METHODS FOR SELECTING AND CONTROLLING DEVICES

• US 20110234366A1
• Filed: 11/26/2009
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Yang, Daiqin, Chen, Zhigang, Feng, Lei
• Granted Patent: US 9,578,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/71 Directional beams
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices

Abstract

A method of selecting and controlling devices based on wireless communication technology. The wireless controller sends a probe message to one or more devices; each device receives the probe message, obtains information in respect of its relative position with respect to the wireless controller, determines a response time to respond according to a first predefined rule, based on its relative position information: detects response signals from other devices before expiration of the response time; decides whether to send or not to send its response signal according to a second predefined rule and the detecting procedure of response signals from other devices; the wireless controller receives response signals sent by the devices after the comparison of the relative position information of each device with respect to the wireless controller, and selects the target devices from the devices. Embodiments of the present invention reduce the complexity, delay and energy consumption of the selection for wireless devices, and are especially applicable for wireless lighting systems.

Claims

1. A method, for use in a device to assist a wireless controller to select target devices, comprising the steps of:

i. the device receiving a probe message from the wireless controller, and obtaining relative position information with respect to the wireless controller;

ii. determining a response time to respond according to a first predefined rule, based on the relative position information;

iii. the device detecting response signals from other devices before expiration of the response time;

deciding whether to send or not to send its response signal according to a second predefined rule, and the detecting procedure of response signals from other devices before expiration of the response time, wherein the response signal contains the relative position information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first predefined rule comprises at least one of the following sub-rules:

the relative position information includes distance information, and the shorter or the longer the distance indicated by the distance information is, the smaller the response time is;

the relative position information includes azimuth information describing the azimuth between the device and the wireless controller, and the smaller or the bigger the azimuth indicated by the azimuth information is, the shorter the response time is.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step ii further comprises the steps of:

a) selecting a corresponding relative position information segment according to the relative position information;

b) selecting a corresponding response time segment according to the relative position information segment;

c) selecting the response time in the response time segment.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second predefined rule comprises at least one of the following sub-rules:

sending the response signal of the device, if no response signal from other devices is detected before expiration of the response time;

sending the response signal of the device, if the first predefined rule defines that the smaller the relative position information is, the smaller the response time is, and at least one response signal from other devices is detected before expiration of the response time, and the other device'"'"'s relative position information is bigger than the relative position information of the device;

sending the response signal of the device, if the first predefined rule defines that the bigger the relative position information is, the shorter the response time is, and at least one response signal from another device is detected before expiration of the response time, and the other device'"'"'s relative position information is smaller than the relative position information of the device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the relative position information comprises at least one of RSSI of the probe message, time of flight of the probe message and directional gain of RSSI of the probe message.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the following step between step i and step ii:

deciding whether the device'"'"'s relative position information satisfies a third predefined rule, and, if so, carrying out step ii to step iii.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the third predefined rule is used for judging:

whether the distance between the device and the wireless controller is shorter than a first threshold and/or longer than a second threshold;

or

whether the azimuth between the device and the wireless controller is smaller than a third threshold and/or bigger than a fourth threshold.

8. A method for use in a wireless controller to select target devices from one or more devices, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

I. sending a probe message to the one or more devices;

II. receiving one or more response signals sent by the one or more devices, wherein each of the response signals contains relative position information describing the device'"'"'s relative position with respect to the wireless controller;

III. based on the relative position information contained in the one or more response signals, selecting the target devices from the one or more devices according to a predefined rule.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the predefined rule comprises any one of the following items:

selecting the device with the biggest relative position information as the target device;

selecting the device with the smallest relative position information as the target device;

or

selecting the device within a range of the relative positions as the target device.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

sending a control signal for controlling the target device according to a transmitting scheme corresponding to the relative position information of the target device.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the probe message comprises a predefined relative position condition, wherein the predefined relative position condition is used for judging:

whether the distance between the device and the wireless controller is shorter than a first threshold and/or longer than a second threshold;

or

whether the azimuth from the transmission angle of the wireless controller is smaller than a third threshold and/or bigger than a fourth threshold.