A controller for controlling multiple light sources, each with individually controlled color and / or brightness.

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 Art

[0002] A connected lighting system may enable the rendering of a dynamic light scene, i.e., a light scene that provides a light output that changes over time. The dynamic light scene can create an atmosphere that is considered pleasant by the user. As an example, such a dynamic light scene may be predefined and selectable by the user, such as a wake-up light scene in which the light gradually brightens to gently wake up the user. As a further example, such a dynamic light scene may include rendering random colors and / or brightness 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 data set) for a group of light sources (lamps) belonging to the scene. Each light setting includes information on which lamps belong to the light setting and defines one or more lighting parameters for the lamps, such as (plural) color parameters and / or (plural) brightness parameters, i.e., the color point and / or brightness level at which each of the lamps is set.

[0004] Dynamic lighting scenes are typically rendered using several spatially positioned, individually controllable light sources, such as lights around the screen. However, further challenges arise when dynamic lighting scenes are rendered using multiple closely spaced, individually controllable light sources, such as a light string. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] The inventors recognized that problems arise when rendering dynamic lighting scenes that represent a set of lighting settings to be rendered sequentially by a number of individually controllable light sources. For example, a dynamic scene in which each individually controllable light source has a random color assignment (from a given color palette). It is desirable that dynamic lighting scenes provide the user with a pleasant and relaxing experience. However, the intended effect is largely imperceptible to the user. When the user's perception is focused on a single (or a few) light source, the difference (change) in color and / or brightness of that light source between lighting settings is perceptible to the user. However, when the user's perception is focused on multiple nearby light sources, the difference in color and / or brightness of the light sources is not visually perceptible to the user at a given distance. That is, the number of color and / or brightness changes between lighting settings exceeds the visual perceivability threshold. The human visual system can identify the palettes (sets of colors) of color and / or brightness of the multiple nearby individually controllable light sources, but the actual physical (spatial) arrangement of the rendered colors and / or brightness is treated as noise.

[0006] Therefore, the objective is to control multiple light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled so that the dynamic light scene effect can be visually perceived by the user. In other words, the difference (change) in color and / or brightness between the light settings of the dynamic light scene can be visually perceived by the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to a first embodiment, the objective is achieved by a controller for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. The controller receives a dynamic light scene showing at least a first and a second light setting to be rendered sequentially by the plurality of light sources, and is configured to identify a set of light sources among the plurality of light sources that are close to each other, i.e., the distance between the sets of light sources is below a proximity threshold, and the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the first and second light settings is below a visual perceivability threshold. For example, the difference score may indicate the 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.

[0008] The first light setting may represent a first set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, and the second light setting may represent 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 that are close to each other, among a plurality of light sources, such that the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below the 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 exceeds the difference threshold (intended effect), but the distance between the sets of light sources is below the proximity threshold, so the perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below the visually perceptible threshold. For example, the controller may be configured to identify a set of light sources that are close to each other, among a plurality of light sources, such that the color difference (distance in color space) between the first set of colors and the second set of colors is below the visually perceptible threshold. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller may be configured to identify a set of light sources, among a plurality of light sources, that are close to each other, and where the number of color and / or brightness differences between the first light setting and the second light setting falls below a visually perceptible threshold, i.e., a threshold below which differences (transitions) in color and / or brightness between the first and 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 for the set of light sources such that a visually perceptible threshold is met, i.e., the difference score for the set of light sources exceeds (or is equal to) the visually perceptible threshold, and to control the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene.

