Security panel with virtual sensors

• US 9,922,512 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2014
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Giri, Prashanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMSON, SARA B
• Application Number:
  US15/030,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20160267756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/122 for a perimeter fence features peculiar to electrified fences A01K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2491 Intrusion detection systems, i.e. where the body of an intruder causes the interference with the electromagnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Embodiments are directed to a security panel configured to interface with virtual sensors. The security panel includes a sensor subsystem configured to receive sensor input from a plurality of physical sensors. A virtual sensor subsystem is configured to receive a virtual sensor input from an enrolled virtual sensor source as a virtual sensor and provide the virtual sensor input to the sensor subsystem. A monitoring subsystem is configured to provide an alert based on detection of an alert condition associated with at least one of the physical sensors and to provide the alert based on detection of a virtual alert condition associated with the virtual sensor.

Claims

1. A security panel, comprising:

a sensor subsystem configured to receive sensor input from a plurality of physical sensors directly interfaced to the sensor subsystem;

a virtual sensor subsystem configured to receive a virtual sensor input from an enrolled virtual sensor source as a virtual sensor and provide the virtual sensor input to the sensor subsystem, wherein the enrolled virtual sensor source is independent from the plurality of physical sensors directly interfaced to the sensor subsystem; and

a monitoring subsystem configured to provide an alert based on detection of an alert condition associated with at least one of the physical sensors and to provide the alert based on detection of a virtual alert condition associated with the virtual sensor, wherein the virtual sensor input further comprises metadata to display on a user interface as additional details associated with the alert.

2. The security panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of physical sensors establish a security perimeter.

3. The security panel of claim 2, wherein the enrolled virtual sensor source is a third-party source for a physical sensor within the security perimeter that is not directly compatible with the sensor subsystem.

4. The security panel of claim 2, wherein the enrolled virtual sensor source is a remote data source external to the security perimeter and configured to provide a virtual sensor alert as the virtual sensor input to the virtual sensor subsystem through a virtual sensor application programming interface.

5. The security panel of claim 1, wherein a state of the virtual sensor is remotely settable as meeting the virtual alert condition.

6. The security panel of claim 1, wherein the virtual sensor is remotely installable, configurable, and removable.

7. A security system, comprising:

a plurality of virtual sensors configured to provide virtual sensor input from a plurality of enrolled virtual sensor sources;

a plurality of physical sensors configured to provide sensor input; and

a security panel comprising;

a sensor subsystem configured to receive the sensor input from the plurality of physical sensors directly interfaced to the sensor subsystem;

a virtual sensor subsystem configured to receive the virtual sensor input and provide the virtual sensor input to the sensor subsystem, wherein the enrolled virtual sensor sources are independent from the plurality of physical sensors directly interfaced to the sensor subsystem; and

a monitoring subsystem configured to provide an alert based on detection of an alert condition associated with at least one of the physical sensors and to provide the alert based on detection of a virtual alert condition associated with at least one of the virtual sensors, wherein the virtual sensor input further comprises metadata to display on a user interface as additional details associated with the alert.

8. The security system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of physical sensors establish a security perimeter.

9. The security system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the enrolled virtual sensor sources is a third-party source for a physical sensor within the security perimeter that is not directly compatible with the sensor subsystem.

10. The security system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the enrolled virtual sensor sources is a remote data source external to the security perimeter and configured to provide a virtual sensor alert as the virtual sensor input to the virtual sensor subsystem through a virtual sensor application programming interface.

11. The security system of claim 7, wherein a state of at least one of the virtual sensors is remotely settable as meeting the virtual alert condition.

12. The security system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the virtual sensors is remotely installable, configurable, and removable.

13. A method for virtual sensor management on a security panel, comprising:

receiving a request at the security panel to add a virtual sensor;

enrolling a virtual sensor source through a virtual sensor subsystem of the security panel, the enrolled virtual sensor source configured to provide a virtual sensor input of the virtual sensor, wherein the enrolled virtual sensor source is independent from a plurality of physical sensors directly interfaced to a sensor subsystem;

configuring the virtual sensor to establish a virtual alert condition;

initiating monitoring of the virtual sensor in addition to monitoring of the plurality of physical sensors through the sensor subsystem of the security panel that establishes a security perimeter;

receiving metadata in the virtual sensor input from the enrolled virtual sensor source;

outputting an alert based on detection of the virtual alert condition associated with the virtual sensor; and

outputting additional details associated with the alert from the metadata to a user interface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the enrolled virtual sensor source is a third-party source for a physical sensor within the security perimeter that is not directly compatible with the sensor subsystem.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the enrolled virtual sensor source is a remote data source external to the security perimeter and configured to provide a virtual sensor alert as the virtual sensor input to the virtual sensor subsystem through a virtual sensor application programming interface.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

setting a state of the virtual sensor to meet the virtual alert condition based on a remotely issued command.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a removal request at the security panel identifying the virtual sensor; and

remotely removing the virtual sensor based on the removal request received at the security panel.