Patent Description:
The invention further relates to a method of transmitting a notification from a system to a user device, said system being configured to determine a state of a light source, said light source being comprised in a lighting system.

There are multiple ways of measuring energy consumption of lighting systems, e.g. by measuring real time usage or by measuring how long lights are turned on. In smart lighting, it is usually possible to obtain information on which lights are turned on. By making a user aware of the energy consumed by his lighting system, energy savings can be realized.

Systems that help a user more to save energy are also known. For example, <CIT> discloses that a "Smart Off' mode may be enabled while in an "Away" period. In this "Smart Off' mode, a smart light switch will automatically turn the room light off after a period when a visual sensor detects that no one is in the room.

Existing systems tend to simply turn off lights or notify users about the fact that the lights are still turned on. However, sometimes lights are turned on with good reason even when nobody is at home, e.g. when lights are turned on as a response to a motion sensor, a smart doorbell or because of safety features like presence mimicking. Existing solutions will either turn these lights off or notify the user to turn off these lights. This often leads to users turning off the energy saving feature, because it does not do what they want it to. This negates the potential energy savings.

<CIT> discloses an apparatus and a method according to the preambles of claims <NUM> and <NUM>.

It is a first object of the invention to provide a system, which can be used to reduce energy consumption by a lighting system in a user-friendly manner.

It is a second object of the invention to provide a method, which can be used to reduce energy consumption by a lighting system in a user-friendly manner.

In a first aspect of the invention, a system for transmitting a notification to a user device, said system being configured to determine a state of a light source, said light source being comprised in a lighting system, comprises at least one input interface, at least one output interface, and at least one processor configured to receive user information via said at least one input interface, determine that a user is away from home based on said user information, receive light information from said lighting system via said at least one input interface, said light information being indicative of said state of said light source, determine, based on said light information, that said light source is on while said user is away from home, if it has been determined that said light source is on while said user is away from home, determine what caused said light source to be turned on, after said cause has been determined, decide whether or not to notify said user in dependence on said cause, and after said decision has been made, transmit, via said at least one output interface, said notification to said user device of said user in dependence on said decision.

This system assesses the cause of a light being turned on to provide improved energy savings operations and/or notifications. For example, the system may decide to notify the user immediately if the light is not needed and if it is beneficial to act immediately. Else, the fact that the light is still turned on while the user is away may be summarized in a report that is sent on an interval (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly). The user may be able to configure for which causes he wants to be notified.

Said at least one processor may be configured to generate a report for said user on a regular basis and include in said report, in dependence on said cause, that said light source was on while said user was way from home. This may help the user achieve energy savings for less urgent cases.

Said at least one processor is configured to determine what caused said light source to be turned on by determining whether user control or automatic control caused said light source to be turned on. User control may comprise interaction with said user device, a further user device (e.g. of another person living in the same home) or a light switch, for example. A light source that was manually switched on and is still on while the user is away is more likely to be left on by accident. Automatic control may comprise control based on sensor data and/or time-based control, for example. A light source that was automatically switched on may be intended to be on while the user is away but could also be switched on due to an improper configuration.

Said at least one processor may be configured to, upon determining that automatic control caused said light source to be turned on, determine a frequency with which said light source is being turned on and off and/or a quantity of turned-on light sources and decide, based on said frequency and/or said quantity, whether or not to notify said user. For example, a sensor-triggered light source that switches on and off with a high frequency may require urgent attention. A relatively large quantity of turned-on light sources in a smart lighting system may indicate that a power outage has occurred. In a smart lighting system, the light sources may automatically turn on after a power outage, even if they were off before the power outage.

Said at least one processor may be configured to, upon determining that said light source is on while said user is away from home, determine whether a setting or rule exists which automatically turns off said light source and decide, based on said cause and in dependence on said existence of said setting or rule, whether or not to notify said user. If the light source will be turned off automatically, urgent action is likely not required.

