Coded light detector

• US 20140265878A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Gritti, Tommaso
• Granted Patent: US 9,232,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/10 Segmentation; Edge detection motion-based segmentation G06T7/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• 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

A coded lighting system comprises a set of light sources and a remote control unit or an arrangement. The set of light sources emits coded light. In order to do so each light source is associated with a unique identifier. The remote control unit or the arrangement comprises an image sensor which captures images comprising light emitted by at least one of the light sources in the set of light sources. By analyzing the captured images the remote control unit or the arrangement is able to associate light sources affecting a particular region and/or object. The remote control unit or the arrangement is thereby able to transmit a control signal comprising updated light settings to the set of light sources.

Claims

1. A remote control unit for controlling a set of light sources, comprising

an image sensor arranged to capture at least one image and to detect coded light in said at least one image;

a processing unit arranged to

determine a region and/or object in an image captured by the image sensor;

using said detected coded light to identify a set of light sources emitting said detected coded light that are illuminating said region and/or object, each light source having one or more light settings;

receive an input signal relating to updated light settings of said set of light sources; and

a transmitter arranged to transmit a control signal corresponding to said updated light settings to said set of light sources.

2. The remote control unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to

receive at least two images from the image sensor and to detect a difference between the at least two images;

and

determine the region and/or object in one of the two images from said difference.

3. The remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to

receive user input identifying an area in the image;

and

from the identified area determine an outline of the object and/or region so as to determine the object and/or region.

4. The remote control unit according to claim 3, further comprising a user interface arranged to provide the processing unit with the user input upon user interaction with the user interface.

5. The remote control unit according to claim 1, wherein the image sensor is further configured to

capture a plurality of images so as to form a stack of images from said plurality of images;

determine the sum over all pixels per image in said stack of images to generate a conventional one-dimensional signal to determine which codes that are present in a scene represented by the stack of images; and

determine, from the stack of images, a footprint of the light source by correlating time dependence of all pixels with a code associated with the light source.

6. The remote control unit according to claim 5, further comprising a user interface, and wherein the processing unit is further to transmit identification of said region and/or object to the user interface.

7. The remote control unit according to claim 6, wherein the user interface is arranged to provide a snapshot of the image comprising the object and/or region together with and indication of the object and/or region.

8. The remote control unit according to claim 6, wherein the user interface is arranged to provide an indication relating to which light source or light sources that affect illumination of the object and/or region.

9. The remote control unit according to claim 8, wherein the user interface is arranged to provide light settings available for said set of light sources.

10. The remote control unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to identify the region and/or object by segmenting image foreground information from image background information and to identify the region and/or object by virtue of the image foreground information.

11. The remote control unit according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to identify the region and/or object by performing motion detection and/or estimation between the two images in order to detect an object and/or region that has moved between the two images.

12. The remote control unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to identify the region and/or object by performing depth segmentation so as to obtain an image depth measurement from which the region and/or object is identified.

13. The remote control unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to identify the region and/or object by performing object detection.

14. An arrangement comprising a remote control unit according to claim 13 and at least one luminaire controllable by the remote control unit and comprising at least one light source from said set of light sources.

15. A method for controlling a set of light sources, comprising

capturing, by an image sensor, at least one image and detecting coded light in said at least one image;

determining, by a processing unit, a region and/or object in an image captured by the image sensor;

the processing unit, identifying using said detected coded light, a set of light sources emitting said detected coded light that are illuminating the determined region and/or object, each light source having one or more light settings;

receiving, by the processing unit, an input signal relating to updated light settings of said set of light sources, wherein the input signal sets an overall light effect affecting the determined region and/or object; and

transmitting, by a transmitter, a control signal corresponding to said updated light settings to said set of light sources.