Abstract: An intelligent circuit breaker electrically is capable of being actuated and interfacing with a conventional circuit breaker. The intelligent circuit breaker includes a wireless transceiver for communicating with other intelligent circuit breakers, a breaker controller, memory, and a display. The memory may be used to temporarily store data of interest regarding the intelligent circuit breaker's status, power consumption, operating history, and the like. The intelligent circuit breaker may advantageously be constructed in a form factor which is compatible with standard circuit breaker panels.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a virtual room-based user interface is provided. The interface displays a view of a virtual room that corresponds to a physical room and that includes a representation of a first device present in the physical room and at least one of a portion of structure of the physical room or a portion of furnishings present in the physical room. User input is received via the interface that indicates a change of state in the physical room. In response to the user input, a change is caused to a state provided by the first device, and the interface dynamically updates appearance of the virtual room to change appearance of the representation of the first device and at least one of the portion of the structure of the physical room or the portion of the furnishings present in the physical room to reflect the change to the state.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a technique is utilized to generate a virtual-room of a virtual room-based user interface that controls one or more devices within a physical room of a structure. A user is prompted to select one or more services provided by the one or more devices within the physical room. A plurality of images of the physical room are obtained that each share substantially a same perspective. The plurality of images include an all-off image, in which all of the one or more of the services are in an inactive state, and one or more service-specific images, in which a single service is in an active state and any other services are in the inactive state. The plurality of images are aligned to create an aligned image stack. One or more hit boxes are designated. The virtual room is generated based on the aligned image stack and the designated one or more hit boxes.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an automation control device, such as a host or hub, is provided with enhanced functionality so that it becomes a multi-role automation control device. The multi-role automation control device is capable of controlling an expanded variety of “smart” or other devices whose native control protocol is not generally compatible. The multi-role automation control device may be implemented using a variety of underlying devices including a host, hub, soundbar, “smart” thermostat, “smart” amplifier, audio speaker, or other device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a virtual room-based user interface is provided. The interface displays a view of a virtual room that corresponds to a physical room and that includes a representation of a first device present in the physical room and at least one of a portion of structure of the physical room or a portion of furnishings present in the physical room. User input is received via the interface that indicates a change of state in the physical room. In response to the user input, a change is caused to a state provided by the first device, and the interface dynamically updates appearance of the virtual room to change appearance of the representation of the first device and at least one of the portion of the io structure of the physical room or the portion of the furnishings present in the physical room to reflect the change to the state.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a virtual room-based user interface suited for use on a “small screen” is provided that organizes representations of devices in a virtual room into a sequence, allows a user to cycle through the representations of devices in the sequence so only a single one is selected at any given time, and individually control the device corresponding to a selected representation using a designated control region separate from the representation of the selected device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a smart light switch/thermostat is provided for deployment in rooms of a multi-room property (e.g., hotel) that is capable of monitoring and controlling in-room devices (e.g., climate control devices, lighting devices, A/V devices, etc.), as well as improving power optimization and reducing latency of certain battery-powered WPAN devices. The smart light switch/thermostat may be an in-wall device mounted in an electrical box (e.g., a 1-gang box) that maintains network connections (e.g., wired, WPAN and/or WLAN connections) to in-room devices being controlled and monitored, as well as to mobile guest devices and a central host controller that provides access to cloud control services. The smart light switch/thermostat may improve power optimization and reducing latency of certain battery-powered WPAN devices (e.g.

Abstract: In one embodiment, graphical programming is used to configure a system of audio, video, lighting, HVAC and/or security components. Representations of components from a component library are displayed. Each representation of a component corresponds to a physical component that is available for inclusion in the system and associated with a corresponding component profile for that physical component that includes information regarding the component's capabilities. A selected plurality of representations of components from the component library are placed in a configuration workspace of the graphical user interface, to indicate their inclusion in the system. One or more realized services that the system is capable of providing are determined based on the selected plurality of components; and indications of the one or more realized services that the system is capable of providing are displayed to the user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an A/V interconnection architecture is provided that includes a TX A/V endpoint that supports native audio and stereo down-mixed audio on separate networks. The TX A/V endpoint outputs native audio over a video network to an RX A/V endpoint coupled to an A/V sink component that is capable of processing or outputting the native audio, and produces a stereo down-mixed version of the native audio which is output over an audio network to an audio system coupled to an audio sink component that is incapable of handling the native audio. In another embodiment, an A/V interconnection architecture is provide that enables expandable surround sound. If the number of audio channels for a type of surround sound is less than or equal to a number of local amplified output channels, surround sound is provided using only local unpowered speakers.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a general-purpose wireless mobile device having a touch-sensitive screen and executing a remote control application is used to remotely control a vehicle (e.g., a marine vessel). The general-purpose wireless mobile device communicates via a wireless network with an interface (e.g., a server) that is coupled to an electronic control system of the vehicle (e.g., the vessel). In operation, environmental information and/or system status information is collected through the electronic control system, propagated to the interface (e.g., server), and then sent over the wireless network to the wireless mobile device. Similarly, control input is sent over the wireless network to the interface (e.g., server), which passes the information to the electronic control system, which in turn issues appropriate control signals to the vehicle subsystems (e.g., marine subsystems) to control the motion of the vehicle (e.g., the vessel).

