SMART AC CONTROLLER WITH ENGERY MEASUREMENT CAPABILITY

Abstract

Systems and methods for remotely controlling infrared (“IR”) enabled appliances via a networked device are described. The technology enables one or multiple users to control, monitor, and manage their appliances (e.g., air conditioners, television sets, multimedia systems, window curtains, etc.) both locally and remotely, irrespective of the users' location or their line of sight. In various embodiments, the technology includes a device with integrated Wi-Fi and IR subsystems connected via a cloud platform to a user application interface that can control appliances, generate analytics, schedule automatic operation, and perform smart learning operation. The networked device, also known as smart AC controller, or smart AC controller, reports measures and reports energy consumption the user using the onboard energy measurement unit to show the actual usage statistics and relevant costs to the user. After collecting data on user behavior and habits, the smart AC controller can operate in a smart-mode to save energy.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/135,180, entitled “Smart Thermostat for Standalone Air conditioners with Energy Metering Capability,” filed on Mar. 19, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/849,020 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING IR-ENABLED APPLIANCES VIA NETWORKED DEVICE”, filed on Sep. 9, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/048,275, entitled “Cloud enabled Smart Device to Harness IR enabled Brand Independent Electric Appliances,” filed Sep. 10, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to Machine to Machine (“M2M”) communication technology and the Internet of Things (“IoT”) industry. More specifically it relates to the control, monitor, and energy measurement/management of infrared (“IR”) enabled appliances such as air conditioners or AC, television set, window curtains, stereo systems, multimedia systems, fireplaces, etc. by providing remote and/or local access and control to the user.

BACKGROUND

Technical innovations in the Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) industry have enabled users to access, control and manage electronic devices through wireless connectivity from anywhere in the world. The trends are fast growing to remotely control, monitor and manage electronic devices, actuators and sensors. The increased connectivity options have unleashed avenues to connect, control, monitor and manage consumer electronics devices or appliances. Consumers in today's world have multiple infrared (“IR”) enabled appliances both at their homes and offices, such as air conditioners, television sets, multimedia systems, stereo systems, window curtains, fireplaces, etc. These appliances can normally be remotely controlled by an IR remote control provided with the appliance by the manufacturer. These IR remote controls relay user commands to the appliances for appropriate actions.

Recently, ZigBee mesh network technology has been used to offer location-independent remote control to the user for some appliances. However, ZigBee-based approaches to appliance control are also unsatisfactory. ZigBee technology inherently requires an additional ZigBee concentrator to act as master while communicating with end nodes that are deployed to the user's appliances. The ZigBee concentrator is further linked to a local area network (“LAN”) router (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN (“Wi-Fi”) network router) to communicate with a remote user through a cloud application (e.g., via a smartphone). The end nodes cannot through ZigBee directly link to a LAN present at the user location. ZigBee systems require the user to have an extra ZigBee communication device placed beside already existing wireless switch or Wi-Fi router in same premises as the user's IR-enabled appliances. The requirement of an additional concentrator has been a major hurdle in the success of such devices.

Current smart home control systems that allow users to control their appliances remotely (e.g., turn the appliance ON/OFF using a software application installed on a mobile device) suffer from a lot of drawback. Current smart home control systems don't measure and report energy consumption, and do not calculate estimated cost of energy consumed for consumers to see before receiving their utility bills. Current systems do not give consumers insight or intelligent analytics into their energy spending habits on a day-to-day basis, or any time the consumer wants to see details about their energy usage/estimated costs. Current smart home systems do not break down energy consumption on an appliance-by-appliance basis, day-by-day, etc. Current smart home control systems do not allow consumers to define criteria or parameters to force the smart home control system to intelligently execute functions to save energy. Example of such functions include the automatic deactivation or alteration of the operation of an appliance (e.g. light bulb, air conditioner, TV, refrigerator, swimming pool heater, dishwasher, dryer, washing machine, etc.) in response to an energy consumption threshold being exceeded.

What is desirable is a smart home control system that solves all of the above issues that existing smart home control systems have not addressed.

SUMMARY

The invention presented here comprises of various methods, smartly integrated subsystems, sensors and algorithms as per one or more of the presented embodiments to provide users a location independent control over their appliances and show their real time energy usage. The subject innovation eliminates the need of any additional requirement of specialized home automation control hub or protocol conversion device by using the existing Wi-Fi hub already deployed at user location to give location independent control to the user over their appliances. The described smart AC controller (also known as smart thermostat) can be modified to work with specific appliances by coupling it to the appliance or embedding/integrating it into the appliance. The smart AC controller offers the interoperability features thus making it possible to associate it with one appliance and later disassociate from the same and associate it with another appliance.

Presented are the methods, algorithms, subsystems of the smart AC controller along with the data capture and storage applications for effective user analytics to help them smartly manage and control their appliances irrespective of their location. The cloud-enabled smart AC controller aims at providing users with control over their appliances and show real time energy consumption of each appliance to the user irrespective of user location and brand or manufacturer of the appliance.

The operation of some appliances can be conditional and based on reported energy consumption from multiple other appliances. For example, the described system can turn on an air conditioner in the guest room if the energy consumption threshold has not exceeded x kWh (kilowatt hour) or the total cost of energy consumption has not exceed x $ amount. The threshold can be set by the user. For example, the user can set the threshold in spending dollars and the described smart system will manage the operation of the appliances or selected set of appliances (as defined by the user), and the energy consumption accordingly.

