Performance lighting and control method

• US 9,781,801 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoss, Shawn P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US14/148,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19691 Signalling events for better perception by user, e.g. indicating alarms by making display brighter, adding text, creating a sound
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/04 Monitoring of the detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means

Abstract

The lighting coordinator of an information handling system may associate quantitative values of a state parameter that describes a state of operation of a component of the information handling system with lighting effects. The lighting effect associated with a quantitative value may be indicative of a range of the quantitative value. The lighting coordinator may receive a signal indicative of a quantitative value of the state parameter and may transmit control signals to generate the lighting effect associated with the quantitative value of the state parameter. The lighting coordinator may receive user input to configure the association of quantitative values of the state parameter with the lighting effects. The lighting coordinator may also represent an attribute of a character or other aspect of a video game by another lighting effect. The components may include a CPU and GPU.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating, via a lighting coordinator of an information handling system having a central processor, a memory, and a graphics interface, a range of quantitative values of a measured parameter that describes a state of operation of a component of the information handling system with a range of lighting effects of a lighting unit of the information handling system in a table, wherein the state of operation of the component of the information handling system includes an operating data load, a transmitted data load, a power draw, or a temperature level relevant to a current activity of the information handling system;

receiving a signal indicative of a quantitative value of the measured parameter by the lighting coordinator from the component;

transmitting to the lighting unit on the information handling system control signals to generate a lighting effect associated with the quantitative value of the measured parameter within the range of quantitative values, wherein the lighting effect associated with the quantitative values changes within the range of lighting effects in correlation to changes in the quantitative value; and

generating, via a controller, the lighting effect by the lighting unit in response to the control signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting effect changes within the range of lighting effects in correlation to changes in the quantitative value within the associated range of quantitative values comprises varying the intensity of the lighting unit with a range of intensities based upon the quantitative values of the measured parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting effect changes in correlation to changes in the quantitative value comprises morphing the lighting unit based upon the quantitative values of the measured parameter, wherein:

the morphing comprises cycling between two designated colors on the lighting unit within the range of lighting effects between the two designated colors; and

the associating includes selecting the two designated colors and selecting a rate of cycling to indicate a measured parameter level for the state of operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting effect changes within the range of lighting effects in correlation to changes in the quantitative value comprises a pulsing of the lighting unit with a quantitative value of the measured parameter, including varying a rate of the pulsing within a range of pulsing rates.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the lighting unit includes a light tube and two light-emitting diodes (LEDs), one LED at each end of the light tube; and

the lighting effect changes within the range of lighting effects in correlation to changes in the quantitative value comprises a transitioning of the lighting unit with a quantitative value of the measured parameter, wherein the transitioning includes a display of a color at one of the LEDs at a first end of the light tube, a range of diffusion of the color through the light tube until it reaches the other end, and a display of the color at the LED at the other end.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input from a user to configure the association of quantitative values of the measured parameter with the lighting effects.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the input comprises a selection by the user of a package of lighting effects from a plurality of packages of lighting effects.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing a video game on the information handling system; and

associating an attribute of the video game with another lighting effect.

9. An information handling system comprising:

an operational indicator lighting unit;

a plurality of components including a central processor and a graphics processing unit (GPU);

a lighting coordinator to associate quantitative values of a measured parameter measured within a range of quantitative values of the measured parameter that describes a state of operation of a component of the information handling system with a range of lighting effects of the operational indicator lighting unit, wherein the state of operation of the component of the information handling system includes an operating data load, a transmitted data load, a power draw, or a temperature level relevant to a current activity of the information handling system;

the lighting coordinator to receive from the component a signal indicative of a quantitative value of the measured parameter;

the lighting coordinator to transmit control signals to the operational indicator lighting unit to generate the lighting effect within the range of lighting effects associated with the quantitative value of the measured parameter, wherein the lighting effect associated with the quantitative values within the range of quantitative values of the measured parameter changes in correlation to changes in the quantitative value; and

the operational indicator lighting unit to display the lighting effect in response to the control signals.

10. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the measured parameter comprises a processor power draw, a processor temperature, an indication of processor throttling, a percentage processor utilization, or an amount of utilization of the processor.

11. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the measured parameter comprises a GPU power draw, a GPU temperature, an indication of GPU throttling, a percentage GPU utilization, or an amount of utilization of the GPU.

12. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the measured parameter comprises a frame rate.

13. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein:

the operational indicator lighting unit includes a light tube and two light-emitting diodes (LEDs), one LED at each end of the light tube; and

the lighting effect includes a display of a color at one of the LEDs at a first end of the light tube, a diffusion of the color through the light tube until it reaches the other end, and a display of the color at the LED at the other end.

14. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein a triangle shape is created on a case of the information handling system by a cut-out of the case, the triangle including three lighting units, wherein at least one of the lighting units is the operational indicator lighting unit.

15. The information handling system of claim 9, comprising a plurality of operational indicator lighting units including the operational indicator lighting unit, wherein:

the plurality of operational indicator lighting units are divided into zones; and

for each zone, the lighting coordinator associates quantitative values of a measured parameter that describes a state of operation of a different component of the information handling system with lighting effects of the operational indicator lighting units of the zone.

16. An information handling system comprising:

an operational indicator lighting unit;

a plurality of components including a processor and a graphics processing unit (GPU);

a lighting coordinator to associate quantitative values of a measured parameter within a range of quantitative values of the measured parameter that describes a state of operation of the GPU with lighting effects of the operational indicator lighting unit within a range of lighting effects, wherein the state of operation of the GPU includes an operating data load, a transmitted data load, a power draw, or a temperature level relevant to a current activity of the GPU;

the lighting coordinator to receive from the GPU a signal indicative of a quantitative value of the measured parameter; and

the lighting coordinator to transmit control signals to the operational indicator lighting unit to generate the lighting effect within the range of lighting effects associated with the quantitative value of the measured parameter, wherein the lighting effect associated with the quantitative values within the range of quantitative values of the measured parameter changes in correlation to changes in the quantitative value; and

the operational indicator lighting unit to display the lighting effect in response to the control signals.

17. The information handling system of claim 16, wherein:

the measured parameter comprises a power draw, an ambient temperature, a percentage or amount of utilization, or a frame rate of the GPU; and

the operational indicator lighting unit is to generate dynamic lighting effects in response to the control signals, thereby indicating a range of quantitative values of the measured parameter.

18. The information handling system of claim 16, further comprising:

a plurality of operational indicator lighting units, wherein the operational indicator lighting units are divided into zones; and

a user interface to receive input from a user to configure, for each zone, an association of a lighting effect for the zone with quantitative values of a measured parameter for a component of the information handling systems.

19. The information handling system of claim 16, wherein the information handling system further comprises a video game indicator lighting unit to associate an attribute of a video game with lighting effects produced by the video game indicator lighting unit.

20. The information handling system of claim 18, wherein:

the information handling systems further comprises a plurality of operational indicator lighting units; and

the lighting coordinator further comprises a plurality of drivers to transmit the control signals to the plurality of operational indicator lighting units.