Patent Application
20160349719
This application relates to home automation systems and more particular to methods of controlling such systems.
Home automation systems that serve and protect people and assets within secured areas (e.g., a home or other residence) are known. Such systems are typically based upon the use of one or more controlled devices and may include one or more sensors that detect threats within the area.
Threats to people and assets may originate from any of number of different sources. For example, a fire may kill or injure occupants who have become trapped by a fire in a home. Similarly, carbon monoxide from a fire may kill people in their sleep.
Alternatively, an unauthorized intruder, such as a burglar, may present a threat to assets within the area. Intruders have also been known to injure or kill people living within the area.
In the case of intruders, sensors may be placed in different areas based upon the respective uses of those areas. For example, if people are present during some portions of a normal day and not at other times, then sensors may be placed along a periphery of the space to provide protection while the space is occupied while additional sensors may be placed within an interior of the space and used when the space is not occupied.
In most cases, threat detectors are connected to a local control panel. In the event of a threat detected via one of the sensors, the control panel may sound a local audible alarm. The control panel may also send a signal to a central monitoring station.
While home automation system work well, they are sometimes difficult to use, especially where a user must enter instructions through a control panel. Accordingly, a need exists for better methods and interfaces for controlling such systems.
While disclosed embodiments can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles thereof as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the application or claims to the specific embodiment illustrated.
The sensors may be embodied in any of a number of different forms. For example, one or more of the sensors may limit switches placed upon doors and windows along a periphery of the secured area that detect intruders. Alternatively, some of the sensors may be passive infrared (PIR) sensors placed within the interior of the space that are intended to detect intruders who have been able to circumvent the sensors placed along the periphery. Still other of the sensors may be environmental sensors (e.g., smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, etc.).
Also included within the secured area may be a number of home automation devices 18, 20. The home automation devices are interfaces that control various devices located within the home. For example, one of the home automation devices may be an interface that controls a heating and/or cooling system of the home. Another home automation device may raise and lower the temperature of a water heater of the home. Still another home automation device may activate and deactivate a home entertainment system.
The home automation system may be controlled via a control panel 22 and user interface 24. For example, the control panel may monitor each of the sensors for activation. Upon activation of one of the sensors, the control panel may send an alarm message to a central monitoring station 26. Upon receipt of an alarm message, the central monitoring station may summon the appropriate help (e.g., police, fire department, etc.).
The security system portion of the home automation system may be armed and disarmed via the user interface. In this regard, the user may enter a personal identification number (PIN) via a keyboard 28. Status information may be shown on a display 30. Similarly, the home automation devices may be controlled via the user interface.
Included within the control panel and other devices described below may be one or more processor apparatus (processors) 30, 32, each controlled by one or more computer programs 34, 36 loaded from a non-transitory computer readable medium (memory) 38. As used herein, reference to a step performed by a computer program is also reference to the processor that executed that step.
The sensors and home automation devices may be connected to the control panel by wires or wirelessly. Where the connection is wireless, the control panel and each of the sensors and home automation devices include a radio frequency transceiver 40.
Included within the home automation system is a wireless wearable device 42 carried by the user 40. The wearable device may be embodied in any of a number of different forms (e.g., Samsung gear, Google glass, etc.). Alternatively, the wearable device may be a WiFi or Bluetooth enabled wristband.
The user may also carry a portable cellular device (e.g., a smartphone) 44. The portable cellular device may include a GPS device that provides location information to the wearable device. The smartphone may also operate to relay information from the wearable device to the control panel.
In general, a processor of the wearable device operates to monitor the activities of the user both within the secured area and outside of the secured area. As each activity is detected, the processor of the wearable device saves a record of that activity in memory. Each time the user enters the secured area, the wearable device downloads the detected activities to the control panel. The downloaded activity information is analyzed and used to control the home automation system.
For example, a processor of the wearable device may detect a visit to a gym by the user for a workout. The processor may detect the visit by monitoring the physiological parameters (e.g., heart rate, respiration, etc.) of the user or by determining a current geographic location of the user and comparing the current location with a number of previously saved locations.
In some cases, the activity may inferred from a location of the user. For example, a location of the place of work of the user may be saved. Upon detection of entry into the workplace, the wearable device may save an at-work entry, a time of the activity and a duration.
Alternatively, the wearable device (e.g., Google glass) may track the Internet activities of the user and save a record of the activities. For example, the like/unlike comments of the user on social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, wats app, etc.) may each be detected, captured and saved as separate activities in an activity log.
Located within memory of the control panel may be a set of criteria defined within a respective file 46, 48 for implementing a change to the area via the home automation system. In each case, the criteria may define an activity, a location or an inferred state of mind of the user based upon the activity.
For example, one criteria may be defined by a user for each visit by the user to a gym for a workout. In this case, the activity may be followed by some predetermined action such as the user returning home to take a shower. In anticipation of the activity, the user may program the system to raise the temperature of a water heater so that the user can take a warm shower after his/her workout.
The user can create any of a number of different criteria that may trigger or otherwise cause the home automation system to make some physical change within the secured area upon the user returning home. For example, if the user were to spend a long day a work, then the home automation system may automatically activate a home entertainment system after the user returns home and after the home automation system downloads the user's activities during the day. Similarly, if the monitored activities where to include a series of social network interactions where the user were to enter a number of don't like responses, then the system may conclude that the user is tense and/or irritable and execute some predetermined physical response such as lowering a set point of an air conditioner on a hot summer day to provide a cool environment for the user so that the user is able to unwind or otherwise relax.
In general, the system includes an activities processor that constantly monitors the activity of the user via the wearable device. The same or another processor may detect entry by the user into the secured area and automatically download a record of the day's activities to a monitoring processor within the home automation system.
Upon receiving the records of the detected activities, the monitoring processor may compare the activities with the criteria found in each criteria file. Upon detecting a match, the monitoring processor may retrieve instructions for making some corresponding physical change within the secured area. The retrieved instructions may be automatically executed to activate a control module or switch that implements the desired physical change.
In general, the system includes an automation system that detects threats within a secured geographic area, a wireless wearable device worn by a human user that detects activities of the user and a processor of the automation system that wirelessly receives the detected activities of the human user from the wearable device as the user enters the secured area, that associates at least one of the detected activities with a predetermined action and that automatically implements a physical change within the secured area in support of the predetermined action.
Alternatively, the system includes an automation system that detects threats within a secured geographic area, a wireless wearable device carried by a human user that detects activities of the user and a processor of the automation system that wirelessly receives the detected activities of the human user from the wearable device within the secured area, matches the detected activities with a criteria and automatically implements a physical change within the secured area based upon the match.
Alternatively, the system includes an automation system that detects threats within a secured geographic area, a wireless portable device carried by a human user that detects activities of the user and a processor of the automation system having a plurality of criteria saved in a memory of the processor, the processor wirelessly receives the detected activities of the human user from the portable device within the secured area, matches the detected activities with one of the plurality of criteria and automatically implements an environmental change within the secured area based upon the match.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope hereof. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims. Further, logic flows depicted in the FIGURES do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be add to, or removed from the described embodiments.
