EP2116107A1

EP2116107A1 - Controllable lighting system, pointing device therefore and method of lighting control

Info

Publication number: EP2116107A1
Application number: EP08702520A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nebojsa Fisekovic
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 2007-02-01
Filing date: 2008-01-25
Publication date: 2009-11-11
Also published as: JP2010518553A; WO2008093266A1; JP5112452B2; CN101627663A

Abstract

The invention relates to a controllable lighting system, witha controlunit (10) to controla light source (13-1, 13-2) for lighting a space, which light source is controllable by the controlunit (10), a pointing device (1) emitting a beam (2) of light to form a visual pointer (3) ata position in said space, and a position detector to determine the position of the pointer (3). The pointing device (1) is arranged to vary the emitted beam (2) of light as a function of said position in space to indicate whether controlling the lighting ofthe space at the determined position is possible. In this way, a lighting system which is controllable in a more naturaland more reliable way is obtained, since the user can see the pointer and see what is possible in lighting control. The invention also provides a method of controlling the lighting system and a pointing device.

Description

Controllable lighting system, pointing device therefore and method of lighting control

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a system according to the preamble of claim 1.

The invention also relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 7, and to a pointing device for use in the system or method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Document WO2006/111930 discloses an illumination control for controlling a lighting system. The lighting system comprises a controller, a sensing device and lighting units that comprise a light source and a modulated light source. The sensing device senses modulated lighting patterns. The controller controls the light sources in dependence on the measured modulations. Such an illumination control allows to move the sensing device through a space to be lit by the light sources and change the lighting at that position by controlling the light sources illuminating that position, directly or indirectly. A disadvantage of the known system is that it is not always very user- friendly. In particular, it may be cumbersome, for example in a dangerous environment, that the user, or at least the sensing device, has to be present in the space. Also, people such as art directors, photographers et cetera, may want to have an overall view of a scene or area, while the known system requires them to be present in the scene or area, which means that they have to go back and forth.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system of the kind mentioned above, that is more user- friendly, in particular by no longer having to be at the required position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above object of the invention is achieved with a system according to claim 1 , in particular a controllable lighting system, comprising a control unit, arranged to receive control commands and to control at least one light source in a space, at least one light source for lighting the space, which at least one light source is controllable by the control unit, a pointing device, which is arranged to emit a beam of light to form a visual pointer that is perceivable at a position in said space, and a position detector arranged to determine said position, wherein the pointing device is arranged to vary the emitted beam of light as a function of said position in space to indicate whether controlling the lighting of the space at the determined position is possible.

With the system according to the invention, it is possible to check a required position from a remote user's position. In principle, a user can check various positions in the space or area without having to change his own position. For example, if the pointer is moved from a position in which lighting may be controlled in any aspect thereof to a position in which the lighting is not controllable at all, the pointing device may change the emitted pointer. On the basis of such a change, a user may obtain an impression about the possibilities for lighting an area or object, and may take appropriate action, such as actually changing the lighting. A general advantage is the visual feedback to the user about whether lighting control is possible at a certain position, which is more intuitive and easier for the user. And although it is possible to provide such feedback on the pointing device itself, it is easier for the user if this feedback is given in the pointer itself, because he then need not look back and forth between where he is pointing and the pointing device. It is noted that a somewhat similar idea is used when highlighting a link on a web page, by changing a mouse cursor, e.g. from an arrow to a hand. However, even when a remote pointing device would be used, it is not the pointer that is changed, but only a part of the display, possibly based on the determined position for the pointer. It is clear that such a system is completely limited to a display. In contrast, the present invention is independent of such a display, and may be used both in a two-dimensional space, and particularly in a three-dimensional space. The above object is also achieved with the method of claim 7, in particular a method of controlling a controllable lighting system, which system comprises a control unit, arranged to receive control commands and to control at least one light source in a space, at least one light source for lighting the space, which at least one light source is controllable by the control unit, a pointing device, which is arranged to emit a beam of light to form a visual pointer that is perceivable at a position in said space, and a position detector arranged to determine said position, the method comprising pointing the pointer to a desired position in the space, determining said position by the position detector, varying the emitted beam of light to indicate whether controlling the lighting of the space at the determined position by at least one light source is possible. Furthermore, the invention also provides a pointing device, according to claim 10, which may be used in the system and/or method of the present invention.

Embodiments of the various aspects of the present invention are mentioned in the respective dependent claims, and in the description below. In particular, the pointing device is arranged to vary the emitted beam of light as a function of said position in space to indicate a type of controlling the lighting of the space at the determined position. This offers more knowledge about the controllability of the lighting at the desired position. For example, if the pointer is moved from a position in which a spotlight may be positioned to a position in which this is not the case, the pointing device may change the emitted pointer. Thus, the user may take appropriate action, such as limiting the positions in which a soloist may be located, et cetera.

