Intelligent shading objects with integrated computing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10813422-B2
Application number	US-201615160822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2016
Priority date	May 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

An intelligent shading umbrella comprises a base assembly, an umbrella support assembly coupled to a base assembly, a first memory, a first processor coupled to the first memory, and a computing device, wherein the computing device has a non-volatile memory having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, a second memory, and a second processor. A first processor communicates commands and/or signals to the umbrella support assembly to cause movement of the umbrella support assembly. A second processor, of the computing device, is enclosed within the intelligent shading object fetches computer-readable instructions from the non-volatile memory, loads the computer-readable instructions from the non-volatile memory into the second memory, and executes the computer-readable instructions to communicate with external computing devices and/or to generate commands and/or signals to the first processor to request movements of the umbrella shading assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An intelligent shading umbrella, comprising:
a sensor module to obtain sensor measurements from one or more sensors coupled to the sensor module;
a base assembly;
a stem assembly coupled to the base assembly;
a center support assembly coupled to the stem assembly;
a first memory;
a first processor, coupled to the first memory and located on a movement control board, to communicate commands and/or signals to an azimuth motor, an elevation motor or an actuation motor to cause movement of one or more of the center support assembly and the stem assembly; and
a computing device, physically located within the intelligent shading umbrella, the computing device comprising:
a non-volatile memory having computer-readable instructions stored thereon;
a second memory; and
a second processor, coupled to the non-volatile memory, to fetch the computer-readable instructions from the non-volatile memory, load the computer-readable instructions into the second memory, and execute the computer-readable instructions to to control external wireless communications from the intelligent shading umbrella and to initiate software applications associated with the intelligent shading umbrella,

wherein the second processor and the second memory are separated from and is independent of the first processor and the first memory, the center support assembly is a hollow tubular assembly and wherein the first processor and the computing device are physically located inside the hollow tubular assembly of the center support assembly and connected to an interior wall of the center support assembly.

2. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , the computing device further comprising a WiFi transceiver, wherein the computing device communicates with the external computing devices through the WiFi transceiver.

3. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 2 , the WiFi transceiver further having the capability of operating as a WiFi hotspot and being a communication hub to communicate data to external computing devices.

4. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , the second processor further to communicate commands and/or signals to the first processor to cause movement of the one or more of the center support assembly and the stem assembly.

5. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , further comprising one or more digital cameras, the digital cameras to capture images and/or video of an area surrounding the intelligent shading umbrella.

6. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 5 , further comprising storing captured images and/or video in a non-volatile memory of the computing device.

7. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , further comprising a WiFi transceiver and further comprising receiving streamed image and/or video files from one or more digital cameras and communicating the streamed image and/or video files to an external computing device through a WiFi transceiver.

8. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , further comprising a digital camera, wherein the digital camera comprises an infrared detector and wherein the infrared detector detects moving objects in an environment near the intelligent shading umbrella, and if movement is detected, the digital camera is activated to capture images and/or video.

9. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , further comprising a personal area network (PAN) transceiver and an audio system, wherein audio signals are received at the PAN transceiver from an external computing device, and the received audio signals are communicated to an audio system for playback on one or more speakers.

10. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is a node in an Internet of Things (iOT), and the intelligent shading umbrella is part of one or more of a smart grid, a smart homes, an intelligent transportation system or a smart city and communicates with the one or more smart grid, smart home, intelligent transportation system, or a smart city via a WiFi transceiver.

11. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, at the computing device, measurements from a digital compass or a global positioning system receiver, analyzing the received measurements, and generating commands and/or instructions to be sent to the first processor to cause movement of one or more of the center support assembly and the stem assembly.

12. The intelligent shading umbrella of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, at the computing device, measurements from the sensor module, analyzing the received measurements, and generating commands and/or instructions to be communicated to the sensor module to cause the sensor module to obtain additional sensor measurements.

13. An intelligent shading umbrella, comprising:
a base assembly;
a center support assembly coupled to the base assembly;
a first memory;
a first processor, coupled to the first memory and located on a movement control board, to communicate commands and/or signals to an azimuth motor, an elevation motor or an actuation motor to cause movement of the center support assembly; and
a computing device, physically enclosed within the intelligent shading umbrella, the computing device comprising:
a non-volatile memory having computer-readable instructions stored thereon;
a second memory;
a second processor, coupled to the non-volatile memory and the second memory, to fetch the computer-readable instructions from the non-volatile memory, load the computer-readable instructions into the second memory, and execute the computer-readable instructions to communicate and control a camera attached or integrated within the intelligent shading umbrella and to handle video or image processing,
wherein the second processor and the second memory are separated from and independent of the first processor and the first memory, the center support assembly is a hollow tubular assembly, and wherein the first processor and the computing device are physically located inside the hollow tubular assembly of the center support assembly and connected to an interior wall of the center support assembly.

Assignees

• Gharabegian Armen Sevada
• Shadecraft Inc

Inventors

• Gharabegian Armen Sevada

Classifications

• H04N23/23

  from thermal infrared radiation · CPC title

• H04N23/20

  for generating image signals from infrared radiation only · CPC title

• H04L67/01

  Protocols · CPC title

• Y02E70/30

  Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin · CPC title

• H02J7/35

  with light sensitive cells · CPC title