Method for operating a light fixture without contact via gesture control
A luminaire with a sensor arrangement and control unit allows intuitive gesture-controlled adjustment of lighting parameters with visual feedback, addressing the ambiguity in existing contactless systems.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ELMOS SEMICON AG
- Filing Date
- 2014-07-02
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing contactless gesture-controlled lights lack clarity on their current setting mode, making it difficult for operators to adjust photometric parameters such as brightness, color, and direction without physical contact.
A luminaire equipped with a sensor arrangement to detect object movement and direction within or along its light beam, coupled with an evaluation and control unit to switch between on/off states and adjust photometric parameters like brightness, color, and beam direction through intuitive gestures, accompanied by visual feedback.
Enables intuitive and clear adjustment of lighting parameters via gestures, ensuring operators can easily switch modes and adjust settings with visual confirmation, enhancing user experience.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a method for the contactless operation of a lamp, namely by gesture control, in particular by hand or generally by an object.
[0002] The control of lights by an operator is usually manual, via touch, for example by pressing buttons, switches, or similar devices. So-called "touch" lights are also known, which are switched on and off by tapping an electrically conductive surface.
[0003] Nowadays, electrical and electronic devices are increasingly controlled by gestures, primarily hand movements. Generally speaking, such lights react to the approach of, for example, a human body or hand, with the gesture performed being crucial for controlling the light. An example of the aforementioned state of the art is described in DE 102 51 133 B3.
[0004] If lights that have an on and off state as well as at least one (further) setting mode (e.g. for brightness adjustment or dimming) are to be controlled touchlessly by gestures, a problem arises in the operation of the light in that the operator cannot be sure whether the light is in one of the setting modes and / or in which setting mode the light is currently located.
[0005] WO 2006 / 056 814 A1 describes a control device for a luminaire, a lamp, and a method for controlling a luminaire. The control device comprises means for detecting an object and control means for providing a control signal to control the luminaire in response to a change in the position of a detected object. The control signal serves to switch the on / off state of the luminaire from a detectable position to an undetectable position in response to a change in the position of the detected object, and to control the brightness of the luminaire in response to a change in the distance between the detected object and the detection means.
[0006] US 2010 / 0 259 174 A1 describes a control method for use with a lighting system. The lighting system includes a light source and an ultrasonic transceiver. The control method comprises the following steps: measuring the time it takes for an ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic transceiver and reflected by the object to reach the ultrasonic sensor to obtain a time-of-flight measurement; calculating a distance between the object and the ultrasonic transceiver based on the time-of-flight measurement; defining at least one control range based on the distance; and moving the object into the control range, thereby performing a control operation appropriate to the control range and adjusting an optical property.
[0007] US 2010 / 0 253 241 A1 describes a lighting system consisting of a lamp with an array of LEDs configured to convert electricity into a light beam with properties such as intensity, color, and color temperature; a lighting control device with an LED driver and a pulse-width modulator configured to adjust the properties of the light beam; a digital-to-analog converter, an ultrasonic driver, and an ultrasonic transmitter configured to convert a digital transmit signal into the transmission of an ultrasonic pulse; an ultrasonic receiver and amplifier configured to receive reflected ultrasonic signals and convert the ultrasonic signal into a voltage; and a comparator configured to generate a digital receive signal when the voltage is greater than a predetermined threshold.a processing device configured to derive a time-of-flight signal representing the time differences between the digital transmit and receive signals, and to send control signals to the lighting control device depending on the time-of-flight signal.
[0008] The object of the invention is to improve the ease of use of lights that can be operated without contact by gesture control.
[0009] To solve this problem, the invention proposes a method for the contactless operation of a lamp by means of gesture control, wherein the lamp is equipped with - a luminaire comprising at least one light source, which emits a beam of light along an optical light emission axis, - a sensor arrangement for detecting (i) movement and the direction of movement of an object into and / or out of the light beam and / or within the light beam and (ii) when an object is stationary in the light beam, wherein the object is in particular a hand, and - an evaluation and control unit that receives signals from the sensor arrangement representing movement of the object, the direction of movement of the object and a standstill of the object, and evaluates these signals to detect movement or standstill of the object and controls the at least one light source, - wherein the luminaire, when switched on, can be switched to at least one setting mode for adjusting or changing at least one photometric operating parameter of the luminaire, such as the brightness of the light, the color of the light, the color saturation of the light, the degree of widening of the light beam and / or the direction of the light beam in space.
[0010] In the inventive method, - by moving the object into and / or out of the light beam and / or through the light beam, the light is switched between an off state and an on state. - when the object within the light beam comes to a standstill while the light is switched on, the light is switched from deactivation of at least one setting mode or one of several setting modes to its activation, - wherein the activation and / or deactivation of the at least one setting mode or one of the several setting modes is visually indicated by the evaluation and control unit controlling the at least one light source for the intermittent change of at least one photometric operating parameter of the luminaire that can be set or adjusted in the activated setting mode, such as brightness flicker, in particular reversible color change, in particular reversible color saturation change, in particular reversible widening or narrowing of the light beam or reversible swiveling of the light beam, and - by moving the object after it has come to a standstill, the lighting operating parameter(s) that can be set and / or changed in the activated setting mode are set or changed.
[0011] The inventive method allows such luminaires to be operated contactlessly via gesture control, where, in the switched-on state, at least one setting mode can be selected. The setting mode serves to adjust at least one photometric operating parameter of the luminaire, which may be, for example, the brightness or color of the light or the color saturation of the light, the direction of the light in space, and the widening of the light cone or, more generally, the light beam or beam.
[0012] According to the invention, when a setting mode is activated, the light is controlled in such a way that it automatically and briefly and intermittently changes the operating parameter that can be changed or set in the activated setting mode. If the setting mode is, for example, a brightness setting mode, the light could briefly flicker on and then return to the previously set brightness.
[0013] The brightness can then be adjusted by moving an object or the hand.
[0014] The operator is notified by visual feedback upon activation of the setting mode that the relevant lighting operating parameter can now be set or adjusted. Different visual feedback signals indicate which of several setting modes the luminaire is currently in, enabling the operator to then modify the relevant lighting operating parameter.
[0015] According to the invention, the lamp is switched on and off by a movement towards, away from, or through the light beam. For example, the lamp could be switched on by moving the hand in front of or across the light emission aperture, and switched off again by moving the hand through the emitted light. If the sensor arrangement provided for this purpose detects an object, particularly one stationary within the light beam, when the lamp is switched on, this is interpreted, according to the invention, as a request from the operator to activate the lamp's at least one setting mode. This is visually acknowledged, whereupon the relevant operating parameter can be adjusted by moving the object. The currently activated setting mode is then deactivated when the object comes to a standstill.
[0016] If the light can be operated in more than one setting mode (e.g., for changing brightness and color), these modes can be switched alternately or cyclically by repeatedly moving and stationary the object. Alternatively, the sensor arrangement can activate the corresponding setting mode depending on the direction in which the object approaches the light beam (when the light is switched on), as soon as a stationary object is detected (following its approach). Finally, switching between setting modes can also be time-based, for example, by requiring the object to remain stationary for a specific maximum duration.
[0017] The lighting parameter that can be changed in the activated setting mode can be adjusted by moving the object in any way. Adjusting, for example, the brightness, color, or saturation of the light by moving the object in essentially two opposite directions along the light emission axis has proven to be an advantageous and intuitive method.
[0018] In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, three parameters, for example, the brightness, color, and saturation of the light, can be adjusted by opposing movements along the coordinate lines of a virtual, typically orthogonal, three-dimensional coordinate system. Suitable coordinate systems include, in particular, a spherical, a Cartesian, and a cylindrical coordinate system, wherein the axis of the light beam, the perpendicular to the space in which the light is located, or the perpendicular to the plane on which the lamp stands or to which it is attached, typically represents a coordinate or symmetry axis of such a virtual coordinate system. When adjusting only two parameters, only a two-dimensional subset of the coordinate system coordinates is required.Similarly, when adjusting only one parameter, only a one-dimensional subset of the coordinate system coordinates is necessary.
