Adjusting color setting of a lighting device

Abstract

A system is configured to control a lighting device (54) to render a light scene according to new light settings. The light scene is associated with at least one color palette (71,72,73). The system receives an input signal indicative of a new brightness level (92), different from the current brightness level (91). It determines a new color setting (82) based on the new brightness level; this new color setting is different from the current color setting (81) of the lighting device. The new color setting is derived from at least one of a textual description or an image of the light scene. The system then controls the lighting device according to the new color setting.

Description

[0001] ADJUSTING COLOR SETTING OF A LIGHTING DEVICE

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The invention relates to a system for controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings, the light scene being associated with at least one color palette.

[0004] The invention further relates to a method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings, the light scene being associated with at least one color palette.

[0005] The invention also relates to a computer program product enabling a computer system to perform such a method.

[0006] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In connected lighting systems like Philips Hue, users have the capability to both craft and select from an array of light scenes, enhancing their environment through a central control system typically accessed via a smartphone app. This system, typically connected to a hub that manages the settings for smart lighting devices throughout the home, allows for extensive customization and convenience.

[0008] Creating a light scene involves choosing specific lights or groups and adjusting their brightness, color temperature, and hue. This is often facilitated by intuitive controls within the light control app, such as sliders and color wheels, allowing users to tailor the lighting to create a desired atmosphere. These settings can be saved under a unique name, making them easy to activate again whenever the user chooses.

[0009] Users may also be able to create a light scene based on a source image. WO 2023 / 138970 Al discloses a more advanced implementation of such a method. The method comprises obtaining contextual information about the environment, such as from images, audio / motion, or ambient conditions; modifying the source image based on this contextual information to create a modified source image, which may involve applying filters or adjustments; extracting a set of colors from the modified source image; and then controlling light sources based on this set of colors extracted from the modified source image. The light control app typically also allows selection from a gallery of premade scenes, each associated with a different color palette and designed to evoke a particular ambiance or mood. Users can quickly switch between these scenes, selecting one that suits their current needs with just a few taps. Once selected, the lights are adjusted to reflect the scene’s predefined settings. In a system like Philips Hue, a light scene from the gallery is associated with one or more lighting devices in a user’s home after being selected from the gallery, and when recalled, an ambiance with a fixed mapping between the color palette and these one or more lighting devices is created, unless a new lighting device is associated with the light scene or a lighting device is disassociated with the light scene.

[0010] Irrespective of whether the user created the light scene themselves, the user can temporarily adjust the light output level of a scene. Light output level adjustment is the most frequently used temporary scene control. However, a light scene is usually created assuming a certain light output; e.g., the creator may create the light scene with its lighting devices set to maximum light output level.

[0011] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] It is advantageous to provide a system and method, which can be used to render light scenes at different brightness levels while maintaining the intended lighting experience.

[0013] In one aspect, a system for controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings, the light scene being associated with at least one color palette, comprises at least one output interface and at least one processor configured to receive an input signal indicative of a new brightness level, the new brightness level being different from a current brightness level, determine a new color setting for the lighting device based on the new brightness level, the new color setting being different from a current color setting of the lighting device, the new color setting being determined or having been determined for the new brightness level based on at least one of a textual description of the light scene and an image associated with the light scene, and control, via the at least one output interface, the lighting device according to the new brightness level and the new color setting.

[0014] By determining the new color setting for the new brightness level based on at least one of a textual description of the light scene and an image associated with the light scene, the new color setting is determined based on the semantics of the light scenes. By applying the new color setting when the brightness level is adjusted to the new brightness level, the intended atmosphere of the scene is preserved or even enhanced, unlike conventional systems where adjusting brightness might dilute the scene's impact by merely making it less bright without considering the color dynamics.

[0015] For example, when a cloudy sky dims (i.e., when the sun sets), new colors may be introduced, and similarly when a light scene that represents the cloudy sky is dimmed by a user, the system may render new colors to preserve scene semantics. If a light scene is associated with a sunset image and the user wants to dim the lights, the system could adjust the colors to reflect how an actual sunset might appear at a lower light level, perhaps deepening oranges or extending shadows, rather than simply reducing the light's brightness.

[0016] With this system, different color settings may be rendered at different brightness levels without switching from one light scene to another light scene. A brightness level may comprise a light output level of the lighting device and / or a lightness level of the light scene, for example. As an example of the latter, a user may indicate a desired time of day, e.g., noon or dusk, and the new color setting may be determined accordingly. This may or may not involve adjusting the light output level of the lighting device. A light output level may be a dim level, for example. A dim level is typically expressed in a range between 0% and 100%. A light scene may be a static scene or a dynamic scene. If the light scene is a dynamic scene, each of the one or more light sources of the lighting devices may render all palette colors in a sequence, for example.

[0017] The at least one processor may be configured to obtain the at least one of the textual description and the image and determine the new color setting for the lighting device based on the new brightness level and the at least one of the textual description and the image.

[0018] The at least one processor may be configured to determine a time of day in relation to the new brightness level based on the new brightness level and determine the new color setting for the new brightness level based on the time of day and the at least one of the textual description and the image.

[0019] The at least one processor may be configured to obtain the image associated with the light scene, obtain the textual description by performing an analysis on the image or having another system perform the analysis, and determine the new color setting for the new brightness level based on the textual description.

[0020] The at least one processor may be configured to obtain the textual description by obtaining a textual description associated with the light scene and determine the new color setting for the new brightness level based on the textual description. The at least one processor may be configured to generate a new image based on the textual description and time of day or having another system generate the new image based on the textual description and the time of day, and determine the new color setting by determining colors for the new color setting based on the new image, or by having the other system or a further system determine colors for the new color setting based on the new image.

[0021] The at least one processor may be configured to determine the new color setting by providing the textual description and the time of day to a large language model and having the large language model determine colors for the new color setting based on the textual description and the time of day. A large language model is an artificial intelligence program that processes, understands, and generates human-like text based on the input it receives.

[0022] The at least one processor may be configured to obtain the image associated with the light scene, generate a new image based on the new brightness level and the image or having another system generate the new image based on the new brightness level and the image, and determine the new color setting by determining colors for the new color setting based on the new image, or by having the other system or a further system determine colors for the new color setting based on the new image.

[0023] The at least one of the textual description and the image may represent an outdoors scene and / or nature scene. The textual description of the light scene may be a textual description of the image associated with the light scene.

[0024] The light scene may be associated with different color palettes for different brightness levels.

[0025] The lighting device may be a pixelated lighting device, the pixelated lighting device comprising a plurality of individually controllable light sources, the light scene may be associated with metadata which links colors in the different color palettes, and the at least one processor may be configured to control the lighting device according to the new color setting by rendering a transition from a current color of the current color setting to a new color of the new color setting on each of the plurality of individually controllable light sources, the new color being linked to the current color in the metadata.

[0026] One of the at least one color palette associated with the light scene may have been extracted from the image associated with the light scene. The image associated with the light scene may be displayed in a user interface for selecting a light scene from a plurality of light scenes. A difference between the new color setting and the current color setting may depend on a difference between the new brightness level and the current brightness level.

[0027] In one aspect, a method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings, the light scene being associated with at least one color palette, comprises receiving an input signal indicative of a new brightness level, the new brightness level being different from a current brightness level, determining a new color setting for the lighting device based on the new brightness level, the new color setting being different from a current color setting of the lighting device, the new color setting being determined or having been determined for the new brightness level based on at least one of a textual description of the light scene and an image associated with the light scene, and controlling the lighting device according to the new color setting. The method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. This software may be provided as a computer program product.

[0028] Moreover, a computer program for carrying out the methods described herein, as well as a non-transitory computer readable storage-medium storing the computer program are provided. A computer program may, for example, be downloaded by or uploaded to an existing device or be stored upon manufacturing of these systems.

[0029] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores a software code portion, the software code portion, when executed or processed by a computer, being configured to perform the method described above.

