# US 11,493,894 B2 · Automation system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,493,894 B2 - Document ID: US11493894B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/427,186 - Filed: 2020-01-23 - Published: 2022-02-10 - Granted: 2022-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-30 - Assignees: LightFi Limited - Applicants: LightFi Limited - Inventors: Matthew William Taylor; Alexey Olegovich Bak; Hemmel Amrania - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11493894B2 ## CPC - G05B 15/02: electric - H04L 12/2827: {Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality} - H05B 47/115: by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings - H05B 47/19: via wireless transmission - Y02B 20/40: Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A building monitor for controlling an environment in a region of a building. The monitor is configured to couple to a building system and operable to change a state of a building system. The monitor comprises a processor and a receiver coupled to the processor. The receiver is configured to wirelessly detect the presence of one or more electronic device thereby to indicate an occupancy level of a region of a building. The processor is configured to receive an environmental signal indicative of an environmental condition in a region of a building. The monitor is configured to output a signal for controlling a state of a building system in dependence on the indicated occupancy level and/or the indicated environmental condition. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A building monitor for controlling an environment in a region of a building, the monitor being configured to couple to a building system and operable to change a state of a building system, the monitor comprising: a processor, and a receiver coupled to the processor, the receiver being configured to wirelessly detect the presence of one or more electronic device, by observing a wireless signal over a network to which the receiver does not belong, thereby to indicate an occupancy level of the region of the building, the processor being configured to: determine whether the detected electronic device is indicative of occupancy in dependence on a time-varying characteristic of the wireless signal; and receive an environmental signal indicative of an environmental condition in the region of the building; the monitor being configured to output a signal for controlling the state of the building system in dependence on the indicated occupancy level and the indicated environmental condition; in which the monitor is configured to output the signal in dependence on a measure of correlation between the occupancy level and the environmental condition; in which, where: the indicated occupancy level is in a first occupancy band, and the indicated environmental condition is in a first environmental condition band, the monitor is configured to control the state of the building system to be in a first building system state; and in which the monitor is configured to control the state of the building system to be in a second building system state where the indicated occupancy level changes to a second occupancy band; and/or control the state of the building system to be in a third building system state where the indicated environmental condition changes to a second environmental condition band. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The building monitor according to claim 1, configured to determine a change in at least one of: the indicated occupancy level, and the indicated environmental condition and to control the state of the building system in dependence on the determined change. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The building monitor according to claim 1, in which the time-varying characteristic comprises one or more of a received signal strength of the wireless signal, an activity level of the wireless signal and a connectivity profile of the electronic device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The building monitor according to claim 3, in which the activity level of the wireless signal comprises a data rate and/or a packet rate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The building monitor according to claim 3, in which the connectivity profile comprises a binary measure of connectivity. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The building monitor according to claim 3, in which the processor is configured to determine that there is a change in signal strength when the signal strength changes by more than one or both of: a predetermined threshold change; and a predetermined proportion of an observed signal strength. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The building monitor according to claim 3, in which the processor is configured to discriminate between different types of electronic device based on the connectivity profile. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The building monitor according to claim 7, in which the processor is configured to determine how many different users are present in a given time frame based on the discrimination between different types of electronic device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The building monitor according to claim 1, in which the environmental signal is indicative of a plurality of environmental conditions in the region of the building. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The building monitor according to claim 1, in which the environmental signal is indicative of air quality. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The building monitor according to claim 1, in which the environmental signal comprises an indication of whether the region of the building is in fluid communication with an external environment. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The building monitor according to claim 1, in which the one or more electronic device is associated with the region of the building. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The building monitor according to claim 1, in which the processor is configured to output a control signal to the building system to cause a change in the state of the building system. ### Claim 14 A method of controlling an environment in a region of a building using a building monitor, the method comprising: detecting, at a receiver of the building monitor, the presence of one or more electronic device, by observing a wireless signal over a network to which the receiver does not belong, thereby to indicate an occupancy level of the region of the building; determining, at a processor of the building monitor, whether the detected electronic device is indicative of occupancy in dependence on a time-varying characteristic of the wireless signal; receiving, at the processor of the building monitor, an environmental signal indicative of an environmental condition in the region of the building; and outputting, using the building monitor, a signal for controlling a state of a building system in dependence on the indicated occupancy level and the indicated environmental condition; in which the method comprises outputting the signal in dependence on a measure of correlation between the occupancy level and the environmental condition; in which, where: the indicated occupancy level is in a first occupancy band, and the indicated environmental condition is in a first environmental condition band, the method further comprising, using the building monitor, controlling the state of the building system to be in a first building system state; the method additionally comprising, using the building monitor, one or more of: controlling the state of the building system to be in a second building system state where the indicated occupancy level changes to a second occupancy band; and/or controlling the state of the building system to be in a third building system state where the indicated environmental condition changes to a second environmental condition band. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, comprising determining a change in at least one of: the indicated occupancy level, and the indicated environmental condition and controlling the state of the building system in dependence on the determined change. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, in which the time-varying characteristic comprises one or more of a received signal strength of the wireless signal, an activity level of the wireless signal and a connectivity profile of the electronic device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, in which the activity level of the wireless signal comprises a data rate and/or a packet rate. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, in which the environmental signal is indicative of a plurality of environmental conditions in the region of the building. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer readable instructions that, when executed at a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method of controlling an environment in a region of a building using a building monitor, the method comprising: detecting, at a receiver of the building monitor, the presence of one or more electronic device, by observing a wireless signal over a network to which the receiver does not belong, thereby to indicate an occupancy level of the region of the building; determining, at a processor of the building monitor, whether the detected electronic device is indicative of occupancy in dependence on a time-varying characteristic of the wireless signal; receiving, at the processor of the building monitor, an environmental signal indicative of an environmental condition in the region of the building; and outputting, using the building monitor, a signal for controlling a state of a building system in dependence on the indicated occupancy level and the indicated environmental condition; in which the method comprises outputting the signal in dependence on a measure of correlation between the occupancy level and the environmental condition; in which, where: the indicated occupancy level is in a first occupancy band, and the indicated environmental condition is in a first environmental condition band, the method further comprising, using the building monitor, controlling the state of the building system to be in a first building system state; the method additionally comprising, using the building monitor, one or more of: controlling the state of the building system to be in a second building system state where the indicated occupancy level changes to a second occupancy band; and/or controlling the state of the building system to be in a third building system state where the indicated environmental condition changes to a second environmental condition band.