DRONE DETECTION SYSTEMS

• US 20170092138A1
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott, Slavin, Alison Jane
• Granted Patent: US 11,017,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/00 Defence installations; Defence devices constructional aspects see Section E, e.g. air-raid shelters E04H9/04; protective arrangements for buildings E04B1/92; extinguishing or preventing the spread of fire from, incendiary bombs A62C3/06; dynamic armour F41H5/007; ballistically deployed systems for restraining persons or animals F41H13/0006; electronic countermeasures G01S
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/45 characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode"
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/82 related to preventing surveillance, interception or detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on storage devices, for drone-augmented emergency response services. In one aspect, a device includes a network interface, one or more sensors, one or more processors, and one or more storage devices that include instructions that are operable to perform operations. The operations include monitoring a predetermined geographic area that surrounds a particular property, determining that a drone device is within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the particular property, determining whether the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is an unauthorized drone device, and in response to determining that the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is an unauthorized drone device, transmitting a signal indicating the detection of the unauthorized drone device within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property.

Claims

1. An device, comprising:

a network interface;

one or more sensors;

one or more processors; and

one or more storage devices that include instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

monitoring a predetermined geographic area that surrounds a particular property;

determining that a drone device is within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the particular property;

determining whether the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is an unauthorized drone device; and

in response to determining that the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is an unauthorized drone device, transmitting a signal indicating the detection of the unauthorized drone device within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined geographic area that surrounds a particular property includes the airspace that surrounds the property.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the particular property includes a geographic area that spans a predetermined threshold distance from the particular property.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein monitoring a predetermined geographic area that surrounds a particular property includes:

capturing sensor data that is output from at least one of the one or more sensors.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein determining that a drone device is within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the particular property includes:

determining, based on the detection of first data that includes one or more sensor signals, that a drone device is within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the particular property, wherein the one or more sensor signals include (i) audio signals from a propeller of the drone device, (ii) video signals of nearby airspace, (iii) thermal signals generated from the drone device, (iv) radar detection of aerial speed of the drone device, (v) radiofrequency (RF) detection of oscillation in electronic circuits of the drone device, or (vi) RF communications.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein determining that a drone device is within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the particular property further includes:

confirming, based on the processing of second data associated with the property, that a drone device exists within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the particular property.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the second data includes video or image data captured by a security camera that is located within a predetermined distance from the particular property.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein determining whether the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is an unauthorized drone device includes:

generating an electronic signature that is associated with the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein determining whether the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is an unauthorized drone device includes:

accessing a database storing one or more electronic signatures that are each associated with a respective authorized drone device; and

determining whether the generated electronic signature that is associated with the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is included in the database storing one or more electronic signatures that are each associated with a respective authorized drone device.

10. The device of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

determining that the drone that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is an unauthorized drone device when the generated electronic signature is not included in the database.

11. The device of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

determining that the drone that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property is an authorized drone device when the generated electronic signature is included in the database.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein transmitting a signal indicating the detection of the unauthorized drone device within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property includes:

transmitting a notification to a user device, a monitor control unit, a central alarm station, or a combination thereof, that alerts the user device, the monitor control unit, or the central alarm station server, or a combination therefo, of the presence of the unauthorized drone device within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the notification includes information that identifies the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the information that identifies the drone device that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property includes a drone device type, a time of detection of the drone device, or both.

15. The device of claim 12, the operations further comprising:

evaluating the security threat posed by the drone that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property.

16. The device of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the security threat posed by the drone that is detected within the predetermined geographic area that surrounds the property exceeds a predetermined threshold, transmitting a notification to the central alarm station server.

17. The device of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

in response to determining that the security threat posed by the drone that is detected within the predetermined area that surrounds the property does not exceed a predetermined threshold, transmitting a notification to the user device.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the notification to the monitor control unit includes an instruction that instructs the monitor control unit to initiate a particular action associated with the property.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the particular action includes lowering one or more shades, turning on one or more lights, turning off one or more lights, closing one or more garage doors, locking one or more doors, or a combination therefo.