Sensor-based tamper detection for mounted electronic devices
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsAditya Shailesh Ghadiali, William Alan Saperstein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electronic device including a mounting device configured to couple to a surface, a head removably coupled to the mounting device and including a housing, a magnet attached to the mounting device, and a sensor disposed within the housing. The sensor detects a magnetic field associated with the magnet when the head is in a first position relative to the mounting device and detects the magnetic field associated with the magnet when the head is in a second position relative to the mounting device, the second position being different than the first position.
Claims20
An electronic device comprising:
- a mounting device configured to couple to a surface;
- a head removably coupled to the mounting device, the head including a housing;
- a magnet attached to the mounting device;
- a first sensor disposed within the housing, the first sensor configured to detect a magnetic field strength value associated with the magnet when the head is in an initial position relative to the mounting device and detect a deviation in the magnetic field strength value when the head is moved from the initial position to a new position relative to the mounting device, the initial position defining a first orientation of the first sensor relative to the magnet, the new position defining a second orientation of the first sensor relative to the magnet that is different from the first orientation, the new position being different from the initial position, the first sensor being configured to indicate tampering of the head when the deviation crosses a first threshold value;
- and
- a second sensor disposed within the housing, the second sensor configured to provide acceleration information related to acceleration and movement of the housing, the second sensor configured to indicate tampering of the electronic device when the acceleration information crosses a second threshold value.
A method of detecting a tamper event associated with an electronic device having a head and a mounting device, the method comprising the steps of:
- detecting, via one or more sensors disposed within the electronic device, a magnetic field strength value associated with a magnet when the head is in an initial position relative to the mounting device, the magnet disposed within the mounting device, the initial position defining a first orientation of the one or more sensors relative to the magnet;
- detecting, via the one or more sensors, acceleration information corresponding to movement of the head;
- using the acceleration information in conjunction with the magnetic field strength value to detect tamper events of the electronic device;
- detecting a tamper event based on a deviation in the magnetic field strength value indicating that the head has been moved from the initial position to a new position relative to the mounting device or based on the acceleration information indicating that the electronic device has been moved, the new position defining a second orientation of the one or more sensors relative to the magnet;
- and
- notifying a user of the electronic device about the tamper event.
A security camera comprising:
- a camera module;
- a mounting plate configured to couple to a surface;
- a base assembly coupled to the mounting plate;
- a head including a housing, the housing containing the camera module, the housing rotatably and pivotably coupled to the base assembly;
- a magnet coupled to the mounting plate;
- and
- a sensor disposed within the housing, sensor configured to:
- detect a magnetic field strength value for each axis of multiple axes when the head is coupled to the mounting plate in an initial position defining a first orientation of the sensor relative to the magnet;
- and
- detect one or more deviations in a magnetic field strength of the magnet along at least one of the multiple axes when the head is moved from the initial position to a new position relative to the mounting plate, the new position defining a second orientation of the sensor relative to the magnet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.