CONTROLLER FOR CONTROLLING MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES, WHICH CAN BE INDIVIDUALLY CONTROLLED IN COLOR AND / OR BRIGHTNESS - Patent application

Abstract

A controller for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled is disclosed, wherein the controller is configured to receive a dynamic light scene indicating at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources, identify a set of light sources from the plurality of light sources that are proximate to one another and in which a difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold, modify the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene for the set of light sources such that the visually perceptible threshold is satisfied, and control the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a controller for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. The present invention further relates to a system for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. The present invention further relates to a method and a computer program for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. [Background technology]

[0002] A connected lighting system may enable the rendering of dynamic light scenes, i.e., light scenes that provide light output that changes over time. Dynamic light scenes can create ambience that is considered pleasant by a user. As an example, such dynamic light scenes may be predetermined and selectable by a user, such as a wake-up light scene in which lights slowly brighten to gently wake the user. As a further example, such dynamic light scenes may include rendering random colors and / or brightnesses over time by all (or some) of the light sources.

[0003] Each light scene may be defined by a respective set of light settings (light scene dataset) for a group of light sources (lamps) that belong to the scene. Each light setting contains information about which lamps belong to it and defines one or more lighting parameters for the lamps, such as color parameter(s) and / or brightness parameter(s), i.e. the color point and / or brightness level to which each of the lamps is set.

[0004] Dynamic light scenes are typically rendered with a few spatially distributed, individually controllable light sources, such as light sources around the perimeter of a screen. However, additional challenges arise when dynamic light scenes are rendered with a large number of closely spaced, individually controllable light sources, such as light strings. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The inventors have recognized that problems arise when rendering dynamic light scenes that exhibit a set of light settings to be rendered sequentially by a large number of individually controllable light sources. For example, a dynamic light scene with a random color assignment (from a predetermined color palette) for each of the individually controllable light sources. It is desirable for a dynamic light scene to provide a pleasant and relaxing experience for a user. However, the intended effect is barely perceptible to the user. When a user's perception focuses on a single (or a small number) light source, the difference (change) in color and / or brightness of that light source between light settings is perceptible by the user. However, when a user's perception focuses on multiple closely spaced light sources, the difference in color and / or brightness of the light sources is not visually perceptible to a user at a certain distance. That is, the number of color and / or brightness changes between light settings exceeds the visual perceivability threshold. While the human visual system can distinguish the color and / or brightness palette (set of colors) of the multiple closely spaced individually controllable light sources, the actual physical (spatial) arrangement of the rendered color and / or brightness is treated as noise.

[0006] Therefore, the objective is to control multiple light sources whose color and / or brightness can be controlled individually so that the dynamic light scene effect can be visually perceptible by the user, i.e. so that the color and / or brightness differences (changes) between the light settings of the dynamic light scene can be visually perceptible by the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to a first aspect, the object is achieved by a controller for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. The controller is configured to receive a dynamic light scene indicating at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources, and to identify a set of light sources from the plurality of light sources that are close to each other, i.e., the distance between the set of light sources is below a proximity threshold and a difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visual perceivability threshold. For example, the difference score may indicate a difference between (i) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the first light setting and (ii) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the second light setting.

[0008] A first light setting may indicate a first set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, and a second light setting may indicate a second set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources. The controller is configured to identify a set of light sources from the plurality of light sources that are close to each other and where a difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold. That is, the controller is configured to identify a set of light sources where the actual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is above a difference threshold (intended effect), but the distance between the set of light sources is below a proximity threshold, so that the perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold. For example, the controller may be configured to identify a set of light sources from the plurality of light sources that are close to each other and where a color difference (distance in color space) between the first set of colors and the second set of colors is below a visually perceptible threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the controller may be configured to identify a set of light sources from the plurality of light sources that are adjacent to one another and for which the number of differences in color and / or brightness between the first and second light settings is below a visual perceptibility threshold, i.e., a threshold below which differences (transitions) in color and / or brightness between the first and the second light setting are not perceivable by a human.

