Controller for controlling plurality of lighting units in space and method thereof

Abstract

A method of controlling a plurality of lighting units located in a space according to a light scene comprising a plurality of light settings is disclosed. The method includes: obtaining position information indicating a position of a camera in a space relative to a plurality of lighting units; mapping the plurality of light settings onto a plurality of lighting units, wherein each light setting is mapped onto the lighting unit based on a respective color, saturation, intensity, and / or temporal aspect of the light setting and based on a respective position of the lighting unit relative to the camera position; and controlling the plurality of lighting units according to the mapped light settings.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method of controlling a plurality of lighting units in a space, and to a computer program product for performing the method. The invention further relates to a controller for controlling a plurality of lighting units in a space. Background Art

[0002] A home environment typically contains a plurality of controllable lighting units for creating mood lighting, accent lighting or task lighting. These controllable lighting units may be controlled via a wireless network via a user interface of a control device (such as a smart phone). A user may select a light scene via the user interface of the control device, whereupon the lighting units are controlled according to the light settings defined by the light scene. Alternatively, the light scene may be automatically activated (e.g., based on a scheduled routine, based on a sensor that has been triggered, etc.), or the lighting units may be controlled according to light settings based on media content (e.g., images, videos, music, etc.).

[0003] The light settings of the light scene will be mapped onto the lighting units. This mapping may be done by a user, for example via a user interface that enables the user to select light settings for certain lighting units and store the selected settings as a light scene. Alternatively, the mapping may be performed automatically and may be, for example, random or based on the light presentation properties or type of the lighting unit.

[0004] US2020 / 0245435 A1 discloses a method for controlling multiple lighting devices. The method includes: obtaining a 360-degree panoramic image; presenting the 360-degree panoramic image at least partially on an image presentation device; obtaining the positions of multiple lighting devices relative to the image presentation device; mapping the 360-degree panoramic image onto multiple lighting devices based on the positions of the multiple lighting devices, so that each lighting device is associated with a portion of the 360-degree panoramic image; determining a light setting for each lighting device based on image characteristics of the portion of the 360-degree image; and controlling each lighting device according to the corresponding light setting. Summary of the invention

[0005] Cameras may be added to lighting systems, e.g. for people monitoring, presence detection, security etc. The inventors have realised that certain mappings of light settings onto lighting units may have a negative impact on the quality of images captured by a camera installed in the same space as the lighting system. For example, a user may have created a light scene in his or her living room (or the light scene may have been automatically generated), and the light scene may have been created such that the lighting units in the camera's field of view are, e.g., (badly) saturated, too bright or (badly) dimmed, which may negatively impact the quality of the images captured by the camera. As a result, the image may, e.g., be tinted, overexposed or underexposed. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method and a controller for mapping light settings onto lamps, so as to improve the quality of images captured by a camera.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the object is achieved by a method of controlling a plurality of lighting units located in a space according to a light scene comprising a plurality of light settings, the method comprising:

[0007] - obtaining position information indicating the position of a camera (located in space) relative to a plurality of lighting units,

[0008] - mapping a plurality of light settings onto a plurality of lighting units, wherein each light setting is mapped onto a lighting unit based on a respective color, saturation, intensity and / or temporal aspect of the light setting and based on a position of the camera relative to the respective lighting unit, and

[0009] -Control multiple lighting units according to mapped light settings.

[0010] Light settings are defined by a light scene, which is applied to a plurality of lighting units. A light scene may be a predefined light scene, which may be activated, for example, based on a user input, based on a sensor input, based on a planned lighting control routine, etc. The mapping of light settings onto a plurality of lighting units is based on the position of the lighting units relative to the camera, and on the color, saturation, intensity and / or temporal aspects of the light settings. The mapping may be based on image quality requirements for images captured by the camera. Each light setting may be associated with an image impact value, which indicates how the light setting affects (the quality of) the image captured by the camera at the corresponding position. The light settings may be mapped onto the lighting units based on the corresponding image impact values, such that when the lighting units are controlled according to the light settings, the quality of the image is improved or optimized. For example, if a user were to select a light scene comprising a plurality of light settings (e.g., three light settings for three lighting units), the light settings would be mapped onto the lighting units based on the position of the lights relative to the camera and based on the impact of the corresponding spectra of the corresponding light settings on the image captured by the camera. Advantageously, the quality of the image captured by the camera is improved.

[0011] The method may further include determining positions of the plurality of lighting units relative to the camera field of view based on the position information, and the mapping may be determined based on the respective positions of the plurality of lighting units relative to the camera field of view. For example, the position information may include a position (and optionally, an orientation) of the camera relative to space, and the field of view of the camera may be based on the position (and optionally, an orientation) of the camera relative to space. Additionally or alternatively, the position information may be extracted from one or more images captured by the camera, and the field of view of the camera may be determined based on the one or more images captured by the camera.

[0012] The method may further include determining a distance between the camera and a plurality of lighting units based on the position information, and the mapping may be further based on the distance between the camera and the plurality of lighting units. For example, the mapping may be performed such that one or more light settings whose spectra positively affect the quality of one or more images captured by the camera are mapped onto one or more first lighting units whose light effects are closer to the camera than the one or more second lighting units. Light emissions from lighting units that are closer to the camera may have a greater impact on the camera image. Considering the distance between the camera and the lighting units (and / or their light effects) is beneficial because it further improves the quality of the images captured by the camera.

[0013] The position of the camera may be predefined or user defined. The predefined position (and optionally the orientation of the camera) may, for example, have been defined by a user. The user may have provided information about predefined / frequently used positions (and / or orientations) of the camera on a spatial map. In another example, the predefined / frequently used positions may be derived from a spatial map (e.g., from a building information model, a user-created map, etc.). Alternatively, the position (and orientation) of the camera may be obtained by detecting the current position (and orientation) of the camera. The system may also monitor the position and / or orientation of the camera over time and determine a typical or frequent position and / or orientation of the camera based on the monitoring. The position and / or orientation may, for example, be detected by a (indoor) positioning system, for example based on signal characteristics of a signal transmitted between one or more lighting units and the camera. Additionally, the method may further include: repeatedly detecting the current position and / or orientation of the camera, and remapping a plurality of light settings onto a plurality of lighting units if the difference between the new position and / or orientation of the camera and the previous position and / or orientation of the camera exceeds a threshold. Thus, the mapping is changed only if the camera is moved to a substantially different position or oriented in a substantially different direction. This is beneficial because no (re)mapping needs to be performed constantly.

[0014] The method may include obtaining an original mapping of light settings onto a plurality of lighting units. The step of mapping the plurality of light settings onto the plurality of lighting units may include adjusting the original mapping of light settings onto the plurality of lighting units based on respective color, saturation, intensity and / or temporal aspects of the light settings and based on respective positions of the lighting units relative to the camera position. For example, the original mapping may be a predefined or user-defined mapping of light settings onto the lighting units. When a camera is added to the lighting system (or activated in the lighting system), the original mapping may be adjusted, for example, based on camera requirements.

[0015] The method may further include determining a current operating mode of the camera, and controlling the plurality of lighting units according to the original mapping or according to an adjusted mapping depending on the current operating mode of the camera. For example, if the camera is off, the plurality of lighting units may be controlled according to the original mapping, and if the camera is on, the plurality of lighting units may be controlled according to the adjusted mapping.

[0016] The method may include determining a current operating mode of the camera, and further determining the mapping based on the current operating mode of the camera. Different camera modes may require different spatial lighting. For example, if the camera is set to a first mode for capturing video of a social gathering, the image quality requirements may be higher than in a second mode for intruder / presence detection because the image quality requirements may be lower for presence detection.

[0017] The method may further include receiving activity information indicating an activity of the user, and wherein the mapping is further based on the activity of the user. The activity may be a current activity or an upcoming (predicted) activity. The upcoming activity may be predefined and the activity information may be obtained, for example, from a user schedule or calendar, the upcoming activity may be determined based on the user's historical activity, etc. For different activities, the image quality requirements of the images captured by the camera may be different, and the mapping may be determined based on this.

[0018] The method may further include obtaining light rendering properties of the plurality of lighting units, and the mapping may be further based on the light rendering properties of the plurality of lighting units. For example, a color light setting may be mapped to a lighting unit configured to emit color light, and a white light setting may be mapped to a lighting unit configured to emit white light.

[0019] The step of obtaining position information indicating the position of the camera relative to the plurality of lighting units may include obtaining one or more images captured by the camera, analyzing the one or more images to extract the position of the plurality of lighting units relative to the camera. Thus, the one or more images may be used to determine the position of the lighting units relative to the camera. The lighting units may be identified in the field of view based on their light output (e.g., based on their color, intensity, based on modulation of light emission, etc.), or a darkroom calibration may be performed in which one or more lighting units are sequentially turned on / off to determine their position in the camera's field of view.