The described system uses intelligent algorithms to measure energy consumption, calculate estimated cost, and makes decisions on operation of some or all available appliances to save energy. Since electricity costs (e.g. S/kWh) vary between countries, states, cities, counties, and utility providers, the described energy management system uses location to calculate costs, determine the utility provider to therefore determine cost per kWh. The described system also uses the operation timestamps of the various appliances to measure energy consumption costs since most providers operate on a tier-based pricing model. For example, Utility provider A might charge more per kWh at certain times during the day. Taking this into account, the described system will prioritize the operation of some appliances over other appliances. For example, the swimming pool heater takes less priority over air conditioner, and the refrigerator takes priority over both, i.e., the swimming pool heater and the air conditioner.

The smart AC controller has an onboard Wi-Fi module as its communication subsystem. The Wi-Fi module with implemented programs supports both Direct and client mode operations and choice is made by the device depending upon the requirement of operation and power metric indicators. Smart AC controller has a microcontroller based processing and decision making engine. The programmatic and algorithmic flows are implemented in the onboard memory and are updated by the cloud application platform as required. These programmatic and algorithmic flows with the help of onboard rules engine enable the smart AC controller for machine learning and taking intelligent decisions as per user habits for energy savings. The device has onboard power management unit. The communication mechanisms, intelligent rules engine, algorithmic and programmatic flows offer a reliable solution for the user.

In some of the embodiments the smart AC controller is enabled for intelligent decision making through implemented algorithmic flows and optimized user analytics for energy efficient use of appliance by the user thus contributing to energy conservation. The overall system provides control, monitoring and management with the provision of scheduler and activity log database. The choices and multiple implementation and operational embodiments are summarized in the succeeding paragraphs.

In some of the embodiments the user can choose to deploy multiple smart AC controllers at the same location for multiple appliances i.e. one smart AC controller per appliance for cloud-enabled control, monitoring and management of the appliances irrespective of user location.

In some of the embodiments there can be multiple users assigned to one appliance thus leveraging cloud enabled control, monitoring and management capabilities.

In some of the embodiments there can be multiple users assigned to multiple smart AC controllers thus leveraging cloud enabled control, monitoring and management capabilities. Such implementation offers the family architecture of system usage and operation under various embodiments.

In some of embodiments there can be one user assigned to multiple appliances through associated smart AC controllers that are geographically apart. In some of the embodiments there can be multiple users assigned to multiple appliances through associated smart AC controllers that are geographically apart. The presented system supports seamless assignment of user(s) through interactive graphical user interface and backend algorithmic and programmatic flows for effective remote monitoring, control and management of appliances through associated smart AC controllers. Smart AC controller enables users to use legacy remote controls if desired in parallel.

In some of the embodiments the steps for signup of the user for smartphone application include choosing a unique email address, username, password and confirming the passwords through the graphical user interface. The provided data by the user is logged in the backend cloud platform database. The steps for signing in are providing the username or selecting an already displayed username on the graphical user interface and entering the password.

The registration of smart AC controller 10 can be done through scanning the QR code provided on the packaging or on the smart AC controller itself and associating it with the desired appliance as per user's choice. The same process is repeated for registration of multiple devices. This is just one convenient method for registering the smart AC controller. For example, the registration can be done manually by the user by entering the smart AC controller ID. Another method for registering the smart AC controller can occur upon powering up the smart AC controller, since it acts as an Access Point (AP) and broadcasts its name. A user can directly connect to the smart AC controller by utilizing the app installed on their mobile device (e.g., smartphone) to complete the registration. Therefore, the user doesn't have to manually enter the ID associated with the smart AC controller or scan the QR code.

The graphical user interface of the application offers to create a new family or join an existing family. The user has the option to link the smart AC controller with their available Wi-Fi router at its location. The graphical user interface of the application offers the user to assign roles and rights for usage to various family members. The user(s) can set the schedulers, notifications and other functions as per desire through the graphical user interface of the application.

The smartphone application offers multiple graphical information subsystems to the user for analytics of the logged data about usage, status, and related vital information.

The smart AC controller is capable of Firmware Upgrade over the Air (FOTA). The new release of firmware is communicated to the smart AC controller over Wi-Fi connectivity.

In some of the application embodiments there can be single or multiple users assigned to the multiple appliances through associated smart AC controllers. In some of the application embodiments user(s) commands from local user(s) are communicated to the smart AC controller through smartphone of the local user and local Wi-Fi router at smart AC controller location. The smart AC controller sends the acknowledgement signal back to the user smartphone through local Wi-Fi router. In addition, the data is sent to cloud platform database for activity log through local Wi-Fi router at its location.

In some of the application embodiments user(s) commands from local user(s) are communicated to the smart AC controller through Wi-Fi module of the smartphone of local user at smart AC controller location. The smart AC controller takes appropriate actions and sends the acknowledgement signal back to the user smartphone through Wi-Fi communication. The smartphone of local user established the communication link with cloud platform database for activity log through public cellular telephone infrastructure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 illustrates the block diagram of the Smart AC controller. The onboard communication section, brightness control section, energy measurement section, processing section, power management unit and status section are illustrated.

FIG. 2 is a high-level schematic diagram illustrating logical relationships among systems in some arrangements within which the technology can operate.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the system illustrating main subsystems i.e. user, smartphone and cloud application platform and a plurality of connected smart AC controllers presented as invention here.

FIG. 4 is a high-level schematic diagram illustrating embodiments in which the technology can control appliances at multiple properties.

FIG. 5 is a high-level schematic diagram where a user is capable of communicating, controlling, monitoring and managing multiple appliances directly through smartphone and smart AC controllers.

FIG. 6 a high-level schematic diagram where multiple users are capable of communicating, controlling, monitoring and managing multiple appliance directly through smartphones and associated smart AC controllers thus illustrating a concept of family or group.

FIGS. 7A-7H are high-level schematic diagrams illustrating communication arrangements through which local and/or remote users can control appliances in various embodiments of the technology

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the command operation section in accordance with some embodiments of the technology.

