Video recording doorbell

Abstract

This document describes a video recording doorbell. In one aspect, the video recording doorbell provides a compact and space-efficient electronic doorbell camera device. Thermal control is enhanced by dividing the heat sink into separate sections for different heat dissipation sub-assemblies. The video recording doorbell includes a robust waterproof system that allows for mechanical movement of a button when a user presses down on the button to initiate a chime event. For an improved user experience, the video recording doorbell also includes an installation system that is easy to install and provides additional security against theft.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Due to the progress of electronic doorbells for capturing images and / or videos, many users have begun to rely on the image data of the user's doorbell to see and / or identify a person approaching the user's door step, and / or to determine whether a package has been delivered or received. Many conventional electronic doorbells can be large and bulky, which may reduce the user experience. Some of the challenges in building an electronic doorbell with a small form factor may include thermal management, waterproofing, power supply, and mounting.

Summary of the Invention

[0002] This document describes a video recording doorbell. In one aspect, the video recording doorbell provides a compact and space-efficient electronic doorbell camera device. Thermal control is enhanced by dividing the heat sink into separate sections for different heat dissipation sub-assemblies. The video recording doorbell includes a robust waterproofing system, a part of which enables the mechanical movement of a button when the user presses the button to initiate a chime event. For an improved user experience, the video recording doorbell also includes a mounting system that is easy to install and provides additional security against theft.

[0003] In one embodiment, the video recording doorbell includes a housing having a front outer surface and a rear outer surface on the opposite side. In some embodiments, the housing has a height along the y-axis that is greater than the width along the x-axis and the depth along the z-axis, and the front outer surface is perpendicular to the z-axis. In some embodiments, the front outer surface has first and second ends along the y-axis. The video recording doorbell may also include a camera module located at the first end (e.g., the top end) of the housing. In some embodiments, the camera module is configured to operate an image sensor and associated circuitry to capture video data. The video recording doorbell may also include a printed circuit board located within the housing and having circuitry configured for continuous recording and interpretation of video data. Furthermore, the video recording doorbell may include a button subassembly located at the second end (e.g., the bottom end) of the housing and configured to be pressed by a person to initiate a chime event. Furthermore, the video recording doorbell may include a heatsink having separate first and second sections. In some embodiments, a first section of the heatsink is positioned adjacent to the printed circuit board, and a second section of the heatsink is positioned adjacent to the camera module. In some embodiments, the first section is positioned adjacent to the second section with a predetermined gap in the y-axis direction.

[0004] In one embodiment, the video recording doorbell includes a housing having a front outer surface and a rear outer surface on the opposite side. The video recording doorbell may also include a camera module. In some embodiments, the camera module is configured to operate an image sensor and associated circuitry to capture video data. In some embodiments, the camera module has a camera lens. The video recording doorbell may also include a printed circuit board disposed within the housing and having circuitry configured for continuous recording of video data. In addition, the video recording doorbell may include a button subassembly configured to be pressed by a person to initiate a chime event. The button subassembly may include a button board having an electrical pattern for initiating a chime event; a dome configured to complete the circuit when forced to contact the electrical pattern; a foldable elastic button to complete the circuit by applying force to the dome and causing it to contact the electrical pattern; and a button cap forming a pressable button on the front outer surface of the housing. The video recording doorbell device may further include a first seal disposed between the button board and the front housing component of the housing; and a second seal disposed between the button board and the elastic button. In this configuration, the first and second seals can prevent water from entering the housing between the housing and the button cap of the button subassembly from reaching the electrical patterns on the buttonboard.

[0005] In one embodiment, the video recording doorbell includes a housing having a front outer surface and a rear outer surface on the opposite side. The video recording doorbell may also include a camera module. In some embodiments, the camera module is configured to operate an image sensor and associated circuitry to capture video data. The video recording doorbell may also include a printed circuit board located within the housing and having circuitry configured for continuous recording of video data. In addition, the video recording doorbell may include a button subassembly configured to be pressed by a person to initiate a chime event. The video recording doorbell device may further comprise one or more mounting studs located on the rear outer surface of the housing. In this configuration, each of the one or more mounting studs may be secured to a fastener located within the housing. Each mounting stud may include a shaft extending outward from the rear outer surface of the housing and a head having a diameter greater than the diameter of the shaft.

[0006] In one embodiment, the video recording doorbell includes a housing having a front outer surface and a rear outer surface on the opposite side. The video recording doorbell may also include a camera module. In some embodiments, the camera module is configured to operate an image sensor and associated circuitry to capture video data. In some embodiments, the camera module has a camera lens. The video recording doorbell may also include a printed circuit board located within the housing and having circuitry configured for continuous recording of video data. In addition, the video recording doorbell may include a button subassembly configured to be pressed by a person to initiate a chime event for a predetermined duration. The button subassembly may further include a button board having an electrical pattern for initiating a chime event, and a dome configured to complete a circuit when forced into contact with the electrical pattern, the circuit being configured to route line power to the chime for a predetermined duration. The video recording doorbell may also include a battery frame configured to house a battery for supplying power to the circuitry during chime events.

[0007] This summary is provided to introduce a simplified concept of a video recording doorbell, which is further described below in more detail. This summary is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0008] Details of one or more embodiments of video recording doorbells are described in this document with reference to the following drawings. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to similar features and components. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1A] This is an exemplary network environment in which various forms of video recording doorbells can be implemented. [Figure 1B] This figure shows a more detailed example of the environment described in Figure 1. [Figure 2A] This figure shows an exemplary home area network system in which various forms of video recording doorbells may be implemented. [Figure 2B] This figure shows an exemplary operating environment in which a server system interacts with client devices and smart devices, according to several embodiments. [Figure 3] This block diagram shows an exemplary video server system in several embodiments. [Figure 4A] This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary client device in several embodiments. [Figure 4B] This figure shows a typical system architecture including a video source(s), a server system, and a client device(s) according to several embodiments. [Figure 5] This block diagram shows representative client devices associated with user accounts, according to several embodiments. [Figure 6] This is an isometric view of an exemplary video recording doorbell according to several embodiments. [Figure 7] Figure 6 is a front elevation view of an example doorbell. [Figure 8] Figure 6 is a right-side elevation view of an exemplary doorbell according to several embodiments. [Figure 9] Figure 6 is an example rear elevation view of a doorbell. [Figure 10] Figure 6 is an exploded view of an example doorbell. [Figure 11] This diagram shows a portion of the exploded view of Figure 10, showing the rear of the heatsink, the main logic board subassembly, and the battery subassembly. [Figure 12] This is a cross-sectional view of the doorbell from Figure 7, taken along line AA in Figure 7. [Figure 13] This figure shows a portion of the cross-sectional view of Figure 12, including an example stack of button subassemblies. [Figure 14]This is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a doorbell taken along line CC in Figure 7, from Figure 7. [Figure 15] Figure 7 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the button-side end of the doorbell, taken along line AA, and a magnified view of a portion of the cross-sectional view with the mounting stud 904. [Figure 16] This is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary doorbell in Figure 7, taken along line CC in Figure 7. [Figure 17A] This is a diagram of a locking mechanism for securing a doorbell to a wall plate. [Figure 17C] This is a diagram of a locking mechanism for securing a doorbell to a wall plate. [Figure 17B] This is a diagram of a locking mechanism for securing a doorbell to a wall plate. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] This document describes a video recording doorbell. The technology described herein provides a video recording doorbell device comprising a housing, a button, and a camera module. The doorbell has enhanced passive thermal control, more robust waterproofing than many conventional video recording doorbells, and a mounting system that includes easy installation and enhanced security against theft.

[0011] In one embodiment, a video recording doorbell includes a heatsink having separate sections, one of which corresponds to the camera module and the other to the doorbell's printed circuit board (PCB) (e.g., the main logic board (MLB)). Dividing the heatsink into separate sections for components and / or subassemblies that generate different amounts of heat significantly reduces temperatures compared to conventional doorbell devices that use a single heatsink for both the MLB and the camera module. The separate sections also prevent heat from spreading from some components to other sensitive components.

[0012] For waterproofing, the video recording doorbell includes a waterproof seal disposed at a location within the housing of the doorbell. Based on the position of these seals, water may ingress into some areas behind the button around the edge of the button (e.g., between the button and the housing), but may not ingress into areas or components that are susceptible to water damage, including the circuit. The placement of these seals allows for the mechanical movement of the features of the button and the light ring without the risk of water damage to the circuit (e.g., the circuit that triggers a chime event).

[0013] Regarding installation, the video recording doorbell includes an installation system used to fix the doorbell to a surface and prevent movement in any direction. In one aspect, the doorbell includes an installation stud that extends from the outer rear surface of the doorbell and includes a wide head. The installation stud is inserted through a hole in the wall plate, and the doorbell slides to a predetermined position so as to overlap the head of the installation stud behind the wall plate. The wall plate also includes a locking tab that extends into a concave volume defined within the outer rear surface of the doorbell. Next, a lock fastener is inserted through a hole in the housing of the doorbell and fastened to the locking tab to prevent movement of the doorbell relative to the wall plate.

[0014] Additionally, the video recording doorbell is line-powered but includes a battery for powering the device during a chime event (e.g., activating a chime based on a user pressing a button). Since the battery is only used during a chime event, the battery can be smaller than a conventional battery-powered video recording doorbell that requires longer-term continuous battery power. The smaller-sized battery allows for a doorbell form factor that is smaller than many conventional battery-powered video recording doorbells.

[0015] Therefore, computing systems and devices are provided with more efficient techniques for installation, water intrusion prevention, and passive thermal control. These disclosed systems and devices thereby improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction of such systems and devices.

[0016] The described techniques and concepts related to video recording doorbells can be implemented in any number of different environments, but the aspects are described in the context of the following examples.

[0017] Exemplary Devices FIG. 1A shows an exemplary network environment 100 (e.g., a network environment) in which a video recording doorbell can be implemented. Network environment 100 includes a home area network (HAN). The HAN is disposed around a structure 104 such as a home and includes wireless network devices 102 (e.g., electronic devices) connected by one or more wired and / or wireless network technologies as described below. The HAN includes a boundary router 106 that connects the HAN to an external network 108 such as the Internet through a home router or access point 110.

[0018] To provide user access to the functions implemented using the wireless network devices 102 within the HAN, a cloud service 112 connects to the HAN through the boundary router 106, through a secure tunnel 114, through the external network 108, and through the access point 110. The cloud service 112 uses a web-based application programming interface (API) 118 to facilitate communication between the HAN and an Internet client 116 such as an application on a mobile device. The cloud service 112 also manages a home graph that describes the connections and relationships between the wireless network devices 102, the elements of the structure 104, and the user. The cloud service 112 hosts a controller that coordinates and mediates the home automation experience, as described in more detail below.

[0019] The HAN may include one or more wireless network devices 102 that function as a hub 120. The hub 120 may be a general-purpose home automation hub, or an application-specific hub such as a security hub, energy management hub, or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) hub. The functionality of the hub 120 may also be integrated into any wireless network device 102, such as a smart thermostat device or a perimeter router 106. In addition to hosting controllers on the cloud service 112, controllers can be hosted on any hub 120 within the structure 104, such as a perimeter router 106. Controllers hosted on the cloud service 112 can be dynamically moved to hubs 120 within the structure 104, such as moving an HVAC zone controller to a newly installed smart thermostat.

[0020] Hosting functionality on the hub 120 within structure 104 can improve reliability when the user's internet connection is unreliable, reduce latency for operations that would normally have to connect to the cloud service 112, and satisfy system and regulatory constraints around local access between wireless network devices 102.

[0021] The HAN's wireless network devices 102 may also be from a single manufacturer providing the cloud services 112, or the HAN may include wireless network devices 102 from partners. These partners may also provide partner cloud services 122 that provide services related to the partners' wireless network devices 102 via a partner web API 124. The partner cloud services 122 may optionally or additionally provide services to internet clients 116 via a web-based API 118, cloud services 112, and a secure tunnel 114.

[0022] The network environment 100 can be implemented with various hosts, such as battery-powered microcontroller-based devices, line-powered devices, and servers hosting cloud services. The protocols operating on the wireless network device 102 and cloud service 112 provide several services that support the operation of the home automation experience in the distributed computing environment 100. These services include, but are not limited to, real-time distributed data management and subscriptions, command and response control, real-time event notification, logging and storage of historical data, encrypted and controlled security groups, time synchronization, network and service pairing, and software updates.

[0023] Figure 1B shows an exemplary environment 130 in which an embodiment of a home area network and a video recording doorbell, as described with reference to Figure 1A, may be implemented. Generally, the environment 130 includes a home area network (HAN) implemented as part of a house or other type of structure with any number of wireless network devices (e.g., wireless network device 102) configured to communicate within the wireless network. For example, wireless network devices may include a thermostat 132, a hazard detector 134 (e.g., for smoke and / or carbon monoxide), a camera 136 (e.g., indoor and outdoor), a lighting unit 138 (e.g., indoor and outdoor), and any other type of wireless network device 140 implemented inside and / or outside the structure 142 (e.g., in a residential environment). In this example, wireless network devices may also include any of the aforementioned devices, such as a boundary router 106 and a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) having an internet client 116.

