Task light based system and gesture control

• US 9,622,322 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liao, Miao, Feng, Xiao-Fan, Chen, Xu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunphy, David F
• Application Number:
  US14/138,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20150181679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A system that determines the task of the viewer and/or gestures made by the user. Based upon the determined task and/or the gestures, the lighting provided to the viewer may be modified.

Claims

1. A method for modifying the illumination of a lighting system comprising:

(a) sensing a set of images using an image capture device focused on a region of interest in the vicinity of a viewer and showing a computer device;

(b) discriminating a semantic meaning of said viewer'"'"'s task between (1) at least one of reading and writing in said region of interest and (2) using a keyboard of said computer, based on a detection of a location of a hand of said viewer relative to said computer device;

(c) selectively modifying said illumination in a different manner, in response to said discriminating said semantic meaning of said task of said viewer as one of (1) said at least one of reading and writing in said region of interest, and (2) said using said keyboard of said computer.

2. The method of claim 1 including the steps of:

(a) discriminating a shape of said hand to identify a gesture of said hand;

(b) in response to an identified said gesture, selectively further modifying said illumination.

3. The method of claim 2 including the step of changing from an automatic mode to a manual mode.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein changing from said automatic mode to said manual mode is based upon said gesture.

5. The method of claim 4 including the step of changing from said manual mode to said automatic mode based upon discriminating a task.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said discriminated said shape of said hand is a hand with all fingers curled except for the thumb and index finger, which are extended.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said discriminated said shape of said hand is a “

5 Finger Gesture”

of one said hand.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein said discriminated said shape of said hand is a sliding hand with all fingers curled except for the thumb and index finger, which are extended.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein said discriminated said shape of said hand is a pair of “

5 Finger Gesture”

of two of said hand.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said selective modifying said illumination is based upon a previous illumination of said lighting system.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said region of interest is defined by said viewer.

12. The method of claim 1 including the step of identifying a temporal interval over which a candidate for the hand of said viewer does not move.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said detection of a location of said viewer'"'"'s hand is based upon skin color detection and motion detection.

14. The method of claim 13 including the step of using at least one template to track said location of said viewer'"'"'s hand across multiple frames.

15. The method of claim 1 including the step of tracking the motion of said viewer'"'"'s body when said hand is not detected, and further discriminating a semantic meaning of said viewer'"'"'s task when said motion exceeds a threshold motion.

16. The method of claim 15 including the step of initiating a timer when the semantic meaning of said viewer'"'"'s task can no longer be discriminated, and adjusting said illumination when said timer reaches a threshold time.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said timer is canceled if the semantic meaning of said viewer'"'"'s task is discriminated prior to said threshold being reached.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising in response to said discriminating said semantic meaning of said task of said viewer and further based upon a temporal factor selectively modifying said spectra.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said temporal factor is a time of day.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein an earlier said time of day uses an increased correlated color temperature.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein a later time of day uses a decreased said correlated color temperature.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein said modifying said spectra is based upon using a multi phosphor lighting system.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said multi phosphor lighting system includes using a blue light source and two other phosphors.

24. A method for modifying the illumination of a lighting system comprising:

(a) sensing a set of images of a region of interest in the vicinity of a viewer;

(b) discriminating a semantic meaning of a viewer'"'"'s task in said region of interest between (1) at least one of reading and writing and (2) using a computer;

(c) in response to said discriminating said semantic meaning of said task of said viewer selectively modifying said illumination;

(d) wherein said semantic meaning is said viewer reading a menu;

(e) wherein said semantic meaning is based upon sensing reflective material on said menu.