[0020] Additionally or alternatively, the step of obtaining position information indicating the position of the camera relative to the plurality of lighting units may include obtaining first position information indicating the position of the plurality of lighting units relative to the space, obtaining second position information indicating the position of the camera relative to the space, and determining the position of the camera in the space relative to the plurality of lighting units based on the first and second position information. The first and second position information may be received, for example, from a (indoor) positioning system.

[0021] The method may further include obtaining one or more images captured by the camera, analyzing the one or more images to extract one or more image quality parameters of the one or more images based on the analyzed one or more images, and adjusting a mapping of a plurality of light settings onto a plurality of lighting units based on the one or more image quality parameters of the one or more images. These steps may be repeated for different mappings. A mapping may be selected that provides a target image quality for the one or more images. This iterative loop is beneficial because it may be used to select a mapping that provides a target quality for the images captured by the camera. These steps may be iteratively repeated until the target quality for the images captured by the camera is reached.

[0022] According to a second aspect, the object is achieved by a computer program product for a computing device, the computer program product comprising a computer program code for performing any one of the above methods when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of the computing device.

[0023] According to a third aspect, the object is achieved by a controller for controlling multiple lighting units located in a space according to a light scene including multiple light settings, the controller comprising a processor configured to: obtain position information indicating a position of a camera in the space relative to the multiple lighting units; map the multiple light settings to the multiple lighting units, wherein each light setting is mapped to the lighting unit based on a corresponding color, saturation, intensity and / or time aspect of the light setting and based on a corresponding position of the lighting unit relative to the camera position; and control the multiple lighting units according to the mapped light settings.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect, the object is achieved by a lighting system, which includes: a plurality of lighting units, and a communication unit, the communication unit being configured to transmit a lighting control command to the plurality of lighting units, and the controller being configured to control the plurality of lighting units according to a mapped light setting by transmitting the lighting control command to the plurality of lighting units via the communication unit.

[0025] It should be understood that the computer program product, controller, and lighting system may have similar and / or identical embodiments and advantages as the above-described method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The above and additional objects, features and advantages of the disclosed systems, devices and methods will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of the devices and methods with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a lighting system including a controller for controlling a plurality of lighting units;

[0028] Figure 2 schematically illustrates an example of a lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting units in a space that are controlled based on their positions relative to a camera;

[0029] Figure 3 schematically illustrates an example of a field of view of a camera in space; and

[0030] Figure 4 A method of controlling a plurality of lighting units located in a space according to a light scene is schematically illustrated.

[0031] All the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally show only parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the invention, wherein other parts may be omitted or merely suggested. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Figure 1Schematically illustrated is an example of a lighting system 100 that includes a controller 102 for controlling a plurality of lighting units 112, 114 in a space 130. The controller 102 includes a processor (e.g., a microcontroller, a circuit, a microchip, etc.) configured to: obtain position information indicating a position of a camera 120 (located in the space 130) relative to the plurality of lighting units 112, 114; map a plurality of light settings to the plurality of lighting units 112, 114, wherein each light setting is mapped to a respective lighting unit based on a respective color, saturation, intensity, and / or temporal aspect of the light setting and based on a position of the camera 120 relative to the respective lighting unit; and control the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 according to the mapped light settings.

[0033] The lighting units 112, 114 include one or more (LED) light sources. The lighting units 112, 114 may be light bulbs, light strips, TLEDs, lamp watts, etc. The lighting units 112, 114 may be independently controllable light sources of a luminaire (e.g., LED strips). The lighting units 112, 114 may include a control unit, such as a microcontroller (not shown), for controlling the light output generated by the one or more light sources based on received lighting control commands (which may be based on generated light settings / light scenes, which may be received from the controller 102). The lighting control commands may include lighting control instructions for controlling the light output, such as the color, intensity, saturation, beam size, beam shape, etc. of the one or more light sources.

[0034] The controller 102 may be included in any type of lighting control device. The controller 102 may be included, for example, in a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone, a wearable device, a (tablet) pc, etc.), a central lighting controller (e.g., a bridge, a router, a central home controller, an intelligent voice assistant, etc.), a remote server connected to the lighting units 112, 114 via a network / Internet, etc. The controller 102 may be configured to control the lighting units 112, 114. The controller 102 may include a communication unit 104 configured to transmit lighting control commands directly or indirectly to the lighting units 112, 114 via any wired or wireless communication protocol (e.g., Ethernet, DALI, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Li-Fi, Thread, ZigBee, etc.).

