Robotic assistance in security monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10698403-B2
Application number	US-201816132606-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2018
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on storage devices, for monitoring, security, and surveillance of a property. In one aspect, a system includes multiple robotic devices, multiple sensors, wherein the multiple sensors includes a first sensor, multiple charging stations, and a monitor control unit. The monitor control unit may include a network interface, one or more processors, and one or more storage devices that include instructions to cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations may include receiving data from the first sensor that is indicative of an alarm event, accessing information describing the capabilities of the each of the robotic devices, selecting a subset of robotic devices from the multiple robotic devices, and transmitting a command to each robotic device in the subset of robotic devices that instructs each respective robotic device to deploy to the location of the first sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robotic device comprising:
a network interface,
one or more processors, and
one or more storage devices that include instructions that are operable, when executed by the one more processors, to cause the robotic device to perform operations comprising:
navigating, by the robotic device, towards a portion of a property;
obtaining, by the robotic device, sensor data generated by one or more robotic device mounted sensors;
determining, by the robotic device and based on the obtained sensor data, whether the obtained sensor data indicates that a human is present within the portion of the property; and
based on determining that the obtained sensor data indicates that a human is present within the portion of the property:
determining, by the robotic device, whether the human is a legitimate occupant of the property;
based on determining, by the robotic device, that the human is not a legitimate occupant of the property, determining, by the robotic device to engage the human, wherein engaging the human comprises:
determining, by the robotic device, an operation that the robotic device can perform to engage the human; and
performing, by the robotic device, the determined operation to engage the human.

2. The robotic device of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the robotic device, an operation that the robotic device can perform to engage the human includes:
determining, by the robotic device, a particular operation that the robotic device can perform to engage the human from a plurality of operations that the robotic device can perform to engage the human.

3. The robotic device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of operations that the robotic device can perform to engage the human include (i) obtaining one or more images of the human using a robotic device mounted camera, (ii) obtaining one or more videos of the human using a robotic device mounted camera, (iii) generating a hologram in the human's field of view, (iv) outputting audible sounds, (v) swarming the human, or (vi) determining whether the human is a legitimate occupant of the property.

4. The robotic device of claim 1 , wherein performing the determined operation to engage the human includes:
obtaining a video feed of the human; and
providing the video feed for output on a user device.

5. The robotic device of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
determining whether the human is moving; and
in response to determining that the human is moving:
locking-on to the human; and
tracking the human's movement through one or more portions of the property.

6. The robotic device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more robotic device mounted sensors includes a camera.

7. The robotic device of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the obtained sensor data indicates that a human is present within the portion of the property comprises:
processing, by the robotic device, data representing one or more images obtained by a camera mounted to the robotic device; and
determining, by the robotic device and based on the processing of the data representing the one or more images obtained by the camera mounted to the robotic device, that the one or more images depict one or more shapes that resemble a human; and
based on determining, by the robotic device and based on the processing of the data representing the one or more images obtained by the camera mounted to the robotic device, that the one or more images depict one or more shapes that resemble a human, determining, by the robotic device, that a human is present within the portion of the property.

8. The robotic device of claim 1 , wherein the robotic device stores, in the one or more storage devices, biometric data of one or more legitimate occupants of the property.

9. The robotic device of claim 8 , wherein the biometric data of one or more legitimate occupants of the property includes (i) data representing one or more images of a face of one or more legitimate occupants of the property, (ii) data representing one or more voiceprints of one or more legitimate occupants of the property, (iii) data representing one or more retina scans of one or more eyes of one or more legitimate occupants of the property, (iv) data representing one or more DNA samples of one or more legitimate occupants of the property, or (v) one or more fingerprint scans of one or more legitimate occupants of the property.

10. The robotic device of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the human is a legitimate occupant of the property comprises:
obtaining, by the robotic device, one or more biometric samples from the human;
comparing, by the robotic device, the one or more obtained biometric samples with data stored by the robotic device that represents a biometric sample for one or more legitimate occupants of the property; and
determining, by the robotic device and based on the comparison of the one or more obtained biometric samples with the data stored by the robotic device that represents a biometric sample for one or more legitimate occupants of the property, whether the human is a legitimate occupant of the property.

11. The robotic device of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the property includes (i) an indoor portion of the property or (ii) an outdoor portion of the property.

12. The robotic device of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
obtaining second sensor data that is generated by one or robotic device mounted sensors that is different than the obtained sensor data; and
based on determining that the second sensor data indicates that a human is not present within the portion of the property:
navigating, by the robotic device, towards another portion of the property.

13. The robotic device of claim 12 , wherein navigating towards a portion of the property includes:
accessing the data model describing attributes of the property in the one or storage devices;
establishing a reference location within the data model that is indicative of the robotic device's current location in the property; and
traveling from the reference location to another portion of the property by measuring the movement of the robotic device with respect to the reference location.

14. The robotic device of claim 1 , wherein the robotic device stores a data model in the one or more storage devices describing attributes of the property in the one or more storage devices.

15. A method comprising:
navigating, by a robotic device, towards a portion of a property;
obtaining, by the robotic device, sensor data generated by one or more robotic device mounted sensors;
determining, by the robotic device and based on the obtained sensor data, whether the obtained sensor data indicates that a human is present within the portion of the property; and
based on determining, by the robotic device and based on the obtained sensor data, that the obtained sensor data indicates that a human is present within the portion of the property:
determining, by the robotic device, whether the human is a legitimate occupant of the property;
based on determining, by the robotic device, that the human is not a legitimate occupant of the property, determining, by the robotic device to engage the human, wherein engaging the human comprises:
determining, by the robotic device, an operation that the robotic device can perform to engage the human; and
performing, by the robotic device, the determined operation to engage the human.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining, by the robotic device, an operation that the robotic device can perform to engage the human includes:
determining, by the r

Assignees

• Alarm Com Inc

Inventors

• Kerzner Daniel

Classifications

• G08B13/19645 Primary

  Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over · CPC title

• G08B13/19697

  Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves · CPC title

• G08B15/002

  with occupancy simulation · CPC title

• G08B15/005

  by electric shock · CPC title

• G08B25/10

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title