Doorbell Remote Alerting via Video Audio Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional doorbells do not effectively alert remotely located individuals when someone is attempting to communicate, as the alerting sound may not be heard by those far away from the doorbell.
Innovation Solution
A doorbell system equipped with a camera, microphone, and motion detector that records video and audio data, transmits this data to a remote computing device or server, allowing for real-time communication and alerting via UDP or TCP protocols, with the ability to pause transmission during capacity thresholds and store data in a ring buffer for later retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a doorbell uses only a local alerting sound, then the device complexity is low, but remotely located individuals cannot be alerted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote computing device as an intermediary between the doorbell and the remotely located individual. The doorbell captures video and audio data, transmits it to the remote computing device, which then relays the information to the individual's device, enabling remote alerting without requiring complex modifications to the doorbell itself
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate functional components: the doorbell handles data capture, the network handles data transmission, and the remote computing device handles data delivery. This segmentation allows each component to remain relatively simple while achieving the overall function of remote alerting
2Loss of information
If the doorbell transmits full video and audio data continuously, then the information completeness is high, but the transmission capacity is exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transmits only a portion of the captured video and audio data rather than all data. The system selectively transmits data based on relevance and transmission capacity constraints, sending enough information to alert the remote individual without overwhelming the network
Solution Approach 2:
The doorbell records and stores video and audio data in a ring buffer before transmission. This preliminary action allows the system to accumulate data and transmit it in manageable portions when transmission capacity is available, rather than attempting to transmit everything simultaneously
3Duration of action of moving object
If the doorbell stores extensive video and audio data, then the data availability for retrieval is high, but the storage capacity requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a ring buffer storage mechanism where older video and audio data is automatically discarded when the buffer is full, making room for new data. This allows the system to maintain a rolling window of recent data (e.g., last 20 minutes) without requiring unlimited storage capacity, while still providing sufficient data for retrieval and review
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure includes a doorbell having a visitor detection system that can comprise at least one of a camera, a microphone, and a motion detector. The method for using the doorbell can comprise recording, via the camera, video data that represents a video. The method can also comprise recording, via the microphone, audio data that represents audio. The method of using the doorbell can comprise transmitting at least a portion of the video data and at least a portion of the audio data, to a remote computing device that is communicatively coupled to the doorbell. The method can also comprise transmitting the video data and the audio data to a remote server that is communicatively coupled to the doorbell.