Light controller

• US 10,237,948 B1
• Filed: 04/09/2018
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hutz, David James, Lutes, Robert Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Don P
• Application Number:
  US15/948,705
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 315294
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for performing actions based on a determined relative composition of light. In some implementations, data representing an amount of ambient light detected within the portion of the property by a light sensor located at the portion of the property is initially obtained. Data indicating (i) a shape of an optical spectra for a natural light source, and (ii) a shape of an optical spectra for a non-natural light source is then obtained. A relative composition of the ambient light detected within the portion of the property is determined. An estimated amount of natural light within the portion of the property is then determined. In response, the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property is adjusted.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

receiving light from a light source;

generating an intensity spectrum for a portion of the received light;

computing one or more characteristics for the generated intensity spectrum;

comparing values of the one or more characteristics to threshold values for the computed one or more characteristics; and

identifying a classification of the light source based on the comparison,

wherein generating the intensity spectrum for the portion of the received light comprises;

using light separation techniques to separate the received light into individual components;

detecting intensity measurements for the individual components of the received light for various wavelengths; and

based on the intensity measurements, generating an optical spectrum for each of the individual components of the received light, and

wherein detecting intensity measurements for the individual components of the received light for various wavelengths comprises using multiple pixel data at each wavelength of light to increase a signal-to-noise ratio.

2. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

receiving light from a light source;

generating an intensity spectrum for a portion of the received light;

computing one or more characteristics for the generated intensity spectrum;

comparing values of the one or more characteristics to threshold values for the computed one or more characteristics; and

identifying a classification of the light source based on the comparison,

wherein generating the intensity spectrum for the portion of the received light comprises;

using light separation techniques to separate the received light into individual components;

detecting intensity measurements for the individual components of the received light for various wavelengths; and

based on the intensity measurements, generating an optical spectrum for each of the individual components of the received light, and

wherein computing one or more characteristics for the generated intensity spectrum comprises;

after generating the optical spectrum for each individual component of the received light, identifying a peak intensity point of each optical spectrum based on a highest pixel value within each optical spectrum; and

calculating an absolute sum of slopes for each optical spectrum.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein comparing values of the one or more characteristics to threshold values for the computed one or more characteristics comprises comparing the calculated absolute sum of slopes for each optical spectrum to a threshold value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the classification of the light source based on the comparison comprises identifying the classification of the light source that generated the detected individual light component of the white light.

5. A method performed by one or more computers, the method comprising:

receiving light from a light source;

generating an intensity spectrum for a portion of the received light;

computing one or more characteristics for the generated intensity spectrum;

comparing values of the one or more characteristics to threshold values for the computed one or more characteristics;

identifying a classification of the light source based on the comparison;

measuring, using a light sensor located at a portion of a property, ambient light in the portion of the property;

determining signature peaks in the measured ambient light based on an optical spectrum;

determining a composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property based on the measured signature peaks;

determining an amount of natural light in the portion of the property based on the determined composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property;

determining to adjust an amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property based on the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property; and

in response to determining to adjust the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property based on the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property, adjusting the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property based on the measured signature peaks comprises determining, based on comparing peaks and troughs of a generated optical spectrum of the measured ambient light and a reference optical spectrum that covers waveforms of multiple different types of light sources, the composition of the ambient light.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining, based on comparing peaks and troughs of the generated optical spectrum of the measured ambient light and the reference optical spectrum that covers the waveforms of multiple different types of light sources, the composition of the ambient light comprises comparing the generated optical spectrum to characteristic peaks and troughs for specified wavelengths of the reference optical spectrum.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the amount of natural light in the portion of the property comprises determining the amount of natural light based on measuring relative energy produced by natural light within the measured ambient light for specified wavelengths based on the reference optical spectrum.

9. An electronic system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving light from a light source;

generating an intensity spectrum for a portion of the received light;

computing one or more characteristics for the generated intensity spectrum;

comparing values of the one or more characteristics to threshold values for the computed one or more characteristics; and

identifying a classification of the light source based on the comparison,

wherein generating the intensity spectrum for the portion of the received light comprises;

using light separation techniques to separate the received light into individual components;

detecting intensity measurements for the individual components of the received light for various wavelengths; and

based on the intensity measurements, generating an optical spectrum for each of the individual components of the received light, and

wherein detecting intensity measurements for the individual components of the received light for various wavelengths comprises using multiple pixel data at each wavelength of light to increase a signal-to-noise ratio.

10. An electronic system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving light from a light source;

generating an intensity spectrum for a portion of the received light;

computing one or more characteristics for the generated intensity spectrum;

comparing values of the one or more characteristics to threshold values for the computed one or more characteristics; and

identifying a classification of the light source based on the comparison,

wherein generating the intensity spectrum for the portion of the received light comprises;

using light separation techniques to separate the received light into individual components;

detecting intensity measurements for the individual components of the received light for various wavelengths; and

based on the intensity measurements, generating an optical spectrum for each of the individual components of the received light, and

wherein computing one or more characteristics for the generated intensity spectrum comprises;

after generating the optical spectrum for each individual component of the received light, identifying a peak intensity point of each optical spectrum based on a highest pixel value within each optical spectrum; and

calculating an absolute sum of slopes for each optical spectrum.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein comparing values of the one or more characteristics to threshold values for the computed one or more characteristics comprises comparing the calculated absolute sum of slopes for each optical spectrum to a threshold value.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein identifying the classification of the light source based on the comparison comprises identifying the classification of the light source that generated the detected individual light component of the white light.

13. An electronic system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving light from a light source;

generating an intensity spectrum for a portion of the received light;

computing one or more characteristics for the generated intensity spectrum;

comparing values of the one or more characteristics to threshold values for the computed one or more characteristics;

identifying a classification of the light source based on the comparison;

measuring, using a light sensor located at a portion of a property, ambient light in the portion of the property;

determining signature peaks in the measured ambient light based on an optical spectrum;

determining a composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property based on the measured signature peaks;

determining an amount of natural light in the portion of the property based on the determined composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property;

determining to adjust an amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property based on the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property; and

in response to determining to adjust the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property based on the determined amount of natural light within the portion of the property, adjusting the amount of light output by one or more light sources located at the portion of the property.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein determining the composition of the ambient light in the portion of the property based on the measured signature peaks comprises determining, based on comparing peaks and troughs of a generated optical spectrum of the measured ambient light and a reference optical spectrum that covers waveforms of multiple different types of light sources, the composition of the ambient light.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein determining, based on comparing peaks and troughs of the generated optical spectrum of the measured ambient light and the reference optical spectrum that covers the waveforms of multiple different types of light sources, the composition of the ambient light comprises comparing the generated optical spectrum to characteristic peaks and troughs for specified wavelengths of the reference optical spectrum.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein determining the amount of natural light in the portion of the property comprises determining the amount of natural light based on measuring relative energy produced by natural light within the measured ambient light for specified wavelengths based on the reference optical spectrum.