[0035] The processor 106 is configured to control the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 according to a light scene. A light scene is defined as a plurality of predefined light settings for the plurality of lighting units 112, 114. The light settings may be mapped onto the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 according to an original (predefined) mapping. A user may select a light scene (which may indicate a plurality of light settings for the plurality of lighting units 112, 114), for example, via a user interface (e.g., by providing a voice command to activate the light scene, by selecting the light scene via a touch-sensitive display, by selecting the light scene via a light switch, etc.). Alternatively, the light scene may be activated when a sensor (e.g., a presence sensor, a light sensor, etc.) has been triggered. Alternatively, the light scene may be activated based on a lighting control routine or a scheduled light scene, which may be activated based on the time of day. The processor 106 may be further configured to receive input indicating activation of a light scene and, when the light scene is activated, map the plurality of light settings to the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 (based on the color, saturation, and / or intensity of the light settings and based on the respective positions of the lighting units relative to the position (and orientation) of the camera 120).

[0036] A plurality of light settings of a light scene may be based on the color of one or more images, and the input may indicate a selection of an image. The image may be selected, for example, by a user via a user interface of a mobile device such as a smart phone. Colors may be extracted from or associated with one or more images. Colors may be extracted from an image by analyzing the color values ​​of pixels or groups of pixels of the image. The extracted color may be, for example, a dominant color from the image. Techniques for extracting color from an image are known in the art and therefore will not be discussed in detail.

[0037] The processor 106 is configured to obtain position information indicating the position of the camera 120 in the space 120 relative to the plurality of lighting units 112, 114. The controller 102 may include an input for obtaining the position information. The input may be a communication unit 104, which may be configured to obtain position information indicating the position of the camera 120 in the space relative to the plurality of lighting units 112, 114. Additionally or alternatively, the input may be an input to the processor, and the processor 106 may obtain the position information from a memory 140, which may be included in the controller 102. Alternatively, the position information may be obtained by extracting the position information (e.g., by the processor 106) from one or more images captured by the camera 120.

[0038] The processor 106 may, for example, be configured to obtain one or more images captured by the camera 120 and analyze the one or more images to extract the position of the plurality of lighting units relative to the camera 120. Thus, the one or more images may be used to determine the position of the lighting units relative to the camera 120. The lighting units may be identified in the field of view based on their light output (e.g., based on their color, intensity, based on modulation of light emission, etc.), or a darkroom calibration may be performed in which one or more lighting units are sequentially turned on / off to determine their position in the camera's field of view. The distance between the camera 120 and the lighting units 112, 114 may be further determined based on the analysis of the images. Additionally, the camera may be a depth camera configured to provide depth information to the processor 106 to determine the distance between the camera 120 and the lighting units. Techniques for determining the position of the lighting units relative to the camera's field of view are known in the art and therefore will not be discussed in further detail. Figure 3 An example is shown in which camera 320 has been installed in space 330. Processor 106 may receive one or more images from camera 320 and analyze the images to detect the position of lighting units 312-318 in the environment relative to camera 320.

[0039] Additionally or alternatively, the processor 106 may be configured to obtain first position information indicating the position of the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 relative to the space 130, and obtain second position information indicating the position of the camera 120 relative to the space 130, and determine the position of the camera 120 in the space 130 relative to the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 based on the first and second position information. The first and second position information may be received, for example, from an (indoor) positioning system (such as an RF-based indoor positioning system or a positioning system based on visible light communication (VLC)), which may be based on the signal strength of signals transmitted between one or more lighting units and a camera (e.g., a smartphone). The first and second position information may indicate coordinates of the lighting unit and the camera relative to the space. Additionally, the position information may indicate an orientation of the camera 120 relative to the space 130. The orientation may be based, for example, on data from an orientation sensor included in the camera 120, on a predetermined orientation of the camera (e.g., defined by a user via a user interface), etc. Such techniques for obtaining position and / or orientation information are known in the art and will therefore not be discussed in further detail.

[0040] The processor 106 may be further configured to obtain information indicating a field of view 240 of the camera 120, 220. The processor 106 may be configured to obtain information of the field of view (angle of view) of the camera based on the type of camera. The processor 106 may be further configured to determine the position of the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 relative to the field of view 240 of the camera 120, 220. The processor 106 may be further configured to determine the mapping further based on the position of the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 relative to the field of view 240 of the camera 120, 220.

