Lighting device with user interface for light control

• US 7,731,387 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Santbergen, Martijn Adrianus Bernardus, Diederiks, Elmo Marcus Attila, Bergman, Anthonie Hendrik, Cortenraad, Hubertus Maria Rene
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea; Sandra L
• Assistant Examiner(s): DZIERZYNSKI, EVAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/576,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20090179586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 362/231, 362/295, 362/249.12, 315/292, 700/17, 700/28, 340/5.64, 340/5.1, 340/825.29
• US Class Current: 362/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lighting device (1) comprising a lighting unit (2) and a user interface (3) for controlling the lighting color and/or intensity of the lighting unit (2). The user interface (3) comprises a physical object (4), which is shaped as a polyhedron, for instance a cube. Orienting the physical object (4), i.e. choosing which side is up, serves to select the color, and rotating the physical object (4) about the side on which it rests serves to change the intensity setting. The user interface (3) generates an output signal, which is the input for a processing unit (9). This processing unit (9) converts this signal into a driving signal suitable for controlling the lighting unit (2).

Claims

1. A lighting device comprising a lighting unit and a user interface for controlling the color and/or luminous intensity of light emitted by the lighting unit, said user interface comprising:

a physical object shaped as a polyhedron having a plurality of sides, each side being associated with a predetermined color of light such that, in operation, the user interface generates an output signal for controlling the lighting unit to emit the light of a desired color and/or luminous intensity based, at least in part, on orientation and/or rotation of the physical object with at least three degrees of freedom.

2. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises means for controlling the luminous intensity.

3. A lighting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intensity is controlled by rotating the physical object about an axis which is oriented perpendicularly to the side on which the physical object rests.

4. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physical object is provided with an orientation sensor for determining the orientation of said physical object.

5. A lighting device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the orientation sensor comprises three orthogonally arranged acceleration sensors.

6. A lighting device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the orientation sensor comprises two sets of three orthogonally arranged acceleration sensors each.

7. A lighting device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the orientation sensor comprises a gravity switch.

8. A lighting device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the physical object further comprises a magnetic field sensor determining the rotation of said physical object.

9. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each side of the polyhedron has an opposite side parallel thereto.

10. A lighting device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the polyhedron is a cube.

11. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sides are removable and replaceable.

12. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each side comprises a light source for emitting light of the predetermined color associated with said side.

13. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a processing unit in communication with the sides.

14. A lighting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein two or more sides comprise RFID tags.

15. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to remotely control the lighting unit.

16. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lighting unit comprises light sources for generating light of primary colors.

17. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lighting unit comprises LEDs.

18. A method for controlling color and/or luminous intensity of light emitted by a lighting device comprising a lighting unit and a user interface, the user interface comprising a physical object shaped as a polyhedron having a plurality of sides, each side being associated with a predetermined color of light, the method comprising:

orienting the physical object with at least three degrees of freedom to select a desired color and/or intensity of light,

rotating the physical object to generate an output signal for controlling the lighting unit, and

transmitting the output signal to the processing unit to control the lighting unit to emit the light of desired color and/or intensity.