IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,387,586
Granted Patent B2
US 12,387,586 · App. 17/732,712 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Swimming pool monitoring

Inventors: Donald Madden (Columbia, MD); Daniel Todd Kerzner (McLean, VA)
Assignee: Alarm.com Incorporated
G08B21/084G01S15/86G06F18/21G06N3/04G06N3/08G06V20/52G06V40/10G06V40/20H04N7/181H04N7/188G01N33/18
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,387,586
App. No.
17/732,712
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A monitor control unit that is configured to receive, from the electronic pool device, the sensor data, compare the sensor data to a threshold, based on comparing the sensor data to a threshold, determine that the sensor data exceeds the threshold, based on determining that the sensor data exceeds the threshold, provide an instruction to initiate the capture of image data by the camera of the electronic pool device, receive, from the camera of the electronic pool device, the image data, analyze the image data, based on analyzing the image data, identify a monitoring system action to perform, and perform the monitoring system action.

Claims (55)

1. A monitoring system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices on which are stored instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a sonar detector that monitors a swimming pool located at a property, sonar data;

using a result of analyzing the sonar data, determining that an object entered the swimming pool; and

in response to and after determining that the object entered the swimming pool using the result of the analysis of the sonar data, performing a monitoring system action that includes initiating the capture of image data by a camera of one or more cameras located in a vicinity of the swimming pool.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sonar detector is configured to:

transmit sound pulses and detect the sound pulses reflected off surfaces of the swimming pool.

3. The system of claim 1 , the operations comprising:

maintaining, prior to receiving the sonar data, a configuration reflection signature of baseline sonar data that represents an underwater portion of the swimming pool when no person is in the swimming pool and that was generated using reflected sonar sound pulses transmitted during a sonar configuration process when no person is in the swimming pool;

wherein analyzing the sonar data and determining that the object entered the swimming pool comprises:

computing a difference between the sonar data and the configuration reflection signature; and

determining, using the difference between the sonar data and the configuration reflection signature, that the object entered the swimming pool.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

analyzing the sonar data comprises:

comparing a previously generated configuration reflection signature of the swimming pool when no person is in the swimming pool with a newly generated reflection signature generated using the sonar data, and

determining that the object entered the swimming pool uses the comparison of the previously generated configuration reflection signature with the newly generated reflection signature.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein:

determining that the object entered the swimming pool using the comparison comprises:

determining, using a result of the comparison of the previously generated configuration reflection signature with the newly generated reflection signature based on the sonar data, a difference between the previously generated configuration reflection signature and the newly generated reflection signature; and

determining, using the difference, that the object entered the swimming pool; and

performing the monitoring system action is responsive to determining that the object entered the swimming pool using the difference between the previously generated configuration reflection signature and the newly generated reflection signature.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the previously generated configuration reflection signature includes an indication of a weather condition during a configuration process a) used to generate the previously generated configuration reflection signature and b) that occurred when no person is in the swimming pool.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the previously generated configuration reflection signature includes an indication of an element of the swimming pool operating during configuration.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the element of the swimming pool operating during the configuration is a pump system.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein performing the monitoring system action includes:

generating a notification indicating the object entered the swimming pool; and

transmitting the notification to a user device.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise:

receiving, from the camera of the one or more cameras located in the vicinity of the swimming pool, the image data.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the camera is positioned with a field of view that includes each side surface of the swimming pool.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the camera is located under a water line of the swimming pool.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:

transmitting the image data to a user device.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operations comprise:

receiving response data from the user device after transmitting the image data to the user device.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system action includes sounding an audible alarm at the property.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise:

determining whether a user of the property is outside of a threshold distance from the property; and

in response to determining that user of the property is outside of the threshold distance, performing the monitoring system action, at least in part, by transmitting data to an external server to request dispatch of authorities to the property.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, from a sonar detector at a property, sonar data of an area at the property;

using a result of analyzing the sonar data, determining whether an event occurred in the area; and

in response to and after determining that the event occurred in the area using the result of the analysis of the sonar data, performing a monitoring system action that includes initiating the capture of image data by a camera of one or more cameras that captures images of the area at the property.

18. The method of claim 17 , the method comprising:

maintaining, prior to receiving the sonar data, a configuration reflection signature of baseline sonar data that represents a portion of the area at the property when no person is in the area and that was generated using reflected sonar sound pulses transmitted during a sonar configuration process when no person is in the area,

wherein analyzing the sonar data and determining whether the event occurred in the area comprises:

computing a difference between the sonar data and the configuration reflection signature of the baseline sonar data; and

determining, using the difference between the sonar data and the configuration reflection signature of the baseline sonar data, whether the event occurred in the area.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein analyzing the sonar data comprises:

comparing a previously generated configuration reflection signature with a newly generated reflection signature generated using the sonar data.

20. One or more non-transitory computer storage media encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

maintaining a configuration reflection signature of baseline sonar data that represents an underwater portion of a swimming pool when no person is in the swimming pool and that was generated using reflected sonar sound pulses transmitted during a sonar configuration process when no person is in the swimming pool;

receiving, from a sonar detector that monitors the swimming pool located at a property, sonar data;

computing a difference between the sonar data and the configuration reflection signature;

determining, using the difference between the sonar data and the configuration reflection signature, that an object entered the swimming pool; and

in response to and after determining that the object entered the swimming pool using the difference between the sonar data and the configuration reflection signature, performing a monitoring system action that includes initiating the capture of image data by a camera of one or more cameras located in a vicinity of the swimming pool.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 3, 2022
From: MADDEN, DONALD; KERZNER, DANIEL TODD
To: ALARM.COM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 059794/0001 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16746548 · Jan 17, 2020
Provisional Application 62793568 · Jan 17, 2019
Related Publication 20220254242A1 · Aug 11, 2022
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