FIG. 9 illustrates the onboard programmatic and algorithmic flows of the smart AC controller.

FIG. 10 illustrates the onboard programmatic and algorithmic flows of the smart AC controller at power up.

FIG. 11 illustrates the onboard choice and selection of communication subsystems available on the smart AC controller.

FIG. 12 illustrates the signup and startup screens of the smartphone application to provide seamless graphical user interface to the user.

FIG. 13 illustrates the screens of smartphone applications used to register the smart AC controllers and associating these with appropriate appliance(s).

FIG. 14 illustrates the creation, defining and joining functions of family/group of users through smartphone application.

FIG. 15 illustrates the smart AC controller setup screens of smartphone application and linking the smart AC controller(s) with available Wi-Fi router(s) at the user location.

FIG. 16 illustrates the main screen and the drop down options of smartphone application including reports, notifications, family/group, appliances and settings.

FIG. 17 illustrates the screens of smartphone application supporting family/group features. The association of one or multiple appliance to one or multiple members can be configured through these screens of the application.

FIG. 18 illustrates the screens of smartphone application showing energy usage information to the user of the appliance. The graphical presentation of information is also highlighted.

FIG. 19 illustrates the screens of smartphone application showing parameter based energy usage information to the user of the appliances. The graphical presentation of information is also highlighted.

FIG. 20 illustrates the screens of smartphone application offering energy usage control capability to the user for each appliance. This feature of the application plays a vital role in energy saving and providing energy efficiency to the user.

FIG. 21 illustrates the reports and graphical presentation of user analytics for user information.

FIG. 22A-22B illustrates the smartphone application screens for scheduler and timer automation configuration for one or multiple smart AC controller(s) by the user(s).

FIG. 23 is a display diagram illustrating a timeline screen in accordance with some embodiments of the technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The following description is intended to convey an understanding of the invention by providing a number of specific embodiments. It is understood, however, that the invention is not limited to these exemplary embodiments and details.

FIG. 1 illustrates components of the smart AC controller 10 in some embodiments. The illustrated components include an onboard communication section 110, sensor section 120, processing section 130, energy measurement section 140, power section 160, and status section 170. In the illustrated embodiment, the communication section 100 has two onboard communication subsystems: a Wi-Fi module 11 and an IR transceiver 112. The smart AC controller 10 can function on Wi-Fi networks that operate on standard frequencies (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) to send and receive data. Wi-Fi module 111 with implemented programs supports both direct and client mode operations. In some embodiments, the device selects the Wi-Fi operating mode depending upon, e.g., the requirement of operation and power metric indicators. The IR transceiver 112 has onboard implementation of IR modulators and demodulators for transmission and reception of data. In some embodiments, smart AC controller 10 includes a plurality of IR transceiver elements, such as IR emitters arranged on each face of a device to ensure omnidirectional communication coverage with local appliances. Smart AC controller 10 is capable of communication through onboard IR transceiver subsystem 112 with IR-enabled electric appliances such as television sets, home stereo systems, thermostats, wall air conditioners, central air conditioners, curtains, garage doors, lights, locks, etc. Smart AC controller 10 can, in short, control any IR-enabled electric appliance, as the quoted examples are illustrative and not exhaustive. The IR transceiver 112 of smart AC controller 10 allows for parallel operation of legacy remote control devices of appliances.

The onboard sensor section 120 has three onboard sensors: a temperature sensor 121, a humidity sensor 122, and an ambient sensor 123. The temperature, humidity and ambient light sensors 121-123 enable smart adapter 10 to monitor user needs, lifestyle and habits, allowing intelligent operation to optimize and best use the IR based devices. The on onboard sensor section can be further modified to include additional sensors. The role of the sensor section is to measure surrounding conditions in real time. The data is sent back to cloud platform 50 for storage, analysis and statistics. The same data is used by smart AC controller 10 and onboard intelligent algorithms in conjunction with user controls data to learn about usage styles, usage behavior and implementation of smart control features in the smart AC controller. Initially the smart AC controller operates as per the user instructions without taking any automated decisions and enters the learning mode. With the increased data in the database and having learnt about user lifestyle and usage behavior it offers the user to enable smart control. If a user enables the smart control, then smart AC controller 10 takes intelligent decisions to offer optimized convenience and control to the user without any user hassle.

In the illustrated embodiment, the processing section 130 has an onboard microcontroller unit 131, e.g., with on-chip flash and random access memory. The microcontroller unit 131 has onboard communication interfaces including, for example, serial communication, a serial peripheral interface, and an Inter-Integrated Circuit (“I2C”) bus for communication with the onboard subsystems. The smart AC controller 10 has onboard general purpose input/output (“I/Os”) and automatic data capture (“ADC”) for data capture, generating triggers and commands according to loaded program instructions. The microcontroller includes a processing and decision making engine. The programmatic and algorithmic flows are implemented in the onboard memory and are updated by the cloud application platform as required. For example, power metric calculations are part of the onboard algorithms which help the smart AC controller 10 save power during its operations. The programmatic and algorithmic flows with the help of the sensor section 110 and onboard rules engine enable the smart AC controller 10 to perform machine learning and to take intelligent decisions based on user habits. Energy measurement section 140 or circuitry is responsible for measuring the real time energy consumption of the appliance device coupled to smart AC controller 10. For example, the energy measurement section can include existing single chip solutions to measure active energy (kWh).

The onboard status section 170 provides visual status display about various modes, conditions and states of smart AC controller 10. In some embodiments, red, blue, green and yellow LEDs are used. These can indicate various statuses regarding data transfer, cloud connection, mobile application connection, etc. In some embodiments a combination of two or more LEDs turned on simultaneously indicates system status for user information. In some embodiments, the smart AC controller 10 includes a display screen (e.g. LCD) that displays operational and status information.

