Configurable motion detection and alerts for audio/video recording and communication devices

• US 10,152,857 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harpole, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US15/616,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19606 Discriminating between target movement or movement in an area of interest and other non-signicative movements, e.g. target movements induced by camera shake or movements of pets, falling leaves, rotating fan
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19615 wherein said pattern is defined by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19652 Systems using zones in a single scene defined for different treatment, e.g. outer zone gives pre-alarm, inner zone gives alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method for separating the motion detection zone(s) of an A/V recording and communication device from the motion alert zone(s) of the A/V recording and communication device. For example, an A/V recording and communication device may be configured to generate motion alerts, and to record audio and video footage, when an event is detected within a selected motion alert zone (e.g., within a defined radius around the A/V recording and communication device). However, the A/V recording and communication device may not generate a motion alert for an event detected outside of the selected motion alert zone, even though the device may still record audio and video footage for the detected event (e.g., when the event is within a selected motion detection zone).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of a computing device, a diagram of a field of view about the A/V recording and communication device;

determining whether an input has been received to adjust a motion alert range of the A/V recording and communication device;

when an input has been received to adjust the motion alert range of the A/V recording and communication device, increasing or decreasing the motion alert range of the A/V recording and communication device;

determining whether an input has been received to adjust a motion detection range of the A/V recording and communication device;

when an input has been received to adjust the motion detection range of the A/V recording and communication device, increasing or decreasing the motion detection range of the A/V recording and communication device;

determining whether an input has been received to save any changed settings; and

when an input has been received to save any changed settings, saving the changed settings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the A/V recording and communication device includes a set of motion sensors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the diagram comprises a set of motion zones, and wherein each of the motion zones corresponds to an area of a field of view of at least one of the set of motion sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether an input has been received to adjust the motion alert range or the motion detection range of the A/V recording and communication device comprises detecting movement of a slider widget on the display of the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating a current setting of the motion alert range of the A/V recording and communication device with contrasting colors or shades of the same color on the display of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a darker area indicates an area where the A/V recording and communication device will generate a motion alert, and a lighter area indicates an area where the A/V recording and communication device will not generate a motion alert.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating a current setting of the motion detection range of the A/V recording and communication device with contrasting colors or shades of the same color on the display of the computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a darker area indicates an area where the A/V recording and communication device will detect motion, and a lighter area indicates an area where the A/V recording and communication device will not detect motion.

9. A non-transitory machine readable medium of an electronic device storing an application executable by at least one processing unit of the electronic device, the application comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying, on a display of a computing device, a diagram of a field of view about the A/V recording and communication device;

determining whether an input has been received to toggle on or off a motion alert zone of the A/V recording and communication device;

when an input has been received to toggle on or off a motion alert zone of the A/V recording and communication device, toggling on or off a selected motion alert zone of the A/V recording and communication device;

determining whether an input has been received to toggle on or off a motion detection zone of the A/V recording and communication device;

when an input has been received to toggle on or off a motion detection zone of the A/V recording and communication device, toggling on or off a selected motion detection zone of the A/V recording and communication device;

determining whether an input has been received to save any changed settings; and

when an input has been received to save any changed settings, saving the changed settings.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the A/V recording and communication device includes at least one motion sensor.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the diagram comprises at least one motion zone that corresponds to an area of a field of view of the at least one motion sensor.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions for determining whether an input has been received to toggle on or off the motion alert zone of the A/V recording and communication device comprises a set of instructions for detecting a selection of the motion alert zone on the display of the computing device.

13. The non-transitory machine readable of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions for determining whether an input has been received to toggle on or off the motion detection zone of the A/V recording and communication device comprises a set of instructions for detecting a selection of the motion detection zone on the display of the computing device.

14. The non-transitory machine readable of claim 9, wherein the application further comprises a set of instructions for indicating current settings of a plurality of motion alert zones of the A/V recording and communication device with contrasting colors or shades of the same color on the display of the computing device.

15. The non-transitory machine readable of claim 14, wherein darker areas indicate motion alert zones where the A/V recording and communication device will generate a motion alert, and lighter areas indicate motion alert zones where the A/V recording and communication device will not generate a motion alert.

16. The non-transitory machine readable of claim 9, wherein the application further comprises a set of instructions for indicating current settings of a plurality of motion detection zones of the A/V recording and communication device with contrasting colors or shades of the same color on the display of the computing device.

17. The non-transitory machine readable of claim 16, wherein darker areas indicate motion detection zones where the A/V recording and communication device will detect motion, and lighter areas indicate motion detection zones where the A/V recording and communication device will not detect motion.

18. A method for an audio/video (A/V) recording and communication device, the A/V recording and communication device including a camera, a processor, and a communication module, the method comprising:

detecting motion within a field of view of the camera of the A/V recording and communication device;

recording video images captured within the field of view of the camera of the A/V recording and communication device;

determining, at the processor, whether the detected motion is within a defined radius around the A/V recording and communication device; and

when the detected motion is within the defined radius around the A/V recording and communication device, transmitting, by the communication module, a motion alert to at least one client device.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising, before determining whether the detected motion is within the defined radius, transmitting, by the communication module, the recorded video images to the at least one client device.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising, when the detected motion is outside the defined radius around the A/V recording and communication device, forgoing transmitting, by the communication module, the motion alert to the at least one client device.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the radius around the A/V recording and communication device is defined by a user through a client device associated with the A/V recording and communication device.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the device comprises a plurality of motion sensors, and wherein the defined radius comprises a plurality of motion zones each of which corresponds to an area of a field of view of at least one of the plurality of motion sensors.