Method and system for controlling the switching on of lights

Abstract

Method for controlling the switching on of lights emitted by a plurality of lighting devices electrically connected together so as to form a string of lights. The method comprises the steps of : arranging the plurality of lighting devices in an environment, - acquiring one or more images of the environment in which the plurality of lighting devices is arranged, during the acquisition of the one or more images, activating at least part of the lighting devices of said plurality of lighting devices according to a specific calibration sequence, which calibration sequence allows the unambiguous identification of the activated lighting devices, - analyzing the one or more images to determine a spatial position of the activated lighting devices in the environment, determining a sequence of switching on the lighting devices such that all the lighting devices emit lights according to a lighting program, said lighting program providing for switching on lights according to a predetermined spatial order based on the calculated spatial position of the lighting devices.

Description

[0001] LEDWORKS srl

[0002] METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE SWITCHING ON OF

[0003] LIGHTS

[0004] The present invention relates to methods and systems for controlling lights , and finds preferred application in the field of programmable Christmas lights .

[0005] In the state of the art it is known to make Christmas decorations with white or coloured lights that can be hung on balconies or placed on Christmas trees or nativity scenes .

[0006] The Christmas decorations available on the market today are of different types , and range from the simplest solutions , in which lighting devices are all switched on or off simultaneously, to the most complex ones in which the lighting devices , preferably consisting of LEDs , can be programmed according to different switching on sequences .

[0007] An economical and more widespread solution involves connecting LEDs to a power supply capable of individually controlling the power supply of the individual LEDs .

[0008] An example of this solution is the LuminalPark® Word Digital network , which is programmed at the factory to control the LEDs in such a way as to display fixed or moving writing . The user is provided with a remote control with which they call up the different factory preset programs .

[0009] More recently, LEDs called "Addressable LEDs" , "Chip LEDs" or "Pixel LEDs" have also appeared on the market , which can be individually controlled by means of a communication bus . For example , the WS2812 integrated circuit of the WorldSemi® is able to receive input data and send it out to cascade different chips and controls an RGB (Red, Green and Blue) LED into which it is integrated .

[0010] Therefore , flexible light strips made with Pixel LED cascades are now available on the market which have a connector at one end for connection to an external controller (e . g . : an Arduino®) with which the individual Pixel LEDs can be individually controlled to achieve different light effects .

[0011] Whether regular LEDs or addressable LEDs are used, these light decorations have the common problem that the programming assumes that the bulbs are arranged according to a certain spatial order . However , when the decoration is installed by the user , the spatial order is not necessarily the one foreseen in the programming phase . For example , when considering a row of LED bulbs that are wrapped around a Christmas tree : they can be arranged among the branches of the tree in spirals or other very varied paths .

[0012] For another purpose , the patent application WO2014 / 027275 discloses a system for controlling household appliances , for example lamps or lights , positioned in a room by means of a control apparatus , for example a smartphone . In one embodiment , the system provides for downloading an app onto a smartphone and acquiring images of a room to associate areas of the screen with the different devices and allow them to be controlled .

[0013] This solution , however , is applied to a distributed system, where , unlike Christmas lights or LED strips , the addresses of the devices to be controlled and their relative positions may vary .

[0014] OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] It is the object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the known art .

[0016] In particular , it is an object of the present invention to present a method and a system for programming light effects taking into account the spatial arrangement of the lights chosen by the user .

[0017] These and further objects of the present invention are achieved by a method and a system according to the appended independent claims and the sub-claims .

[0018] The general idea behind the invention is to identify the spatial arrangement of the lights in order to determine the correct sequence with which they must be switched on to realize a lighting program that provides for the turning on of lights according to a predetermined spatial order , for example a program that provides for dividing the lights into three or more horizontal sections and sequentially turning on the lights of each section .