Said at least one processor is alternately configured to determine what caused said light source to be turned on by determining a name associated with an action of turning on said light source, an event that caused light source to turn on, and/or a source of a control command to turn on said light source. The name may be the name of a person who performed the action or the name of an application, e.g. an IFTT application running in the cloud, that performed the action. A descriptor of the event may indicate that a certain time has been reached (e.g. <NUM> am or sunrise) or that a certain sensor has been triggered. The source of the control action may be a user device or a sensor device, for example.

Said at least one processor may be configured to decide whether or not to notify said user in dependence on a spatial location of said light source. For example, a light source located at the entrance may be needed for security or easy entrance at night and it may therefore not be desirable to transmit notifications for this light source.

Said at least one processor may be configured to receive user input indicative of one or more causes and associate said one or more causes with an instruction to notify said user or with an instruction not to notify said user when one of said one or more causes caused a light source to be turned on. This allows the user to personalize the notifications by specifying one or more causes or by providing feedback to notifications.

Said at least one processor may be configured to receive user input indicative of one or more light sources and associate said one or more light sources with an instruction not to notify said user when a light source of said one or more light sources is on while said user is away from home. For example, the user may want to keep one light source in the living room switched on to hide the fact that no one is home.

Said at least one processor may be configured to, upon determining that said light source is on while said user is away from home and a time-out period has elapsed, determine what caused said light source to be turned on. This may be used to prevent that notifications are transmitted immediately after the user has left home, e.g. for lights that automatically turn off when no presence is detected during a certain time.

Said at least one processor may be configured to include in said notification an option to turn off said light source and control said light source to turn off said light source upon receiving an affirmative response from said user device. This allows the user to save energy during the period that he is away.

Said at least one processor may be configured to include in said notification an option to adjust a setting or rule which caused said light source to turn on and adjust said setting or rule upon receiving an affirmative response from said user device. For example, the notification may include a link that redirects to an application with which the user can make configuration changes. This allows the user to save energy over a longer period of time.

In a second aspect of the invention, a method of transmitting a notification from a system to a user device, said system being configured to determine a state of a light source, said light source being comprised in a lighting system, comprises receiving user information, determining that a user is away from home based on said user information, receiving light information from said lighting system, said light information being indicative of said state of said light source, determining, based on said light information, that said light source is on while said user is away from home, if it has been determined that said light source is on while said user is away from home, determining what caused said light source to be turned on, after said cause has been determined, deciding whether or not to notify said user in dependence on said cause, and after said decision has been made, transmitting said notification to said user device of said user in dependence on said decision. Said method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. This software may be provided as a computer program product.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least one software code portion, the software code portion, when executed or processed by a computer, being configured to perform executable operations for transmitting a notification from a system to a user device, said system being configured to determine a state of a light source, said light source being comprised in a lighting system.

The executable operations comprise receiving user information, determining that a user is away from home based on said user information, receiving light information from said lighting system, said light information being indicative of said state of said light source, determining, based on said light information, that said light source is on while said user is away from home, if it has been determined that said light source is on while said user is away from home, determining what caused said light source to be turned on, after said cause has been determined, deciding whether or not to notify said user in dependence on said cause, and after said decision has been made, transmitting said notification to said user device of said user in dependence on said decision.

<FIG> shows a first embodiment of the system for transmitting a notification to a user device. The system is configured to determine a state (including at least on and off) of a light source which is comprised in a lighting system. In this first embodiment, the system is a bridge <NUM>. The bridge <NUM> may be a Philips Hue bridge, for example. In the example of <FIG>, a lighting system <NUM> comprises the bridge <NUM> and three light sources <NUM>-<NUM>, and the user device is a mobile device <NUM>. The lighting devices that comprise the light sources <NUM>-<NUM> communicate with the bridge <NUM>, e.g. using Zigbee technology. A lighting device may be powered while the light source is off. A light source may be an LED module, for example.

