BIDIRECTIONAL SECURITY SENSOR COMMUNICATION FOR A PREMISES SECURITY SYSTEM

• US 20120154126A1
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Cohn, Alan Wade, Kitchen, James Edward, Dearman, Lewis Clay
• Granted Patent: US 11,750,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless

Abstract

A security system architecture including bidirectional communication between a sensor control device and one or more sensor devices coupled to the controller is provided. Such functionality is provided by virtue of a bidirectional wireless transceiver and processor in each sensor device. Embodiments of the present invention further provide this functionality by virtue of a coordinating transceiver coupled to the security system controller for communication with the sensor devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor control device comprising a first radio frequency transceiver configured to transmit a data packet on a wireless network; and

a security sensor device comprising

a second radio frequency transceiver configured to receive the data packet from the wireless network,

a processor coupled to the second radio frequency transceiver and configured to process the data packet and perform an action in response to information comprised in the data packet, and

a sensor coupled to the processor.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the security sensor device further comprises:

an output device coupled to the processor; and

the processor further configured to cause the output device to perform an output operation in response to the information comprised in the data packet.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the security sensor device further comprises:

a memory coupled to the processor and storing first firmware instructions executable by the processor; and

the processor further configured to cause the memory to store second firmware instructions in response to the information comprised in the data packet.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the memory to one or more of erase or overwrite the first firmware instructions in response to the information comprised in the data packet.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second transceiver is further configured to:

transmit a second data packet on the wireless network in response to receiving the data packet from the wireless network.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the second data packet is an acknowledgement packet.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the sensor control device further comprises:

the first radio frequency transceiver further configured to receive the second data packet from the wireless network; and

a second processor coupled to the first radio frequency transceiver and configured to process the second data packet,

generate a third data packet in response to the second data packet, and

cause the first radio frequency transceiver to transmit the third data packet.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

the security sensor device processor further configured to

receive an event signal from the sensor,

generate a second data packet in response to the event signal, and

cause the second radio frequency transceiver to transmit the second data packet on the wireless network; and

the sensor control device further comprising

the first radio frequency transceiver further configured to receive the second data packet from the wireless network,

a second processor coupled to the first radio frequency transceiver and configured to process the second data packet, generate a third data packet in response to the second data packet, and cause the first radio frequency transceiver to transmit the third data packet to the security sensor device.

9. A method comprising:

receiving an event signal from a sensor;

processing the event signal;

transmitting a first data packet to a sensor control device on a wireless network;

receiving a second data packet from the sensor control device on the wireless network;

processing the second data packet; and

performing an action in response to information comprised in the second data packet.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said processing the event signal further comprises:

generating the first data packet, wherein the first data packet comprises data associated with the event signal.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said performing the action further comprises:

causing an output device to perform an output operation in response to the information comprised in the second data packet.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said performing the action further comprises:

storing firmware instructions in a memory in response to the information comprised in the second data packet.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the second data packet is an acknowledgement responsive to the first data packet and further comprises the information comprised in the second data packet.

14. A security sensor device comprising:

a radio frequency transceiver configured to receive a data packet from a sensor control device on a wireless network;

means for processing information comprised in the data packet;

means for performing an action in response to said means for processing the information; and

means for detecting a sensor fault event.

15. The security sensor device of claim 14 further comprising:

means for performing an output operation in response to said means for processing the information.

16. The security sensor device of claim 14 further comprising:

memory means for storing first firmware instructions executable by said means for processing; and

said means for processing information further comprising means for storing a second firmware instructions in said memory means, wherein the data packet comprises the second firmware instructions.

17. The security sensor device of claim 14 wherein the radio frequency transceiver is further configured to transmit a second data packet on the wireless network in response to receiving the data packet from the wireless network.

18. The security sensor device of claim 17 wherein the second data packet is an acknowledgement packet.

19. The security sensor device of claim 14 further comprising:

means for processing a sensor fault event signal generated in response to said means for detecting the sensor fault event;

means for generating a second data packet in response to said means for processing the sensor fault event signal; and

the radio frequency transceiver further configured to transmit the second data packet to the sensor control device on the wireless network.