Smart home device adaptive configuration systems and methods

• US 9,578,443 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartlabs
• Original Assignee: Smartlabs
• Inventors: Cregg, Daniel Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rachedine, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US14/577,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20160183030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A network device on a home-control network receives inputs from local sensors and physical actions from the user and determines whether to change its state.

Claims

1. A method to automatically control a network device on a home-control network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first network device on the home-control network, message data from a second network device over the home-control network, the first network device configured to change an operation of the first network device, the home-control network configured to propagate messages, the message data from the second network device comprising an indication of a state of the second network device;

receiving first sensor data from a first sensor configured to measure a first parameter and second sensor data from a second sensor configured to measure a second parameter;

receiving user inputs in response to manual actions of a user to change the operation of the first network device, wherein the user inputs are received independently of the home-control network;

storing in memory past user inputs that changed the operation of the first network device;

determining, based on the first sensor data, the second sensor data, and the past user inputs, whether a current first parameter is within a first range of the first parameter in which more past user inputs occurred than occurred in other ranges of the first parameter and whether a current second parameter is within a second range of the second parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than occurred in other ranges of the second parameter; and

automatically changing the operation of the first network device with the first network device when the current first parameter is within the first range, the current second parameter is within the second range, and the indication indicates that the state of the second network device is a first state.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising analyzing the past user inputs to determine the first range and the second range.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the messages are propagated using powerline signaling and radio frequency (RF) signaling.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising sending a request over the home-control network using one or more of the powerline signaling and the RF signaling before changing the operation of the first network device.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising sending a message reporting a status of the first network device over the home-control network using one or more of the powerline signaling and the RF signaling.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the powerline signaling comprises message data modulated onto a carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal is added to a powerline waveform, and wherein the RF signaling comprises the message data modulated onto an RF waveform.

7. A system to automatically control a network device on a home-control network, the system comprising:

a first network device configured to receive messages over the home-control network, the first network device further configured to change an operation of the first network device, the home-control network configured to propagate messages;

a second network device configured to send message data over the home-control network, the first network device further configured to receive the message data from the second network device over the home-control network, the message data from the second network device comprising an indication of a state of the second network device;

a first sensor configured to provide first sensor data measuring a first parameter and a second sensor configured to provide second sensor data measuring a second parameter, the first network device further configured to receive the first and second sensor data;

the first network device further configured to receive user inputs in response to manual actions of a user to change the operation of the first network device, wherein the user inputs are received independently of the home-control network;

the first network device further configured to store in memory past user inputs that changed the operation of the first network device;

the first network device further configured to determine, based on the first sensor data, the second sensor data, and the past user inputs, whether a current first parameter is within a first range of the first parameter in which more past user inputs occurred than occurred in other ranges of the first parameter and whether a current second parameter is within a second range of the second parameter in which the more past user inputs occurred than occurred in other ranges of the second parameter; and

the first network device further configured to automatically change the operation of the first network device when the current first parameter is within the first range, the current second parameter is within the second range, and the indication indicates that the state of the second network device is a first state.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the first network device is further configured to analyze the past user inputs to determine the first range and the second range.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the messages are propagated using powerline signaling and radio frequency (RF) signaling.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the first network device is further configured to send a request over the home-control network using one or more of the powerline signaling and the RF signaling before changing the operation of the first network device.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the first network device is further configured to send a message reporting a status of the first network device over the home-control network using one or more of the powerline signaling and the RF signaling.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the powerline signaling comprises message data modulated onto a carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal is added to a powerline waveform, and wherein the RF signaling comprises the message data modulated onto an RF waveform.