The bridge <NUM> is connected to a wireless LAN access point <NUM>, e.g. via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The wireless LAN access point <NUM> is connected to the Internet <NUM>. An Internet server <NUM> is also connected to the Internet <NUM>. The mobile device <NUM> is able to control the light sources <NUM>-<NUM> via the wireless LAN access point <NUM> and the bridge <NUM> when the user is at home (not shown in <FIG>). The mobile device <NUM> may be able to control the light sources <NUM>-<NUM> via Internet server <NUM> and the bridge <NUM> when the user is not at home. The mobile device <NUM> runs an app for controlling light sources <NUM>-<NUM>, for example.

The bridge <NUM> comprises a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and a memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is configured to receive user information via the receiver <NUM>, determine that a user is away from home based on the user information, and receive light information from the lighting system <NUM> via the receiver <NUM>. The user information may be received from the mobile device <NUM>, for example. The user information may comprise the GPS location of the user or may indicate an away status which has been set manually by the user. If the user information comprises the GPS location of the user, a GPS location of the home where the bridge <NUM> is located should also be known, e.g. configured in the bridge <NUM>, in order to determine whether the user is home or away from home. Alternatively, the user information may be received from a presence detection system. The light information is indicative of the state of one of the light sources <NUM>-<NUM> and may be received from the lighting device which comprises the light source.

The processor <NUM> is further configured to determine, based on the light information, that the light source is on while the user is away from home, and if it has been determined that the light source is on while the user is away from home, determine what caused the light source to be turned on. The processor <NUM> is further configured to, after the cause has been determined, decide whether or not to notify the user in dependence on the cause, and after the decision has been made, transmit, via the transmitter <NUM>, the notification to the mobile device <NUM> of the user in dependence on the decision. A user may be able to configure the period of the day in which he would like to be notified.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> is further configured to generate a report for the user on a regular basis and include in the report, in dependence on the cause, that the light source was on while the user was way from home. This report may be transmitted to the user device <NUM> and/or stored on the Internet server <NUM>, for example. For example, it the system decides that the light that is turned on while the user is away is not needed, but it is not urgent enough to take action immediately, the occurrence may be summarized in a report that is sent on an interval (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly), e.g. configured by the user.

Urgency is determined based on the cause, i.e. based on what caused the light source to be on. Urgency may be determined based on previous user feedback for occurrences with the same cause, e.g. by allowing a user to postpone taking action with a "not now" feedback option. Whether a light source being on while the user is away results in a notification, inclusion in a report or no action may depend on the amount of power consumption. Reports may be made by aggregating suggestions about power consumption. Patterns could be detected over time to improve the suggestions and summarize notifications into groups. The user may be able to set power consumption thresholds above which the user wants to be notified. The report may indicate how long the light source were turned on for and suggest a setting change. For example, if a presence sensor in an alley turns on the lights for <NUM> minutes, the report may propose setting this to a lower duration to save energy.

The processor <NUM> may be configured to switch to an "away-from-home" mode when the mobile device <NUM> is detected to be outside the home (e.g. using geofencing) or when the user manually switches to the "away-from-home" mode. The former is beneficial when the user is living by himself. Alternatively, smart door locks and/or presence sensors presence detection sensors may be used to detect whether someone is at home, i.e. whether the user and other persons living in the home are away from home. In the embodiment of <FIG>, only the user of the mobile device <NUM> receives a notification from the bridge <NUM>.

Preferably, the processor <NUM> is configured to determine that the user is away, i.e. that no one is at home, for a time period long enough to conclude that no more lighting is needed. Certain lights may automatically be turned off, e.g. when a presence sensor has not detected presence during a certain period. It may be possible to determine based on information received from this presence sensor what a proper timeout period would be before assuming that the lights are desired to be turned off. It is also possible to make the user configure this timeout period.

Smart home lighting systems can usually detect which lights are turned on and may even record when they were turned on. It would also be possible to obtain this information for a non-connected lighting system by installing light intensity measuring sensors. Another option to obtain this information would be to measure the power consumption of lights or even the whole home and comparing that to the average level when all lights are turned off.