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

[0011] The controller may be configured to modify a dynamic light scene by modifying a first light setting, a second light setting, or both light settings of the received dynamic light scene. The controller is configured to determine modified first and / or second light settings that are different from the first and / or second light settings, respectively, and the modified dynamic light scene represents the modified first and / or modified second light settings, and the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the modified first and modified second light settings may be above the visually perceptible threshold, and the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the received dynamic light scene and the modified dynamic light scene may be below the acceptable modified setting. For example, the controller is configured to determine a modified first light setting and / or a modified second light setting, wherein the difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified second light setting is above a visually perceptible threshold, and the difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the 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. The change (transition) from a modified first setting to a modified second setting may be visually perceptible to the user by modifying the first light setting, the second light setting, or both light settings such that there is a sufficient difference in the 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. The (original) light scene and the modified light scene do not need to be significantly different (the average color and / or brightness difference score between the original and modified scenes may be below the acceptable correction threshold). This is because this would result in a different outcome than the 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 lighting scene such that the number of color changes between the modified first lighting setting and the modified second lighting setting is reduced, i.e., the number of colors that should be rendered simultaneously according to the modified first lighting setting and the modified second lighting setting is reduced. The first lighting setting may represent a first set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, and the second lighting setting may represent 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 lighting setting by identifying a first subset of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified first lighting setting. The first subset of colors may include colors from the first set of colors and / or a second set of colors. Preferably, the first subset of colors includes colors from the first set of colors. The controller may further be configured to determine the modified second lighting setting by identifying a second subset of colors, different from the first subset of colors, to be rendered by the set of light sources according to a second modified lighting setting. The second subset of colors may include colors from the first set of colors and / or a second set of colors. Preferably, the second subset of colors includes colors from the second set of colors. The first subset of colors and the second subset of colors do not completely overlap. Preferably, the first subset of colors and the second subset of colors are non-overlapping. For example, the first light setting may represent a set of four colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, e.g., blue, red, green, and yellow, and the second light setting may represent a second set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, e.g., blue, red, green, and pink. The controller may be configured to determine 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, e.g., blue and red, and to determine the modified second light setting by identifying a subset of second colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified second light setting, e.g., green and pink. Alternatively, the controller may be configured to determine the modified first light setting by assigning a high probability to a subset of first colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified first light setting, e.g., blue and red, and assigning a low probability to a subset of second colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified second light setting, e.g., green and pink.Rendering a first and a sequential second (non-overlapping) subset of colors using the aforementioned set of light sources allows for a large difference score (above the threshold) between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting, thereby making the change between the modified first setting and the modified second setting visually perceptible to the user. By selecting a subset of colors that includes colors from the first set of colors and / or the second set of colors, it is ensured 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 falls below the 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 lighting scene so that the color changes may differ spatially (in terms of the position of the effect within the set of light sources). The controller is configured to determine the modified first lighting 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 and second subsets of colors include colors from the first and / or second sets of colors, and the first and second subsets of colors and the set of light sources do not have to overlap completely. Preferably, the first and second subsets of colors and the set of light sources do not overlap. The controller may further be configured to determine the modified second lighting setting by identifying a first subset of colors to be rendered by a second subset of the set of light sources and a second subset of colors to be rendered by the first subset of the set of light sources. For example, the first lighting setting may indicate a set of four colors to be rendered by the set of light sources, e.g., blue, red, green, and yellow, and the second lighting setting may indicate a second set of colors that are the same as the first set of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources. According to the modified first setting, the first subset of colors, e.g., blue and red, should be rendered by a first subset of nearby light sources in the set of light sources, e.g., light sources at the bottom of the light string. The second subset of colors, e.g., green and yellow, should be rendered by a second subset of nearby light sources in the set of light sources, e.g., light sources at the top of the light string. This ensures that the lighting effects are different in space.According to the modified second setting, the subsets of the first colors, blue and red, should be rendered by the upper part of the light string, and the subsets of the second colors, green and yellow, should be rendered by the lower part of the light string. Thus, the average color of the modified scene remains approximately the same as the received dynamic light scene. Thus, it exceeds the acceptable modification threshold. The controller is configured to determine an intermediate light setting to be rendered between the first light setting and the second light setting, wherein a second difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the first light setting and the intermediate light setting is above the visually perceptible threshold, and a third difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the second light setting and the intermediate light setting may also be above the visually perceptible 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 the visual probability threshold for both the first (preceding) light setting and the second (successor) light setting ensures that the change between settings in the dynamic light scene is visually perceptible to the user.

[0015] The difference score may include the 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 also represent 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 and second light settings, respectively.

[0016] Alternatively, the difference score may include the probability of 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. Or, it may include the probability of color difference between the first set of colors and the second set of colors. For example, if the colors in an received light scene are represented by a randomization function that assigns the probability of rendering a color 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, which is the probability that the average color and / or brightness between the first and second light scenes is above the visually perceptible threshold.

[0017] Multiple light sources may be included in the lighting device, and the controller may be configured to identify sets of adjacent light sources by receiving an input, e.g., a barcode, an image, etc., indicating which of the multiple light sources are adjacent to each other. The input may include the relative (or actual) positions of the multiple light sources and / or the type of the lighting device. By receiving an input indicating the relative positions of the multiple light sources, the controller can identify sets of adjacent light sources. For example, the controller may be configured to identify a predetermined number of adjacent light sources 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 adjacent light sources based on the type of device, e.g., a light string.

[0018] The controller may also be configured to receive an input indicating the ambient light level and to modify the received dynamic light scene based on the ambient light level. This allows, for example, the dynamic light scene to be modified only when the ambient light level exceeds the ambient light threshold. In another example, the controller may modify the received dynamic light scene so that the effect is visible in space when the ambient light level falls below the ambient light threshold. The effect is more visible when it is spatially different than when it is temporally different.

