Method for controlling communications terminal and program

• US 9,516,726 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Kento, Tanigawa, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DON P
• Application Number:
  US14/470,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20150069915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 315/291
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 19/02 by electric lamps
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times
• 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 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A method for controlling a communications terminal is provided. The method includes causing a computer included in the communications terminal to store first illumination setting information and second illumination setting information in the memory; causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, at a certain illumination start time at which the illumination device is to be turned on, a first control signal corresponding to the first illumination setting information to the illumination device such that the illumination device is set to the first illumination state; and causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, in a case where the sensor senses a motion of the communications terminal after the certain illumination start time has passed, a second control signal corresponding to the second illumination setting information to the illumination device such that the illumination device is set to the second illumination state.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a communications terminal that remotely controls an illumination device via a network, the method comprising:

causing a computer of the communications terminal to store first illumination setting information and second illumination setting information in a memory provided in the communications terminal, the first illumination setting information being used to light the illumination device with a first illumination state, the second illumination setting information being used to light the illumination device with a second illumination state different from the first illumination state;

causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, at a certain illumination start time at which the illumination device is to be turned on, a first control signal corresponding to the first illumination setting information to the illumination device via the network in order to light the illumination device with the first illumination state; and

causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, in a case where a sensor provided in the communications terminal senses a motion of the communications terminal after the certain illumination start time, a second control signal corresponding to the second illumination setting information to the illumination device via the network in order to light the illumination device with the second illumination state,

wherein the certain illumination start time is within a predetermined time from an expected wake-up time of a user of the communications terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, in a case where the sensor senses the motion of the communications terminal before the certain illumination start time, the second control signal to the illumination device via the network.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second control signal that is transmitted in the case where the sensor senses the motion of the communications terminal after the certain illumination start time is identical to the second control signal that is transmitted in the case where the sensor senses the motion of the communications terminal before the certain illumination start time.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second control signal that is transmitted in the case where the sensor senses the motion of the communications terminal after the certain illumination start time is different from the second control signal that is transmitted in the case where the sensor senses the motion of the communications terminal before the certain illumination start time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first illumination setting information and the second illumination setting information each represent an illuminance of light emitted by the illumination device, and a second illuminance represented by the second illumination state is higher than a first illuminance represented by the first illumination state.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first illumination setting information and the second illumination setting information each represent a color of light emitted by the illumination device, and a first color represented by the first illumination state is different from a second color represented by the second illumination state.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first illumination setting information and the second illumination setting information each represent a lighting pattern of light emitted by the illumination device, and a first lighting pattern represented by the first illumination state is different from a second lighting pattern represented by the second illumination state.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, in a case where the communications terminal senses receipt of something before the certain illumination start time, the second control signal to the illumination device via the network in order to light the illumination device with the second illuminance.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein

the communications terminal includes a message application or a telephone application installed therein, and

the receipt of something is receipt of a message using the message application or receipt of a call using the telephone application.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to store alarm setting information representing a time at which an alarm is to be output in the memory;

causing the computer of the communications terminal to determine, in a case where the communications terminal receives meteorological information, the alarm setting information on the basis of the received meteorological information; and

causing the computer of the communications terminal to determine the illumination start time on the basis of the alarm setting information.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to store alarm setting information representing a time at which an alarm is to be output in the memory; and

causing the computer of the communications terminal to determine, in a case where the communications terminal receives schedule information representing a schedule of a user of the communications terminal, the alarm setting information on the basis of the received schedule information.

12. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to determine, in a case where the communications terminal receives power usage information representing power usage in a certain area in which the illumination device is provided or electricity fee information representing electricity fees in individual certain time slots in the certain area, a range of the second illuminance settable in the communications terminal, on the basis of the received power usage information or electricity fee information.

13. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to determine, in a case where the communications terminal receives power usage information representing power usage in a certain area in which the illumination device is provided or electricity fee information representing electricity fees in individual certain time slots in the certain area, a range of a wavelength corresponding to the second color and settable in the communications terminal, on the basis of the received power usage information or electricity fee information.

14. The method according to claim 5,

the communications terminal including a measurement device that measures an illuminance of light emitted by the illumination device,

the method further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to determine a range of the second illuminance settable in the communications terminal, on the basis of the illuminance measured by the measurement device.