In the embodiment of the bridge <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the bridge <NUM> comprises one processor <NUM>. In an alternative embodiment, the bridge <NUM> comprises multiple processors. The processor <NUM> of the bridge <NUM> may be a general-purpose processor, e.g. ARM-based, or an application-specific processor. The processor <NUM> of the bridge <NUM> may run a Unix-based operating system for example. The memory <NUM> may comprise one or more memory units. The memory <NUM> may comprise solid-state memory, for example. The memory <NUM> may be used to store a table of connected lights, for example.

The receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> may use one or more wired or wireless communication technologies, e.g. Ethernet for communicating with the wireless LAN access point <NUM> and Zigbee for communicating with the lighting devices, for example. In an alternative embodiment, multiple receivers and/or multiple transmitters are used instead of a single receiver and a single transmitter. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, a separate receiver and a separate transmitter are used. In an alternative embodiment, the receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> are combined into a transceiver. The bridge <NUM> may comprise other components typical for a network device such as a power connector. The invention may be implemented using a computer program running on one or more processors.

<FIG> shows a second embodiment of the system for transmitting a notification to a user device. The system is configured to determine a state of a light source which is comprised in a lighting system. In this first embodiment, the system is a computer <NUM>. The computer <NUM> is an Internet server connected to the Internet <NUM>. In the example of <FIG>, a lighting system <NUM> comprises a bridge <NUM> and the three light sources <NUM>-<NUM>, and the user device is the mobile device <NUM>. In the example of <FIG>, the lighting system <NUM> comprises a bridge. Alternatively, the lighting system <NUM> might not comprise a bridge.

The computer <NUM> comprises a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and storage means <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is configured to receive user information via the receiver <NUM>, determine that a user is away from home based on the user information, and receive light information from the lighting system <NUM> via the receiver <NUM>. The user information may be received from the mobile device <NUM>, for example. The user information may comprise the GPS location of the user or may indicate an away status which has been set manually by the user, for example. Alternatively, the user information may be received from a presence detection system. The light information is indicative of the state of one of the light sources <NUM>-<NUM> and may be received from the lighting device which comprises the light source or from the bridge <NUM>, for example.

The processor <NUM> is further configured to determine, based on the light information, that the light source is on while the user is away from home, and if it has been determined that the light source is on while the user is away from home, determine what caused the light source to be turned on. The processor <NUM> is further configured to, after the cause has been determined, decide whether or not to notify the user in dependence on the cause, and after the decision has been made, transmit, via the transmitter <NUM>, the notification to the mobile device <NUM> of the user in dependence on the decision.

In the embodiment of the computer <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the computer <NUM> comprises one processor <NUM>. In an alternative embodiment, the computer <NUM> comprises multiple processors. The processor <NUM> of the computer <NUM> may be a general-purpose processor, e.g. from Intel or AMD, or an application-specific processor. The processor <NUM> of the computer <NUM> may run a Windows or Unix-based operating system for example. The storage means <NUM> may comprise one or more memory units. The storage means <NUM> may comprise one or more hard disks and/or solid-state memory, for example. The storage means <NUM> may be used to store an operating system, applications and application data, for example.

The receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> may use one or more wired and/or wireless communication technologies such as Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi (IEEE <NUM>) to connect to the Internet <NUM>, for example. In an alternative embodiment, multiple receivers and/or multiple transmitters are used instead of a single receiver and a single transmitter. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, a separate receiver and a separate transmitter are used. In an alternative embodiment, the receiver <NUM> and the transmitter <NUM> are combined into a transceiver. The computer <NUM> may comprise other components typical for a computer such as a power connector. The invention may be implemented using a computer program running on one or more processors.

