Activity adapted automation of lighting

• US 9,055,621 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Shrubsole, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norton, Jennifer L
• Application Number:
  US13/383,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/12, 700/17, 700/83, 315/292, 315/294, 340/4.31, 340/540, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters

Abstract

An automation system for providing activity-adapted automation in an environment, comprising at least one controllable appliance (1), and a sensor (3) arranged to collect sensor data associated with user activities in the environment. A controller includes a user behavior analyzer (6), arranged to recognize, based on the sensor data, user activities and to identify unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities, and a user interface (4), arranged to display the unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities and representations of the predefined automation settings, and to allow the user to associate each unique combination with a desired setting. The controller is further adapted to subsequently control the appliance according to the predefined automation setting associated with a currently recognized combination of user activities. This provides activity-based automation of the environment, in accordance with preprogrammed preferences of the user, without requiring any programming experience.

Claims

1. A controller for use in an automation system for providing activity-adapted automation in an environment, said system comprising:

at least one controllable appliance, said controller connected to said appliance and arranged to control the appliance in accordance with a plurality of predefined automation settings,

at least one sensor connected to said controller and arranged to collect sensor data associated with user activities in said environment,

said controller including;

a user behavior analyzer arranged to recognize, based on said sensor data, a plurality of the user activities and to identify unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities, wherein the user behavior analyzer is configured to include in said identified unique combinations a new user activity of said plurality of the user activities combined with at least one previous user activity of said plurality of the user activities in response to determining that said new user activity does not invalidate said at least one previous user activity; and

a user interface arranged to display said unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities and representations of said predefined automation settings, and to allow a user to associate each unique combination with a desired setting;

said controller being adapted to subsequently control said appliance according to the predefined automation setting associated with a currently recognized combination of user activities.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a memory for storing unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities that are not associated with any predefined automation setting for subsequent display on the user interface.

3. The controller according to claim 1, wherein said user interface is adapted to display a first set of representations representing said unique combinations of activities and a second set of representations representing said predefined automation settings, and to allow a user to associate a representation in said first set with a representation in the second set.

4. The automation system recited in claim 1, comprising:

the at least one controllable appliance;

the controller; and

the at least one sensor.

5. The automation system according to claim 4, wherein the controllable appliance is a luminaire, and wherein said predefined settings are predefined light atmosphere settings.

6. The automation system according to claim 4, wherein said at least one sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, a vision system, a light detector, a motion detector, a power indicator and a sound detector.

7. A method of providing activity-adapted automation in an environment, comprising:

collecting sensor data associated with user activities in said environment;

based on said sensor data, recognizing a plurality of the user activities;

identifying unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities, wherein the identifying comprises including in said identified unique combinations a new user activity of said plurality of the user activities combined with at least one previous user activity of said plurality of the user activities in response to determining that said new user activity does not invalidate said at least one previous user activity;

displaying on a user interface said unique combinations of simultaneously performed activities and representations of a plurality of predefined automation settings;

using said user interface, associating each unique combination with a desired setting; and

subsequently controlling an appliance according to a predefined automation setting associated with a currently recognized combination of user activities.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said displaying comprises displaying a first set of representations representing said unique combinations of activities and a second set of representations representing said predefined automation settings, and allowing a user to associate a representation in said first set with a representation in the second set.