[0019] In one embodiment , the invention is thus directed to a method of controlling the switching on of lights emitted by a plurality of lighting devices electrically connected together , for example the LEDs of a Christmas decoration , comprising the steps of :

[0020] - arranging the plurality of lighting devices in an environment ,

[0021] - acquiring one or more images of the environment in which the plurality of lighting devices is arranged, during the acquisition of the one or more images , activating at least a part of the lighting devices of said plurality of lighting devices according to a specific calibration sequence , so as to identify individually (e . g . one at a time or in general according to a specific temporal or colour sequence of at least part of the devices ) each activated lighting device ,

[0022] - analyzing the one or more images to determine a spatial position of the activated lighting devices in the environment ,

[0023] - determining a sequence of switching on the lighting devices such that the lighting devices emit lights according to the lighting program, the lighting program providing for switching on lights according to a predetermined spatial order based on the calculated spatial position of the lighting devices .

[0024] Advantageously, the method that is the object of the present invention can control the switching on of the plurality of lighting devices according to the determined sequence .

[0025] This method therefore makes it possible to overcome the limits of the known solutions that allow a factory programming of the Christmas decorations . After installing the lighting devices , for example a row of LEDs or a strip of addressable LEDs (or Pixel LEDs) , the user performs a simple initial configuration step by acquiring one or more images (e . g . a video) of the environment in which the lighting devices are arranged in order to determine their spatial position and control them in the correct way so as to achieve the desired lighting display .

[0026] From what has just been described, it is evident that the detection of the spatial position of the lighting devices provides for the identification of the positioning of a lighting device with respect to the other lighting devices and / or with respect to the control unit , that is , its location within the string and not the position with respect to an absolute reference system.

[0027] The spatial position of the lighting elements , therefore , is not associated with the position relative to systems of the GPS type or similar .

[0028] The purpose of the present invention is to limit to the maximum the number of acquisitions to be made to identify the position of the lighting devices .

[0029] For this reason , the method that is the object of the present invention provides for activating only a part of the lighting devices and of the devices calculating the spatial position .

[0030] It is specified that the term "activated" and "not activated" refers to a calibration phase in which , according to one embodiment , the method that is the object of the present invention is intended to identify the position exclusively of the activated lighting devices .

[0031] Therefore , with the term "not activated" it is possible to identify a lighting device that is off or has , for example , a colour , preferably steady, so that in the acquisition phase it is associated as a "not activated" lighting device .

[0032] The spatial position of the non-activated lighting devices will be calculated virtually , i . e . it will be assumed, on the basis of the spatial position of the adjacent activated lighting devices .

[0033] This methodology is particularly effective if it is considered that the various lighting devices are electrically connected to each other along a string and with known distances between one lighting device and the other , as they are bound to each other by the length of the connecting cable .

[0034] According to the embodiment just disclosed, it is evident that the physical and electrical connection , for example through a cable , of the various lighting devices , is a fundamental aspect of the patent application in question , as it facilitates the virtual calculation of the position of the non-activated lighting devices , due to the knowledge of the expected distance between the lighting devices .

[0035] As will be evident from the illustration of an embodiment , the arrangement of the lighting devices along a string constrains each lighting device to adjacent ones , so that , once the position of one lighting device has been identified, the adjacent one can only be moved in a certain region , the amplitude of which is dependent on the length of the connection cable between the two lighting devices .

[0036] According to an improvement , the a priori knowledge of the arrangement along the string and the control of the lighting devices is also made possible thanks to the knowledge of the identification codes , i . e . the addresses , of the lighting devices .

[0037] Therefore , knowing a priori the arrangement of the lighting devices along the string , it will be possible to activate only some lighting devices to hypothesize the spatial arrangement of those not activated .

[0038] In fact , the control unit , knowing in advance the codes of the lighting devices connected to it , can individually control each lighting device , sending command signals to which to associate the identification code of the lighting device to which the command signal is addressed . It follows that such command signals do not necessarily have to contain the identification code , but are simply associated with the identification code of the lighting device implementing this command signal .

[0039] The scenic effect obtained is particularly effective , as the non-activated lighting devices , being constrained, can have minimal displacements with respect to the constraint points , i . e . the spatial positions of the adjacent lighting devices .

[0040] It is evident that the fewer the number of nonactivated lighting devices and the more homogeneous their distribution along the string, the better the approximation of their position calculation .

[0041] The method that is the object of the present invention provides for different combinations of nonactive lighting devices , i . e . one , two or more nonactivated lighting devices between one activated lighting device and the other .

[0042] The activation / non-activation of the lighting devices is obviously related only to the configuration phase of the system, in which the number of activated lighting devices is limited, in order to limit the number of acquisitions and speed up the procedure for calculating the spatial position of the lighting devices .

[0043] The next phase of control involves the activation of all lighting devices , through the choice of lighting programs , in the manner disclosed above .

[0044] According to one embodiment , the method that is the object of the present invention provides a step of identifying the arrangement of each lighting device along the string and with respect to the other lighting devices , activating the lighting devices by preventing at least one non-activated lighting device .

[0045] In this case the position of the non-activated lighting device is calculated on the basis of the spatial position of at least one adjacent activated lighting devi ce .

[0046] Therefore , the identification of the spatial position takes place in two different ways .

[0047] For activated lighting devices , the calculation of the position takes place through the acquisition of images during the execution of the calibration sequences , according to the methods described above and illustrated below .

[0048] For non-activated lighting devices , the position calculation takes place through the virtual arrangement of such devices within the string , based on the calculation of the position of adjacent lighting devices and the distance between the non-activated and adjacent activated lighting devices .

[0049] Advantageously, the activation of the lighting devices provides for at least one non-activated lighting device between two activated lighting devices .

[0050] According to an improvement , the activation of the lighting devices provides for a homogeneous distribution of the non-activated lighting devices along the string .

[0051] According to a further embodiment , the activation of the lighting devices provides for a non-activated lighting device adjacent to an activated lighting device .

[0052] According to one embodiment variant of the method that is the object of the present invention , the spatial position of the non-activated lighting devices is calculated by performing the following steps : a) calculation of the spatial position of the activated lighting devices adjacent to each nonactivated lighting device , b) identification of the junction line between said adjacent lighting devices , c) virtual arrangement of lighting devices along said line .

[0053] As anticipated, it is a "virtual" arrangement precisely because the spatial position of the nonactivated lighting devices is assumed, based on the calculated certain position of the activated lighting devices .

[0054] In this case , a linearization is carried out , i . e . it is assumed that the non-activated lighting device is arranged on the junction line between two nonactivated lighting devices .

[0055] This methodology also has an advantage in relation to the acquisition of images , since , using coloured calibration sequences , the distance between the activated lighting devices makes it possible to avoid mixed colours that are difficult to recognize in the acquired image .

[0056] According to one improvement , step c) provides for identifying the number of non-active lighting devices between two active lighting devices and virtually arranging the non-active lighting devices homogeneously along said line .

[0057] Alternatively or in combination , it is possible to envisage turning on the non-activated lighting devices of a specific colour , so as to identify their presence through the processing of the acquired images . Advantageously, the activation step provides for a non-activated lighting device between two activated lighting devices , step c) providing for the positioning of the non-activated lighting device in the middle of said line .

[0058] Another object of the present invention is a system comprising a plurality of lighting devices controlled by a control unit and a user device equipped with a camera and capable of communicating with the control unit . The control unit and the user device are configured to implement the steps of the method indicated above and better described in the detailed description below .

[0059] In particular , the control unit is arranged to receive a user command necessary to start the initial calibration phase in which the lighting devices are activated in a mode adapted to detect them individually (e . g . : turning them on one at a time) , while the user device is configured to analyze a sequence of images , for example a video recording, and determine the spatial position of the identified lighting devices , so as to provide the control unit with the data necessary to control the lighting devices in order to obtain a desired lighting program.

[0060] Optional features of the method and of the system of the invention are contained in the appended dependent claims , which form an integral part of the present description .