[0019] In a light beam change mode, for example, the widening of the light beam could be achieved by moving the object in the manner described above, while light beam alignment could be realized by moving the object essentially perpendicular to the direction of light emission, whereby the light beam then follows the movement of the object.
[0020] Both of the aforementioned light beam settings can also be changed in separate setting modes. These setting modes are particularly useful for independently adjusting several lighting parameters of the luminaire when the respective object movements are so different, especially orthogonal to each other, that they can be distinguished by the sensor arrangement.
[0021] It is advantageous if the respective lighting parameters of the luminaire are set as with an incremental encoder. This means that a change to an operating parameter can always be made starting from the value to which the operating parameter was previously set, i.e., when the setting mode was activated. The position or distance of the stationary object to the luminaire at the moment a setting mode is activated therefore has no effect on an adjustment of the operating parameter; rather, this operating parameter can only be changed from its previously valid value by a subsequent movement of the object.
[0022] The luminaire operable according to the invention can, for example, have several light sources, possibly oriented differently and / or of different colors, and / or several light sources of different types or technologies, and / or mechanical actuators and / or optical elements such as apertures, reflectors, lenses, etc., to change one of its lighting-related operating parameters.
[0023] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it relates to a method for the contactless operation of a lamp by means of gesture control, wherein in the method - a luminaire is provided which has at least one light source which emits light in an optical light emission axis, and a sensor arrangement with at least two optical sensors for detecting a bidirectional transverse movement of an object, in particular a hand, in at least one of two mutually opposite transverse directions pointing substantially perpendicular to and / or crossing the optical light emission axis, as well as for detecting a bidirectional longitudinal movement of an object, in particular a hand, in at least one of two mutually opposite longitudinal directions pointing substantially parallel to the optical light emission axis, wherein the luminaire is further equipped with an evaluation and control unit which receives information from the sensor arrangement about movements of an object, in particular a hand,receives representative signals and evaluates them to detect object movement, and controls at least one light source, - the light is switched between an on state and an off state by moving an object, in particular a hand, in one of the two transverse directions and - the luminaire, which is in the switched-on state, can be switched to a brightness adjustment mode for adjusting the brightness of at least one light source, in which the brightness is changed by moving an object, in particular a hand, in one of the two longitudinal directions, - wherein, when the sensor arrangement detects an essentially stationary object, in particular a hand, the luminance change mode is switched from deactivation to activation and vice versa, and - wherein activation or deactivation of the luminance change mode is indicated by controlling the at least one light source to emit an optical signal that is different from the current light emission state of the at least one light source.
[0024] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to various embodiments and the drawings. Specifically, the drawings show: Fig. 1 to 7 schematic representations of different ways of operating a light by hand using gesture control.
[0025] In Fig. Figure 1 shows a luminaire 10 which has several light sources 14 in the form of LEDs 16. Of course, the invention can also be used with luminaires with other types of light sources 14.
[0026] Furthermore, the luminaire 10 has a sensor arrangement 18, which operates primarily optically and is a proximity sensor. The sensor arrangement 18 is capable of detecting a hand 20 moving past the luminaire 10 or a hand moving towards or away from the luminaire 10. The sensor arrangement 18 operates, for example, on the basis of the HALIOS system. ® -Principle, wherein several such sensor units are provided for detecting directions of movement in space. The sensor arrangement 18, which can alternatively or additionally operate capacitively, inductively, or magnetically, is coupled to the light sources 14 via an evaluation and control unit 22. The sensor arrangement 18 delivers sensor signals to the evaluation and control unit 22, in which these signals are evaluated and converted to control the light sources 14 accordingly.
[0027] In Fig. Figure 1 shows an example of a gesture control for alternately switching the light 10 on and off. Here, the hand 20 is moved in one direction of the double arrow 24 through the light beam 26 and thus also through the light emission axis 28.
