BLE/WiFi bridge that detects signal strength of bluetooth LE devices at an interior of a dwelling

• US 9,706,365 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: August Home, Inc. (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: August Home, Inc. (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheng, Shih Yu Thomas, Johnson, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): KING, CURTIS J
• Application Number:
  US14/471,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20160037306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• 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

Abstract

A Bluetooth/WiFi bridge system has one or more bridges in a dwelling. Each bridge includes a computing device in an interior of a dwelling with an internet-facing radio, and a second radio communicating with one or more Bluetooth LE devices. The computing device provides for coordination of information flow between the two radios. The computing device is configured to enable the two radios to communicate and take incoming and outgoing information from one radio into a format that the other radio can transmit and receive. One or more Bluetooth devices or Bluetooth peripheral devices, collectively, Bluetooth devices, are in communication with the bridge. An intelligent door lock system is in communication with the bridge and the one or more Bluetooth devices. The bridge uses detection of a Bluetooth device that is associated with a person to track signal strength between the bridge and the Bluetooth device to determine where the person is located in the interior of the dwelling.

Claims

1. A Bluetooth/WiFi bridge system, comprising:

one or more bridges in a dwelling, each of the one or more bridges including a computing device in an interior of the dwelling with an internet-facing radio, and a second radio communicating with one or more Bluetooth LE devices, the computing device providing for coordination of information flow between the two radios, the computing device configured to enable the two radios to communicate and take incoming and outgoing information from one radio into a format that the other radio can transmit and receive;

one or more Bluetooth devices or Bluetooth peripheral devices, collectively, the Bluetooth devices in communication with the bridge;

an intelligent door lock system in communication with the bridge and the one or more Bluetooth devices, the intelligent door lock system including a position sensor configured to know its current position even if it has been moved since it has been turned off, the position sensor coupled to a drive shaft and a lock of the intelligent door lock system, where sensing position by the position sensor is tied to a movement of the drive shaft and a door open or lock status ; and

wherein the one or more bridges determines a signal strength between the one or more bridges and the Bluetooth devices to determine where the person is located in the interior of the dwelling.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges determines if the person is in the interior of the dwelling.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges track signal strength over time between the one or more bridges and the Bluetooth device to determine if known or unknown people are inside the dwelling.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges track signal strength over time between the one or more bridges and the Bluetooth device to determine if the person is approaching the dwelling.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges track signal strength over time between the bridge and the Bluetooth device to determine if the person is entering the dwelling.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges track signal strength over time between the bridge and the Bluetooth device to determine if the person is exiting the dwelling.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges track signal strength over time between the bridge and the Bluetooth device to determine if the person is moving away from the dwelling.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges track lock operations of the intelligent door lock system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a lock operations are either manual or via a mobile application.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges track door movements of the dwelling.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges track door knocks at the dwelling.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges interact with a cloud lock access services to gather and relay data.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein a data is used to determine location and movement of people in and out of the dwelling.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges discover the intelligent door lock system over a Bluetooth device network.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges discover lock devices of the intelligent door lock system by scanning a Bluetooth LE network for connected devices.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges in operation obtains lock device status of the intelligent door lock system, wherein the status is one of a door being secured or unsecured.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges in operation communicates lock device activity of the intelligent door lock system.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges in operation communicates a dwelling door activity.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein a door activity is one of door opening and closing and door knocks.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges in operation locks or unlocks a bolt of the intelligent door lock system.

21. A method of tracking a person'"'"'s location in a dwelling, comprising:

providing one or more bridges in the dwelling, each of the one or more bridges including a computing device in an interior of the dwelling with an internet-facing radio, and a second radio communicating with one or more Bluetooth LE devices, the computing device providing for coordination of information flow between the two radios, the computing device configured to enable the two radios to communicate and take incoming and outgoing information from one radio into a format that the other radio can transmit and receive;

communicating between the one or more bridges and one or more Bluetooth devices or Bluetooth peripheral devices;

communicating between an intelligent door lock system at the dwelling with the one or more bridges, the intelligent door lock system including a position sensor configured to know its current position even if it has been moved since it has been turned off, the position sensor coupled to a drive shaft and a lock of the intelligent door lock system, where sensing position by the position sensor is tied to a movement of the drive shaft and a door open or lock status; and

using the one or more bridges to determine a signal strength between the one or more bridges and the Bluetooth devices detect a signal strength between the one or more bridges and a Bluetooth device and determine where the person is located in the interior of the dwelling.