[0061] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] The invention will be described below with reference to non-limiting examples , provided for explanatory and non-limiting purposes in the accompanying drawings . These drawings illustrate different aspects and embodiments of the invention and, where appropriate , reference numbers illustrating structures , components , materials and / or similar elements in different figures are indicated by similar reference numerals .

[0063] In the attached figures :

[0064] Figure 1 shows a lighting system according to the present invention ;

[0065] Figure 2 shows an environment in which the system of figure 1 is installed;

[0066] Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of the method that is the object of the present invention .

[0067] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0068] While the invention can be changed according to different modifications and alternative constructions , some preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail .

[0069] It should be understood, however , that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific illustrated embodiment but , on the contrary, the aim is to cover all the modifications , alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims .

[0070] The use of "for example" , "etc . " , "or" indicates non-exclusive alternatives without limitation , unless otherwise indicated.

[0071] The use of "includes" means "includes but is not limited to" , unless otherwise stated .

[0072] In figure 1 , a lighting system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown .

[0073] The system 1 comprises a plurality of lighting devices lOa-lOc , a control unit 20 and a user device 30 . In the non-limiting example of figure 1 , the lighting devices are three Pixel RGB LEDs (colour , with separate switching on of Red, Green and Blue) equipped with a WS2812 control integrated circuit .

[0074] Each lighting device is connected to a 5V supply voltage +Vc from which it derives a supply voltage VDD for the three colours (R, G, B) and a voltage VCC for the control circuits . In the example of figure 1 , a resistor R1 , for example of 150 Ohms , is placed in series at the input VCC to generate the necessary voltage drop with respect to Vc , any protections against overvoltages or electromagnetic disturbances can be provided at the input to VCC .

[0075] Each lighting device lOa-lOc receives control data at the Data In (DI ) input and retransmits it to the Data Out (DO) output . Based on the control data received, each lighting device controls the three RGB colours in such a way as to emit light of the desired colour at the desired time .

[0076] In detail , each lighting device is configured to respond to command messages comprising control data and an identification code of the lighting device .

[0077] The identification code can be expressed explicitly or implicitly .

[0078] In the case of explicit control , the control data includes the identifier of the device to be controlled, which uses this information to select the data relating to itself within the message .

[0079] In the case of an implicit identifier , the device deduces which part of the message concerns it on the basis of the format of the data received, such as the sequence . In the example of figure 1 the DO output of the last lighting device 10c is not connected to the control unit 20 , however such connection can be provided .

[0080] An example of a circuit solution for connecting different Pixel LEDs with WS2812 integrated circuits is reported in the datasheet of the same component .

[0081] The control unit 20 comprises a processor 21 which generates control data for the lighting devices 10a- 10c and a wireless module 22 , e . g . Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth , for communicating with a user device 30. The latter , for example a smartphone or a tablet , is provided with a camera 31 and with a memory area 32 in which portions of code are stored which , when executed, allow the software functions described below to be implemented to control the lighting devices lOa-lOc .

[0082] Operationally, the user installs the lighting devices lOa-lOc in the position desired by them, for example they wrap them between the branches of a Christmas tree as illustrated in figure 2 .

[0083] Subsequently, the user who wishes to start a lighting program (created by them or stored in a memory area of the user device or the control unit) , positions themself in front of the lighting devices lOa-lOc in order to film them by means of the camera 31 of the user device 30 .

[0084] By means of a user interface 33 (e . g . a keyboard or a touch display) of the user device 30 , the user starts a software application for configuring the system 1 .

[0085] When the application is started, the user device 30 starts recording with the camera 31 and transmits a configuration start signal to the control unit 20 . The control unit 20 activates at least part of the LEDs lOa-lOc , and simultaneously transmits to the user device 30 , via the wireless module 22 , the identification code of the lighting device actually activated .

[0086] Once a certain number of lighting devices have been activated, the control unit 20 informs the user device 30 about the conclusion of the calibration sequence .