[0041] The processor 106 is further configured to map a plurality of light settings to the plurality of lighting units 112, 114, wherein each light setting is mapped to a respective lighting unit based on a respective color, saturation, intensity, and / or temporal aspect of the light setting and based on a respective position of the lighting unit relative to a position (and optionally, orientation) of the camera 120. Figure 2 An example of mapping a light scene 250 onto a plurality of lighting units 212, 214, 216, 218 is shown. The processor 106 may receive light scene information of the light scene 250, the light scene information comprising a plurality of light settings c1, c2, c3, c4 to be mapped onto the plurality of lighting units 212, 214, 216, 218. The light settings may have been mapped onto the lighting units 212, 214, 216, 218 according to an original mapping (e.g., c1 to lighting unit 218, c2 to lighting unit 216, c3 to lighting unit 214, and c4 to lighting unit 212). The original mapping may not be optimized for camera images, and thus the processor 106 may determine a new mapping to improve the quality of the camera images. The processor 106 may further receive position information indicating the position of the plurality of lighting units 212, 214, 216, 218 relative to the position and / or orientation of the camera 220 in the space 230, for example from an (indoor) positioning system. The camera position may be a predefined position relative to the space 230. The processor 106 may further receive the color, saturation, intensity, and / or temporal aspects of the light settings. In this example, the light settings may be a white light setting (c1), a desaturated blue light setting (c2), a blue light setting (c3), and a purple light setting (c4). The processor 106 may determine a mapping of the plurality of light settings c1, c2, c3, c4 to the plurality of lighting units 212, 214, 216, 218 based on the positions and color, saturation, intensity, and / or temporal aspects of the plurality of lighting units 212, 214, 216, 218, resulting in the light setting c1 being mapped to the lighting unit in front of the camera (i.e., on the lighting unit 212), the light setting c2 being mapped to the lighting unit in the camera's peripheral field of view (i.e., on the lighting unit 216), and the light settings c3 and c4 being mapped to the lighting units outside the camera's field of view (i.e., on the lighting units 214, 218).

[0042] Figure 3 Another example of mapping a light scene 350 onto a plurality of lighting units 212, 214, 216, 218 is shown. The processor 106 may receive light scene information of the light scene 350, the light scene information including a plurality of light settings c1, c2, c3, c4 to be mapped onto the plurality of lighting units 312, 314, 316, 318. The light settings may have been mapped onto the lighting units 312, 314, 316, 318 according to an original mapping (e.g., c1 to lighting unit 318, c2 to lighting unit 316, c3 to lighting unit 314, and c4 to lighting unit 312). The original mapping may not be optimized for camera images, and thus the processor 106 may determine a new mapping to improve the quality of the camera images. The processor 106 may further receive position information indicating the position of the plurality of lighting units 312, 314, 316, 318 relative to the position and / or orientation of the camera 320 in the space 330. In this example, the camera 320 may capture an image of the space 330, and the position of the lighting units 312, 314, 316, 318 relative to the camera 320 may be determined by analyzing the image, for example, by the processor 106. The processor 106 may further receive color, saturation, intensity, and / or temporal aspects of the light settings. In this example, the light settings may be a white light setting (c1), a desaturated red light setting (c2), a red light setting (c3), and a blue light setting (c4). The processor 106 may determine a mapping of multiple light settings c1, c2, c3, c4 onto the multiple lighting units 312, 314, 316, 318 based on the positions and color, saturation, intensity and / or temporal aspects of the multiple lighting units 312, 314, 316, 318, resulting in light setting c1 being mapped to a lighting unit in front of the camera (i.e., on lighting unit 312), light setting c2 being mapped to a lighting unit that is less central in the camera's field of view (i.e., on lighting unit 318), and light settings c3 and c4 being mapped to lighting units at the periphery of the camera's field of view (i.e., on lighting units 314, 316).

[0043] In another example, the processor 106 may be configured to map the light settings onto the respective lighting units based on a temporal aspect of the light settings and based on the respective positions of the lighting units relative to the position (and optionally, orientation) of the camera 120. The temporal aspect may be defined as a change in the light settings over time. In other words, the light settings may be dynamic light settings that change over time. The processor 106 may be configured to determine the mapping based on a level of dynamism of the light settings, wherein the level of dynamism indicates an amount of change (e.g., color and / or intensity) of the respective light settings over time and / or a level of contrast of the change (e.g., color and / or intensity) of the respective light settings over time. For example, a first light setting having a first (low) level of dynamism (e.g., a first (low) amount of change of the light setting and / or a second (low) contrast of the change) may be mapped onto a lighting device located at the center of the field of view of the camera 120, and a second light setting having a second (higher) level of dynamism (e.g., a second (low) amount of change of the light setting and / or a second (higher) contrast of the change) may be mapped onto a lighting device located at the periphery of the field of view of the camera 120.

[0044] The processor 106 is further configured to control the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 (eg, Figure 2 and Figure 3 ). The controller 102 may include a communication unit 104 configured to transmit lighting control commands indicating light settings to the plurality of lighting units.

[0045] The processor 106 may be configured to determine the (re)mapping based on image quality requirements for the images captured by the camera. Each light setting may be associated with an image impact value indicating how the light setting affects (the quality of) the images captured by the camera at the corresponding location. The image impact values ​​may indicate the impact of the corresponding spectrum of the corresponding light setting on the images captured by the camera 120. These associations may be stored in a lookup table accessible by the processor 106 (e.g., in the memory 140 or a remote memory). The light settings may be mapped to the lighting units based on the corresponding image impact values ​​such that the quality of the image is improved or optimized when the lighting units are controlled according to the light settings. For example, if a user would select a light scene comprising a plurality of light settings (e.g., four light settings for four lighting units, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), the light settings will be mapped to the lighting units based on the position of the lighting units relative to the camera 120 and based on the image impact values.

[0046] The processor 106 may be configured to obtain an original mapping (e.g., a user-defined mapping, a system-defined mapping, etc.) of light settings of a light scene onto a plurality of lighting units 112, 114. The processor 106 may be further configured to adjust the original mapping of light settings onto the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 by remapping the light scene onto the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 based on respective color, saturation, intensity, and / or temporal aspects of the light settings and based on respective positions of the lighting units 112, 114 relative to the position of the camera 120. The processor 106 may be further configured to determine a current operating mode of the camera 120 and control the plurality of lighting units according to the original mapping or according to an adjusted mapping that depends on the operating mode of the camera. The processor 106 may be configured to receive an input signal (e.g., from the camera 120, from a central (home) control system, from a software application, etc.) indicating the current operating mode of the camera 120. Different operating modes may require different lighting, and thus the mapping of the light scene may be determined based on the current operating mode. For example, if the camera is off, multiple lighting units can be controlled according to the original mapping, since dedicated lighting for the space is not required. If the camera is on, multiple lighting units can be controlled according to the adjusted mapping.

[0047] The processor 106 may be further configured to determine the distance between the camera 120 and the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 based on the position information. The processor 106 may be further configured to determine the mapping further based on the distance between the camera 120 and the plurality of lighting units 112, 114. The camera 120 may be, for example, a depth camera configured to provide depth information to the processor 106 to determine the distance between the camera 120 and the lighting units 112, 114. Alternatively, the distance may be determined based on the position of the lighting units 112, 114 relative to the camera 120 and / or the space 130. For example, if the first lighting unit is closer to the camera than the second lighting unit, a first light setting (e.g., a first light setting having a first (low) saturation and / or a first (low) brightness) may be mapped to the first lighting unit 112 based on the distance of the lighting unit to the camera, and a second light setting (e.g., a second light setting having a higher saturation and / or brightness than the first light setting) may be mapped to the second lighting unit 114 based on the distance of the second lighting unit to the camera.

[0048] The processor 106 may further be configured to determine the mapping of light settings onto the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 based on the current operating mode of the camera 120. The processor 106 may be configured to determine the current operating mode of the camera, for example, based on an input signal indicating the current operating mode. The input signal may be received, for example, from the camera 120, from a central (home) control system, from a software application, etc. For example, if the camera is set to a first mode for capturing video of a social gathering, the quality requirements of the image may be higher than in a second mode for intruder / presence detection, because the image quality requirements may be lower for presence detection. In another example, the first operating mode may be an "at home" mode, and the second operating mode may be an "away from home" mode. Here, the image quality requirements of the first operating mode may be lower than those of the second operating mode. In another example, the first operating mode may be a video / image recording mode for capturing video / images of people, and the second operating mode may be a non-recording mode (e.g., presence detection mode). Here, the image quality requirements of the first operating mode may be higher than those of the second operating mode.

