AUTOMATED DISPLAY ADJUSTMENT FOR SMART-HOME DEVICE BASED ON VIEWER LOCATION OR OTHER SENSED VIEWER-RELATED PARAMETERS

• US 20170060369A1
• Filed: 05/23/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Goyal, Vivek, Stefanski, John, Saltzman, David, Stefanski, Mark, Sloo, David, Thornton, Isabel
• Application Number:
  US15/162,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20170060369A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/66 Sleep mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/12 Position of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/163 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart, intelligent house
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; 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 H04Q9/00

Abstract

A deivce may include a user interface configured to display at least a first graphical display and a second graphical display, a first proximity sensor having a first responsive range, and a second proximity sensor having a second responsive range. A processing system may be programmed to control the user interface by receiving an indication of a user presence within the second responsive range from the second proximity sensor while not receiving an indication of a user presence within the first responsive range from the first proximity sensor and causing the user interface to display the second graphical display. The processing system may also be programmed to receive an indication of a user presence within the first responsive range from the first proximity sensor and an indication of the user presence within the second responsive range from the second proximity sensor and cause the user interface to transition from the second graphical display to the first graphical display.

Claims

1. A user-controllable device for monitoring a system or condition of a location, comprising:

a user interface configured to display at least a first graphical display and a second graphical display;

a processing system, the processing system being configured to be in operative communication the user interface for monitoring;

a first proximity sensor having a first responsive range, the first proximity sensor generating a response when a user is located within the first responsive range;

a second proximity sensor having a second responsive range, the second proximity sensor generating a response when a user is located within the second responsive range, the second responsive range being greater than the first responsive range;

wherein the processing system is programmed to control the user interface by performing operations comprising;

receiving an indication of a user presence within the second responsive range from the second proximity sensor while not receiving an indication of a user presence within the first responsive range from the first proximity sensor;

in response to receiving the indication of a user presence within the second responsive range while not receiving the indication of a user presence within the first responsive range, causing the user interface to display the second graphical display;

receiving an indication of a user presence within the first responsive range from the first proximity sensor and an indication of the user presence within the second responsive range from the second proximity sensor; and

in response to receiving the indication of a user presence within the first responsive range and the indication of a user presence within the second responsive range, causing the user interface to display the first graphical display.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the second graphical display comprises an alert icon, and the first graphical display comprises a textual description of an alert message for the alert icon.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the second graphical display comprises a numerical display representing the condition of the location having a second size, and the first graphical display comprises a numerical display representing the condition of the location having a first size, wherein the second size is visually larger than the first size.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the second graphical display comprises a time of day, and the first graphical display comprises the condition of the location.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first proximity sensor comprises a multi-channel thermopile comprising at least two overlapping responsive areas.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the processing system is further programmed or configured to control the user interface by performing additional operations comprising:

receiving responses associated with the at least two overlapping responsive areas from the first proximity sensor;

based on timing between the received responses, calculating an approximate speed of a user passing through the first responsive range of the first proximity sensor;

displaying the first graphical display when the approximate speed is below a predetermined threshold; and

displaying a third graphical display when the approximate speed is above the predetermined threshold.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the processing system is further programmed or configured to control the user interface by performing additional operations comprising:

receiving responses associated with the at least two overlapping responsive areas from the first proximity sensor;

based on the received responses, calculating a motion signature of a user passing through the first responsive range of the first proximity sensor;

displaying the first graphical display when the motion signature matches a predetermined motion signature; and

displaying a third graphical display when the motion signature does not match the predetermined motion signature.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the processing system is further programmed or configured to control the user interface by performing additional operations comprising:

receiving responses associated with the at least two overlapping responsive areas from the first proximity sensor;

based on the received responses, determining a user identity;

displaying the first graphical display when the user identity matches a predetermined user identity; and

displaying a third graphical display when the user identity does not match the predetermined user identity.

9. The device of claim 5 wherein the multi-channel thermopile comprises a four-channel thermopile having four overlapping responsive areas comprising an up channel, a down channel, a left channel, and a right channel.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the second proximity sensor comprises a far-field Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor.

11. A method of customizing a display of a user-controllable device for monitoring a system or condition of a location, the method comprising:

monitoring a system or condition of a location with the user-controllable device, the user-controllable device comprising;

a user interface configured to display at least a first graphical display and a second graphical display;

a processing system, the processing system being configured to be in operative communication the user interface for monitoring;

a first proximity sensor having a first responsive range, the first proximity sensor generating a response when a user moves within the first responsive range;

a second proximity sensor having a second responsive range, the second proximity sensor generating a response when a user moves within the second responsive range, the second responsive range being greater than the first responsive range;

receiving, by the processing system, an indication of a user presence within the second responsive range from the second proximity sensor while not receiving an indication of a user presence within the first responsive range from the first proximity sensor;

in response to receiving the indication of a user presence within the second responsive range while not receiving the indication of a user presence within the first responsive range, causing, by the processing system, the user interface to display the second graphical display;

receiving, by the processing system, an indication of a user presence within the first responsive range from the first proximity sensor and an indication of the user presence within the second responsive range from the second proximity sensor; and

in response to receiving the indication of a user presence within the first responsive range and the indication of a user presence within the second responsive range, causing, by the processing system, the user interface to display the first graphical display.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second graphical display comprises an alert icon, and the first graphical display comprises a textual description of an alert message for the alert icon.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second graphical display comprises a numerical display representing the condition of the location having a second size, and the first graphical display comprises a numerical display representing the condition of the location having a first size, wherein the second size is visually larger than the first size.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second graphical display comprises a time of day, and the first graphical display comprises the condition of the location.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first proximity sensor comprises a multi-channel thermopile comprising at least two overlapping responsive areas.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving responses associated with the at least two overlapping responsive areas from the first proximity sensor;

based on timing between the received responses, calculating an approximate speed of a user passing through the first responsive range of the first proximity sensor;

displaying the first graphical display when the approximate speed is below a predetermined threshold; and

displaying a third graphical display when the approximate speed is above the predetermined threshold.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving responses associated with the at least two overlapping responsive areas from the first proximity sensor;

based on the received responses, calculating a motion signature of a user passing through the first responsive range of the first proximity sensor;

displaying the first graphical display when the motion signature matches a predetermined motion signature; and

displaying a third graphical display when the motion signature does not match the predetermined motion signature.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving responses associated with the at least two overlapping responsive areas from the first proximity sensor;

based on the received responses, determining a user identity;

displaying the first graphical display when the user identity matches a predetermined user identity; and

displaying a third graphical display when the user identity does not match the predetermined user identity.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the multi-channel thermopile comprises a four-channel thermopile having four overlapping responsive areas comprising an up channel, a down channel, a left channel, and a right channel.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the second proximity sensor comprises a far-field Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor.