A light control method, controller and vehicle

Abstract

The application discloses a light control method, a controller and a vehicle, and realizes adjustable lighting range of a lamp. The light control method comprises the following steps: capturing a visual focus position of a user; taking the visual focus position as a target position of a lighting center, and controlling part of light sources in the lamp to start lighting; and an actual position of the lighting center is determined by a position distribution of the light sources starting lighting in the lamp.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent control technology, and more specifically, to a lighting control method, a controller, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Lighting control refers to controlling the on / off status, brightness, and range of lighting fixtures to achieve different lighting effects. Generally, for lighting fixtures installed in fixed locations (such as interior reading lights), their lighting range is fixed and cannot be freely adjusted according to user needs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a lighting control method, a controller, and a vehicle to achieve adjustable lighting range of the lamps.

[0004] A lighting control method, comprising:

[0005] Capture the user's visual focus;

[0006] Using the visual focus position as the target position of the lighting center, some light sources in the luminaire are controlled to turn on for illumination; wherein, the actual position of the lighting center is determined by the positional distribution of the light sources that turn on for illumination in the luminaire.

[0007] Optionally, capturing the user's visual focus position includes:

[0008] Use infrared and visible light cameras to capture the user's facial images;

[0009] Determine the user's gaze direction vector based on the facial image information;

[0010] By combining the gaze direction vector and the pre-established 3D model of the user's spatial scene, the user's visual focus position is determined.

[0011] Optionally, determining the user's gaze direction vector based on the facial information includes:

[0012] The portrait information is processed using digital image processing technology to obtain a basic vector matrix of the portrait.

[0013] Based on the aforementioned basic vector matrix of the human face, eye information is extracted and calculated to obtain the angle and direction of the eyeball; and based on the aforementioned basic vector matrix of the human face, the face rotation angle is obtained.

[0014] By combining the angle and direction of the eyeballs and the rotation angle of the face, the user's gaze direction vector is obtained.

[0015] Optionally, the luminaire includes multiple partitions arranged in a matrix, and each partition includes multiple light sources arranged in a matrix.

[0016] The control of some light sources in the lighting fixture to turn on illumination includes:

[0017] Select one light source from the luminaire as the main light source, and the zone where the main light source is located is the main zone; in the main zone and the zones within a preset distance outside the main zone, all light sources other than the main light source are used as secondary light sources;

[0018] Brightness weights are assigned to the main light source and each secondary light source; the main light source has the largest brightness weight, and the brightness weights of the secondary light sources are independently assigned according to their distance from the main light source.

[0019] Control the main light source and each secondary light source to turn on the illumination according to the assigned brightness weight.

[0020] Optionally, after some of the light sources in the control lamp are turned on, the system further includes:

[0021] Determine if the user's eyes are closed;

[0022] If the user's eyes are closed, determine whether the duration of the user's eyes being closed exceeds a preset duration;

[0023] If the user's eyes remain closed for more than a preset duration, the light fixture will be turned off.

[0024] Optionally, controlling the lamp to turn off the lighting includes: controlling the lamp to gradually reduce the lighting brightness until it is turned off.

[0025] Optionally, after some of the light sources in the control lamp are turned on, the system further includes:

[0026] Determine if there is anyone inside the vehicle; if not, control the lights to turn off.

[0027] Optionally, the lamp is an interior reading light;

[0028] Before capturing the user's visual focus position, the method further includes: determining whether the vehicle meets preset conditions; if so, executing the step of capturing the user's visual focus position.

[0029] The preset conditions include: the vehicle is stationary, there are people inside the vehicle, and the interior brightness is lower than a preset brightness.

[0030] A lighting controller includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program that, when executed by the processor, implements any of the lighting control methods disclosed above.

[0031] A vehicle includes: an interior reading light, and any of the lighting controllers disclosed above; the lighting controller is used to control the interior reading light.

[0032] As can be seen from the above technical solution, the present invention uses eye tracking as an aid to human control of lighting. That is, eye direction information is used as a control signal to control which light sources in the lamp are turned on and which are turned off. This allows people to control the lamp to adjust the lighting center in real time according to the changes in eye direction information without contact or manual operation, so as to achieve lighting in different areas and provide users with a more comfortable, natural and intelligent interactive experience. Attached Figure Description

[0033] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a lighting control method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for capturing a user's visual focus position according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the light source distribution in a lamp disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of another lighting control method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of another lighting control method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of another lighting control method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection relationship between a lighting controller and other devices, as disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] See Figure 1This invention discloses a lighting control method, comprising:

[0043] Step S01: Capture the user's visual focus position, then proceed to step S02.