In some embodiments, data in transit between the microcontroller and Wi-Fi module 111 is secured by symmetric encryption such as a block cipher, e.g., AES-128, AES-192, or AES-256, and a one way hashing algorithm such as SHA1. AES block ciphers encrypt and decrypt data in blocks of 128 bits using cryptographic keys of 128-, 192- and 256-bits, respectively. Two-level encryption using AES and SHA1 for data in transit makes it difficult for an attacker to decrypt communication within the smart AC controller 10 between the microcontroller 131 and the Wi-Fi module 111.

FIG. 2 is a high-level schematic diagram illustrating logical relationships among systems in some arrangements within which the technology can operate. FIG. 2 illustrates overall system components in some embodiments including smart AC controller 10; a cloud platform 50, e.g., including a database and application; a locally deployed Wi-Fi router 100; and a mobile or web application (e.g., on user electronic devices such as mobile device 60, tablets, laptops, etc.).

In various embodiments, the cloud platform 50 provides cloud storage (e.g., cache) and database services. The cloud platform 50 acts as a bridge between hardware and/or software of smart AC controller 10, mobile devices 60, and web applications 61. For example, the cloud platform 50 provides utilities for mobile applications to communicate with a database server through predefined application programming interfaces (“APIs”). The cloud platform 50 service use APIs to store smart AC controller 10 data on a cloud database, so that the data is secure and accessible by the user anywhere. The cloud platform 50 provides services for encryption and decryption of commands and data, maintaining privacy of the user. The cloud platform 50 maintains information about smart AC controller 10 status and provides services for scheduling, statistics, and triggers for firmware over-the-air (“FOTA”) updates to smart AC controller 10.

The IR codes of plurality of appliances 20 are available in the cloud platform 50. Smart AC controller 10 is initialized through an onboard program of the microcontroller after it is powered up. In some embodiments, the device 10 checks for previous association with an appliance 20. In case no previously associated appliance is found (or, e.g., if new codes are available), the device 10 connects to the cloud application platform 50 to download the IR codes corresponding to its associated appliance, or any other (or all available appliances). In some embodiments these codes are automatically loaded to the device 10 or to the user smartphone application 61 or both. In some embodiments, the device 10 can record and store IR remote codes transmitted by an appliance remote control, to operate the appliance based on the recorded IR codes.

User actions are recorded and stored in the cloud application platform 50. For example, in various embodiments of the technology, an activity log is stored in the central database of cloud application platform 50 and acknowledgments and/or notifications are sent to one or more users through smartphone 60 mobile or web application 61.

The cloud platform 50 and mobile or web application 61 manage data including data at rest, referring to inactive data that is stored physically in any digital form (e.g. databases, data warehouses etc.), and data in transit, referring to information that flows over a public or untrusted network such as the Internet and data that flows in the confines of a private network such as a corporate or enterprise Local Area Network (LAN). In various embodiments, the cloud platform 50 and mobile or web application 61 include security measures such as storing all data in secure data centers with a trusted service provider, using intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems, and using distributed computing technology to improve efficiency, reliability, and resilience against denial of service attacks. In addition, the technology includes redundant backup servers and failover IP address functionality so that devices 10 can connect to the cloud platform 50 even when a cloud platform 50 server is down, e.g., for maintenance. The user actions from the mobile software application are either sent directly from the user app to smart AC controller 10 (whenever the user is in the same location as smart AC controller 10 is e.g. home—in this case, actions are performed and later app updates the database at cloud to keep the record) or when a user is outside, the app sends all actions to cloud and cloud sends the actions to the smart AC controller and gets an acknowledgement of action performed from the smart AC controller. Therefore; a complete history of actions is kept on the cloud and this data is used to learn about user behaviors and later make suggestions for automated actions for energy efficiency to the user. The data is also used to show the user a history or timeline of their activities, where they can see the full audit trail of their usage. The data is also used to generate statistical graphs to the user about their usage styles.

Referring to FIG. 2, smart AC controller 10 is connected to cloud platform 50 through Wi-Fi router 100 in client mode. The activity log is stored in the central database of cloud platform 50 and acknowledgements/notifications are sent to the user(s) through smartphone(s) 60. User actions are stored in the cloud platform 60. The smart AC controller 10 is initialized through onboard program of the microcontroller after it is powered up.

When the smart AC controller connects to the Server via TCP sockets it has to inform the cloud about its unique ID Address which is added to the Server's current connections list and is used for further handling the protocols and data for the device. The server checks if the unique ID Address is valid or not and responds with a message accordingly. If the device is not verified, the server closes the connection.

Once the smart AC controller is connected and listed in the current devices list it starts sending heartbeats after automatically adjusted intervals. The interval is adjusted intelligently and dynamically to balance the load on server side. The heartbeat fulfills multiple purposes. It helps in detecting if smart AC controller 10 is online or offline. The heartbeat also contains useful information about smart AC controller 10 such as information regarding schedule timestamps. It has other required information that is used for smart learning algorithms. The Cloud on the other hand keeps a record of the information in the heartbeat and after processing and storing information it sends an acknowledgement to the smart AC controller with a data packet having useful information for the smart switch. The smart AC controller status is set to offline if heartbeat is not received within specified time interval. These intervals are dynamic and depend on various parameters including current network situation, device health history and other relevant data.

Actions can be performed either locally or remotely from any location. If the smart AC controller is connected to the same Wi-Fi router or network as the mobile device on which the mobile app is executing, the actions are performed locally. In case the smart AC controller and mobile device are not connected to the same Wi-Fi router or network, the actions are performed remotely via the Cloud.