[0030] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a device, a method or a computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware implementation, an entirely software implementation (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an implementation combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a "circuit", "module" or "system." Functions described in this disclosure may be implemented as an algorithm executed by a processor / microprocessor of a computer. Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code stored thereon.

[0031] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to, the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of the present invention, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store, a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0032] A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code included therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0033] Program code on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber, cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java(TM), Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

[0034] Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to implementations of the present invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor, in particular a microprocessor or a central processing unit (CPU), of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0035] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0036] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0037] The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of devices, methods and computer program products according to various implementations of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and will be further elucidated, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0039] Fig. l is a block diagram of an implementation of the system;

[0040] Fig. 2 is a flow chart of a first implementation of the method;

[0041] Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a second implementation of the method;

[0042] Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a third implementation of the method;

[0043] Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a fourth implementation of the method;

[0044] Fig. 6 is a flow chart of a fifth implementation of the method;

[0045] Fig. 7 is a flow chart of a sixth implementation of the method;

[0046] Fig. 8 is a flow chart of a seventh implementation of the method;

[0047] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of an eighth implementation of the method;

[0048] Fig. 10 is a flow chart of a ninth implementation of the method;

[0049] Fig. 11 shows an example of metadata which links colors in different color palettes; and

[0050] Fig. 12 is a flow chart of a tenth implementation of the method;

[0051] Fig. 13 is a block diagram of an exemplary data processing system for performing the method.

[0052] Corresponding elements in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numeral.

[0053] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Fig. 1 shows an implementation of the system for controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings. The light scene is associated with at least one color palette. In this implementation, the system comprises a mobile device 21. The mobile device 21 may be a mobile phone or a tablet, for example.

[0055] In the implementation of Fig. 1, the mobile device 21 is able to control lighting devices 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55 via a bridge 45, e.g. using Zigbee technology. The bridge 45 may be a Hue bridge, for example. The bridge 45 is connected to a wireless LAN access point 33, e.g. via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. In the example of Fig. 1, the mobile device 21 is connected directly to the wireless LAN access point 33. Alternatively, the mobile device 21 may be connected to the Internet 31 remotely, e.g., via an LTE or 5G mobile communication network. In the example of Fig. 1, the lighting devices 51, 52, 53, and 55 are single-pixel lighting devices and lighting device 54 is a pixelated lighting device. Pixelated lighting device 54 comprises a controller 35 and nine individually controllable light sources 11-19.

[0056] In an alternative implementation, the mobile device 21 can alternatively or additionally control one or more of the lighting devices 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55 without a bridge, e.g., directly via Bluetooth or via an Internet server 37. The Internet server 37 may be operated by a manufacturer of a lighting company, for example. The Internet server 37 is also connected to the Internet 31.

[0057] The mobile device 21 comprises a receiver 23, a transmitter 24, a processor 25, memory 27, and a display 29. The processor 25 is configured to receive an input signal indicative of a new brightness level, e.g., a new light output level for one or more of the lighting devices 51-55. The new brightness level is different from a current brightness level, e.g., a current light output level of the one or more lighting devices. A brightness level may comprise a brightness level of the lighting device and / or a lightness level of the light scene, for example. The processor 25 is further configured to determine a new color setting for each of the one or more lighting devices based on the new brightness level, e.g. with the help of a system 38 that hosts a large language model or a multi -model modal comprising a large language model.

[0058] Each new color setting is different from a current color setting of the respective lighting device and is or has been determined for the new brightness level based on at least one of a textual description of the light scene and an image associated with the light scene. If a new color setting is determined for multiple lighting devices, these color settings may be the same or may be different. The processor 25 is further configured to control, via the transmitter 24, the one or more lighting devices according to the one or more new color settings, and if applicable, the new light output level. With mobile device 21, different color settings may be rendered at different brightness levels without switching from one light scene to another light scene.