[0024] In environment 130, any number of wireless network devices may be implemented for wireless interconnection to communicate and interact with one another wirelessly. These wireless network devices are modular, intelligent, multi-sensing, and network-connected devices that can seamlessly integrate with each other and / or with a central server or cloud computing system to provide any of a variety of useful automation purposes and embodiments. An example of a wireless network device that may be implemented as one of the devices described herein is shown and described with reference to Figures 6 to 17C.

[0025] In the embodiment, the thermostat 132 may include a Nest® learning thermostat that detects ambient climate characteristics (e.g., temperature and / or humidity) and controls an HVAC system 144 within the residential environment. The learning thermostat 132 and other network-connected devices “learn” by capturing occupant settings to the device. For example, the thermostat learns preferred temperature setting points in the morning and evening, as well as when the occupant of the structure is asleep or awake, and whether the occupant is usually away or at home.

[0026] Hazard detectors 134 can be implemented to detect the presence of hazardous materials or substances indicating hazardous materials (e.g., smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide). In the example of wireless interconnection, hazard detectors 134 can detect the presence of smoke indicating a fire within the structure, in which case the first hazard detector to detect the smoke can broadcast a low-power wake-up signal to all connected wireless network devices. Other hazard detectors 134 can then receive the broadcasted wake-up signal, initiate a high-power state for hazard detection, and receive radio communications of alert messages. Furthermore, lighting units 138 can receive the broadcasted wake-up signal and activate in the area of ​​the detected hazard to illuminate and identify the area in question. In another embodiment, lighting units 138 may operate with one illumination color to indicate an area or region in question within the structure, such as related to a detected fire or intrusion, and with different illumination colors to indicate safe areas and / or escape routes outside the structure.

[0027] In various configurations, the wireless network device 140 may work in conjunction with a networked door lock system 148 and include an entrance interface device 146 that detects and responds to the approach or departure of a person to or from a certain location, such as an outer door of a structure 142. The entrance interface device 146 may interact with other wireless network devices based on whether someone has approached or entered the smart home environment. The entrance interface device 146 may control settings on the security system, such as controlling doorbell functions, notifying of the approach or departure of a person via audible or visual means, and activating or deactivating the security system when an occupant enters or leaves. The wireless network device 140 may also include other sensors and detectors, such as detecting ambient lighting conditions, detecting the occupancy status of a room (e.g., using an occupancy sensor 150), and controlling the power and / or dimming status of one or more lights. In some examples, the sensors and / or detectors may also control the power status or speed of a fan, such as a ceiling fan 152. Furthermore, the sensor and / or detector can detect occupancy within a room or enclosure and control the electrical outlet or power supply to device 154, such as when the room or structure is not occupied.

[0028] The wireless network device 140 may also include connected household appliances and / or controlled systems 156 such as refrigerators, stoves and ovens, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, pool heaters 158, water systems 160, and security systems 162, as well as other electronic and computing devices such as televisions, entertainment systems, computers, intercom systems, garage door openers 164, ceiling fans 152, and control panels 166. When plugged in, the household appliances, devices, or systems can notify themselves to the home area network as described above and can be automatically integrated with the control and devices of the home area network, such as within a house. Note that the wireless network device 140 may include devices that are physically located outside the structure but are within wireless communication range, such as devices that control swimming pool heaters 158 or water systems 160.

[0029] As described above, the HAN includes a boundary router 106 that interfaces to communicate with an external network outside the HAN. The boundary router 106 connects to an access point 110, and the access point 110 connects to an external network 108, such as the Internet. A cloud service 112 connected via the external network 108 provides services related to the HAN and / or services that use devices within the HAN. For example, the cloud service 112 may include applications for connecting end-user devices 168, such as smartphones and tablets, to devices within the home area network, processing data acquired in the HAN and providing it to end users, linking one or more devices within the HAN to a user account in the cloud service 112, provisioning and updating devices within the HAN, etc. For example, a user can control the thermostat 132 and other wireless network devices in the home environment using a network-connected computer or a portable device such as a mobile phone or tablet device. Furthermore, wireless network devices can communicate information to any central server or cloud computing system via the boundary router 106 and access point 110. Data communication can be performed using any of the following custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, ZigBee for low power, 6LoWPAN, Thread, etc.) and / or using any of the following custom or standard wired protocols (CAT6 Ethernet, HomePlug, etc.).

[0030] Any of the HAN's wireless network devices can function as low-power and communication nodes to form a HAN in a home environment. Individual low-power nodes in the network can periodically send messages about what they are detecting, and other low-power nodes in the environment can repeat the messages—in addition to sending their own—thus enabling node-to-node (e.g., device-to-device) communication throughout the entire home area network. Wireless network devices can be implemented to conserve power, especially when battery-powered, and can utilize low-power communication protocols to receive messages, convert them to other communication protocols, and send the converted messages to other nodes and / or a central server or cloud computing system. For example, an occupancy sensor 150 and / or an ambient light sensor 170 can detect the occupant of a room, measure ambient light, and activate a light source if the ambient light sensor 170 detects that the room is dark, or if the occupancy sensor 150 detects that someone is in the room. Furthermore, the sensor may include a low-power wireless communication chip (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4 chip, Thread chip, ZigBee chip) that periodically transmits messages regarding room occupancy and room light levels, including instantaneous messages that coincide with the detection of a person's presence in the room by the occupancy sensor. As described above, these messages may be transmitted wirelessly from node to node within the residential environment (e.g., from network-attached device to network-attached device) using a home area network, or they may be transmitted over the internet to a central server or cloud computing system.

[0031] In other configurations, various wireless network devices can function as “tripwires” for alarm systems within a residential environment. For example, in an event where an alarm sensor located at windows, doors, and other entry points of a structure or environment detects a circumvention by an intruder, the alarm can still be triggered by receiving messages from one or more low-power mesh nodes in the home area network, such as occupancy, motion, heat, or sound. In other embodiments, the home area network can be used to automatically turn lighting units 138 on and off as a person moves from room to room within a structure. For example, a wireless network device can detect human movement through the structure and communicate a corresponding message via a node in the home area network. Using a message indicating which room is occupied, other wireless network devices receiving the message can activate and / or deactivate accordingly. As referenced above, the home area network can also be used to provide exit lighting in emergencies, such as by turning on the appropriate lighting unit 138 leading to a safe exit. illumination Unit 138 may also be turned on to indicate directions along an exit path where a person should move to safely exit the structure.

[0032] Various wireless network devices may also be implemented to integrate with and communicate with wearable computing devices 172, for example, to identify and locate occupants of a structure and adjust temperature, lighting, sound systems, etc., accordingly. In other embodiments, radio frequency identification (RFID) sensing (e.g., a person wearing an RFID bracelet, necklace, or key fob), synthetic vision technology (e.g., a video camera and facial recognition processor), audio technology (e.g., voice, acoustic pattern, vibration pattern recognition), ultrasonic sensing / imaging technology, and infrared or near-field communication (NFC) technology (e.g., a person wearing an infrared or NFC-enabled smartphone) can, together with rule-based inference engines or artificial intelligence technologies, draw useful conclusions from the detected information regarding the location of occupants within a structure or environment.

[0033] In other embodiments, personal comfort area networks, personal health area networks, personal safety area networks, and / or other such person-facing functions of a service robot can be enhanced by logical integration with other wireless network devices and sensors in the environment, according to rule-based reasoning techniques or artificial intelligence techniques, in order to achieve better performance of these functions. In an example related to a personal health area, the system can detect (e.g., using any of the wireless network devices and sensors) whether a pet in the home is moving toward the occupant's current location, along with rule-based reasoning and artificial intelligence techniques. Similarly, a hazard detector service robot may be notified that temperature and humidity levels are rising in the kitchen, and under the assumption that any slight rise in ambient smoke levels is most likely due to cooking activity and not due to a truly dangerous condition, it may temporarily raise hazard detection thresholds, such as a smoke detection threshold. Any service robot configured to perform any type of monitoring, detection, and / or service can be implemented as a mesh node device on a home area network, in accordance with wireless interconnection protocols for communication on the home area network.

[0034] The wireless network device 140 may also include a networked alarm clock 174 for each individual occupant of the structure within the residential environment. For example, an occupant can customize and set the alarm device to wake times, such as the next day or week. Artificial intelligence can be used to consider the occupant's response to the alarm when it is turned off and to make predictions about preferred sleep patterns over time. Individual occupants can then be tracked within the home area network based on their unique signatures. Unique signatures are determined based on data obtained from sensors located within the wireless network device, such as ultrasonic sensors and passive IR sensors. An occupant's unique signature can be based on a combination of patterns such as movement, voice, height, and size, as well as the use of facial recognition technology.

[0035] In an example of wireless interconnection, an individual's wake time can be associated with a thermostat 132 to control the HVAC system in an efficient manner, preheating or cooling the structure to desired sleep and wake temperature settings. Preferred settings can be learned over time, for example, by capturing the temperature set on the thermostat before a person goes to sleep and when they wake up. The collected data may also include biometric representations of the person, such as breathing patterns, heart rate, and movement, from which estimations can be made based on this data, combined with data indicating when the person actually woke up. Other wireless network devices can use the data to provide other automation purposes, such as adjusting the thermostat 132 to preheat or cool the environment to desired settings, and turning a lighting unit 138 on or off.

[0036] In embodiments, wireless network devices can also be used for sound, vibration, and / or motion sensing, such as detecting flowing water and determining estimates of water usage in a residential environment based on water usage and consumption algorithms and mapping. This can be used to determine the signature or fingerprint of each water source in the home, also referred to as "audio fingerprint water usage." Similarly, wireless network devices can be used to detect the subtle sounds, vibrations, and / or motions of unwanted pests, such as mice and other rodents, as well as termites, cockroaches, and other insects. The system can then notify the occupant of suspected pests in the environment, for example, using warning messages to facilitate early detection and prevention.

[0037] Environment 130 may include one or more wireless network devices 176 that function as a hub 176. Hub 176 (e.g., hub 120) may be a general-purpose home automation hub, or an application-specific hub such as a security hub, energy management hub, or HVAC hub. The functionality of hub 176 may also be integrated into any wireless network device, such as a network-connected thermostat device or boundary router 106. Hosting functionality on hub 176 within structure 142 can improve reliability when the user's internet connection is unreliable, reduce latency for operations that would normally have to connect to a cloud service 112, and satisfy system and regulatory constraints around local access between wireless network devices.

[0038] Furthermore, the exemplary environment 130 includes a network-connected speaker 178. The network-connected speaker 178 provides voice assistant services, including voice control of network-connected devices. The functions of the hub 176 may be hosted within the network-connected speaker 178. The network-connected speaker 178 can be configured to communicate via a HAN, which may include a wireless mesh network, a Wi-Fi network, or both.

[0039] Figure 2A is a block diagram showing a typical network architecture 200 including a home area network 202 (HAN202) according to several embodiments. In some embodiments, smart devices 204 in the network environment 100 (e.g., wireless network device 102) are combined with a hub 176 to create a mesh network within the HAN202. In some embodiments, one or more of the smart devices 204 in the HAN202 act as a smart home controller. Additionally and / or alternatively, the hub 176 may act as a smart home controller. In some embodiments, the smart home controller has more computing power than the other smart devices. The smart home controller can process inputs (e.g., from smart devices 204, end-user devices 168, and / or server system 206) and send commands (e.g., to smart devices 204 in the HAN202) to control the operation of the network environment 100. In some embodiments, some of the smart devices 204 within HAN202 (e.g., within a mesh network) are “spokesman” nodes (e.g., 204-1, 204-2), while others are “low-power” nodes (e.g., 204-n). Some of the smart devices in the network environment 100 may be battery-powered, while others may have a normal, reliable power source, such as via line power (e.g., to a 120V line voltage wire). Smart devices with a normal, reliable power source are referred to as “spokesman” nodes. These nodes typically have the ability to use wireless protocols to facilitate bidirectional communication with various other devices in the network environment 100 and with server systems 206 (e.g., cloud service 112, partner cloud service 122). In some embodiments, one or more “spokesman” nodes act as smart home controllers. Battery-powered devices, on the other hand, are “low-power” nodes.These nodes tend to be smaller than spokesman nodes and typically communicate only using wireless protocols that require little to no power, such as Zigbee®, ZWave, 6LoWPAN, Thread, and Bluetooth®.

[0040] Some low-power nodes may not be capable of bidirectional communication. These low-power nodes can send messages but cannot "listen." Therefore, other devices in the network environment 100, such as spokesman nodes, cannot send information to these low-power nodes.

[0041] Some low-power nodes may only be capable of limited bidirectional communication. As a result of such limited bidirectional communication, other devices may only be able to communicate with these low-power nodes for a specific period of time.

