ITSI20110001A1 - SYSTEM OF ENVIRONMENTAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES WITH FUNCTIONALITY OF INTERACTIVE AND MULTIMEDIA LAMPS. - Google Patents

Description

TITLE "System of environmental electronic devices with interactive and multimedia lamp functionality"

Description

State of the art

The scope of the invention is that of ambient electronic devices, a category of electronic devices that are not yet widespread, able to integrate into the environment and allow user interaction that apparently does not require a cognitive process such as it can be in the case of a personal computer or a traditional computerized information kiosk.

An example is the Nabaztag product, a talking rabbit based on an internet service that allows you to manage and customize content such as news feeds, news, e-mails, messages, weather, mp3, music, podcasts.

Another example is Chumby, a small monitor that allows you to keep up to date on the weather, on the latest news of the day, on the trend of the stock exchange or to have your e-mails, your Facebook or eBay accounts under control.

In both cases the input mode provided by the device is touch type. Finally, Wl-Wave (Rizzo A., & Rubegni E ,, Grònval E., Caporali M, Alessandrini A,, 2009, The Net in the Park - Knowiedge, Technology and PolJcy. You: 22, pp.: 51-59 ) is the concept of a totem designed for a public park that provides for an interaction based on gestural patterns.

Description of the invention

Object of the present invention are particular environmental electronic devices, consisting of lamps with multimedia functions, and their control system.

The multimedia and interactive lamps integrate a wireless connection for Internet access and the use of Web content (podcasts, Webradio, information, events, etc.) or from an external device (iPod, iPhone, smartphone, etc.). These contents can be customized according to the context in which the device is located and the user's needs. For this purpose, the system includes a back-end online service (103) that allows you to manage and customize the contents in a simple way both by the user himself and by an editorial staff that performs the ad hoc service.

The lamps are characterized by a refined design whose aesthetic value is accentuated by the light, based on high-brightness RGB LEDs, used both for ambient lighting and as a form of communication and user involvement.

The control of the devices can take place in various ways:

1. touch: by means of special tactile sensors integrated into the surface of the device;

2. touch-less: interaction based on voice control and user gestures, through the use of proximity sensors the device is able to detect the user's approach and interpret certain gestural patterns for content control;

3. remote: remote control using a specific application for smartphones.

The hardware architecture of the system consists of the following elements:

1. Interactive, multimedia lamps (100).

2. Server (101): for the management of the multimedia contents to be delivered through the lamps and of the remote control functions, respectively through the Control Hub (102) and Content Management System (101) modules. Reachable via the internet, at a public IP address.

3. Commercial smartphone devices or a dedicated handheid PC, equipped with a specific software module (104), for remote control of environmental devices. This device connects to the Server by accessing the Internet via a wireless connection (eg WiFi, UMT5, etc.).

The software architecture fig. 3) includes the following modules:

1. Player (301): located in the lamps and has as its main tasks the reproduction of multi-media contents and the interaction with the server.

2. Control Hub (302): for managing remote control functions.

The Player modules are connected to the control hubs, using the XMPP protocol, to receive remote control commands.

3. Content Management System (CMS) (3D3): for the management of multimedia contents. Yes, it is a web application that allows the administration of multimedia contents intended for lamps, through access via browser,

4. Remote control (306): this module allows remote control of the lamps (eg audio resource selection, play, stop, volume control, light intensity, etc.). It is made in two versions (1) web application and (2) native application for specific platform (eg, Iphone, Android, etc.).

Environmental devices

The devices that are the object of this system are interactive artifacts capable of reproducing audio / video content available from a local memory or from the web, such as streaming audio / video, podcasts, news, etc. These contents can be customized according to the context in which the device is located. For this purpose, the system includes a back-end Online service (Content Management System) that allows you to easily manage and organize the contents of individual or groups of devices.

The devices perform the function of a lamp by means of a lighting system based on LEO RGB, which is also used as a form of communication and user involvement.

Each device consists of the following elements:

- Structure

o Outer casing (400); cylindrical structure in plexiglass of 200 cm in height and 20 cm in diameter.

o Metal base with 180 cm high central rod (401) for anchoring the device hardware.

- Hardware components

o Embedded single board computer (405): dedicated to high-level functions, Implemented in the Player software module, o Controller (404): dedicated to low-level functions (sensor control, lights, echo.)

o RGB LED strip (402)

o Input / Output audio System (406): with audio speakers and directional microphone

o DLP projector (407)

o Touch sensors (403)

o Proximity sensors (403)

Check

As already mentioned, the system provides three ways of controlling interactive artifacts:

1. touch: by means of special tactile sensors integrated into the surface;

2. touch -less: interaction based on voice control and user gestures, through the use of proximity sensors capable of detecting the user's approach and interpreting certain gestural patterns for content control;

3. remote: remote control using a specific application for smartphones.

Remote control

The main way to control interactive artifacts is through dedicated smartphone or handheld PC devices.

This control mode is divided into two phases: identification ("Discovery") and control ("Control").

Claims (4)

TITLE "System of environmental electronic devices with interactive and multimedia lamp functionality", Claims 1. A system of environmental electronic devices, consisting of lamps with multimedia functions, and their control system, comprising: to. interactive artifacts with lamp and multimedia functionality (100); b. a server (101) for managing multimedia contents! of the lamps and the remote control functions, respectively by means of the Control Hub (102) and Content Management System (103) modules. c. a Client; a smartphone device or a dedicated handheid PC equipped with a special software module (104) for remote control of the lamps. 2. The system referred to in claim 1, in which the interactive artifact is able to generate lighting effects and reproduce audio / video contents {eg. podcasts, video streaming, news, etc.) available from a local memory or from the web. This content can be customized according to the context ne! which artifact is found. For this purpose, the system includes a back-end Online service (Content Management System) (104) which allows you to manage and organize the contents of single or groups of devices in a simple way. The artifacts perform the function of a lamp by means of a lighting system based on LEO RGB, which is also used as a form of communication and user involvement. 3. An ambient electronic device control system, which provides three operating modes: the. remote: remote control using a specific application for smartphones. ii. touch: by means of tactile sensors integrated into the surface of the lamp; ili. touch-less: interaction based on voice control and user gestures. The latter, through the use of proximity sensors that allow the device to detect the user's approach and interpret certain gestural patterns for content control. 4. A remote control system for digital devices, referred to in claim 3, including: to. a software module (web app or native app) (306) for smartphones, with the user interface for remote control of interactive artifacts. b. A Web server for managing the remote control functions (304), by means of a software module capable of communicating with the device to be controlled by means of a COMET type protocol. to. A software module (301), on the electronic device to be controlled, which has the task of intercepting the commands coming from the server and sending feedback to the same on the status of the device.