Integrated Docking System for Intelligent Devices

• US 20160195856A1
• Filed: 01/07/2015
• Published: 07/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yechezkal Evan Spero
• Original Assignee: Yechezkal Evan Spero
• Inventors: Spero, Yechezkal Evan
• Granted Patent: US 11,651,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/041 in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/046 Forward inferencing; Production systems
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

An integrating device 200 for supporting one or more devices 207 capable of delivering mass, energy and/or information to occupants localized to a sub-area of a room is combined with sensors 212 capable of detecting occupants within one sub-area or another and processor 206 which correlates the coordinates of the occupants to those of the delivery devices 207 and a controller 206 that drives the specific sub-area device to provide a localized delivery of services such as lighting, heating, cooling, sound and video, intercom, noise cancellation systems, information, entertainment content, connectivity to the internet or social media, and light therapy in an automatic process based on the detected instantaneous needs of the occupant for services.

Claims

1. A controller operated device-docking-station for the optimized delivery or modification of a mass or energy to a living space used by people comprised of:

a. a structure mounted in the room capable of supporting the controller and devices

b. one or more delivery devices attached to the structure controlled by the controller where said devices deliver any of;

energy, mass, sensations and information,

c. one or more sensor devices that detect information on the room, objects therein, devices therein and/or its occupants, in communication with the controller and providing the controller with said information,

d. a logical controller with circuitry for data storage, calculations and instruction set processing that is in communication with the attached sensors and delivery devices, where the controller processes algorithms to interpret the sensor information, retrieves stored data and generates control signals to the delivery devices so as to optimally deliver or modify mass, energy and/or information to the people in the living space

2. The docking station of claim 1 serving as an environmental control system comprised of:

a. a docking station attached to or located near the ceiling of a room, the docking station adapted to support at least one delivery device that supplies a work or living space and persons within that space with energy, mass, sensations, or information and at least one sensor adapted to measure environmental conditions within the space and the presence, location, physiology and needs of persons within the space;

b. a knowledge database comprising facts about the needs of specific persons when they are in the working or living space, the facts based on predetermined rules, sensor measured environmental factors and sensor measured information concerning the location and activities of the persons in the working or living space; and

c. a logical controller comprising an inference engine that uses best practice engineering rules, stored behavioral models and data obtained on the behavior of specific persons to carry out predictions of that person'"'"'s intentions and that uses artificial intelligence and applies the rules and facts stored in the database to deduce new facts.

3. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the docking station is adapted to allow modular addition or changing out of delivery devices and sensors.

4. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the delivery device that delivers energy delivers at least one of:

visible light, UV radiation, IR radiation, microwave radiation, radio wave radiation, pressure waves, and audible sound.

5. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the delivery device that delivers mass delivers at least one of:

heated air, cooled air, moist air, water, and fragrance.

6. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

a video or still analog, digital or thermographic camera;

a microphone;

a gas detector;

a pressure detector;

a humidity detector;

a temperature detector;

a flame detector;

a bolometer, a velocity detector, an occupancy detector; and

a motion detector

7. The docking station of claim 5, wherein the delivery devices deliver energy, mass, sensations, and information based on information from sensors that read parameters of the persons in the work or living space rather than parameters of the space.

8. The docking station of claim 5 comprising at least one sensor that measures body temperature, pulse, skin color, vasodilation, sweat or other physiological signs to allow the logical controller to determine whether a person feels hot or cold and to activate elements in the persons surround that affect their thermal comfort including a directional delivery device to deliver thermal radiation or a stream of hot or cool air substantially localized to that person.

9. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the delivery devices deliver energy, mass, sensations, and information only to a sub-area of the work or living space at which a person is present.

10. The docking station of claim 1, wherein, if more than one person is in the work or living space, the delivery devices deliver personalized energy, mass, sensations, and information only to each of the sub-areas of the space at which a person is present.

11. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the logical controller comprises software and hardware that enables it to activate delivery devices by interpreting voice commands and gestures of a person based on the context in which the voice commands or gestures are detected by sensors on the docking station.

12. The docking station of claim 10 capable upon receiving an individual'"'"'s voice command of operating devices that deliver a localized effect at the individual'"'"'s location adapted to use more than one means for identifying the individual, whereby upon the voice command the logical controller uses the two identifying means to activate the specific device that delivers the effect at their location.

13. The docking station of claim 10 where the logical controller runs probabilistic decision making algorithms and uses:

a) stored coordinate data of objects and devices and b) real-time sensor obtained data of location, head facing direction or hand pointing vector to derive a proximity or intersection with a device in order to associate a location with an ambiguous voice or gesture command to operate a specific device.

14. The docking station of claim 10 where the logical controller is situationally aware and supplies a user with energy, mass, or content by using information from the devices under its control to predict the user'"'"'s intent when making an ambiguous request, query, or action.

15. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein delivery devices and sensors are mounted on pitch and yaw mechanisms allowing them follow the movements of a person through the work or living space and to be aimed at specific sub-areas of the space.

16. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the docking station comprises at least one mounting chassis having at least one horizontal support bar the mounting chassis having a rotation mechanism allowing it to be rotated around a vertical axis and the support bar having a rotation mechanism adapted to be rotated about its longitudinal axis, thereby allowing attached delivery devices and sensors to be brought to different areas of the room.

17. The docking station according to claim 1 comprising an integral power supply and power and communications circuit that allows the logical controller to direct sharing of components.

18. The docking station of claim 1 adapted to be located in a vehicle.

19. The docking station of claim 1 adapted to make probabilistic decisions based on the occurrence of events generated by people and detected by more than one sensor detecting the same event and outputting data to the controller and to storage buffers;

the system comprising a processor running algorithms adapted to process data in real time and data from the storage buffers;

wherein the controller uses real-time data from a first sensor to detect a probable event and then calls up stored data from a second sensor, which the processor uses to determine the probability that the event did occur.

20. The docking station of claim 1 adapted to control multiple integrated devices employed for the provision of services to a user under optimized parameters, wherein a sensed change in the user'"'"'s usage of a device causes the controller to employ other devices to create new optimal operating parameters for the device being used.