[0042] As described, in some embodiments, smart devices function as low-power and spokesman nodes to create a mesh network within a network environment 100. In some embodiments, individual low-power nodes in the network environment periodically send messages about what that node has detected, and other low-power nodes in the network environment forward those messages—in addition to sending their own messages—thus moving the messages from node to node (e.g., device to device) throughout the HAN202. In some embodiments, spokesman nodes in the HAN202 that can communicate using a relatively high-power communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11) can switch to a relatively low-power communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4) to receive these messages, convert them to other communication protocols, and send the converted messages to other spokesman nodes and / or server systems 206 (e.g., using the relatively high-power communication protocol). Therefore, low-power nodes using low-power communication protocols can send and / or receive messages to and from the server system 206 across the entire HAN202, as well as over the internet (e.g., network 108). In some embodiments, the mesh network allows the server system 206 to periodically receive data from most or all of the smart devices in the home, make estimations based on that data, facilitate state synchronization across devices inside and outside the HAN202, and send commands to one or more smart devices to perform tasks within the network environment.

[0043] As explained, some spokesman nodes and low-power nodes can "listen." Therefore, users, other devices, and / or server system 206 can communicate control commands to low-power nodes. For example, a user can use an end-user device 168 (e.g., a smartphone) to send a command to server system 206 over the internet, and server system 206 then relays the command to one or more spokesman nodes within HAN 202. Spokesman nodes can use low-power protocols to communicate commands to low-power nodes throughout HAN 202 and to other spokesman nodes that did not receive commands directly from server system 206.

[0044] In some embodiments, a lighting unit 138 (Figure 1B), which is an example of a smart device 204, may be a low-power node. In addition to housing a light source, the lighting unit 138 houses an occupancy sensor (e.g., occupancy sensor 150), such as an ultrasonic sensor or a passive IR sensor, and an ambient light sensor (e.g., ambient light sensor 170), such as a photoresistor or a single-pixel sensor that measures the light in the room. In some embodiments, the lighting unit 138 is configured to activate the light source when its ambient light sensor detects that the room is dark and when its occupancy sensor detects that someone is in the room. In other embodiments, the lighting unit 138 is simply configured to activate the light source when its ambient light sensor detects that the room is dark. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the lighting unit 138 includes a low-power wireless communication chip (e.g., a ZigBee chip) that periodically transmits messages regarding room occupancy and room light level, including instantaneous messages that coincide with the occupancy sensor detecting the presence of a person in the room. As described above, these messages may be transmitted wirelessly (e.g., using a mesh network) from node to node within HAN202 (e.g., from smart device to smart device) and to the server system 206 via the internet (e.g., network 108).

[0045] Other examples of low-power nodes include battery-operated versions of hazard detectors 134. These hazard detectors 134 are often placed in areas where normal, reliable power is unavailable and may include any number and types of sensors, such as smoke / fire / heat sensors (e.g., thermal radiation sensors), carbon monoxide / carbon dioxide sensors, occupancy / motion sensors, ambient light sensors, ambient temperature sensors, and humidity sensors. Furthermore, the hazard detectors 134 may transmit messages corresponding to each of their sensors to other devices and / or server systems 206, for example, using a mesh network as described above.

[0046] Examples of spokesman nodes include an entry interface device 146 (e.g., a smart doorbell), a thermostat 132, a control panel 166, an electrical outlet or device 154, and other wireless network devices 140. These devices are often located near and connected to a reliable power source and may therefore contain more power-consuming components, such as one or more communication chips capable of bidirectional communication over various protocols.

[0047] In some embodiments, the network environment 100 includes a controlled system 156, such as a service robot, configured to perform any of a variety of household tasks autonomously.

[0048] As illustrated with reference to Figure 1B, in some embodiments, the network environment 100 includes a hub device (e.g., hub 176) that is communicably coupled to the network(s) 108 directly or via a network interface 208 (e.g., access point 110). The hub 176 is further communicably coupled to one or more of the smart devices 204 using at least the wireless communication network available in the network environment 100. Communication protocols used by the wireless communication network include, but are not limited to, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Insteon, EuOcean, SLEAD, OSIAN, Bluetooth Low Energy, etc. In some embodiments, the hub 176 not only transforms data received from each smart device to satisfy the data format requirements of the network interface 208 or network(s) 108, but also transforms information received from the network interface 208 or network(s) 108 to satisfy the data format requirements of the respective communication protocols associated with the target smart devices. In some embodiments, in addition to data format conversion, the hub 176 preliminarily further processes data received from smart devices or information received from network interface 208 or network(s) 108. For example, the hub 176 can integrate inputs from multiple sensors / connected devices (including identical and / or different types of sensors / devices), perform a higher level of processing on those inputs—for example, to assess the overall environment and coordinate operations between different sensors / devices—and / or provide instructions to different devices based on the collection of inputs and programmed processing. It should also be noted that in some embodiments, the network interface 208 and the hub 176 are integrated into a single network device.The functions described herein represent specific embodiments of a smart device, a control application(s) running on a typical electronic device(s) (such as a smartphone), a hub(s) 176, and a server system(s) 206 connected to the hub(s) 176 via the Internet or other wide area network. All or part of these functions and related operations may be performed by any element of the described system; for example, all or part of the functions described herein as being performed by an embodiment of the hub may be performed in whole or in part on a server, one or more connected smart devices, and / or a control application, or a different combination thereof, in a different system embodiment.

[0049] Figure 2B shows a typical operating environment 220 in which the server system 206 provides data processing to facilitate monitoring and inspection of events (e.g., motion, audio, security, etc.) in a video stream captured by a camera 136 (e.g., a video camera, a doorbell camera, etc.). As shown in Figure 2B, the server system 206 receives video data from video sources 222 (including a video camera 224 or a video recording doorbell 226) located in various physical locations (e.g., a house, a restaurant, a shop, a road, a parking lot, and / or inside or near the network environment 100 in Figure 1). Each video source 222 may be linked to one or more reviewer accounts, and the server system 206 provides the video monitoring data from the video sources 222 to client devices 228 associated with the reviewer accounts. For example, a portable end-user device 168 is an example of a client device 228. In some embodiments, the server system 206 is a video processing server that provides video processing services to the video sources and client devices 228.

[0050] In some embodiments, the server system 206 receives non-video data (e.g., audio data, metadata, numerical data, etc.) from one or more smart devices 204. The non-video data may be analyzed to provide context about motion events detected by the video camera 224 and / or the video recording doorbell 226. In some embodiments, the non-video data indicates that an audio event (e.g., detected by an audio device such as an audio sensor integrated into a network-connected speaker 178), a security event (e.g., detected by an ambient monitoring device such as a camera 136 and / or a motion sensor), a hazard event (e.g., detected by a hazard detector 134), a medical event (detected by a health monitoring device), or similar has occurred within the network environment 100.

[0051] In some embodiments, multiple reviewer accounts are linked to a single network environment 100. For example, multiple occupants of network environment 100 are linked to network environment 100. Linked to There may be accounts. In some embodiments, each reviewer account is associated with a specific level of access. In some embodiments, each reviewer account has personal notification settings. In some embodiments, a single reviewer account is linked to multiple network environments 100 (e.g., multiple different HANs). For example, a person may own or occupy multiple network environments 100, or be assigned to review and / or manage them. In some embodiments, a reviewer account has separate levels of access and / or notification settings for each network environment.

[0052] In some embodiments, each of the video sources 222 includes one or more video cameras 224 or video recording doorbells 226 that capture video and transmit the captured video to the server system 206 in substantially real time. In some embodiments, each of the video sources 222 includes one or more doorbells 226 that capture video and transmit the captured video to the server system 206 in real time (e.g., within 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute). Each of the doorbells 226 may include a video camera that captures video and transmits the captured video to the server system 206 in real time. In some embodiments, the video source 222 includes a controller device (not shown) that acts as an intermediary between one or more doorbells 226 and the server system 206. The controller device receives video data from one or more doorbells 226, optionally performs some preliminary processing on the video data, and transmits the video data and / or the results of the preliminary processing to the server system 206 on behalf of one or more doorbells 226 (e.g., in real time). In some embodiments, each camera has its own onboard processing capability to perform some preliminary processing on the captured video data before transmitting the video data (e.g., along with metadata obtained through preliminary processing) to the controller device and / or server system 206. In some embodiments, one or more of the cameras are optionally configured to store the video data locally (e.g., for later transmission if requested by the user). In some embodiments, the cameras are configured to perform some processing on the captured video data and, based on that processing, transmit the video data substantially in real time, store the video data locally, or ignore the video data.

[0053] According to some embodiments, the client device 228 includes a client-side module 230. In some embodiments, the client-side module communicates with a server-side module 232 running on a server system 206 via one or more networks 108. The client-side module provides client-side functions for event monitoring and review processing, as well as for communication with the server-side module. The server-side module provides server-side functions for event monitoring and review processing for any number of client-side modules, each of which resides in one of the client devices 228 (e.g., any one of client devices 228-1 to 228-m). In some embodiments, the server-side module 232 also provides server-side functions for video processing and camera control for any number of video sources 222, including any number of control devices, cameras 136, and doorbells 226.

[0054] In some embodiments, the server system 206 includes one or more processors 234, a video storage database 236, an account database 238, an input / output (I / O) interface 240 to one or more client devices 228, and an I / O interface 242 to one or more video sources 222. The I / O interface 242 to one or more client devices 228 facilitates client input / output processing. The account database 238 stores multiple profiles for reviewer accounts registered with the video processing server, with each user profile including account credentials for each reviewer account and one or more video sources linked to each reviewer account. The I / O interface 242 to one or more video sources 222 facilitates communication with one or more video sources 222 (e.g., one or more doorbells 226, a camera 136, and a group of associated controller devices). The video storage database 236 stores raw video data received from the video source 222, along with various types of metadata such as motion events, event categories, event categorization models, event filters, and event masks, for use in data processing for event monitoring and review for each reviewer account.

[0055] Typical client devices 228 include handheld computers, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, mobile phones, smartphones, Extended General-Purpose Packet Radio Services (EGPRS) mobile phones, media players, navigation devices, game consoles, televisions, remote controls, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, in-vehicle computers, e-book readers, or any combination of two or more of these data processing devices or other data processing devices.

[0056] Examples of one or more networks 108 include local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) such as the Internet. One or more networks 108 are implemented using any known network protocol, including a variety of wired or wireless protocols such as Ethernet®, Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire®, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, or any other suitable communication protocol.

[0057] In some embodiments, the server system 206 is implemented on a distributed network of one or more standalone data processing devices or computers. The server system 206 may also use various virtual devices and / or services from a third-party service provider (e.g., a third-party cloud service provider) to provide the underlying computing and / or infrastructure resources for the server system 206. In some embodiments, the server system 206 includes, but is not limited to, a server computer, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or any two or more combinations of these data processing devices or other data processing devices.

[0058] The server-client environment shown in Figure 2B includes both a client-side portion (e.g., client-side modules) and a server-side portion (e.g., server-side modules). The division of functions between the client and server portions of the operating environment may vary in different embodiments. Similarly, the division of functions between the video source 222 and the server system 206 may vary in different embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the client-side module is a thin client that provides only user-facing input / output processing functions and delegates all other data processing functions to a backend server (e.g., server system 206). Similarly, in some embodiments, each of the video sources 222 is a simple video capture device that continuously captures video data (e.g., continuous video recording (CVR)) and streams it to the server system 206 with minimal local preprocessing on the video data or without local preprocessing. In some embodiments, each of the video sources 222 is a smart video capture device that captures video data and streams it to the server system 206 in response to event detection (e.g., event-based recording (EBR)). Many aspects of this technology are described from the perspective of the server system 206, but the corresponding actions performed by the client device 228 and / or video source 222 will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Similarly, some aspects of this technology may be described from the perspective of the client device 228 or the video source 222, and the corresponding actions performed by the video server will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, some aspects of this technology may be performed in coordination by the server system 206, the client device 228, and the video source 222.

[0059] In some embodiments, a video source 222 (e.g., a video camera 224 or a doorbell 226 having an image sensor) transmits one or more streams 244 of video data to a server system 206. In some embodiments, the one or more streams include a plurality of streams, each having a different resolution and / or frame rate, of raw video captured by the image sensor. In some embodiments, the plurality of streams include a “primary” stream (e.g., 244-1) having a specific resolution and frame rate, corresponding to the raw video captured by the image sensor, and one or more additional streams (e.g., 244-2 to 244-q). The additional streams are optionally video streams that are the same as the “primary” stream but have a different resolution and / or frame rate, or streams that capture a portion of the “primary” stream (e.g., cropped to include a portion of the field of view or pixels of the primary stream) at the same or different resolution and / or frame rate as the “primary” stream. In some embodiments, the primary stream and / or additional streams are dynamically encoded (for example, based on network conditions, server operating conditions, camera operating conditions, characteristics of the data in the stream (e.g., whether motion is present), user preferences, etc.).

