Remote device control and energy monitoring by analyzing and applying rules

• US 10,401,811 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott, Slavin, Alison Jane, Martin, Jean-Paul, Hutz, David James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Kam Wan
• Application Number:
  US15/942,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20180224813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 3405393
• 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 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/57 using telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/00 Control inputs relating to environmental factors not covered by group F24F2110/00
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/10 Weather information or forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/16 in which transmission is by pulses
• 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 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing remote device (e.g., thermostat, lighting, appliance, etc.) control and/or energy monitoring. A system monitors sensor data captured by one or more sensors that sense attributes relevant to user presence at one or more monitored properties and status of one or more energy consuming devices associated with the one or more monitored properties. The system analyzes the monitored sensor data and the monitored device status with respect to a set of one or more rules and performs an operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored device status with respect to the set of one or more rules.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

monitoring sensor data captured by one or more sensors that sense attributes at a monitored property;

monitoring status of one or more energy consuming devices associated with the monitored property;

accessing weather data;

analyzing the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices;

based on the analysis of the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices, determining an operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data; and

performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices,

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises sending an alert to a user associated with the monitored property, and

wherein sending the alert to the user associated with the monitored property comprises including, in the alert, multiple options for the user to respond, the multiple options including;

a first input control that enables the user to view video of the monitored property;

a second input control that enables the user to receive more detailed information related to forecasted weather;

a third input control that enables the user to adjust a thermostat;

a fourth input control that causes the monitoring system to monitor actual temperature within the monitored property; and

a fifth input control that allows the monitoring system to automatically control the thermostat.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein accessing weather data comprises receiving current weather data from a weather feed provided by a weather broadcasting system and identifying, from the weather feed, current weather data relevant to a geographic location of the monitored property.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein analyzing the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices comprises applying the accessed weather data to a set of one or more rules in combination with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices.

4. The monitoring system of claim 3, wherein applying the accessed weather data to the set of one or more rules in combination with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices comprises using the accessed weather data to impact which action the monitoring system performs based on the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1:

wherein determining the operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data comprises determining to automatically, without user intervention, control the one or more energy consuming devices based on the analysis of the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices; and

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises automatically, without user intervention, controlling the one or more energy consuming devices.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1:

wherein determining the operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data comprises determining to send at least one alert to a user associated with the monitored property based on the analysis of the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices; and

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises sending the at least one alert to the user associated with the monitored property.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1:

wherein determining the operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data comprises determining to display at least one suggested change to a user associated with the monitored property based on the analysis of the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices; and

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises displaying the at least one suggested change to the user associated with the monitored property.

8. The monitoring system of claim 7, wherein displaying the at least one suggested change to the user associated with the monitored property comprises waiting to control the one or more energy consuming devices until receipt of user input authorizing the at least one suggested change.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1:

wherein monitoring sensor data captured by one or more sensors that sense attributes at a monitored property comprises monitoring image data captured by an image sensor located at the monitored property;

wherein monitoring status of one or more energy consuming devices associated with the monitored property comprises monitoring a state of a thermostat located at the monitored property, the thermostat being configured to measure a temperature within the monitored property and control a heating and cooling system located at the monitored property based on the measured temperature and a temperature control setting of the thermostat;

wherein analyzing the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices comprises;

analyzing one or more images captured by the image sensor and detecting presence within the monitored property based on the analysis of the one or more images;

detecting that the thermostat is operating in an energy conserve mode; and

determining that the accessed weather data indicates that a current temperature meets a threshold temperature;

wherein determining the operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data comprises determining to send the alert to the user associated with the property based on the detected presence within the monitored property, the detected operation of the thermostat in the energy conserve mode, and the determination that the current temperature meets the threshold temperature; and

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises sending the alert to the user associated with the property, the alert providing a message indicating the detected presence within the monitored property, the detected operation of the thermostat in the energy conserve mode, and the determination that the current temperature meets the threshold temperature.

10. A method for accounting for weather data in performing an operation related to controlling one or more energy consuming devices, the method comprising:

monitoring sensor data captured by one or more sensors that sense attributes at a monitored property;

monitoring status of one or more energy consuming devices associated with the monitored property;

accessing weather data;

analyzing the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices;

based on the analysis of the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices, determining an operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data; and

performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices,

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises sending an alert to a user associated with the monitored property, and

wherein sending the alert to the user associated with the monitored property comprises including, in the alert, multiple options for the user to respond, the multiple options including;

a first input control that enables the user to view video of the monitored property;

a second input control that enables the user to receive more detailed information related to forecasted weather;

a third input control that enables the user to adjust a thermostat;

a fourth input control that causes the monitoring system to monitor actual temperature within the monitored property; and

a fifth input control that allows the monitoring system to automatically control the thermostat.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein accessing weather data comprises receiving current weather data from a weather feed provided by a weather broadcasting system and identifying, from the weather feed, current weather data relevant to a geographic location of the monitored property.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices comprises applying the accessed weather data to a set of one or more rules in combination with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein applying the accessed weather data to the set of one or more rules in combination with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices comprises using the accessed weather data to impact which action the monitoring system performs based on the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices.

14. The method of claim 10:

wherein determining the operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data comprises determining to automatically, without user intervention, control the one or more energy consuming devices based on the analysis of the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices; and

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises automatically, without user intervention, controlling the one or more energy consuming devices.

15. The method of claim 10:

wherein determining the operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data comprises determining to send at least one alert to a user associated with the monitored property based on the analysis of the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices; and

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises sending the at least one alert to the user associated with the monitored property.

16. The method of claim 10:

wherein determining the operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data comprises determining to display at least one suggested change to a user associated with the monitored property based on the analysis of the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices; and

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises displaying the at least one suggested change to the user associated with the monitored property.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein displaying the at least one suggested change to the user associated with the monitored property comprises waiting to control the one or more energy consuming devices until receipt of user input authorizing the at least one suggested change.

18. The method of claim 10:

wherein monitoring sensor data captured by one or more sensors that sense attributes at a monitored property comprises monitoring image data captured by an image sensor located at the monitored property;

wherein monitoring status of one or more energy consuming devices associated with the monitored property comprises monitoring a state of a thermostat located at the monitored property, the thermostat being configured to measure a temperature within the monitored property and control a heating and cooling system located at the monitored property based on the measured temperature and a temperature control setting of the thermostat;

wherein analyzing the accessed weather data in conjunction with the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of one or more energy consuming devices comprises;

analyzing one or more images captured by the image sensor and detecting presence within the monitored property based on the analysis of the one or more images;

detecting that the thermostat is operating in an energy conserve mode; and

determining that the accessed weather data indicates that a current temperature meets a threshold temperature;

wherein determining the operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices that accounts for the accessed weather data comprises determining to send the alert to the user associated with the property based on the detected presence within the monitored property, the detected operation of the thermostat in the energy conserve mode, and the determination that the current temperature meets the threshold temperature; and

wherein performing the determined operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices comprises sending the alert to the user associated with the property, the alert providing a message indicating the detected presence within the monitored property, the detected operation of the thermostat in the energy conserve mode, and the determination that the current temperature meets the threshold temperature.