In Local action protocol the action information are communicated directed to the smart AC controller via the mobile device/mobile app, then the smart AC controller perform the action on the appliance and sends an acknowledgement to let the user know when the action is performed. The mobile application then informs the cloud service that a local action was performed.

In Remote action protocol the mobile device/mobile app send action information to the cloud. A cloud service(s) process the information and sends it to the smart AC controller which then performs the action on the appliance and sends an acknowledgement to the cloud. The cloud sets the status of the action as completely performed and sends a success notification to the mobile application.

Smart AC controller 10 can be controlled in different modes. In a Wi-Fi Direct mode, the smart AC controller 10 can be controlled directly from a Wi-Fi enabled mobile device without the need of a home Wi-Fi router. This is a built-in functionality in the Smart AC controller 10. All commands executed are locally saved in the mobile app database and as soon as it is linked to the internet, the data is transferred to the cloud to keep the database updated for optimized statistics. A second mode of operation is called “home mode”. When the user mobile device is connected to the home Wi-Fi Router, the same router on which the Smart AC controller is connected to, the appliance can be controlled without the need of Internet accessibility. Data on executed commands are locally saved in the mobile app database and as soon as it is linked to the Internet, the data is transferred to the cloud platform 50 to keep the database updated for optimized statistics. A third mode of operation is called “Cloud Mode”. In order to control Smart AC controller 10 over the Internet, Smart AC controller 10 and mobile device must be connected to the Internet.

FIG. 3 shows a plurality of smart AC controllers 10 coupled to appliances 21. The user 30 can control, monitor and manage their appliances 21 through their smartphone(s) 60 and smart AC controllers 10 irrespective of user 30 location. The smart AC controller controls associated appliances through onboard subsystems as depicted in FIG. 1. The acknowledgements and notifications are sent to user 30 through smartphone and smartphone application 60 and activity log is stored in cloud platform application database 50.

FIG. 4 is a high-level schematic diagram illustrating embodiments in which the technology can control appliances at multiple properties. FIG. 4 shows application of the technology at various buildings, e.g., residential, office, vacation property, etc. The technology allows the user to deploy systems under various embodiments to control, monitor, and manage their appliances at one or plurality of buildings. Smart AC controllers 10 can be deployed at multiple locations and user(s) can control the associated appliances through a mobile or web interface 61 irrespective of their location(s). In some embodiments the user can choose to deploy multiple smart AC controllers 10 at the same location for multiple appliances 21, e.g., one smart AC controller 10 per appliance 21 for cloud enabled control, monitoring and management of appliance 21 irrespective of user location.

Referring to FIG. 5, it shows one of the deployment embodiments of the system. It is a schematic diagram where a user 30 is capable of communicating, controlling, monitoring and managing multiple appliances 21 coupled to smart AC controllers through software application installed on smartphone 60.

FIG. 6 is a high-level schematic diagram illustrating embodiments in which the technology enables multiple users to control multiple appliances. In some embodiments, multiple users 30 that belong to a family or group 35—are capable of communicating, controlling, monitoring and managing multiple appliances 21 associated with multiple smart AC controllers 10 directly through smartphones 60. In some embodiments, multiple users 30 are assigned to one smart AC controller 10. In some embodiments there can be multiple users 30 assigned to multiple smart AC controllers 10. In some embodiments there can be one user 30 assigned to multiple appliances 21 through associated smart AC controllers 10 that are geographically apart. In some embodiments there can be multiple users 30 assigned to multiple appliances 21 through associated smart AC controller 10 that are geographically apart. The presented technology supports assignment of user(s) 30 through interactive graphical user interface which is part of the software application 61 and backend algorithmic and programmatic flows for effective remote monitoring, control and management of appliance 21 through associated devices 10. The technology thus leverages cloud-enabled 50 control, monitoring and management capabilities to said users 30 for assigned appliances 21 through the associated smart AC controllers 10. Such implementation offers a family architecture of system usage and operation under various embodiments.

FIGS. 7A-7H are high-level schematic diagrams illustrating communication arrangements through which local and/or remote users can control appliance(s) 21 or 22 associated with smart AC controller(s) 10 in various embodiments of the technology. It should be noted that there is no intent to limit the disclosure to these arrangements; together with the arrangements described below, various possible options, modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7A illustrates a possible data communication mechanism where a remote user 30 is able to control, monitor and manage IR enabled electric appliances 21 and/or 22 through smartphone 60 and cloud application platform 50. User 30 controls appliance(s) through smart appliance 10. A command string issued from user 30 mobile device 60 is communicated to smart AC controller 10 through cloud application platform 50 and local Wi-Fi router 100. The communication between device 10 and Wi-Fi router 100 is based on local Wi-Fi connection at the smart AC controller location. The communication of command string from smart appliance 10 to associated appliance 21 and/or 22 is via the IR transceiver within smart AC controller 10. The communication of acknowledgement from smart AC controller 10 to the user smartphone 60 is through local Wi-Fi router 100 at smart AC controller 10 location and cloud application platform 50. The same communication mechanism is used to log activity feed in the cloud application platform database 50.

FIG. 7B illustrates a possible data communication mechanism where a remote user 30 is able to control, monitor and manage IR enabled electric appliances through smartphone 60 and cloud application platform 50. Additionally the local user can control the same appliances by using conventional remote controls or their smart phone(s).

FIG. 7C illustrates a possible data communication mechanism where a local user 30 is able to control, monitor and manage IR enabled electric appliances through smartphone 60 and cloud application platform 50. User 30 controls appliance 21 through associated smart AC controller 10. The command string from the user through their smartphone and smart phone application running on the use smart phone is communicated to smart AC controller 10 through local Wi-Fi router 100. The communication between smartphone application and the local W-Fi router 100 as well as between local Wi-Fi router 100 and smart AC controller 10 is via Wi-Fi. The communication of command string from smart AC controller 10 to associated appliance 21 is based on IR transceiver within the smart AC controller 10. The communication of acknowledgement from the smart AC controller 10 to the user smartphone application is through the local Wi-Fi router 100. The same communication mechanism is used to log activity feed in the cloud application platform database 50.

