IP Library Granted Patent US 9,841,205
Granted Patent B2
US 9,841,205 · App. 14/717,302 · Granted Dec 12, 2017

Systems and methods of detection with active infrared sensors

Inventors: Laura Rabb (San Jose, CA); Andrea Colaco (Mountain View, CA); Ghulam A. Kirmani (Mountain View, CA); Aveek Ravishekhar Purohit (Mountain View, CA); Luis Villaran (East Palo Alto, CA); Kenneth Louis Herman (San Jose, CA); Bryan James (Menlo Park, CA); Casey Mills Davis (Palo Alto, CA); Yash Modi (San Mateo, CA)
Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
F24F11/006G01S17/026G01S17/89G05B15/02G08B13/187G08B21/18F24F2011/0075G08B13/08G08B13/183
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,841,205
App. No.
14/717,302
Granted
Dec 12, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods of using active infrared (AIR) sensors to map a room of a home or building and determine whether an external portal (e.g., window and/or door) of the room is open or closed are provided. In particular, the systems and methods include outputting infrared (IR) light from an IR light source of an active infrared (AIR) sensor, receiving reflected IR light with a light sensor, and determining, with a processor coupled to the light sensor, whether a window of a room is open according to the received reflected IR light.

Claims (37)

1. A method comprising:

outputting infrared (IR) light from an IR light source of an active infrared (AIR) sensor;

receiving reflected IR light with a light sensor;

mapping, by the processor, features of a room according to the received reflected IR light; and

determining, with a processor coupled to the light sensor, whether an exterior portal of a room is open according to the received reflected IR light and the mapped features of the room.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exterior portal is selected from a group consisting of a window and an exterior door.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a notification to an electronic device communicatively coupled to the light sensor via a communications link that the exterior portal is open.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

adjusting a setting, by the processor, of a Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of the room according to the determination of whether the exterior portal is open.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a security event according to an operating mode and according to a determined change of the exterior portal from closed to open from the received reflected IR light.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the operating mode is selected from the group consisting of: a home mode, an away mode, a vacation mode, and a transition mode.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

transmitting a notification from the light sensor to an electronic device via a communications link according to the operating mode and the determined change of the exterior portal from closed to open.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

controlling, by the processor, an output of an alarm with an alarm device according to the operating mode and the determined change of the exterior portal from closed to open.

9. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the mapped features are selected from the group consisting of: a door, a window, and an object.

10. A system comprising:

an IR light source of an active infrared (AIR) sensor to output infrared (IR) light;

a light sensor to receive reflected IR light; and

a processor, coupled to the light sensor, to map features of a room according to the received reflected IR light and determine whether an external portal of a room is open according to the received reflected IR light and the mapped features of the room.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the exterior portal is selected from a group consisting of a window and an exterior door.

12. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:

an electronic device communicatively coupled to the processor via a communications link,

wherein the processor controls a transmission of a notification to the electronic device via the communications link that the external portal is open.

13. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:

a Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system,

wherein the processor adjusts a setting of the HVAC system of the room according to the determination of whether the external portal is open.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor determines a security event according to an operating mode and according to a determined change of the external portal from closed to open.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operating mode is selected from the group consisting of: a home mode, an away mode, a vacation mode, and a transition mode.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor controls the transmission of a notification from the light sensor to an electronic device via a communications link according to the operating mode and the determined change of the external portal from closed to open.

17. The system of claim 14 , further comprising:

an alarm device communicatively coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor outputs of an alarm with the alarm device according to the operating mode and the determined change of the external portal from closed to open.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the mapped features are selected from the group consisting of: a door, a window, and an object.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 5, 2017
From: GOOGLE INC.
To: GOOGLE LLC
Reel/Frame 044129/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 3, 2015
From: RABB, LAURA; COLACO, ANDREA; KIRMANI, GHULAM A.; PUROHIT, AVEEK RAVISHEKHAR; VILLARAN, LUIS; HERMAN, KENNETH LOUIS; JAMES, BRYAN; DAVIS, CASEY MILLS; MODI, YASH
To: GOOGLE INC.
Reel/Frame 035777/0350 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20160341435A1 · Nov 24, 2016