Automated crowdsourced power outage identification and staggering of HVAC system restarts

• US 9,881,470 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2014
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Baynes, Andrew, McGaraghan, Scott, Fadell, Anthony M., Sloo, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Van
• Application Number:
  US14/508,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20150100166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/06 by tampering with fastening
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/04 Monitoring of the detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805

Abstract

Various embodiments involving a smart-home device are presented. It may be determined that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system. In response to determining that a power supply interface of the smart-home device has ceased receiving power from a structure'"'"'s wired electrical system, a power loss indication may be stored that comprises a timestamp. A network connection may be determined to be available. A notification may be transmitted of information from the stored power loss indication to a remote server via the available network connection.

Claims

1. A smart-home device, comprising:

a sensor selected from the group consisting of;

a temperature sensor, a smoke sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor, ambient light sensor, and an occupancy sensor;

a power supply interface that receives power from a structure'"'"'s wired electrical system;

a battery-based power supply configured to charge, using the power supply interface and provide power to the smart-home device when the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system is not powered; and

a processing system, the processing system being in communication with the power supply interface, the processing system comprising at least one processor and being configured to;

determine that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system;

in response to determining that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system;

transmit a query to one or more other smart-home devices that are connected with the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system;

determine that the structure has lost power based on one or more responses from the other smart-home devices, one or more non-responses from the other smart-home devices, or a combination of responses and non-responses from the other smart-home devices;

in response to determining that the structure has lost power, store a power loss indication that comprises a timestamp;

determine that a network connection is available; and

transmit a notification comprising information from the stored power loss indication to a remote server via the available network connection, wherein the smart-home device is either a thermostat, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, an entryway interface device, or security system device.

2. The smart-home device of claim 1, wherein the smart-home device is located in a first structure and the processing system being configured to determine that the network connection is available comprises the processing system being configured to:

query a second smart-home device located in a second house distinct from the first structure, wherein the first structure is a first house distinct from the second house; and

in response to the query, receive an indication that the second smart-home device has the available network connection.

3. The smart-home device of claim 2, wherein the smart-home device is a thermostat, the sensor is the smoke sensor, and the second smart-home device is a smoke detector.

4. The smart-home device of claim 1, wherein the processing system being configured to determine that the network connection is available comprises the processing system being configured to:

establish a wireless connection with a cellular phone that is connected with a cellular network.

5. The smart-home device of claim 1, wherein:

the sensor is the temperature sensor, wherein the smart-home device is the thermostat that controls an HVAC system.

6. The smart-home device of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

determine artificial lighting in an ambient environment of the smart-home device has transitioned from on to off within a threshold time period of the power supply interface having ceased to receive power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system, wherein the processing system being configured to store the power loss indication that comprises the timestamp comprises the processing system being configured to;

store the power loss indication that comprises the timestamp in response to determining that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system and the determining the artificial lighting in the ambient environment of the smart-home device has transitioned from on to off.

7. The smart-home device of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

determine that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system for at least a threshold period of time, wherein the processing system being configured to store the power loss indication that comprises the timestamp comprises the processing system being configured to;

store the power loss indication that comprises the timestamp in response to determining that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system for at least the threshold period of time.

8. A smart-home device data aggregation system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a plurality of power loss notifications from a plurality of smart-home devices, wherein each smart-home device of the plurality of smart-home devices is located in a different structure and the plurality of power loss notifications comprises a plurality of timestamps corresponding to times at which power loss was detected by the plurality of smart-home devices;

identify a plurality of locations corresponding to the plurality of smart-home devices from which the plurality of power loss notifications were received;

identify a power outage cluster based on the plurality of locations and the plurality of timestamps;

determine a utility service provider associated with a geographic region of the power outage cluster;

transmit a notification to the utility service provider indicative of a power outage and the geographic region of the power outage cluster;

create a schedule for reinitiating electrical HVAC functions for the plurality of smart-home devices, wherein the schedule defines staggered start times for electrical HVAC functions for the plurality of smart-home devices; and

transmit, to each smart-home device of the plurality of smart-home devices, a timing indication at which electrical HVAC functions are eligible to be reinitiated, wherein the timing indication indicates a time.

9. The smart-home device data aggregation system of claim 8, wherein the processor-readable instructions that cause the one or more processors to identify the power outage cluster based on the plurality of locations and the plurality of timestamps comprise processor-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

determine the power outage cluster using a threshold time difference and a threshold distance difference for determining whether the plurality of power loss notifications are associated with a power loss event.

10. The smart-home device data aggregation system of claim 8, wherein the processor-readable instructions that cause the one or more processors to identify the power outage cluster based on the plurality of locations and the plurality of timestamps comprise processor-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

analyze an electrical grid mapping to determine the plurality of smart-home devices are connected with a common electrical grid.

11. The smart-home device data aggregation system of claim 8, further comprising:

the plurality of smart-home devices, each smart-home device being configured to;

receive the timing indication at which an electrical HVAC system is eligible to be reinitiated; and

restart the electrical HVAC system based on the timing indication.

12. The smart-home device data aggregation system of claim 11, wherein the electrical HVAC system is selected from the group consisting of:

an electric heating source; and

an air conditioner.

13. The smart-home device data aggregation system of claim 8, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

collect social media data indicative of the power outage;

identify a location associated with the social media data, wherein the processor-readable instructions that cause the one or more processors to identify the power outage cluster based on the plurality of locations and the plurality of timestamps comprise processor-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

identify the power outage cluster based on the plurality of locations, the plurality of timestamps, and the location associated with the social media data.

14. A method for handling a power outage, comprising:

determining, by a smart-home device, that a power supply interface of the smart-home device has ceased receiving power from a structure'"'"'s wired electrical system, wherein the smart-home device is either a thermostat, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, an entryway interface device, or security system device;

in response to determining that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system;

transmit a query to one or more other smart-home devices that are connected with the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system;

determining, by the smart-home device, that the structure has lost power based on one or more responses from the other smart-home devices, one or more non-responses from the other smart-home devices, or a combination of responses and non-responses from the other smart-home devices;

storing, by the smart-home device a power loss indication that comprises a timestamp in response to determining that the structure has lost power in response to determining that the structure has lost power;

determining, by the smart-home device, that a network connection is available; and

transmitting, by the smart-home device, a notification comprising information from the stored power loss indication to a remote server via the available network connection.

15. The method for handling the power outage of claim 14, the method further comprising:

querying, by the smart-home device, a second smart-home device located in a second house distinct from a first house in which the smart-home device is located; and

in response to querying, receiving, by the smart-home device, an indication that the second smart-home device located in the second house has the available network connection.

16. The method for handling the power outage of claim 14, the method further comprising:

determining, by the smart-home device, artificial lighting in an ambient environment of the smart-home device has transitioned from on to off within a threshold time period of the power supply interface having ceased to receive power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system, wherein storing the power loss indication that comprises the timestamp comprises;

storing, by the smart-home device, the power loss indication that comprises the timestamp in response to determining that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system and the determining the artificial lighting in the ambient environment of the smart-home device has transitioned from on to off.

17. The method for handling the power outage of claim 14, the method further comprising:

determining, by the smart-home device, that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system for at least a threshold period of time, wherein storing, by the smart-home device, the power loss indication that comprises the timestamp comprises;

storing, by the smart-home device, the power loss indication that comprises the timestamp in response to determining that the power supply interface has ceased receiving power from the structure'"'"'s wired electrical system for at least the threshold period of time.