[0009] The controller is further configured to modify the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that for the set of light sources a visual perceptibility threshold is met, i.e., a difference score for the set of light sources is greater than (or equal to) the visual perceptibility threshold, and to control the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene.

[0010] The human visual system may not perceive a difference in color and / or brightness between a first light setting and a second light setting if the difference score between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visual perceptibility threshold, i.e., a threshold below which the difference (transition) in color and / or brightness between the first light setting and the second light setting is not perceptible to humans. By identifying a set of nearby light sources whose difference scores are below the visual perceptibility threshold, it is possible to appropriately modify the dynamic light scene so that the visual perceptibility threshold is met for the set of light sources. This ensures that the dynamic changes (effects) of the dynamic light scene can be visually perceptible by a user (at least at a predetermined distance from the multiple light sources).

[0011] The controller may be configured to modify the dynamic light scene by modifying the first light setting, the second light setting, or both light settings of the received dynamic light scene. The controller may be configured to determine a modified first light setting and / or a second light setting that is different from the first light setting and / or the second light setting, respectively, wherein the modified dynamic light scene indicates a modified first light setting and a modified second light setting, wherein a difference score indicative of a perceptual difference between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting exceeds a visually perceptible threshold, and wherein a difference score indicative of a perceptual difference between the received dynamic light scene and the modified dynamic light scene is below an acceptable modified setting. For example, the controller may be configured to determine a modified first light setting and / or a modified second light setting such that (i) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified first light setting and (ii) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified second light setting exceed a visually perceptible threshold, and (i) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the light scene and (ii) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified light scene are below an acceptable modification threshold. By modifying the first light setting, the second light setting, or both light settings such that there is a sufficient difference in average color and / or brightness between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting of the modified light scene, or such that there is a sufficient color distance between the color palettes of the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting, a change (transition) from the modified first setting to the modified second setting may be visually perceived by a user. The (original) received light scene and the modified light scene do not have to be significantly different (the average color and / or brightness difference score between the received scene and the modified scene may be below an acceptable modification threshold) because this would result in a different intended effect of the dynamic scene.Preferably, the average color and / or brightness of the received dynamic scene may be approximately the same as the average color and / or brightness of the modified dynamic light scene in order to maintain the same intended effect (intended atmosphere) for the user.

[0012] The controller may be configured to modify the received dynamic light scene such that the number of color changes between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting is reduced, i.e., the number of colors to be simultaneously rendered according to the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting is reduced. The first light setting may indicate a first set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, and the second light setting may indicate a second set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources.

[0013] The controller may be configured to determine the modified first light setting by identifying a first color subset to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified first light setting. The first color subset may include colors from the first color set and / or the second color set. Preferably, the first color subset includes colors from the first color set. The controller may further be configured to determine the modified second light setting by identifying a second color subset, different from the first color subset, to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the second modified light setting. The second color subset may include colors from the first color set and / or the second color set. Preferably, the second color subset includes colors from the second color set. The first color subset and the second color subset do not completely overlap. Preferably, the first color subset and the second color subset are non-overlapping. For example, a first light setting may indicate a set of four colors, e.g., blue, red, green, and yellow, to be rendered by the set of light sources, and a second light setting may indicate a second set of colors, e.g., blue, red, green, and pink, to be rendered by the set of light sources. The controller may be configured to determine the modified first light setting by identifying a subset of first colors, e.g., blue and red, to be rendered by the set of light sources according to a modified first light setting, and to determine the modified second light setting by identifying a subset of second colors, e.g., green and pink, to be rendered by the set of light sources according to a modified second light setting. Alternatively, the controller may be configured to determine the modified first light setting by assigning a high probability to the subset of first colors, e.g., blue and red, to be rendered by the set of light sources according to a modified first light setting, and assigning a low probability to the subset of second colors, e.g., green and pink, to be rendered by the set of light sources according to a modified second light setting.Rendering a first and sequential second (non-overlapping) color subset with the set of light sources allows for a large difference score (above a threshold) between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting, so that the change between the modified first setting and the modified second setting can be visually perceptible by the user. Selecting a color subset that includes colors from the first color set and / or the second color set ensures that the difference score between (i) the average color to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the received dynamic light scene and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified light scene is below an acceptable modification threshold. Thus, the same intended effect (intended atmosphere) is maintained for the user.

