Video guidance for smart-home device installation

• US 10,049,280 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sloo, David, Webb, Nick, Matsuoka, Yoky, Fadell, Anthony Michael, Rogers, Matthew Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US15/451,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20170177944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/004 CO or 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: H05B 47/196 : characterised by user interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 : using handheld communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/197 : Sound control or voice control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1975 : Gesture control
• 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 arrangements for assessing an installation of a smart home device are presented. A video camera device may capture video indicative of a location of the smart home device. The video indicative of the location of the smart home device may be analyzed to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification. An indication may then be output indicative of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification.

Claims

1. A method for assessing an installation of a smart home device, the method comprising:

capturing, by a video camera device, video indicative of a location of the smart home device;

analyzing the video indicative of the location of the smart home device to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification; and

outputting an indication of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification based on analyzing the video indicative of the location of the smart home device.

2. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 1, wherein outputting the indication of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification comprises causing a notification alert to be output to guide a user during installation of the smart home device to a suitable installation location for the smart home device.

3. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 1, wherein outputting the indication of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification comprises outputting, by the smart home device, speech indicating the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification.

4. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 1, further comprising:

registering the smart home device with a remote server, comprising;

transmitting, to a cloud-based server system, a code indicative of the smart home device; and

linking the smart home device with an online management account maintained by the cloud-based server system.

5. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 4, wherein analyzing the video indicative of the location of the smart home device to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification is performed by the cloud-based server system.

6. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the video camera device to the smart home device, the indication of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification.

7. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 1, wherein the video camera device is a smartphone.

8. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 1, wherein the smart home device is a hazard detector and the hazard detector being able to operate within specification comprises the hazard detector being able to effectively detect one or more types of hazard.

9. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the video indicative of the location of the smart home device, determining one or more distances between the smart home device and one or more surfaces, wherein;

analyzing the video indicative of the location of the smart home device to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification comprises analyzing the one or more distances.

10. The method for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing, by the video camera device, audio, wherein the audio is captured while the video indicative of the location of the smart home device is being captured.

11. A system for assessing an installation of a smart home device, the system comprising:

the smart home device that is being installed in a home;

a video camera device that captures video indicative of a location of the smart home device; and

a cloud-based server system, wherein the system is configured to;

analyze the video indicative of the location of the smart home device to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification; and

output an indication of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification based on analyzing the video indicative of the location of the smart home device.

12. The system for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 11, wherein the system being configured to output the indication of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification comprises the system causing a notification alert to be output to guide a user during installation of the smart home device to a suitable installation location for the smart home device.

13. The system for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 11, wherein the system being configured to output the indication of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification comprises the system being configured to output, via the smart home device, speech indicating the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification.

14. The system for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 11, wherein the cloud-based server system registers the smart home device, registration comprising:

the cloud-based server system receiving, from the video camera device, a code indicative of the smart home device; and

the cloud-based server system linking the smart home device with an online management account maintained by the cloud-based server system.

15. The system for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 14, wherein the system being configured to analyze the video indicative of the location of the smart home device to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification is performed by the cloud-based server system.

16. The system for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 11, wherein the video camera device is a smartphone.

17. The system for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 11, wherein the smart home device is a hazard detector and the hazard detector being able to operate within specification comprises the hazard detector being able to effectively detect one or more types of hazard.

18. The system for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 11, wherein the system is further configured to:

determine one or more distances between the smart home device and one or more surfaces based on the video indicative of the location of the smart home device, wherein;

the system analyzing the video indicative of the location of the smart home device to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification comprises the system analyzing the one or more distances.

19. A video camera device for assessing an installation of a smart home device, the video camera device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

capture, via the video camera device, video indicative of a location of the smart home device that is installed in a home;

analyze the video indicative of the location of the smart home device to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification; and

output an indication of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification based on analyzing the video indicative of the location of the smart home device.

20. The video camera device for assessing the installation of the smart home device of claim 19, wherein the video camera device is a smartphone that wirelessly communicates with a cloud-based server system at which the smart home device is registered.