[0044] Specifically, the user's visual focus point is the point of gaze within the current spatial scene. For example, when controlling the interior reading lights (interior reading lights are lights installed inside a car, usually above the driver's seat and in the middle of the rear seat, for reading purposes), the user is the driver or passenger, and the current spatial scene is the interior space scene.

[0045] Among them, methods for capturing the user's visual focus position include Figure 2 As shown, it includes:

[0046] Step S011: Collect the user's facial information using an infrared camera and a visible light camera, then proceed to step S012.

[0047] Specifically, visible light images can fully reflect the detailed information of an object; however, visible light transmission is easily affected by the natural environment, making it difficult to penetrate smoke, rain, snow, dust, etc., and limiting its detection range. In scenes with poor lighting conditions (such as low light or scenes with rain, snow, or dust), the imaging quality of visible light images is greatly affected. Infrared night vision technology, on the other hand, utilizes thermal radiation to convert infrared wavelengths beyond human vision into visible information. Infrared night vision technology can effectively overcome the influence of lighting conditions and has a long detection range, but its infrared images have poor contrast and lack rich detail. Based on this, this embodiment of the invention integrates the two technologies, leveraging their respective strengths, by simultaneously using an infrared camera and a visible light camera to acquire the user's facial information to obtain high-quality facial data.

[0048] Step S012: Determine the user's gaze direction vector based on the portrait information, and then proceed to step S013.

[0049] Specifically, this invention uses dual cameras fixedly installed in the current spatial scene to collect the user's facial information (i.e., facial images), and then processes the facial information using digital image processing technology to obtain a basic facial vector matrix. This processing mainly includes: first, decoding the user's facial information; then, performing multiple different preprocessing steps on the decoded image to effectively remove noise; subsequently, performing thresholding, binarization, edge detection, segmentation, vector machine, random forest, and appropriate quantization classification on the preprocessed image, ultimately obtaining the basic facial vector matrix.

[0050] Next, eye information is extracted and calculated based on the user's portrait base vector matrix to obtain the eye's angular direction. Simultaneously, the face rotation angle is obtained based on the same base vector matrix. Then, by combining the eye's angular direction and the face rotation angle, the user's gaze direction vector is obtained. This eye information extraction and calculation mainly includes: based on the portrait base vector matrix, sequentially performing eye localization, pupil localization, pupil segmentation, feature extraction, pupil tracking, and angle calculation. Angle calculation involves measuring the pupil's movement and angle within the eye image to calculate the eye's angular direction.

[0051] Step S013: Combine the gaze direction vector and the pre-established 3D model of the user's spatial scene to determine the user's visual focus position.

[0052] Specifically, the gaze direction vector is a three-dimensional vector. The intersection of the user's gaze direction vector and the three-dimensional model of the user's spatial scene is the user's gaze point in the current spatial scene, which is also the user's visual focus position.

[0053] Step S02: Using the visual focus position as the target position of the lighting center, control some of the light sources in the luminaire to turn on the illumination, thus ending this round of control. The actual position of the lighting center is determined by the distribution of the illuminated light sources within the luminaire.

[0054] Specifically, the lighting fixture, as the controlled object in this embodiment of the invention, contains multiple light sources arranged according to a preset rule and each capable of being controlled individually. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the lighting fixture may include multiple zones arranged in a matrix, and each zone includes multiple light sources arranged in a matrix. Figure 3 Taking a luminaire comprising 4x4 zones, with each zone containing 3x3 light sources as an example, the illumination range varies depending on the position of the light sources that are turned on. The illumination center is the brightest position within the illuminated area.

[0055] In terms of light emission principle, the lamp can be, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp, which has advantages such as small size, low power consumption, long lifespan, high brightness, low heat generation, environmental friendliness, and durability. In terms of application, the lamp can be, for example, a vehicle interior reading light.

[0056] This invention utilizes eye-tracking as an aid to human control of lighting. Eye-direction information is used as a control signal to determine which light sources in the lighting fixture are turned on and off. This allows users to adjust the lighting center in real-time according to changes in eye-direction information without physical contact or manual intervention, achieving illumination in different areas. Compared to lighting control methods based on physical buttons, voice control, or gesture control, this invention provides users with a more comfortable, natural, and intelligent interactive experience.

