Home appliance control device

• US 8,417,385 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2011
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Hsin Chia, Kao, Ming Tsan, Ko, Yi Hsien, Chen, Fu Chen
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US13/225,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 583 Days
• Field of Search: 700/12, 700/66, 700/83, 700/85, 700/275, 700/276, 700/277, 700/278, 700/299, 700/300, 345/157, 345/173, 345/419, 345/420, 382/106, 382/154, 340/4.3
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/79 for controlling the direction of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/12 Position of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images

Abstract

There is provided a home appliance control device for obtaining various parameters of each active object according to a variation between a plurality of current images acquired by an image sensor or according to a relation of a current image acquired by the image sensor with respect to a reference image or a reference data thereby determining an operation state of a home appliance.

Claims

1. A home appliance control device for controlling an operation state of a home appliance, the home appliance control device comprising:

a first image sensor comprising a variable aperture or a variable focus, and configured to acquire a plurality of current images of at least one active object through the variable aperture or the variable focus, wherein every current image corresponds to a different aperture value or focus value;

a processing unit configured to

control the first image sensor to acquire the current images respectively according to different focus values,

identify a clearest current image to accordingly determine a static parameter associated with the active object and to obtain a dynamic parameter associated with the active object by comparing the current images, wherein the clearest current image is the current image having smallest point spread functions or sharpest edges; and

a control unit for controlling the operation state of the home appliance according to the static parameter and the dynamic parameter.

2. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to obtain the static parameter and the dynamic parameter by using depth from defocus technique according to the current images.

3. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dynamic parameter is obtained according to a variation of the static parameter,

the static parameter is at least one of a number, a position and a distance of the active object, and

the dynamic parameter is at least one of an activity level and an activity range of the active object.

4. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation state is an output or a directivity of the home appliance.

5. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the home appliance is a temperature controller, a directivity loudspeaker or a directivity electronic device.

6. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the focus value associated with the clearest current image is a depth of the active object.

7. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to further identify a plurality of static parameters associated with different active objects according to a plurality of clearest current images.

8. A home appliance control device for controlling an operation state of a home appliance, the home appliance control device comprising:

a first image sensor having a variable focus value and configured to acquire a plurality of current images of at least one active object;

a processing unit configured to control the first image sensor to acquire the current images respectively according to different focus values and identify a clearest current image to accordingly determine a static parameter associated with the active object, wherein the clearest current image is the current image having smallest point spread functions or sharpest edges; and

a control unit configured to control the operation state of the home appliance according to the static parameter.

9. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processing unit is configured to obtain the static parameter by using depth from defocus technique according to the current images.

10. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the static parameter is at least one of a number, a position and a distance of the active object.

11. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the operation state is an output or a directivity of the home appliance.

12. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the home appliance is a temperature controller, a directivity loudspeaker or a directivity electronic device.

13. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the focus value associated with the clearest current image is a depth of the active object.

14. The home appliance control device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processing unit is configured to further identify a plurality of static parameters associated with different active objects according to a plurality of clearest current images.