Lighting control device and lighting control method

• US 9,538,602 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2016
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yagi, Sana, Setomoto, Tatsumi, Kishimoto, Akihiro, Moriwaki, Toshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): CRAWFORD, JASON
• Application Number:
  US15/041,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20160270181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 315/149, 315/158, 315/291, 315/294, 315/297, 315/307, 315/312, 345/581, 345/589, 345/591, 345593-594, 345/597, 345/690
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

A lighting control device includes: a candidate color selector; a candidate color adjuster; and a color controller. The candidate color selector selects, in accordance with the indication obtained by the indication obtainer, a plurality of candidate colors to be used for color control of lighting devices, from an image obtained by an image obtainer. The candidate color adjuster makes automatic-mode adjustment which is processing for determining colors reproducible by the lighting devices, in accordance with predetermined indexes and based on the plurality of candidate colors selected by the candidate color selector. The color controller causes the lighting devices to each emit illumination light having the color determined by the candidate color adjuster, by controlling the lighting devices.

Claims

1. A lighting control device which is included in a mobile terminal and controls a lighting device, the lighting control device comprising:

an image obtainer which obtains an image;

an indication obtainer which obtains an indication from an operator; and

a controller which controls the lighting device,

wherein the controller includes;

a candidate color selector which selects, in accordance with the indication obtained by the indication obtainer, a plurality of candidate colors to be used for color control of the lighting device, from the image obtained by the image obtainer;

a candidate color adjuster which makes automatic-mode adjustment which is processing for determining a color reproducible by the lighting device, in accordance with a predetermined index and based on the plurality of candidate colors selected by the candidate color selector; and

a color controller which causes the lighting device to emit illumination light having the color determined by the candidate color adjuster, by controlling the lighting device.

2. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein

the candidate color selector further analyzes the image in selecting the plurality of candidate colors to be used for color control of the lighting device.

3. The lighting control device according to claim 2, wherein

the candidate color selector selects at least one of

(1) a color of an in-focus area of the image as one of the plurality of candidate colors if the image is a picture,

(2) a candidate color among the plurality of candidate colors by generating a distribution of colors in a color chart from the image and preferentially selecting a color that frequently appears in the generated distribution, and

(3) a predetermined distinctive color, as one of the plurality of candidate colors, from among one or more colors obtained by extracting one or more areas from the image.

4. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein

the candidate color adjuster makes the automatic-mode adjustment by at least one of

(1) preferentially selecting a candidate color close to a blackbody locus from among the plurality of candidate colors,

(2) preferentially selecting a plurality of candidate colors having a small color difference in a color chart, from among the plurality of candidate colors if the lighting control device controls a plurality of lighting devices,

(3) obtaining an indication about a mood which the operator prefers via the indication obtainer, and selecting a predetermined color associated with the obtained indication from among the plurality of candidate colors,

(4) obtaining, if the image is a picture, information on an object captured in the image via the indication obtainer, and selecting a predetermined color associated with the obtained indication from among the plurality of candidate colors, and

(5) preferentially selecting a candidate color having a predetermined color for a current time, from among the plurality of candidate colors.

5. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein

the candidate color adjuster further makes manual-mode adjustment to the plurality of candidate colors selected by the candidate color selector, the manual-mode adjustment being processing for determining a color reproducible by the lighting device in accordance with the indication obtained by the indication obtainer.

6. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein

the lighting control device controls a plurality of lighting devices, and

the candidate color adjuster determines a plurality of colors by making the automatic-mode adjustment, and assigns the plurality of colors to the plurality of lighting devices in correspondence with spatial positions of candidate colors in the image which correspond to the plurality of colors.

7. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein

the color controller generates an image showing a state where the lighting device is emitting illumination light having the color determined by the candidate color adjuster or a color assigned by the candidate color adjuster, and displays the generated image on a screen of the mobile terminal.

8. A lighting control method for controlling a lighting device using a mobile terminal, the lighting control method comprising:

(a) obtaining an image;

(b) obtaining an indication from an operator; and

(c) controlling the lighting device,

wherein step (c) includes;

(c-i) selecting, in accordance with the indication obtained in step (b), a plurality of candidate colors to be used for color control of the lighting device, from the image obtained in step (a);

(c-ii) making automatic-mode adjustment which is processing for determining a color reproducible by the lighting device, in accordance with a predetermined index and based on the plurality of candidate colors selected in step (c-i); and

(c-iii) causing the lighting device to emit illumination light having the color determined in step (c-ii), by controlling the lighting device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for controlling a lighting device using a mobile terminal, the program including the lighting control method according to claim 8.