GESTURE-BASED LOAD CONTROL

• US 20140267008A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: Jain, Soumya, Zizza, Michael J., Nill, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,430,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/95 Computational photography systems, e.g. light-field imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A load control system may include load control devices for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load. The load control devices may be capable of controlling the amount of power provided to the electrical load based on control instructions received from a gesture-based control device. The gesture-based control device may identify gestures performed by a user for controlling a load control device and provide control instructions to the load control device based on the identified gestures. The gestures may be identified based on images received from a motion capture device. A gesture may be associated with a scene that includes a configuration of one or more load control devices in a load control system. The user may perform one or more gestures to program the gesture-based control device.

Claims

1. A load control system for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load via a load control device, the load control system comprising:

a motion capture device configured to generate images of a user; and

a gesture-based control device configured to;

identify, via the images generated by the motion capture device, a gesture performed by the user that indicates a load control device,

identify, via the images generated by the motion capture device, a gesture performed by the user that indicates control instructions, wherein the control instructions are capable of causing the load control device to control the amount of power provided to the electrical load, and

send the control instructions to the load control device for controlling the amount of power provided to the electrical load.

2. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the gesture that indicates the load control device is identified based on a first coordinate associated with the user'"'"'s body, and wherein the gesture that indicates the control instructions is identified based on a second coordinate associated with the user'"'"'s body.

3. The load control system of claim 2, wherein the first coordinate is associated with a first arm of the user, and wherein the second coordinate is associated with a second arm of the user.

4. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the gesture-based control device is further configured to:

identify a speed at which the gesture that indicates the control instructions is performed, and

determine the amount of power provided to the electrical load based on the identified speed.

5. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the gesture-based control device is further configured to:

identify a distance over which the gesture that indicates the control instructions is performed, and

determine the amount of power provided to the electrical load based on the identified distance.

6. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the gesture-based control device is further configured to determine the load control device based on a vector associated with the gesture that indicates the load control device.

7. The load control system of claim 1, wherein the gesture that indicates the load control device and the gesture that indicates the control instructions are identified in different regions of a regional mapping configuration of one or more of the images generated by the motion capture device.

8. A gesture-based control device for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load via a load control device, the gesture-based control device comprising:

a controller configured to;

identify, via images received from a motion capture device, a gesture performed by a user that indicates a load control device,

identify, via the images received from the motion capture device, a gesture performed by the user that indicates control instructions, wherein the control instructions are capable of causing the load control device to control the amount of power provided to the electrical load, and

send the control instructions to the load control device for controlling the amount of power provided to the electrical load.

9. The gesture-based control device of claim 8, wherein the gesture that indicates the load control device is identified based on a first coordinate associated with the user'"'"'s body, and wherein the gesture that indicates the control instructions is identified based on a second coordinate associated with the user'"'"'s body.

10. The gesture-based control device of claim 9, wherein the first coordinate is associated with a first arm of the user, and wherein the second coordinate is associated with a second arm of the user.

11. The gesture-based control device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify a speed at which the gesture that indicates the control instructions is performed, and

determine the amount of power provided to the electrical load based on the identified speed.

12. The gesture-based control device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify a distance over which the gesture that indicates the control instructions is performed, and

determine the amount of power provided to the electrical load based on the identified distance.

13. The gesture-based control device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the load control device based on a vector associated with the gesture that indicates the load control device.

14. The gesture-based control device of claim 8, wherein the gesture that indicates the load control device and the gesture that indicates the control instructions are identified in a same region of a regional mapping configuration of one or more of the images received from the motion capture device.

15. A gesture-based control device for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load via a load control device, the gesture-based control device comprising:

a controller configured to;

identify a gesture performed by a user that indicates a region of a regional mapping configuration that is associated with a load control device, wherein the regional mapping configuration includes a plurality of regions of an image received from a motion capture device,

identify a gesture performed by the user that indicates a region of the regional mapping configuration that is associated with control instructions,

determine the control instructions for sending to the load control device based on the identified gestures, and

send the control instructions to the load control device for controlling the amount of power provided to the electrical load.

16. The gesture-based control device of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to identify the gesture that indicates the region associated with the load control device based on coordinates associated with a first arm of the user, and identify the gesture that indicates the region associated with the control instructions based on coordinates associated with a second arm of the user.

17. The gesture-based control device of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to identify an engage gesture indicated by the user, wherein the engage gesture enables the gesture-based control device to identify at least one of the gesture that indicates the region associated with the load control device or the gesture that indicates the region associated with the control instructions.