In particular, the type of controlling comprises intensity and/or color of the lighting. As mentioned above, a spotlight is an example of an intensity changing light source, in particular if the spotlight is moveable. Furthermore, a light source could be dimmable, or at least be turned on or off for changing the intensity. Moreover, some light sources change color (temperature) when being dimmed, or e.g. comprise adjustable color filters. It may be important to know if a color of the lighting may be controlled, and this may also be indicated by the pointer.

In embodiments, the pointing device is arranged to vary a color, intensity, shape and/or time-dependent variation of the emitted beam. Such possibilities to vary, either taken separately or in combination, offer a useful toolbox for indicating what kind of controllability is available at the desired position. For example, if no control at all is possible, a bright, red, blinking cross could be emitted. If brightness control is possible, the pointer could be changed to a green dot, e.g. with a diameter that is an indication for the relative brightness variation that is achievable. It will be obvious that many variations will come to the skilled person's mind within the scope of the present invention.

Note that there are at least two basic ways of pointing and getting feedback on controllability of the lighting. The first is the one used in the explanation above, which is to point at a desired spatial position, to see if the lighting of that position is controllable, and if possible in what way. A second basic way is to point at a light source, to see if that light source itself is controllable, and if possible in what way. Both will be elucidated further hereinbelow.

In particular, the control unit is arranged to select a light source of the at least one light source, for indicating whether controlling of the lighting at the desired position by the selected light source is possible, and advantageously the type of control. This may be advantageous if a particular light source is to be checked, since in such a case the controllability of other light sources is irrelevant, and would only distract the user. An example could be the above mentioned spotlight. To better understand the systems of the invention, some general background is given here. When pointing the pointer at a specific position, in space or on a light source, the position detector will determine that position, in ways to be explained below. This position is communicated to the control unit. The control unit then compares this determined position with known positions, such as a look-up table of positions, and reads the corresponding controllability data. On the basis of these data, the control unit controls the pointing device to emit a certain type of light beam, for a certain type of pointer. In the systems of the invention, it is to be understood that the parts such as "control unit", "position detector" and "pointing device" need not be strictly separate parts. Rather, in some cases one or more parts could be constructed to be distributed parts, i.e. parts that are present in two or more physically separate items of the system.

In a particular example, the pointing device comprises the position detector, as will be further explained below. A simple system with direct coupling between pointer and position detector is the result. Note that in such a case, the view of the position detector cannot be impeded, since it follows basically the same path as the pointer itself. In such a case, it could further be possible to include at least a part of the control unit in the pointing device, for example the part with the look-up table and further data. Furthermore, the position detector could also be partly built into the control unit. What matters is that the parts mentioned in the systems according to the invention should be constructed as functions of the total system, not necessarily as separate physical items, although this may be the case in some embodiments.

As mentioned above, the position as determined by the position detector is communicated to the control unit (or the corresponding part of the system). Subsequently, the control command to control the pointer is communicated to the pointing device (or, again, the relevant part of the system). It is to be understood that the corresponding communication means, such as transmitters, receivers and the like, are provided in the system, be it RF, IR, visual transmitters, et cetera.

In embodiments, the position detector comprises at least one camera and a camera signal processing means. Such a position detector suffices in various circumstances, such as a two-dimensional lighting space, or substantially two-dimensional space, for example a scene to be looked at from a single point of view. Simple graphical processing would suffice to determine the position of the pointer, and details of such a system are deemed sufficiently known to the skilled person. Also, in the case where the system is used for pointing at light sources to check controllability, this single camera system may suffice. For example, if a visually readable and processable code is provided on the controllable light source(s), this code may be read or viewed by the camera, and processed accordingly. A well-known example of such a code is the barcode. Each controllable light source may be provided with such a barcode, that could contain information on color, brightness and variations thereof, and so on. Pointing at the barcode suffices to retrieve all required information, which may be visualized by the pointer. This simplifies e.g. the task of a person responsible for lighting of a scene or area, because he no longer has to memorize all lamps and their functionalities. Note that the above one-camera system is an example of a position detector that could be built into the pointing device. Furthermore, it is then possible to build in only the camera that transmits its image to some image processor. Another example of a one-camera position detector is one in which objects in the camera image are recognized. For example, if a light source is recognized, or particular parts in a scene, the position of the pointer may also be inferred. Yet another example is based on dead-reckoning, starting from the absolute position of the pointing device, the direction in which it emits the beam of light, and the time-of- flight of the beam. Other types of position detectors are not excluded. In particular, position detectors having more than one camera are useful, in that they are able to determine spatial positions from their camera images.

