CN-122029719-A - Adaptive power management for video doorbell systems

CN122029719ACN 122029719 ACN122029719 ACN 122029719ACN-122029719-A

Abstract

This document describes techniques associated with adaptive power management for internet of things (IoT) doorbell systems. These technologies integrate supercapacitors as auxiliary power sources for IoT doorbell systems. Supercapacitors offer significant advantages, including longer cycle life, less carbon footprint throughout their life, and excellent performance under harsh environmental conditions. These techniques also include an adaptive input power management system that enhances system compatibility by enabling IoT doorbell to be used with low power transformers, such as transformers used in older households. Further, an adaptive ringer management system is included that increases the reliability of operation of the supercapacitor-powered doorbell system.

Inventors

YE YUTING
CHEN JIHUAN
XU FUMING
QU DAYU

Assignees

谷歌有限责任公司

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250821
Priority Date: 20240822

Claims (15)

1. A video doorbell, comprising: A housing; One or more supercapacitors disposed within the housing, the one or more supercapacitors configured to provide a secondary input power source for operation of the video doorbell when a primary input power source is temporarily switched to power a doorbell ringer electrically connected to the video doorbell; a charger configured to charge the one or more supercapacitors; an adaptive input manager module is provided for receiving the input data, the adaptive input manager module is configured to: detecting the presence of said primary input power source, and Determining an input voltage of the main input power supply, and A microcontroller unit MCU configured to: Setting an initial charging current for charging the one or more supercapacitors; Adjusting the initial charging current to a new charging current based on the input voltage and a voltage threshold, and A command is sent to the charger to charge the one or more supercapacitors with the new charging current.
2. The video doorbell of claim 1, wherein the video doorbell further comprises a power management integrated circuit PMIC configured to enable the charger to charge the one or more supercapacitors based on the new charging current.
3. The video doorbell of claim 1 or 2, wherein the video doorbell further comprises an adaptive ringer manager module configured to: Receiving information associated with a power quality of the primary input power source, a charge level of the one or more supercapacitors, and a discharge capability of the one or more supercapacitors from the adaptive input manager module, and Based on the information from the adaptive input manager module, a duration of time that the doorbell ringer generates an audio signal is adjusted.
4. The video doorbell of claim 3, wherein the adaptive ringer manager module is configured to adjust the duration by reducing an amount of time that the doorbell ringer is licensed to generate the audio signal.
5. The video doorbell of claim 3, wherein the adaptive ringer manager module is configured to: determining that the power supply quality has fallen below a threshold value, and The duration of the doorbell ringer's generation of the audio signal is automatically reduced in response to determining that the power supply quality has fallen below the threshold.
6. The video doorbell of claim 5, wherein the adaptive ringer manager module is further configured to: After the duration has been automatically reduced, determining that the power supply quality has changed beyond the threshold value, and The duration of the doorbell ringer's generation of the audio signal is automatically increased in response to the input voltage exceeding the threshold.
7. The video doorbell of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the video doorbell further comprises a button integrated with the housing, wherein the button is depressible by a user to cause the doorbell ringer to generate an audio signal.
8. The video doorbell of claim 7, wherein the video doorbell further comprises a ringer connector configured to switch the main input power source to the doorbell ringer to generate the audio signal in response to the button being pressed.
9. The video doorbell of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the MCU is configured to: gradually adjusting the initial charge current until the input voltage drops below a voltage threshold, and In response to the input voltage dropping below the voltage threshold, the step-wise adjusted charging current is reduced to the new charging current to enable the input voltage to recover to a value above the voltage threshold.
10. A video doorbell system comprising: A video doorbell having one or more supercapacitors configured to provide auxiliary input power to the video doorbell; A doorbell ringer electrically connected to the video doorbell and configured to generate an audio signal in response to activation of a button on the video doorbell; a transformer connected to the doorbell ringer and the video doorbell, the transformer configured to provide a primary input power to the video doorbell; A ringer connector connected to the doorbell ringer and the video doorbell, the ringer connector configured to switch the primary input power source between the video doorbell and the doorbell ringer based on activation of the button; an adaptive input manager module implemented in the video doorbell and configured to: Determining the voltage of the main input power supply, and Determining a power quality of the main input power based on the voltage, and A microcontroller disposed within the video doorbell and configured to: Setting an initial charging current for charging the one or more supercapacitors; enabling charging of the one or more supercapacitors using the initial charging current, and The initial charging current is adjusted to a new charging current based on the power supply quality and a threshold.
11. The video doorbell system of claim 10, further comprising a supercapacitor charger for charging the one or more supercapacitors based on the new charging current.
12. The video doorbell system of claim 10 or 11, wherein the video doorbell is configured to provide information to a mobile device over a wireless network to present a user interface with a user selectable control for adjusting the activation time of the doorbell ringer.
13. The video doorbell system of claim 12, wherein the information comprises an activation time of the doorbell ringer, the activation time being determined based on a charge level and a discharge capacity of the one or more supercapacitors.
14. The video doorbell system of any of claims 10 to 13, further comprising an adaptive ringer manager module configured to: Receiving information associated with a power quality of the primary input power source, a charge level of the one or more supercapacitors, and a discharge capability of the one or more supercapacitors from the adaptive input manager module, and Based on the information from the adaptive input manager module, a duration of time that the doorbell ringer generates an audio signal is adjusted.
15. The video doorbell system of claim 14, wherein the adaptive ringer manager module is configured to: determining that the voltage has fallen below a voltage threshold, and The duration of the doorbell ring to generate the audio signal is automatically reduced in response to the voltage falling below the voltage threshold.

