METHOD AND COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A LIGHTING INFRASTRUCTURE

• US 20110112691A1
• Filed: 07/03/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Engelen, Dirk Valentinus Rene
• Granted Patent: US 8,494,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/18 using temperature feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

The invention relates to the control of a lighting infrastructure such as a complex lighting system. An embodiment of the invention provides a method for controlling a lighting infrastructure by means of a computer comprising the acts of generating a single room view (10) of a room with the lighting infrastructure by combining different views of the room on a display (12; S10), —receiving and processing of input signals (14) with regard to the generated single room view (S12), and —creating output signals (16) for controlling the lighting infrastructure in response to the processed input signals (S14). The single room view allows an intuitive control of a lighting infrastructure similar to a computer paint program.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a lighting infrastructure comprising the acts of

generating a single room view (10) of a room with the lighting infrastructure by combining different views of the room on a display (12;

S10),

receiving and processing of input signals associated with the generated single room view (S12), and

creating output signals (16) for controlling the lighting infrastructure in response to the processed input signals (S14).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of creating a single room view of a room (S10) comprises combining views of surfaces of the room with lighting effects and virtual views of the room for modeling lighting effects in the room.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving and processing input signals (S12) comprises:

receiving an user input from input means (S121),

assigning the received user input to one or more light effects on the environment or light units of the lighting infrastructure (S122),

determining a lighting effect from the received user input (S123), and

generating control signals for the one or more light units associated with the determined lighting effect (S124).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of a lighting effect from the received user input comprises determining a color distribution, which is specified in a lighting device independent color space.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the lighting device independent color space is one of the following:

CIE XYZ;

CIE xyY;

Computer RGB.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of a lighting effect from the received user input comprises determining an intensity distribution of lighting in the room.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of a lighting effect from the received user input comprises determining a color temperature of lighting in the room.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving and processing of input signals with regard to the generated single room view further comprises receiving as an user input from input means a drag and drop operation of a graphical representation of a lamp into the single room view and indicating the effect of the lamp on floor and walls in the single room view.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of creating output signals for controlling the lighting infrastructure in response to the processed input signals comprises translating a color and intensity distribution of lighting into control values by means of a computer model of the lighting infrastructure and creating the control signals from the control values.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of

receiving and processing of control signals from the lighting infrastructure and

displaying a distribution of color and intensity values of the lighting in response to the processed control signals in the single room view of the room with the lighting infrastructure.

11. A computer program enabled to carry out the method according to claim 1, when executed by a computer.

12. A record carrier storing a computer program according to claim 11.

13. A computer programmed to perform a method according to claim 1 and comprising an interface for communication with the lighting infrastructure.

14. A computer implemented apparatus (18) for controlling a lighting infrastructure (20) comprising

processing means (22) being adapted for generating a single room view (10) of a room with the lighting infrastructure (20) by combining different views of the room on a display and for receiving and processing of input signals associated with the generated single room view, and

a controller (24) being adapted for creating output signals (16) for controlling the lighting infrastructure (20) in response to the processed input signals (14).

15. The apparatus of claim 14, being adapted to receive control signals (32) and further comprising a view renderer being adapted to change the color and/or intensity distribution (22) in the single room view (10) in response to the received control signals (32).

16. (canceled)