System for controlling light in dependence of time-of-flight signal

• US 8,242,718 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lite-On It Corporation (Lite-On Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Van Endert, Tony Petrus
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THUY V
• Application Number:
  US12/739,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20100277073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 315/246, 315/267, 315/291, 315/308, 315/360, 700/306
• US Class Current: 315/360
• 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: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94052 with evaluation of actuation pattern or sequence, e.g. tapping
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96007 by reflection
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A lighting system comprising a lamp arranged to transform electricity into a light beam having properties such as intensity, lour, lour temperature, direction and beam cone angle, a light control system arranged to adjust said light beam properties, an ultrasonic transmitter arranged to transmit ultrasonic signals, an ultrasonic receiver arranged to receive reflected ultrasonic signals, and a processing system arranged to derive a time-of-flight signal representing the time differences between said transmitted and received ultrasonic signals and to send control signals to said light control system in dependence of said time-of-flight signal.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a lamp arranged to transform electricity into a light beam having properties including intensity, colour, colour temperature, direction and beam cone angle;

a light control system arranged to adjust said light beam properties;

an ultrasonic transmitter arranged to transmit ultrasonic signals;

an ultrasonic receiver arranged to receive reflected ultrasonic signals; and

a processing system arranged to derive a time-of-flight signal representing the time differences between said transmitted and received ultrasonic signals and to send control signals to said light control system in dependence of said time-of-flight signal wherein said processing system is arranged to determine and store a reference value, which reference value is determined as the value that has been present during most of a second predetermined period of time of several minutes, and that said processing system is further arranged to start sending said control signals if said time-of-flight signal changed from said reference value to a lower value that has been substantially constant for at least a shorter third predetermined period of time, said third predetermined period of time preferably being in a range of 0.5-2 seconds.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein said processing system is arranged to analyse a dynamic behaviour of said time-of-flight signals and to send control signals to said light control system in dependence of said dynamic behaviour.

3. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein said processing system is arranged to stop sending said control signals if said time-of-flight signal changed from a dynamic behaviour to a value that has been substantially constant for a first predetermined period of time, said first predetermined period of time preferably being in a range of 0.5-2 s.

4. The lighting system of any of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic transmitter comprises a horn for reducing the beam cone angle of the light beam.

5. The lighting system of claim 4, wherein said beam cone angle of the light beam is smaller than 15°

.

6. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic transmitter and receiver are arranged to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals in a direction extending within the light beam of the lamp.

7. The lighting system of any of claim 1, wherein said lamp is a plurality of LEDs.

8. The lighting system of claim 7, wherein said ultrasonic transmitter and receiver extend substantially between said plurality of LEDs.

9. An electronic system comprising:

an electronic device;

a control system arranged to drive said electronic device;

an ultrasonic transmitter arranged to transmit ultrasonic signals;

an ultrasonic receiver arranged to receive reflected ultrasonic signals; and

a processing system arranged to derive a time-of-flight signal representing the time differences between said transmitted and received ultrasonic signals and to send control signals to said control system in dependence of said time-of-flight signal wherein said processing system is arranged to determine and store a reference value, which reference value is determined as the value that has been present during most of a second predetermined period of time of several minutes, and that said processing system is further arranged to start sending said control signals if said time-of-flight signal changed from said reference value to a lower value that has been substantially constant for at least a shorter third predetermined period of time, said third predetermined period of time preferably being in a range of 0.5-2 seconds.

10. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein said processing system is arranged to analyse a dynamic behaviour of said time-of-flight signal and to send control signals to said control system in dependence of said dynamic behaviour.

11. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein said processing system is arranged to stop sending said control signals if said time-of-flight signal changed from a dynamic behaviour to a value that has been substantially constant for a first predetermined period of time, said first predetermined period of time preferably being in a range of 0.5-2 s.

12. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein said electronic device is a lamp arranged to transform electricity into a light beam having properties including intensity, colour, colour temperature, direction and beam cone angle, and said control system is arranged to adjust said light beam properties.