Flexible room controls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9772720-B2
Application number	US-201615181422-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2016
Priority date	Feb 14, 2013
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

Control apparatus includes an optical subsystem, which is configured to direct first light toward a scene that includes a hand of a user in proximity to a wall of a room and to receive the first light that is reflected from the scene, and to direct second light toward the wall so as to project an image of a control device onto the wall. A processor is configured to control the optical subsystem so as to generate, responsively to the received first light, a depth map of the scene, to process the depth map so as to detect a proximity of the hand to the wall in a location of the projected image, and to control electrical equipment in the room responsively to the proximity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Control apparatus, comprising:
a first light source, which is configured to emit a first beam of infrared light;
a second light source, which is configured to emit a second beam of visible light;
an optical scanner, comprising at least one scanning mirror, which is configured to scan both the first and second beams over a scene that includes a hand of a user in proximity to a wall of a room;
a detector, which is configured to receive the infrared light that is reflected from the scene; and
a processor, which is configured to control the second light source so as to project an image of a control device onto the wall, and to generate, responsively to the infrared light received by the detector, a depth map of the scene, to process the depth map so as to detect a proximity of the hand to the wall in a location of the projected image, and to control electrical equipment in the room responsively to the proximity.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to detect a contact by the hand with the wall by processing the depth map and to control the electrical equipment responsively to the detected contact.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured, responsively to a gesture made by the hand while in proximity to the wall in the location of the projected image, to modify an appearance of the image of the control device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured, responsively to a gesture made by the hand while in proximity to the wall in the location of the projected image, to modify the location at which the image of the control device is projected.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured, responsively to an input by the user, to add and project a further control device in a new location on the wall.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first light source is configured to emit the infrared light as a train of pulses, and the detector is configured to detect a time of flight of the pulses that are reflected from the scene, and wherein the processor is configured to generate the depth map based on time-of-flight data received from the detector.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one scanning mirror comprises a scanning mirror that is configured to scan both the first beam and the second beam over the scene simultaneously.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one scanning mirror comprises a first scanning mirror, which is configured to scan the first beam over the scene, and a second scanning mirror, which is configured to scan the second beam over the scene.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical scanner is configured to direct the infrared light that is reflected from scene onto the detector.

10. A method for controlling electrical equipment, comprising:
generating a first beam of infrared light and a second beam of visible light;
optically scanning both the first and second beams over a scene that includes a hand of a user in proximity to a wall of a room, by reflecting the first beam and the second beam from at least one scanning mirror;
receiving the infrared light that is reflected from the scene;
generating, responsively to the received infrared reflected light, a depth map of the scene;
controlling the first beam of visible light while scanning the first and second beams so as to project an image of a control device onto the wall;
processing the depth map so as to detect a proximity of the hand to the wall in a location of the projected image; and
controlling electrical equipment in the room responsively to the proximity.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein processing the depth map comprises detecting a contact by the hand with the wall, wherein the electrical equipment is controlled responsively to the detected contact.

12. The method according to claim 10 , and comprising modifying an appearance of the image of the control device responsively to a gesture made by the hand while in proximity to the wall.

13. The method according to claim 10 , and comprising modifying the location at which the image of the control device is projected responsively to a gesture made by the hand while in proximity to the wall.

14. The method according to claim 10 , and comprising adding and projecting a further control device in a new location on the wall responsively to an input by the user.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein generating the first beam of infrared light comprises generating a train of pulses, and wherein receiving the reflected infrared light comprises detecting a time of flight of the pulses that are reflected from the scene, and wherein generating the depth map comprises processing the time of flight of the pulses to derive depth data.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein reflecting the first beam and the second beam from the at least one scanning mirror comprises reflecting the first beam and the second beam from a scanning mirror that scans both the infrared light and the visible light over the scene simultaneously.

17. The method according to claim 10 , wherein reflecting the first beam and the second beam from the at least one scanning mirror comprises reflecting the first beam from a first scanning mirror, which is configured to scan the first beam over the scene, and reflecting the second beam from a second scanning mirror, which is configured to scan the second beam over the scene.

18. The method according to claim 10 , wherein receiving the infrared light that is reflected from scene comprises applying an optical scanner to direct the reflected infrared light onto a detector.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Shpunt Alexander
• Erlich Raviv
• Akerman Ronen
• Halutz Ran

Classifications

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06T7/521

  from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G09G3/025

  with scanning or deflecting the beams in two directions or dimensions · CPC title

• G06F3/0426 Primary

  tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface (virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886) · CPC title