IP Library Granted Patent US 10,540,873
Granted Patent B2
US 10,540,873 · App. 15/920,259 · Granted Jan 21, 2020

Multifunction per-room home automation device

Inventor: Joseph Benjamin Phillips (Reading, GB)
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
G08B13/1672G05B15/02G08B7/066H04L67/12G05B2219/2642
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,540,873
App. No.
15/920,259
Granted
Jan 21, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Examples are directed towards providing a set of hub devices for providing per-room monitoring of an area associated with a structure. A set of hub devices monitors movements of a user through the monitored area to generate user traffic data. A dynamic map of the monitored area is generated based on the user traffic data. The set of hub devices detects sounds occurring within the monitored area. The detected sounds are identified. Some of the detected sounds are amplified and replayed on speaker(s) within the monitored area. Notifications of some detected sounds are provided to user device(s) to notify at least one user of the occurrence of the detected sounds. If a detected sound indicates a safety issue, a safe route leading from a current location of the user to a different potentially safer location is generated and provided to the user to facilitate an evacuation.

Claims (70)

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a computing device, an area associated with a structure;

detecting a sound via at least one microphone associated with the computing device, the sound having a sound level associated therewith;

based at least on the sound level being less than a threshold sound level, ignoring the sound; and

based at least on the sound level being greater than or equal to the threshold sound level, performing at least one of a first action and a second action that is different than the first action, in which performing one of the first action and the second action includes:

performing the first action based at least on the sound being either an unidentified sound or an identified sound that also is an unexpected sound; and

performing the second action based at least on the sound being an identified sound that also is an expected sound.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second action includes ignoring the sound.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the first action further comprises:

amplifying the sound to generate an amplified sound;

playing the amplified sound via at least one speaker within the area associated with the structure; and

sending a notification associated with the sound to a client device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the unexpected sound is an alarm and wherein the method further comprises:

analyzing sound detection data associated with the detected sound to identify an origin of the alarm; and

sending the notification, including an identification of a type of the alarm, a start time of the alarm and an origin of the alarm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is in a sleep mode when the sound is detected, and further comprising:

entering an active mode on detecting the sound;

analyzing sound detection data obtained from the at least one microphone within the monitored area to determine an origin of the sound; and

on determining an origin of the sound is outside the monitored area, ignoring the sound and returning to the sleep mode.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

monitoring a presence of at least one user within the monitored area based on presence data received from the computing device associated with the monitored area; and

on determining the sound is an identified sound that indicates a safety issue associated with the monitored area, outputting an audible notification of the identified safety issue via the at least one speaker.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a current location of the at least one user is determined based on presence data obtained from at least one presence sensor associated with the computing device.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

on determining the sound is an identified sound that indicates a safety issue associated with the monitored area, activating a first set of lights corresponding to an identified safe route to illuminate a safe path for the user to exit the monitored area.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the at least one of the first action and the second action that is different than the first action further comprises:

identifying the sound, including by:

accessing a database of pre-identified sounds; and

comparing the detected sound to the pre-identified sounds to determine an identification of the sound.

10. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for monitoring an area, which, on execution by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

monitoring, by a monitoring component implemented on the computer, the area associated with a structure;

detecting a sound via at least one microphone associated with the computing device, the sound having a sound level associated therewith;

based at least on the sound level being less than a threshold sound level, ignoring the sound; and

based at least on the sound level being greater than or equal to the threshold sound level, performing at least one of a first action and a second action that is different than the first action, in which performing one of the first action and the second action includes:

performing the first action based at least on the sound being either an unidentified sound or an identified sound that also is an unexpected sound; and

performing the second action based at least on the sound being an identified sound that also is an expected sound.

11. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10 , wherein the second action includes ignoring the sound.

12. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10 , wherein performing the first action further comprises:

amplifying the sound to generate an amplified sound;

playing the amplified sound via at least one speaker within the area associated with the structure; and

sending a notification associated with the sound to a client device.

13. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10 , wherein the unexpected sound is an alarm and wherein the method further comprises:

analyzing sound detection data associated with the detected sound to identify an origin of the alarm; and

sending the notification, including an identification of a type of the alarm, a start time of the alarm and an origin of the alarm.

14. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10 , wherein the computing device is in a sleep mode when the sound is detected, and further comprising:

entering an active mode on detecting the sound;

analyzing sound detection data obtained from the at least one microphone within the monitored area to determine an origin of the sound; and

on determining an origin of the sound is outside the monitored area, ignoring the sound and returning to the sleep mode.

15. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10 , further comprising:

monitoring a presence of at least one user within the monitored area based on presence data received from the computing device associated with the monitored area; and

on determining the sound is an identified sound that indicates a safety issue associated with the monitored area, outputting an audible notification of the identified safety issue via the at least one speaker.

16. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10 , wherein a current location of the at least one user is determined based on presence data obtained from at least one presence sensor associated with the computing device.

17. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10 , further comprising:

on determining the sound is an identified sound that indicates a safety issue associated with the monitored area, activating a first set of lights corresponding to an identified safe route to illuminate a safe path for the user to exit the monitored area.

18. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10 , wherein performing the at least one of the first action and the second action that is different than the first action further comprises:

identifying the sound, including by:

accessing a database of pre-identified sounds; and

comparing the detected sound to the pre-identified sounds to determine an identification of the sound.

19. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory; and

a monitoring component stored on the memory and executed by the processor to:

monitor an area associated with a structure;

detect a sound via at least one microphone communicatively coupled to the computing device, the sound having a sound level associated therewith;

based at least on the sound level being less than a threshold sound level, ignore the sound; and

based at least on the sound level being greater than or equal to the threshold sound level, perform at least one of a first action and a second action that is different than the first action, in which performing one of the first action and the second action includes:

perform the first action based at least on the sound being either an unidentified sound or an identified sound that also is an unexpected sound; and

perform the second action based at least on the sound being an identified sound that also is an expected sound.

20. The system of claim 19 , further comprising:

at least one speaker communicatively coupled to the monitoring component, wherein performing the first action further includes amplifying the sound to generate an amplified sound, playing the amplified sound via at least one speaker within the area associated with the structure; and sending a notification associated with the sound to a client device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 13, 2018
From: PHILLIPS, JOSEPH BENJAMIN
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 045194/0146 →
Continuity (2)
Division 15136703 · Apr 22, 2016
Related Publication 20180204432A1 · Jul 19, 2018