Devices and methods for providing heat-source alerts

• US 9,685,059 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Liang-Yun
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LEON VIET Q
• Application Number:
  US14/621,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20160240060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/12 Actuation by presence of radiation or particles, e.g. of infrared radiation or of ions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

A computing system receives blackbody radiation data from a thermal radiation sensor that is located in a room with a heat source and is directed at the heat source. An operating state of the heat source is determined using the blackbody radiation data. Occupancy data is received for a dwelling that includes the room with the heat source; using this data, an occupancy of the dwelling is determined, including an occupancy for the room. It is determined, using the operating state of the heat source and the occupancy of the dwelling, including the occupancy of the room, whether a heat-source alert condition that includes a first threshold time is met. If so, a heat-source alert is provided. A request of a first type is then received to cancel the heat-source alert. In response, the heat-source alert is canceled and the heat-source alert condition is modified.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a computing system comprising one or more processors and memory coupled to the one or more processors;

receiving blackbody radiation data from a thermal radiation sensor;

determining an operating state of a heat source based at least in part on the received blackbody radiation data;

determining an occupancy of a dwelling that includes the heat source;

determining, based at least in part on the determined operating state of the heat source and the determined occupancy of the dwelling whether a heat-source alert condition is met, wherein the heat-source alert condition includes a first threshold time;

in accordance with a determination that the heat-source alert condition is met, presenting or sending instructions to present a heat-source alert;

after presenting or sending the instructions to present the heat-source alert, receiving a request to cancel the heat-source alert; and

in response to receiving the request to cancel the heat-source alert;

determining a request type of the cancel request, wherein there are a plurality of request types, including a first request type classifying the heat-source alert as a false alarm and a second request type classifying the heat-source alert as a valid alarm; and

cancelling the heat-source alert; and

in accordance with the determination that the cancel request has the first request type, modifying the heat-source alert condition for future heat-source alerts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the heat-source alert condition includes changing the first threshold time to a second threshold time that is greater than the first threshold time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the heat-source alert condition includes changing a first threshold temperature to a second threshold temperature that is greater than the first threshold temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, including:

in accordance with a determination that the heat-source alert condition is not met, forgoing presenting or sending instructions to present the heat-source alert.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the heat-source alert condition is met is a first determination and the heat-source alert is a first heat-source alert, the method further comprising:

in accordance with a second determination that the heat-source alert condition is met, presenting or sending instructions to present a second heat-source alert;

after presenting or sending instructions to present the second heat-source alert, receiving a request of the second type to cancel the second heat-source alert; and

in response to receiving the request of the second type to cancel the second heat-source alert, cancelling the second heat-source alert without modifying the heat-source alert condition.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving ambient temperature data for a room with the heat source from an ambient temperature sensor located in the room with the heat source; and

determining the operating state of the heat source in the room based at least in part on the received ambient temperature data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the heat-source alert condition comprises:

associating a pattern of sensed household activity with the request to cancel the heat-source alert; and

changing the heat-source alert condition to additionally require an absence of the pattern.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein associating the pattern of sensed household activity with the request to cancel the heat-source alert comprises:

monitoring an occupancy condition in each room adjacent to a room with the heat source; and

monitoring a state of at least one device in each adjacent room for which occupancy is detected.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein associating the pattern of sensed household activity with the request to cancel the heat-source alert comprises:

detecting movement of an occupant from the room with the heat source to a respective adjacent room;

detecting activation of a respective device in the respective adjacent room within a predefined time after the occupant has moved from the room with the heat source to the respective adjacent room; and

receiving information regarding a category of the respective device;

wherein a subsequent activation of a device of said category within the predefined time after movement of the occupant from the room with the heat source to the respective adjacent room will preclude the heat-source alert condition from being met.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a housing that contains the computing system also contains the thermal radiation sensor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system, the thermal radiation sensor, and the heat source are contained in a single enclosure.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system is located in the dwelling at a separate location from the thermal radiation sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system is located in a server system remote from the dwelling.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the cancel request of the first type is selected by a user following the presenting or sending from among a group of cancel request options that includes the first type and another type of the plurality of request types.

14. A computing system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors,

the one or more programs comprising instructions for;

receiving blackbody radiation data from a thermal radiation sensor;

determining an operating state of a heat source based at least in part on the received blackbody radiation data;

determining an occupancy of a dwelling;

determining, based at least in part on the determined operating state of the heat source and the determined occupancy of the dwelling whether a heat-source alert condition is met, wherein the heat-source alert condition includes a first threshold time;

presenting or sending instructions to present a heat-source alert, in accordance with a determination that the heat-source alert condition is met;

receiving a request to cancel the heat-source alert after presenting or sending instructions to present the heat-source alert; and

in response to receiving the request to cancel the heat-source alert,

determining a request type of the cancel request, wherein there are a plurality of request types, including a first request type classifying the heat-source alert as a false alarm and a second request type classifying the heat-source alert as a valid alarm; and

cancelling the heat-source alert; and

in accordance with the determination that the cancel request has the first request type, modifying the heat-source alert condition for future heat-source alerts.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein modifying the heat-source alert condition includes at least one of:

changing the first threshold time to a second threshold time that is greater than the first threshold time; and

changing a first threshold temperature to a second threshold temperature that is greater than the first threshold temperature.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the determination that the heat-source alert condition is met is a first determination and the heat-source alert is a first heat-source alert, and wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

presenting or sending instructions to present a second heat-source alert, in accordance with a second determination that the heat-source alert condition is met;

receiving a request of the second type to cancel the second heat-source alert, after presenting or sending instructions to present the second heat-source alert; and

cancelling the second heat-source alert without modifying the heat-source alert condition in response to receiving the request of the second type to cancel the second heat-source alert.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to:

receive blackbody radiation data from a thermal radiation sensor;

determine an operating state of a heat source based at least in part on the received blackbody radiation data;

determine an occupancy of a dwelling;

determine, based at least in part on the determined operating state of the heat source and the determined occupancy of the dwelling whether a heat-source alert condition is met, wherein the heat-source alert condition includes a first threshold time;

present or send instructions to present a heat-source alert, in accordance with a determination that the heat-source alert condition is met;

receive a request to cancel the heat-source alert after presenting or sending instructions to present the heat-source alert;

in response to receiving the request to cancel the heat-source alert,

determine a request type of the cancel request, wherein there are a plurality of request types, including a first request type classifying the heat-source alert as a false alarm and a second request type classifying the heat-source alert as a valid alarm; and

cancel the heat-source alert; and

in accordance with the determination that the cancel request has the first request type, modify the heat-source alert condition for future heat-source alerts.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein modifying the heat-source alert condition includes at least one of:

changing the first threshold time to a second threshold time that is greater than the first threshold time; and

changing a first threshold temperature to a second threshold temperature that is greater than the first threshold temperature.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the determination that the heat-source alert condition is met is a first determination and the heat-source alert is a first heat-source alert, and wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions, which when executed by the computing system, cause the computing system to:

present or send instructions to present a second heat-source alert, in accordance with a second determination that the heat-source alert condition is met;

receive a request of the second type to cancel the second heat-source alert, after presenting or sending instructions to present the second heat-source alert; and

cancel the second heat-source alert without modifying the heat-source alert condition in response to receiving the request of the second type to cancel the second heat-source alert.