[0060] In some embodiments, one or more of the streams 244 are transmitted directly from the video source 222 to the client device 228 (e.g., without being routed to or processed by the server system 206). In some embodiments, one or more of the streams are stored in the local memory of the doorbell 226 and / or in a local storage device (e.g., a dedicated recording device) such as a digital video recorder (DVR). For example, according to some embodiments, the doorbell 226 stores the length of the most recent 24 hours of video recorded by the camera. In some embodiments, one or more portions of the streams are stored in the doorbell 226 and / or the local storage device (e.g., portions corresponding to the time of a particular event or of interest).

[0061] In some embodiments, the server system 206 transmits one or more streams 246 of video data to a client device 228 to facilitate event monitoring by the user. In some embodiments, one or more streams may include multiple streams of the same video feed, each at a different resolution and / or frame rate. In some embodiments, the multiple streams include a “primary” stream (e.g., 246-1) having a specific resolution and frame rate corresponding to the video feed, and one or more additional streams (e.g., 246-2 through 246-t). The additional streams may be video streams identical to the “primary” stream but with a different resolution and / or frame rate, or streams showing a portion of the “primary” stream (e.g., cropped to include a portion of the field of view or pixels of the primary stream) at the same or a different resolution and / or frame rate as the “primary” stream.

[0062] Figure 3A is a block diagram showing a server system 206 in several embodiments. The server system 206 typically includes one or more processors 302, one or more network interfaces 304 (for example, including I / O interfaces 240 to one or more client devices and I / O interfaces 242 to one or more electronic devices), memory 306, and one or more communication buses 308 (sometimes called a chipset) for interconnecting these components. The memory 306 includes high-speed random-access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR SRAM, or other random-access solid-state memory devices, and optionally includes non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical disk storage devices, one or more flash memory devices, or one or more other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory 306 optionally includes one or more storage devices located remotely from one or more processors 302. The memory 306, or alternatively, the non-volatile memory within the memory 306, includes non-temporary computer-readable storage media. In some embodiments, the memory 306, or the non-temporary computer-readable storage medium of the memory 306, is as follows: ● An operating system 310 that includes procedures for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware-dependent tasks, ● A network communication module 312 for connecting the server system 206 to other systems and devices (e.g., client devices, electronic devices, and systems connected to one or more networks 108) via one or more network interfaces 304 (wired or wireless), ● A server-side module 314 that provides server-side functions for device control, data processing, and data review, An account management module 316 for creating reviewer accounts, performing camera registration processes to establish associations between video sources and their respective reviewer accounts, and providing account login services to client device 228, A data receiving module 316 receives data from an electronic device (for example, video data from video source 222 in Figure 2B), processes it further, and prepares the received data for storage in a data storage database (for example, data storage database 332), A device control module 320 for generating and sending server start control commands to change the operating mode of an electronic device (e.g., a device in network environment 100), and / or for receiving and forwarding user start control (e.g., from a client device 228) to change the operating mode of an electronic device, A data processing module 322 for processing data provided by an electronic device and / or preparing and transmitting processed data to a device (e.g., a client device 228 for user review), An event detection module 324 for detecting motion event candidates in video streams from each of the video sources 222, including motion track identification, false positive suppression, and event mask generation and caching. An event categorization module 326 for categorizing motion events detected in the received video stream, A person identification module 328 for identifying characteristics related to the presence of a human being in the received video stream, Server-side module 314, including but not limited to these, ● A server database 330 that provides server-side stored data related to device control, data processing, and data review, A data storage database 332 for storing data (e.g., raw / processed image data) associated with each electronic device (e.g., each video source 222) for each user account, as well as data processing models, processed data results, and other relevant metadata related to the data (e.g., name of data result, location of electronic device, creation time, duration, electronic device settings, etc.), wherein optionally, all or part of the data and / or processing associated with the hub 176 or smart devices is securely stored in the data storage database 332. An account database 334 for storing user account information, including user profile, linked hub device and electronic device information and settings (e.g., hub device identification), hub device specific secrets, associated user and hardware characteristics (e.g., service layer, device model, storage capacity, processing power, etc.), user interface settings, data review preferences, etc., and including, but not limited to, the account database 334 and the server database 330, which stores programs, modules, and data structures, or subsets or supersets thereof, of the account database 334, which stores information about associated electronic devices, including, but not limited to, one or more device identifiers (e.g., Media Access Control (MAC) address and universally unique identifier (UUID), device specific secrets, and displayed titles).

[0063] Each of the elements identified above may be stored in one or more of the aforementioned memory devices and may correspond to a set of instructions for performing the functions described above. The modules or programs (e.g., sets of instructions) identified above do not need to be implemented as separate software programs, procedures, or modules, and therefore various subsets of these modules may be combined or rearranged in different ways in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 306 optionally stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory 306 optionally stores additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0064] Figure 4A is a block diagram showing an exemplary smart device 204 in several embodiments. In some embodiments, the smart device 204 (any device in the network environment 100 of Figure 1, including, for example, an end-user device 168) includes one or more processors 402 (e.g., a CPU, ASIC, FPGA, microprocessor, etc.), one or more communication interfaces 404 with a radio 406, one or more image sensors 408, one or more user interfaces 410, one or more sensors 412, memory 414, and one or more communication buses 416 (sometimes called a chipset) for interconnecting these components. In some embodiments, the user interface 410 includes one or more output devices 418 that enable the presentation of media content, including one or more speakers and / or one or more visual displays. In some embodiments, the user interface 410 includes one or more input devices 420, which include user interface components that facilitate user input, such as a keyboard, mouse, voice command input unit or microphone, touchscreen display, touch-sensitive input pad, gesture capture camera, or other input buttons or controls. In some embodiments, the input device 420 for the doorbell 226 is a tactile or touch-sensitive doorbell button. Furthermore, some smart devices 204 use a microphone and voice recognition, or a camera and gesture recognition, to supplement or replace the keyboard.

[0065] The sensors(s) 422 may include, for example, one or more thermal radiation sensors, ambient temperature sensors, humidity sensors, infrared (IR) sensors such as passive infrared (PIR) sensors, proximity sensors, distance sensors, occupancy sensors (e.g., using RFID sensors), ambient light sensors (ALS), motion sensors 422, position sensors (e.g., Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) sensors), accelerometers, and / or gyroscopes.

[0066] In some embodiments, the smart device 204 includes an energy storage component 424 (e.g., one or more batteries and / or capacitors). In some embodiments, the energy storage component 424 includes a power management integrated circuit (IC). In some embodiments, the energy storage component 424 includes a circuit for harvesting energy from signals received via the smart device's antenna (e.g., a radio 406). In some embodiments, the energy storage component 424 includes a circuit for harvesting thermal energy, vibrational energy, electromagnetic energy, and / or solar energy received by the smart device. In some embodiments, the energy storage component 424 includes a circuit for monitoring the stored energy level, adjusting its operation based on changes in the stored energy level, and / or generating notifications.

[0067] The communication interface 404 includes hardware capable of data communication using, for example, any of various custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, SLEAD, Z-Wave, Bluetooth Smart, ISA 100.5A, WirelessHART, MiWi, etc.) and / or any of various custom or standard wired protocols (e.g., Ethernet, HomePlug, etc.), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document. The radio 406 enables one or more wireless communication networks within the network environment 100, allowing the smart device 204 to communicate with other devices. In some embodiments, the radio 406 is capable of data communication using any of various custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, SLEAD, Z-Wave, Bluetooth Smart, ISA 100.5A, WirelessHART, MiWi, etc.).

[0068] Memory 414 includes high-speed random-access memory such as DRAM, RAM, DDR SRAM, or other random-access solid-state memory devices, and optionally includes non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical disk storage devices, one or more flash memory devices, or one or more other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 414, or alternatively, the non-volatile memory within Memory 414, includes a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, Memory 414, or the non-temporary computer-readable storage medium of Memory 414, is as follows: ●Operating logic 426 including procedures for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware-dependent tasks, ●A communication module 428 for connecting to and communicating with other network devices (e.g., network interface 208 such as a router providing internet connectivity, networked storage devices, network routing devices, server systems 206, other smart devices 204, client devices 228, etc.) connected to one or more networks 108 via one or more communication interfaces 404 (wired or wireless), ● An input processing module 430 for detecting one or more user inputs or interactions from one or more input devices 420 and for interpreting the detected inputs or interactions, ● A user interface module 432 for providing and presenting a user interface, wherein settings, captured data, and / or other data for one or more devices (e.g., a smart device 204 and / or other devices in the network environment 100) can be configured and / or viewed. ● One or more applications 434 (e.g., games, social networking applications, smart home applications, and / or other web-based or non-web-based applications) run by the smart device for controlling the device (e.g., executing commands, sending commands, configuring settings for smart device 204 and / or other client / electronic devices), and for reviewing data captured by the device (e.g., device status and settings, captured data, or other information about smart device 204 and / or other client / electronic devices), ●A device-side module 436 that provides device-side functions for device control, data processing, and data review, A command module 438 for receiving, transferring, and / or executing instructions and control commands for operating the smart device 204 (for example, from a client device 228, from a server system 206, from user input detected on the user interface 410, etc.) A data processing module 440 for processing data captured or received by one or more inputs (e.g., input device 420, image sensor(s) 408, sensor 412, interface(s) (e.g., communication interface 404, radio 406), and / or other components of the smart device 204, and for preparing the processed data for user review and transmitting it to a remote device (e.g., client device 228), Device-side module 436, including but not limited to these, ● To operate the image sensor(s) ● A transmit access module 446 for granting or denying transmit access to one or more radios 406 (for example, based on detected control signals and transmit requests), ● An event analysis module 448 for analyzing captured sensor data to detect and / or recognize, for example, approaching visitors and contextual information, A motion detection module 450 for detecting events within the network environment, such as approaching guests (for example, motion events in video data), For example, a context sensing module 452 for detecting contextual data about an approaching guest based on user data related to user profiles, such as behavioral characteristics, object recognition, facial recognition, voice recognition, timing information, and user profiles of users (e.g., occupants), A characterization module 454 for characterizing entities, people (e.g., approaching guests), and / or events detected by or associated with smart device 204, This includes, but is not limited to, the Event Analysis Module 448, ● Device data 456 that stores data associated with a device (e.g., smart device 204), For example, account data 458 stores information related to a user account linked to a smart device 204, including cached login credentials, smart device identifiers (e.g., MAC address and UUID), user interface settings, display preferences, authentication tokens and tags, password keys, etc. Local data storage 460 for selectively storing raw or processed data related to the smart device 204, such as event data and / or video data captured by image sensors (multiple may be used) 408, Entity data 462 stores information related to the detected person and other entities, such as feature information (e.g., feature data 468) and associated images. Power parameters 464 store energy information such as information related to the energy storage component 424 (e.g., estimated battery life), power settings of the smart device 204, power status of the smart device 204, and power preferences of the user(s) of the smart device 204. ○ (For example, in combination with the event analysis module 448) Category information 466 that describes in detail the event categories for categorizing events detected by or involving smart devices, Characterization data 468 of entities, people, and / or events detected by or associated with the smart device 204 (for example, data generated or used by the characterization module 454), Device data 456, which includes, but is not limited to, It stores programs, modules, and data structures, or subsets or supersets thereof.

[0069] Each of the elements identified above may be stored in one or more of the aforementioned memory devices and may correspond to a set of instructions for performing the functions described above. The modules or programs (e.g., sets of instructions) identified above do not need to be implemented as separate software programs, procedures, or modules, and therefore various subsets of these modules may be combined or rearranged in different ways in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 414 optionally stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory 414 optionally stores additional modules and data structures not described above, such as a sensor management module for managing the operation of the sensor(s) 412.

[0070] Figure 4B shows a typical system architecture 470 in which a video source(s) 222, a server system 206, and a client device(s) 228 are included in several embodiments. In some embodiments, the server system 206 includes an event processor 472, an event categorizer 474, an entity recognition module 326, and a functional module for a user front-end 476 (e.g., a server-side module 314). The event processor 472 acquires event candidates (e.g., by processing a video stream(s) 478, by receiving event start information from the video source 222, or by detecting a user press on a doorbell button of a video recording doorbell device 226). In some embodiments, event candidates include motion event candidates. In some embodiments, event candidates include audio events. In some embodiments, event candidates include a user press on a doorbell button of a video recording doorbell device 226. In some embodiments, event candidates include audio, electromagnetic, olfactory, and / or visual aspects. In some embodiments, event candidates include motion events, proximity detection, and notification detection. The event categorizer 474 classifies event candidates into different event categories (e.g., based on data from the event processor and / or entity recognizer). The user frontend 476 generates event alerts and notifications and facilitates the reviewer's review of detected entities and events via a review interface on the client device 228. The user frontend 476 also receives user edits regarding event and entity categories, user preferences for alerts and event filters, zone definitions for zones of interest, etc. The event categorizer 474 optionally reviews the event categorization model and results based on user edits received by the user frontend 476. The entity recognition module 326 optionally reviews entity classifications and / or labels based on user edits received by the user frontend 476.The server system 206 also includes a database for storing video source data 480, person data 482, event categorization models 484, and event data and event masks 486. In some embodiments, person data 482 is stored in a person database (e.g., person database 358). In some embodiments, each of these databases is part of the server database 340 (e.g., part of the data storage database 330).

