Pet security monitoring

• US 9,804,596 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2016
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Slavin, Alison Jane
• Primary Examiner(s): Antonucci, Anne M
• Application Number:
  US15/069,675
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/008 incorporating GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services

Abstract

An electronic monitoring system is described that receives data indicating a location of a wireless beacon device that has been detected by a beacon monitoring device, and an identifier that is associated with the wireless beacon device, wherein the identifier corresponds to a mobile asset associated with a property. A location of the wireless beacon device is determined to be outside of an area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset. Based on the determination, the electronic monitoring system determines to dispatch a robotic device to the location of the wireless beacon device. A particular robotic device to dispatch is identified based on the determination to dispatch a robotic device to the location of the wireless beacon device. A command is transmitted to the particular robotic device that instructs the particular robotic device to navigate to the location of the wireless beacon device.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

one or more robotic devices;

a beacon monitoring device;

a wireless beacon;

a plurality of sensors located at different locations in a property;

one or more charging stations; and

a monitoring system control unit that is configured to monitor (i) sensor data generated by one or more of the plurality of sensors located at the property and (ii) a location of a mobile asset, wherein the monitoring system control unit comprises;

a network interface;

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the monitoring system control unit and from the beacon monitoring device, data indicating (i) a location of the wireless beacon device that has been detected by the beacon monitoring device, and (ii) an identifier that is associated with the wireless beacon device, wherein the identifier corresponds to the mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit;

determining, by the monitoring system control unit, that the location of the wireless beacon device is outside of an area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit;

determining, by the monitoring system control unit, to dispatch at least one of the one or more robotic devices to the location of the wireless beacon device, based at least on the determination that the location of the wireless beacon device is outside of the area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit;

identifying, by the monitoring system control unit, a particular robotic device of the one or more robotic devices to dispatch based on the determination to dispatch a robotic device to the location of the wireless beacon device; and

transmitting, by the monitoring system control unit, a command to the particular robotic device that instructs the particular robotic device to navigate to the location of the wireless beacon device.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the particular robotic device is a helicopter type device.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the beacon monitoring device is a monitoring station device that is capable of being activated by the wireless beacon device, and wherein receiving the data indicating the location of the wireless beacon device comprises receiving, by the monitoring system control unit, data indicating a location of the monitoring station device that has been activated by the wireless beacon device.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the beacon monitoring device is a user device running a surveillance application that is configured to detect wireless beacon devices, and wherein receiving the data indicating the location of the wireless beacon device comprises receiving, by the monitoring system control unit, data indicating a location of the user device when the surveillance application detects the wireless beacon device.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the particular robotic device is configured to:

track the wireless beacon device;

determine a location of the wireless beacon device, and

transmit, to the monitoring system control unit, data indicating the location of the wireless beacon device determined by the particular robotic device.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to a user device associated with a user of the property, data indicating that the location of the wireless beacon device is outside of the area that defines the permissible locations of the mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the monitoring system control unit and from the particular robotic device, data indicating that a person is proximate to the mobile asset;

in response to receiving the data indicating that a person is proximate to the mobile asset, identifying, by the monitoring system control unit, a user device for a user that is associated with the property; and

establishing, by the monitoring system control unit, a data connection between the particular robotic device and the user device for the user that is associated with the property that enables communication between the person that is proximate to the mobile asset and the user that is associated with the property.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, by the monitoring system control unit, the particular robotic device to output (i) information associated with the mobile asset or (ii) information associated with the property.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the monitoring system control unit, data indicating that a present location of the wireless beacon device is no longer outside of the area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit; and

in response to receiving the data indicating that the present location of the wireless beacon device is no longer outside of the area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit, transmitting, by the monitoring system control unit, a command to the particular robotic device that instructs the particular robotic device to navigate to a dock associated with the particular robotic device.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset corresponds to a boundary of the property.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the monitoring system control unit and to an automated asset return service, data that indicates a request for the automated asset return service to return the mobile asset to the property, wherein the data that indicates the request specifies at least the location of the wireless beacon device.

12. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the monitoring system control unit, data corresponding to video of the mobile asset captured by the particular robotic device; and

transmitting, by the monitoring system control unit and to a user device associated with a user of the property, the data corresponding to the video of the mobile asset captured by the particular robotic device for presentation at the user device.

13. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the mobile asset is a pet associated with the property, and wherein the wireless beacon device is integrated into a collar that is worn by the pet.

14. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the monitoring system control unit and from the beacon monitoring device, data indicating a condition of the mobile asset, wherein the data indicating the condition of the mobile asset is obtained by one or more sensors that are configured to monitor the mobile asset.

15. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the monitoring system control unit or the particular robotic device and from the wireless beacon device, data corresponding to a distress signal indicating a threat to the mobile asset; and

transmitting, by the monitoring system control unit, the command to the particular robotic device that instructs the particular robotic device to navigate to the location of the wireless beacon device based at least on receiving the data corresponding to the distress signal.

16. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the monitoring system control unit and from the beacon monitoring device, data indicating (i) a location of a second wireless beacon device that has been detected by the beacon monitoring device, and (ii) a second identifier that is associated with the second wireless beacon device, wherein the second identifier corresponds to a second mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit;

determining, by the monitoring system control unit, that the location of the second wireless beacon device is outside of an area that defines permissible locations of the second mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit;

determining, by the monitoring system control unit, to send a second robotic device to the location of the second wireless beacon device, based at least on the determination that the location of the second wireless beacon device is outside of the area that defines permissible locations of the second mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit;

identifying, by the monitoring system control unit, a second particular robotic device based on the determination to send a second robotic device to the location of the second wireless beacon device; and

transmitting, by the monitoring system control unit, a command to the second particular robotic device that instructs the second particular robotic device to navigate to the location of the second wireless beacon device.

17. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the monitoring system control unit, one or more user devices to notify of the determination that the location of the wireless beacon device is outside of the area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit; and

transmitting, by the monitoring system control unit, data to the one or more user devices that causes a notification to be output at each of the one or more user devices indicating the determination that the location of the wireless beacon device is outside of the area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset whose location is being monitored by the monitoring system control unit.

18. The monitoring system of claim 17, wherein identifying the one or more user devices to notify of the determination that the location of the wireless beacon device is outside of the area that defines permissible locations of the mobile asset that is associated with the property comprises:

identifying, by the monitoring system control unit, the one or more user devices based on determining that each of the one or more user devices is proximate to the location of the wireless beacon device.

19. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein determining, by the monitoring system control unit, to dispatch a robotic device to the location of the wireless beacon device, is further based on the presence of one or more humans at the property.

20. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein determining, by the monitoring system control unit, to dispatch a robotic device to the location of the wireless beacon device, is further based on the range of the robotic device relative to the location of the wireless beacon device.