FIG. 7D illustrates a possible data communication mechanism where a local user 30 is able to control, monitor and manage IR enabled electric appliances through smartphone 60 and cloud application platform 50. User 30 controls appliance 21 through associated smart AC controller 10. The command string from the user through their smartphone application is communicated to the smart AC controller 10 through smartphone application, public cellular network infrastructure, cloud platform and local Wi-Fi router 100. The communication of acknowledgement from smart AC controller 10 to the user smartphone application is through the local Wi-Fi router 100, cloud platform and public cellular network infrastructure.

FIG. 7E illustrates a possible data communication mechanism where a local user 30 is able to control, monitor and manage IR enabled electric appliances through smartphone/smartphone application 60, local Wi-Fi router 100 and cloud application platform 50. The user 30 controls appliance 21 through associated smart AC controller 10. The command string from user 30 through their smartphone 60 is communicated to the smart AC controller 10 through direct Wi-Fi connection (Wi-Fi Direct). The communication of command string from smart AC controller 10 to the associated appliance 21 is via IR transceiver within smart AC controller 10. The communication of acknowledgement from smart AC controller 10 to the user smartphone 60 is through direct Wi-Fi connectivity. Device 10 uses local Wi-Fi router 100 to log activity feed in the cloud application platform database 50 through Wi-Fi connectivity.

FIG. 7F illustrates a possible data communication mechanism where a local user 30 is able to control, monitor and manage IR enabled electric appliances through smartphone 60 and cloud application platform 50. The user controls appliance 21 through associated smart AC controller 10. The command string from the user through their smartphone is communicated to smart AC controller 10 through local Wi-Fi router 100. The communication between smartphone 60 and the local W-Fi router 100 as well as between local Wi-Fi router 100 and smart AC controller 10 is via Wi-Fi. The communication of command string from smart AC controller 10 to associated appliance 21 and/or 22 is via IR transceiver within smart AC controller 10. Additionally, a local user 2 can control the appliance by using a conventional remote control and the smart thermostat 10 log the data back to cloud platform 50 using local Wi-Fi router 100. The communication of acknowledgement from the smart AC controller 10 to user smartphone 60 is through the local Wi-Fi router 100. The same communication mechanism is used to log activity feed in the cloud application platform database 50.

FIG. 7G illustrates a possible data communication mechanism where a local user 30 is able to control, monitor and manage IR enabled electric appliances through smartphone 60, public cellular network infrastructure, cloud application platform 50 and local Wi-Fi router 100. The user controls appliance 21 and/or 22 through associated smart AC controller 10, The command string from the user through their smartphone is communicated to smart AC controller 10 through public cellular infrastructure, cloud platform and local Wi-Fi router 100. The communication of command string from smart AC controller 10 to associated appliance is via IR transceiver within the smart AC controller 10. Additionally, a local user 2 can control the appliance by using a conventional remote control and the smart thermostat 10 log the data back to cloud platform 50 using local Wi-Fi router 100.

FIG. 7H illustrates a possible data communication mechanism where a local user 30 is able to control, monitor and manage IR enabled electric appliances through smartphone 60, public cellular network infrastructure and cloud application platform 50. The user controls appliance through associated smart AC controller 10. The command string from the user through their smartphone is communicated to smart AC controller 10 through Wi-Fi direct connection between smartphone and smart AC controller 10. The communication of command string from smart AC controller 10 to the associated appliance is via IR transceiver within the smart AC controller 10.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating subsystems for incorporating legacy IR remote control systems in accordance with some embodiments of the technology. The illustrated subsystems include a command operation section 810 including onboard command decryption 811 and command protocol conversion 812, and an interface for wireless communication. The illustrated subsystems enable conversion, processing, and transmission of user-specific commands 801 to the user's appliance 20. The command operation section 810 of the remote control device performs related processing on the user-specific commands. The processing includes command decryption 811 and command protocol conversion 812 to hardware friendly-binary codes. The processing section 810 is also responsible for transmitting the hardware friendly binary codes to user's appliance through IR transceiver. Wireless communication section builds a communication bridge between mobile phone 61, cloud platform 50, and the smart AC controller.

The IR transceiver subsystem within the smart AC controller enables users to use legacy remote controls if desired in parallel to the smart AC controller. The smart AC controller captures data of legacy remote controls and logs it on the cloud database 50 for effective synchronization of the subsystems and providing accurate analytics to the users 30. In addition, the user is kept updated by synchronizing data on smartphone application, web application and cloud database.

Referring to FIG. 9, it shows state diagram embodiment illustrating the communication routes and decision made by the smart AC controller in order to pass instructions. Start state represents the power-on self-test (POST). If the smart AC controller is registered, associated with a user, family, SSID or a service, it calculates the power matric probing all components and identifying system health. If the smart AC controller is unregistered, the state will switch to Wi-Fi Direct mode and search for Wi-Fi Direct clients. After getting and verifying Wi-Fi communication credentials by successfully connecting to Wi-Fi Direct channel, the smart AC controller state will switch to Wi-Fi client mode and connects to home wireless router.

