APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING SETTINGS OF A CONTROL SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING A SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF PERCEPTIBLE OUTPUT

• US 20110276152A1
• Filed: 01/20/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Seutiens, Pieter Johannes Hendrikus, Cuppen, Roel Peter Geert
• Granted Patent: US 9,999,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

An apparatus for providing settings of a control system (9) for implementing a spatial distribution of perceptible output in a physical space (1-4; 17), which control system (9) is configured to control at least one output device (6-8,45-48) positioned in that physical space (1-4;17) and to maintain in memory (15) data (56-60) representative of locations associated with the respective output devices (6-8,45-48) in the physical space (1-4; 17) relative to a reference point (26), includes an input device (27,28) for obtaining user input pertaining to at least one location associated with one of the output devices (6-8,45-48). The settings are based on data representative of the user input. The input device (27,28) includes at least one component (27) for manipulation by a user to position at least a first point (31) on the component (27) and a sensor arrangement (28) arranged to provide output for detecting an angular co-ordinate of the first point (31) about at least one axis through a second point (30) of the input device (27,28).

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing settings of a control system (9) for implementing a spatial distribution of perceptible output in a physical space (1-4;

17), which control system (9) is configured to control at least one output device (6-8,45-48) positioned in that physical space (1,2,3,4;

17) and to maintain in memory (15) data (56-60) representative of locations associated with the respective output devices (6-8,45-48) in the physical space (1-4;

17), wherein

the apparatus includes an input device (27,28) for obtaining user input pertaining to at least one location associated with one of the output devices (6-8,45-48),

the settings being based on data representative of the user input, and wherein

the input device (27,28) includes at least one component (27) for manipulation by a user to position at least a first point (31) on the component (27) and a sensor arrangement (28) arranged to provide output for detecting an angular co-ordinate of the first point (31) about at least one axis through a second point (30) of the input device (27,28).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the component (27) for manipulation by a user defines a surface,

the component (27) can be manipulated by a user to indicate a point on the surface as the first point (31), and

the sensor arrangement (28) is arranged to detect the location of the first point (31).

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

data corresponding to an angular co-ordinate of the first point (31) about only one axis through the second point (30) is obtained.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second point (30) is fixed relative to the input device (27,28).

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first point (31) on the component (27) corresponds to a point of interaction along a trajectory (29) laid out on the input device (27,28) and surrounding the second point (30) over at least 180°

, in particular a generally closed trajectory.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, further arranged to switch between a first mode, in which the user input pertaining to at least one location associated with one of the output devices (6-8,45-48) is obtainable via the input device (27,28), and a second mode, in which user input pertaining to at least one controllable aspect of light emitted by output devices (6-8) associated with the locations to which the user input pertains is obtainable via the input device (27,28).

7. Apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein, in the second mode, user input pertaining to a color selection is obtainable via the input device (27,28).

8. Apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the input device (27,28) includes at least one display device (27) for displaying information along a path (29) defined by the component (27) for manipulation by the user, and wherein the apparatus is arranged to adapt the information displayed.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, further including at least one sensor (49) for contactless measurement of a distance to at least one of the output devices (6-8,45-48), the settings being further based on data representative of the measured distance.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, further including an input device (27,28;

34) for obtaining user input representative of a height level of at least one of the output devices (6-8,45-48).

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

at least the input device (27,28) for obtaining user input pertaining to at least one location associated with one of the output devices (6-8,45-48) is comprised in a portable housing (10).

12. Apparatus according to claim 1, including an input device (27,28) for selecting the physical space (1-4;

17) from among a set of physical spaces (1-4;

17).

14. Method according to claim 13, including the use of an apparatus according to any one of claims 1-12.

13. Method of providing settings of a control system (9) for implementing a spatial distribution of perceptible output, which control system (9) is configured to control at least one output device (6-8,45-48) positioned in that physical space (1-4;

17) and to maintain in memory (15) data (56-60) representative of locations associated with the respective output devices (6-8,45-48) in the physical space (1-4;

17), wherein

the settings are based on data representative of user input pertaining to at least one location associated with one of the output devices (6-8,45-48), and wherein

at least part of the data representative of user input is obtained from of an input device (27,28) including at least one component (27) for manipulation by a user to position at least a first point (31) on the component (27) and a sensor arrangement providing output for determining an angular co-ordinate of the first point (31) about at least one axis through a second point (30) of the input device (27,28).

15. Computer program including a set of instructions capable, when incorporated in a machine-readable medium, of causing a system having information processing capabilities to perform a method according to claim 13.