Method for controlling lighting parameters, controlling device, lighting system

• US 20060139922A1
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Diederiks, Elmo Marcus Attila, Eggen, Josephus Hubertus, Van Kuijk, Jasper Ivo
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/253
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/088 by wireless means, e.g. infrared transmitting means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]

Abstract

A controlling device (1) for controlling lighting parameters is connected to a number of lamps (70). The controlling device (1) comprises a controlling member (20), which is placed on a contact surface (11) by a user. Lighting parameters of each lamp (70) are determined on the basis of the position of the controlling member (20) on the contact surface (11), so that the user is able to control the lighting parameters simply by controlling said position. The controlling device (1) comprises sensing means for sensing the position of the controlling member (20) on the contact surface (11) with respect to a reference system. Information regarding said position is contained by an input signal which is transmitted from the sensing means to a processor for generating an output signal on the basis of the input signal and an algorithm laid down in said processor.

Claims

1. Method for controlling at least one parameter, especially a parameter which is related to lighting, wherein at least one controlling member (20, 30) is positioned with respect to a reference plane, wherein the position of the controlling member (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane is determined, and wherein the parameter is determined on the basis of said position.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein contact is established between the controlling member (20, 30) and a contact surface (11), and wherein the reference plane is associated with said contact surface (11).

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein a table is utilized in order to determine the parameter on the basis of the position of the controlling member (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane, the table comprising combinations of values representing said position on the one hand and values representing said parameter on the other hand.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least two controlling members (20, 30) are positioned with respect to a reference plane, and wherein a fictitious average position is calculated on the basis of the positions of the controlling members (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane.

5. Controlling device (1, 2) for controlling at least one parameter, especially a parameter which is related to lighting, comprising at least one controlling member (20, 30) and a reference plane, as well as sensing means (40) for sensing the position of the controlling member (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane.

6. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 5, further comprising a processor (50) for determining the parameter on the basis of an input signal, wherein the input signal is generated by the sensing means (40) and represents the position of the controlling member (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane.

7. Controlling device (2) according to claim 6, comprising at least two controlling members (20, 30), wherein the processor (50) comprises a calculator (51) for calculating a fictitious average position on the basis of the positions of the controlling members (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane.

8. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 6, wherein the processor (50) comprises a storage medium (53) in which a table comprising combinations of values representing the position of the controlling member (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane on the one hand and values representing the parameter on the other hand is stored, as well as a table reader (52) for looking up in the stored table which value representing the parameter is associated with a given value representing the position of the controlling member (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane.

9. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 8, wherein the storage medium (53) is programmable, further comprising a programming device (60) for adjusting the stored table.

10. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 6, wherein the processor (50) comprises an arithmetic unit in which a relation is laid down for determining a value representing the parameter on the basis of a given value representing the position of the controlling member (20, 30) with respect to the reference plane.

11. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 10, wherein the arithmetic unit is programmable, further comprising a programming device (60) for adjusting the relation laid down in the arithmetic unit.

12. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 5, wherein the controlling member (20, 30) is shaped as a ball.

13. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 5, wherein the controlling member (20, 30) is shaped as a pebble, and wherein a contact surface (11) for supporting the controlling member (20, 30) is part of a disc (10).

14. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 5, wherein the sensing means comprise a matrix sensor (40).

15. Controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 5, wherein the sensing means comprise an optical sensor.

16. Lighting system, comprising a controlling device (1, 2) according to claim 5, as well as at least one lamp (70) being connected to said controlling device (1, 2).

17. Lighting system (1, 2) according to claim 16, wherein the connection between the lamp (70) and the controlling device (1, 2) is wireless, and wherein the controlling device (1, 2) comprises a sender (73) and the lamp (70) comprises a receiver (72).