[0071] The server system 206 receives one or more video streams 478 from the video source 222 and optionally receives candidate event information 488, such as preliminary characterization information of detected entities and events (e.g., entity and event metadata from processing performed on the doorbell device 226), and source information 488, such as device settings for the doorbell device 226 (e.g., device profile 350 for the doorbell device 226). In some embodiments, the event processor 472 communicates with the video source 222 and / or one or more other devices in the network environment to request additional image data, audio data, and sensor data, such as high-resolution images or metadata relating to the video streams 478. The server system sends alerts 491 about events, alerts 492 about detected persons, event timeline information 493, and / or video data 494 (e.g., still images or video clips corresponding to detected persons and / or events) to the client device 228. In some embodiments, the alerts distinguish guest approach events from other types of motion events. In some embodiments, the alert distinguishes motion events captured by the doorbell device 226 from motion events captured by other smart devices (e.g., camera 136). The server system 206 optionally receives user information from the client device 228, such as event data 495 (e.g., edits to event categories), zone definitions 496, and person data 497 (e.g., classification of detected person).

[0072] The data processing pipeline processes video information (e.g., live video feeds) received from video sources 222 (including, for example, doorbell devices 226 and optional controller devices) and / or audio information received from one or more smart devices in real time (e.g., within 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 2 minutes) to identify and classify events occurring in the network environment, and sends real-time event alerts (e.g., within 10 seconds, 20 seconds, or 30 seconds) and / or refreshed event timelines (e.g., within 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 3 minutes) to client devices 228 associated with reviewer accounts in the network environment. The data processing pipeline also processes stored information (such as stored video feeds from video sources 222) to re-evaluate and / or reclassify events as needed, such as when new information is obtained about an event and / or when new information is obtained about an event category (e.g., a new activity zone definition is obtained from a user).

[0073] After video and / or audio data is captured by a smart device, the data is processed to determine whether a potential event candidate or person is present. In some embodiments, the data is first processed by the smart device (e.g., video source 222, camera 136, or doorbell device 226). Thus, in some embodiments, the smart device sends event candidate information 488, such as event start information, to the server system 206. In some embodiments, the data is processed by the server system 206 for event start detection. In some embodiments, the video and / or audio data is stored in the server system 206 (e.g., video storage database 236). In some embodiments, the visual / audio data is stored on a server separate from the server system 206. In some embodiments, after the start of motion is detected, the relevant portion of the video stream is retrieved from storage (e.g., from the video storage database 236).

[0074] In some embodiments, the event identification process includes segmenting a video stream into multiple segments and then categorizing event candidates within each segment. In some embodiments, categorizing event candidates includes generating motion features for the event candidates by aggregating background factors, entity detection and identification, motion vector generation for each motion entity, entity features, and scene features. In some embodiments, the event identification process further includes classifying each segment, generating or updating an event log based on the segment categorization, generating alerts for events based on the segment categorization, categorizing the entire event, updating the event log based on the entire event, and generating alerts about the event based on the entire event. In some embodiments, categorization is based on the determination that an event occurred within a particular zone of interest. In some embodiments, categorization is based on the determination that an event candidate is associated with one or more zones of interest. In some embodiments, categorization is based on the characterization of audio data and / or audio events.

[0075] The event analysis and categorization process may be performed in coordination by a smart device (e.g., video source 222) and a server system 206, and the task division may vary in different embodiments with respect to different equipment capability configurations, power parameters, and / or different network, device, and server load conditions. After the server system 206 categorizes the event candidates, the results of event detection and categorization may be sent to reviewers associated with the network environment.

[0076] In some embodiments, the server system 206 stores, for each of the video sources 222, raw or compressed video source data 480 (e.g., in the video storage database 236), an event categorization model 484 (e.g., in the categorization model database 360), and an event mask and other event metadata (e.g., in the event information database 352). In some embodiments, the video data is stored in one or more display resolutions, such as 480p, 780p, 1080i, and 1080p.

[0077] In some embodiments, a video source 222 (e.g., a doorbell device 226) transmits a live video feed to a remote server system 206 over one or more networks (e.g., network(s) 108). In some embodiments, the transmission of video data is continuous because the video data is captured by the doorbell device 226. In some embodiments, the transmission of video data is independent of the content of the video data; the video data is uploaded from the video source 222 to the server system 206 for storage, regardless of whether any motion events are captured within the video data. In some embodiments, the video data is stored by default in the video source 222's local storage device, and only the video portions corresponding to potential motion events detected in the video stream are uploaded to the server system 206 (e.g., in real time or upon user request).

[0078] In some embodiments, the video source 222 dynamically determines at what display resolution the video stream is uploaded to the server system 206. In some embodiments, the video source 222 dynamically determines which portion of the video stream should be uploaded to the server system 206. For example, in some embodiments, depending on the current server load and network conditions, the video source 222 optionally prioritizes uploading the video portion corresponding to a newly detected motion event candidate before other portions of the video stream that do not contain any motion event candidates. Alternatively, the video source 222 uploads the video portion corresponding to a newly detected motion event candidate at a higher display resolution than other portions of the video stream. This upload prioritization helps ensure that motion events of interest are detected and alerted to the reviewer in real time, even when network conditions and server load are not optimal. In some embodiments, the video source 222 implements two parallel upload connections, one for uploading a continuous video stream captured by the doorbell device 226, and the other for uploading the video portion corresponding to a detected motion event candidate. At any given time, video source 222 determines whether the upload of the continuous video stream needs to be temporarily paused to ensure that sufficient bandwidth is available for uploading the video segment corresponding to the newly detected motion event candidate.

[0079] In some embodiments, video streams uploaded to cloud storage are of lower quality (e.g., lower resolution, lower frame rate, higher compression, etc.) than video segments uploaded for motion event processing.

[0080] As shown in Figure 4B, the video source 222 optionally includes a video doorbell device 226 and an optional controller device 498. In some embodiments, the doorbell device 226 includes sufficient onboard processing power to perform all necessary local video processing tasks (e.g., cue point detection for motion event candidates, prioritizing video uploads, network connection management, etc.), and the doorbell device 226 communicates directly with the server system 206 without any controller device acting as an intermediary. In some embodiments, the doorbell device 226 captures video data and sends the video data to the controller device for the necessary local video processing tasks. The controller device 498 optionally performs local processing tasks for multiple cameras. For example, there may be multiple cameras in a single network environment (e.g., network environment 100, Figure 1), and a single controller device 498 receives video data from each camera, processes the video data, and detects motion event candidates in the video stream from each camera. The controller device 498 is responsible for using the remaining bandwidth to allocate sufficient outgoing network bandwidth to send video segments containing motion event candidates from each camera to the server system 206 before sending video streams from each camera to the server system 206. In some embodiments, continuous video streams are sent to and stored at one server facility, while video segments containing motion event candidates are sent to and processed at different server facilities.

[0081] In some embodiments, the smart device transmits additional source information 490 to the server system 206. This additional source information 490 may include information about the device state (e.g., IR mode, auto exposure (AE) mode) and / or information about the environment in which the device is located (e.g., indoors, outdoors, nighttime, daytime, etc.). In some embodiments, the source information 490 is used by the server system 206 to perform event detection, entity recognition, and / or classify event candidates. In some embodiments, the additional source information 490 includes one or more preliminary results from video processing performed by the video source 222 (e.g., doorbell device 226), such as categorization, object / entity recognition, and motion masking.

[0082] In some embodiments, the video portion after an event-starting incident is detected is divided into multiple segments. In some embodiments, segmentation continues until event termination information (also called an "event termination signal") is obtained. In some embodiments, segmentation is performed within the server system 206 (e.g., by the event processor 472). In some embodiments, segmentation includes generating overlapping segments. For example, a 10-second segment is generated every second, so that the new segment overlaps the previous segment by only 9 seconds.

[0083] In some embodiments, each of the multiple segments has the same or similar duration (for example, each segment has a duration of 10-12 seconds). In some embodiments, the first segment has a shorter duration than subsequent segments. Keeping the first segment short allows for real-time initial categorization and alerting based on the processing of the first segment. The initial categorization can then be reviewed based on the processing of subsequent segments. In some embodiments, a new segment is generated when a motion entity enters a new zone of interest.

[0084] In some embodiments, after the event processor module acquires the video portion corresponding to the event candidate, the event processor 472 acquires background factors and performs motion entity detection and identification, motion vector generation for each motion entity, and feature identification. Once the event processor 472 completes these tasks, the event categorizer 474 aggregates all the information and generates a categorization of the motion event candidates. In some embodiments, the event processor 472 and the event categorizer 474 are components of the video processing module 322. In some embodiments, false positive suppression is optionally performed to reject some motion event candidates before they are submitted for event categorization. In some embodiments, determining whether a motion event candidate is a false positive includes determining whether the motion event candidate occurred in a particular zone. In some embodiments, determining whether a motion event candidate is a false positive includes analyzing the importance score of the motion event candidate. The importance score of the motion event candidate is optionally based on zones of interest related to the motion event candidate, background features, motion vectors, scene features, entity features, motion features, motion tracks, etc.

[0085] In some embodiments, the video source 222 has sufficient processing power to perform entity detection, person recognition, background estimation, motion entity identification, motion vector generation, and / or feature identification.

[0086] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a typical client device 228 associated with a user account in several embodiments. The client device 228 typically includes one or more processing units (CPUs) 502, one or more network interfaces 504, memory 506, and one or more communication buses 508 (sometimes called a chipset) for interconnecting these components. Optionally, the client device also includes a user interface 510 and one or more built-in sensors 512 (e.g., an accelerometer and a gyroscope). The user interface 510 includes one or more output devices 514 that enable the presentation of media content, including one or more speakers and / or one or more visual displays. The user interface 510 also includes one or more input devices 516 that include user interface components that facilitate user input, such as a keyboard, mouse, voice command input unit or microphone, touchscreen display, touch-sensitive input pad, gesture capture camera, or other input buttons or controls. Furthermore, some client devices use a microphone and voice recognition, or a camera and gesture recognition, to supplement or replace the keyboard. In some embodiments, the client device includes one or more cameras, scanners, or photosensor units (not shown) for capturing images. Optionally, the client device includes a location detection device 518, such as a GPS sensor or other geolocation receiver, for determining the location of the client device.

[0087] Memory 506 includes high-speed random-access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR SRAM, or other random-access solid-state memory devices, and optionally includes non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical disk storage devices, one or more flash memory devices, or one or more other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 506 optionally includes one or more storage devices located remotely from one or more processing units 502. Memory 506, or alternatively, the non-volatile memory within Memory 506, includes a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, Memory 506, or the non-temporary computer-readable storage medium of Memory 506, is as follows: ● An operating system 520 that includes procedures for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware-dependent tasks, ● A network communication module 522 for connecting a client device 228 to other systems and devices (e.g., client devices, electronic devices, and systems connected to one or more networks 108) via one or more network interfaces 504 (wired or wireless), ● An input processing module 524 for detecting one or more user inputs or interactions from one or more input devices 516 and for interpreting the detected inputs or interactions, ● One or more applications 526 (e.g., games, social networking applications, smart home applications, and / or other web-based or non-web-based applications) run by a client device for controlling the device (e.g., sending commands to the hub device and / or other client or electronic devices, configuring settings, etc.) and for reviewing data captured by the device (e.g., device status and settings, captured data, or other information about the hub device or other connected devices), ● A user interface module 528 for providing and displaying a user interface, wherein settings, captured data, and / or other data for one or more devices (e.g., smart devices 204 in a network environment 100) can be configured and / or viewed in the user interface module 528, ● A client-side module 530 that provides client-side functions for device control, data processing, and data review, A device control module 532 for generating control commands to change the operating mode of a smart device (and optionally other electronic devices) according to user input, A video analysis module 534 analyzes captured video data to detect and / or recognize, for example, people, objects, animals, and events. A data review module 536 for providing a user interface for reviewing data from a server system 206 or a video source 222, • Event review module 538 that reviews events (e.g., motion and / or audio events) and optionally allows user editing and / or updating of events, • A person review module 540 that reviews data and / or images related to detected persons and other entities, and optionally allows users to edit and / or update person data. Data review module 536, which includes, but is not limited to, these, A presentation module 542 for presenting a user interface and response options for interacting with a smart device 204 and / or a server system 206, For example, a remote interaction module 544 for interacting with a remote person (e.g., a visitor to the network environment 100) via a smart device 204 and / or a server system 206, This includes, but is not limited to, client-side module 530, ●Client data 546 that stores data associated with user accounts and electronic devices, Account data 548 that stores information relating to both the user account loaded on the client device and the electronic device associated with the user account (e.g., video source 222), wherein such information includes cached login credentials, hub device identifiers (e.g., MAC address and UUID), electronic device identifiers (e.g., MAC address and UUID), user interface settings, display preferences, authentication tokens and tags, password keys, etc. A local data storage database 550 for selectively storing raw or processed data related to an electronic device (for example, a video source 222 such as a doorbell 226), the local data storage database 550 optionally includes the aforementioned entity data, Client data 546, which includes, but is not limited to, these, It stores programs, modules, and data structures, or subsets or supersets thereof.

