Garage door authentication and automation

• US 10,641,030 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott, Slavin, Alison Jane, Jutras, Bret
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afrifa-Kyei, Anthony D
• Application Number:
  US16/115,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20190063140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/767 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes
• 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 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00928 for garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19602 Image analysis to detect motion of the intruder, e.g. by frame subtraction

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, including receiving, by a monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property and from a sensor of the monitoring system, sensor data, receiving video data, determining that a vehicle is in a vicinity of the property based on the sensor data and the video data, comparing frames of the video data to an image of a known vehicle, determining a confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle, based on determining that the confidence score that reflects the likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle satisfies a confidence score threshold, identifying an action that is performed by the vehicle, identifying a monitoring system action that corresponds to the action performed by the vehicle, and performing the monitoring system action.

Claims

1. A monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property, the monitoring system comprising:

a sensor that is located at the property and that is configured to generate sensor data;

a camera that is configured to capture video data; and

a monitoring control unit that is configured to;

receive, from the sensor, the sensor data;

receive, from the camera, the video data;

based on the sensor data and the video data, determine that a vehicle is in a vicinity of the property;

compare frames of the video data to an image of a known vehicle;

based on comparing the frames of the video data to the image of the known vehicle, determine a confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle;

based on determining that the confidence score that reflects the likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle satisfies a confidence score threshold, identify an action that is performed by the vehicle by;

identifying a series of high beam and low beam headlight emissions from the vehicle;

or

identifying a left hand side indicator switching on for a first period of time followed by a right hand side indicator switching on for a second period of time;

identify a monitoring system action that corresponds to the action performed by the vehicle; and

perform the monitoring system action.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to perform a monitoring system action by opening a garage door.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

determine an armed status of the monitoring system;

based on determining that the monitoring system is armed, increase the confidence score threshold;

compare the confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle to the increased confidence score threshold;

based on determining that the confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle exceeds the increased confidence score threshold, identify the action that is performed by the vehicle;

identify the monitoring system action that corresponds to the action performed by the vehicle by identifying the monitoring system actions of disarming the monitoring system and opening a garage door of the property; and

perform the monitoring system action by disarming the monitoring system and opening the garage door.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

determine an armed status of the monitoring system; and

based on determining that the monitoring system is unarmed, decrease the confidence score threshold;

compare the confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle to the decreased confidence score threshold;

based on determining that the confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle exceeds the decreased confidence threshold, identify the monitoring system action that corresponds to the action performed by the vehicle;

identifying the monitoring system action that corresponds to the action performed by the vehicle by identifying the monitoring system actions of disarming the monitoring system and opening a garage door of the property; and

perform the monitoring system action by opening the garage door and switching a light at the property.

5. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

determine that a door between the garage and an interior of the property is opened; and

close the garage door a predetermined period of time after determining that the door from the garage into the property is opened.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to perform the monitoring system action by opening a garage door of the property and closing the garage door a predetermined period of time after determining that a light in the property in switched on.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the sensor that is located at the property and that is configured to generate sensor data is an inductive proximity sensor that is configured to detect a change in the electromagnetic field of the sensor based on the vehicle being within a threshold distance of the sensor.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the sensor that is located at the property and that is configured to generate sensor data is a motion sensor.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to determine a confidence score that reflects the likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle by:

determining a first confidence score that reflects a likelihood that a license plate number of the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches a license plate number of the known vehicle;

determining a second confidence score that reflects a likelihood that a model of the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches a model of the known vehicle;

determining a third confidence score that reflects a likelihood that a color of the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches a color of the known vehicle; and

determining the confidence score based on the first confidence score, the second confidence score, and the third confidence score.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive the image of the known vehicle and an additional image of an additional known vehicle;

receive a license plate number for the known vehicle and an additional license plate number for the additional known vehicle;

receive model data for the known vehicle and additional model data for the additional known vehicle;

receive color data for the known vehicle and additional model data for the additional known vehicle;

receive data identifying the action to be performed by the known vehicle to allow, and an additional action to be performed by the additional known vehicle;

receive data identifying the monitoring system action that corresponds to the action and an additional monitoring system action that corresponds to the second action; and

store the image of the known vehicle, the image of the additional known vehicle, the license plate number for the known vehicle, the license plate number for the additional known vehicle, the model data for the known vehicle, the model data for the additional known vehicle, the color data for the known vehicle, the color data for the additional known vehicle, and the data identifying an action to be performed by known vehicle and an action to be performed by the additional known vehicle.