There are various ways of determining data on controllability in the space to be lit. First of all, the space may be sampled as to controllability, and its aspects, and the sampling data may be stored in a look-up table for later reference. It is also possible to calculate these data on the basis of the properties of light sources, such as intensity and color. Advantageously, properties of one or more objects in the space to be lit are also taken into account in the calculations, for example to account for reflections or screening or shadows.

Advantageously, the pointing device is arranged as a remote control device for transmitting control commands to the control unit. In such a case, it is possible to control light sources et cetera with the pointing device itself. Such a combination of functionality allows a more compact design, and ensures less error and easier operation of the system as a whole. In such a case, the pointing device annex remote control will have two-way communication with the control unit. However, other configurations are not excluded. For example, it is also possible to provide a separate remote control, such as a general remote control that also serves other purposes, such as a TV remote control or the like. Also, it is possible to provide e.g. speech control, which does not require physical contact by the user to some control device.

The invention also provides a method of controlling a controllable lighting system, which system comprises a control unit, arranged to receive control commands and to control at least one light source in a space, at least one light source for lighting the space, which at least one light source is controllable by the control unit, a pointing device, which is arranged to emit a beam of light to form a visual pointer that is perceivable at a position in said space, and a position detector arranged to determine said position, the method comprising pointing the pointer to a desired position in the space, determining said position by the position detector, varying the emitted beam of light to indicate whether controlling the lighting of the space at the determined position by at least one light source is possible. This is a method counterpart of the system of the invention. Its advantages over the prior art are generally the same and need not be repeated here. In an embodiment of the method, varying the emitted beam comprises varying a color, intensity, shape and/or time-dependent variation thereof. Such are important and easily controlled parameters of lighting.

In embodiments, the method further comprises the step of selecting a light source for which to determine whether controlling the lighting of the space at the determined position by said selected light source is possible. This allows a better, tighter control over specific aspects of lighting.

The invention further provides a pointing device for use in the controllable lighting system, the method, respectively, according to the invention, comprising a light beam source for emitting a beam of light, a beam varying means for varying a color, intensity, shape and/or time-dependent variation of the emitted beam in response to a position-dependent control signal. Herein, it is to be noted that this control signal is not a user-defined control signal (which would mean then that the pointing device is no more than a remote control), but a control signal that is determined by an independent control unit, based on the position of the beam, i.e. the pointer. Various advantageous features for this aspect of the invention correspond to those as mentioned in the description of the system of the invention, and are deemed inserted here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the system of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment with details about the position detector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES Fig. 1 very diagrammatically shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the system of the invention.

Herein, 1 is a pointing device, that could also be in accordance with the present invention, that emits a beam 2 that forms a pointer 3, while 4 indicates a receiving antenna. 10 denotes a control unit, with a transmitting antenna part 11 emitting a control signal 12.

Two light sources 13-1 and 13-2 emit light beams 14-1 and 14-2, respectively, that form patches of light 15-1, and 15-2, respectively. These patches overlap in overlap area 16, while in unlit area 17 no patch is present. In the present system, the pointer 3 of the pointing device 1 can have various shapes, as indicated in Fig.1 by triangles, squares, circles and crosses. Herein, the triangle indicates that the pointer is in an area that is illuminated by light source 13-1 alone, the circle indicates that the pointer is in an area illuminated by light source 13-2 alone, and the square indicates that the pointer is in an area that is illuminated by both light sources. The cross indicates that the pointer is outside the illuminated areas or patches. Hence, the user may receive information about the illumination of the position of the pointer.

Various additional functionalities are possible. For example, the pointer may blink outside areas of illumination, such as within area 17, to further indicate to the user that he is outside the controllable area. The pointer may also blink, or show some other feature, if the pointer is within an illuminated area but the illumination is beyond control by the control unit 10. This could be the case if the relevant light source is not controllable by said control unit 10. Also, the pointer could change color, to indicate the light source(s) that could be controlled for illuminating the instant position, or indicate other aspects of controllability, such as time dependence or color of the lighting. The control unit 10 receives position information from a position detector that is not shown here. On the basis thereof, the control unit determines whether the pointer 3 is positioned within an area of controllable lighting, and possibly the type of controllability. The control unit attributes a corresponding feature to the pointer 3, by emitting a control signal 12 to that end, via its transmitting antenna 11, to be received by the pointing device.

The receiving antenna 4 receives the signal 12 from the control unit 10 via its receiving antenna 4. The pointing device 1 then processes the received signal and adapts, if necessary, its beam 2 such that the desired pointer 3 is formed.

When the pointer 3 is moved through the space by the user, the visible features of the pointer 3 will be changed according to the controllability of the lighting at the momentary position of the pointer. In this way, the user achieves good visual feedback on how he could influence said lighting.