[0088] Each of the elements identified above may be stored in one or more of the aforementioned memory devices and may correspond to a set of instructions for performing the functions described above. The modules or programs (e.g., sets of instructions) identified above do not need to be implemented as separate software programs, procedures, modules, or data structures, and therefore various subsets of these modules may be combined or rearranged in different ways in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 506 optionally stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory 506 optionally stores additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0089] Exemplary Embodiments Figure 6 is an isometric view 600 of an exemplary video recording doorbell (e.g., doorbell 226) according to several embodiments. The doorbell 226 is shown having a longitudinal axis 602 (e.g., y-axis), a transverse axis 604 (e.g., x-axis), and a central axis 606 (e.g., z-axis). The doorbell 226 may be elongated along the longitudinal axis such that the height along the longitudinal axis 602 is significantly (at least twice) greater than the width along the transverse axis 604, and the width is (at least 1.5 times) greater than the depth along the central axis 606. The doorbell 226 includes a camera-side end 608 and a button-side end 610, which are located at both ends of a first surface of the housing (e.g., front outer surface 612). The camera-side end 608 of the doorbell 226 includes an IR cover 614, which includes a portion that is substantially transparent (e.g., 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% transparent) or semi-transparent (e.g., between 31% and 69%) to IR light, and other portions that are substantially opaque (e.g., 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% opaque) to IR light.

[0090] In one embodiment, the IR cover extends outward from the front outer surface 612 of the doorbell 226 housing. The IR cover 614 forms an annular shape with a central aperture through which the camera lens 616 of the camera module (e.g., camera module 442 in Figure 4A) extends. The annular shape is generally elliptical, and in some cases the shape can be circular if its major and minor axes are equal. A retainer 618 (e.g., a lens retainer) surrounds the camera lens 616 in the xy plane, extends through the central aperture of the IR cover 614, and protrudes from the outer surface of the IR cover 614. In one example, the retainer 618 has a substantially tubular shape (having an elliptical cross-section such as a circular cross-section), and the camera lens 616 is positioned within the central region of the retainer 618. Both the retainer 618 and the camera lens 616 extend outward from the front outer surface 612 of the housing, which includes extending outward from the outer surface of the IR cover 614. In some embodiments, the camera lens 616 protrudes slightly (along the z-axis) from the end of the retainer 618. The retainer 618 reduces and / or prevents IR light from leaking through the IR cover 614 to the camera lens 616. IR light may be provided by an IR illuminator (e.g., an IR LED) located behind the IR cover 614 and configured to guide the IR light through one or more apertures 620 within the IR cover 614. IR light may also be received from the ambient environment through the IR cover and captured by sensors (e.g., an image sensor, a passive infrared (PIR) sensor). Therefore, the retainer 618 prevents IR light from leaking from the IR cover 614 to the sides or edges of the camera lens 616.

[0091] The button-side end 610 of the doorbell 226 includes a button 622 which can be pressed by a user to initiate a notification (e.g., a chime). In one embodiment, the button 622 may be surrounded by a light ring 624, which may be substantially the same height as the front outer surface 612 of the doorbell 226. The button 622 and / or the light ring 624 may have a shape and / or size substantially matching the outline and / or size of the IR cover 614. In one example, the button 622 may have a diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the IR cover 614. In another example, the light ring 624 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the IR cover 614.

[0092] Figure 7 shows a front elevation view 700 of an exemplary doorbell 226 of Figure 6. As shown, the camera lens 616 of the camera module 442 (not shown in Figure 7) is centered relative to the IR cover 614 and enclosed by the retainer 618. In the xy plane (e.g., in the cross-section of the retainer 618), the button 622 has an elliptical shape, with its major and minor axes being either different from each other (e.g., forming an ellipse) or equal to each other (e.g., forming a circle). The IR cover 614 may have an elliptical shape similar to that of the button 622. Furthermore, the doorbell 226 has an oblong shape in the example described herein. However, the doorbell 226 may have any suitable shape and is not limited to the exact shape described herein.

[0093] Figure 8 shows a right-side elevation view 800 of an exemplary doorbell 226 of Figure 6, according to several embodiments. As shown, the retainer 618 extends outward (in the z-direction) from the IR cover 614 to prevent IR light traveling through the IR cover 614 from leaking into the camera lens 616. The camera lens 616 may extend outward (in the z-direction) from the retainer 618 to maximize the field of view of an image sensor (e.g., image sensor 408 in Figure 4A) through the camera lens 616. In some embodiments, the doorbell 226 includes a housing, which is formed by a front housing component 802 attached to a rear housing component 804.

[0094] Figure 9 shows a rear elevation view 900 of an exemplary doorbell 226 of Figure 6. In the illustrated example, the doorbell 226 includes a rear outer surface 902 of a rear housing member 804, the rear outer surface 902 including one or more features for mounting the doorbell 226 to a surface such as a wall. As will be described in more detail herein, the doorbell 226 includes one or more mounting studs 904 positioned on the rear outer surface 902 of the doorbell 226. The mounting studs 904 can be used to mount the doorbell to a wall plate, bracket, or other component connected to a wall. The rear outer surface 902 also includes, or defines, a recessed volume 906, the recessed volume 906 which receives the locking tab of the wall plate and secures the doorbell 226 to the wall plate. A further discussion of this and other features is provided below in more detail. The rear housing component 804 can be secured to one or more internal components (e.g., a heat sink, a printed circuit board) and / or to the front housing component 802 using additional fasteners 908.

[0095] Figure 10 shows an exploded view 1000 of the exemplary doorbell 226 of Figure 6. The front housing component 802 and the rear housing component 804 are connected to each other to form a housing that encloses the various components of the doorbell 226. The IR cover 614 is assembled to the outer surface of the front housing component 802 (e.g., the first surface, the front outer surface 612 in Figure 6).

[0096] At the button-side end 610, the doorbell 226 includes a button subassembly 1002 (also known as button 622), which is part of a light ring for animation indicating when the button subassembly 1002 is pressed. Furthermore, the button subassembly 1002 is waterproof-sealed to prevent water from entering the device through or around the button subassembly 1002. The button subassembly 1002 may include a button cap 1004, a first reflector 1006, a button foam 1008, a button flange 1010, a light guide 1012, an elastic button web 1014, a dome 1016, a second reflector 1018, and a button PCB (e.g., button board 1020). One or more fasteners (e.g., fastener 1022) may be used to assemble the components of the button subassembly 1002 together. By pressing the button cap 1004 on the button subassembly 1002, the electrical circuit on the button board 1020 is completed, which enables the detection of a person's presence.

[0097] The doorbell 226 also includes a speaker subassembly 1024 and one or more antennas 1026, which are assembled in close proximity to each other and in close proximity to the button subassembly 1002. The doorbell 226 includes a battery 1028, which may be seated within a battery frame 1030. A heat diffuser 1032 (e.g., graphite) is wrapped around the battery 1028 to evenly distribute heat to the battery 1028 and maintain the temperature gradient of the battery 1028 within a desired level when the doorbell 226 is exposed to a cold environment (e.g., sub-zero temperatures). The heat diffuser 1032 is also configured to equalize the heating that occurs when a thermal resistor (e.g., resistor 1104 in Figure 11) is activated or when an external load from the sun (e.g., solar load) applies heat to one side of the doorbell 226.

[0098] At the camera-side end 608, the doorbell 226 may include a PCB 1034, which may be a subassembly of an IR sensor (passive infrared sensor), an IR LED, and / or an audio sensor (e.g., a microphone). A pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) 1036 may be placed between the PCB 1034 and the front housing component 802. Additionally, a mesh 1038 for the audio sensor (e.g., a microphone) may be placed adjacent to the audio sensor. Furthermore, an IR flexible printed circuit (FPC) 1040 can connect the PCB 1034 to the camera module 442. The camera module 442 includes a camera subassembly 1042 and a PCB (e.g., a camera board 1044). The camera subassembly 1042 is aligned with the IR cover 614. In one embodiment, one or more thermal interface materials (TIMs) 1046 are positioned adjacent to the camera board 1044 to transfer heat generated by one or more integrated circuit components on the camera board 1044, including an image sensor. The camera board 1044 can be fastened to the camera subassembly 1042 and / or front housing components using fasteners 1048.

[0099] The main FPC 1050 may be used to connect the camera board 1044 to the main logic board (MLB) subassembly 1052 of the doorbell 226. The MLB subassembly 1052 is positioned towards the rear of the product assembly to avoid coupling the heat generated by the MLB subassembly 1052 with a heat load from an external source (e.g., a solar load from the sun). The heatsink 1054 is positioned adjacent to the MLB subassembly 1052 and the camera board 1044 to passively disperse heat from the MLB subassembly 1052 and the camera board 1044 and transfer heat toward the housing, which includes the rear housing component 804. Furthermore, the heatsink 1054 is used as a grounding surface for several electrical components within the doorbell 226.

[0100] The heatsink 1054 comprises multiple sections (e.g., a first section 1054-1, a second section 1054-2). Both the first section 1054-1 and the second section 1054-2 are nested within the rear housing component 804. In one embodiment, the first section 1054-1 is positioned adjacent to the MLB subassembly 1052 and is configured to absorb and disperse heat from the MLB subassembly 1052. The first section 1054-1 transfers the heat generated by the MLB subassembly 1052 to the lower portion of the housing, including the button-side end 610. The first section 1054-1 is also coupled to the antenna 1026 to electrically ground the antenna 1026. The second section 1054-2 is positioned adjacent to the camera subassembly 1042 and is configured to absorb and disperse heat from the camera subassembly 1042. Specifically, the image sensor (e.g., image sensor 408) is cooled through the back of the camera board 1044 using graphite placed inside the TIM 1046 (e.g., thermal gel) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield, dissipating heat before it is transferred to a larger camera heatsink (e.g., second section 1054-2). Thus, heatsink 1054 allows for the separation of the amount of heatsink required for the camera subassembly 1042 from the amount required for the MLB subassembly 1052. Dividing heatsink 1054 into separate sections for subassemblies that generate different amounts of heat significantly reduces temperatures, thereby improving passive thermal control compared to conventional doorbell devices that use a single heatsink for both the MLB and the camera module.

[0101] In some embodiments, the two portions of the heatsink 1054 form a substantially elongated ellipse (in the xy plane). The first section 1054-1 is significantly longer along the y-axis (at least twice as long, e.g., 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4 times longer) than the second section 1054-2. Furthermore, the first section 1054-1 includes a base surface and side walls extending from the base surface in the z-axis direction (e.g., toward the front of the doorbell 226). In some embodiments, the base surface may be substantially planar. The side walls of the first section 1054-1 help to transfer the heat generated by the MLB subassembly 1052 toward the lateral sides of the housing (e.g., the left and right lateral sides relative to the front outer surface 612 of the front housing component 802). During low ambient temperatures, the sidewall of the first section 1054-1 helps to warm the battery 1028 by transferring heat from the heat dissipation components on the MLB subassembly 1052 to the internal air of the assembly (further details of warming the battery 1028 are described with respect to Figure 11).

[0102] A gasket 1056 (e.g., an O-ring) may be placed between the rear housing component 804 and the front housing component 802 to form a seal and prevent water from entering along the joint between the housing components 802 and 804. The doorbell 226 may also include a label plate 1058 for adding and / or replacing one or more labels. An electrical connector 1060 (e.g., wiring, dongle) is used to connect the doorbell 226 to line power. A wall plate 1062 and / or wedge 1064 may be used to mount the doorbell 226 to a surface (e.g., a wall). The wall plate 1062 and wedge 1064 may be fixed to the surface (e.g., a wall). The wall plate 1062 may include any suitable rigid material, including sheet metal (e.g., made from stainless steel). In some embodiments, a spacer is used between the wall plate 1062 and the wedge 1064 to help prevent the wall plate 1062 from bending or getting stuck during assembly to the wedge 1064. The wedge 1064 consists of non-parallel front and rear surfaces, which give it an angle with respect to the wall. Thus, the doorbell 226 can be tilted with respect to the wall by fixing the wedge 1064 to the wall and fixing the doorbell 226 (including the wall plate 1062) to the wedge 1064. In this way, the wedge provides a lateral (left and right) or downward (towards the ground) tilt angle, allowing the doorbell camera (e.g., camera subassembly 1042) to tilt downward toward the doorway path in front of the user (e.g., porch, down front stairs). In some embodiments, the downward or lateral tilt angle(s) may be in the range of 10 to 30 degrees (e.g., 20 degrees) with respect to the wall.

