Hazardous or dangerous conditions may be monitored. A mode may be set to a state indicative of the condition being present. It may then be determined that the hazardous or dangerous condition has eased. An indication of the hazardous or dangerous condition easing may be output in response to the determination. Such an indication may be output as synthesized speech.

Techniques are disclosed herein for a lighting interface system configured to adjust tunable lighting characteristics output by one or more lighting devices based on a plurality of simple, intuitive touch-gestures without necessarily providing visual indicators via a display screen or other feedback elements. The lighting interface system may be implemented as a relatively simple touchpad device that may be wall-mounted and/or portable depending on a desired configuration. The lighting interface system may be configured to capture user-gestures via the touchpad device and translate the same into target lighting characteristics and an adjustment value to adjust each of the target lighting characteristics thereby. User gestures may be adjustably mapped to lighting characteristics including, for example, intensity, color temperature, hue and color saturation. The lighting interface system may also be configured to recognize navigation gestures, which may allow a user to target one or more specific lighting devices to make adjustments to.

A lighting control system is provided with a communication method utilizing downstream current modulation. A primary controller is electrically coupled to a plurality of lighting devices via a mains power transmission network. Each of the respective lighting devices includes an occupancy sensor and is configured to provide full illumination when occupancy is detected in the associated area. The controller identifies occupancy by an increase in current on the mains lines, directs the other devices to fully illuminate, and activates a timer. Prior to lapsing of the timer, any of the devices may indicate continued occupancy by adjusting an operating current to a respective light source according to a predetermined pattern. Upon identifying the pattern, the controller generates control signals directing each of the other devices to remain fully illuminated, and resets the timer. The predetermined pattern may for example include amplitude modulation, threshold numbers of cycles, or both.

Provided is a light-emitting device control system, comprising: a light source module that outputs a beam of light at a first surface location; a beam steering mechanism, the light source module coupled to the beam steering mechanism for directing the beam of light at the first surface location, wherein an illumination region is formed at the first surface location in response to the directed beam of light; a control module that detects a signal corresponding to a hand gesture, the control module positioned at a separate location than the light source module and the beam steering mechanism, and communicating with the light source module via a network; and a control spot generator that generates a control spot at a second surface location, the control module detecting a presence of a hand forming the hand gesture at the control spot, and wherein the beam steering mechanism moves the illumination region in response to the hand gesture at the control spot.

A method for facilitating space experiences for at least a first space user and for at least first and second different spaces, the method comprising the steps of storing first and second space experience specifications for the first and second different spaces, respectively, wherein the first and second space experience specifications indicate space affordance settings for the first and second spaces, respectively, sensing a trigger event associated with at least one of the first and second different spaces, where the sensed trigger event is associated with the first space, using the first space experience specification to control the first space affordances and where the sensed trigger event is associated with the second space, using the second space experience specification to control the second space affordances.

At least one controllable source of visible light is configured to illuminate a space to be utilized by one or more occupants. A controller causes the source(s) to emit light in a manner that varies at least one characteristic of visible light emitted into the space over a period of time at least in part in accordance with a chaotic function. Responsive to user input, sensed activity, and/or acquired information, the source(s) are controlled by the controller in accordance with a lighting control function which may be modified based on learning by a device or system including the controller.

Some embodiments include a remote for gesture recognition for an external light system. In some embodiments, the remote may include an acceleration sensor; a wireless transceiver; memory; and a processor communicatively coupled with the acceleration sensor, the wireless transceiver, and the memory. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to: sample acceleration data from the acceleration sensor; determine a first event type based on the acceleration data; determine a second event type based on the acceleration data; determine a command for an external system based on the first event type; and transmit the command to the external device using the wireless transceiver. In some embodiments, the first event type and/or the second event type comprises an event selected from the list consisting of a swipe, a tap, a double tap, a directional point, and a tilt; exclude the second event type.

Ambient amount of a hazardous condition may be monitored. A mode may be set to a state indicative of the hazardous condition being present in the ambient environment. It may then be determined that the amount of the hazard in the ambient environment has dropped below an alarm criterion. A time period may then be tracked during which the amount of the hazardous condition present in the ambient environment of the hazard detector has remained below the alarm criterion. It may be determined that the time period has reached at least a threshold duration, during such time period the amount of the hazardous condition present in the ambient environment of the hazard detector having remained below the alarm criterion. An indication of the hazardous condition easing may be output in response to the time period being at least the threshold duration.

Various arrangements for assessing an installation of a smart home device are presented. A video camera device may capture video indicative of a location of the smart home device. The video indicative of the location of the smart home device may be analyzed to determine whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification. An indication may then be output indicative of whether the location of the smart home device prevents the smart home device from operating within specification.

Various arrangements of smart devices are presented. Such a smart device may include a case, a wireless interface, a light sensor that detects an ambient brightness level of an ambient environment of the smart device, a motion sensor that detects motion of a user in the ambient environment of the smart device, a light that is capable of outputting light into the ambient environment of the smart device, and a processing system. The processing system may cause the light to illuminate based on: the message indicating that the lighting feature has been activated; the ambient brightness level being below the threshold brightness value; and the user moving in the ambient environment of the smart device.