In the embodiments of <FIG>, the system of the invention comprises a bridge or a computer. In an alternative embodiment, the system of the invention is a different device. In the embodiments of <FIG>, the system of the invention comprises a single device. In an alternative embodiment, the system of the invention comprises a plurality of devices. Although the user device is a mobile device in the examples of <FIG>, other types of devices may be used as user device.

A first embodiment of the method of transmitting a notification from a system to a user device is shown in <FIG>. The system is configured to determine a state of a light source. The light source is comprised in a lighting system. A step <NUM> comprises receiving user information. A step <NUM> comprises determining that a user is away from home based on the user information. A step <NUM> comprises receiving light information from the lighting system. The light information is indicative of the state of the light source, e.g. on or off.

A step <NUM> is performed only after user information and light information has been received and is performed as soon as new user information or new light information has been received. Step <NUM> comprises determining, based on the light information received in step <NUM>, whether the light source is on while the user is away from home, as determined in step <NUM>. If it has been determined in step <NUM> that the light source is on while the user is away from home, a step <NUM> is performed. Step <NUM> comprises determining what caused the light source to be turned on. For example, step <NUM> may comprise detecting whether presence mimicking is active and for which lights. Else, steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time, after which step <NUM> is repeated.

After the cause has been determined in step <NUM>, a step <NUM> is performed. Step <NUM> comprises deciding whether or not to notify the user in dependence on the cause. After the decision has been made in step <NUM>, a next step is selected in dependence on the decision. If the decision was made to notify the user, a step <NUM> is performed. Step <NUM> comprises transmitting the notification to the user device of the user. If the decision was made not to notify the user, a step <NUM> is or may be performed, e.g. dependent on the cause determined in step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises logging that the light source was on while the user was way from home. This log entry is included in a report that is generated for the user on a regular basis (not shown in <FIG>). Step <NUM> is also performed after step <NUM>. After step <NUM>, steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time.

A second embodiment of the method of transmitting a notification from a system to a user device is shown in <FIG>. The system is configured to determine a state of a light source. The light source is comprised in a lighting system. Step <NUM> comprises receiving user information. Step <NUM> comprises determining that a user is away from home based on the user information. Step <NUM> comprises receiving light information from the lighting system. The light information is indicative of the state of the light source.

Step <NUM> comprises determining, based on the light information received in step <NUM>, whether the light source is on while the user is away from home, as determined in step <NUM>. If it has been determined in step <NUM> that the light source is on while the user is away from home, a step <NUM> is performed. Else, steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time, after which step <NUM> is repeated.

Step <NUM> comprises determining whether a setting or rule exists which automatically turns off the light source. For example, machine learning may be used to predict if the light source will be turned off soon and not bother the user in that situation. If there is a rule that will turn the light off soon, no action is needed. If the light was turned on by a sensor that is configured to turn on lights only temporarily (for example until there is no more presence detected for a certain amount of time), no action is needed. This helps prevent unnecessary suggestions / notifications. If it is determined in step <NUM> that such a setting or rule exists, steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time, after which step <NUM> is repeated. Else, step <NUM> is performed after step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises determining what caused the light source to be turned on.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, step <NUM> is implemented by steps <NUM>-<NUM>. Step <NUM> is performed after step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises determining a source of a control command to turn on the light source. This source may be a user device, a light switch or a presence sensor, for example. Smart lighting systems are usually able to provide an indication of what triggered a light to be controlled, either by tracing events that were triggered recently, or by storing an information property in the light control system itself that represents how the light source was turned on and/or by which device or user. It may be possible to determine the source of the control command from this information.

For example, an identifier of the API used to control the lights via the bridge (or other controller), the IP or MAC source address of the command message, the port to which commands are sent, or the device name, may be used to determine the source of the command. Furthermore, default behavior of such a source may be determined (e.g. it may be downloadable predefined behavior or it may be learned behavior based on how the source operates when a user is at home - where the user may be able to correct the behavior if it is out of line).

