Event prioritization and user interfacing for hazard detection in multi-room smart-home environment

• US 10,325,467 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shih, Nina F., Von Dehsen, Lauren, Sloo, David, Moore, Tyler, Webb, Nicholas Unger
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US15/626,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20170287299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/107 for detecting light-scattering due to smoke
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing spoken messages that reflect event status of one or more hazard detection systems within a smart-home environment are described herein. The messages can inform occupants in concise manner that does not overload cognitive recognition of those occupants. For example, the messages may be prioritized to limit the amount of information that is spoken and intelligently condense information in as concise a manner as possible. This may be accomplished by using one or more speaking paradigms to compile audible messages to be played back through a speaker of the hazard detection system.

Claims

1. A method for playing back audible messages through a speaker of at least a first hazard detection system, the first hazard detection system being one of a plurality of hazard detection systems existing within different rooms of a structure, the method comprising:

when an alarm condition exists in at least one of a plurality of the rooms of the structure, playing back voice alarms via the speaker and enabling device to device communications via an interconnected wireless fabric network according to a first state;

when a pre-alarm condition exists in at least one of a plurality of the rooms of the structure, playing back voice alarms via the speaker and enabling device to device communications via the interconnected wireless fabric network according to a second state; and

receiving a hush command via a wireless communication transmitted by a mobile user device that is verified to be in the same room as an originating one of the plurality of hazard detection systems, wherein the originating one of the hazard detection systems is the hazard detection system responsible for initiating the pre-alarm condition,

wherein the second state is such that it hushes all alarms being emitted by the plurality of hazard detection systems only when the originating one of the plurality of hazard detection systems processes a hush command received from the mobile user device verified to be in the same room as the originating one of the plurality of hazard detection systems, and wherein the first state is such that it does not hush all of the alarms being emitted by the plurality of hazard detection systems when any one of those plurality of hazard detection systems processes a hush command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly communicating with each of the plurality of hazard detection systems existing within different rooms of the structure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising compiling the voice alarms based on at least one speech paradigm that uses a number of rooms experiencing a condition and a location status as factors in defining room information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a first one of the at least one speech paradigm comprises a plurality of conditions that specify speech paradigms to be used in the audible message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a first speech paradigm comprises specific room name identification.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein a second speech paradigm comprises a plurality of specific room name identifications.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein a second speech paradigm comprises a specific number of rooms.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein a third speech paradigm comprises a summarization.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a buzzer alarm comprising an alarming sequence characterized by buzzing periods and non-buzzing periods;

playing back at least a portion of the voice alarm during each one of the non-buzzing periods.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the audible message spans at least two successive non-buzzing periods.

11. A hazard detection system existing within a structure comprising a plurality of hazard detection systems positioned in different rooms of the structure, the system comprising:

a speaker;

wireless circuitry for wirelessly communicating with the other hazard detection systems within the structure; and

at least one processor coupled to receive data from the other hazard detection systems via the wireless circuitry, the at least processor operative to;

when an alarm condition exists in at least one of a plurality of the rooms of the structure, play back voice alarms via the speaker and enable device to device communications via an interconnected wireless fabric network according to a first state;

when a pre-alarm condition exists in at least one of a plurality of the rooms of the structure, play back voice alarms via the speaker and enable device to device communications via an interconnected wireless fabric network according to a second state; and

receive a hush command via a wireless communication transmitted by a mobile user device that is verified to be in the same room as an originating one of the plurality of hazard detection systems, wherein the originating one of the hazard detection systems is the hazard detection system responsible for initiating the pre-alarm condition,

wherein the second state is such that it hushes all alarms being emitted by the plurality of hazard detection systems only when the originating one of the plurality of hazard detection systems processes a hush command received from the mobile user device verified to be in the same room as the originating one of the plurality of hazard detection systems and wherein the first state is such that it does not hush all of the alarms being emitted by the plurality of hazard detection systems when any one of those plurality of hazard detection systems processes a hush command.

12. The hazard detection system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is operative to:

access a speech logic engine to incorporate one of a plurality of speech paradigms to characterize spoken information that is played back as the voice alarm through the speaker.

13. The hazard detection system of claim 11, wherein the speech logic engine comprises a room paradigm that characterizes room information to be included in the audible message.

14. The hazard detection system of claim 11, wherein the speech logic engine comprises a condition paradigm that characterizes condition information to be included in the audible message.

15. The hazard detection system of claim 11, wherein the speech logic engine comprises a time paradigm that characterizes time information to be included in the audible message.

16. The hazard detection system of claim 11, wherein the speech logic engine comprises:

an audio library comprising a plurality of audio clips; and

a compiler that assembles a series of audio clips retrieved from the audio library based on at least one of the speech paradigms.

17. The hazard detection system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is operative to:

activate a buzzer alarm comprising an alarming sequence characterized by buzzing periods and non-buzzing periods;

play back at least a portion of the voice alarm during each one of the non-buzzing periods.

18. The hazard detection system of claim 17, wherein the audible message spans at least two successive non-buzzing periods.