SMART HOME DEVICE ADAPTIVE CONFIGURATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20160183030A1
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartlabs
• Original Assignee: Smartlabs
• Inventors: Cregg, Daniel Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,578,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A network device on a home-control network receives inputs from local sensors and physical actions from the user and determines whether to change its state.

Claims

1. A method to automatically control a network device on a home-control network, the method comprising:

receiving at a first network device on a home-control network message data from a second network device over the home-control network, the first network device configured to change an operation of the first network device, the home-control network configured to propagate messages, the message data from the second network device associated with a state of the second network device;

receiving sensor data from a sensor configured to measure a first parameter;

receiving user inputs in response to manual actions of a user to change the operation of the first network device, wherein the user inputs are received independently of the home-control network;

storing in memory past user inputs that changed the operation of the first network device; and

automatically changing the state of the first network device with the first network device based at least in part on the message data from the second network device, the sensor data, and the past user inputs.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising analyzing the past user inputs to determine a range of the first parameter in which more past user inputs occurred than occurred in other ranges of the first parameter.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining, based on the first sensor data and the past user inputs, whether a current first parameter is within the range of the first parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than occurred in the other ranges of the first parameter.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining based on the message data from the second network device whether the state of the second network device comprises a first state.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising changing the operation of the first network device with the first network device when the current first parameter is within the range of the first parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than in the other ranges of the first parameter and the state of the second network device comprises the first state.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending a request over the home-control network using one or more of the powerline signaling and the RF signaling before changing the operation of the first network device.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending a message reporting a status of the first network device over the home-control network using one or more of the powerline signaling and the RF signaling.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising accessing second sensor information to provide a second parameter and determining, based on the second sensor information and the past user inputs, whether a current second parameter is within a range of the second parameter in which more past user inputs occurred than occurred in other ranges of the second parameter.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising automatically changing the operation of the first network device with the first network device when the current first parameter is within the range of the first parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than in the other ranges of the first parameter, the current second parameter is within the range of the second parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than occurred in the other ranges of the second parameter, and the state of the second network device comprises the first state.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the messages are propagated using powerline signaling and radio frequency (RF) signaling, wherein the powerline signaling comprises message data modulated onto a carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal is added to a powerline waveform, and wherein the RF signaling comprises the message data modulated onto an RF waveform.

11. A system to automatically control a network device on a home-control network, the system comprising:

a first network device configured to receive messages over the home-control network, the first network device further configured to change an operation of the first network device, the home-control network configured to propagate messages;

a second network device configured to send message data over the home-control network, the first network device further configured to receive the message data from the second network device over the home-control network, the message data from the second network device associated with a state of the second network device;

a sensor configured to provide sensor data measuring a first parameter, the first network device further configured to receive the sensor data;

the first network device further configured to receive user inputs in response to manual actions of a user to change the operation of the first network device, wherein the user inputs are received independently of the home-control network;

the first network device further configured to store in memory past user inputs that changed the operation of the first network device; and

the first network device further configured to automatically change the state of the first network device based at least in part on the message data from the second network device, the sensor data, and the past user inputs.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first network device is further configured to analyze the past user inputs to determine a range of the first parameter in which more past user inputs occurred than occurred in other ranges of the first parameter.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the first network device is further configured to determine, based on the first sensor data and the past user inputs, whether a current first parameter is within the range of the first parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than occurred in the other ranges of the first parameter.

14. The system of claim 13 further wherein the first network device is further configured to determine based on the message data from the second network device whether the state of the second network device comprises a first state.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the first network device is further configured to change the operation of the first network device when the current first parameter is within the range of the first parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than in the other ranges of the first parameter and the state of the second network device comprises the first state.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the first network device is further configured to send a request over the home-control network using one or more of the powerline signaling and the RF signaling before changing the operation of the first network device.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the first network device is further configured to send a message reporting a status of the first network device over the home-control network using one or more of the powerline signaling and the RF signaling.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the first network device is further configured to access second sensor information to provide a second parameter and determine, based on the second sensor information and the past user inputs, whether a current second parameter is within a range of the second parameter in which more past user inputs occurred than occurred in other ranges of the second parameter.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first network device is further configured to automatically change the operation of the first network device when the current first parameter is within the range of the first parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than in the other ranges of the first parameter, the current second parameter is within the range of the second parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than occurred in the other ranges of the second parameter, and the state of the second network device comprises the first state.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the messages are propagated using powerline signaling and radio frequency (RF) signaling, wherein the powerline signaling comprises message data modulated onto a carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal is added to a powerline waveform, and wherein the RF signaling comprises the message data modulated onto an RF waveform.