Smart-home device providing follow up communications to condition detection events

• US 10,403,127 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• 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, Nicholas Unger, Rogers, Matthew Lee, Fadell, Anthony Michael, Lee, Jeffery Theodore, Le Guen, Sophie, Goldenson, Andrew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US16/133,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20190019038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 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: Y02A 50/20 : Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

Hazardous or dangerous conditions may be monitored. A mode may be set to a state indicative of the condition being present. It may then be determined that the hazardous or dangerous condition has eased. An indication of the hazardous or dangerous condition easing may be output in response to the determination. Such an indication may be output as synthesized speech.

Claims

1. A method for detecting that a condition is easing, the method comprising:

measuring, by a hazard detector, a first amount of the condition present in an ambient environment of the hazard detector;

setting, by the hazard detector, a mode of the hazard detector to a second alarm state based on the measured first amount of the condition, wherein the second alarm state is indicative of a greater amount of the condition being present than a first alarm state;

measuring, by the hazard detector, a second amount of the condition present in the ambient environment of the hazard detector, wherein the second amount is less than the first amount;

determining, by the hazard detector, at least partially based on the second amount of the condition present in the ambient environment, to set the mode to the first alarm state from the second alarm state; and

in response to determining, at least partially based on the second amount of the condition present in the ambient environment to set the mode of the hazard detector to the first alarm state from the second alarm state, outputting an indication that the condition has eased, wherein;

the condition having eased indicates the condition in the ambient environment of the hazard detector has decreased in amount.

2. The method for detecting that the condition is easing of claim 1, wherein the indication output comprises an auditory message that comprises speech being output by a speaker of the hazard detector.

3. The method for detecting that the condition is easing of claim 2, further comprising:

accessing, by the hazard detector, a stored indication of a location at which the hazard detector is installed, wherein the auditory message comprises speech indicative of the location.

4. The method for detecting that the condition is easing of claim 1, wherein the indication output comprises a light of the hazard detector outputting a color indicative of the first alarm state.

5. A method for detecting that a condition representative of a potential danger is easing, the method comprising:

determining, by a smart-home device, a first state of the condition representative of the potential danger is present in an ambient environment of the smart-home device;

setting, by the smart-home device, an alarm mode of the smart-home device to a second alarm state based on the first state of the condition representative of the potential danger, wherein the second alarm state being representative of a higher level of emergency than a first alarm state;

determining, by the smart-home device, a second state of the condition representative of the potential danger present in the ambient environment of the smart-home device, wherein the second state is indicative of a less dangerous situation than the first state;

determining, by the smart-home device, based on the second state of the condition representative of the potential danger, to set the alarm mode of the smart-home device to the first alarm state from the second alarm state; and

in response to determining, at least partially based on the second state of the condition representative of the potential danger present in the ambient environment to set the alarm mode of the smart-home device to the first alarm state from the second alarm state, outputting an indication that the condition representative of the potential danger has eased, wherein;

the condition representative of the potential danger having eased indicates the condition representative of the potential danger in the ambient environment of the smart-home device has decreased.

6. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 5, wherein the second alarm state is an alarm.

7. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 6, wherein outputting the indication that the condition representative of the potential danger has eased is output as an audible notification.

8. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 7, wherein the indication output comprises an auditory message that comprises speech being output by a speaker.

9. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 8, wherein the speaker is part of a hazard detector.

10. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 9, further comprising:

accessing, by the smart-home device, a stored indication of a location at which the smart-home device is installed, wherein the auditory message comprises speech indicative of the location.

11. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 10, wherein the smart-home device is the hazard detector.

12. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 11, wherein the indication output comprises a light of the smart-home device outputting a color indicative of the first alarm state.

13. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to determining to set the alarm mode of the smart-home device to the second alarm state, outputting an indication of the second alarm state comprising an auditory alarm message.

14. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 13, wherein outputting the indication of the second alarm state comprises outputting pulsing light of a color indicative of the second alarm state.

15. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the smart-home device, a third alarm state of the condition representative of the potential danger, wherein the third alarm state is indicative of a more hazardous situation than the first alarm state and the second alarm state; and

determining, by the smart-home device, at least partially based on the third alarm state of the condition representative of the potential danger, to set the alarm mode of the smart-home device to the third alarm state, wherein the third alarm state causes an alarm to be sounded.

16. The method for detecting that the condition representative of the potential danger is easing of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the smart-home device, that a threshold period of time has elapsed while condition representative of the potential danger present in the ambient environment of the smart-home device has been absent, wherein;

determining to set the alarm mode of the smart-home device to the first alarm state is further based on determining the threshold period of time has elapsed while the condition representative of the potential danger present in the ambient environment of the smart-home device has been absent.

17. A smart-home device comprising:

a sensor that detects a condition representative of a potential danger present in an ambient environment of the smart-home device; and

a processing system that comprises one or more processors, the processing system being in communication with an output component and the sensor, the processing system being configured to;

determine a first state of the condition representative of the potential danger present in the ambient environment of the smart-home device based on information from the sensor;

set an alarm mode of the smart-home device to a second alarm state based on the first state of the condition representative of the potential danger, wherein the second alarm state is representative of a higher level of emergency than a first alarm state;

determine a second state of the condition representative of the potential danger present in the ambient environment of the smart-home device based on information from the sensor;

determine, based on the second state of the condition representative of the potential danger, to set the alarm mode to the first alarm state from the second alarm state; and

in response to determining, at least partially based on setting the alarm mode of the smart-home device to the first alarm state from the second alarm state, cause an indication that the condition representative of the potential danger has eased to be output, wherein the condition representative of the potential danger having eased indicates the condition representative of the potential danger in the ambient environment of the smart-home device has decreased.

18. The smart-home device of claim 17, wherein the indication output by the output component comprises an auditory message.

19. The smart-home device of claim 18, wherein the auditory message comprises speech.

20. The smart-home device of claim 19, wherein the processing system is further configured to access a stored indication of a location at which the smart-home device is installed, wherein the auditory message comprises speech indicative of the location.