11. The monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the monitor control unit is configured to:

compare the frames of the video data to the image of the known vehicle by comparing the frames of the video data to both the image of the known vehicle and the additional image of the additional known vehicle;

based on comparing the frames of the video data to the image of the known vehicle, determine a first confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle and determine a second confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the additional known vehicle;

compare the first confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle and the second confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the additional known vehicle to a confidence score threshold;

based on comparing the first confidence score and the second confidence score, determine that the first confidence score does not satisfy the confidence score threshold and the second confidence score satisfies the confidence score threshold;

based on determining that the first confidence score does not satisfy the confidence score threshold and the second confidence score satisfies the confidence score threshold, identify an action that is performed by the vehicle;

determine whether the action performed by the vehicle matches the action to be performed by the additional known vehicle;

based on determining that the action performed by the vehicle matches the action to be performed by the additional known vehicle;

identifying a monitoring system action that corresponds to the action performed by the vehicle by identifying the monitoring system action of opening a garage door of the property; and

perform the monitoring system action by opening the garage door.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein, the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive, from the sensor, additional sensor data;

receive, from the camera, additional video data;

based on the additional sensor data and the additional video data, determine that an additional vehicle is in the vicinity of the property;

compare frames of the additional video data to an image of a known vehicle;

based on comparing the frames of the additional video data to the image of the known vehicle, determine a confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the additional vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle;

based on determining that the confidence score that reflects the likelihood that the additional vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle does not satisfy a confidence score threshold, perform a monitoring system action by arming the monitoring system and maintaining a garage door in a closed state.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to perform a monitoring system action by generating an audible alarm at the property.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

communicate a notification to a user device of a resident of the property, the notification indicating that the additional vehicle is in the vicinity of the property, and including one or more images of the additional vehicle;

receive, from the user device of a resident of the property, data indicating that the additional vehicle in the vicinity of the property should be granted access to the property;

based on receiving data indicating that the additional vehicle in the vicinity of the property should be granted access to the property, disarming the monitoring system and opening the garage door;

storing the one or more images of the additional vehicle; and

updating a list of known vehicles to include the additional vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring control unit is configured to:

receive data indicating that the action to be performed by the vehicle is a distress signal;

identify the action that is performed by the vehicle by identifying the distress signal;

identify a monitoring system action that corresponds to the action performed by the vehicle by identifying the monitoring system action of contacting authorities based on the distress signal corresponding to a known distress signal; and

perform the monitoring system action by contacting the authorities.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property and from a sensor of the monitoring system, sensor data;

receiving, by the monitoring system and from a camera, video data;

determining, by the monitoring system, that a vehicle is in a vicinity of the property based on the sensor data and the video data;

comparing, by the monitoring system, frames of the video data to an image of a known vehicle;

based on comparing the frames of the video data to the image of the known vehicle, determining, by the monitoring system, a confidence score that reflects a likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle;

based on determining that the confidence score that reflects the likelihood that the vehicle in the vicinity of the property matches the known vehicle satisfies a confidence score threshold, identifying, by the monitoring system, an action that is performed by the vehicle by;

identifying a series of high beam and low beam headlight emissions from the vehicle;

or

identifying a left hand side indicator switching on for a first period of time followed by a right hand side indicator switching on for a second period of time;

identifying a monitoring system action that corresponds to the action performed by the vehicle; and

performing the monitoring system action.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein performing the monitoring system action comprises opening a garage door.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein performing the monitoring system action comprises opening a garage door and closing the garage door a set period of time after determining that a door from the garage into the property is opened.