Smart sensor adaptive configuration systems and methods using cloud data

• US 9,985,796 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smartlabs
• Original Assignee: Smartlabs
• Inventors: Cregg, Daniel Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman, Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US14/577,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20160177546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/012 details of the transmission means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

A cloud server associated with a plurality of home-control network, downloads sensor data, Internet data, and data from network devices outside the user'"'"'s home-control network, and analyzes the data to control water valves and leak detectors within the user'"'"'s home-control network.

Claims

1. A method to automatically control a water valve on a user'"'"'s home-control mesh network, the method comprising:

electronically receiving, with cloud-based computer hardware, network data from a plurality of home-control mesh networks, each home-control mesh network comprising a network controller and at least a water valve, each home-control mesh network further comprising a plurality of network devices, each network device of the plurality of network devices configured to retransmit messages intended for others of the plurality of network devices using powerline signaling and radio frequency signaling up to a predetermined number of retransmissions, the messages comprising commands to control a state of the water valve, the powerline signaling comprising message data modulated onto a carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal being added to a powerline waveform, the radio frequency signaling comprising the message data modulated onto a radio frequency waveform;

aggregating, with cloud-based computer hardware, the network data associated with the state of water valves from the plurality of home-control mesh networks within a geographic area of the user'"'"'s home control mesh network;

receiving, with cloud-based computer hardware, weather information for the geographic area from a weather service over a global network;

receiving, with cloud-based computer hardware, location information comprising a location of a user from a geo-location device over the global network;

generating, with cloud-based computer hardware, a command to control the state of a user'"'"'s water valve, the command based at least in part on the aggregated network data, the weather information, and the location information and comprising the message data; and

transmitting, with the cloud-based computer hardware, the message data to the user'"'"'s network controller, wherein the user'"'"'s network controller is configured to modulate the message data onto the carrier signal, to add the modulated carrier signal to the powerline waveform for transmission over powerlines of the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network, to modulate the message data onto the radio frequency waveform, and to transmit the radio frequency waveform for propagation over the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining, based on the aggregated network data, whether a number of the water valves associated with the plurality of home-control mesh networks within the geographic area have been enabled to drain water pipes.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining, based on the weather information, whether a freeze event is expected within a time period.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining, based on the location information, whether the user is away from the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising automatically controlling the water valve on the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network to drain water from the pipes when the number is greater than a threshold, the freeze event is expected within the time period, and the user is away.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending a message over the global network to the network controller associated with the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network, the message comprising a command configured to control the water valve on the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the network controller associated with the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network is configured to send the message to the water valve on the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network using the powerline signaling and the RF signaling.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a notification to the user reporting the state of the water valve on the user'"'"'s home control mesh network after automatically controlling the water valve.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a request to the user before automatically controlling the water valve.

10. A system to automatically control a water valve on a user'"'"'s home-control mesh network, the system comprising:

cloud-based computer hardware configured to receive network data from a plurality of home-control mesh networks, each home-control mesh network comprising a network controller and at least a water valve, each home-control mesh network further comprising a plurality of network devices, each network device configured to retransmit messages intended for others of the plurality of network devices using powerline signaling and radio frequency signaling up to a predetermined number of retransmissions, the messages comprising commands to control a state of the water valve, the powerline signaling comprising message data modulated onto a carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal being added to a powerline waveform, the radio frequency signaling comprising modulating the message data onto a radio frequency waveform;

cloud-based computer hardware configured to aggregate the network data associated with the state of water valves from the plurality of home-control mesh networks within a geographic area of the user'"'"'s home control mesh network;

cloud-based computer hardware configured to receive weather information for the geographic area from a weather service over a global network and to receive location information comprising a location of a user from a geo-location device over the global network;

cloud-based computer hardware configured to analyze the aggregated network data, the weather information, and the location information;

cloud-based computer hardware configured to generate a command to control the state of the user'"'"'s water valve based at least in part on the analysis, the command comprising message data; and

cloud-based computer hardware configured to transmit the message data to the user'"'"'s network controller, wherein the user'"'"'s network controller is configured to modulate the message data onto the carrier signal, to add the modulated carrier signal to the powerline waveform for transmission over powerlines of the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network, to modulate the message data onto the radio frequency waveform, and to transmit the radio frequency waveform for propagation over the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the cloud-based computer hardware is further configured to determine, based on the aggregated network data, whether a number of the water valves associated with the plurality of home-control mesh networks within the geographic area have been enabled to drain water pipes.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the cloud-based computer hardware is further configured to determine, based on the weather information, whether a freeze event is expected within a time period.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the cloud-based computer hardware is further configured to determine, based on the location information, whether the user is away from the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the cloud-based computer hardware is further configured to automatically control the water valve on the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network to drain water from the pipes when the number is greater than a threshold, the freeze event is expected within the time period, and the user is away.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the cloud-based computer hardware is further configured to send a message over the global network to the network controller associated with the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network, the message comprising a command configured to control the water valve on the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the network controller associated with the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network is configured to send the message to the water valve on the user'"'"'s home-control mesh network using the powerline signaling and the RF signaling.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the cloud-based computer hardware is further configured to send a notification to the user reporting the state of the water valve on the user'"'"'s home control mesh network.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the cloud-based computer hardware is further configured to send a request to the user to control the water valve.