Note that, although two light sources are shown, it could also be possible to provide a single light source, or three or more light sources. Even with a single light source, the controllability may relate to various visible features, such as intensity, color, direction, beam width and so on. All these could be included in the visible feedback of the pointer 3. That pointer could comprise more than a single pointer part. In other words, the pointer 3 could be complex, to be able to include sufficient information. For example, the pointer 3 could show the number of light sources illuminating the present position by showing a corresponding number of subpointers, or maybe even as a visual numeral.

The control unit 10 could receive control commands for controlling the light sources 13-1, 13-2 through a separate remote control (not) shown, via speech control or the like, or via the pointing device 1 itself. In the latter case, the pointing device 1 comprises appropriate keys or controls, and also some coupling to the control unit 10. For example, and advantageously, the pointing device 10 comprises a transceiver antenna, as does the control unit 10. Such, the control unit 10 and the pointing device 1 may exchange information and/or control commands via wireless communication, although other forms, such as wired communication could also be possible.

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment with details about the position detector of the present system.

Herein, the system comprises a pointing device 1 and a control unit 10 as before, and furthermore three cameras 20-1, 20-2 and 20-3.

The three cameras serve to determine the position of the pointer 3 by any known method or means, such as image recognition and processing software, by triangulation and so on. Thereto, images from the cameras 20-1, 20-2 and 20-3 are sent to the control unit 10, or possibly some separate processing unit, by means of transmitters or wires or the like. In the control unit 10, the images are processed in order to determine the position of the pointer 3. Herein, use could be made of reference markers in the space to be probed, and so on.

Alternatively, the pointing device 1 could comprise its own position detector, e.g. in the form of a built-in camera that images the pointer 3 in a surrounding area and compares this to known areas the features of which are stored in the pointing device 1. Similar image processing software could be used for this purpose. Also, the pointing device could comprise e.g. a GPS or other position determining device, as well as a means for determining the position of the pointer 3 with respect to the pointing device 1. To this end, the pointing device could comprise a gyroscope or the like, in order to determine an absolute direction of the emitted beam 2. Furthermore, a travel time detector could be used to determine the return-"time of flight" for the pointer, to calculate the absolute distance of the pointer 3 to the pointing device 1. By combining this information, a position determination of the pointer could also be possible.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A controllable lighting system, comprising a control unit (10), arranged to receive control commands and to control at least one light source (13-1, 13-2) in a space, at least one light source (13-1, 13-2) for lighting the space, which at least one light source (13-

1, 13-2) is controllable by the control unit (10), a pointing device (1), which is arranged to emit a beam (2) of light to form a visual pointer (3) that is perceivable at a position in said space, and a position detector (20-1, 20-2, 20-3) arranged to determine said position, wherein the pointing device (1) is arranged to vary the emitted beam (2) of light as a function of said position in space to indicate whether controlling the lighting of the space at the determined position is possible.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit (10) is arranged to select a light source (13-1, 13-2) of the at least one light source (13-1, 13-2), for indicating whether controlling of the lighting at the desired position by the selected light source (13-1, 13-2) is possible.

3. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pointing device (1) is arranged to vary a color, intensity, shape and/or time-dependent variation of the emitted beam (2).

4. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pointing device

(1) comprises the position detector (20-1, 20-2, 20-3).

5. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the position detector (20-1, 20-2, 20-3) comprises at least one camera (20-1, 20-2, 20-3) and a camera signal processing means.

6. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pointing device (1) is arranged as a remote control device for transmitting control commands to the control unit (10).

7. A method of controlling a controllable lighting system, which system comprises a control unit (10), arranged to receive control commands and to control at least one light source (13-1, 13-2) in a space, at least one light source (13-1, 13-2) for lighting the space, which at least one light source (13-1, 13-2) is controllable by the control unit (10), a pointing device (1), which is arranged to emit a beam (2) of light to form a visual pointer (3) that is perceivable at a position in said space, and a position detector (20-1, 20-2, 20-3) arranged to determine said position, the method comprising: pointing the pointer (3) to a desired position in the space; - determining said position by the position detector (20-1, 20-2, 20-3); varying the emitted beam (2) of light to indicate whether controlling the lighting of the space at the determined position by the at least one light source (13-1, 13-2) is possible.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein varying the emitted beam (2) comprises varying a color, intensity, shape and/or time-dependent variation thereof.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, further comprising the step of selecting a light source (13-1, 13-2) for which to determine whether controlling the lighting of the space at the determined position by said selected light source (13-1, 13-2) is possible.

10. A pointing device (1) for use in the controllable lighting system, the method, respectively, of any preceding claim, comprising a light beam source for emitting a beam (2) of light, a beam varying means for varying a color, intensity, shape and/or time-dependent variation of the emitted beam (2) in response to a position-dependent control signal.