Smart device position and orientation synchronization function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9546515-B2
Application number	US-201514682989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 8, 2014
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A method in accordance with the invention includes prompting a user to align a mobile device with a geometric feature (e.g., a window sill, corner, etc.) of a window. The method further determines a position and orientation of the window using sensors of the mobile device. Based on the position and orientation of the window, the method determines a position of the sun over time relative to the window. The method automatically adjusts a window covering of the window to take into account the position of the sun over time. For example, the method may automatically tilt slats of a window blind or open or close a window covering to take into account the position of the sun over time. A corresponding system is also disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one memory device operably coupled to the at least one processor and storing computer instructions for execution on the at least one processor, the computer instructions causing the at least one processor to:
prompt a user to align a smart phone or tablet with a geometric feature of one or more windows;
determine a position and orientation of the one or more windows using sensors of the smart phone or tablet;
determine, based on the position and orientation, a position of the sun over time relative to the one or more windows and a facing direction of a camera in a window covering of the one or more windows;
program the window covering of the one or more windows to operate based on the position of the sun over time and the facing direction of the camera.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein programming the window covering comprises automatically tilting slats of the window covering to take into account the position of the sun over time.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein aligning the smart phone or tablet comprises aligning the smart phone or tablet with a window sill of the one or more windows.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining a position of the sun over time comprises retrieving the position of the sun over time from a database.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer instructions further cause the at least one processor to determine dimensions of the one or more windows.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein programming the window covering comprises adjusting the window covering taking into account the dimensions of the one or more windows.

7. The system claim 1 , wherein determining a position of the one or more windows comprises determining a height of the one or more windows from a floor.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining a position of the one or more windows comprises determining GPS coordinates of the one or more windows.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein programming the one or more windows covering comprises automatically adjusting the window covering by a controller built into the window covering.

10. A method using the system of claim 1 , the method comprising:
prompting the user to align the smart phone or tablet with the geometric feature of the one or more windows;
determining the position and orientation of the one or more windows using sensors of the smart phone or tablet;
determining, based on the position and orientation, the position of the sun over time relative to the one or more windows and the facing direction of the camera in the window covering of the one or more windows;
automatically adjusting the window covering of the one or more window to operate based on the position of the sun over time and the facing direction of the camera.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein automatically adjusting the window covering comprises programming the one or more windows covering to adjust itself while taking into account the position of the sun over time.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein automatically adjusting the window covering comprises automatically tilting slats of the window covering to take into account the position of the sun over time.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein aligning the smart phone or tablet comprises aligning the smart phone or tablet with a window sill of the one or more windows.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining a position of the sun over time comprises retrieving the position of the sun over time from a database.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining dimensions of the one or more windows.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein automatically adjusting the window covering comprises adjusting the window covering taking into account the dimensions of the one or more windows.

17. The method claim 10 , wherein determining a position of the one or more windows comprises determining a height of the one or more windows from a floor.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining a position of the one or more windows comprises determining GPS coordinates of the one or more windows.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein automatically adjusting the window covering comprises automatically adjusting the one or more windows covering by a controller built into the window covering.

Assignees

• Hall David R

Inventors

• Hall David R
• Carlson Austin Benjamin
• Cook Clint J
• Rees Kevin Dean
• Hyer Davido Loyal
• Miles Jerome Lee
• Brimhall Emily

Classifications

• F16H57/02

  Gearboxes; Mounting gearing therein · CPC title

• H01H17/08

  Operating part, e.g. cord · CPC title

• F16H57/021

  Shaft support structures, e.g. partition walls, bearing eyes, casing walls or covers with bearings · CPC title

• E06B9/322 Primary

  Details of operating devices, e.g. pulleys, brakes, spring drums, drives ({operating devices E06B9/68} ; devices of general interest specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material B65H75/34) · CPC title

• E06B2009/285

  Means for actuating a rod (being tilt rod or lift rod) · CPC title