Home Automation System

• US 20170299210A1
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ametros Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Ametros Solutions LLC
• Inventors: Nyamjav, Dorjderem, Dashdorj, Tulgabaatar
• Granted Patent: US 10,047,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A comprehensive home automation system enables a real-time communication between the house and the owner. The system offers a set of monitoring, notifying and other automated functions around the house to homeowners. The home automation system includes a central control unit (CCU) and a plurality of end nodes that provide different measurements and control functions. A low-rate wireless personal area network is also provided for communications with the end nodes. The CCU enables the system to analyze and react to events in predetermined ways, and ultimately to self-learn the homeowner'"'"'s daily routine and to act in an anticipatory fashion. The end nodes include multiple detectors, light switches, controllers for HVAC, wall outlets and extension cords, home entertainment systems, video surveillance devices, and the like. The end nodes also may be Zigbee enabled devices that include detectors for fire, intrusion, flood, total air quality, and the like.

Claims

1. A home automation system, comprising:

a plurality of detectors that detect at least one of fire, home intrusion, flood, air quality, lighting status, door lock status, heating and air conditioning status, and entertainments system status;

a user interface; and

a control unit programmed to;

communicate with said plurality of detectors to select modes of operation of said detectors, to receive notifications and alert messages from said plurality of detectors, to provide said notifications and alert messages to a user via said user interface,

store commands, data, and events detected by said plurality of detectors,

perform timeline analysis and user behavior analysis on the stored commands, data and detected events to recognize usage patterns for home systems and to recommend an action plan for changing settings of said home systems, and

provide control commands to the home systems based on the recommended action plan and/or based on instructions provided by the user in response to the recommended action plan.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server that connects said control unit to a user access platform via an Internet connection and communicates with a remote emergency and/or security service.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user access platform is provided on a remote unit including a computer, a smart phone, and/or a tablet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a combination antenna for at least three different wireless communication protocols including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee communications.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the control unit further includes another antenna for cellular network based communication.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit further includes a resetting circuit having inputs connected to home and power buttons and an output connected to a reset of a power chip of the control unit, the resetting circuit including circuitry whereby a reset signal is provided to the output only when both the home and power buttons are depressed simultaneously.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the modes of operation of said detectors selected by the control unit include low power modes for limiting power consumption of the detectors during normal operation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of detectors include a fire detector comprising a microcontroller, a smoke sensor, and a temperature sensor, wherein the microcontroller selectively powers the smoke sensor and temperature sensor in different modes of operation to conserve power.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the smoke sensor includes an Infrared-Light emitting diode and a photovoltaic transistor and provides an output voltage to the microcontroller indicating whether or not smoke is present.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the different modes of operation include a mode in which only the smoke sensor or the temperature sensor is active until smoke or a temperature increase is detected, wherein once smoke is detected, the microcontroller activates the temperature sensor, informs the control unit, and monitors continuously with both sensors or once a temperature increase is detected, the microcontroller activates the smoke sensor, informs the control unit, and monitors continuously with both sensors, and wherein the microcontroller alerts the control unit of a likely fire if both smoke and a temperature increase are detected.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of detectors include an intrusion detector comprising a microcontroller, a motion sensor, and a sound sensor, wherein the microcontroller selectively powers the motion sensor and sound sensor in different modes of operation to conserve power.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the motion sensor includes a passive infrared motion sensor that provides an output to the microcontroller indicating whether or not motion is detected.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the different modes of operation include a mode in which only the motion sensor or the sound sensor is active until a motion or a sound is detected, wherein once a motion is detected, the microcontroller activates the sound sensor, informs the control unit, and monitors continuously with both sensors or once a sound is detected, the microcontroller activates the motion sensor, informs the control unit, and monitors continuously with both sensors, and wherein the microcontroller alerts the control unit if both motion and sound are detected.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of detectors include a flood detector comprising a microcontroller and a water leakage sensor.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of detectors include an air quality detector comprising a microcontroller, a combination sensor for carbon dioxide and total volatile organic compounds, a humidity and temperature sensor, a dust sensor, and an ambient light sensor, wherein the microcontroller powers the combination sensor, humidity and temperature sensor, dust sensor, total volatile organic compounds sensor, and ambient light sensor in time intervals to conserve power.

16. The system of claim 3, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of configurable icon groupings that are configurable by a user by function, where each icon represents a detector output and/or a home system that is controlled by the system.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit includes an initiating service management that processes communications between the user and the detectors including providing notifications and alert messages to the user, communications between the control unit and the server, communications between the control unit Zigbee enabled devices including said plurality of detectors, and data storage for commands and events.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit runs an intelligent service management that performs iterative timeline analysis and user behavior analysis on the stored data to recognize usage patterns.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the intelligent service management performs pattern based classification, proposes different working schedules to the user as recommendations, and implements the recommendations approved by the user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the intelligent service management monitors and analyzes home utility and device usages and analyzes the user'"'"'s usage patterns for the home systems by hidden Markov model and/or Bayesian inference.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the intelligent service management uses a model to classify user activities and utility and device usage where learned user behavior and timeline correlation are used as inputs to the model.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the recommendations to the user include minimizing utility usage, providing comfort for a specific user or larger group of users, or setting the home for a special event.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the intelligent service management module recommends at least one of the following modes to the user based on user behavior analysis and/or timeline analysis:

an Eco mode for minimizing utility consumption,

a Comfort mode for creating a comfortable environment for a user,

a Family Comfort mode for creating a comfortable environment for multiple users, and

an Event mode for creating an environment for a special occasion.

24. The system of claim 2, wherein the server includes a smart city processing server that provides communications between the control unit and remote emergency and/or security services via a monitoring center that monitors communications between control units and said remote emergency and/or security services for a plurality of home automation systems.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the smart city processing server clusters communications from a plurality of home automation systems to analyze and determine city wide behavior patterns or trends.