[0087] At this point , the user device 30 ends the video recording of the camera and analyzes the recorded video together with the information received by the control unit 20 , relating to the identifiers of the activated lighting devices .

[0088] In detail , the user device analyzes the video to determine the position of the lighting devices that have been activated.

[0089] In one embodiment , in order to determine the position of the activated lighting devices , the user device 30 calculates , for each frame of the video signal , the luminance of each pixel and compares it with the luminance of the same pixel measured in the previous frame . If the luminance increases beyond a certain predetermined threshold value , then this increase is associated with the switching on of one of the LEDs of the lighting devices .

[0090] Alternatively or in combination with the above method, the saturation of the pixel values can be detected to determine the presence of a light . When a pixel saturates , then it is considered to be in the presence of a light generated by one of the lighting devices . Suppose, for example, that the user device determines an increase in luminance (or a saturation) of a group of pixels of the pixel array composing the analyzed image, suppose, for example, that it determines an increase in luminance (or a saturation) of pixels (0.0) , (0.1) , (0.2) , (1.0) , (1.1) , (1.2) , (2.0) , (2.1) , (2.2) . In this case, the user device identifies the position of the lighting device by the average position of the pixels that have recorded an increase in luminance (or saturation) , then in the position (1.1) . At the end of the video analysis, the user device 30 therefore knows the spatial arrangement of the lighting devices, at least knows their relative position with respect to the filming point, and their identifier and can provide the information to the control unit that will control the lighting devices according to a program chosen by the user.

[0091] For example, suppose that the user chooses, using the user interface 33, a lighting program that involves dividing the lights into two horizontal groups that switch on in sequence (first the lights of the group below, and then those of the group above) , and assume that the arrangement of the lighting devices is that of figure 2.

[0092] The user device, analyzing the captured video, will insert the lighting devices 10a and 10c in the lower group and the device 10b in the upper group.

[0093] The user device 30 thus transmits to the control unit 20 the information necessary to control the lighting devices to obtain the desired light display.

[0094] In one embodiment, the control unit 20 stores in a memory area 23 a plurality of software programs that, when executed, allow the lighting devices to be controlled according to predetermined sequences .

[0095] In this embodiment , the user device 30 transmits to the control unit 20 new software programs , generated on the basis of the specific position of the detected lighting devices , which are stored in the memory area 23 in such a way that they can be activated alternatively to the predefined ones , creating custom light effects . In this way, the user can activate the lighting programs programmed by them simply by acting on the control unit , without having to use the user device 30 every time .

[0096] It is now clear that many variants can be made to the embodiment described above .

[0097] As described above , it is in fact possible to choose a predetermined number of LEDs 10a- 10c to activate , so as to limit the number of acquisitions by the user device 30 .

[0098] Although in the example described above the user device records a video of the environment in which the lighting devices are arranged to record their position , in a variant the method provides that the user takes a photograph of the environment before switching on the lighting devices and subsequently of the other photographs each time the control unit turns on one of the lighting devices .

[0099] In this embodiment , the user terminal determines the position of the lighting devices by searching for saturated pixel values or by comparing the images acquired when the imaging devices are switched on with that acquired when the devices are switched off .

[0100] Unlike the embodiment described above that provides for the wireless transmission of an identification code of the lighting device that is switched on , in a variant such information is contained in the calibration sequence of the lighting devices . For example , the control unit 20 , during the calibration phase , simultaneously turns on at least a part of the devices , and has for each of them a specific coded intermittency by means of which the user device 30 is able to detect , together with the spatial position , the identification code of the devices . For example , assuming that each lighting device is identified with a binary, e . g . 4 -bit , coding , the control unit will switch the LEDs of the lighting devices on and off during different periods of a clock signal , in order to reproduce the binary code identifying the device . For example , the LED 1001 will be turned on during the first clock period, kept off for two successive clock periods (bit 0) and then turned on in the fourth clock period .

