System and method for determining whether a resident is at home or away

• US 7,154,399 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2004
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ganesh, Meena, Cuddihy, Paul Edward, Graichen, Catherine Mary, Rajiv, Vrinda, Weisenberg, Jenny Marie, Kornfein, Mark Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US10/822,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20050237206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/028 Communication between parent and child units via remote transmission means, e.g. satellite network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0469 Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone G08B21/0476 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring whether a resident is away from home or inactive within the home. A sensor, which includes a transmitter, a processor, a timer, and a detector, watches for motion to occur within a home. Upon sensing motion, the sensor sends a first signal indicative of the motion if the timer is not currently running and waits for the motion to end. If the timer already is running, the timer is restarted at zero. Upon expiration of a predetermined timing period, the sensor transmits a second signal indicative of inactivity. By comparing the timing of the second signal and the predetermined timing period, with a third signal sent by an exterior door sensor, a determination can be made whether the resident has left the home or is inactive within the home. The system includes a database, a CPU and State Model for determining the activity state of a home.

Claims

1. A system for determining whether a resident of a home is inactive within the home or away from the home, comprising:

at least one motion sensor positioned to detect a first activity and to transmit a first signal indicative of the first activity and a signal processor for processing the first activity signal;

at least one exterior door sensor positioned to detect motion of an exterior door of the home and to transmit a second signal indicative of the motion; and

a monitoring center in communication with the at least one motion sensor and the at least one exterior door sensor, wherein the monitoring center is adapted to determine whether a resident of the home is inactive within the home or is away from the home based upon the timing of the first signal relative to the second signal wherein the at least one motion sensor comprises a timer adapted to run a pre-selected time period after the detection of the first activity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pre-selected time period is no greater than five minutes.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a communications relay panel for relaying the first and second signals to the monitoring center.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one motion sensor comprises a wireless sensor.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one exterior door sensor comprises a wireless sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one motion sensor comprises one or more sensors from the group consisting of inside door sensors, cabinet sensors, kitchen sensors, appliance sensors, cabinet drawer sensors, bed sensors, couch sensors, and chair sensors.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one motion sensor comprises:

a detector for detecting activity, the detector comprising a sensing portion; and

a transmitter for transmitting the first signal indicative of the first activity.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the sensing portion comprises at least one sensing mechanism utilizing a sensing technique from the group consisting of passive infrared, ultrasound, microwave, radar, infrared, and any combinations thereof.

9. A system for determining whether a resident of a home is inactive within the home or away from the home, comprising:

at least one wireless motion sensor positioned to detect a first activity and to transmit a first signal indicative of the first activity, wherein the at least one wireless motion sensor comprises a timer adapted to run a pre-selected time period after the detection of the first activity and a signal processor for processing the first activity signal;

at least one wireless exterior door sensor positioned to detect motion of an exterior door of the home and to transmit a second signal indicative of the motion;

a communications relay panel for relaying the first and second signals to the monitoring center; and

a monitoring center in communication with the communications relay panel, wherein the monitoring center is adapted to determine whether a resident of the home is inactive within the home or is away from the home based upon the timing of the first signal relative to the second signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the pre-selected time period is no greater than five minutes.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one wireless motion sensor comprises one or more sensors from the group consisting of inside door sensors, cabinet sensors, kitchen sensors, appliance sensors, cabinet drawer sensors, bed sensors, couch sensors, and chair sensors.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one wireless motion sensor comprises:

a detector for detecting activity, the detector comprising a sensing portion; and

a transmitter for transmitting first signal indicative of the first activity.

13. A method for determining a state of activity within a home,comprising:

providing at least one motion sensor to detect an activity event within a home and to transmit a first signal indicative of the activity event;

providing at least one exterior door sensor to detect an exterior door movement event at the home and to transmit a second signal indicative of the exterior door movement event; and

determining, with a central processing unit adapted to utilize information from the first and second signals in a state model, whether the home is in an active state, a quiet state, or an away state based upon the timing of the first signal relative to the second signal wherein the step to determine whether the home is in a quiet state comprises;

ascertaining the home is not in an away state; and

ascertaining that the at least one motion sensor has closed for a pre-determined and configurable period of time; and

ascertaining that the at least one motion sensor has not opened or closed within the period of time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step to determine whether the home is in an active state comprises ascertaining that the at least one motion sensor has transmitted the first signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step to determine whether the home is in an active state comprises ascertaining that the at least one motion sensor has opened or closed within a pre-determined and configurable period of time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one motion sensor comprises one or more sensors from the group consisting of inside door sensors, cabinet sensors, kitchen sensors, appliance sensors, cabinet drawer sensors, bed sensors, couch sensors, and chair sensors.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step to determine whether the home is in an away state comprises ascertaining the exterior door movement event and ascertaining no activity with the at least one motion sensor prior to exterior door movement event.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the step to determine whether the home is in an away state comprises ascertaining the exterior door movement event and ascertaining closing of the at least one motion sensor within a pre-determined and configurable time period after the exterior door movement event and ascertaining no further movement with the at least one motion sensor within the home thereafter.

19. A method for determining whether a resident is within a home or away from the home, comprising the steps of:

sensing motion within the home;

sending a first signal to a central monitoring center indicating the home is in an active state;

starting a timer for a pre-determined period of time, wherein upon expiration of the pre-determined period of time without sensing any further motion within the home, sending a second signal to the central monitoring center indicating the home is in a quiet state;

sensing movement of an exterior door to the home and sending a third signal to the central monitoring center indicative of the movement of the exterior door; and

comparing a time of the third signal with the time of the second signal to determine whether a resident of the home has left the home or is inactive within the home.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the sending of the first and second signals is accomplished by wirelessly sending the first and second signals to a communications relay panel and subsequently sending the first and second signals to the central monitoring center.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the watching is accomplished with a sensor utilizing a sensing technique from the group consisting of passive infra-red, ultrasound, microwave, radar, infra-red, and any combinations thereof.