Structure modes for controlling various systems in closed environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10303137-B2
Application number	US-201715454918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2017
Priority date	Mar 9, 2016
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

A controller is provided for coordinated control of various subsystems, such as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) subsystem, a camera subsystem, and a security subsystem, in a structure such as a home, by allowing automatic as well as manual changes to be made to the subsystems within their respective constraints. The controller may change the states or settings of the subsystems automatically upon occurrences of certain conditions, or allow the user to change them by switching a structure mode for the subsystems between a home mode and an away mode. A change in the structure mode may effect changes to some or all of the states or settings for some or all of the subsystems.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a plurality of subsystems in a structure, the method comprising:
transmitting a notification to a user device, wherein the notification includes an option to select a structure mode from the group consisting of a home mode and an away mode;
receiving, in response to the notification, a selection of the structure mode between the home mode and the away mode;
determining one or more settings of one or more of the plurality of subsystems based on whether the structure mode is the home mode or the away mode; and
in response to the structure mode selection between the home mode and the away mode, receiving, at the user device, a selection of a home assist setting or an away assist setting, and changing a default setting of the home assist setting or the away assist setting of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems by adjusting an operation of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more settings of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems comprise one or more home or away settings.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the received selection of the structure mode comprises automatically changing the structure mode between the home mode and the away mode.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the received selection of the structure mode comprises transmitting a request to the user device to change the structure mode.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of subsystems comprise at least one subsystem selected from the group consisting of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning subsystem, a camera subsystem, and a security subsystem.

6. An apparatus for controlling a plurality of subsystems in a structure, the apparatus comprising:
a processor, and
a non-transitory, computer readable medium communicably coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
transmitting a notification to a user device, wherein the notification includes an option to select a structure mode from the group consisting of a home mode and an away mode;
receiving, in response to the notification, a selection of a structure mode between the home mode and the away mode;
determining one or more settings of one or more of the plurality of subsystems based on whether the structure mode is the home mode or the away mode; and
in response to the structure mode selection between the home mode and the away mode, receiving, at the user device, a selection of a home assist setting or an away assist setting, and changing a default setting of the home assist setting or the away assist setting of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems by adjusting an operation of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the one or more settings of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems comprise one or more home or away settings.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the received selection of the structure mode comprises changing the structure mode automatically between the home mode and the away mode.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the received selection of the structure mode comprises transmitting a request to the user device to change the structure mode between the home mode and the away mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of subsystems comprise at least one subsystem selected from the group consisting of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning subsystem, a camera subsystem, and a security subsystem.

11. A system, comprising:
a plurality of subsystems in a structure; and
a controller communicably coupled to the plurality of subsystems, the controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory, computer readable medium communicably coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
transmitting a notification to a user device, wherein the notification includes an option to select a structure mode from the group consisting of a home mode and an away mode;
receiving, in response to a notification, a selection of the structure mode between the home mode and the away mode;
determining one or more settings of one or more of the plurality of subsystems based on whether the structure mode is the home mode or the away mode; and
in response to the structure mode selection between the home mode and the away mode, receiving, at the user device, a selection of a home assist setting or an away assist setting, and changing a default setting of the home assist setting or the away assist setting of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems by adjusting an operation of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more settings of the one or more of the plurality of subsystems comprise one or more home or away settings.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the received selection of the structure mode comprises changing the structure mode automatically between the home mode and the away mode.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the received selection of the structure mode comprises transmitting a request to the user device to change the structure mode between the home mode and the away mode.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of subsystems comprise at least one subsystem selected from the group consisting of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning subsystem, a camera subsystem, and a security subsystem.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
prior to receiving the selection of the structure mode, receiving by the system from the user device, an instruction to change a setting for a particular home or away assist setting for a particular subsystem of the plurality of subsystems; and
changing the particular home or away assist setting, wherein the selection of the structure mode is in response to the change of the particular home or away assist setting.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the particular subsystem comprises a security system;
the particular home or away assist setting comprises a highest security level setting of a plurality of security level settings of the security system; and
the selection of the structure mode comprises changing the structure mode to an away mode.

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Boettcher Jesse
• Von Dehsen Lauren
• Bruck Timo
• Reddy Prashant
• Malhotra Mark
• Lee Jason

Classifications

• G05B2219/2614

  HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control · CPC title

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G05B2219/2642

  Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house · CPC title