Referring to FIG. 10, it shows communication flowchart embodiment of the smart AC controller to cloud service. Upon power up, the system searches internal NVRAM (nonvolatile random access memory) for system setting. By default, these are empty. The settings include Wi-Fi home router username, password, power settings etc. When it fails to locate these settings, the smart AC controller switches Wi-Fi module to Wi-Fi direct mode. The mobile application connects to Wi-Fi direct and queries for listing available access points. The mobile application gets the name and password from the user and saves to system. The smart AC controller then switches Wi-Fi module back to client mode and connects to the home Wi-Fi router from where the communication to cloud platform establishes.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps involved in communication a command to the smart AC controller. The user device can issue commands to the smart AC controller via direct communication (e.g. Wi-Fi direct), via the home router, or via a cellular network that communicates the commands to the smart electrical switch via the cloud platform (e.g., user is remote from the location of the smart electrical switch).

Referring to FIG. 12, it shows mobile application's startup screens of signing in of existing user and registration of new user. The sign in screen accepts the inputs of existing username and password of a registered user and displays “sign in”/“sign up” buttons. On the other hand, sign up screen requires the inputs of username, email, password and password confirmation of a new user and displays a “register” button.

Referring to FIG. 13, it shows mobile application's device adding screens. It offers an automatic QR code scanning option which automatically detects the smart AC controller I.D and stores it in cloud against specific user. During the registration phase, the customized software application running on the mobile device retrieves the location of the mobile device and communicates it to the cloud platform where it is stored in one or more databases and become associated with the user profile and smart AC controller. The cloud platform hosts a database that contains data about various utilities providers in different locations (countries, states, cities, counties) as well as corresponding electricity rates (e.g., cost per kWh). This enables the customized software to calculate costs of energy consumed based on energy consumption measurements and reporting from the smart AC controller. The location of mobile device can be obtained in multiple ways. For example, the location of the mobile device can be based on the GPS coordinates of the device, or the location of the wireless Access Point the mobile device is connected to. There are many known ways for a mobile software application to obtain and report the location of the mobile device. For example, mobile applications designed to run on Apple iOS devices use the Apple's Core Location framework to locate the current position of the device. The smart AC controller can be delinked from one location and linked to another (in case the owner of the smart AC controller moves to a different city or state). In some embodiments, the smart AC controller can report data to a remote server that can compute its location. Such data might be related to the access point that it is connected to. Internal algorithms of the system ensure that smart AC controller 10 location is updated every time it is delinked from existing Wi-Fi router and linked to a new Wi-Fi router.

Referring to FIG. 14, it shows mobile application's family registration options screens. A user has the option to create a new family group or join the existing as a new member. The new member can have access to existing smart AC controller(s) associated with the family or can add new ones.

Referring to FIG. 15, it shows mobile application's device Wi-Fi communication setup screens. User can select available Wi-Fi access points from a drop-down menu and enter the access point password in order to establish communication through it. The Wi-Fi access point information and password will be saved in mobile application and cloud platform by selecting the save option.

Referring to FIG. 16, it shows an example of a smartphone application showing family associated appliances and drop down options screens. List of appliances associated with a specific family is shown. More than one family can be registered as well as more than one appliance can be associated with each family. The options drop down menu gives user access to graphical reports, notifications, family information, associated appliance information, and settings screens.

FIG. 17 shows an example of a smartphone application's showing appliances associated with a family or group and member(s) associated with each family. List of appliances associated with a specific family is shown. There can be more than one families registered and more than one appliance associated with each family. Additionally, list of appliances associated with each member is shown. There can be more than one members registered in a family and more than one appliances associate with each member of the family.

FIG. 18 shows an example of a smart phone application showing appliances associated with a specific family or group along with graphical reports for specific appliances. List of appliances associated with a specific family is shown. There can be more than one family or group registered and more than one appliance associated with each family. The graphical reports related to an appliance can be, for e.g., statistical usage or activity data in the form of graphs, charts and tables. In some embodiments, when single or multiple users assigned to multiple IR-enabled electric appliances through associated smart AC controllers are off premises, the remote monitoring, management, and control of assigned appliances is offered to the user(s) remotely via the cloud through their smartphones.

FIG. 19 shows an example of a smartphone application showing energy usage information of energy consumption of each associated appliance to the user. The graphical presentation of information is also highlighted.

FIG. 20 shows an example of a smartphone application showing parameter based energy usage information of each appliance associated with the smart thermostat to the user. The graphical presentation of information is also highlighted.

Referring to FIG. 21, it shows mobile application's screens and functions available for energy usage control measures. User can make energy saving decisions and restrict energy usage of various appliances associated with smart AC controllers.

FIGS. 22A-22B are display diagrams illustrating appliance scheduling in accordance with some embodiments of the technology. The technology enables users to set schedules and automated timers for operating one or multiple appliances automatically, such as to have a home at a comfortable temperature when the occupants return home, or to operate lights and other appliances to make the house appear occupied and deter burglars while the occupants are away.

FIG. 22A shows example mobile application automatic timed and scheduled operation triggering screens. Scheduled automation screen 2210 shows the options of a particular device related to automatic triggering a number of user-specific appliance settings over the days of a week. The scheduler can be turned on or off in variable days of the week. Timer automation screen 2220 shows the options of a particular user related to automatically triggering a number of user-specific appliance settings over all the associated user appliances. The timer can be turned on or off for various appliances.

FIG. 22B illustrates another interface for scheduling for an air conditioner, enabling the user to set specific functions of the air conditioner to be performed over time. Various air conditioner functions (e.g., power on/off, temperature setting, mode, fan speed, etc.) can be performed as scheduled events or on a repeating schedule, for example.

In various embodiments, the technology includes a “Schedule Protocol” by which schedules that are added by any user against any smart AC controller 10 are also sent to smart AC controller 10 via the cloud platform 50. In some embodiments, the cloud platform 50 sends a fixed number of schedules or schedule events to smart AC controller to be executed after processing along with data string and timestamp, and stores the remaining schedules or schedule events as a queue in its database. Smart AC controller 10 sends an acknowledgment for each schedule information. When the schedule is executed, smart AC controller 10 sends a schedule execute acknowledgement to the cloud platform 50 along with the timestamp information of that schedule. The cloud platform 50 marks that schedule as completed and then gets pending schedules and sends them to smart AC controller 10.

