CONTINUOUS INTELLIGENT-CONTROL-SYSTEM UPDATE USING INFORMATION REQUESTS DIRECTED TO USER DEVICES

• US 20130268125A1
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Yoky
• Granted Patent: US 9,098,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/67 Switching between heating and cooling modes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/88 Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means

Abstract

The current application is directed to an intelligent control system that includes intelligent thermostats and that controls an environment, such as a residential living space, commercial building, or another environment. The intelligent control system obtains information related to the controlled environment by collecting sensor data, obtaining data from users during interactive information-exchange sessions, and by directing information queries to users on one or more user devices.

Claims

1. An intelligent control system comprising:

a centralized intelligent-control-system data center; and

one or more intelligent thermostats, located in an environment controlled by the intelligent control system that, together with the centralized intelligent-control-system center, employ interactive configuration sessions, sensor-based monitoring of the environment controlled by the intelligent control system, and information queries directed to one or more users in order to generate, maintain, and adjust a computational model of the environment controlled by the intelligent control system stored in one or more electronic memories within the centralized intelligent-control-system data center.

2. The intelligent control system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent control system creates, stores, and maintains digitally encoded personal contact information in one or more data-storage devices that the intelligent control system uses to create and direct information queries to one or more users.

3. The intelligent control system of claim 2 wherein the personal contact information includes indications of the devices and times associated with devices through which a user may receive information queries.

4. The intelligent control system of claim 3 wherein devices include one or more of:

intelligent thermostats;

mobile phones;

personal computers; and

phones connected to the public switched telephone network.

5. The intelligent control system of claim 4 wherein the personal contact information includes indications of user activities associated with devices that can be interrupted by information queries.

6. The intelligent control system of claim 2 wherein the personal contact information includes indications of the types of information queries that a user is willing to respond to.

7. The intelligent control system of claim 2 wherein the personal contact information includes indications of the types of information that a user is willing to furnish to the intelligent control system in response to information queries transmitted to the user.

8. The intelligent control system of claim 2 wherein the intelligent control system, as part of continuous event handling:

determines whether additional information unavailable from sensor data and the already-stored computational model of the environment is needed; and

when the additional information is determined to be needed,

uses the personal contact information to select a user and a device through which the user can receive information queries,

uses the personal contact information to select a type of information query that corresponds to the user'"'"'s preferences for information queries and that is compatible with the selected device, and

transmits an information query of the selected type to the selected user through the selected device for the additional information.

9. The intelligent control system of claim 8 wherein the intelligent control system selects the user by:

when information about only one user is stored in the personal contact information, selecting the one user; and

when information about multiple users is stored in the personal contact information, selecting a user, from among the multiple users, determined to be most likely to respond to an information query.

10. The intelligent control system of claim 8 wherein the intelligent control system selects the device by:

determining a device from among the devices characterized by the personal contact information that is likely to be accessible to the selected user at a time when the information query is transmitted.

11. The intelligent control system of claim 8 wherein, by selecting the user, device, and type of information query based on the personal contact information, the intelligent control system optimizes, over time, the percentage of information queries transmitted to users for which responses from users are received.

12. A method for generating, maintaining, and adjusting a computational model of an environment controlled by an intelligent control system comprising a centralized intelligent-control-system data center and one or more intelligent thermostats, the method comprising:

collecting, by the intelligent control system, information about the environment controlled by an intelligent control system using interactive configuration sessions;

collecting, by the intelligent control system, information about the environment controlled by an intelligent control system using sensor-based monitoring of the environment; and

collecting, by the intelligent control system, information about the environment controlled by an intelligent control system using information queries directed to users on a continuing basis; and

storing, by the intelligent control system, the collected information in one or more electronic memories within the intelligent control system.

13. The method of claim 12 further including:

creating, storing, and maintaining digitally encoded personal contact information, by the intelligent control system, in one or more data-storage devices; and

using, by the intelligent control system, the personal contact information to create and direct information queries to one or more users.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the personal contact information includes indications of the devices and times associated with devices through which a user may receive information queries.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein devices include one or more of:

intelligent thermostats;

mobile phones;

personal computers; and

phones connected to the public switched telephone network.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the personal contact information includes indications of user activities associated with devices that can be interrupted by information queries.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the personal contact information includes indications of the types of information queries that a user is willing to respond to.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the personal contact information includes indications of the types of information that a user is willing to furnish to the intelligent control system in response to information queries transmitted to the user.

19. The method of claim 13 further including:

during event handling, determining, by the intelligent control system, whether additional information unavailable from sensor data and the already-stored computational model of the environment is needed; and

when the additional information is determined to be needed,

using the personal contact information to select a user and a device through which the user can receive information queries,

using the personal contact information to select a type of information query that corresponds to the user'"'"'s preferences for information queries and that is compatible with the selected device, and

transmitting an information query of the selected type to the selected user through the selected device for the additional information.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein, by selecting the user, device, and type of information query based on the personal contact information, the intelligent control system optimizes, over time, the percentage of information queries transmitted to users for which responses from users are received.