Method of controlling lighting devices

• US 10,455,668 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2015
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Inventors: Engelen, Dirk Valentinus Rene, Van Eeuwijk, Alexander Henricus Waltherus, Van De Sluis, Bartel Marinus
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Jianzi
• Application Number:
  US15/115,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20170013697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• 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

A method of controlling lighting devices (4) via input from a mobile device (1), involving the operations of:

• • upon movement of the mobile device, while being wirelessly connected with an influencing lighting device, obtaining movement direction data generated by the mobile device (1); and
  • providing the movement direction data for determining a next lighting device to be controlled.

Claims

1. A method of controlling lighting devices via input from a mobile device, comprising:

upon movement of the mobile device, while being wirelessly connected with a present lighting device having a dominant light effect at a current location of the mobile device, obtaining movement direction data generated by a direction sensor of the mobile device, said movement direction data indicative of a direction of said movement of the mobile device and said direction sensor configured to measure said direction of said movement to generate said movement direction data;

providing the movement direction data for determining an expected next lighting device to be controlled based on the movement direction data, said expected next lighting device to be controlled having a dominant light effect in said movement direction;

performing a handover of the control of the present lighting device to the expected next lighting device to be controlled;

controlling a lighting effect produced by the expected next lighting device based on said handover; and

determining a speed of said movement, wherein the controlling of said lighting effect is implemented such that an increased value of said speed results in an increased area influenced by said lighting effect.

2. The method according to claim 1, said providing the movement direction data for determining the expected next lighting device to be controlled, constituting determining the expected next lighting device to be controlled after the present lighting device.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising obtaining position data, which defines the position of the mobile device.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

determining the present lighting device by means of the position data; and

controlling the present lighting device.

5. The method according to claim 3, said obtaining position data comprising generating the position data by means of a position sensor of the mobile device.

6. The method according to claim 3, comprising:

determining the present lighting device of a lighting system comprising several lighting devices on basis of the position data.

7. The method according to claim 3, comprising performing said handover upon detecting the presence of the mobile device within an influencing area of the expected next lighting device to be controlled.

8. The method according to claim 3, comprising performing said handover on basis of the position of the mobile device relative to the position of the expected next lighting device to be controlled.

9. The method according to claim 3, further comprising measuring said direction of said movement by said direction sensor.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, at the mobile device, information about lighting devices in the surroundings of the present lighting device; and

determining, on basis of the movement direction data, the expected next lighting device which is to be controlled, by means of the mobile device.

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining, on basis of the movement direction data, the expected next lighting device which is to be controlled, by means of the present lighting device.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program product to be run on a mobile computing device, the computer program product being adapted to execute the method according to claim 1.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the expected next lighting device to be controlled based on the movement direction data.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising measuring said direction of said movement by said direction sensor.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising determining the expected next lighting device to be controlled based on the movement direction data.

16. A mobile device for controlling lighting devices via commands input from the mobile device, said mobile device comprising a transceiver for local communication with the lighting devices, and a direction sensor, the mobile device being arranged to:

upon movement of the mobile device and while being wirelessly connected with a present lighting device having a dominant light effect at a current location of the mobile device, generate movement direction data, said movement direction data indicative of a direction of said movement of the mobile device and said direction sensor configured to measure said direction of said movement to generate said movement direction data;

provide the movement direction data for determining an expected next lighting device to be controlled based on the movement direction data, said expected next lighting device to be controlled having a dominant light effect in said movement direction;

perform a handover of the control of the present lighting device to the expected next lighting device to be controlled;

control a lighting effect produced by the expected next lighting device based on said handover; and

determine a speed of said movement, wherein the controlling of said lighting effect is implemented such that an increased value of said speed results in an increased area influenced by said lighting effect.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the mobile device is configured to control a light effect produced by the expected next lighting device in response to said determining.