Intelligent door lock system with camera and motion detector

• US 10,140,828 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2015
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: August Home, Inc. (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: August Home, Inc. (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Jason, Fornell, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Diep, Nhon T
• Application Number:
  US14/730,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/64 using a proximity sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00 Individual registration on entry or exit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• 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: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A wireless camera system. One or more wireless bridges include a computing device, an internet-facing radio, and a second radio, a first radio within communication range of the second radio of the wireless bridge, and a third internet-facing radio responsible for transmitting video. One or more cameras are provided. A motion detection device coupled to the one or more cameras. In a first step the motion detection device detects motion of an individual approaching a dwelling, and in a second step if the motion detector detects the approach then the camera is turned on in sufficient time to take a face or body picture of the individual.

Claims

1. A wireless camera system, comprising:

one or more wireless bridges each including a computing device, an internet-facing first radio, a non-internet facing second radio, and a third internet-facing radio responsible for transmitting video;

one or more cameras;

an intelligent door lock system coupled to the one or more wireless bridges, the intelligent door lock system including an engine, a circuit coupled to the engine, and an energy source coupled to the circuit, wherein a non-user occupant third party is allowed controlled access to a dwelling when the user occupant grants access rights to the non-user occupant third party;

a motion detection device coupled to the one or more cameras;

wherein in a first step the motion detection device detects motion of an individual approaching a dwelling, and in a second step if the motion detector detects the

approach then the camera is turned on in sufficient time to take a face or body picture of the individual.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the motion detection device is selected from at least one of, infrared (passive and active sensors);

optics (video and camera systems);

radio frequency energy (radar, microwave and tomographic motion detection);

sound (microphones and acoustic sensors);

vibration (triboelectric, seismic, and inertia-switch sensors); and

magnetism (magnetic sensors and magnetometers).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more cameras consume less power in a standby mode.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges is selected from at least one of a:

WiFi bridge, WiMax bridge, cellular bridge, a bridge with Bluetooth low energy, a bridge that executes 802.15.4, a Zigbee bridge and a Z-wave bridge.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges determine how far the individual is from the dwelling.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges track signal strength over time between the bridge and a Bluetooth device to determine if known or unknown people are at the exterior of the dwelling.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges track signal strength over time between the bridge and a Bluetooth device when to determine if the individual is approaching the dwelling.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges track signal strength over time between the bridge and a Bluetooth device to determine if the individual is entering the dwelling from the exterior.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges track lock operations of the intelligent door lock system.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the lock operations are either manual or via a mobile application.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges track door movements of the dwelling.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges track door knocks at the dwelling.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges interact with a cloud lock access services to gather and relay data.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges discover the intelligent door lock system over Bluetooth device networking.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges discover lock devices of the intelligent door lock system by scanning a Bluetooth LE network for connected devices.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges in operation obtain lock device status of the intelligent door lock system, wherein the lock device status is one of a door being secured or unsecured.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges in operation communicate lock device activity of the intelligent door lock system.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges in operation communicate a dwelling door activity.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or wireless bridges are at an exterior of the dwelling.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges use detection of a Bluetooth device that is associated with a person to track signal strength between the bridge and the Bluetooth device to determine where the person is located at the exterior relative to the dwelling.

21. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an audio sensor configured to receive a sound from one or more non-internet connected devices.

22. The bridge of claim 1, wherein on a plug side at the dwelling a frequency of sound is determined from one or more non-internet connected devices.

23. The bridge of claim 1, wherein on a plug side at the dwelling a frequency distribution of sound is determined from one or more non-internet connected devices.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless bridges are in an interior of the dwelling.

25. A wireless camera system, comprising:

one or more wireless bridges each including a computing device, an internet-facing first radio, a second radio, and a third internet-facing radio responsible for transmitting video;

one or more cameras;

an intelligent door lock system coupled to the one or more wireless bridges, the intelligent door lock system including an engine, a circuit coupled to the engine, and an energy source coupled to the circuit, wherein a non-user occupant third party is allowed controlled access to a dwelling when the user occupant grants access rights to the non-user occupant third party;

one or more Bluetooth devices or Bluetooth peripheral devices, collectively, Bluetooth devices in communication with the one or more wireless bridges; and

wherein in a first step a motion detection device detects motion of an individual approaching a dwelling, and in a second step if the motion detector detects the approach then the camera is turned on in sufficient time to take a face or body picture of the individual.