[0019] According to a second aspect, the objective is 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 dynamic light scene is received that shows at least a first light setting and a second light setting which are to be rendered sequentially by the plurality of light sources. - Identify a set of light sources among multiple light sources, wherein the distance between the sets of light sources is below a proximity threshold, and the 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. - For the set of light sources, the received dynamic light scene is modified by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that the difference score exceeds the visually perceptible threshold, and - Control the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene, This is achieved by a system including a controller configured in such a way.

[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 individually controlled, the method being - 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 perceived difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visual perception threshold; - Modifying the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that the difference score for the set of light sources is above the visual perception threshold; - Controlling the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene; which is achieved by a method.

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

[0022] It should be understood that the system, method and computer program may have the same and / or identical embodiments and advantages as the above-described controller.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] The above and additional objects, features and advantages of the disclosed device, system, and method will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of the device and method, with reference to the accompanying drawings. All the figures are schematic and not necessarily to scale, and generally show only the parts necessary to clarify the invention, while other parts may be omitted or merely suggested. [Figure 1]Schematically shows a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. [Figure 2] Schematically shows a system for controlling a plurality of light sources whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. [Figure 3] Schematically shows an example of a device including a plurality of light sources. [Figure 4] Schematically shows a method for controlling a plurality of light sources.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] FIG. 1 shows an example of a problem that can occur when rendering a dynamic light scene in a plurality of light sources 112 to 126 whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled. The light sources 112 to 126 are configured to render a dynamic light scene, and the dynamic light scene may show at least a first light setting and a second light setting that should be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources 112 to 126. The light setting includes information regarding which set of the plurality of light sources 112 to 126 renders the light setting, and defines one or more illumination settings for each light source 112 to 126, for example, (plural) color settings and / or (plural) brightness settings, for example, the color points and / or brightness levels at which each of the light sources 112 to 126 is set. Table 1 shows an exemplary dynamic light scene showing the first light setting and the second light setting that should be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources 112 to 126.

[0025] Table 1 TIFF0007862682000001.tif48165

[0026] When a dynamic lighting scene is rendered by one or more light sources 112-126, the color change (difference) between the first and second lighting settings may not be visually perceptible to the user 130. If the user's perception 130 is focused on a single light source, for example, light source 122, i.e., light source 122 is subtended to the first viewing angle 10 in the user's eye, then the difference (change) in color and / or brightness of light source 122 between the first and second lighting settings is perceptible to the user. However, if the user's perception is focused on multiple nearby light sources, where nearby light sources are light sources located at a physical distance below the proximity threshold, and the multiple nearby light sources 112-126 are subtended to the second viewing angle 20 in the user's eye, then the difference in color and / or brightness of the light sources when transitioning from the first to the second lighting setting is not visually perceptible to the user. This is despite the fact that in both cases the user 130 is located at the same distance D from the light sources 112-126. The reason is that, in the second case, the human visual system can 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, user 130 may not perceive that 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 light sources 112-126 according to the first light setting is approximately the same as the average color and / or brightness that should be rendered by light sources 112-126 according to the second light setting. In other words, the difference between the average color and / or brightness (across multiple light sources) between the first light setting and the second light setting is the visually perceptible threshold, i.e., the threshold below which differences in color and / or brightness between the light settings are not perceivable by a human user.In actual applications, the user's perception will be focused on multiple 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 that controls the multiple light sources 112-126 so that the differences (changes) in color and / or brightness between the light settings of a dynamic light scene can be visually perceived by the user 130.

[0027] Figure 2 schematically shows 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 of the plurality of light sources 212-226 may be individually controlled, the color of each of the plurality of light sources 212-226 may be individually controlled, and both the color and brightness level of each of the plurality of light sources 212-226 may be individually controlled. The light sources 212-226 are configured to render a dynamic light scene, and the dynamic light scene may indicate at least a first light setting and a second light setting which should be sequentially rendered by the plurality of light sources 212-226.

[0028] 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. Controller 206 may be communicatively coupled to a cloud 220. However, it should be noted that controller 206 may be included in a central device (e.g., a smartphone, personal computer, hub), a web-based portal, a combination of a central device and a web-based portal, etc. 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 and a second light setting to be rendered sequentially 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 renders the light setting, and defines one or more lighting settings for each light source 212-226, e.g., (multiple) color settings and / or (multiple) brightness settings, e.g., the color points and / or brightness to be set for each of the light sources 212-226. The controller 206 may include a receiver 4 for receiving the dynamic light scene. Alternatively, the controller 206 may obtain the dynamic light scene from memory 208 or the cloud 220.

