Adjusting proximity thresholds for activating a device user interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10481780-B2
Application number	US-201615044096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2016
Priority date	Nov 19, 2010
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A smart-home device includes a user interface including an electronic display having a first display mode and a second display mode, the first display mode generally requiring more power than said second display mode. The device also includes a processing system in operative communication with one or more environmental sensors for determining at least one environmental condition. The device additionally includes at least one sensor configured to detect a physical closeness of a user to the at least one sensor. The processing system may be configured to cause the electronic display to be in the first display mode when a closeness threshold has been exceeded, where the processing system is further configured to automatically adjust the closeness threshold based at least in part on a historical plurality of physical closeness events as detected by the at least one sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A smart-home device, comprising:
at least one sensor configured to detect a physical closeness of a user to the at least one sensor;
control circuitry in operative communication with one or more environmental sensors for determining at least one environmental condition, and in operative communication with one or more input devices, and in operative communication with the at least one sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to:
cause the smart-home device to transition from a first operating mode to a second operating mode when a closeness threshold has been exceeded; and
automatically adjust said closeness threshold based at least in part on a historical plurality of physical closeness events as detected by the at least one sensor.

2. The smart-home device of claim 1 , wherein said closeness threshold is automatically adjusted based on a tracked number of times that the smart-home device was caused to be in the second operating mode responsive to physical closeness events over a predetermined time interval, the closeness threshold being made more restrictive if said tracked number of times was greater than a predetermined activity threshold, whereby excessive entry of the smart-home device into the second operating mode responsive to sensed physical closeness events is reduced.

3. The smart-home device of claim 1 , wherein said closeness threshold is automatically adjusted based at least in part on a joint processing of (i) the historical plurality of physical closeness events as detected by the at least one sensor, and (ii) a historical plurality of user interface manipulation events in which the user has actually manipulated a user interface, wherein the closeness threshold is made less restrictive if there is a higher correlation between said physical closeness events and said manipulation events, and wherein the closeness threshold is made more restrictive if there is a lesser correlation between said physical closeness events and said manipulation events.

4. The smart-home device of claim 1 , wherein said at least one sensor comprises a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the first sensor is configured to detect the physical closeness of the user to the smart-home device within a first distance, wherein the second sensor is configured to detect the physical closeness of the user to the smart-home device within a second distance, and wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.

5. The smart-home device of claim 4 , wherein the first sensor comprises a Passive Infrared sensor (PIR) and the second sensor comprises an active proximity sensor that is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation and to receive reflections of said electromagnetic radiation.

6. The smart-home device of claim 4 , wherein the second sensor comprises a near-range PIR.

7. The smart-home device of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry comprises a first processor and a second processor, wherein the first processor is configured to detect when the closeness threshold has been exceeded and to cause said second processor to transition from a low-power mode in response to the closeness threshold being exceeded, wherein the second processor causes the smart-home device to operate in the second operating mode.

8. The smart-home device of claim 1 further comprising a power stealing circuit configured to supply a first power level, wherein the smart-home device requires a second power level when operating in the second operating mode, and wherein the second power level is greater than the first power level.

9. The smart-home device of claim 1 wherein the closeness threshold is further adjusted based on a power level currently being supplied by a rechargeable energy storage device, whereby the smart-home device is less likely to be caused to operate in the second operating mode in response to a physical closeness event.

10. The smart-home device of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to detect when a number of physical closeness events within a predetermined time interval exceed a predetermined activity threshold and adjust the closeness threshold in response.

11. The smart-home device of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry comprises one or more processors.

12. The smart-home device of claim 1 further comprising an electronic display, wherein transitioning from the first operating mode to the second operating mode comprises transitioning the electronic display from a first display mode to a second display mode, and wherein the first display mode requires less power than the second display mode.

13. A method of optimizing the operating modes of a smart-home device, the method comprising:
detecting, using at least one sensor of the smart-home device, a presence of a user, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect a physical closeness of the user to the at least one sensor;
determining, by control circuitry of the smart-home device, that the presence of the user caused a closeness threshold has been exceeded, the control circuitry being configured to be in operative communication with one or more environmental sensors for determining at least one environmental condition, the control circuitry being configured to be in operative communication with one or more input devices;
causing, by the control circuitry, the smart-home device to transition from a first operating mode to a second operating mode in response to determining that the closeness threshold has been exceeded; and
automatically adjusting, by the control circuitry, the closeness threshold based at least in part on a historical plurality of physical closeness events as detected by the at least one sensor.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the closeness threshold is automatically adjusted based on a tracked number of times that the smart-home device was caused to be in the second operating mode responsive to physical closeness events over a predetermined time interval, the closeness threshold being made more restrictive if the tracked number of times was greater than a predetermined activity threshold, whereby excessive entry of the smart-home device into the second operating mode responsive to sensed physical closeness events is reduced.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the closeness threshold is automatically adjusted based at least in part on a joint processing of (i) the historical plurality of physical closeness events as detected by the at least one sensor, and (ii) a historical plurality of user interface manipulation events in which the user has actually manipulated a user interface, wherein the closeness threshold is made less restrictive if there is a higher correlation between the physical closeness events and the manipulation events, and wherein the closeness threshold is made more restrictive if there is a lesser correlation between the physical closeness events and the manipulation events.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor and a second sensor, wherein the first sensor is configured to detect the physical closeness of the user to the smart-home device within a first distance, wherein the second sensor is configured to detect the physical closeness of the user to the smart-home device within a second distance, and wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first sensor comprises a Passive Infrared sensor (PIR) and the second sensor comprises an active proximity sensor that is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation and to receiv

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Ruff Joseph Adam
• Solnit Jonathan P
• Satterthwaite Edwin H

Classifications

• F24F11/50 Primary

  characterised by user interfaces or communication · CPC title

• F24F11/46

  Improving electric energy efficiency or saving · CPC title

• G06F3/0487

  using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser · CPC title

• F24F2110/10

  Temperature · CPC title

• H04L12/2803 Primary

  Home automation networks · CPC title