[0049] The processor 106 may be further configured to obtain activity information indicative of an activity of the user, and to determine the mapping further based on the activity of the user. The activity information may be received from an external source (e.g., a central (home) control system, an activity detection system, etc.) via the communication unit 104, or the activity information may be obtained, for example, from the memory 140 (e.g., from a user schedule, calendar, etc.). For example, if the user is watching a movie, a light setting whose spectrum would negatively affect the quality of the camera image may be mapped to a lighting unit very close and / or in the camera's field of view, since the quality of the camera image will not be important, whereas if the user is sleeping, a light setting whose spectrum would positively affect the quality of the camera image may be mapped to a lighting unit very close and / or in the camera's field of view. The activity may be a current or future activity. The upcoming activity may have been determined / learned based on the detected historical activity of the user.

[0050] The processor 106 may be further configured to obtain activity information indicating an upcoming activity of the user, and determine the mapping further based on the upcoming activity of the user. The upcoming activity may be predefined, and the activity information may be obtained, for example, from the memory 140 storing a schedule or calendar of the user. The upcoming activity may have been determined / learned based on the detected historical activity of the user. For example, if the activity information indicates that the user is going to bed, a light setting whose light will stimulate the user's melatonin production may be mapped to a lighting unit that is very close and / or in the user's field of view, while if the information indicates that the user is going to study, a light setting whose light will suppress the user's melatonin production may be mapped to a lighting unit that is very close and / or in the user's field of view.

[0051] The processor 106 may be further configured to obtain light rendering properties of the plurality of lighting units 112, 114, and the mapping may be further based on the light rendering properties of the plurality of lighting units 112, 114. For example, a color light setting may be mapped onto a lighting unit configured to emit color light, and a white light setting may be mapped onto a lighting unit configured to emit white light.

[0052] The processor 106 may be further configured to obtain one or more images captured by the camera 120 and analyze the one or more images to extract one or more image quality parameters of the one or more images based on the analyzed one or more images. The processor 106 may be further configured to adjust the mapping of multiple light settings to multiple lighting units based on the one or more image quality parameters of the one or more images. The processor 106 may be configured to iteratively repeat these steps until a target image quality of the one or more images is achieved. For example, if one or more images are (partially) overexposed due to light emitted by a lighting unit, on which a bright light setting has been mapped, the processor 106 may adjust the mapping so that a different (e.g., less bright) light setting is mapped to the lighting unit. For example, if one or more images are (partially) underexposed, the processor 106 may adjust the mapping so that a different (e.g., brighter) light setting is mapped to the lighting unit in the field of view of the camera 120. For example, if one or more images are tinted due to a colored light setting being mapped onto a lighting unit, the processor 106 may adjust the mapping so that a different (eg, desaturated or differently colored) light setting is mapped onto the lighting unit.

[0053] Figure 4 A method 400 of controlling a plurality of lighting units 112, 114 located in a space according to a light scene comprising a plurality of light settings is schematically shown. The method 400 comprises: obtaining 402 position information indicating a position of a camera (located in the space) relative to the plurality of lighting units 112, 114; mapping 404 the plurality of light settings onto the plurality of lighting units 112, 114, wherein each light setting is mapped onto the lighting unit based on a respective color, saturation, intensity and / or temporal aspect of the light setting and based on the position of the camera relative to the respective lighting unit; and controlling 406 the plurality of lighting units 112, 114 according to the mapped light settings.

[0054] The method 400 may be performed by computer program code of a computer program product when the computer program product is executed on a processing unit of a computing device, such as the processor 106 of the controller 102 .

[0055] It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

[0056] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The use of the verb "comprise" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. The article "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer or processing unit. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0057] Aspects of the present invention can be implemented in a computer program product, which can be a set of computer program instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device that can be executed by a computer. The instructions of the present invention can be any interpretable or executable code mechanism, including but not limited to scripts, interpretable programs, dynamic link libraries (DLLs) or Java classes. Instructions can be provided as complete executable programs, partial executable programs, as modifications (e.g., updates) of existing programs or extensions (e.g., plug-ins) of existing programs. In addition, partial processing of the present invention can be distributed on multiple computers or processors or even "clouds".

[0058] Storage media suitable for storing computer program instructions include all forms of non-volatile memory, including but not limited to EPROM, EEPROM and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal and external hard drives, removable disks and CD-ROM disks. The computer program product may be distributed on such storage media or may be provided for download via HTTP, FTP, email or through a server connected to a network such as the Internet.

