LIGHTING DEVICE WITH USER INTERFACE FOR LIGHT CONTROL

• US 20090179586A1
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• 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, Bergman, Anthonie Hendrik, Cortenraad, Hubertus Maria Rene, Santbergen, Martijn Adrianus Bernardus
• Granted Patent: US 7,731,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/292
• 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 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lighting device (1) comprising a lighting unit (2) and a user interface (3) for controlling the lighting color and/or intensity of the lighting unit (2). The user interface (3) comprises a physical object (4), which is shaped as a polyhedron, for instance a cube. Orienting the physical object (4), i.e. choosing which side is up, serves to select the color, and rotating the physical object (4) about the side on which it rests serves to change the intensity setting. The user interface (3) generates an output signal, which is the input for a processing unit (9). This processing unit (9) converts this signal into a driving signal suitable for controlling the lighting unit (2).

Claims

1. A lighting device (1) comprising a lighting unit (2) and a user interface (3) for controlling the lighting color of the lighting unit (2), said user interface (3) comprising a physical object (4) shaped as a polyhedron having a plurality of sides (5) which are arranged to control a particular lighting color, the lighting color being determined by the orientation of the physical object (4) in operation, whereupon the user interface (3) generates an output signal for controlling the lighting unit (2) in accordance with said lighting color.

2. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the user interface (3) further comprises means for controlling the luminous intensity.

3. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the intensity is controlled by rotating the physical object (4) about an axis which is oriented perpendicularly to the side (5) on which the physical object (4) rests.

4. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the physical object (4) is provided with an orientation sensor for determining the orientation of said physical object.

5. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the orientation sensor comprises three orthogonally arranged acceleration sensors.

6. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the orientation sensor comprises two sets of three orthogonally arranged acceleration sensors each.

7. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the orientation sensor comprises a gravity switch.

8. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the physical object (4) further comprises a magnetic field sensor determining the rotation of said physical object (4).

9. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the shape of the physical object (4) is chosen from the subclass of polyhedrons with the feature that each selected side (5) of such a polyhedron has an opposite side which is parallel to said selected side (5).

10. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the polyhedron is a cube.

11. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the sides (5) are replaceable.

12. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each side (5) is provided with a light source which in operation will emit light associated with the particular lighting color said side (5) is arranged to control.

13. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each side (5) is provided with a light source, and the side (5) which is selected for driving the lighting unit (2) will, in operation, emit light of the same color as the colour emitted by the lighting unit (2).

14. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the sides comprise means for communicating to a processing unit (9) the color they are arranged to control.

15. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that said means comprise RFID tags incorporated in the sides (5).

16. 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).

17. A lighting device (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lighting unit (2) comprises light sources (7) for generating primary lighting colors such as red, green, blue, and/or amber.

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

19. A lighting device (1) comprising a lighting unit (2) and a user interface (3) for controlling the lighting setting of the lighting unit (2), said user interface (3) comprising a physical object (4) shaped as a polyhedron having a plurality of sides (5) which are each arranged to control a particular lighting setting, the lighting setting being determined by the orientation of the physical object (4) in operation, whereupon the user interface (3) generates an output signal for controlling the lighting unit (2) in accordance with said lighting setting.

20. A user interface (3) for controlling a lighting unit (2), said user interface (3) comprising a physical object (4) shaped as a polyhedron having a plurality of sides (5) which are each arranged to control a particular lighting color, the lighting color being determined by the orientation of the physical object (4) in operation, whereupon the user interface (3) generates an output signal for controlling the lighting unit (2) in accordance with said lighting color.

21. 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 20 and to convert this output signal into an input value for the lighting unit (2).

22. A method of controlling the lighting color and/or intensity of a lighting device (1) comprising a lighting unit (2), a user interface (3), and a physical object (4) shaped as a polyhedron having a plurality of sides (5) which are each arranged to control a particular lighting color, said method comprising the steps of selecting a desired lighting color and/or intensity by orienting the physical object (4), generating an output signal of the user interface (3), and sending the output signal to a processor unit (9) which generates a signal for driving the lighting unit (2) so as to adjust the desired lighting color and/or intensity.