15. The method according to claim 6,

the communications terminal including a measurement device that measures an illuminance of light emitted by the illumination device,

the method further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to determine a range of a wavelength corresponding to the second color and settable in the communications terminal, on the basis of the illuminance measured by the measurement device.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to, in a case where the communications terminal receives meteorological information, determine a setting value of at least one of an illuminance, a wavelength, and a lighting pattern included in the second illumination setting information on the basis of the received meteorological information.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to judge, in a case where the communications terminal receives earthquake information indicating that an earthquake has occurred, whether the motion of the communications terminal is due to a user or the earthquake on the basis of the received earthquake information; and

causing the computer of the communications terminal to change, in a case where it is judged that the motion of the communications terminal is due to the earthquake, a setting value of at least one of an illuminance, a wavelength, and a lighting pattern included in the second illumination setting information to a specific setting value indicating that the earthquake has occurred, and transmit the second control signal to the illumination device.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to store third illumination setting information in the memory, the third illumination setting information being used to light the illumination device with a third illumination state in a space after the earthquake has occurred,

the third illumination setting information including a setting value of at least one of an illuminance, a wavelength, and a lighting pattern of the illumination device; and

causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, in a case where another motion of the communications terminal is sensed after it is judged that the motion of the communications terminal is due to the earthquake, a third control signal corresponding to the third illumination setting information to the illumination device in order to light the illumination device with the third illumination state.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

causing the computer of the communications terminal to store fourth illumination setting information in the memory, the fourth illumination setting information being used to light the illumination device with a fourth illumination state in a space when a user goes to bed,

the fourth illumination setting information including a setting value of at least one of an illuminance, a wavelength, and a lighting pattern of the illumination device;

causing the computer of the communications terminal to determine a recommended bedtime of the user on a basis of log information representing a history of times at which the motion of the communications terminal was sensed; and

causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit a fourth control signal corresponding to the fourth illumination setting information to the illumination device in order to light the illumination device with the fourth illumination state when a current time becomes the recommended bedtime.

20. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium on which a program is recorded, the program being executed in a communications terminal that controls an illumination device remotely via a network, the program causing a computer of the communications terminal to:

store first illumination setting information and second illumination setting information in a memory provided in the communications terminal, the first illumination setting information being used to light the illumination device with a first illumination state, the second illumination setting information being used to light the illumination device with a second illumination state different from the first illumination state;

transmit, at a certain illumination start time at which the illumination device is to be turned on, a first control signal corresponding to the first illumination setting information to the illumination device via the network in order to light the illumination device with the first illumination state; and

transmit, in a case where a sensor provided in the communications terminal senses a motion of the communications terminal after the certain illumination start time, a second control signal corresponding to the second illumination setting information to the illumination device via the network in order to light the illumination device with the second illumination state,

wherein the certain illumination start time is within a predetermined time from an expected wake-up time of a user of the communications terminal.

21. An illumination control system including an illumination device and a communications terminal that remotely controls the illumination device via a network, wherein

the communications terminal includes a controller, a memory, and a sensor that senses a motion of the communications terminal,

the memory stores first illumination setting information and second illumination setting information, the first illumination setting information being used to light the illumination device with a first illumination state, the second illumination setting information being used to light the illumination device with a second illumination state different from the first illumination state,

at a certain illumination start time at which the illumination device is to be turned on, the controller of the communications terminal transmits a first control signal corresponding to the first illumination setting information to the illumination device via the network, and, in a case where the sensor senses the motion of the communications terminal after the certain illumination start time, the controller of the communications terminal transmits a second control signal corresponding to the second illumination setting information to the illumination device via the network, and

the illumination device lights up in the first illumination state upon receipt of the first control signal, and lights up in the second illumination state upon receipt of the second control signal,

wherein the certain illumination start time is within a predetermined time from an expected wake-up time of a user of the communications terminal.

22. An illumination device connected to the illumination control system according to claim 21.

23. A method for controlling a communications terminal that remotely controls an illumination device via a network, the method comprising:

causing a computer of the communications terminal to store first illumination setting information and second illumination setting information in a memory provided in the communications terminal, the first illumination setting information being used to light an illuminance of light emitted by the illumination device with a first illuminance, the second illumination setting information being used to light the illuminance of the light emitted by the illumination device with a second illuminance higher than the first illuminance;

causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, at a certain illumination start time at which the illumination device is to be turned on, a first control signal corresponding to the first illumination setting information to the illumination device via the network and light the illumination device with the first illuminance; and

causing the computer of the communications terminal to transmit, in a case where a sensor provided in the communications terminal senses a motion of the communications terminal after the certain illumination start time, a second control signal corresponding to the second illumination setting information to the illumination device via the network and change the illuminance of the light emitted by the illumination device from the first illuminance to the second illuminance,

wherein the certain illumination start time is before a predetermined time from an expected wake-up time of a user of the communications terminal or is after the predetermined time from the expected wake-up time.