[0030] The controller 206 is further configured to identify a set of light sources 2, including light sources 212-222, from among a plurality of light sources 212-226, which are close to each other, and where the difference score 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 is below a visually perceivable threshold. The visually perceivable 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 a plurality of light sources 212-226. There may be two or more sets whose difference scores are below the visually perceivable threshold.

[0031] The difference score may include the 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 the probability of the difference in color and / or brightness 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 an received light scene is represented by a randomization function that assigns the probability of rendering a color and / or brightness from a set of color and / or brightness levels to each of the multiple light sources 212-226, it may not be possible to determine the absolute difference between the average color and / or brightness of the first and second light settings. In that case, the probability that the average color and / or brightness between the first and second light scenes exceeds the visually perceptible threshold may be calculated.

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

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

[0034] Table 2 TIFF0007862682000002.tif63168

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

[0036] In another example, the colors and / or brightness in a received dynamic light scene may be represented by a randomization function that can assign probabilities to some of the light sources 212-226 for rendering colors and / or brightness levels from a set of color and / or brightness levels. The dynamic light scene may associate each light source in set 2 with a probability of rendering each color from a first color set (red, green, blue, yellow) according to the first light setting, or it may associate each light source in set 2 with a probability of rendering each color from a second color set (red, green, blue, yellow) according to the second light setting. Table 3 shows an example of a received dynamic light scene. In this example, the first and second color sets overlap. However, this is not mandatory. Set 2 light sources render each color with equal probability. On average, each color (yellow, blue, red, green) has an equal probability of being rendered by set 2 light sources in both the first and second light settings. Thus, the probability of a 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 TIFF0007862682000003.tif99166

[0038] The controller 206 may be configured to determine the modified first light setting by identifying a first subset of colors (e.g., blue and red) 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 second subset of colors (e.g., yellow and green) 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 TIFF0007862682000004.tif76168

[0040] The modified light scene may be perceptible to the user because, according to the modified first light setting, only a subset of the first color may be rendered by the set of light sources 2, whereas, according to the modified second light setting, only a subset of the second color (which does not completely overlap with the subset of the first color) may be rendered by the set of light sources 2. Thus, (i) the average color that should be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified first light setting and (ii) the average color and / or brightness that should be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the modified second light setting are sufficiently different, and 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, and thus the difference score between (i) the average color and / or brightness that should be rendered by the set of light sources 2 according to the received dynamic light scene and (ii) the average color and / or brightness that should 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 a modified first lighting setting by specifying a first subset of colors to be rendered by a first subset 3 (upper) of the set of light sources 2, e.g., red and blue, and a second subset of colors to be rendered by a second subset 5 (lower) of the set of light sources 2, e.g., green and yellow. The first and second subsets of colors may include colors from the first and / or second sets of colors. The first and second subsets of colors and the first subset 3 and second subset 5 of the set of light sources 2 do not overlap completely. Preferably, the first and second subsets of colors and the first subset 3 and second subset 5 of the set of light sources 2 do not overlap. This allows for distinct lighting effects in space, as red and blue colors are rendered at the top of the multiple light sources and green and yellow colors are rendered at the bottom of the multiple light sources. 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. The controller 206 may be configured to determine the modified second light setting by identifying the subset of first colors to be rendered by the second subset 5 of the set of light sources 2, red and blue, and the subset of second colors to be rendered by the first subset 3 of the set of light sources 2, green and yellow. 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 TIFF0007862682000005.tif78167

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

[0044] Table 6 TIFF0007862682000006.tif56166

[0045] Figure 3 shows an example of a device 310 including a plurality of light sources 312-318. The controller 206 may be configured to receive an input indicating which of the plurality of light sources 312-318 are adjacent to each other. The input may include the relative positions of the plurality of 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 plurality of light sources 312-318 based on the image. For example, this 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 of the plurality of light sources 312-316 are adjacent to each other based on the type of the lighting device 310. For example, if the lighting device 310 is of a light string type, the controller 206 may identify adjacent light sources by identifying a predetermined number, for example, four light sources, that are adjacent to each other based on the addresses of the light sources.

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

[0047] Figure 4 shows a method 400 for controlling a plurality of light sources 212-226 whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled, wherein the method is - Step 402 receives a dynamic light scene showing at least a first light setting and a second light setting which should be rendered sequentially by the plurality of light sources 212 to 226, - Step 404 identifies a set of light sources among multiple light sources that are close to each other, and in which the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the modified first light setting and the modified second light setting exceeds the visually perceptible threshold, - Step 406 of modifying 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 met. - Step 408 of controlling the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene, Method 400 is shown, which includes this.