FIG. 23 is a display diagram illustrating a timeline screen in accordance with some embodiments of the technology. The illustrated timeline screen 2300 enables a user to see all the actions performed and observed through smart AC controller 10 for a controlled appliance 20 such as an air conditioner, providing a complete audit trail. Starting at the bottom of the screen, the oldest item 2302 in the timeline 2300 history is that user 30 John registered the smart AC controller 10, two days ago. Item 2304 indicates that an infrared device such as the air conditioner's own remote control turned on the air conditioner. In some embodiments, the technology detects, captures, and reports infrared signals received from legacy remote controls. In some embodiments, the technology is integrated into an appliance and captures information about external actions such as manual or infrared remote activation received by the appliance. In item 2306, the smart AC controller 10 reports information about status of the smart AC controller or the appliance, noting that the smart AC controller was offline for about an hour the previous day. In item 2308, the timeline 2300 states that a schedule labeled “Morning” was executed ten minutes ago. And in item 2310, the timeline 2300 records that user John changed the temperature to 26 degrees Celsius. In some embodiments, the technology provides auditing functions based on observed timeline events, such as an alert that a particular user activated an appliance outside normal hours, or a notification that temperatures in a room exceed a threshold.

There is a multitude of advantages of the presented invention arising from the various features of the smart AC controller, its methods, subsystems, algorithms and associated applications. It is pertinent to note that alternative embodiments of the present invention may not cover all of the associated features of the invention. People having ordinary skills in the art may benefit and devise their own implementations of the smart AC controller, utilizing one or more of the features of present invention which fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above-described technology may be straightforwardly adapted or extended in various ways. For example, the technology may be implemented in devices of various sizes and forms, as standalone devices or integrated or retrofitted into appliances. While the foregoing description makes reference to particular embodiments, the scope of the invention is defined solely by the claims that follow and the elements recited therein.

Claims

1. A network-based remote control device for controlling and measuring energy consumption of at least one appliance, comprising:

a control circuitry configured to be coupled to a power source;

the control circuitry comprising: a processing module configured to process control commands received over a communication network; a communication module coupled to the processing unit for receiving said control commands; an infrared (“IR”) circuit assembly configured to transmit said processed control commands to the least one appliance and to receive control commands from an infrared (“IR”) remote control device; an environmental sensor assembly coupled to the processing unit; an energy measurement module configured to measure energy consumption of the appliance;

and a housing containing the control circuitry.

2. The remote control device of claim 1, wherein the communication module comprises a Wi-Fi transceiver.

3. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the infrared circuit assembly comprises a plurality of IR transceivers oriented in different directions, such that a combination of the plurality of IR transceivers are substantially omnidirectional.

4. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the IR transceiver assembly comprises an IR emitter and an IR receiver.

5. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the environmental sensor assembly comprises at least one of temperature, humidity, and proximity sensors.

6. The remote control device of claim 1, further comprising at least one of an LED status indicator, and a display for displaying operating status of the remote control device.

7. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the memory is configured to store computer-executable instructions configured to receive appliance control commands via the Wi-Fi module, and to transmit IR signals to control operation of an appliance via the IR transmitter.

8. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the device is (may be or can be) configured to control a plurality of appliances.

9. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the memory is configured to store schedule information, and wherein the device is further configured to transmit IR signals to control operation of an appliance via the IR transceiver at scheduled times based on the stored schedule information.

10. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the memory is configured to store information about each operation of the appliance and information about the status of the device.

11. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the device is configured to communicate with a remote server via the Wi-Fi module.

12. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the device is configured to obtain, from the remote server, appliance IR control codes.

13. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the device is configured to transmit, to the remote server, information about each operation of the appliance and information about the status of the device.

14. The remote control device of claim 1 wherein the device is configured to receive, from a user-operated remote control, IR signals to the appliance, and wherein the device is further configured to transmit, to the remote server, information about the received IR signals.

15. A method in a networked control system for remotely controlling an infrared (“IR”) enabled appliance, the method comprising:

determining a list of online remote control devices associated with a user profile;

displaying the list of online remote control devices on a user communication device;

receiving, from the user communication device, a command to operate a IR-enabled appliance associated with a selected one of the online remote control devices;

transmitting to the IR-enabled appliance, an IR code to operate the IR-enabled appliance;

and periodically measuring a energy consumption of the IR-enabled appliance.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, from the remote control device, an acknowledgment that the remote control device transmitted the IR code; and transmitting, to the user computing device, a message indicating that the remote control device transmitted the IR code.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting the energy consumption measurements to a remote server for storing and analysis.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

automatically switching the IR-enabled device to operate in an energy saving mode if cumulative energy consumption measurements of other appliance exceed a predefined threshold.

19. A remote control system for controlling at least one infrared (“IR”) enabled appliance, the system comprising:

a first application executable in at least one user computing device, the first application configured to generate a user interface component for receiving a user control command targeting the at least one appliance;

a remote control device configured to transmit a signal to the at least one IR-enabled appliance in response to the user control command received from the first application, the remote control device further configured to transmit data to and receive data from at least a second application executing on a server computing device, wherein the transmitted data comprises energy consumption measurements of the at least one infrared appliance, and the received data comprises IR codes associated with a manufacturer and type of the IR-enabled appliance.

20. The remote control system of claim 19, wherein the at least one IR-enabled appliance is selected from a group consisting of an air conditioner, a set top box, and a television.