[0101] In general , therefore , during the configuration phase the lighting devices are switched on according to a specific sequence of each lighting device . Also in the example described above , the lighting devices are switched on according to a different sequence : the first is switched on immediately and then remains switched off throughout the configuration phase , the second is first switched off , then switched on and then switched off again until the end of the configuration and so on , the others follow a different switching on sequence .

[0102] The same result of identifying the lighting devices by the calibration sequence can be obtained by controlling the devices such that they light up by emitting lights of different colours . For example , the lighting devices that are activated can be adapted to emit light of different colours , so that during the acquisition of the plurality of images , each activated device is controlled to generate a specific sequence of colours , said specific sequence of colours being associated with the identification code of the lighting device that implements it .

[0103] With the aim of minimizing the number of images to be acquired to determine the position and identification code of the lighting devices , a sequence of N switching on configurations can be adopted, calculated as follows . If L is the number of activated lighting devices , and S is the number of distinguishable different states that each device can exhibit , then N is the lowest integer that satisfies the equation SAN >= L .

[0104] For example , suppose 100 lighting devices and two states (e . g . on or off) are activated, then the number N of switching on configurations needed to identify the position of the devices is 7 , since 2A7 = 128 >= 100 , while 2A6 = 64 < 100 .

[0105] Operationally, in this example , each activated device is identified with a number 1 ranging from 0 to L-l ; each state s is numbered from 0 to S-l ; and each switching on configuration is numbered from 0 to N-l .

[0106] In each i-th switching on configuration , each activated lighting device is controlled to exhibit the state s [ j ] where j is the i-th digit of 1 represented by base S .

[0107] Also in the example above :

[0108] The first device (1=0 ) will exhibit a state s

[0000] in all 7 switching on configurations . The second device (1=1) will exhibit a state s[l] in the first switching on configuration and a state s[0] in all remaining 6 switching on configurations.

[0109] The third device, since 1=2 is represented in base 2 (since S=2) as 10, will then have a state s[0] in the first switching on configuration, a state s[l] in the second switching on configuration, and a state s[0] in the remaining 5 switching on configurations.

[0110] It is evident that the term "switching on configuration" indicates an image, a scene, in which each LED has a specific lighting state.

[0111] It is also clear that the method for controlling lighting devices described above can be realized by distributing the different functions between different devices in a manner different from that described above. For example, the lighting programs may be stored in a memory area of the user device or be retrieved by other devices, e.g. , web servers connected to the Internet which the user device or the control unit may access .

[0112] The various functions of the devices described above with reference to certain blocks may be combined or distributed differently.

[0113] It is evident that the method that is the object of the present invention can provide for the activation of all the lighting devices, so as to detect the spatial position of all the lighting devices.

[0114] However, according to a possible embodiment, it is possible to identify the spatial position of some lighting devices, i.e. those activated during the calibration phase, by virtually calculating the spatial position of the lighting devices not activated during the calibration phase. Figure 3 illustrates this possible embodiment .

[0115] Figure 3 illustrates a plurality of lighting devices la-lq, connected to the control unit 20 and a user device 30 .

[0116] During the calibration phase , the control unit performs the method steps described above , activating only some of the LEDs , for example alternately, that is , starting from LED la , activating one LED and not activating the adjacent one .

[0117] It follows that at the end of the configuration phase , the method that is the object of the present invention will allow the spatial position of the activated LEDs to be detected .

[0118] The method that is the object of the present invention provides for virtually identifying the position of the non-activated LEDs , through an interpolation of the spatial position of the activated LEDs .

[0119] For example , for the calculation of the virtual spatial position of the LED lb , the method provides for identifying the spatial position of the LEDs la and lc , identifying the straight line A connecting the LEDs la and lc and placing the LED lb in the middle of the line .

[0120] It is possible to envisage positioning the LED lb at the middle of the line , as it is possible to assume with good approximation that the LED lb can move in a circular section that is part of the circle B , which has a radius equal to half the distance of the line A and the centre in the LED la , or lc .

[0121] The same observations apply to the remaining nonactivated LEDs , as it is possible to use this interpolation to calculate or hypothesize their position .

