COGNITIVE AND INTERACTIVE SENSOR BASED SMART HOME SOLUTION

• US 20180358009A1
• Filed: 06/09/2017
• Published: 12/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Daley, Stan K., Lin, Zhong-Hui, Liu, Tao, Phillips, Dean, VanOoyen, Kent R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,983,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

Systems and methods for smart sensors are provided. A smart sensor includes: a case; a power adapter configured to be plugged directly into an electrical outlet; a computer processor; a microphone; a speaker; a camera; at least one sensor; a control switch; a sync button; a USB port; and a memory storing: an operating system; a voice control module; a peer interaction module; a remote interaction module; and a cognitive module. In embodiments, the power adapter includes prongs that extend from a back side of the case, and the microphone, the speaker, the camera, and the at least one sensor are on a front side of the case opposite the back side of the case.

Claims

1. A smart sensor, comprising

a case;

a power adapter configured to be plugged directly into an electrical outlet;

a computer processor;

a microphone;

a speaker;

a camera;

at least one sensor;

a control switch;

a sync button;

a USB port; and

a memory storing;

an operating system;

a voice control module;

a peer interaction module;

a remote interaction module; and

a cognitive module.

2. The smart sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the power adapter comprises prongs that extend from a back side of the case; and

the microphone, the speaker, the camera, and the at least one sensor are on a front side of the case opposite the back side of the case.

3. The smart sensor of claim 1, wherein the voice control module is configured to:

resolve a voice command received by the microphone; and

use smart speech recognition to determine a user from plural registered users based on the voice command.

4. The smart sensor of claim 3, wherein:

the resolving the voice command comprises determining an instruction;

the smart sensor is configured to access user data on a user device based on the determining the user; and

the smart sensor is configured to carry out the instruction based on the accessed user data.

5. The smart sensor of claim 4, wherein the carrying out the instruction comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

initiate a telephone call using a contact list on the user device;

play, by the speaker of the smart sensor, music stored on the user device;

control a smart appliance; and

provide an answer to a question contained on the voice command.

6. The smart sensor of claim 4, wherein:

the cognitive module is configured to perform a cognitive analysis based on the voice command; and

the carrying out the instruction is performed based on the cognitive analysis.

7. The smart sensor of claim 1, wherein the peer interaction module is configured to communicate with at least one additional smart sensor via wireless communication in a mesh network.

8. The smart sensor of claim 1, wherein the remote interaction module is configured to communicate with a cognitive computing system via an external network.

9. The smart sensor of claim 8, wherein the external network is the Internet and the cognitive computing system is a cloud-based cognitive computing system.

10. The smart sensor of claim 8, wherein:

the voice control module is configured to identify a question in a voice command received at the microphone;

the remote interaction module is configured to transmit the question to the cognitive computing system via the external network;

the remote interaction module is configured to receive an answer to the question from the cognitive computing system; and

the smart sensor is configured to output the answer in audible form via the speaker.

11. The smart sensor of claim 10, wherein the answer is determined using cognitive-based natural language question answering.

12. The smart sensor of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a passive infrared sensor;

a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor; and

an ultrasonic sensor.

13. The smart sensor of claim 1, wherein the smart sensor is configured to:

detect motion using the at least one sensor;

capture video data using the camera and based on the detecting motion; and

transmit the video data to a user device via the Internet.

14. A smart system, comprising:

plural smart sensors connected in a wireless mesh network, wherein each of the smart sensors comprises;

a case;

a power adapter configured to be plugged directly into an electrical outlet;

a computer processor;

a microphone;

a speaker;

a camera;

at least one sensor;

a control switch;

a sync button;

a USB port; and

a memory storing;

an operating system;

a voice control module;

a peer interaction module;

a remote interaction module; and

a cognitive module.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the voice control module of a respective one of the smart sensors is configured to:

resolve a voice command to determine an instruction, wherein the voice command is received by the microphone of the respective one of the smart sensors; and

use smart speech recognition to determine a user from plural registered users based on the voice command.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the smart system is configured to:

access user data on a user device based on the determining the user; and

carry out the instruction based on the accessed user data.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein:

a first one of the smart sensors performs a function based on receiving a voice command from a user;

the first one of the smart sensors and a second one of the smart sensors detect that the user moves to a location that is closer to the second one of the smart sensors than to the first one of the smart sensors; and

based on the detecting, the first one of the smart sensors stops performing the function and the second one of the smart sensors starts performing the function.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein:

a first one of the smart sensors is configured to perform a first function based on a first voice command received from a first user;

a second one of the smart sensors is configured to perform a second function based on a second voice command received from a second user, the second function being different than the first function and being performed simultaneously with the first function.

19. A method of using a smart sensor system, comprising:

receiving, by a smart sensor, a voice command at a smart sensor;

resolving, by the smart sensor, the voice command to determine an instruction;

determining, by the smart sensor, a registered user from plural registered users based on smart speech recognition and the voice command;

accessing, by the smart sensor, user data on a user device based on the determining the registered user; and

carrying out the instruction, by the smart sensor, based on the accessed user data.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

performing a cognitive analysis based on the voice command; and

carrying out the instruction based on the cognitive analysis.

21. A computer program product for using a smart sensor system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer device to cause the computer device to:

receive a voice command at a smart sensor;

resolve the voice command to determine an instruction;

determine a registered user from plural registered users based on smart speech recognition and the voice command;

access user data on a user device based on the determining the registered user;

perform a cognitive analysis based on the voice command; and

carry out the instruction based on the accessed user data and the cognitive analysis.