Dynamic Check-in Interval for Battery-Powered Video Doorbells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices, such as doorbells, lack remote access capabilities, limiting users' ability to monitor their surroundings without initiating a call, which hampers security and convenience.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a processor and communication module in A/V devices that periodically check the network for user access requests, allowing users to initiate camera access on demand, even when the device is behind a network firewall, and adjusting the check-in interval based on battery charge to balance latency and power conservation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the device checks the network frequently for user access requests, then remote access latency is reduced, but battery power is consumed faster
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the check-in interval based on battery charge levels. When battery charge is high, the device checks more frequently (shorter interval) to reduce latency. When battery charge is low, the device checks less frequently (longer interval) to conserve power. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining low latency and preserving battery life.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temporal parameter (check-in interval) based on the state of the battery. The interval is adjusted as a function of battery charge level, transforming a static parameter into a variable one that adapts to system conditions, thereby balancing performance and energy consumption.
2Speed
If the device remains in active state to respond quickly to access requests, then remote access speed is improved, but battery drain increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of remaining continuously active, the device performs periodic check-ins with the network at scheduled intervals. This periodic action allows the device to enter low-power states between checks while still maintaining the ability to respond to access requests within an acceptable time frame, thus balancing speed and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically transitions between active and low-power states based on the check-in schedule and battery conditions. This dynamic state management allows the device to optimize between being responsive (active state) and conserving energy (low-power state), resolving the contradiction between access speed and power consumption.
3Reliability
If the device checks the network continuously, then user access requests are detected immediately, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic network checks at defined intervals rather than continuous monitoring. This periodic approach maintains sufficient reliability for detecting user access requests while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous checking, as the device can remain in low-power states between periodic checks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous network connectivity and request detection capability through periodic check-ins, ensuring that useful action (detecting access requests) continues without interruption despite the device being in low-power states most of the time. The periodic checks ensure no requests are missed while minimizing energy usage.
Data Source
AI summary
In a battery-powered audio/video recording and communication device having a camera, the length of a preset interval (the interval between instances of the device sending a request to a network to check whether any user requests to access the camera have been received) may be adjusted upward or downward in order to balance the competing interests of reducing latency (e.g. reducing the delay that the user may experience when trying to access the camera) and conserving battery life. The present embodiments advantageously balance these competing interests by initially setting the length of the preset interval to be relatively short to reduce latency, but automatically increasing the length of the preset interval as the battery charge is depleted, thereby extending battery life. The present embodiments also advantageously enable the length of the preset interval to be decreased after the battery is recharged, thereby reducing latency.