Asset management monitoring

• US 10,574,945 B1
• Filed: 02/05/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seyfi, Ahmad, Rezvani, Babak
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US15/888,406
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 348144
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19643 wherein the cameras play different roles, e.g. different resolution, different camera type, master-slave camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1965 the vehicle being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/00 Identifying, scaring or incapacitating burglars, thieves or intruders, e.g. by explosives
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

Techniques are described for an autonomous asset management system that integrates autonomous devices, such as drone devices and other robotic devices, with a home security system of a property to enable management, monitoring, and/or tracking of various assets located within the property. In some implementations, an indication of an asset associated with a property is obtained by an autonomous device. Sensor data collected by one or more sensors of the property is obtained by the autonomous device based on the indication of the asset. A present status of the asset is determined by the autonomous device based on the sensor data. A determination that the present status of the asset does not correspond to an expected status of the asset is made by the autonomous device. In response, the autonomous device navigates to the particular location of the property.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by an autonomous device, an indication of an asset associated with a property and monitored by the autonomous device, where an expected status of the asset identifies a first location of the property where the asset is expected to be located;

obtaining, by the autonomous device, sensor data collected by one or more sensors of the property based on the indication of the asset;

determining, by the autonomous device and at a second location within the property that is different from the first location, a present status of the asset based on the sensor data;

determining, by the autonomous device, that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset; and

in response to determining that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset, navigating, by the autonomous device, from the second location of the property to the first location of the property.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after navigating to the first location of the property, collecting, by the autonomous device, one or more images of the first location of the property; and

confirming, by the autonomous device and based on the one or more images of the first location of the property, that the asset is not located at the first location of the property.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein confirming that the asset is not located at the first location of the property comprises:

processing the one or more images of the first location of the property to identify (i) objects represented in one or more images, and (ii) identification attributes of each object represented in the one or more images;

obtaining data indicating identification attributes of the asset; and

determining, based on the identification attributes of the object represented in the one or more images and the identification attributes of the asset, that none of the objects represented in the one or more images corresponds to the asset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset comprises determining that the asset is not presently located at the first location of the property.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to determining that the asset is not presently located at the first location of the property, identifying, by the autonomous device, a previous status of the asset that identifies a third location of the property where the asset was previously determined to be located;

navigating, by the autonomous device, to the third location of the property; and

after navigating to the third location of the property, collecting, by the autonomous device, one or more images of the third location of the property.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the previous status of the asset comprises:

accessing a historical status repository identifies (i) previous monitoring operations performed by the autonomous device in the property, and (ii) a previous status determined for the asset during each previously performed monitoring operation; and

based on accessing the historical status repository;

identifying a most recently performed monitoring operation within the historical status repository, and

identifying a previous status of the asset that was determined during the most recently performed monitoring operation.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the autonomous device and based on the one or more images of the third location of the property, that the asset is not located at the third location of the property; and

in response to determining that the asset is not located at the third location of the property, providing, by the autonomous device for output to a computing device of a user associated with the property, a communication indicating that the asset is not located either the first location or the third location of the property.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the expected status further identifies an expected physical condition of the asset; and

the sensor data collected by the one or more sensors of the property comprises one or more images of the first location of the property that are collected by a security camera of the property.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset comprises:

processing the one or more images; and

determining, based on processing the one or more images of the first location of the property, that a predicted physical condition of the asset does not match the expected physical condition of the asset.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that the predicted physical condition of the asset does not match the expected physical condition of the asset comprises determining, based on processing the one or more images of the first location of the property, that the asset is damaged.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

after navigating to the first location of the property, collecting, by the autonomous device, one or more images of the first location of the property;

processing the one or more images of the first location of the property; and

determining, based on processing the one or more images of the first location of the property, that a present physical condition of the asset does not match the expected physical condition of the asset.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the autonomous device, data indicating a security breach at the property; and

wherein the present status of the asset is determined in response to obtaining the data indicating the security breach at the property.

13. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

one or more storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

obtaining, by an autonomous device, an indication of an asset associated with a property and monitored by the autonomous device, where an expected status of the asset identifies a first location of the property where the asset is expected to be located;

obtaining, by the autonomous device, sensor data collected by one or more sensors of the property based on the indication of the asset;

determining, by the autonomous device and at a second location within the property that is different from the first location, a present status of the asset based on the sensor data;

determining, by the autonomous device, that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset; and

in response to determining that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset, navigating, by the autonomous device, from the second location of the property to the first location of the property.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

after navigating to the first location of the property, collecting, by the autonomous device, one or more images of the first location of the property; and

confirming, by the autonomous device and based on the one or more images of the first location of the property, that the asset is not located at the first location of the property.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein confirming that the asset is not located at the first location of the property comprises:

processing the one or more images of the first location of the property to identify (i) objects represented in one or more images, and (ii) identification attributes of each object represented in the one or more images;

obtaining data indicating identification attributes of the asset; and

determining, based on the identification attributes of the object represented in the one or more images and the identification attributes of the asset, that none of the objects represented in the one or more images corresponds to the asset.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device encoded with computer program instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, by an autonomous device, an indication of an asset associated with a property and monitored by the autonomous device, where an expected status of the asset identifies a first location of the property where the asset is expected to be located;

obtaining, by the autonomous device, sensor data collected by one or more sensors of the property based on the indication of the asset;

determining, by the autonomous device and at a second location within the property that is different from the first location, a present status of the asset based on the sensor data;

determining, by the autonomous device, that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset; and

in response to determining that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset, navigating, by the autonomous device, from the second location of the property to the first location of the property.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

after navigating to the first location of the property, collecting, by the autonomous device, one or more images of the first location of the property; and

confirming, by the autonomous device and based on the one or more images of the first location of the property, that the asset is not located at the first location of the property.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein confirming that the asset is not located at the first location of the property comprises:

processing the one or more images of the first location of the property to identify (i) objects represented in one or more images, and (ii) identification attributes of each object represented in the one or more images;

obtaining data indicating identification attributes of the asset; and

determining, based on the identification attributes of the object represented in the one or more images and the identification attributes of the asset, that none of the objects represented in the one or more images corresponds to the asset.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein determining that the present status of the asset does not correspond to the expected status of the asset comprises determining that the asset is not presently located at the first location of the property.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to determining that the asset is not presently located at the first location of the property, identifying, by the autonomous device, a previous status of the asset that identifies a third location of the property where the asset was previously determined to be located;

navigating, by the autonomous device, to the third location of the property; and

after navigating to the third location of the property, collecting, by the autonomous device, one or more images of the third location of the property.