[0057] Optionally, based on any of the above-disclosed embodiments, when the luminaire includes multiple zones arranged in a matrix, and each zone includes multiple light sources arranged in a matrix, in order to achieve a smooth and comfortable lighting effect, the embodiments of the present invention assign brightness weights to the light sources within the luminaire that need to be turned on according to their positions. The corresponding lighting control method is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, it includes:

[0058] Step S11: Capture the user's visual focus position, then proceed to step S12.

[0059] Step S12: Using the visual focus position as the target position of the lighting center, select one light source from the luminaire as the main light source, and the zone where the main light source is located is the main zone; in the main zone and the zones within a preset distance outside the main zone, all light sources other than the main light source are used as secondary light sources; then proceed to step S13. The actual position of the lighting center is determined by the positional distribution of the light sources that are turned on within the luminaire.

[0060] Specifically, the positional distribution of the light sources within the luminaire determines the actual position of the lighting center. When selecting the main light source, the light source closest to the target position of the lighting center is typically chosen as the main light source. The zone containing the main light source is the main zone, and the zones within a preset distance surrounding the main zone are secondary zones. All light sources within the main zone (excluding the main light source) and all light sources in the secondary zones are secondary light sources, thus forming a light source group composed of the main light source and multiple secondary light sources distributed around it. The length of this preset distance affects the size of the illuminated area, and this preset distance can be set in advance as needed. For example, the first ring of zones surrounding the main zone can be preset as secondary zones. Figure 2 In this context, the partition located in the i-th row and j-th column of the lamp is defined as partition x, x = 4*(i-1)+j. Assuming that the 5th light source in partition 6 is the main light source, then partition 6 is the main partition, and partitions 2, 5, 7 and 10 are all secondary partitions. The remaining 8 light sources in partition 6 and the 9 light sources in the 4 secondary partitions are all secondary light sources.

[0061] Step S13: Assign brightness weights to the main light source and each secondary light source; the main light source has the largest brightness weight, and the secondary light sources are independently assigned brightness weights according to their distance from the main light source; then proceed to step S14.

[0062] Specifically, under normal circumstances, the brightness weight of the main light source and the degree to which the brightness weight of the secondary light source decreases with distance are predetermined. After determining the light source group, the brightness weights of the main and secondary light sources in the light source group can be directly assigned.

[0063] Step S14: Control the main light source and each secondary light source to turn on the illumination according to the assigned brightness weights. This completes the current round of control.

[0064] Specifically, after the light source group is lit, the main light source has the greatest brightness weight and the highest brightness; the farther the secondary light source is from the main light source, the smaller the brightness weight of the secondary light source and the dimmer its brightness. As a result, the light around the main light source gradually becomes lighter, achieving a smooth and comfortable lighting effect.

[0065] Optionally, based on any of the above-disclosed embodiments, to achieve intelligent shut-off of the lights, this invention discloses another lighting control method, such as... Figure 5 As shown, it includes:

[0066] Step S21: Capture the user's visual focus position, then proceed to step S22.

[0067] Step S22: Using the visual focus position as the target position of the lighting center, control some of the light sources in the luminaire to turn on the illumination, and then proceed to step S23. The actual position of the lighting center is determined by the distribution of the illuminated light sources within the luminaire.

[0068] Step S23: Determine whether the user's eyes are closed. If yes, proceed to step S24; otherwise, return to step S21.

[0069] Step S24: Determine whether the duration of the user's eyes being closed exceeds the preset duration. If yes, proceed to step S25; otherwise, return to step S21.

[0070] Step S25: Control the lamp to turn off the lighting.

[0071] Specifically, if the user's eyes are closed and remain closed for more than a preset time (e.g., 80 seconds), it means that the user is in a resting state with their eyes closed and does not need to use the light. The user can control the light fixture to turn off the lighting. Figure 4 The embodiment shown uses the user's eye-closing duration information as a control signal to turn off the lighting, enabling the lights to be turned off intelligently without contact or manual operation.

[0072] When controlling the lamp to turn off the lighting, the lamp can be controlled to gradually reduce the lighting brightness until it is turned off. That is, when turning off the light, it gradually dims and turns off the light to avoid sudden changes in light and protect the eyes from stimulation.

[0073] Optionally, based on any of the embodiments disclosed above, after some light sources in the control lamp are turned on, if no one is detected inside the vehicle, the control lamp is turned off. This achieves automatic lamp extinguishing after occupants leave the vehicle, without requiring manual intervention.

[0074] Optionally, based on any of the above-disclosed embodiments, when the lamp is an interior reading light, in order to achieve intelligent activation based on a gaze-tracking-based lighting control algorithm, this embodiment of the invention discloses another lighting control method, such as... Figure 6 As shown, it includes:

[0075] Step S31: Determine whether the vehicle meets the preset conditions. If yes, proceed to step S32. The preset conditions include: the vehicle is stationary, there are people inside the vehicle, and the interior brightness is lower than the preset brightness.