Description

Adaptive power management for video doorbell systems Background Many existing internet of things (IoT) doorbell systems rely primarily on battery power such as Lithium Ion Batteries (LIBs). However, these batteries face several challenges including environmental impact, limited life and safety issues. For example, LIB production and disposal can produce carbon emissions, which raise environmental concerns for environmentally conscious consumers and require compliance with carbon emission reduction regulations. The harsh outdoor environment can accelerate LIB degradation, resulting in a shorter life than expected and the need for frequent battery replacement, which can be inconvenient to the consumer and increase electronic waste. In some cases, the LIB may pose a safety risk due to a potential thermal runaway event. Disclosure of Invention This document describes techniques associated with adaptive power management for video doorbell systems. These technologies integrate supercapacitors as auxiliary power sources for IoT doorbell systems. Supercapacitors offer significant advantages, including longer cycle life, less carbon footprint throughout their life, and excellent performance under harsh environmental conditions. These techniques also include an adaptive input power management system that enhances system compatibility by enabling IoT doorbell to be used with low power transformers, such as transformers used in older households. Further, an adaptive ringer management system is included that increases the reliability of operation of the supercapacitor-powered doorbell system. In one example, a video doorbell is disclosed. The video doorbell comprises a housing, one or more supercapacitors, a charger, an adaptive input manager module, and a microcontroller unit (MCU). The one or more supercapacitors are disposed within the housing and configured to provide a secondary input power source for operation of the video doorbell when a primary input power source is temporarily switched to power a doorbell ringer electrically connected to the video doorbell. The charger is configured to charge the one or more supercapacitors. The adaptive input manager module is configured to detect the presence of the primary input power source and determine an input voltage of the primary input power source. The MCU is configured to set an initial charging current for charging the one or more supercapacitors, enable the charger to charge the one or more supercapacitors using the initial charging current, and adjust the initial charging current to a new charging current based on the input voltage and a voltage threshold. In another example, a video doorbell system is disclosed. The video doorbell system comprises a video doorbell, a doorbell ring, a transformer, a ring connector, a self-adaptive input manager module and a microcontroller. The video doorbell comprises one or more supercapacitors configured to provide auxiliary input power to the video doorbell. The doorbell ringer is electrically connected to the video doorbell and is configured to generate an audio signal in response to activation of a button on the video doorbell. The transformer is connected to the doorbell ringer and the video doorbell, the transformer being configured to provide a primary input power to the video doorbell. The ringer connector is connected to the doorbell ringer and the video doorbell. The ringer connector is configured to switch the primary input power source between the video doorbell and the doorbell ringer based on activation of the button. The adaptive input manager module is implemented in the video doorbell and is configured to determine a voltage of the main input power supply and determine a power quality of the main input power supply based on the voltage. The microcontroller is disposed within the video doorbell and is configured to set an initial charging current for charging the one or more supercapacitors, such that the one or more supercapacitors can be charged using the initial charging current, and adjust the initial charging current to a new charging current based on the power supply quality and a threshold. In another example, a method is disclosed. The method includes retrieving information regarding a charging current for charging one or more supercapacitors of a video doorbell, determining a recharging time for fully charging the one or more supercapacitors of the video doorbell based on the information regarding the charging current, the one or more supercapacitors configured to provide auxiliary power to the video doorbell during activation of a doorbell ringer electrically connected to the video doorbell, determining a ringer duration of the doorbell ringer based on the capabilities of the one or more supercapacitors and the discharging time, and causing the activation time of the doorbell ringer to be set equal to or less than the determined ringer duration. This summary is provided to introduce a simplified concep