Workspace energy management using multifactor presence detection and mobile phone identity verification

• US 8,655,277 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jesudason, Basil Isaiah, Whittle, Craig Thompson, Bourret, Mary Louise
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US13/134,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20120302226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.6, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/420, 700/302, 713/320
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A workspace energy management method and system control the power state of workspace appliances using multi-factor presence detection and mobile phone identity verification. Multifactor presence detection substantially reduces the risk that workspace appliances will be powered-up in response to erroneous detection of presence at the workspace (e.g., false positive). Mobile phone identity verification, which verifies that the office worker'"'"'s mobile phone is at the workspace (and thus that the office worker is also likely at the workspace) before workspace appliances are powered-up, prevents workspace appliances from being inadvertently powered-up by personnel other than the office worker, but without compromising worker privacy.

Claims

1. A workspace energy management system, comprising:

one or more sensors at a workspace; and

one or more control units at the workspace, wherein at least one of the sensors is configured to receive first data from which at least one of the control units is configured to detect presence of a person at the workspace based on a first presence factor, wherein at least one of the sensors is configured to receive second data from which at least one of the control units is configured to confirm presence of the person at the workspace based on a second presence factor, wherein at least one of the sensors is configured to receive an identifier of a mobile phone at the workspace which at least one of the control units is configured to verify is associated with an office worker to whom the workspace belongs, and wherein at least one of the control units is configured after confirmation of presence of the person at the workspace and verification of the mobile phone identifier associated with the office worker to consult an energy profile for the office worker to obtain instruction on how to adjust a power state of one or more appliances at the workspace and adjust a power state of at least one of the appliances in accordance with the instruction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors is an ultrasonic sensor and one of the presence factors is a distance determined using data captured by the ultrasonic sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors is a sound sensor and one of the presence factors is a noise level determined using data captured by the sound sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors is a sound sensor and one of the presence factors is a sound pattern determined using data captured by the sound sensor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensors is a wireless networking sensor and one of the presence factors is a signal strength determined using data received by the wireless networking sensor.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless networking sensor is a Bluetooth sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone identifier is a media access control (MAC) address.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more appliances are office appliances.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more control units comprise a sensor control unit and an energy control unit.

10. A workspace energy management method, comprising the steps of:

receiving by a sensor of an energy management system at a workspace first data;

detecting by the system presence of a person at the workspace using the first data based on a first presence factor;

receiving by a sensor of the system at the workspace second data;

confirming by the system presence of the person at the workspace using the second data based on a second presence factor;

receiving by a sensor of the system at the workspace an identifier of a mobile phone at the workspace;

verifying by the system that the received mobile phone identifier is associated an office worker to whom the workspace belongs;

consulting by the system an energy profile for the office worker to obtain instruction on how to adjust a power state of one or more appliances at the workspace; and

adjusting by the system a power state of at least one appliance in accordance with the instruction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the sensors is an ultrasonic sensor and one of the presence factors is a distance determined using data captured by the ultrasonic sensor.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the sensors is a sound sensor and one of the presence factors is a noise level determined using data captured by the sound sensor.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the sensors is a sound sensor and one of the presence factors is a sound pattern determined using data captured by the sound sensor.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the sensors is a wireless networking sensor and one of the presence factors is a signal strength determined using data received by the wireless networking sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless networking sensor is a Bluetooth sensor.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile phone identifier is a MAC address.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more appliances are office appliances.