Lighting Device With User Interface For Light Control

• US 20070230159A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Cortenraad, Hubertus, Bergman, Anthonie
• Application Number:
  US11/568,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20070230159A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/85
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters

Abstract

The invention relates to a lighting device (1) comprising a lighting unit (2) and a user interface (3) for controlling the lighting colour and/or intensity of the lighting unit (2). The user interface (3) comprises a sensing device (5) with a large number of conductive elements (6), which responds to the proximity of a conductive object, like for instance a human finger pointing to the user interface (3). The user interface (3) can be based on proximity sensing or on touch-control. In both cases an element (6) on the outer surface (4) of the user interface (3) is selected, which corresponds to one of the selectable colours and/or intensities of the lighting unit (2). The selected element (6) generates an output signal which is sent to a processing unit (9), which converts this output signal into a driving signal suitable for the driver circuit (8) to drive the light sources (7).

Claims

1. A lighting device (1) comprising a lighting unit (2) and a user interface (3) for controlling the lighting colour and/or intensity of the lighting unit (2), said user interface (3) having an outer surface (4) provided with a mapping of selectable lighting colours and/or intensities and a sensing device (5) for sensing a user action resulting in an output signal of the user interface (3), said output signal controlling the lighting colour and/or intensity of the lighting unit (2).

2. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the sensing device (5) is a proximity sensing device comprising a plurality of conductive elements (6) each being arranged to control a particular lighting colour and/or intensity.

3. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the conductive elements (6), when in operation, have a certain charge, a change in the charge of such a conductive element (6) by the proximity of a conductive object controlling the setting of the lighting colour and/or intensity which corresponds to said conductive element (6).

4. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the sensing device (5) is a touch-control device, comprising a plurality of resistive elements each being arranged to control a particular lighting colour and/or intensity when in operation, the corresponding resistive element being touched by a conductive object.

5. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the conductive object is the hand of a human being.

6. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the user interface (3) serves as a remote control for the lighting unit (2).

7. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the user interface (3) and the lighting unit (2) are integrated.

8. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the user interface (3) comprises light sources which indicate the desired lighting colour.

9. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lighting unit (2) comprises light sources (7) for generating the primary lighting colours red, green and blue.

10. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lighting unit (2) comprises LEDs.

11. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the user interface (3) is shaped as a pyramid with a polygon-shaped base (10), said pyramid having a symmetry axis (11) which is oriented perpendicular to the polygon-shaped base (11).

12. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the user interface (3) is shaped as a cylinder having a base (10) and a symmetry axis (11) which is oriented perpendicular to the base (10).

13. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the user interface (3) is shaped as a truncated ellipsoid having a base and a symmetry axis which is oriented perpendicular to the base.

14. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the mapping of the colour and/or intensity has two independent directions, the colour is mapped following a rotation around the symmetry axis (11) and the intensity is mapped in the direction of the symmetry axis (11).

15. A user interface (3) for controlling a lighting unit (2), having an outer surface (4) provided with a mapping of selectable lighting colours and/or intensities, said outer surface (4) further comprising a sensing device (5) for sensing a user action resulting in an output signal of the user interface (3), said output signal controls the lighting colour and/or intensity of the lighting unit (2).

16. An assembly of a lighting unit (2) and a processing unit (9) characterized in that said processing unit (9) is arranged to receive an output signal delivered by the user interface (3) of claim 15 and to convert this output signal into an input value for the lighting unit (2).

17. A method of controlling the lighting colour and/or intensity of a lighting device (1) the device comprising a lighting unit (2) and a user interface (3), having an outer surface (4) provided with a mapping of all selectable lighting colours and/or intensities, said outer surface (4) further comprising a sensing device (5), said method comprising the steps of sensing a user action for selecting a desired lighting colour and/or intensity, generating an output signal of the user interface (3), sending the output signal to a processor unit (9) which generates a signal for driving the lighting unit (2) to adjust the desired lighting colour and/or intensity.