Smart home device providing intuitive illumination-based status signaling

• US 10,032,343 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Boyd, Jeffrey A., Simister, James B., Mittleman, Adam D., Filson, John B., Bould, Fred, Sloo, David, Boettcher, Jesse W., Fadell, Anthony M., Rogers, Matthew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Mirza
• Application Number:
  US15/438,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20170162007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/33 to fire, excessive heat or smoke
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/34 by opening air passages
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/70 Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/75 for maintaining constant air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/89 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/02 by investigating impedance
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/121 for determining moisture content, e.g. humidity, of the fluid moisture content of the tested material G01N27/048
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0031 comprising two or more sensors, e.g. a sensor array electrochemical electrode arrays G01N27/27
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/004 for CO, CO2
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/10 Detecting, e.g. by using light barriers by reflection from the object G01S17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/46 Extracting features or characteristics from the video content, e.g. video fingerprints, representative shots or key frames
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/117 by using a detection device for specific gases, e.g. combustion products, produced by the fire G08B17/103, G08B17/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/005 combined burglary and fire alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 : responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/14 : Toxic gas alarms G08B21/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 : Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 : Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 : Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 : Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/012 : using recorded signals, e.g. speech G08B25/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 : using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 : Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/04 : Monitoring of the detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/145 : of fire detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 : Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/22 : Provisions facilitating manual calibration, e.g. input or output provisions for testing; Holding of intermittent values to permit measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/26 : by updating and storing reference thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 : using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 : using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 : using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 : Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 : indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 : from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 : based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 : for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 : Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 : for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 : Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 : Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 : by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 : via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 : Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

Various methods and systems for smart home devices are presented. Such smart home devices may include one or more environmental sensors that are configured to detect the presence of one or more environmental conditions. Such smart home devices may include a light comprising a plurality of lighting elements. Such a light may be configured to illuminate using a plurality of colors and, possibly, a plurality of animation patterns. Such smart home devices may include a processing system configured to cause the light to illuminate using the plurality of colors and the plurality of animation patterns in response to a plurality of states of the smart home device.

Claims

1. A smart home device, comprising:

a case, the case having an interior and an exterior surface, wherein the interior of the case houses components of the smart home device;

a user input component;

one or more environmental sensors housed in the interior of the case, wherein the one or more environmental sensors detect the presence of one or more types of environmental conditions;

a light that emits light, the light comprising a plurality of lighting elements, wherein;

the light is capable of illuminating in a plurality of colors and in a plurality of animation patterns; and

the light and the case are arranged such that light emitted by the light is emitted around an edge of the user input component and reflects off the exterior surface of the case into an ambient environment of the smart home device; and

a processing system in communication with the one or more environmental sensors and the light, the processing system comprising at least one processor that is configured to;

determine a state of the smart home device; and

cause the light to illuminate using at least one color of the plurality of colors and an animation pattern of the plurality of animation patterns in response to the determined state of the smart home device.

2. The smart home device of claim 1, wherein when each of the plurality of lighting elements are illuminated, light output by the light creates a continuous ring of light reflected off of the exterior surface of the case.

3. The smart home device of claim 1, further comprising a presence sensor wherein the processing system is in communication with the presence sensor and the processing system is further configured to:

receive information indicative of a user presence from the presence sensor while causing the light to illuminate using the at least one color and the animation pattern; and

alter the animation pattern used to illuminate the light in response to receiving the information indicative of the user presence.

4. The smart home device of claim 1, further comprising a microphone wherein the processing system is in communication with the microphone and the processing system is further configured to:

receive audio data from the microphone while causing the light to illuminate using at least one color; and

modulate illumination of the light based on the received audio data from the microphone.

5. The smart home device of claim 4, wherein the processing system being configured to modulate illumination of the light based on the received audio data from the microphone comprises the processing system being configured to module illumination of the light based on a volume of a user'"'"'s voice received by the microphone.

6. The smart home device of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

access a stored lookup table that relates a plurality of states to the plurality of colors and the plurality of animation patterns; and

identify the at least one color associated with the determined state and the animation pattern associated with the determined state.

7. The smart home device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of animation patterns comprise:

a rotating animation in which lighting elements of the plurality of lighting elements are sequentially increased and decreased in brightness; and

a shimmer animation in which light elements of the plurality of lighting elements are cycled through a hue range pattern.

8. The smart home device of claim 1, wherein the light comprises:

a light ring that receives and disperses light generated by the plurality of lighting elements.

9. The smart home device of claim 1, further comprising a passive infrared (PIR) detector, wherein the PIR detector is configured to sense infrared light through a user input component of the smart home device that functions as a lens.

10. A method for illuminating a light of a smart home device, the method comprising:

determining, by the smart home device, a state of the smart home device based at least in part on measurements from one or more environmental sensors;

accessing, by the smart home device, a stored lookup table that relates a plurality of states of the smart home device to;

     1) a plurality of colors, and

     2) a plurality of animations;

identifying, by the smart home device, using the stored lookup table, at least one color associated with the determined state and an animation pattern associated with the determined state; and

causing, by the smart home device, the light of the smart home device to illuminate using the identified at least one color and the identified animation pattern, wherein light emitted by the light is emitted around a user input component and reflects off an exterior surface of a case of the smart home device into an ambient environment of the smart home device.

11. The method for illuminating the light of the smart home device of claim 10, wherein causing the light of the smart home device to illuminate comprises:

encircling the user input component with light output by the light using the identified at least one color and the identified animation pattern.

12. The method for illuminating the light of the smart home device of claim 10, wherein causing the light of the smart home device to illuminate comprises:

causing a continuous ring of light to reflect off the exterior surface of the case.

13. The method for illuminating the light of the smart home device of claim 10, further comprising:

obtaining, by the smart home device, information indicative of a user presence while causing the light to illuminate using the at least one color and the animation pattern; and

setting, by the smart home device, the identified animation pattern used to illuminate the light based on receiving the information indicative of the user presence.

14. The method for illuminating the light of the smart home device of claim 10, further comprising:

capturing, by the smart home device, audio data while causing the light to illuminate using the at least one color and the animation pattern; and

modulating, by the smart home device, illumination of the light based on the captured audio data.

15. The method for illuminating the light of the smart home device of claim 10, wherein causing the light to illuminate comprises:

causing the light to illuminate using a rotating animation, wherein the rotating animation comprises illuminating a plurality of lighting elements of the light sequentially.