[0076] Specifically, when driving at night, interior lights can severely impair the driver's visibility, thus affecting driving safety. Therefore, it is not recommended to turn on interior reading lights while driving at night. However, when the vehicle is stationary and the interior lighting is dim, eye-tracking-based lighting control can automatically activate for occupants without requiring manual intervention.

[0077] Step S32: Capture the user's visual focus position, then proceed to step S33.

[0078] Step S33: Using the visual focus position as the target position of the lighting center, control some of the light sources in the luminaire to turn on the illumination. The actual position of the lighting center is determined by the distribution of the illuminated light sources within the luminaire.

[0079] Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention also disclose a lighting controller, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program, and when the program is executed by the processor, it implements any of the lighting control methods disclosed above.

[0080] This invention also discloses a vehicle, including: an interior reading light, and any of the lighting controllers disclosed above; the lighting controller is used to control the interior reading light.

[0081] Optionally, in this vehicle, the lighting controller processes the user's facial information collected by infrared and visible light cameras, and then controls the interior reading lights.

[0082] like Figure 7As shown, the dual cameras and the lighting controller can communicate via an LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signaling) bus, and the lighting controller and the interior reading lights can communicate via a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus, but this is not a limitation.

[0083] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the lighting controller and vehicle disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to in the method section.

[0084] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar but different objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0085] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the embodiments of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments of the invention are not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A lighting control method, characterized in that, include: Capture the user's visual focus; The direction of vision is used as the control signal to turn the light source in the luminaire on or off. The visual focus position is taken as the target position of the lighting center. One light source in the luminaire is selected as the main light source. The main light source is closest to the target position of the lighting center, and the zone where the main light source is located is the main zone. In the main zone and the zones within a preset distance outside the main zone, all light sources other than the main light source are used as secondary light sources, forming a light source group composed of the main light source and multiple secondary light sources distributed around the main light source. The luminaire contains multiple light sources arranged according to preset rules and can be controlled individually. The luminaire includes multiple zones arranged in a matrix, and each zone includes multiple light sources arranged in a matrix. The actual position of the lighting center is determined by the position distribution of the light sources that turn on the lighting in the luminaire. Brightness weights are assigned to the main light source and each secondary light source. The main light source has the largest brightness weight, and the brightness weights of the secondary light sources are independently assigned according to their distance from the main light source. The main light source and each secondary light source are controlled to turn on the lighting according to the assigned brightness weights.

2. The lighting control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of capturing the user's visual focus position includes: Use infrared and visible light cameras to capture the user's facial images; Determine the user's gaze direction vector based on facial image information; By combining the gaze direction vector and the pre-established 3D model of the user's spatial scene, the user's visual focus position is determined.

3. The lighting control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the user's gaze direction vector based on the facial information includes: The portrait information is processed using digital image processing technology to obtain a basic vector matrix of the portrait. Based on the aforementioned basic vector matrix of the human face, eye information is extracted and calculated to obtain the angle and direction of the eyeball; and based on the aforementioned basic vector matrix of the human face, the face rotation angle is obtained. By combining the angle and direction of the eyeballs and the rotation angle of the face, the user's gaze direction vector is obtained.

4. The lighting control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, After some of the light sources in the controlled lighting fixture are turned on, the system also includes: Determine if the user's eyes are closed; If the user's eyes are closed, determine whether the duration of the user's eyes being closed exceeds a preset duration; If the user's eyes remain closed for more than a preset duration, the light fixture will be turned off.

5. The lighting control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The control of the lamp to turn off the lighting includes: controlling the lamp to gradually reduce the lighting brightness until it is turned off.

6. The lighting control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, After some of the light sources in the controlled lighting fixture are turned on, the system also includes: Determine if there is anyone inside the vehicle; if not, control the lights to turn off.

7. The lighting control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The light fixture is an interior reading light; Before capturing the user's visual focus position, the method further includes: determining whether the vehicle meets preset conditions; if so, executing the step of capturing the user's visual focus position. The preset conditions include: the vehicle is stationary, there are people inside the vehicle, and the interior brightness is lower than a preset brightness.

8. A lighting controller, characterized in that, include: A processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program that, when executed by the processor, implements the lighting control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A vehicle, characterized in that, include: Interior reading light, and the light controller as described in claim 8; The lighting controller is used to control the interior reading lights.

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