Doorbell camera with battery at chime

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10869006-B2
Application number	US-201916525336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2019
Priority date	Nov 15, 2017
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

Doorbell camera systems are provided to include a doorbell camera subsystem and a chime subsystem both coupled to receive power from an alternating current power source. The doorbell camera subsystem may include, among other features, a camera module and a doorbell button. The chime subsystem may include, among other features, a current compensation network and chime driver circuitry operative to be coupled to a chime. The current compensation network is operative to dynamically adjust current consumption of the chime subsystem and current consumption of the doorbell camera subsystem during both a standby mode and a doorbell event mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A doorbell camera system, comprising:
a camera doorbell subsystem coupled to receive power from an alternating current (AC) power source and having first current consumption, the camera doorbell subsystem comprising a doorbell button and a camera module; and
a chime subsystem coupled to receive power from the AC power source, the chime subsystem comprising: a current compensation network and chime driver circuitry that is coupled in parallel with the current compensation network and operative to be coupled to a chime, wherein:
the chime driver circuitry and the chime have second power consumption that varies between a doorbell event mode and a standby mode, the doorbell camera system configured to operate in the doorbell event mode during a button press event and in the standby mode when no doorbell button press event occurs; and
the current compensation network has third power consumption, and is operative to dynamically adjust the third current consumption such that a sum of the second current consumption and the third current consumption is substantially equal to the first current consumption of the doorbell camera subsystem during both the standby mode and the doorbell event mode.

2. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein the doorbell camera system is configured to operate at the doorbell event mode when the doorbell button is pressed to activate the chime to produce a sound during the button press event, and to operate at the standby mode when the doorbell button is not pressed.

3. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein the camera doorbell subsystem includes a first processor, and the chime subsystem includes a second processor operative to activate the chime driver circuitry in response to the button press event of the doorbell button to activate the chime to produce a sound, and wherein the chime subsystem further includes a battery, and the chime driver circuitry uses power supplied by the battery to activate the chime.

4. The doorbell camera system of claim 3 , wherein the first processor is operative to communicate with the second processor, and wherein the first processor is operative to inform the second processor of the button press event.

5. The doorbell camera system of claim 3 , wherein the first processor is operative to communicate with the second processor via power line communications circuitry.

6. The doorbell camera system of claim 3 , wherein the first processor is operative to communicate with the second processor via wireless communications circuitry.

7. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein the current compensation network comprises:
variable resistor circuitry coupled to the AC power source; and
a switch that is coupled in series with the variable resistor circuitry.

8. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein the current compensation network comprises:
a comparator having a first input, a second input, and an output;
a first resistor coupled to a direct current (DC) power source;
a switch coupled to the output and the first resistor;
a second resistor coupled to the DC power source and the first input; and
a reference voltage coupled to the second input,
wherein the comparator is operative to:
turn ON the switch when a voltage signal on the first input exceeds the reference voltage; and
turn OFF the switch when the voltage signal on the first input does not exceed the reference voltage.

9. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein during a doorbell button press event, the chime subsystem consumes a first level of current, and wherein during the standby mode in which there is no doorbell button press event, the chime subsystem consumes a second level of current, wherein the second level of current is less than the first level of current.

10. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein the chime subsystem comprises the chime.

11. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein:
the camera doorbell subsystem further includes a first power conditioning circuitry coupled to receive the AC power source;
the camera module is coupled to receive power from the first power conditioning circuitry;
the chime subsystem further includes a battery, a second power conditioning circuitry coupled to receive the AC power source, and a battery charging circuitry coupled to receive power from the second power conditioning circuitry and configured to charge the battery with the received power; and
the chime driver circuitry is coupled to the battery charging circuitry and is operative to uses power supplied by the battery to activate the chime.

12. The doorbell camera system of claim 11 , wherein the camera doorbell subsystem comprises first power line communications circuitry coupled to a first processor of the camera doorbell subsystem, and wherein the chime subsystem comprises second power line communications circuitry coupled to a second processor of the chime subsystem.

13. The doorbell camera system of claim 12 , further comprising AC power source line, wherein the first and second power line communications circuitry are coupled to the AC power source line.

14. The doorbell camera system of claim 11 , wherein the first power conditioning circuitry comprises a rectifier and a buck converter, and wherein the second power conditioning circuitry comprises a rectifier and a buck converter.

15. The doorbell camera system of claim 11 , wherein:
the camera doorbell subsystem includes a first processor coupled to receive power from the first power conditioning circuitry; and
the chime subsystem includes a second processor that is coupled to receive power from the second power conditioning circuitry and is operative to activate the chime driver circuitry in response to the button press event of the doorbell button to activate the chime to produce a sound at the doorbell event mode.

16. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , further comprising an alternating current (AC) power source connection node, wherein the camera doorbell subsystem and the chime subsystem are coupled to the AC power source connection node;
wherein the chime subsystem further includes the chime and a battery, and the battery supplies power to the chime when the chime is activated; and
wherein the camera doorbell subsystem is operative to instruct the chime subsystem to activate the chime in response to a button press of the doorbell button at the doorbell event mode.

17. The doorbell camera system of claim 16 , wherein the camera doorbell subsystem supplies uninterrupted DC power, derived from AC power received via the AC power source connection node, to the camera module regardless of whether the chime is activated.

18. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein the doorbell camera subsystem communicates with the chime subsystem via power line communications circuitry.

19. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein the camera doorbell subsystem further includes a light emitting diode (LED) configured to illuminate through a peripheral edge of the doorbell button.

20. The doorbell camera system of claim 1 , wherein the camera module is driven by a first camera voltage, and the chime is driven by a second chime voltage, and the current compensation network is configured to control each of the first camera voltage and the second chime voltage within a respective voltage range.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Alamgir Alvee
• Ravindran Srivatsan
• Conner Brian Jonathan
• Ho Dietrich

Classifications

• G08B13/1966

  Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera · CPC title

• H04N7/186 Primary

  Video door telephones · CPC title

• G08B3/10

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• G08B25/06

  using power transmission lines · CPC title