[0014] Alternatively, the controller may be configured to modify the received dynamic light scene such that color changes may vary spatially (location of effect in a set of light sources). The controller is configured to determine the modified first light setting by identifying a first subset of colors to be rendered by a first subset of the set of light sources and a second subset of colors, different from the first subset of colors, to be rendered by a second subset of the set of light sources, wherein the first subset of colors and the second subset of colors include colors from the first set of colors and / or the second set of colors, and the first and second subsets of the set of light sources may not fully overlap. Preferably, the first and second subsets of colors and the first and second subsets of the set of light sources do not overlap. The controller may be further configured to determine the modified second light setting by identifying a first color subset to be rendered by a second subset of the set of light sources and a second color subset to be rendered by a first subset of the set of light sources. For example, the first light setting may indicate a set of four colors, e.g., blue, red, green, and yellow, to be rendered by the set of light sources, and the second light setting may indicate a second color set, the same as the first color set, to be rendered by the set of light sources. According to the modified first setting, the first color subset, e.g., blue and red, should be rendered by a first subset of adjacent light sources in the set of light sources, e.g., the light sources at the bottom of the light string. The second color subset, e.g., green and yellow, should be rendered by a second subset of adjacent light sources in the set of light sources, e.g., the light sources at the top of the light string. This ensures that the light effects are different within the space.According to the modified second setting, a subset of the first colors, blue and red, should be rendered by the upper part of the light string, and a subset of the second colors, green and yellow, should be rendered by the lower part of the light string. In this way, the average color of the modified scene remains approximately the same as the received dynamic light scene, thus exceeding the tolerance modification threshold. The controller may be configured to determine an intermediate light setting to be rendered between the first light setting and the second light setting, where a second difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the intermediate light setting exceeds a visual perceptibility threshold, and a third difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the second light setting and the intermediate light setting exceeds a visual perceptibility threshold. By adding an intermediate light setting between the first light setting and the second light setting, the intermediate light setting having a difference score above a visual probability threshold for both the first (preceding) light setting and the second (subsequent) light setting ensures that the change between settings in the dynamic light scene is visually perceptible by the user.

[0015] The difference score may include an absolute difference between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the second light setting. The difference score may indicate the color difference (distance) between the first set of colors and the second set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the first light setting and the second light setting, respectively.

[0016] Alternatively, the difference score may include the probability of a difference in color and / or brightness between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the second light setting. Or, it may include the probability of a color difference between the first set of colors and the second set of colors. For example, if the colors in a received light scene are represented by a randomization function that assigns probabilities of rendering colors from a set of colors to multiple light sources, it may not be possible to determine the absolute difference between the average color and / or brightness of the first and second light scenes (or the color distance between the first and second set of colors). In that case, a probability difference score may be calculated that the average color and / or brightness between the first and second light scenes is above a visually perceptible threshold.

[0017] A plurality of light sources may be included in a lighting device, and the controller may be configured to identify a set of light sources that are proximate to one another by receiving input, e.g., a barcode, an image, etc., indicating which light sources of the plurality of light sources are proximate to one another. The input may include relative (or actual) positions of the plurality of light sources and / or the type of the lighting device. By receiving input indicating the relative positions of the plurality of light sources, the controller can identify a set of light sources that are proximate to one another. For example, the controller may be configured to identify a (predetermined) number of light sources that are proximate to one another based on the relative positions of the light sources within the device. In another example, the controller may be configured to identify a (predetermined) number of light sources that are proximate to one another based on the type of device, e.g., a light string.

