Control device for selecting the color of light emitted by a light source

• US 8,274,361 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2007
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Joosen, Bram François
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorsey, Renee
• Application Number:
  US12/162,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20090135021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/4.3
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

The invention relates to a control device (1) for controlling hue (H) and saturation (S) of light (L) emitted by a light source (2). The device comprises a body (20) with a surface (21) containing a visible representation (10,11,12,13) of a plurality of selectable combinations of hue and saturation available for said light source. The device further has means (26) for generating at least one selection signal in response to a selection of a combination of hue and saturation on said surface, said selection signal comprising said selected hue and saturation, and means (27) for communicating said selection signal to said light source to control said hue and saturation of said light in accordance with said selected combination of hue and saturation. The control device (1) is simple and user intuitive.

Claims

1. A control device for controlling hue and saturation of light emitted by a light source, said device comprising:

a housing,

a substantially spherical body rotatably received in the housing and having a substantially contiguous surface containing a visible representation of a plurality of selectable combinations of hues and saturations available for said light source,

a generator for generating at least one selection signal in response to a selection of a combination of a hue and a saturation on said surface, said selection signal comprising said selected hue and saturation,

a communicator for communicating said selection signal to said light source to control said hue and saturation of said light in accordance with said selected combination of hue and saturation, and

a sensor for determining said selected combination of hue and saturation,

wherein said visual representation represents said hues in a first direction along said body surface and represents said saturations in a second direction along said body surface, and said at least one selection is selected by physically manipulating said body according to said first direction and said second direction.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said control device is further capable of brightness control of said light, said device further comprising means for detecting manipulation of said body or surface which generates a brightness selection signal in response to said detected manipulation of said body.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein substantially each saturation is represented twice on mutually opposite positions on said spherical body.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said spherical body has a hue selection trajectory defined along a perimeter of said body and a saturation selection trajectory defined along a partial further perimeter of said body substantially perpendicular to said hue selection trajectory.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is accommodated within said housing and said device comprises a light source for illuminating a portion of said spherical body in said housing.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said control device is further configured to control brightness of said light and wherein said housing comprises a sensor to determine translation of said spherical body and to generate a brightness selection signal in response to said sensed translation to control said brightness of said light.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said visible representation is displayed as a circle.

8. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said visible representation is displayed as a triangle.

9. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said control device is further configured to control brightness of said light and wherein said surface comprises a deformable surface and said device contains a sensor capable of determining deformation of said surface and of generating a brightness selection signal in response to said sensed deformation to control said brightness of said light.