[0028] Fig. Figure 2 shows the light 10 switched on, with the sensor arrangement 18 detecting a hand 20 standing still in the light beam 26. By moving the hand up and down essentially along the light emission axis 28, the brightness can now be adjusted, for example, whereby in Fig. 2. As indicated by the more distant, closely spaced light beam wavefronts, the brightness can be increased by moving the hand 20 away from the light 10, and conversely, the brightness can be decreased by moving the hand 20 closer to the light 10. This brightness mode is activated when the light 10 is switched on. The light 10 briefly flickers to confirm that the hand 20 has come to a standstill after approaching it, thus making this visually apparent to the user. After setting the desired brightness, the user again briefly holds their hand 20 within the light beam 26. This is interpreted by the sensor arrangement 18 and the evaluation and control unit 22 as the end of the brightness mode and therefore its deactivation.
[0029] In the manner described above, the individual setting modes of the light 10 can be selected either cyclically in succession or depending on the direction in the room from which the user approached the light 10 with his hand 20 while it was switched on.
[0030] Fig. Figure 3 shows an example of adjusting the light beam spread using gesture control. The further the hand 20 moves from the light 10, the more focused the light beam becomes, which is due to the different widths of the light wavefront lines in Fig. 3 is indicated. The activation of this setting mode, in which the widening of the light beam 26 is adjustable, can be visually signaled by the light 10, for example, by the light beam widening and then narrowing again, before returning to its previous state.
[0031] Fig. Figure 4 shows an example of gesture control for adjusting the color of the light from lamp 10. By moving the hand 20 along the light emission axis 28, or essentially along this axis, the color can be changed, for example, from short-wavelength light to long-wavelength light and vice versa, which in Fig. 4 is indicated by the differently painted light wavefront lines. The activation of the color mode is visually indicated, for example, by the fact that the color of the light from lamp 10 changes briefly and reversibly.
[0032] Fig. Figure 5 shows an example of gesture control using a virtual spherical coordinate system 54. In this example, gesture control is used to adjust the color, brightness, and color intensity of the light from luminaire 10. Unlike the examples in the... Fig. Degrees 1 to 4 represent not just one direction of movement, but directions of movement in more than one degree of freedom. Of the theoretically conceivable six degrees of freedom for the movement of an object, here the operator's hand, three degrees of freedom 40, 41, and 42 are used in this example with respect to the origin 55 of the virtual coordinate system 54. The axis of rotation 33 of the virtual spherical coordinate system 54 is chosen to overlap with the light emission axis 28. The first degree of freedom of the hand movement is a rotation 41 about the light emission axis 28, or the axis of rotation 33 of the virtual spherical coordinate system 54. This changes the angle φ (at 30) of the object's position. The second degree of freedom 40 is a rotation about the origin 55 of the virtual spherical coordinate system 54 towards the axis of symmetry 33. This changes the angle θ (at 31) of the object's position.The third degree of freedom 42 of the object's motion is a radial displacement. This changes the object's distance r from the origin 55 of the virtual spherical coordinate system. For example, by moving the hand 20 in the θ direction (arrow 40), or essentially along this coordinate line, the color saturation of the light can be adjusted. Similarly, by moving in a circle around the equator of an imaginary sphere around the origin 55 with a constant radius r around the axis of symmetry 28 in the φ direction (arrow 41), the color can be changed from red (34) to green (35), then from green (35) to blue (36), and then from blue (36) back to red (34) during a complete rotation along the equator. The change in color saturation then occurs along the longitude of such an imaginary spherical surface.Here, the south pole, with the color white (at 37), represents the lowest color saturation in the subtractive color model, while the north pole, in this example, represents black (38) and thus the lowest color saturation in the additive color model. For example, the brightness is adjusted by moving the operator's hand 20 radially 42 from the origin 55. Thus, when hand 20 is positioned at the south pole 37, the light 10 shines white, and when hand 20 is positioned at the equator 34, 35, 36, far from the light beam axis 28, it shines monochrome. Besides this exemplary implementation of the HSL color model, similar operating effects can be achieved by analogously assigning other color models to the HSL color model used here. For example, the use of the following color models and color spaces is conceivable: • LMS color space - physiological color space based on the spectral sensitivities of the L, M, and S cones. • XYZ color space - standard color space originally established by the CIE, constructed on computational coordinates X, Y, Z, which are created from cone sensitivities. • RGB color space - a color space known from computer technology and used on the internet. • CMYK color model – a four-color color space originating from printing technology. However, only three of the four parameters can be adjusted. The additional black component must be set to zero, as a light source cannot emit black light (CMY model). • HSV color space with the variants HSL, HSB, HSI - color space known from design, documentation of painting and video art. • Lab color space or CIE color space, which are derived from the XYZ color space, which also includes all perceptible colors, and its further development, the DIN99 color space. • LCh° color space, which is a representation of HSV color space, LUV color space or LAB color space in polar coordinates. • I1I2I3 color space, which is a computationally optimized color space that is normally used in image processing. • YCbCr color space (sometimes also called YCC color space for short), which is used in digital television, both in digital PAL and digital NTSC, DVB, JPEG, MPEG, DVD-Video etc. • xvYCC color space - an expanded color space compared to the YCbCr color space, which uses the full 8 bits per color channel and is normally used for flat panel displays. • YPbPr color space - which is normally used in analog HDTV or analog component video. • YUV color space - which is normally used for analog PAL and NTSC television. • YIQ color space - which was used for analog NTSC. • YDbDr color space - which was used for analog SECAM. • YCC color model - used on Kodak Photo CDs.
[0033] Of course, other orthogonal coordinate systems in combination with different color systems are also conceivable. For example, the use of cylindrical coordinates is possible, with all three principal orientations conceivable, including the axis of rotation parallel to and perpendicular to the light emission axis 28. Further coordinate systems would include cylindrical-parabolic coordinate systems, ellipsoidal coordinate systems, etc. Various orthogonal coordinate systems are known in mathematical literature.
[0034] Fig. Figure 6 shows the procedure for a simple Cartesian coordinate system. The z-axis 37 is chosen to coincide with the light emission axis 28. By moving the hand 53 along this z-axis, the light can be adjusted, for example, between "dark" (at 46) and "light" (at 47). In this example, the direction of the x-axis is assigned such that the color of the emitted light is changed by moving the hand 53 in the x-direction (arrow 50). The color red is assigned to the position furthest to the left (at 43), the color green to the position on the light emission and z-axis (at 37), and the color blue to the position furthest to the right (at 45). In this example, the color saturation is assigned to the movement (at 52) in the direction of the y-axis. Thus, the point furthest forward (at 48) corresponds to a colorless white or gray illumination. The point at the very back (at 49) of full color saturation.
[0035] These examples are of course arbitrarily chosen from the manifold possibilities of assigning functions, coordinate systems, directions and parameter values.
[0036] Fig. Figure 7 finally shows the case where the direction of the light beam can be changed by moving the hand 20 in one of the two directions indicated by the double arrow 30. This adjustment mode is visually signaled, for example, by the fact that the switched-on light 10 briefly swivels the light beam 26 back and forth.