[0018] The controller may be further configured to receive an input indicating an ambient light level and modify the received dynamic light scene based on the ambient light level. This may, for example, allow the dynamic light scene to be modified only if the ambient light level is above an ambient light threshold. In another example, the controller may modify the received dynamic light scene such that an effect is visible in space when the ambient light level is below the ambient light threshold. An effect is more visible when it is spatially distinct compared to temporally distinct.

[0019] According to a second aspect, the object is a system for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be controlled individually, the system comprising: - receiving a dynamic light scene indicating at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources; - identifying a set of light sources from a plurality of light sources, wherein a distance between the set of light sources is below a proximity threshold and a difference score between (i) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the first light setting and (ii) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold; - modifying the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that, for the set of light sources, a difference score is above a visually perceptible threshold; and - controlling the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene; and a controller configured to:

[0020] According to a third aspect, the object is a method for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be controlled individually, the method comprising: - receiving a dynamic light scene indicating at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources; - identifying a set of light sources from a plurality of light sources, wherein a distance between the set of light sources is below a proximity threshold and a difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold; - modifying the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that, for the set of light sources, a difference score is above a visually perceptible threshold; - controlling said plurality of light sources to render said modified dynamic light scene; This is achieved by a method comprising:

[0021] According to a fourth aspect, the object is achieved by a computer program for a computing device arranged to control a plurality of light sources, the computer program comprising computer program code for performing a method for controlling a plurality of light sources, the color and / or brightness of which can be individually controlled, when the computer program is executed on a processing unit of the computing device.

[0022] It should be understood that the systems, methods and computer programs may have similar and / or identical embodiments and advantages as the controllers described above. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] The above, as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed devices, systems, 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. All figures are schematic and not necessarily to scale, and generally show only those parts necessary to clarify the invention; other parts may be omitted or merely suggested. [Figure 1]1 shows schematically a number of light sources whose colour and / or brightness can be individually controlled. [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system for controlling multiple light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a device including multiple light sources. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a method for controlling multiple light sources. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] 1 illustrates an example of a problem that may arise when rendering a dynamic light scene with multiple light sources 112-126 whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. The light sources 112-126 may be configured to render a dynamic light scene, which may indicate at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be rendered sequentially by the multiple light sources 112-126. A light setting includes information about which set of light sources among the multiple light sources 112-126 will render the light setting and defines one or more lighting settings for each light source 112-126, e.g., color setting(s) and / or brightness setting(s), e.g., the color point and / or brightness to which each of the light sources 112-126 is set. Table 1 illustrates an exemplary dynamic light scene illustrating a first light setting and a second light setting to be rendered sequentially by the multiple light sources 112-126.

[0025] Table 1 TIFF2025536432000002.tif48165

[0026] When a dynamic light scene is rendered by one or more light sources 112-126, the color change (difference) between a first light setting and a second light setting may not be visually perceptible by a user 130. When a user's perception 130 is focused on a single light source, e.g., light source 122, i.e., when light source 122 subtends a first visual angle 10 of the user's eye, the color and / or brightness change of light source 122 between the first light setting and the second light setting is perceptible by the user. However, when a user's perception is focused on multiple closely spaced light sources, where a closely spaced light source is a light source located at a physical distance below a distance proximity threshold, and the multiple closely spaced light sources 112-126 subtend a second visual angle 20 of the user's eye, the color and / or brightness change of the light source when transitioning from a first light setting to a second light setting is not visually perceptible by the user. In both cases, this is despite the user 130 being located at the same distance D from light sources 112-126. The reason is that in the second case, the human visual system may be able to distinguish the average color and / or brightness of multiple closely spaced, individually controllable light sources 112-126, but the actual physical (spatial) arrangement of the rendered color and / or brightness is treated as noise by the visual system. That is, the user 130 may not perceive that the light source 112 changes (transitions) from red to green between the first and second light settings. The problem arises because the average color and / or brightness rendered by the light sources 112-126 according to the first light setting is nearly the same as the average color and / or brightness that should be rendered by the light sources 112-126 according to the second light setting. That is, the difference between the average color and / or brightness (across multiple light sources) between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visual perceptibility threshold, i.e., a threshold below which differences in color and / or brightness between the light settings are not perceivable by a human user.In a practical application, a user's perception may be focused on a plurality of light sources 112-126, for example, the user may be expected to observe a Christmas light string. Thus, it is advantageous to provide a system for controlling the plurality of light sources 112-126 such that color and / or brightness differences (changes) between light settings of a dynamic light scene may be visually perceptible by the user 130.