[0103] The doorbell 226 includes one or more mounting studs 904, which are attached to a rear housing component 804 and are configured to hook onto a wall plate 1062 to secure the doorbell 226 to the surface on which the wall plate 1062 is mounted. Specifically, the mounting studs 904 are inserted through an opening 1066 (e.g., a hole) in the wall plate 1062 and can then be slidably moved along the direction of a plane defined by the front surface of the wall plate 1062. This positioning and movement pushes a portion of the head of the mounting stud 904 toward the rear of the wall plate 1062, thereby causing a portion of the wall plate 1062 to rest between the head of the mounting stud 904 and the rear housing component 804. Therefore, the mounting studs 904 assembled to the wall plate 1062 in this manner prevent the doorbell 226 from moving along the z-axis (for example, in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the wall plate 1062) relative to the wall plate 1062 (and the surface to which the wall plate 1062 is fixed). After the doorbell 226 has been assembled to the wall plate 1062, the doorbell 226 may be further secured to the wall plate 1062 using a locking fastener 1068. The locking fastener 1068 can be inserted into position and tightened using a hexagonal key 1070 (for example, an Allen key) or other suitable tool.

[0104] Figure 11 is a diagram showing a portion of the exploded view 1000 of Figure 10, showing the rear of the heatsink 1054, the MLB subassembly 1052, and the battery subassembly 1102. The battery subassembly 1102 includes a battery 1028 seated within the battery frame 1030. When assembled, the doorbell 226 includes a gap (not shown in Figure 11) between the front housing component 802 and the battery subassembly 1102, which is specially prepared to avoid solar loads that may affect the battery 1028 by effectively isolating the battery 1028 from external loads. This gap also provides space for any bulging of the battery 1028 that may occur as the battery 1028 ages.

[0105] In some embodiments, the battery 1028 may also be wrapped in a heat diffuser 1032 (e.g., graphite). The battery 1028 is used when a chime event occurs. For example, when a button is pressed, the circuit is effectively closed and power is routed to the chime (a separate device electrically connected to the doorbell 226). Thus, when the circuit is closed, the doorbell 226 does not receive line power for a predetermined duration. Rather, the doorbell 226 operates on battery power for a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 seconds) while the chime is ringing. As a result, at low temperatures (e.g., below freezing), the battery 1028 (without a heating mechanism) may have high resistance and may not be able to support the doorbell 226 while the chime is ringing.

[0106] Generally, the battery 1028 has an operating temperature range for optimal performance. A battery temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor) may be implemented in the battery subassembly 1102 to monitor the battery temperature. At high temperatures, the battery may degrade due to excessive performance in the battery's chemical properties. At low temperatures (e.g., below freezing), conventional batteries exhibit poor performance because low temperatures slow down chemical reactions in the battery's chemical properties. Different batteries may have different operating temperature ranges. For example, some batteries have an operating temperature range with a 10°C low-temperature boundary (e.g., from 10°C to 80°C). Some batteries may have an operating temperature range with a 5°C low-temperature boundary (e.g., from 5°C to 85°C). Therefore, ambient temperatures dropping to -20°C with, for example, a wind of about 1.5 m / s could cause the temperature of the battery 1028 to drop below the low-temperature boundary of its operating temperature range, potentially rendering the battery practically non-functional. However, in such ambient conditions, the battery 1028 can be heated using one or more heating mechanisms. In one example, a heat diffuser 1032 can be wrapped around a battery 1028 to disperse the heat generated by the heating mechanism in a way that maintains the gradient across the battery 1028 within a certain level (e.g., below 5°C). However, at some sub-zero ambient temperatures, many conventional battery heaters (e.g., flexible circuit heaters) may be insufficient to maintain the battery temperature above the low-temperature boundary.

[0107] In some embodiments, one or more heating mechanisms may include resistors 1104 positioned on the side of the MLB subassembly 1052 that interface with the heatsink 1054. The illustrated example shows six resistors 1104 on the MLB subassembly 1052. However, any suitable number of resistors 1104 may be positioned on the MLB subassembly 1052 at any suitable location on the MLB subassembly 1052. In one example, the resistors 1104 are positioned toward one end of the MLB subassembly 1052. In the illustrated example, the resistors 1104 are positioned along the longitudinal axis 1106 of the MLB subassembly 1052, covering an area of ​​about one-quarter of the length of the MLB subassembly 1052. The resistors 1104 are substrate resistor heaters. In some embodiments, the MLB subassembly 1104 includes a controller configured to control the flow of current to the resistors 1104 based on the battery temperature. In one example, the battery sensor provides the detected battery temperature to the controller, allowing the controller to determine whether the battery 1028 is within its operating temperature range. In some embodiments, the controller on the MLB subassembly 1104 supplies current to the resistor 1104 to overdrive it and dissipate heat. The resistor 1104 can be overdriven using any appropriate amount of current or power. In one example, power in the range of 3 watts (W) to 5 watts (including 4 watts) is supplied to the resistor 1104 to dissipate heat. Power may be supplied by the battery 1028 during a chime event (e.g., when a button is pressed). During low temperatures (e.g., sub-zero ambient temperatures), the resistor 1104 can be overdriven in this manner. In the example, below a low temperature threshold (e.g., 10°C, 5°C), the resistor 1104 remains activated or on to maintain the battery 1028 at the minimum required temperature, allowing the battery 1028 to discharge in order to enable the chime event.

[0108] When assembled, the resistor 1104 is thermally connected to the heatsink 1054 via a thermal interface material 1108 (e.g., thermal gel), providing heat to indirectly heat the battery 1028. For example, the resistor 1104 provides heat, which is transferred to the heatsink 1054. The heatsink 1054 then transfers the heat to the internal air of the doorbell 226, which warms the battery 1028. Furthermore, the heat diffuser 1032 (e.g., graphite) disperses the heat from the internal air across multiple surfaces of the battery 1028, maintaining a gradient across the battery 1028 within the desired level. Thus, by using the resistor 1104 described herein, the battery 1028 can be heated to its operating temperature range during low ambient temperatures in a manner that maintains the temperature of the battery 1028 within its operating temperature range.

[0109] Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional view 1200 of the doorbell 226 taken along line AA of Figure 7, from Figure 7. Part 1202 of the cross-sectional view 1200 is shown in more detail in Figure 13. Figure 13 shows an exemplary stack-up of the button subassembly 1002 at the button-side end 610 of the doorbell 226. Part 1204 is shown in further detail in Figures 17-19. Figures 17-19 show the locking mechanism that secures the doorbell 226 to the wall plate 1062.

[0110] The speaker subassembly 1024 may cause friction and buzz when producing audio output at certain frequencies. To reduce or prevent friction and buzz, an elastic material (e.g., rubber, foam) may be placed between the battery frame 1030 and the front housing component 802. In the illustrated example, a strip or block 1206 of elastic material is positioned along the x-axis and separates the front housing component 802 from the battery frame 1030. In some embodiments, the block 1206 provides a seal between the front housing component 802 and the battery frame 1030. Furthermore, the block 1206 divides the internal air chamber of the doorbell 226, protecting the friction and buzz risk area from the resonant frequencies of the speaker subassembly 1024, which uses the rest of the doorbell 226 as its rear volume.

[0111] Figure 13 shows a portion 1202 of section view 1200 of Figure 12, including an exemplary stack of button subassemblies 1002. The button subassemblies 1002 are constructed and integrated within the doorbell 226 in such a manner that (i) the button cap 1004 can be pressed at any position on its outer surface to actuate the electrical components behind it, (ii) the button subassemblies 1002 can actuate an optical guide, and (iii) they meet regulatory waterproof standards (e.g., at least ingress protection (IPX) standards, including IPX5).

[0112] In the illustrated example, a dome 1016 (e.g., a snap dome) is positioned on the button board 1020 over an electrical pattern that the dome 1016 completes when forced to make contact with the electrical pattern. Once the electrical pattern is complete, a chime event is initiated. In some embodiments, the elastic button web 1014 includes a piece of silicone rubber that applies force to the head of the dome 1016, causing the dome 1016 to fold over to make contact with the electrical pattern and complete the circuit. The elastic button web 1014 may include any suitable elastic material, including plastic, foam, etc. Above the elastic button web 1014 is a light guide 1012. The light guide 1012 has a specially angled shape to direct light from an LED on the button board 1020 to the side of the button cap 1004. For example, the LED generally emits light in the z-axis direction, and the light guide 1012 directs the light in the xy-plane direction. The light passes through the light guide 1012 and reaches into the button flange 1010, which directs the light towards the edge of the button cap 1004.

[0113] The button cap 1004 forms a pressable button on the front outer surface 612 of the housing. The button cap 1004 is a multi-shot material comprising a first shot and a second shot (e.g., a first shot 1004-1 and a second shot 1004-2) of injection-molded material. The first shot 1004-1 forms the center of the button cap 1004 and is substantially opaque to visible light. The second shot 1004-2 forms the edge of the button cap 1004 and is substantially transparent to visible light, allowing light from the LED to exit from the front of the doorbell 226. Specifically, the second shot 1004-2 of the button cap 1004 diffuses the light, and the light generally exits the second shot 1004-2 in the z-axis direction (e.g., outward from the front of the doorbell 226). In some embodiments, the second shot 1004-2 of the button cap 1004 evenly distributes diffused light around the button cap 1004.

[0114] The button subassembly 1002 prevents hot spots or dim spots within the light guide 1012 through a combination of the type of material used and the shape of the light guide 1012 itself, which diffuses light.

[0115] Since the button subassembly 1002 functions as a pressable mechanical button, the button cap 1004 is movable relative to the front housing component 802, resulting in an area (around the button cap 1004) that is susceptible to water ingress. The path of water ingress is indicated by arrow 1300. For example, water can enter the device around the edge of the button cap 1004, pass through the space around the button flange 1010, and reach a portion of the button board 1020. However, seals 1302 and 1304 prevent further water ingress. Seal 1302 is located between the front housing component 802 and the button board 1020. In some embodiments, seal 1302 may be a PSA. Seal 1304 is located between the button board 1020 and the elastic button web 1014 to prevent water from reaching and damaging the electrical circuits on the button board 1020. The presence of internal seals (e.g., seals 1302 and 1304) allows for the mechanical movement of the button cap 1004 relative to the front housing component 802, and while some water ingress is permitted, water ingress into any area where water could cause damage is prevented.

[0116] Furthermore, the button board 1020 has a thickness that provides strength against the high pressing force applied to the button cap 1004. Many conventional video recording doorbells include a battery behind the button board 1020, but the doorbell 226 described herein does not include a battery, which provides additional space within the device to add thickness to the button board 1020.

[0117] Figure 14 shows a cross-sectional view 1400 of the doorbell 226 from Figure 7, taken along line CC of Figure 7. In particular, the cross-sectional view 1400 is taken across the button subassembly 1002 along the x-axis. As shown, the button subassembly 1002 is positioned facing forward of the device. Beneath the button board 1020 is a layer of speaker foam 1402, which separates the button board 1020 from the speaker subassembly 1024. The speaker foam 1402 is implemented to reduce friction and buzz caused by the movement of the speaker subassembly 1024 along the z-axis relative to the button board 1020. The speaker subassembly 1024 is fastened to the heat sink 1054 by one or more fasteners 1022. The heatsink 1054, in particular the first section 1054-1 of the heatsink 1054, is separated from the speaker subassembly 1024 by a gap, which allows the speaker subassembly 1024 to move in the z-axis direction relative to the first section 1054 of the heatsink 1054. The heatsink 1054 is adjacent to the rear housing component 804 and passively cools the device by transferring heat to the rear housing component 804. The front housing component 802 can be connected to the rear housing component 804 via any suitable coupling mechanism including protrusions and recesses that allow the housing components to snap into place with each other. The rear housing component 804 is fitted with mounting studs 904, which include a shaft 1404 connected to a head 1406. The head 1406 is wide relative to the shaft 1404, as the head 1406 has a larger diameter than the shaft 1404. As a result, the head 1406 extends outward from the shaft 1404 in the xy plane. The shaft forms a gap 1408 between the rear housing component 804 and the head 1406 of the mounting stud 904. When the doorbell 226 is assembled to the wall plate 1062, a portion of the wall plate 1062 moves slidably into the gap 1408 (in the y-axis direction), restricting or preventing the movement of the doorbell 226 in the z-axis direction relative to the wall plate 1062 (and the surface to which the wall plate 1062 is fixed).Due to the shape and orientation of the mounting studs 904 and wall plate 1062 when assembled together, the doorbell 226 is prevented from moving in both the x and z directions, thereby reducing or preventing vibration or shaking of the doorbell 226 relative to the wall plate 1062. Further details are described with reference to Figure 15.

[0118] Figure 15 is a perspective section 1500 of the button-side end 610 of the doorbell 226, taken along line AA of Figure 7, and an enlarged view 1502 of a portion of the section 1500 having a mounting stud 904. As shown in Figure 15, the mounting stud 904 is fastened to a fastener 1504 (e.g., a screw, bolt), which is located inside the housing and extends through the heat sink 1054 and the rear housing component 804. For example, the mounting stud 904 may have a threaded inner surface into which the fastener 1504 is screwed. Furthermore, a seal 1506 is positioned around the shaft 1404 of the mounting stud 904 (e.g., enclosing) to provide a seal against water ingress into the interior of the doorbell 226 through the space between the rear housing component 804 and the shaft 1404 of the mounting stud 904.