[0122] Since the LEDs are constrained to each other , the placements of the non-active LEDs will be limited to a minimum space , so that this interpolation makes it possible to obtain an excellent approximation of the actual spatial position .

[0123] It is of course possible to apply this interpolation even if there are two or more nonactivated LEDs between two activated LEDs , simply by increasing the approximation .

[0124] As discussed above , the LEDs identified as "not activated" can be lit with a predetermined colour in order to facilitate the identification of the presence and the consequent calculation of the "virtual" position .

[0125] In addition to the use of a specific colour , it is possible to provide that these LEDs light up with a predetermined sequence so that the user device can quickly identify the address .

[0126] In addition to the linearization or interpolation method illustrated in Figure 3 , other methodologies may be used, such as methods known as polynomial interpolation or spline or the like .

Claims

CLAIMS1 . Method for controlling the switching on of lights emitted by a plurality of lighting devices electrically connected together so as to form a string of lights , characterized in that it comprises the steps of :- arranging the plurality of lighting devices in an environment ,- acquiring one or more images of the environment in which the plurality of lighting devices is arranged, during the acquisition of the one or more images , activating at least part of the lighting devices of said plurality of lighting devices according to a specific calibration sequence , which calibration sequence allows the unambiguous identification of the activated lighting devices ,- analyzing the one or more images to determine a spatial position of the activated lighting devices in the environment ,- determining a sequence of switching on the lighting devices such that all the lighting devices emit lights according to a lighting program, said lighting program providing for switching on lights according to a predetermined spatial order based on the calculated spatial position of the lighting devices .2 . Method according to Claim 1 , wherein each lighting device is configured to respond to command messages comprising an identification code associated with said lighting device , an analysis step of the one or more images being provided to determine their spatial position and an identification code associated with the activated lighting devices ;3. Method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 , wherein there is provided a step of identifying the arrangement of each lighting device along said string and with respect to the other lighting devices , activating the lighting devices by preventing at least one nonactivated lighting device , the position of the nonactivated lighting device being calculated on the basis of the spatial position of at least one adjacent activated lighting device .4 . Method according to Claim 3 , wherein the activation of the lighting devices provides for at least one non-activated device between two activated lighting devices .5 . Method according to Claim 3 , wherein the activation of the lighting devices provides for a homogeneous distribution of the non-activated lighting devices along the string .

6. Method according to Claim 3 , wherein the activation of the lighting devices provides for a nonactivated lighting device adjacent to an activated lighting devi ce .7 . Method according to one or more of the preceding claims , wherein N images are captured, where N is the lowest integer satisfying the equation SAN >= L , with L being the number of the activated lighting devices and S being the number of the states which can be assumed by each lighting device .8 . Method according to one or more of the preceding claims , wherein the spatial position of nonactivated lighting devices is calculated by performing the following steps :a) calculation of the spatial position of the activated lighting devices adjacent to each nonactivated lighting device , b) identification of the junction line between said adjacent activated lighting devices , c) virtual arrangement of the non-activated lighting devices along said line .

9. Method according to Claim 8 , wherein step c) provides for identifying the number of non-activated lighting devices between two activated lighting devices and virtually arranging the non-activated lighting devices homogeneously along said line .10 . Method according to Claim 8 , wherein the activation step provides for a non-activated lighting device between two activated lighting devices , step c) providing for the positioning of the non-activated lighting device in the middle of said line .11 . Lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting devices ( lOa-lOf) electrically connected and adapted to emit light , comprising : a control unit (20) connected to said plurality of lighting devices and adapted to individually control the switching on of each of said lighting devices of said plurality according to a predetermined lighting program; and- a user device (30 ) adapted to communicate with said control unit (20) and comprising a camera for capturing one or more images of the environment in which the plurality of lighting devices are arranged, characterized in that the control unit (20) and / or the user device are configured to implement one or more of the method steps according to Claims 1 to 10 .

Images