Step <NUM> may comprise an optional step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises determining a name associated with an action of turning on the light source. When a user first connects to the smart lighting system, he authenticates for example with a username that is entered or generated for the user. When a user connects a system like IFTT to the smart lighting system, a different username is created than the one user for direct control. When a different app is used for something like presence mimicking, another username is created. These usernames are used with every action to the lighting system and can be traced to the control source. In this way, it is possible to detect what caused the lights to be turned on.

Other control sources like sensors, scheduled events or physical switches or remotes are often also linked to a username. If this is not the case, it is possible to trace the control source by looking at the rules in the smart lighting system. The rules may contain a last triggered time which can be used to find a causation. It may also be possible to find this information in an event log. Rules describe the conditions for triggering (e.g. time-based or sensor-based) and the control action that will be sent to a specific light. If that control action contains a turn on for one of the lights that is turned on and the control source is considered desired when out of home, it can be discarded.

Step <NUM> may alternatively or additional comprise an optional step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises determining an event that caused the light source to turn on automatically. This event may be detection of motion or activation of a routine at a preset time, for example. For instance, a smart lighting system may be able to trace events that were triggered recently. These events may be stored in a log.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, step <NUM> is performed after steps <NUM>, <NUM> and/or <NUM> have been performed. In an alternative embodiment, step <NUM> may be performed before or in parallel with one or more of these steps (or steps <NUM>-<NUM> may be omitted). Step <NUM> comprises determining whether user control or automatic control caused the light source to be turned on. User control may comprise interaction with a user device or a light switch, for example. Automatic control may comprise control based on sensor data and/or time-based control, for example. If it is determined in step <NUM> that automatic control caused the light source to be turned on, step <NUM> is performed. Else, step <NUM> is performed.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the cause determined in step <NUM> indicates whether user control or automatic control caused the light source to be turned on, and if determinable, a name associated with an action of turning on the light source, an event that caused light source to turn on, and/or a source of a control command to turn on the light source.

Step <NUM> comprises determining a frequency with which the light source is being turned on and off and/or a quantity of turned-on light sources. Step <NUM> is performed after step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises deciding whether or not to notify the user in dependence on the cause determined in step <NUM>. In the embodiment of <FIG>, step <NUM> is implemented by a step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises deciding whether or not to notify the user in dependence on the cause and based on the frequency and/or the quantity determined in step <NUM>.

For example, if relatively many light sources are on, this may indicate that a power outage has occurred. A high frequency of on/off switching may indicate that a sensor has been setup to sensitive. For example, every time the tree near the front door moves due to wind, a motion sensor may be triggered. A light source switching on and off with a high frequency may be annoying and/or consume a relatively large amount of power and therefore require urgent attention. A user may configure a sensor setting during the evening and when he is away during the next day be notified that he may have configured the sensor incorrectly.

After the decision has been made in step <NUM>, a next step is selected in dependence on the decision. If the decision was made to notify the user, a step <NUM> is performed. Step <NUM> comprises transmitting the notification to the user device of the user. If the decision was made not to notify the user, a step <NUM> is or may be performed, e.g. dependent on the cause determined in step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises logging that the light source was on while the user was way from home. Step <NUM> is also performed after step <NUM>. After step <NUM>, steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time.

A third embodiment of the method of transmitting a notification from a system to a user device is shown in <FIG>. The system is configured to determine a state of a light source. The light source is comprised in a lighting system. Step <NUM> comprises receiving user information. Step <NUM> comprises determining that a user is away from home based on the user information. Step <NUM> comprises receiving light information from the lighting system. The light information is indicative of the state of the light source, e.g. on or off. In the embodiment of <FIG>, user information and light information are received on a regular basis and are received even if the user information and/or light information have not changed.

A step <NUM> is performed after step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises determining whether the light source is located in a predefined spatial location. For example, the light source might be needed for security or easy entrance at night. For instance, if the light source is placed in a room with the name or type "Porch" or "Entrance", the assumption may be made that it is desired to be on even when not at home. These locations may be defined by the manufacturer of the system or by a user, for example.

