Intelligent lighting network for generating light avatars

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9572227-B2
Application number	US-201214128784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2012
Priority date	Jun 29, 2011
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed is an intelligent lighting network for facilitating operation of a lighting system including at least one controllable light source and configured to generate light representing light avatars uniquely associated one or more users of a plurality of users. The light avatar is a light pattern suitable to represent the user and/or convey information about the user to other users.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lighting network for facilitating operation of a lighting system comprising at least one light source and configured to generate light forming light avatars associated with a plurality of users, the network comprising:
a memory for storing identifiers respectively uniquely associated with the plurality of users, wherein the memory stores sets of parameters uniquely describing respectively said plurality of users and stores data characteristically representing the light avatars for the plurality of users;
an executive module configured to, in response to detection of identifiers of first and second users of said plurality of users, retrieve from the memory respective first and second sets of parameters of said sets of parameters that are respectively associated with said first and second users based on the identifiers of the first and second users, and data characteristically representing at least one light avatar uniquely associated with the first user, and to generate, based on the retrieved data, a control signal for controlling output settings of the at least one light source to generate the at least one light avatar, wherein the executive module is configured to generate the control signal based on a comparison between the first set and the second set of parameters; and
at least one processor configured to execute the executive module, such that, during the operation of the lighting system, at least a portion of the light generated by the at least one light source forms the at least one light avatar based on the control signal.

2. The lighting network of claim 1 , further comprising an awareness module for supplying the identifiers of the first and second users to the executive module.

3. The lighting network of claim 2 , wherein the awareness module includes a sensor unit for detecting the identifiers of the first and second users.

4. The lighting network of claim 2 , wherein the awareness module includes a location unit for determining a location of the first user in an environment, and wherein the executive module controls the light source to generate the at least one light avatar into a viewing location associated with the location of the first user.

5. The lighting network of claim 1 , wherein the executive module controls the at least one light source to generate the at least one light avatar.

6. A lighting network for generating light forming light avatars of a plurality of users, comprising:
an awareness module for detecting an identifier for each of the plurality of users;
at least one light source having controllable output settings; and
an executive module in communication with the awareness module, with the at least one light source and with a memory for storing identifiers respectively uniquely associated with the plurality of users, wherein the memory stores sets of parameters uniquely describing respectively said plurality of users and stores data characteristically representing the light avatars for the plurality of users, wherein the executive module, in response to detection of identifiers of first and second users of said plurality of users, receives the identifiers of the first and second users from the awareness module, retrieves from the memory respective first and second sets of parameters of said sets of parameters that are respectively associated with said first and second users based on the identifiers of the first and second users, and the data characteristically representing at least one light avatar uniquely associated with the first user based on the identifier for the first user, and generates a control signal for controlling the output settings of the at least one light source to generate the at least one light avatar according to the retrieved data, and wherein the executive module is configured to generate the control signal based on a comparison between the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters; and
at least one processor configured to execute the executive module, such that, during operation of the lighting system, at least a portion of the light generated by the at least one light source forms the at least one light avatar based on the control signal.

7. The lighting network of claim 6 , wherein the awareness module determines a location of the first user, and wherein the executive module controls the light source to direct the portion of the light forming the at least one light avatar toward the location of the first user.

8. The lighting network of claim 7 , wherein the awareness module is configured to track a motion of the first user, and wherein the executive module is configured to redirect the portion of the light forming the at least one light avatar based on the motion.

9. The lighting network of claim 6 , wherein the at least one light source is configured to generate the light into an environment partitioned into a set viewing locations associated with a set of locations of the plurality of users, wherein the awareness module determines a location of the first user in the environment, and wherein the executive module controls the light source to generate the at least one light avatar at the viewing location associated with the location of the first user.

10. The lighting network of claim 6 , wherein the control signal is suitable to individually control pixels generated by the lighting source.

11. The lighting network of claim 6 , wherein the memory associates the first set of parameters with the identifier for the first user, and wherein the executive module controls the at least one light avatar of the first user according to the first set of parameters.

12. The lighting network of claim 11 , wherein the memory associates the second set of parameters with the identifier of the second user.

13. The lighting network of claim 12 , wherein the executive module is configured to modify the portion of the light forming the at least one light avatar in response to a change in at least one of the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters.

14. The lighting network of claim 6 , wherein the executive module is configured to change the output settings of the light source in response to a change in a location of the first user.

15. The lighting network of claim 1 , wherein the at least one light avatar is at least one first light avatar, and wherein the execution module is configured to control said at least one light source such that said at least one first light avatar is formed closer to said second user than said first user and such that at least one second light avatar associated in said memory with said second user is formed closer to said first user than said second user.

16. The lighting network of claim 15 , wherein the execution module is configured to implement the formation of the at least one first light avatar and the at least one second light avatar in response to determining that said first set of parameters matches said second set of parameters.

17. The lighting network of claim 6 , wherein the at least one light avatar is at least one first light avatar, and wherein the execution module is configured to control said at least one light source such that said at least one first light avatar is formed closer to said second user than said first user and such that at least one second light avatar associated in said memory with said second user is formed closer to said first user than said second user.

18. The lighting network of claim 17 , wherein the execution module is configured to implement the formation of the at least one first light avatar and the

Assignees

• Loveland Damien Gerard
• Vermeulen Arend Jan Wilhelmus Abraham
• Ketelaars Aloysius Cornelis Arnoldus Maria
• Ashdown Ian Edward
• Hultermans Martijn Marius
• Philips Lighting Holding Bv

Inventors

• Loveland Damien Gerard
• Vermeulen Arend Jan Wilhelmus Abraham
• Ketelaars Aloysius Cornelis Arnoldus Maria
• Ashdown Ian Edward
• Hultermans Martijn Marius

Classifications

• H05B37/0227

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05B37/02 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02B20/48

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H05B47/115 Primary

  by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings · CPC title

• Y02B20/40

  Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection · CPC title