Systems and methods to automatically detect a door state

• US 9,347,242 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartlabs
• Original Assignee: Smartlabs
• Inventors: Cregg, Daniel Brian, Escobosa, Marcus Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foxx, Chico A
• Application Number:
  US14/065,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20150116075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/00 Alarm locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/23 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks

Abstract

A door lock/unlock system for a building automatically controls locking and unlocking of a door. A door lock controller interfaces with an electronic door lock and receives messages including door lock commands from a local receiver. In turn, the local receiver interfaces with a hub device through a mesh network. The hub applies a rule set to make lock operation decisions, and sends messages comprising commands to operate the door lock through the mesh network to the local receiver. The local receiver decodes the messages and passes the commands to the door lock controller to automatically control the electronic door lock. A door state device checks the state of the door. When the checking mechanism indicates that the message was not received or the lock operation failed, the system alerts the user to take appropriate lock action.

Claims

1. A system to determine a state of a door of a building, the system comprising:

a door state detector configured to detect whether a state of a door associated with an entry to a building is one of a locked state and an unlocked state;

a hub device in communication with a mesh network and configured to transmit through the mesh network a door command to control locking and unlocking of the door, the mesh network configured to propagate the door command using powerline signaling and radio frequency (RF) signaling, the door command being one of a lock command and an unlock command;

a local receiver comprising a first antenna and a second antenna, the local receiver configured to detect with the first antenna an electromagnetic field generated by a presence of a carrier signal that is added to a powerline waveform, the carrier signal comprising a first RF signal having a first frequency, the presence of the carrier signal indicating that a first message encoded with the door command using the first frequency is modulated onto the powerline,

the local receiver further comprising an RF receiver and configured to wake up from an inactive state based on detecting the electromagnetic field generated by the presence of the carrier signal on the powerline in order to receive with the second antenna a second message encoded with the door command via a second RF signal having a second frequency different from the first frequency; and

a door lock controller in communication with the local receiver and operably connected to an electronic door lock associated with the door, the electronic door lock configured to automatically move between a first locked position and a second unlocked position based on the door command, the door lock controller further in communication with the door state detector and configured to transmit, after receiving the door command, the door state to the local receiver for propagation through the mesh network to the hub device, the hub device further configured to compare the door state with the door command and to transmit an alert to a user when the door command is the lock command and the door state is the unlocked state.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the powerline signaling comprises message data modulated onto the carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal is added to the powerline waveform, and wherein the RF signaling comprises the message data modulated onto an RF waveform.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the hub device is further configured to transmit the alert to the user when the door command is the unlock command and the door state is the locked state.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the local receiver is further configured to transmit through the mesh network to the hub device an acknowledgment after receiving the door command.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the hub device is further configured to determine whether the door command was received by the local receiver before sending the alert, and to send the alert when the door command was received by the local receiver and the door command does not match the door state.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the hub device is further configured to determine, when the local receiver has not transmitted the acknowledgement, whether a number of retries has reached a resend limit before sending the alert, and to send the alert when the number of retries has reached the resend limit and the door command does not match the door state.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the hub device is further configured to retransmit through the mesh network to the local receiver the door command when the number of retries is less than the resend limit.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the electronic door lock comprises a bolt that extends in response to the lock command and retracts in response to the unlock command, and wherein the door state detector comprises a sensor that senses whether the bolt is extended into a door jamb using one or more of conductive sensing, capacitive sensing, and magnetic field sensing.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the door state detector further comprises an electrical circuit including the bolt, and wherein the sensor senses a change in conductance.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the door state detector further comprises a switch circuit comprising the bolt and a magnetic switch, wherein the sensor senses a change in a magnetic field.

11. A method to determine a state of a door of a building, the method comprising:

transmitting through a mesh network a door command to control locking and unlocking of a door associated with an entry of a building, the mesh network configured to propagate the door command using powerline signaling and radio frequency (RF) signaling, the door command being one of a lock command and an unlock command;

detecting with a first antenna an electromagnetic field generated by a presence of a carrier signal added to a powerline waveform, the carrier signal comprising a first RF signal having a first frequency, the presence of the carrier signal indicating that a first message encoded with the door command using the first frequency is modulated onto a powerline;

waking up a local receiver comprising an RF receiver from an inactive state upon detecting the electromagnetic field generated by the presence of the carrier signal on the powerline in order to receive with a second antenna a second message encoded with the door command via a second RF signal having a second RF frequency different from the first RF frequency;

sending a control signal based on the door command to an electronic door lock associated with the door, the electronic door lock configured automatically move between a first locked position and a second unlocked position based on the control signal;

detecting whether a state of the door is a locked state or an unlocked state after sending the control signal; and

transmitting an alert to a user when the door command is the lock command and the state of the door is the unlocked state.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the powerline signaling comprises message data modulated onto the carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal is added to the powerline waveform, and wherein the RF signaling comprises the message data modulated onto an RF waveform.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting the alert to the user when the door command is the unlock command and the state of the door is the locked state.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting by the local receiver through the mesh network an acknowledgment after receiving the door command.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising determining whether the door command was received by the local receiver before sending the alert, and sending the alert when the door command was received by the local receiver and the door command does not match the state of the door.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining, when the local receiver has not transmitted the acknowledgement, whether a number of retries has reached a resend limit before sending the alert, and sending the alert when the number of retries has reached the resend limit and the door command does not match the state of the door.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising retransmitting through the mesh network to the local receiver the door command when the number of retries is less than the resend limit.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising extending a bolt in response to the lock command and retracting the bolt in response to the unlock command, and sensing whether the bolt is extended into a door jamb using one or more of conductive sensing, capacitive sensing, and magnetic field sensing.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising sensing a change in conductance of an electrical circuit comprising the bolt.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising sensing a change in capacitance of a switch circuit comprising the bolt and a capacitive switch.