If the light source is in a predefined location, e.g. in one of these one or more user-configured special locations, no notification needs to be transmitted and steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time, after which step <NUM> may be repeated. If it is determined in step <NUM> that the light source is not in a predefined spatial location, step <NUM> is performed next. In an alternative embodiment, step <NUM> is also performed if the light source is in a predefined spatial location and the current time of day falls outside a certain time period and/or the amount of available light outside exceeds a certain threshold.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, step <NUM> is implemented by a step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises determining, based on the light information received in step <NUM>, whether the light source is on while the user is away from home, as determined in step <NUM>, and a time-out period has elapsed. If it has been determined in step <NUM> that the light source is on while the user is away from home and the time-out period has elapsed, step <NUM> is performed. Steps <NUM>-<NUM> are performed as described in relation to <FIG>. Else, steps <NUM>-<NUM> are repeated, after which step <NUM> may be repeated.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, if a light source located in a predefined spatial location (as determined in step <NUM>) was on while the user was way from home, not only is no notification transmitted, but this occurrence is not included in a report either. In an alternative embodiment, no notification is transmitted in this case, but this occurrence is or may still be included in a report.

A fourth embodiment of the method of transmitting a notification from a system to a user device is shown in <FIG>. The system is configured to determine a state of a light source. The light source is comprised in a lighting system. Step <NUM> comprises receiving user information. Step <NUM> comprises determining that a user is away from home based on the user information. Step <NUM> is performed after step <NUM>.

A step <NUM> comprises receiving user input. The user input is indicative of one or more causes and/or indicative of one or more light sources. Next, a step <NUM> comprises associating the one or more causes with an instruction to notify the user or with an instruction not to notify the user when one of the one or more causes caused a light source to be turned on and/or associating the one or more light sources with an instruction not to notify the user when a light source of the one or more light sources is on while the user is away from home.

This user input may be provided by the user be in response to an earlier notification. For example, a user may have the option to not be notified about events for a certain light or cause anymore. Steps <NUM> and <NUM> may be performed (partly or fully) in parallel with steps <NUM> and <NUM> and steps <NUM> and <NUM>. Steps <NUM> and <NUM> may be performed multiple times.

Step <NUM> comprises receiving light information from the lighting system. The light information is indicative of the state of the light source, e.g. on or off. Step <NUM> is performed after step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises determining whether the light source is one of the one or more light sources indicated by the user in step <NUM>. If so, no notification needs to be transmitted and steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time, after which step <NUM> is repeated. Else, step <NUM> is performed next. Steps <NUM> is somewhat similar to step <NUM> of <FIG>, except that a list of predefined lights is used instead of a list of predefined spatial locations. A list of predefined lights is normally more difficult for a manufacturer to configure than a list of predefined spatial locations, if not impossible.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, if this (user-specified) light source was on while the user was way from home, not only is no notification transmitted, but this occurrence is not included in a report either. In an alternative embodiment, no notification is transmitted in this case, but this occurrence is or may still be included in a report.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, step <NUM> is performed only after user information and light information has been received and is performed as soon as new user information or new light information has been received. Step <NUM> comprises determining, based on the light information received in step <NUM>, whether the light source is on while the user is away from home, as determined in step <NUM>. If it has been determined in step <NUM> that the light source is on while the user is away from home, step <NUM> is performed. Step <NUM> comprises determining what caused the light source to be turned on. Else, steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time, after which step <NUM> is repeated.

After the cause has been determined in step <NUM>, step <NUM> is performed. Step <NUM> comprises deciding whether or not to notify the user in dependence on the cause. In the embodiment of <FIG>, step <NUM> is implemented by a step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises deciding not to notify the user when the cause determined in step <NUM> is a one of the causes for which the user has requested in step <NUM> not to transmit a notification, or to notify the user when the cause determined in step <NUM> is one of the causes for which the user has requested in step <NUM> to transmit a notification.