[0027] 2 schematically illustrates a system 200 for controlling a plurality of light sources 212-226 whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. The plurality of light sources 212-226 may include different types of light sources, such as incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, LEDs that produce white light, colored LEDs, etc. The brightness level of each from the plurality of light sources 212-226 may be individually controlled, the color of each from the plurality of light sources 212-226 may be individually controlled, or both the color and brightness level of each from the plurality of light sources 212-226 may be individually controlled. The light sources 212-226 may be configured to render a dynamic light scene, the dynamic light scene representing at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources 212-226.

[0028] The system 200 includes at least one data processor or controller 206. The system may further include at least one data repository or storage or memory 208 for storing computer program code instructions. The controller 206 may be communicatively coupled to a cloud 220. However, it should be noted that the controller 206 may also be included in a central device (e.g., a smartphone, a personal computer, a hub), a web-based portal, a combination of a central device and a web-based portal, etc. The controller 206 may be communicatively coupled to a memory module 208.

[0029] The controller 206 is configured to receive a dynamic light scene indicating at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources 212-226. The light setting includes information about which set of light sources among the plurality of light sources 212-226 will render the light setting, and defines one or more lighting settings for each light source 212-226, such as color setting(s) and / or brightness setting(s), e.g., color point and / or brightness to which each of the light sources 212-226 is set. The controller 206 may include a receiver 4 for receiving the dynamic light scene. Alternatively, the controller 206 may retrieve the dynamic light scene from the memory 208 or the cloud 220.

[0030] The controller 206 is further configured to identify a set 2 of light sources 212-226, the set 2 including light sources 212-222 that are adjacent to one another, where a difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set 2 of light sources according to the first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set 2 of light sources according to the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold. The visually perceptible threshold is a difference score below which differences in average color and / or brightness between the light settings are not perceivable by a human. Set 2 may include multiple light sources 212-226. There may be two or more sets with difference scores below the visually perceptible threshold.

[0031] The difference score may include an absolute difference between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the second light setting. Alternatively, the difference score may include a probability of a color and / or brightness difference between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the second light setting. For example, if the color and / or brightness in a received light scene is dictated by a randomization function that assigns a probability to each of a plurality of light sources 212-226 of rendering a color and / or brightness from a set of color and / or brightness levels, it may not be possible to determine an absolute difference between the average color and / or brightness of the first and second light settings. In that case, a probability that the average color and / or brightness between the first and second light scenes is above a visually perceptible threshold may be calculated.

[0032] The controller 206 is configured to modify the received dynamic light scene such that a visually perceptible threshold is met for the set of light sources 2. The controller 206 may be configured to determine the modified first light setting, the modified second light setting, or both the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting such that a difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified second light setting is above a visually perceptible threshold, and a difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the light scene and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified light scene is below an acceptable modification threshold. The controller 206 is further configured to control the plurality of light sources 212-226 to render the modified dynamic light scene.

[0033] In one example, the first light setting may indicate a first set of colors to be rendered by light source set 2, and the second light setting may indicate a second set of colors to be rendered by light source set 2. The first color set and the second color set may overlap. For example, in Table 1, the first color set includes red, blue, green, and yellow, and the second color set includes the same colors. Controller 206 may be configured to determine the modified first light setting by identifying a subset of first colors to be rendered by light source set 2 according to the modified first light setting. The subset of first colors may include colors from the first color set and / or the second color set, for example, red and blue. Controller 206 may be configured to determine the modified second light setting by identifying a subset of second colors to be rendered by light source set 2 according to the modified second light setting. The subset of second colors may include colors from the first color set and / or the second color set, for example, green and yellow. The first color subset and the second color subset do not have to completely overlap. In this example, the first color subset and the second color subset do not overlap. The resulting modified first and second light settings are shown in Table 2.

[0034] Table 2 TIFF2025536432000003.tif63168

[0035] The user can perceive the effect of the modified dynamic light scene because the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting exceeds the visually perceptible threshold. The number of changes (differences) between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting is low enough for the user to perceive the dynamic effect. The number of colors to be rendered by the modified first light scene and the number of colors to be rendered by the modified second light scene are reduced so that the intended effect is visually perceptible by the user. The average color and / or brightness of the modified dynamic light scene is approximately the same as the received (original) dynamic light scene, and thus the difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by set of light sources 2 according to the received dynamic light scene and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by set of light sources 2 according to the modified dynamic light scene is below the acceptable modification threshold.

[0036] In another example, the color and / or brightness in the received dynamic light scene may be represented by a randomization function that may assign to (some of) the light sources 212-226 a probability of rendering a color and / or brightness from a set of colors and / or brightness levels. The dynamic light scene may represent (associate) with each light source of the set of light sources 212-226 a probability of rendering each color from a first color set (red, green, blue, yellow) according to a first light setting, and may represent (associate) with each light source of the set of light sources 2 a probability of rendering each color from a second color set (red, green, blue, yellow) according to a second light setting. Table 3 shows an example of a received dynamic light scene. In this example, the first color set and the second color set overlap. However, this is not required. The set of light sources 2 renders each color with equal probability. On average, each color (yellow, blue, red, green) has an equal probability of being rendered by the set of light sources 2 in the first and second light settings. Thus, the probability that the difference in color and / or brightness between (i) the average color to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the first light setting and (ii) the average color to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the second light setting is below the visually perceptible threshold.

[0037] Table 3 TIFF2025536432000004.tif99166

[0038] The controller 206 may be configured to determine the modified first light setting by identifying a subset of first colors (e.g., blue, red colors) to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified first light setting, and to determine the modified second light setting by identifying a subset of second colors (e.g., yellow, green colors) to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified second light setting. The resulting modified first and second light settings are shown in Table 4.

[0039] Table 4 TIFF2025536432000005.tif76168

[0040] The modified light scene may be perceptible to a user because, according to the modified first light setting, only a subset of the first colors may be rendered by the set of light sources 2, while, according to the modified second light setting, only a subset of the second colors (which do not completely overlap with the subset of the first colors) may be rendered by the set of light sources 2. Thus, (i) the average color to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified second light setting are sufficiently different that the probability of the difference between them exceeds the visually perceptible threshold. The average color and / or brightness of the modified dynamic light scene is approximately the same as the received (original) dynamic light scene, thus the difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the received dynamic light scene and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified dynamic light scene is below the acceptable modification threshold.

[0041] In another example, the controller 206 may be configured to determine the modified first light setting by identifying a first color subset (e.g., red, blue) to be rendered by a first subset 3 (top) of the set of light sources 2 and a second color subset (e.g., green, yellow) to be rendered by a second subset 5 (bottom) of the set of light sources 2. The first color subset and the second color subset may include colors from the first color set and / or the second color set. The first color subset and the second color subset and the first subset 3 and the second subset 5 of the set of light sources 2 do not completely overlap. Preferably, the first color subset and the second color subset and the first subset 3 and the second subset 5 of the set of light sources 2 do not overlap. This results in red and blue colors being rendered at the top of the multiple light sources and green and yellow colors being rendered at the bottom of the multiple light sources, resulting in a spatially distinct lighting effect. Thus, for subsets 3 and 5, the difference score between (i) the average color to be rendered by the subset of light sources according to the modified first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the subset of light sources according to the modified second light setting exceeds the visually perceptible threshold. Controller 206 may be configured to determine the modified second light setting by identifying a subset of first colors, red, blue, to be rendered by second subset 5 of set 2 of light sources, and a subset of second colors, green, yellow, to be rendered by first subset 3 of set 2 of light sources. In this way, the average color and / or brightness of the modified dynamic light scene is approximately the same as the received (original) dynamic light scene. The resulting modified first and second light settings are shown in Table 5.