18. The gesture-based control device of claim 15, wherein the gesture that indicates the region associated with the load control device and the gesture that indicates the region associated with the control instructions include a same gesture.

19. The gesture-based control device of claim 15, wherein the region associated with the load control device and the region associated with the control instructions include a same region.

20. A gesture-based control device for controlling an amount of power provided to electrical loads via load control devices, the gesture-based control device comprising:

a controller configured to;

identify a gesture indicated by a user, wherein the gesture is associated with a scene that includes a configuration of a plurality of load control devices, and wherein each load control device of the plurality of load control devices controls an amount of power provided to a respective electrical load,

determine the plurality of load control devices based on the gesture,

determine control instructions for each load control device of the plurality of load control devices based on the gesture, and

send the control instructions for each load control device of the plurality of load control devices to control the amount of power provided to the respective electrical load.

21. The gesture-based control device of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to identify an engage gesture indicated by the user, wherein the engage gesture enables the gesture-based control device to identify the gesture associated with the scene.

22. The gesture-based control device of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to identify the gesture associated with the scene based on images received from a motion capture device.

23. The gesture-based control device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of load control devices include at least one of a ballast, a motorized window treatment, a thermostat, or an AC plug-in load control device.

24. A gesture-based control device for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load via a load control device, the gesture-based control device comprising:

a controller configured to identify an engage gesture indicated by a user, wherein the engage gesture enables the gesture-based control device to identify a load control gesture indicated by the user.

25. The gesture-based control device of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify the load control gesture indicated by the user,

determine control instructions based on the identified load control gesture, and

send the control instructions to the load control device.

26. The gesture-based control device of claim 25, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the load control device based on the identified load control gesture.

27. The gesture-based control device of claim 25, wherein the load control gesture comprises a first load control gesture, and wherein the controller is further configured to identify a second load control gesture indicated by the user and determine the load control device based on the second load control gesture without identifying another engage gesture.

28. The gesture-based control device of claim 25, wherein the controller is further configured to identify the engage gesture before identifying another load control gesture

29. The gesture-based control device of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to identify the engage gesture after being indicated by the user for an established period of time.

30. The gesture-based control device of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to identify the engage gesture based on images received from a motion capture device.

31. The gesture-based control device of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to send an indication to the user after the engage gesture is identified.

32. The gesture-based control device of claim 24, wherein the gesture-based control device is engaged for a predetermined period of time after identifying the engage gesture.

33. The gesture-based control device of claim 24, wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify a disengage gesture indicated by the user, wherein the disengage gesture disables the gesture-based control device from identifying a load control gesture indicated by the user.

34. The gesture-based control device of claim 33, wherein the controller is further configured to identify load control gestures until the disengage gesture is identified.

35. A gesture-based control device for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load via a load control device, the gesture-based control device comprising:

a controller configured to;

identify a programming gesture indicated by a user, wherein the programming gesture triggers a programming mode at the gesture-based control device,

determine a load control gesture to be identified for controlling the amount of power provided to the electrical load via the load control device, wherein the gesture-based control device is unable to identify the load control gesture prior to the determination, and

store the load control gesture such that the gesture-based control device is capable of identifying the load control gesture for controlling the amount of power provided to the electrical load.

36. The gesture-based control device of claim 35, wherein the load control gesture indicates a load control device.

37. The gesture-based control device of claim 36, wherein the controller is further configured to store the load control gesture by associating the load control gesture with the load control device for identifying the load control device using the load control gesture.

38. The gesture-based control device of claim 35, wherein the load control gesture indicates a region of a regional mapping configuration, wherein the regional mapping configuration includes a plurality of regions of an image received from a motion capture device.

39. The gesture-based control device of claim 38, wherein the controller is further configured to store the load control gesture by associating the load control gesture with the region for identifying the region using the load control gesture.

40. The gesture-based control device of claim 35, wherein the load control gesture indicates control instructions.

41. The gesture-based control device of claim 40, wherein the controller is further configured to store the load control gesture by associating the load control gesture with the control instructions for identifying the control instructions using the load control gesture.

42. A load control device for controlling an amount of power provided to an electrical load, the load control device comprising:

a motion capture device configured to generate images of a user; and

a controller configured to;

send the images of the user to a gesture-based control device,

receive control instructions from the gesture-based control device in response to the images of the user, and

control the amount of power provide to the electrical load based on the control instructions.

43. The load control device of claim 42, wherein the load control device comprises at least one of a ballast, a motorized window treatment, a thermostat, or an AC plug-in load control device.