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

[0049] Figure 5 shows a method 500 for controlling a plurality of light sources 212-226 whose color and / or brightness can be individually controlled, wherein the method is - Step 502, which receives a dynamic light scene showing at least a first light setting and a second light setting that should be rendered sequentially by the plurality of light sources 212 to 226, - Step 504 identifies a set of light sources among several light sources that are close to each other, wherein the 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. - Step 506 of modifying 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, - Step 508 of controlling the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene, This includes method 500.

[0050] Methods 400 and 500 may be executed by the computer program code of the computer program if 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 embodiments described above are illustrative and not limiting to the present invention, and that those skilled in the art can design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

[0052] In the claims, no reference numerals in parentheses should be construed as limiting the claim. The use of the verb “including” and its conjugations does not preclude the existence of elements or steps other than those described in the claims. The singular notation of an element does not preclude the existence of multiple such elements. The present invention may be implemented by hardware comprising several individual elements, and by a suitably programmed computer or processing unit. In a device claim listing several means, some of these means may be embodied by items of the same hardware. The mere fact that certain means are listed in different dependent claims does not imply that combinations of these means cannot be used advantageously.

[0053] Aspects of the present invention may be implemented in a computer program product, which may be a collection of computer program instructions stored in a computer-readable storage device that can be executed by a computer. The instructions of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, scripts, interpretable programs, dynamic link libraries (DLLs), or Java classes, and may be any interpretable or executable code mechanism. 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, some of the processing of the present invention may be distributed across multiple computers or processors, or across a "cloud."

[0054] Suitable storage media for storing computer program instructions include, but are 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, as well as all forms of non-volatile memory. Computer programs may be distributed on such storage media, or they may be made available for download via servers connected to networks such as HTTP, FTP, email, or the Internet.

Claims

1. A controller for controlling multiple light sources, the color and / or brightness of which can be individually controlled, wherein the controller A dynamic light scene is received that shows at least a first light setting and a second light setting which should be rendered sequentially by the aforementioned plurality of light sources. Identify a set of light sources among the plurality of light sources, wherein the distance between the sets of light sources is below a proximity threshold, and the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold. The received dynamic light scene is modified by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting exceeds the visually perceptible threshold for the set of light sources, and Control the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene. A controller configured in such a way.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the difference score indicates a perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting, and includes a color 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.

3. The controller according to 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 the color distance between the first set of colors and the second set of colors.

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

5. 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 the color distance between the first set of colors and the second set of colors. The controller is configured to determine the modified dynamic light scene, The modified first lighting setting is determined by identifying a subset of first colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified first lighting setting, wherein the subset of first colors includes colors from the first set of colors and / or the second set of colors. The modified second lighting setting is determined by identifying a second subset of colors to be rendered by the set of light sources according to the modified second lighting setting, wherein the second subset of colors includes 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 do not completely overlap. The controller according to claim 4, comprising being configured as follows.

6. The controller is configured to determine the modified dynamic light scene, The modified first lighting setting is determined by identifying a first color subset to be rendered by a first subset of the set of light sources and a second color subset to be rendered by a second subset of the set of light sources, wherein the first color subset and the second color subset include colors from the first color set and / or the second color set, and the first color subset and the second color subset and the set of light sources do not completely overlap. The modified second lighting setting is determined by identifying the subset of the first color to be rendered by the second subset of the set of light sources and the subset of the second color to be rendered by the first subset of the set of light sources. The controller according to claim 4, comprising being configured as follows.

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

8. The controller is configured to identify a set of light sources that are in close proximity to each other, The system receives an input indicating which of the plurality of light sources are in close proximity to each other, the input including the relative positions of the plurality of light sources and / or the type of lighting device, and the lighting device includes the plurality of light sources. The controller according to claim 1, comprising being configured as follows.

9. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive an input indicating 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 the controller described in claim 1.

11. A method for controlling a plurality of light sources, the color and / or brightness of which can be individually controlled, the method being: The steps include receiving a dynamic light scene showing at least a first light setting and a second light setting that should be rendered sequentially by the plurality of light sources, The steps include identifying a set of light sources among the plurality of light sources such that the distance between the sets of light sources is below a proximity threshold, and the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting is below a visually perceptible threshold, The step of modifying the received dynamic light scene by determining a modified dynamic light scene such that the difference score indicating the perceptual difference between the first light setting and the second light setting exceeds the visually perceptible threshold for the set of light sources, The steps include controlling the plurality of light sources to render the modified dynamic light scene, Methods that include...

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

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