DYNAMIC DISTRIBUTED-SENSOR THERMOSTAT NETWORK FOR FORECASTING EXTERNAL EVENTS

• US 20150213703A1
• Filed: 04/02/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Filson, John B., Daniels, Eric B., Mittleman, Adam, Nelmes, Sierra L., Matsuoka, Yoky
• Granted Patent: US 9,286,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• 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 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 31/00 Predictive alarm systems characterised by extrapolation or other computation using updated historic data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Systems and methods for forecasting events can be provided. A measurement database can store sensor measurements, each having been provided by a non-portable electronic device with a primary purpose unrelated to collecting measurements from a type of sensor that collected the measurement. A measurement set identifier can select a set of measurements. The electronic devices associated with the set of measurements can be in close geographical proximity relative to their geographical proximity to other devices. An inter-device correlator can access the set and collectively analyze the measurements. An event detector can determine whether an event occurred. An event forecaster can forecast a future event property. An alert engine can identify one or more entities to be alerted of the future event property, generate at least one alert identifying the future event property, and transmit the at least one alert to the identified one or more entities.

Claims

1. A smart home system network comprising:

a plurality of smart-home devices that are distributed among a plurality of homes within a geographic region, each of the plurality of smart-home devices having a primary sensor that senses conditions central to the core operation of the respective smart-home device and a secondary sensor that senses conditions that are not central to the core operation of the respective smart-home device, the plurality of smart-home devices including a thermostat, a smoke detector, and a camera, wherein;

the primary sensor of the thermostat is related to the primary function of controlling a temperature and the secondary sensor of the thermostat is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a seismic sensor, an audio sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a radiation sensor;

the primary sensor of the smoke detector is related to the primary function of detecting smoke and the secondary sensor of the smoke detector is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a seismic sensor, a temperature sensor, an audio sensor, and a humidity sensor; and

the primary sensor of the camera is related to the primary function of video monitoring and the secondary sensor of the camera is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a temperature sensor, a seismic sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a radiation sensor; and

an event detection processor programmed and configured to detect an event from information gathered within the geographic region according to the steps of;

receiving said sensor measurements being provided by the secondary sensors of the plurality of smart-home devices within the geographic region;

analyzing selected ones of said sensor measurements to determine whether an event has occurred, wherein the event is a geographically distributed event selected from the group consisting of;

an earthquake, a tornado, a power outage, and an extreme local weather event; and

generating at least one alert identifying the detected event;

wherein the determination that the event has occurred requires processing of at least two of the sensor measurements provided by the secondary sensors of the plurality of smart-home devices within the geographic region.

2. The smart home system network of claim 1, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the thermostat are housed within the thermostat.

3. The smart home system network of claim 1, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the smoke detector are housed within the smoke detector.

4. The smart home system network of claim 1, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the camera are housed within the camera.

5. The smart home system network of claim 1, wherein the primary sensor of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera is housed within the respective device and the secondary sensor of at least one of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera is housed with a different device that is communicatively coupled with the at least one of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera.

6. The smart home system network of claim 1, wherein the event detection processor is further configured to predict a trajectory of the future event.

7. A smart home system network comprising:

a plurality of smart-home devices that are distributed among a plurality of homes within a geographic region, each of the plurality of smart-home devices having a primary sensor that senses conditions central to the core operation of the respective smart-home device and a secondary sensor that senses conditions that are not central to the core operation of the respective smart-home device, the plurality of smart-home devices including at least two devices selected from the group consisting of;

a thermostat, a smoke detector, and a camera, wherein;

the primary sensor of the thermostat is related to the primary function of controlling a temperature and the secondary sensor of the thermostat is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a seismic sensor, an audio sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a radiation sensor;

the primary sensor of the smoke detector is related to the primary function of detecting smoke and the secondary sensor of the smoke detector is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a seismic sensor, a temperature sensor, an audio sensor, and a humidity sensor; and

the primary sensor of the camera is related to the primary function of video monitoring and the secondary sensor of the camera is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a temperature sensor, a seismic sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a radiation sensor; and

an event detection processor programmed and configured to detect an event from information gathered within the geographic region according to the steps of;

receiving said sensor measurements being provided by the secondary sensors of the plurality of smart-home devices within the geographic region;

analyzing selected ones of said sensor measurements to determine whether an event has occurred, wherein the event is a geographically distributed event selected from the group consisting of;

an earthquake, a tornado, a power outage, and an extreme local weather event; and

generating at least one alert identifying the detected event;

wherein the determination that the event has occurred requires processing of at least two of the sensor measurements provided by the secondary sensors of the plurality of smart-home devices within the geographic region.

8. The smart home system network of claim 7, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the thermostat are housed within the thermostat.

9. The smart home system network of claim 7, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the smoke detector are housed within the smoke detector.

10. The smart home system network of claim 7, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the camera are housed within the camera.

11. The smart home system network of claim 7, wherein the primary sensor of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera is housed within the respective device and the secondary sensor of at least one of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera is housed with a different device that is communicatively coupled with the at least one of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera.

12. The smart home system network of claim 7, wherein the event detection processor is further configured to predict a trajectory of the future event.

13. The smart home system network of claim 7, wherein the plurality of smart-home devices includes a thermostat and a smoke detector.

14. The smart home system network of claim 13, wherein the secondary sensor of the thermostat is a seismic sensor or an acceleration sensor, and wherein the secondary sensor of the smoke detector is a seismic sensor.

15. A method for detecting an event comprising:

receiving a plurality of sensor measurements provided by secondary sensors of a plurality of smart-home devices of a smart home system network, said smart home system network comprising;

said plurality of smart-home devices that are distributed among a plurality of homes within a geographic region, each of said plurality of smart-home devices having a primary sensor that senses conditions central to the core operation of the respective smart-home device and a secondary sensor that senses conditions that are not central to the core operation of the respective smart-home device, the plurality of smart-home devices including a thermostat, a smoke detector, and a camera, wherein;

the primary sensor of the thermostat is related to the primary function of controlling a temperature and the secondary sensor of the thermostat is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a seismic sensor, an audio sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a radiation sensor;

the primary sensor of the smoke detector is related to the primary function of detecting smoke and the secondary sensor of the smoke detector is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a seismic sensor, a temperature sensor, an audio sensor, and a humidity sensor; and

the primary sensor of the camera is related to the primary function of video monitoring and the secondary sensor of the camera is one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of;

a temperature sensor, a seismic sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a radiation sensor;

analyzing selected ones of said plurality of sensor measurements to determine whether an event has occurred, wherein the event is a geographically distributed event selected from the group consisting of;

an earthquake, a tornado, a power outage, and an extreme local weather event; and

generating at least one alert identifying the detected event;

wherein the determination that the event has occurred requires processing of at least two of sensor measurements provided by the secondary sensors of the plurality of smart-home devices within the geographic region.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the thermostat are housed within the thermostat.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the smoke detector are housed within the smoke detector.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the primary sensor and the secondary sensor of the camera are housed within the camera.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the primary sensor of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera is housed within the respective device and the secondary sensor of at least one of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera is housed with a different device that is communicatively coupled with the at least one of the thermostat, smoke detector, and camera.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising predicting a trajectory of the future event.