After the decision has been made in step <NUM>, a next step is selected in dependence on the decision. If the decision was made to notify the user, step <NUM> is performed. Step <NUM> comprises transmitting the notification to the user device of the user. If the decision was made not to notify the user, step <NUM> is or may be performed, e.g. dependent on the cause determined in step <NUM>. Step <NUM> comprises logging that the light source was on while the user was way from home. Step <NUM> is also performed after step <NUM>. After step <NUM>, steps <NUM>-<NUM> and/or step <NUM> are repeated at a later time.

The embodiments of <FIG> differ from each other in multiple aspects, i.e. multiple steps have been added or replaced. In variations on these embodiments, only a subset of these steps is added or replaced and/or one or more steps is omitted. For example, step <NUM> of <FIG> may be omitted from the embodiment of <FIG> and/or added to the embodiments of <FIG>, <FIG> and/or <NUM>. Multiple, e.g. all, of the embodiments of <FIG> may be combined.

<FIG> shows an example of a notification <NUM> shown on a display <NUM> of a user device <NUM>, e.g. a mobile device. The notification <NUM> informs the user which lamp is still on while he is away (and no one else is at home). In this example, the lamp named "kitchen" (located in the kitchen) is still on. The notification <NUM> includes an option/button <NUM> to turn off the lamp. Upon receiving an affirmative response from the user device, the system that has transmitted the notification <NUM>, e.g. to an app that displays the notification <NUM>, controls the light source to turn off the light source, e.g. by transmitting a command to the lighting device that comprises the light source.

In the example of <FIG>, the notification <NUM> also comprises an option/button <NUM> to change the routine, i.e. to adjust a setting or rule, which caused the light source to turn on. The setting or rule may be adjusted with the app that displays the notification <NUM>, for example. Upon receiving an affirmative response from the user device, the system adjusts the setting or rule.

<FIG> depicts a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system that may perform the method as described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> shows the input device <NUM> and the output device <NUM> as being separate from the network adapter <NUM>. However, additionally or alternatively, input may be received via the network adapter <NUM> and output be transmitted via the network adapter <NUM>. For example, the data processing system <NUM> may be a cloud server. In this case, the input may be received from and the output may be transmitted to a user device that acts as a terminal.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the implementations in the form disclosed.

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>,<NUM>) for transmitting a notification to a user device (<NUM>), said system (<NUM>,<NUM>) being configured to determine a state of a light source (<NUM>-<NUM>), said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>) being comprised in a smart lighting system (<NUM>,<NUM>), said system (<NUM>,<NUM>) comprising:
at least one input interface (<NUM>,<NUM>);
at least one output interface (<NUM>,<NUM>); and
at least one processor (<NUM>,<NUM>) configured to:
- receive user information via said at least one input interface (<NUM>,<NUM>),
- determine that a user is away from home based on said user information,
- receive light information from said lighting system (<NUM>,<NUM>) via said at least one input interface (<NUM>,<NUM>), said light information being indicative of said state of said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>),
characterised in that said at least one processor is further configured to:
- determine, based on said light information, that said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>) is on while said user is away from home,
- if it has been determined that said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>) is on while said user is away from home, determine what caused said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>) to be turned on, by determining based on an indication provided by the smart lighting system, a source of a control command to turn on the light source,
- after said cause has been determined, decide whether or not to notify said user in dependence on said cause, and
- after said decision has been made, transmit, via said at least one output interface (<NUM>,<NUM>), said notification to said user device (<NUM>) of said user in dependence on said decision;
wherein said at least one processor (<NUM>,<NUM>) is configured to determine what caused said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>) to be turned on by:
- determining whether user control or automatic control caused said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>) to be turned on, or
- determining a name associated with an action of turning on said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>), an event that caused light source (<NUM>-<NUM>) to turn on, and/or a source of a control command to turn on said light source (<NUM>-<NUM>).