Directional lighting system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9198262-B1
Application number	US-201514720180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 22, 2015
Priority date	May 22, 2014
Publication date	Nov 24, 2015
Grant date	Nov 24, 2015

Abstract

The method of spatial lightbulb operation includes determining the position of the lightbulb relative to a physical space, detecting a contextual event, determining a spatial lighting pattern associated with the contextual event, and selectively controlling lightbulb light emitting elements based on the position of the lightbulb and the spatial lighting pattern. A lightbulb including: a plurality of individually controlled light emitting elements mounted in fixed, predetermined positions on the substrate; a light sensor mounted to the substrate; a wireless communication module; and a processor configured to: index each light emitting element; progress each of the plurality of light emitting elements through an orientation pattern; associate a reference point on the lightbulb with an external reference point; and selectively operate individual light emitting elements of the plurality according to lighting instructions, based on a relationship between the reference point on the lightbulb and the external reference point.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for spatial orientation determination for a lightbulb, the lightbulb including a plurality of indexed light emitting elements, the method comprising:
progressing the lightbulb through an orientation pattern, comprising:
sequentially transitioning individual light emitting elements of the lightbulb from a low emission mode, to a high emission mode, to the low emission mode, wherein each light emitting element is fixed at an angular light emitting element position on the lightbulb and is associated with a light emitting element identifier;
recording an origination timestamp for each light emitting element identifier during lightbulb progression through the orientation pattern, each timestamp corresponding to operation of the respective light emitting element in the high emission mode;

receiving, from an external device, data associated with measurements of light emitted by the lightbulb during lightbulb progression through the orientation pattern, wherein each measurement is associated with a recordation timestamp;
identifying the light emitting element identifier corresponding to an origination timestamp, the origination timestamp within a threshold time duration of a recordation timestamp, the recordation timestamp corresponding to a brightest light measurement as determined from the data; and
storing the light emitting element identifier in association with an identifier for the external device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving data from the external device comprises receiving data at the lightbulb through a local area network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lightbulb automatically controls lightbulb progression through the orientation pattern, identifies the light emitting element corresponding to the origination timestamp, and stores the light emitting element identifier.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a remote computing system receives the data from the external device and determines the recordation timestamp corresponding to the brightest light measurement from the data, wherein the remote computing system sends the recordation timestamp to the lightbulb.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data comprises incident light intensity measurements.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the external device comprises a second lightbulb, the second lightbulb comprising a plurality of individually controllable light emitting elements and an ambient light sensor, wherein the method further comprises:
operating all light emitting elements of the second lightbulb in the low emission mode concurrently with first lightbulb progression through the orientation pattern;
recording incident light, emitted by the first lightbulb, at a plurality of timestamps by the second lightbulb concurrently with first lightbulb progression through the orientation pattern;
determining the origination timestamp corresponding to a brightest incident light recorded by the second lightbulb prior to identification of the light emitting element corresponding to the origination timestamp; and
wherein storing the light emitting element identifier in association with an identifier for the external device comprises: associating the second lightbulb with an angular position on the first lightbulb, the angular position corresponding to an angular position of a first light emitting element of the first lightbulb, wherein the first light emitting element is identified by the light emitting element identifier associated with the high emission mode timestamp that substantially matches the origination timestamp.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second lightbulb comprises a plurality of light sensors arranged in known, fixed angular positions on the second lightbulb, wherein recording incident light by the second lightbulb comprises:
measuring incident light emitted by the first lightbulb at the plurality of light sensors; and
storing the incident light measurements in association with an identifier for the respective light sensor and a respective measurement timestamp; and

wherein the method further comprises:
identifying the light sensor that recorded with the brightest incident light;
associating the first lightbulb with an angular position of the identified light sensor.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
detecting a mobile device wirelessly connecting to the lightbulb;
identifying a spatial lighting pattern, comprising tracking the mobile device, that is associated with detecting the mobile device wirelessly connecting with the lightbulb, wherein tracking the mobile device comprises cooperatively identifying a mobile device position relative to the first and second lightbulbs; and
selectively controlling individual light emitting elements to direct light toward the mobile device position, based on the mobile device position and the angular light emitting element position corresponding to the stored light emitting element identifier.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein identifying a mobile device position relative to the first and second lightbulbs comprises: identifying a mobile device position relative to the first and second lightbulbs through trilateration, comprising:
emitting a first nonvisual signal from the first lightbulb;
emitting a second nonvisual signal from the second lightbulb;
detecting the first and second nonvisual signals at the mobile device;
determining the mobile device position based on the first and second nonvisual signals at the mobile device;
generating control instructions for the first and second lightbulbs based on the mobile device position; and
controlling the first and second lightbulbs based on the control instructions.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a contextual event;
identifying a spatial lighting pattern associated with the contextual event; and
selectively controlling individual light emitting elements based on the spatial lighting pattern and the angular light emitting element position corresponding to the stored light emitting element identifier.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein identifying the spatial lighting pattern comprises receiving the spatial lighting pattern from a remote computing system.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the spatial lighting pattern comprises high emissivity light directed away from the external device, wherein selectively controlling individual light emitting elements based on the spatial lighting pattern comprises operating the light emitting element physically opposing the identified light emitting element across the lightbulb in the high emission mode.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the external device comprises a connected home appliance, wherein detecting the contextual event comprises receiving a startup signal from the home appliance.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the identifier for the external device comprises a geographic location for the external device, wherein the spatial lighting pattern comprises directing light toward a second geographic location, wherein selectively controlling individual light emitting elements based on the spatial lighting pattern comprises:
identifying a second light emitting element of the lightbulb proximal the second geographic location, based on the position of the external device geographic location relative to the second geographic location; and
operating the second light emitting element based on lighting parameters specified by the spatial lighting pattern.

15. A method for lightbulb rotational orientation, comprising:
operating an individual light emitting element set in a high emission mode and

Assignees

• Lifi Labs Inc

Inventors

• Bosua Philip Anthony
• Alexander Marc

Classifications

• H05B45/14

  using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules · CPC title

• H05B47/18

  via data-bus transmission · CPC title

• H05B47/175

  by remote control · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• F21K9/235

  Details of bases or caps, i.e. the parts that connect the light source to a fitting; Arrangement of components within bases or caps (F21K9/238 takes precedence) · CPC title