Environment optimization for space based on presence and activities

• US 9,380,682 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Mead, Karl, Yoo, Hyun, Johnson, Cherie
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, ANH Q
• Application Number:
  US14/730,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20150359070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2664 Audio light, animation, stage, theatre light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A method and system for facilitating at least first and second different activities within a first space that includes a first set of environmental control affordances including at least a first subset of lighting devices, the method comprising the steps of monitoring for triggers associated with the first space, when a trigger occurs, determining which of the first and second activities to facilitate, when the first activity is to be facilitated, controlling the environmental control affordances to present a first series of environments associated with the first activity and when the second activity is to be facilitated, controlling the environmental control affordances to present a second series of environments associated with the second activity.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating at least first and second different activities within a first space that includes a first set of environmental control affordances including at least a first subset of lighting devices, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring for triggers associated with the first space;

when a trigger occurs;

(i) determining which of the first and second activities to facilitate;

(ii) when the first activity is to be facilitated, controlling the environmental control affordances to present a first series of environments associated with the first activity where the environments are presented in a sequence that changes as different consecutive triggers occur; and

(iii) when the second activity is to be facilitated, controlling the environmental control affordances to present a second series of environments associated with the second activity where the environments are presented in a sequence that changes as different consecutive triggers occur.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a first trigger includes a scheduled period of use for the first space.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining which of the first and second activities to facilitate includes accessing a first space schedule and identifying an activity type associated with the scheduled period of use.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein at least a subset of the lighting devices are located in the first space and wherein the step of controlling the affordances includes, prior to a scheduled activity in the first space, controlling the lighting devices to indicate that a scheduled activity is going to commence in the first space within a threshold period of time.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein different space users have different preferences for the first and second series of environments, the method further including the steps of storing first and second activity specifications for first and second different space users in a database, respectively, wherein each of the first and second activity specifications indicate space affordance preferences for each of the first and second activities for an associated user, the method further including the step of, when a trigger occurs, identifying which of the first and second space users is associated with the first space, the step of controlling the environmental control affordances to present a first series of environments including using the activity specification for the associated one of the first and second users to control the environmental control affordances, and the step of controlling the environmental control affordances to present a second series of environments including using the activity specification for the associated one of the first and second users to control the environmental control affordances to present the second series of environments.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first series of environments includes a first invite environment, a first welcome environment, a first activity environment and a first emerge environment.

7. The method of claim 6 further including the steps of controlling at least a subset of the lighting devices to generate light having a first lighting effect when presenting the first invite environment and a second lighting effect clearly distinguishable from the first lighting effect when presenting the first welcome environment.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the second series of environments includes a second invite environment, a second welcome environment, a second activity environment and a second emerge environment.

9. The method of claim 8 further including the steps of controlling at least a subset of the lighting devices to generate light having a first lighting effect when presenting the first invite environment and a second lighting effect clearly distinguishable from the first lighting effect when presenting the second invite environment.

10. The method of claim 1 also for facilitating at least the first and second different activities within a second space that includes a second set of environmental control affordances including at least a second subset of lighting devices, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring for triggers associated with the second space;

when a trigger occurs;

(i) determining which of the first and second activities to facilitate;

(ii) when the first activity is to be facilitated, controlling the second set of environmental control affordances to present a first series of environments associated with the first activity where the environments are presented in a sequence that changes as different consecutive triggers occur; and

(iii) when the second activity is to be facilitated, controlling the second environmental control affordances to present a second series of environments associated with the second activity where the environments are presented in a sequence that changes as different consecutive triggers occur.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first and second spaces are optimized to facilitate the first and second activities, respectively, the first set of control affordances automatically controlled to present the first series of environments until a trigger associated with the second activity is detected and the second set of control affordances automatically controlled to present the second series of environments until a trigger associated with the first activity is detected.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first space control affordances can be used to facilitate at least a third different activity, the step of determining including determining which of the first, second and third activities to facilitate and, when the third activity is to be facilitated, controlling the environmental control affordances to present a third series of environments associated with the third activity where the environments are presented in a sequence that changes as different consecutive triggers occur.

13. The method of claim 1 further including identifying the location of at least one space user, the step of monitoring for triggers including monitoring for presence of at the at least one space user at a location relative to the first space.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of monitoring for presence includes monitoring for presence of the at least one space user in the first space.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a space user uses a portable personal device that can sense at least one user activity and that can transmit a wireless signal indicating when the at least one user activity occurs, the step of monitoring for triggers including monitoring for wireless signals from the portable personal device.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the environmental control affordances include at least a subset of audio devices for generating sound.

17. A method for facilitating at least a first space experience within a first space that includes a set of environmental control affordances including at least a subset of lighting devices, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring for triggers associated with the first space;

when a first trigger occurs, controlling the environmental control affordances to present an invite environment;

when a second trigger occurs while the invite environment is presented, controlling the environmental control affordances to present a welcome environment;

when a third trigger occurs while the welcome environment is being presented, controlling the environmental affordances to present an activity environment; and

when a fourth trigger occurs while the welcome environment is presented, controlling the environmental control affordances to present an emerge environment, wherein the invite, welcome, activity, and emerge environments are different; and

wherein the environmental control affordances can be controlled to facilitate at least a second space experience within the first space that is different than the first space experience, the second space experience including at least three phases, the method further including the step of identifying which of the first and second space experiences to facilitate based on detected triggers and controlling the control affordances to present each phase of the selected space experience.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of monitoring for triggers includes obtaining images of at least a potion of the first space and examining the images to identify the first, second, third and fourth triggers.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of identifying which of the first and second space experiences to facilitate includes accessing a database including a first space schedule and identifying one of a scheduled first space experience or a second space experience.

20. A system for facilitating at least first and second different activities within a first space, the system comprising:

a first set of environmental control affordances including at least a first subset of lighting devices;

at least one sensor located proximate the first space, the at least one sensor for sensing trigger activities associated with the first space;

a processor linked to the first set of environmental control affordances and to the at least one sensor, the processor programmed to perform the steps of;

monitoring the at least one sensor for triggers associated with the first space;

when a trigger occurs;

(i) determining which of the first and second activities to facilitate;

(ii) when the first activity is to be facilitated, controlling the environmental control affordances to present a first series of environments associated with the first activity where the environments are presented in a sequence that changes as different consecutive triggers occur; and

(iii) when the second activity is to be facilitated, controlling the environmental control affordances to present a second series of environments associated with the second activity where the environments are presented in a sequence that changes as different consecutive triggers occur.