IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,293,036

Granted Patent B2

US 9,293,036 · App. 14/200,380 · Granted Mar 22, 2016

Remote device control and energy monitoring by analyzing and applying rules

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 9,293,036
App. No.: 14/200,380
Granted: Mar 22, 2016
Kind: B2

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Abstract

Techniques are described for providing remote device (e.g., thermostat, lighting, appliance, etc.) control and/or energy monitoring. A system monitors sensor data captured by one or more sensors that sense attributes relevant to user presence at one or more monitored properties and status of one or more energy consuming devices associated with the one or more monitored properties. The system analyzes the monitored sensor data and the monitored device status with respect to a set of one or more rules and performs an operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored device status with respect to the set of one or more rules.

Claims (84)

1. A method for performing an operation related to controlling one or more energy consuming devices, the method comprising:

monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at multiple, different properties associated with a user;

monitoring status of energy consuming devices associated with the multiple, different properties associated with the user;

analyzing the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to a set of one or more rules; and

performing, using at least one processor, an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules,

wherein monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at multiple, different properties associated with the user comprises monitoring first sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at a first property associated with the user and monitoring second sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at a second property associated with the user;

wherein monitoring status of energy consuming devices associated with the multiple, different properties associated with the user comprises monitoring first status of energy consuming devices associated with the first property associated with the user and monitoring second status of energy consuming devices associated with the second property associated with the user; and

wherein analyzing the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises analyzing the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, and the second status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at multiple, different properties associated with the user comprises monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes relevant to user presence at multiple, different properties associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises performing an operation related to controlling multiple energy consuming devices that are associated with the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises performing an operation related to controlling a first energy consuming device that is associated with the first property based on the analysis of the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, and the second status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises performing a first operation related to controlling a first energy consuming device that is associated with the first property and a second operation related to controlling a second energy consuming device that is associated with the second property based on the analysis of the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, and the second status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises:

based on the analysis of the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, and the second status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules:

changing at least one device setting for at least one energy consuming device that is associated with the first property, and

maintaining device settings for energy consuming devices that are associated with the second property.

7. The method of claim 1 :

wherein analyzing the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, and the second status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises detecting activity at the first property associated with the user and detecting a lack of activity at the second property associated with the user; and

wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises performing an operation related to controlling an energy consuming device that is associated with the second property based on the detecting activity at the first property associated with the user and detecting the lack of activity at the second property associated with the user.

8. A method for performing an operation related to controlling one or more energy consuming devices, the method comprising:

monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at multiple, different properties associated with a user;

monitoring status of energy consuming devices associated with the multiple, different properties associated with the user;

analyzing the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to a set of one or more rules; and

wherein monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at multiple, different properties associated with the user comprises:

monitoring first sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at a first property associated with the user,

monitoring second sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at a second property associated with the user, and

monitoring third sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at a third property associated with the user;

wherein monitoring status of energy consuming devices associated with the multiple, different properties associated with the user comprises:

monitoring first status of energy consuming devices associated with the first property associated with the user,

monitoring second status of energy consuming devices associated with the second property associated with the user, and

monitoring third status of energy consuming devices associated with the third property associated with the user; and

wherein analyzing the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises analyzing the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the third sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, the second status of energy consuming devices, and the third status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules.

9. The method of claim 8 :

wherein analyzing the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the third sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, the second status of energy consuming devices, and the third status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises detecting activity at the first property associated with the user, detecting a lack of activity at the second property associated with the user, and detecting a lack of activity at the third property associated with the user; and

based on the detecting activity at the first property associated with the user, detecting the lack of activity at the second property associated with the user, and detecting the lack of activity at the third property associated with the user:

changing at least one device setting for at least one energy consuming device that is associated with the first property,

changing at least one device setting for at least one energy consuming device that is associated with the second property, and

maintaining device settings for energy consuming devices that are associated with the third property.

10. A monitoring system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage 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:

monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at multiple, different properties associated with a user;

monitoring status of energy consuming devices associated with the multiple, different properties associated with the user;

analyzing the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to a set of one or more rules; and

performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules,

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes at multiple, different properties associated with the user comprises monitoring sensor data captured by sensors that sense attributes relevant to user presence at multiple, different properties associated with the user.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises performing an operation related to controlling multiple energy consuming devices that are associated with the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises performing an operation related to controlling a first energy consuming device that is associated with the first property based on the analysis of the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, and the second status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises performing a first operation related to controlling a first energy consuming device that is associated with the first property and a second operation related to controlling a second energy consuming device that is associated with the second property based on the analysis of the first sensor data, the second sensor data, the first status of energy consuming devices, and the second status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein performing an operation related to controlling at least one energy consuming device that is associated with at least of the multiple, different properties based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored status of energy consuming devices with respect to the set of one or more rules comprises:

changing at least one device setting for at least one energy consuming device that is associated with the first property, and

maintaining device settings for energy consuming devices that are associated with the second property.

16. The system of claim 10 :

17. A monitoring system comprising: