Determining information about devices in a building using different sets of features

• US 9,739,813 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sense Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sense Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Houlette, Ryan T., Phillips, Michael S., Marcus, Jeffrey N., Micali, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAU, TUNG S
• Application Number:
  US14/707,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20160146866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 702 62
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique

Abstract

Electrical usage of devices in a building may be monitored to provide information about the operation of the devices to a user. The information communicated to a user may include historical information and real-time information. In determining the real-time information, it may be desired to provide the information quickly and use a smaller set of features that are available more quickly. In determining the historical information, it may be desired to provide more accurate information and use a larger set of features. A device may compute real-time information and historical information using different sets of features.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining a state change of a device in a building, the method comprising:

receiving an electrical signal, wherein the electrical signal is used to power a plurality of devices in the building;

computing a first feature of the electrical signal indicative of electrical usage of one of the plurality of devices using a first portion of the electrical signal, wherein the first portion comprises a first time and ends at a first end time;

computing a second feature of the electrical signal indicative of electrical usage of one of the plurality of devices using a second portion of the electrical signal, wherein the second portion comprises the first time and ends at a second end time, wherein the second end time is later than the first end time;

identifying, using the first feature of the electrical signal and prior to the second end time, a state change of a first device in the building;

after the second end time, using the first feature of the electrical signal and the second feature of the electrical signal to improve an accuracy of the identification by, (i) confirming the state chance of the first device in the building, or (ii) changing the identification of the state change of the first device to an identification of a state change of a second device in the building.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feature of the electrical signal corresponds to an electrical event at the first time or wherein the first feature of the electrical signal is a feature that is computed periodically.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying;

the state change of the first device comprises computing a first score using the first feature of the electrical signal and a model, wherein the model corresponds to the state change of the first device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein computing the first score comprises computing the first score using a transition model that corresponds to a state change of an element of the first device and a directed graph describing a plurality of state changes of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting first information about the state change of the first device to a server in real time.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting second information to a second server about (i) the state change of the first device or (ii) the state change of the second device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feature of the electrical signal corresponds to an electrical event generated by a first device and the second feature of the electrical signal corresponds to an electrical event generated by a second device.

8. A device for determining a state change of device in a building, the device comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory storing processor executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive an electrical signal, wherein the electrical signal corresponds to electrical power usage of a plurality of devices;

compute a first feature of the electrical signal using a first portion of the electrical signal, wherein the first portion comprises the first time;

compute a second feature of the electrical signal using a second portion of the electrical signal, wherein the second portion comprises the first time and wherein an end time of the second portion is later than an end time of the first portion;

identify, using the first feature of the electrical signal and prior to the end time of the second portion, a state change of a first device;

after the end time of the second portion, using the first feature of the electrical signal and the second feature of the electrical signal to improve an accuracy of the identification by, (i) confirming the state change of the first device, or (ii) changing the identification of the state change of the first device to an identification of a state change of a second device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first feature of the electrical signal is computed in response to identifying an electrical event.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor identifies the state change of the first device by computing a first score using the first feature of the electrical signal and a model, wherein the model corresponds to the state change of the first device.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

transmit, prior to the end time of the second portion, first information about the first device and the state change; and

transmit, after the end time of the second portion, second information about (i) the state change of the first device or (ii) the state change of the second device.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor identifies the state change of the first device by computing a first score using a transition model that corresponds to a state change of an element of the first device and a directed graph describing a plurality of state changes of the first device.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor selects the state change of the first device by generating a directed graph with a plurality of nodes, wherein a first node of the graph corresponds to the first device and the state change.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to transmit first information about the state change of the first device to a server in real time.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform actions comprising:

receiving an electrical signal, wherein the electrical signal corresponds to electrical power usage of a plurality of devices;

computing a first feature of the electrical signal using a first portion of the electrical signal, wherein the first portion comprises the first time;

computing a second feature of the electrical signal using a second portion of the electrical signal, wherein the second portion comprises the first time and wherein an end time of the second portion is later than an end time or the first portion;

identifying, using the first feature of the electrical signal and prior to the end time of the second portion, a state chance of a first device;

after the end time of the second portion, using the first feature of the electrical signal and the second feature of the electrical signal to improve an accuracy of the identification by, (i) confirming the state chance of the first device, or (ii) changing the identification of the state change of the first device to an identification of a state change or a second device.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor perform an action comprising identifying an electrical event in the electrical signal and wherein the first feature of the electrical signal corresponds to the electrical event.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first feature of the electrical signal is computed before the end time of the second portion of the electrical signal.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor perform an action comprising transmitting, to a server computer, first information about the first device and the state change.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein identifying the state change of the first device comprises computing a first score using a transition model that corresponds to a state change of an element of the first device and a directed graph describing a plurality of state changes of the first device.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the first information is used to provide real-time information about the first device to a user.