[0042] Table 5 TIFF2025536432000006.tif78167

[0043] In a further example, controller 206 may be configured to determine an intermediate light setting to be rendered between the first light setting and the second light setting, where a difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by set of light sources 2 according to the first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by set of light sources 2 according to the intermediate light setting exceeds a visually perceptible threshold, and a difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by set of light sources 2 according to the second light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by set of light sources 2 according to the intermediate light setting exceeds a visually perceptible threshold. For example, controller 206 may be configured to identify a transition color, e.g., white, to be rendered by set of light sources 2 according to the intermediate light setting. The resulting modified light scene is shown in Table 6.

[0044] Table 6 TIFF2025536432000007.tif56166

[0045] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a device 310 including multiple light sources 312-318. The controller 206 may be configured to receive input indicating which light sources among the multiple light sources 312-318 are proximate to one another. The input may include relative positions of the multiple light sources 312-318 and / or the type of the lighting device 310. For example, the input may be an image, and the controller may be configured to determine the relative positions of the multiple light sources 312-318 based on the image. For example, the relative positions may be determined by applying a computer vision machine learning algorithm to the image. In another example, the input may include a QR code indicating the type of the lighting device 310. The controller 206 may be configured to determine which light sources among the multiple light sources 312-318 are proximate to one another based on the type of the lighting device 310. For example, if the lighting device 310 is a light string type, the controller 206 may identify the proximate light sources by identifying a predetermined number of adjacent light sources, for example, four light sources, based on the addresses of the light sources.

[0046] Controller 206 may be further configured to receive input indicative of an ambient light level and modify the dynamic light scene based on the ambient light level. For example, controller 206 may be configured to modify the dynamic light scene when it determines that the ambient light level is below an ambient light level threshold, e.g., 100 lux. Controller 206 may receive input from an ambient light sensor indicative of a current ambient light level. Alternatively, controller 206 may be configured to receive time data and determine the ambient light level from the time data, for example, by retrieving an association between time data and ambient light levels from memory 208.

[0047] FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for controlling a plurality of light sources 212-226 whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled, the method comprising: receiving 402 a dynamic light scene indicative of at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by said plurality of light sources 212-226; - identifying 404 a set of light sources from the plurality of light sources that are close to each other and for which a difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting exceeds a visually perceptible threshold; - a step 406 of modifying the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that a visual perceptibility threshold is met for said set of light sources; - a step 408 of controlling said plurality of light sources to render said modified dynamic light scene; 4 illustrates a method 400 including:

[0048] The method 400 may be performed by computer program code of a computer program when the computer program is executed on a processing unit of a computing device, such as the controller 206 .

[0049] FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 for controlling a plurality of light sources 212-226 whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled, the method comprising: - receiving 502 a dynamic light scene indicating at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by said plurality of light sources 212-226; - identifying 504 a set of light sources from the plurality of light sources that are close to each other, such that a difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold; - a step 506 of modifying the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that a visual perceptibility threshold is met for said set of light sources; - controlling 508 said plurality of light sources to render said modified dynamic light scene; 5 illustrates a method 500 including:

[0050] The methods 400, 500 may be performed by computer program code of a computer program when the computer program is executed on a processing unit of a computing device, such as the controller 206.

[0051] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are illustrative rather than limiting of the present 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.

[0052] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. Use of the verb "to comprise" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. The singular reference of 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 means are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these means cannot be used to advantage.

