Control of a lighting system

• US 9,961,747 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Lighting BV (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Sandeep Shankaran, Pandharipande, Ashish Vijay
• Primary Examiner(s): Tan, Vibol
• Application Number:
  US14/913,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20160205746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 315291-311, 340 224, 340825, 34082506, 34082569, 340538
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/14 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/1965 using handheld communication devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a lighting system which can be controlled from a wireless device in dependence on complying with an access rule that the wireless device is determined to be within in a spatial region associated with the lighting system. The disclosure provides apparatus for securing against the lighting system being controlled from a device located outside the relevant region via a rogue relay device located in that region. The apparatus comprises a user location module configured to determine user location information indicative of whether a user is accompanying the wireless device in the region associated with the lighting system, and an access module which is configured with a further access rule: that it does not allow the control of the lighting system by the wireless device if the user location information is indicative of the wireless device being unaccompanied by a user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in a lighting system, the apparatus comprising:

a device location module configured to determine device location information relating to a location of a wireless device;

a user location module configured to determine user location information indicative of whether a user is accompanying the wireless device in a spatial region associated with the lighting system; and

an access module configured to allow the wireless device to control the lighting system in dependence on a plurality of access rules, the access rules comprising at least that;

(i) the allowance is conditional on the wireless device being determined, based on said device location information, to be within said spatial region associated with the lighting system, and (ii) said allowance will be withheld in response to determining that said user location information is indicative of the wireless device being unaccompanied by a user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user location module is configured to determine said user location information based on an input from at least one presence sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one presence sensor is an occupancy sensor and said user location information indicates whether or not any user is located in said region, and wherein said determination that the wireless device is unaccompanied comprises detecting that no user is present in said region.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one presence sensor is a position sensor and said user location information comprises a position of a user within said region, wherein the device location information comprises a position of the wireless device within said region, and wherein said determination that the wireless device is unaccompanied comprises detecting that the user is not located at a same position within said region as the wireless device.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the presence sensor comprises a motion sensor and said user location information indicates whether or not motion is detected in said region, and wherein said determination that the wireless device is unaccompanied comprises detecting lack of motion in said region.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the access module is configured to issue a challenge into the region associated with the lighting system;

said user location information comprises return of a response to said challenge demonstrating a human to be present in said region, or a lack of the response indicating that a human is not present, the challenge being understandable to a human but not recognized automatically by the wireless device and/or the response comprising a physical action that is not performed automatically by the wireless device; and

wherein said determination that the wireless device is unaccompanied comprises detecting the lack of said response.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user location module comprises a timer and an input from the device location module, wherein the user location information comprises a time for which the wireless device has remained in said region, and wherein said determination that the wireless device is unaccompanied comprises determining that the wireless device has remained in the region beyond a length of time such that a user is assumed not to be accompanying the wireless device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user location information comprises information on anomalous behavior not consistent with a user located within said region, and wherein said determination that the wireless device is unaccompanied comprises detecting the anomalous behavior.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said spatial region comprises a region illuminated by the lighting system, or is comprised by a region illuminated by the lighting system.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device location module is configured to determine the device location information from one or more fixed anchor nodes of a location network.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device location module is configured to determine the device location information from an indoor positioning system.

12. A controller comprising the apparatus according to claim 1, and a control module configured to enact said control by operating one or more luminaires of the lighting system based on control signals from the wireless user device, if the control is allowed by the access module.

13. A lighting system comprising the controller of claim 12 and the one or more luminaires.

14. A lighting system comprising:

one or more luminaires;

a control module for controlling the lighting system by operating the one or more luminaires;

a device location module configured to determine device location relating to a location of a wireless device;

a user location module configured to determine user location information indicative of whether a user is accompanying the wireless device in a spatial region associated with the lighting system;

an access module configured to allow the wireless device to control the lighting system in dependence on a plurality of access rules, the access rules comprising at least that;

(i) the allowance is conditional on the wireless device being determined, based on said device location, to be within said spatial region associated with the lighting system, and (ii) said allowance will be withheld in response to determining that said user location information is indicative of the wireless device being unaccompanied by a user.

15. A computer program product for securing control of a lighting system, the computer program product comprising code embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and configured so as when executed on a processor to perform operations of:

determining device location relating to a location of a wireless device;

determining user location information indicative of whether a user is accompanying the wireless device in a spatial region associated with the lighting system; and

allowing the wireless device to control the lighting system in dependence on a plurality of access rules, the access rules comprising at least that;

(i) the allowance is conditional on the wireless device being determined, based on said device location, to be within said region, and (ii) said allowance will be withheld in response to determining that said user location information is indicative of the wireless device being unaccompanied by a user.