Claims
[1] Method for operating a lamp (10) by means of gesture control without contact, the lamp being equipped with - a luminaire (10) comprising at least one light source (14) which emits a beam of light (26) along an optical light emission axis (28), - a sensor arrangement (18) for detecting (i) a movement of an object (20) into and / or out of the light beam (26) and / or within the light beam (26) and (ii) a standstill of an object (20) in the light beam (26), wherein the object (20) is in particular a hand, and - an evaluation and control unit (22) which receives signals from the sensor arrangement (18) representing a movement of the object (20) as well as a standstill of the object (20) and evaluates these to detect a movement or standstill of the object (20) and which controls the at least one light source, - wherein the luminaire, when switched on, is switchable into at least one setting mode for setting or changing at least one photometric operating parameter of the luminaire (10), such as the brightness of the light, the color of the light, the color saturation of the light, the degree of spread of the light beam and / or the orientation of the light beam (26) in space, wherein the method - by moving the object (20) into and / or out of the light beam (26) and / or through the light beam (26) switching between an off state and an on state of the luminaire (10), - by the object (20) coming to a standstill within the light beam (26) while the light (10) is switched on, the light (10) is switched from deactivation of at least one setting mode or of one of several setting modes to its activation, - wherein the activation and / or deactivation of the at least one setting mode or one of the several setting modes is visually indicated by the evaluation and control unit (22) controlling the at least one light source (14) to intermittently change at least one photometric operating parameter of the luminaire (10) that can be set or adjusted in the activated setting mode, such as brightness flickering, in particular reversible color change, in particular reversible color saturation change, in particular reversible widening or narrowing of the light beam or reversible swiveling of the light beam (26), and - by moving the object (20) after it has come to a standstill, the lighting operating parameter(s) that can be set and / or changed in the activated setting mode is set or changed. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that the or an activated setting mode is deactivated by the object coming to a standstill (20) during the activation of the setting mode. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that in the case of several setting modes, switching between these is done cyclically by repeatedly alternating between moving and stopping the object (20) or by stopping the object (20) for a predefinable maximum interval. [4] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that in the case of several setting modes, one of these is selected by the object (20) approaching the light beam (26) from a spatial direction specific to this setting mode, followed by the object (20) coming to a standstill. [5] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by, that the light (10) is switched on and off by a movement of the object (20) towards, through and out of the light beam (26). [6] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by , that the setting mode or one of the setting modes is a brightness mode and, if applicable, that the brightness is adjusted by moving the object (20) in one of the two opposite directions substantially along the light emission axis (28). [7] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by , that the setting mode or one of the setting modes is a color mode and, if applicable, that the color or color saturation is set by moving the object (20) in one of the two opposite directions substantially along the light emission axis (28). [8] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by, that the setting mode or one of the setting modes is a light beam expansion mode and, if applicable, that an expansion and narrowing of the light beam (26) is set by a movement of the object (20) in one or the other of the two opposite directions substantially along the light emission axis (28). [9] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by , that the setting mode or one of the setting modes is a light beam alignment mode and, if applicable, that by tracking the light beam (26) according to a movement of the object (20) the orientation of the light beam (26) in space is changed. [10] Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by , that the light beam expansion mode and the light beam alignment mode are combined into a common light beam adjustment mode. [11] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by, that the setting mode or one of the setting modes includes the simultaneous setting of one or two or three photometric parameters of the luminaire (10) and, if applicable, this movement (41, 40, 42, 50, 51, 52) of the object (20) in one of the two opposite directions per coordinate line essentially a) in the case of a photometric parameter, each along a coordinate line of a virtual one-dimensional coordinate system, which is a subset of a virtual three-dimensional coordinate system, and b) in the case of two photometric parameters, each along two mutually orthogonal coordinate lines of a virtual two-dimensional coordinate system, which is a subset of a virtual three-dimensional coordinate system, and c) in the case of three photometric parameters, each is measured along three mutually orthogonal coordinate lines of a virtual three-dimensional coordinate system, wherein a symmetry or coordinate axis (33) of said virtual three-dimensional coordinate system may be parallel to the light ray axis (28) or to the perpendicular of the installation space or to the surface normal of the installation or mounting surface of the luminaire. [12] Method according to claim 11 or any other of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the correlation of the brightness and / or color and / or color saturation setting of the luminaire with the object position in the said virtual coordinate system is set according to one of the color models or color spaces LMS, XYZ, RGB, CMYK, CMY, HSV, HSL, HSB, HSI, LAB, CIE, DIN99, LCh°, LUV, I1I2I3, YCbCr, YCC xvYCC, YPbPr, YUV,YIQ, YDbDr,YCC or according to a subspace of these color spaces. [13] Method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized by , that the virtual three-dimensional coordinate system is a Cartesian, cylindrical, spherical, elliptical, parabolic-elliptical, hyperbolic-elliptical or other orthogonal coordinate system.
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