 days 2 hours"
}

{
  "duration": "45 minutes 30 seconds"
}

Common Duration Examples

Short Durations

{
  "duration": "30 minutes"     // Quick appliance cycle
}

{
  "duration": "PT30M"          // ISO format equivalent
}

{
  "duration": 1800             // Numeric equivalent (seconds)
}

Medium Durations

{
  "duration": "2 hours 15 minutes"
}

{
  "duration": "PT2H15M"        // ISO format equivalent
}

{
  "duration": [0, 2, 15, 0]    // Tuple format equivalent
}

Long Durations

{
  "duration": "1 day 8 hours"  // All-day appliance window
}

{
  "duration": "PT32H"          // ISO format equivalent
}

{
  "duration": [1, 8, 0, 0]     // Tuple format equivalent
}

Validation Rules for Duration

• ISO 8601 format: Must start with PT and use valid duration specifiers (H, M, S)

• String format: Must contain valid time units (day/days, hour/hours, minute/minutes, second/seconds)

• Numeric format: Must be a positive number representing seconds

• Tuple format: Must be exactly 4 elements: [days, hours, minutes, seconds]

• All formats: Duration must be positive (greater than 0)

Duration Format Recommendations

1. Use ISO 8601 format for API consistency: "PT2H30M"

2. Use human-readable strings for configuration files: "2 hours 30 minutes"

3. Use numeric format for programmatic calculations: 9000 (seconds)

4. Use tuple format for structured data: [0, 2, 30, 0]

Error Handling for Duration

Common duration errors and solutions:

• Invalid ISO format: Ensure proper PT prefix and valid specifiers

• Unknown time units: Use day/days, hour/hours, minute/minutes, second/seconds

• Negative duration: All durations must be positive

• Invalid tuple length: Tuple must have exactly 4 elements

• String too long: Duration strings have a maximum length limit for security

Day of Week Restrictions

Using Numbers (0=Monday, 6=Sunday)

{
  "day_of_week": 0             // Monday
}

{
  "day_of_week": 6             // Sunday
}

Using English Day Names

{
  "day_of_week": "Monday"
}

{
  "day_of_week": "sunday"      // Case insensitive
}

Using Localized Day Names

{
  "day_of_week": "Montag",     // German for Monday
  "locale": "de"
}

{
  "day_of_week": "Lundi",      // French for Monday
  "locale": "fr"
}

Date Restrictions

Specific Date

{
  "date": "2024-12-25"         // Christmas Day 2024
}

Note: When date is specified, day_of_week is ignored.

Complete Examples

Example 1: Basic Daily Window

Allow appliance to run between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM every day:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "duration": "PT2H"
    }
  ]
}

Example 2: Weekday Only

Allow appliance to run between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM on weekdays:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT10H",
      "day_of_week": 0
    },
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT10H",
      "day_of_week": 1
    },
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT10H",
      "day_of_week": 2
    },
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT10H",
      "day_of_week": 3
    },
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT10H",
      "day_of_week": 4
    }
  ]
}

Example 3: Multiple Daily Windows

Allow appliance to run during morning and evening hours:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "06:00",
      "duration": "PT3H"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "18:00",
      "duration": "PT4H"
    }
  ]
}

Example 4: Weekend Special Hours

Different hours for weekdays and weekends:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": "Monday"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": "Tuesday"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": "Wednesday"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": "Thursday"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": "Friday"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "10:00",
      "duration": "PT6H",
      "day_of_week": "Saturday"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "10:00",
      "duration": "PT6H",
      "day_of_week": "Sunday"
    }
  ]
}

Example 5: Holiday Schedule

Special schedule for a specific date:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "10:00",
      "duration": "PT4H",
      "date": "2024-12-25"
    }
  ]
}

Example 6: Localized Configuration

Using German day names:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "14:00",
      "duration": "PT2H",
      "day_of_week": "Montag",
      "locale": "de"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "14:00",
      "duration": "PT2H",
      "day_of_week": "Mittwoch",
      "locale": "de"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "14:00",
      "duration": "PT2H",
      "day_of_week": "Freitag",
      "locale": "de"
    }
  ]
}

Example 7: Complex Schedule with Timezones

Multiple windows with different timezones:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "09:00 UTC",
      "duration": "PT4H",
      "day_of_week": "Monday"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "2:00 PM EST",
      "duration": "PT3H",
      "day_of_week": "Friday"
    }
  ]
}

Example 8: Night Shift Schedule

Crossing midnight (note: each window is within a single day):

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "22:00",
      "duration": "PT2H"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "00:00",
      "duration": "PT6H"
    }
  ]
}

Advanced Usage Patterns

Off-Peak Hours

Configure appliance to run during off-peak electricity hours:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "23:00",
      "duration": "PT1H"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "00:00",
      "duration": "PT7H"
    }
  ]
}

Workday Lunch Break

Allow appliance to run during lunch break on workdays:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "12:00",
      "duration": "PT1H",
      "day_of_week": 0
    },
    {
      "start_time": "12:00",
      "duration": "PT1H",
      "day_of_week": 1
    },
    {
      "start_time": "12:00",
      "duration": "PT1H",
      "day_of_week": 2
    },
    {
      "start_time": "12:00",
      "duration": "PT1H",
      "day_of_week": 3
    },
    {
      "start_time": "12:00",
      "duration": "PT1H",
      "day_of_week": 4
    }
  ]
}

Seasonal Schedule

Different schedules for different dates:

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "08:00",
      "duration": "PT10H",
      "date": "2024-06-21"
    },
    {
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "date": "2024-12-21"
    }
  ]
}

Common Patterns

1. Always Available

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "00:00",
      "duration": "PT24H"
    }
  ]
}

2. Business Hours

{
  "windows": [
    {
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": 0
    },
    {
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": 1
    },
    {
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": 2
    },
    {
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": 3
    },
    {
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "duration": "PT8H",
      "day_of_week": 4
    }
  ]
}

3. Never Available

{
  "windows": []
}

Validation Rules

• start_time must be a valid time format

• duration must be a positive duration

• day_of_week must be 0-6 (integer) or valid day name (string)

• date must be a valid ISO date format (YYYY-MM-DD)

• If date is specified, day_of_week is ignored

• locale must be a valid locale code when using localized day names

Tips and Best Practices

1. Use 24-hour format for clarity: "14:30" instead of "2:30 PM"

2. Keep durations reasonable for appliance operation cycles

3. Test timezone handling if using timezone-aware times

4. Use specific dates for holiday schedules

5. Consider overlapping windows for flexibility

6. Use localization for international deployments

7. Document your patterns for maintenance

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

• Invalid time format: Use supported time formats listed above

• Invalid duration: Use ISO 8601 duration format (PT1H30M)

• Invalid day name: Check spelling and locale settings

• Invalid date: Use YYYY-MM-DD format

• Unknown locale: Use standard locale codes (en, de, fr, etc.)

Integration Examples

Python Usage

from pydantic import ValidationError

try:
    config = TimeWindowSequence.model_validate_json(json_string)
    print(f"Configured {len(config.windows)} time windows")
except ValidationError as e:
    print(f"Configuration error: {e}")

API Configuration

{
  "device_id": "dishwasher_01",
  "time_windows": {
    "windows": [
      {
        "start_time": "22:00",
        "duration": "PT2H"
      },
      {
        "start_time": "06:00",
        "duration": "PT2H"
      }
    ]
  }
}