Claims

1. A method (400) of controlling a plurality of lighting units (112, 114) located in a space (130, 230, 330) according to a light scene (250, 350) comprising a plurality of light settings (c1, c2, c3, c4), the method (400) comprising: - obtaining (402) position information indicating the position of a camera (120, 220, 320) relative to a plurality of lighting units, - obtaining a raw mapping of a plurality of light settings (c1, c2, c3, c4) onto a plurality of lighting units (112, 114), - mapping (404) the plurality of light settings onto the plurality of lighting units (112, 114) by adjusting an original mapping of the plurality of light settings (c1, c2, c3, c4) onto the plurality of lighting units (112, 114), wherein each light setting is mapped onto the lighting unit based on a respective color, saturation, intensity and / or temporal aspect of the light setting and based on a position of the camera relative to the respective lighting unit, and - Controlling (406) a plurality of lighting units according to the mapped light settings.

2. The method (400) according to any preceding claim, wherein the method comprises: - determining positions of the plurality of lighting units relative to the camera field of view based on the position information, wherein the mapping is further determined based on respective positions of the plurality of lighting units relative to the camera field of view.

3. The method (400) according to any preceding claim, wherein the method further comprises: - determining a distance between the camera and the plurality of lighting units based on the position information, and wherein the mapping is further based on the distance between the camera and the plurality of lighting units.

4. The method (400) according to any preceding claim, wherein the position of the camera is predefined or user defined, or wherein the position of the camera is obtained by detecting the current position of the camera.

5. The method (400) according to any preceding claim, wherein the method further comprises: - determine the camera's current operating mode, and - Controlling a plurality of lighting units according to the original mapping or according to an adapted mapping depending on the current operating mode of the camera.

6. The method (400) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the method further comprises: - determine the camera's current operating mode, and -The mapping is further determined based on the current operating mode of the camera.

7. The method (400) according to any preceding claim, further comprising: - receiving activity information indicative of an activity of a user, and wherein the mapping is further based on the activity of the user.

8. The method (400) according to any preceding claim, further comprising: - obtaining light rendering properties of the plurality of lighting units, wherein the mapping is further based on the light rendering properties of the plurality of lighting units.

9. The method (400) of any preceding claim, wherein the step of obtaining position information indicative of a position of the camera relative to the plurality of lighting units comprises: One or more images captured by a camera are obtained, and the one or more images are analyzed to extract positions of the plurality of lighting units relative to the camera.

10. The method (400) of any preceding claim, wherein the step of obtaining position information indicative of a position of the camera relative to the plurality of lighting units comprises: - obtaining first position information indicating positions of the plurality of lighting units relative to the space, - obtaining second position information indicating the position of the camera relative to the space, and - Based on the first and second position information, determining the position of the camera in the space relative to the plurality of lighting units.

11. The method (400) according to any preceding claim, wherein the method comprises: - obtaining one or more images captured by a camera, - analyzing the one or more images to extract one or more image quality parameters of the one or more images based on the analyzed one or more images, and - Based on one or more image quality parameters of the one or more images, adjusting a mapping of a plurality of light settings onto a plurality of lighting units.

12. A computer program product for a computing device, the computer program product comprising computer program code which, when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of the computing device, causes the processing unit to perform the method (400) according to any one of the preceding claims.

13. A controller (102) for controlling a plurality of lighting units (112, 114) located in a space (130) according to a light scene (250, 350) comprising a plurality of light settings (c1, c2, c3, c4), the controller (102) comprising a processor (106), the processor (106) being configured to: obtain position information indicating a position of a camera relative to the plurality of lighting units; obtain an original mapping of the plurality of light settings (c1, c2, c3, c4) to the plurality of lighting units (112, 114); map the plurality of light settings to the plurality of lighting units (112, 114) by adjusting the original mapping of the plurality of light settings (c1, c2, c3, c4) to the plurality of lighting units (112, 114), wherein each light setting is mapped to the lighting unit based on a corresponding color, saturation, intensity and / or temporal aspect of the light setting and based on a position of the camera relative to the corresponding lighting unit; and control the plurality of lighting units (112, 114) according to the mapped light settings.

14. A lighting system (100), comprising: - a plurality of lighting units (112, 114), - a communication unit (104) configured to transmit lighting control commands to a plurality of lighting units (112, 114), and - The controller (102) according to claim 13, configured to control the plurality of lighting units (112, 114) according to the mapped light settings by transmitting lighting control commands to the plurality of lighting units (112, 114) via the communication unit.

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