Abstract: In one embodiment, graphical programming is used to configure a system of audio, video, lighting, HVAC and/or security components. Representations of audio, video, lighting, heating, HVAC and/or security components are displayed in a graphical user interface. Each representation corresponds to a physical component that is available for inclusion in the system. A zone map that represents one or more zones is displayed in the graphical user interface. A selected representation of an audio, video, lighting, heating, HVAC or security component is dragged and dropping to a selected zone of the zone map to indicate installation of a selected physical component in the corresponding room. One or more realized services that the system is capable of providing are determined based at least in part on the selected zone of the zone map. Thereafter, an output is provided based on the one or more realized services.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a virtual room-based user interface suited for use on a “small screen” is provided that organizes representations of devices in a virtual room into a sequence, allows a user to cycle through the representations of devices in the sequence so only a single one is selected at any given time, and individually control the device corresponding to a selected representation using a designated control region separate from the representation of the selected device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a virtual room-based user interface includes one or more virtual rooms. Each virtual room is rendered from one or more images captured of a corresponding physical room of a structure, and includes depictions of one or more light fixtures within the physical room, one or more furnishings within the physical room and one or more boundaries of the physical room. A user selects a particular depiction of a particular light fixture within a particular virtual room. In response, a state of the particular light fixture within the corresponding physical room is changed. Also, appearance of the particular virtual room is updated such that the depiction of the particular light fixture shows the particular light fixture with the changed state and the depictions of the one or more boundaries or the one or more furnishings show lighting effects resulting from the changed state.

Abstract: An intelligent circuit breaker is electrically capable of dimming a load using sine wave dimming and forward or reverse cut-phase dimming. The intelligent circuit breaker may include low on resistance transistors switching at a 100 kHZ or higher using pulse width modulation to achieve the sine wave dimming while filtering out the high frequency switching and allowing a line frequency pass through. The intelligent circuit breaker may include a wireless module for receiving one or commands to perform power dimming of the load. The intelligent circuit breaker may advantageously be constructed in a form factor which is compatible with standard circuit breaker panels.

Abstract: An intelligent circuit breaker electrically is capable of being actuated and interfacing with a conventional circuit breaker. The intelligent circuit breaker includes a wireless transceiver for communicating with other intelligent circuit breakers, a breaker controller, memory, and a display. The memory may be used to temporarily store data of interest regarding the intelligent circuit breaker's status, power consumption, operating history, and the like. The intelligent circuit breaker may advantageously be constructed in a form factor which is compatible with standard circuit breaker panels.

Abstract: A group of homes, businesses, or other electric power consuming premises are aggregated and commonly controlled to dynamically reduce loads in sufficient quantities, and with sufficient rapidity and duration, to participate as a market participant in the energy markets including participating as a peaking power plant. While the amount of reduced power consumption for a single premises is typically quite small, the total reduced consumption of an aggregation of just a few thousand homes or businesses may be on the order of hundreds of kilowatts. A premises power controller in conjunction with intelligent circuit breakers, which may include dimmers, enable dynamic management of individual loads in each premises.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a menu is semi-transparently overlaid upon a portion of a video being shown on a television coupled to a programmable multimedia controller. The menu has a plurality of selectable options and a selection cursor disposed on one of the plurality of selectable options. Input is received from a user on the remote control unit indicating a direction. In response to the input indicating the direction, the selection cursor is moved in a corresponding direction within the semi-transparently overlaid menu to bring the selection cursor to be disposed on a designated selectable option to permit selection of the designated selectable option. In response to selection of the designated selectable option, the programmable multimedia controller issues one or more control commands to a lighting system, a heating ventilation and air/conditioning (HVAC) system, and/or to an automatic shade system, to control operation of lighting, HVAC or window shades.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a technique is provided to configure a home multimedia system. Software executing on a controller or other device access component profiles describing attributes of components, one or more zone configurations that indicate components that are present in one or more zones, and one or more connection configurations that indicates how components that are present in the one or more zones are interconnected. The software applies a set of predefined service rules to the data structures to generate workflows for possible services, wherein each service rule defines one or more components and one or more interactions required for providing a corresponding service, and each workflow indicates how one or more of the components that are present in the one or more zones interact to provide a service. Executable forms of the workflows are generated, and executed to provide services to a user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a general-purpose wireless mobile device having a touch-sensitive screen and executing a remote control application is used to remotely control a vehicle (e.g., a marine vessel). The general-purpose wireless mobile device communicates via a wireless network with an interface (e.g., a server) that is coupled to an electronic control system of the vehicle (e.g., the vessel). In operation, environmental information and/or system status information is collected through the electronic control system, propagated to the interface (e.g., server), and then sent over the wireless network to the wireless mobile device. Similarly, control input is sent over the wireless network to the interface (e.g., server), which passes the information to the electronic control system, which in turn issues appropriate control signals to the vehicle subsystems (e.g., marine subsystems) to control the motion of the vehicle (e.g., the vessel).

Abstract: In one embodiment, location aware operation is provided using Bluetooth positioning. A Bluetooth-enabled handheld device is operated within a structure. Received Bluetooth signal strengths are measured for a plurality of Bluetooth-enabled transmitter/receiver units dispersed within the structure, where respective ones of the plurality of Bluetooth-enabled transmitter/receiver units are located on separate floors, in separate rooms, or in different portions of a same room. Based on the received Bluetooth signal strengths, a single Bluetooth-enabled transmitter/receiver unit is selected. A location of the selected Bluetooth-enabled transmitter/receiver unit is assigned to the Bluetooth-enabled handheld device. A first electronic device is controlled based on the assigned location. In response to movement by a user of the Bluetooth-enabled handheld device within the structure, a location of a different Bluetooth-enabled transmitter/receiver unit is reassigned to the Bluetooth-enabled handheld device.