[0119] Furthermore, a non-conductive separator 1508 (e.g., a washer, shoulder washer) is placed adjacent to the fastener 1504 to insulate it from moisture and electricity. The fastener 1504 is inserted through the aperture of the separator 1508, separating the fastener 1504 from the heatsink 1054 and insulating it. Since the mounting stud 904, fastener 1504, and heatsink 1054 are conductive metal parts, there is a risk that an electrical short circuit applied to the mounting stud 904 will propagate through the mounting stud 904 to the fastener 1504, through the fastener 1504 to the heatsink 1054, and through the heatsink 1054 to the mainboard (e.g., MLB subassembly 1052) or other circuits. To prevent these parts from establishing such conductive paths, the separator 1508 is placed between the fastener 1504 and the heatsink 1054. The separator 1508 is a non-conductive material (e.g., plastic, rubber) that prevents grounding or short circuits between the mounting stud 904 and the heat sink 1054 via the fastener 1504.

[0120] Figure 16 shows a cross-sectional view 1600 of the exemplary doorbell 226 of Figure 7, taken along line CC of Figure 7. The cross-sectional view 1600 shows the stacking of the doorbell 226 at the camera-side end 608. The rear of the doorbell 226 has a mounting stud 904, which connects to a rear housing component 804. The heatsink 1054 is seated or nested within the rear housing component 804. The rear housing component 804 is removablely attached (e.g., fitted) to the front housing component 802 at multiple positions on its outer circumference. In one embodiment, the outer surface of the rear housing component 804 is attached to the inner surface of the front housing component 802. In this way, the rear housing component 804 is visually obscured by the front housing component 802 in the front elevation view of the doorbell 226. Stacked on top of the heatsink 1054 at the camera-side end 608 is the camera module 442, which includes, among other components, a camera board 1044, an image sensor 408, a camera lens 616, and a retainer 618. Adjacent to the retainer 618 is the IR cover 614, which surrounds the retainer 618 and the camera lens 616 in the xy plane and covers the PCB 1034, which may contain an IR LED.

[0121] Figures 17A, 17B, and 17C illustrate the locking mechanism for securing the doorbell 226 to the wall plate 1062. Beginning with Figure 17A, the doorbell 226 is positioned adjacent to the wall plate 1062 such that a mounting stud 904 is inserted through an opening 1066 in the wall plate 1062 (for example, along the z-axis). The wall plate 1062 includes a front surface configured to abut the rear outer surface of the rear housing component 804. The wall plate 1062 also has a locking tab 1700, which extends outward from the front surface and is configured to be inserted into a concave volume 906 of the rear housing component 804. The doorbell 226 is then moved to slide downward (in the -y direction), thereby causing the wall plate 1062 to slide upward relative to the doorbell 226 (for example, in the y-axis direction toward the top of the doorbell 226 toward the locking fastener 1068).

[0122] Referring to Figure 17B, the locking tab 1700 of the wall plate 1062 is positioned adjacent to the side of the concave volume 906, which includes the aperture 1704 into which the locking fastener 1068 is inserted. Furthermore, the mounting stud 904 overlaps with a portion of the wall plate. For example, the wall plate 1062 includes a portion 1706 positioned between the head 1406 of the mounting stud 904 and the rear housing component 804, thereby preventing movement of the doorbell 226 in the z-axis direction relative to the wall plate 1062. In this way, the head 1406 of the mounting stud 904 is positioned between the wall plate 1062 and the surface to which the wall plate 1062 is mounted. The shape of the head 1406 of the mounting stud 904, and the shape of the opening 1066 of the wall plate 1062 after the mounting stud 904 has slidably moved into position, also prevents movement of the doorbell 226 in the x-axis direction. For example, the head 1406 of the mounting stud 904 overlaps the wall plate 1062 in at least the x-dimension when assembled to the wall plate 1062. In some embodiments, the mounting stud 904 overlaps the wall plate 1062 in both the x-dimension and the y-dimension when assembled to the wall plate 1062. The locking fastener 1068 is then inserted through the aperture 1708 of the locking tab 1700 of the wall plate 1062.

[0123] Next, in Figure 17C, the locking fastener 1068 is fastened (for example, screwed into place) to the locking tab 1700 of the wall plate 1062, fixing the rear housing component 804 to the wall plate 1062 in the direction of the y-axis (for example, the lateral axis 604). This fastening prevents the doorbell 226 from moving along the y-axis relative to the wall plate 1062.

[0124] These and other performance characteristics and configurations, as well as the ways in which the entities in Figures 1 and 2 operate and interact, will be described in more detail below. These entities can be further divided, combined, etc. Environment 100 in Figure 1, and detailed diagrams from Figures 2 to 17C, illustrate some of the many possible environments, devices, and methods in which the described techniques can be employed individually or in combination with each other.

[0125] Several examples are described below.

[0126] A video recording doorbell, comprising: a housing having a front outer surface and an opposite rear outer surface, wherein the housing has a height along the y-axis that is greater than the width along the x-axis and the depth along the z-axis, the front outer surface being perpendicular to the z-axis, and the front outer surface having opposite first and second ends along the y-axis; and a camera module disposed at the first end of the housing, the camera module being configured to operate an image sensor and associated circuitry to capture video data, the camera module having a camera lens extending outward from the front outer surface of the housing and exposed to the environment surrounding the video recording doorbell; and disposed within the housing A video recording doorbell comprising: a printed circuit board having a circuit configured for continuous recording of video data; a button subassembly located at a second end of the housing and configured to be pressed by a person to initiate a chime event of a predetermined duration; a battery configured to supply power to the circuit during the chime event; and a heatsink having separate first and second sections, wherein the first section of the heatsink is located adjacent to the printed circuit board, the second section of the heatsink is located adjacent to the camera module, and the first section is located adjacent to the second section in the y-axis direction.

[0127] The video recording doorbell further comprises an infrared cover located at a first end of the housing, the infrared cover being configured to be transparent to infrared light, and a camera lens extending through an opening in the infrared cover.

[0128] The camera module may have a lens retainer positioned between the camera lens and the infrared cover.

[0129] The first section of the heatsink may be at least twice as long as the second section along the y-axis.

[0130] The first section of the heatsink may include a base surface and a side wall extending outward from the base surface along the z-axis, the side wall being configured to transfer heat toward the lateral side of the housing, separated by the width of the housing.

[0131] The button subassembly may include a button board having an electrical pattern for initiating a chime event; a dome configured to complete a circuit when forced to contact the electrical pattern; a foldable elastic button to complete the circuit by applying force to the dome and causing it to contact the electrical pattern; an optical guide positioned adjacent to the elastic button; and a button cap forming a pressable button on the front outer surface of the housing.

[0132] The video recording doorbell may further include a first seal positioned between the button board and the front housing component of the housing, and a second seal positioned between the button board and the elastic button, wherein the first and second seals prevent water from entering the housing between the housing and the button cap of the button subassembly from reaching the electrical pattern on the button board.

[0133] The video recording doorbell may further comprise one or more board resistance heaters located on a printed circuit board and configured to indirectly warm the battery by dissipating heat to a heatsink, which in turn transfers heat to the battery through the internal air of the video recording doorbell.

[0134] The board resistor heater can be thermally connected to a heatsink.

[0135] The board resistance heater may be configured to generate heat to maintain the battery temperature within the operating temperature range.

[0136] The video recording doorbell may further include a heat diffuser positioned adjacent to the battery and configured to disperse heat from the internal air across multiple surfaces of the battery.

[0137] The video recording doorbell may further comprise one or more mounting studs located on the rear outer surface of the housing, each of the one or more mounting studs being fixed to a fastener located within the housing, and each mounting stud including a shaft extending outward from the rear outer surface of the housing and a head having a diameter greater than the diameter of the shaft.

[0138] The video recording doorbell may further comprise a wall plate, which is mounted on a surface and configured to support a housing, wherein each mounting stud is inserted through an opening in the wall plate and is configured to overlap a portion of the wall plate to secure the housing to the wall plate.

[0139] The overlap between the mounting studs and a portion of the wall plate prevents movement of the housing along the z-axis and the x-axis.

[0140] The wall plate may include a front surface and a locking tab extending outward from the front surface, the rear outer surface of the housing may define a recessed volume configured to receive the locking tab of the wall plate, the housing may be inserted through an aperture of the housing and fastened to the wall plate by fasteners attached to the locking tab of the wall plate to prevent movement of the housing relative to the wall plate along the y-axis.

[0141] conclusion While embodiments of video recording doorbells have been described in language specific to their features and / or methods, the subject matter of the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, certain features and methods are disclosed as exemplary embodiments of the technology for video recording doorbells, and other equivalent features and methods are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that various different embodiments are described, and each described embodiment can be practiced independently or in relation to one or more other described embodiments.

Claims

1. A video recording doorbell, The housing comprises a front outer surface and a rear outer surface on the opposite side, the housing having a height along the y-axis that is greater than the width along the x-axis and the depth along the z-axis, the front outer surface is perpendicular to the z-axis, the front outer surface has first and second ends along the y-axis, and the video recording doorbell further comprises, The video recording doorbell further comprises a camera module located at the first end of the housing, the camera module being configured to operate an image sensor and associated circuitry to capture video data, and the video recording doorbell further comprises A printed circuit board disposed within the housing and having a circuit configured for continuous recording of the video data, A button subassembly located at the second end of the housing and configured to be pressed by a person to initiate a chime event, A heat sink comprising separate first and second sections, wherein the first section of the heat sink is positioned adjacent to the printed circuit board, the second section of the heat sink is positioned adjacent to the camera module, and the first section is positioned adjacent to the second section in the direction of the y-axis. The housing further comprises an infrared cover positioned at the first end, the infrared cover being configured to transmit infrared light, the camera module includes a camera lens, the camera lens extending through an opening in the infrared cover, The camera module has a lens retainer positioned between the camera lens and the infrared cover. The lens retainer extends outward from the infrared cover, and is a video recording doorbell.

2. The video recording doorbell according to claim 1, wherein the first section of the heat sink is at least twice as long as the second section along the y-axis.

3. The video recording doorbell according to claim 1, wherein the first section of the heat sink includes a base surface and a side wall extending outward from the base surface along the z-axis, the side wall being configured to transfer heat toward a lateral side of the housing, separated by the width of the housing.

4. The aforementioned button subassembly is A button board having an electrical pattern for initiating the aforementioned chime event, A dome configured to complete a circuit when forced to make contact with the aforementioned electrical pattern, A foldable elastic button that applies force to the dome to bring it into contact with the electrical pattern and complete the circuit, An optical guide positioned adjacent to the aforementioned elastic button, The video recording doorbell according to claim 1, further comprising a button cap that forms a pressable button on the front outer surface of the housing.

5. A first seal is positioned between the button board and the front housing component of the housing, The video recording doorbell according to claim 4, further comprising a second seal disposed between the button board and the elastic button, wherein the first and second seals prevent water from entering the housing between the housing and the button cap of the button subassembly from reaching the electrical pattern on the button board.

6. A battery frame configured to house a battery for supplying power to the circuit during the chime event, The video recording doorbell according to claim 1, further comprising one or more board resistance heaters disposed on the printed circuit board, wherein the one or more board resistance heaters are configured to dissipate heat to the heat sink, thereby indirectly warming the battery based on the heat sink transferring the heat to the battery through the internal air of the video recording doorbell.

7. The video recording doorbell according to claim 6, wherein the substrate resistance heater is thermally connected to the heat sink.

8. A temperature sensor configured to detect the battery temperature of the aforementioned battery, The video recording doorbell according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a controller configured to control the flow of current to the substrate resistance heater based on the battery temperature, wherein the substrate resistance heater is configured to generate heat to maintain the battery temperature within an operating temperature range.

9. The video recording doorbell according to claim 6, further comprising a heat diffuser positioned adjacent to the battery and configured to disperse the heat from the internal air across multiple surfaces of the battery.

10. The housing further comprises one or more mounting studs arranged on the rear outer surface of the housing, Each of the one or more mounting studs is fixed to a fastener located inside the housing. Each of the aforementioned mounting studs is A shaft extending outward from the rear outer surface of the housing, A head having a diameter larger than the diameter of the shaft, A video recording doorbell according to claim 1, including the features described above.

11. The video recording doorbell according to claim 10, further comprising a wall plate mounted on the surface and configured to support the housing, wherein each of the mounting studs is inserted through an opening in the wall plate and configured to overlap a portion of the wall plate to secure the housing to the wall plate.

12. The overlap between the mounting stud and the portion of the wall plate prevents movement of the housing along the z-axis and along the x-axis, according to claim 11.

13. The wall plate includes a front surface and a locking tab extending outward from the front surface. The rear outer surface of the housing defines a recessed volume configured to receive the locking tab of the wall plate, The video recording doorbell according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the housing is inserted through an aperture of the housing and fastened to the wall plate by fasteners attached to the locking tab of the wall plate, thereby preventing movement of the housing relative to the wall plate along the y-axis.

Images