[0053] Aspects of the present invention may be embodied in a computer program product, which may be a collection of computer program instructions stored on a computer-readable storage device that can be executed by a computer. The instructions of the present invention may be any interpretable or executable code mechanism, including, but not limited to, a script, an interpretable program, a dynamic link library (DLL), or a Java class. The instructions may be provided as a complete executable program, a partial executable program, a modification (e.g., an update) to an existing program, or an extension (e.g., a plug-in) to an existing program. Furthermore, portions of the processing of the present invention may be distributed across multiple computers or processors, or a "cloud."

[0054] Suitable storage media 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 disk drives, removable disks, and CD-ROM disks. The computer program may be distributed on such storage media or may be made available for download via HTTP, FTP, email, or a server connected to a network such as the Internet.

Claims

1. 1. A controller for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled, the controller comprising: receiving a dynamic light scene indicating at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources; identifying a set of light sources among the plurality of light sources, wherein a distance between the set of light sources is below a proximity threshold and a difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold; modifying the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that a difference score for the set of light sources is above a visually perceptible threshold; and controlling the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene. The controller is configured as follows:

2. 2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting includes a color difference between (i) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the first light setting and (ii) an average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the second light setting.

3. 2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the first light setting indicates a first set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, the second light setting indicates a second set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, and the difference score indicates a color distance between the first set of colors and the second set of colors.

4. wherein the controller being configured to modify the received dynamic light scene includes the controller being configured to determine a modified first light setting and / or a second light setting that is different from the first light setting and / or the second light setting, wherein the modified dynamic light scene indicates the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting; a second difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting exceeds a visually perceptible threshold; The controller of claim 1 , wherein a third difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the received dynamic light scene and the modified dynamic light scene is below an acceptable modification threshold.

5. The controller being configured to determine the modified dynamic light scene may comprise the controller: determining the modified first light setting by identifying a subset of first colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified first light setting, the subset of first colors comprising colors from the first set of colors and / or the second set of colors; determining the modified second light setting by identifying a second subset of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified second light setting, the second subset of colors including colors from the first set of colors and / or the second set of colors, wherein the first subset of colors and the second subset of colors do not completely overlap; 5. The controller of claims 3 and 4, further comprising:

6. The controller being configured to determine the modified dynamic light scene may comprise the controller: determining the modified first light setting by identifying a first subset of colors to be rendered by a first subset of the set of light sources and a second subset of colors to be rendered by a second subset of the set of light sources, the first subset of colors and the second subset of colors including colors from the first set of colors and / or the second set of colors, and the first subset of colors and the second subset of colors and the first subset of light sources and the second subset of light sources do not completely overlap; determining the modified second light setting by identifying a subset of the first colors to be rendered by the second subset of the set of light sources and a subset of the second colors to be rendered by the first subset of the set of light sources; The controller of claim 4 , further comprising:

7. wherein the controller being configured to modify the received dynamic light scene includes the controller being configured to determine an intermediate light setting to be rendered between the first light setting and the second light setting; a second difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the intermediate light setting that exceeds a visually perceptible threshold; The controller of claim 1 , wherein a third difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the second light setting and the intermediate light setting exceeds a visually perceptible threshold.

8. The controller being configured to identify the set of light sources that are close to each other means that the controller: receiving an input indicating which light sources of the plurality of light sources are proximate to one another, the input including relative positions of the plurality of light sources and / or a type of lighting device, the lighting device including the plurality of light sources; The controller of claim 1 , further comprising:

9. 9. A controller according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to receive an input indicative of an ambient light level, and to modify the received dynamic light scene based on the ambient light level.

10. A system for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled, the system comprising the plurality of light sources and a controller according to claim 1.

11. 1. A method for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled, the method comprising: receiving a dynamic light scene indicating at least a first light setting and a second light setting to be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources; identifying a set of light sources from the plurality of light sources, wherein a distance between the set of light sources is below a proximity threshold and a difference score indicating a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold; modifying the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that a difference score for the set of light sources is above a visually perceptible threshold; controlling the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene; A method comprising:

12. 12. A computer program for a computing device arranged to control a plurality of light sources, the computer program comprising computer program code for performing the method of claim 11 when the computer program is executed on a processing unit of the computing device.

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