[0059] This new function may also be referred to as “semantic dimming”, as the textual description and / or the image represent the semantics of the light scene and those semantics are preserved when adjusting the brightness level. The user of the mobile device 21 may be able to enable or disable this semantic dimming.

[0060] The light scene may be a user-created light scene or a curated light scene from a scene library, e.g. created by the manufacturer of the lighting system. The light scene may be manually created from scratch, e.g. with a color picker, or may be created based on an image. In the latter case, the creator (e.g. a light designer) may still finetune the colors after they have been extracted from the image, and the creator may associate this same image with the light scene, but this is not required. The image may be an existing photograph or may be generated with an image generation algorithm such as Stable Diffusion or Dall-E, e.g. via a chatbot like ChatGPT, for example. A model like GPT-Vision may be used to determine a color palette from an image, for example.

[0061] Normally, the resulting color palette (e.g., three to five colors) would be the same for all brightness levels, but now, different color palettes are determined for different brightness levels. In a scene library, light scenes may be associated with a single color palette as usual, and additional color palettes may then be created by the user device, or all additional palettes may be pre-generated beforehand and added to the library as a part of a light scene’s metadata. If the single-color palette for a light scene would conventionally be determined based on an image, this same image may now be used to determine additional color palettes for this light scene.

[0062] For example, Al may be queried directly to 'time-advance' an image (e.g., from current time to sunset). This “time advancement” (any sunset or sunrise, sky, nature scenery images) may be in both directions, e.g., increasing brightness level may shift the time to a brighter part of the day and decreasing brightness level may shift the time to a darker part of the day. This image may be the image associated with the light scene or an image created using Al based on a textual description associated with the light scene, for example.

[0063] The connections depicted in Fig. 1 are only schematic representations. For example, it is not required that each lighting device communicates directly with bridge 45. The devices of the lighting system may form a mesh network, and physical communication may be routed over multiple nodes in order to keep the distances of each radio connection short.

[0064] In the implementation of the mobile device 21 shown in Fig. 1, the mobile device 21 comprises one processor 25. In an alternative implementation, the mobile device 21 comprises multiple processors. The processor 25 of the mobile device 21 may be a general-purpose processor, e.g. from ARM or Qualcomm or an application-specific processor. The processor 25 of the mobile device 21 may run an Android or iOS operating system for example. The display 29 may comprise an LCD or OLED display panel, for example. The memory 27 may comprise one or more memory units. The memory 27 may comprise solid state memory, for example.

[0065] The receiver 23 and the transmitter 24 may use one or more wireless communication technologies such as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) to communicate with the wireless LAN access point 33, for example. In an alternative implementation, multiple receivers and / or multiple transmitters are used instead of a single receiver and a single transmitter. In the implementation shown in Fig. 1, a separate receiver and a separate transmitter are used. In an alternative implementation, the receiver 23 and the transmitter 24 are combined into a transceiver. Camera 28 may comprise a CMOS or CCD sensor, for example. The mobile device 21 may comprise other components typical for a mobile device such as a battery and a power connector. The invention may be implemented using a computer program running on one or more processors.

[0066] In the implementation of Fig. 1, the system of the invention comprises a mobile device. In an alternative implementation, the system of the invention alternatively or additionally comprises a different device, e.g., a bridge or a cloud server. In the implementation of Fig. 1, the system comprises a single device. In an alternative implementation, the system comprises a plurality of devices, e.g. two or three of the mobile device 21, the bridge 45, and the Internet server 37.

[0067] A first implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 2. The light scene is associated with at least one color palette (e.g., comprising three to five colors). One of the at least one color palette associated with the light scene may have been extracted from the image associated with the light scene, for example. The method may be performed by mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example.

[0068] A step 101 comprises receiving an input signal indicative of a new brightness level, e.g., a new light output level for the lighting device. The new brightness level is different from a current brightness level, e.g., a current light output level of the lighting device. A brightness level may comprise a brightness level of the lighting device and / or a lightness level of the light scene, for example.

[0069] A step 103 comprises determining a new color setting for the lighting device based on the new brightness level indicated in the input signal received in step 101. The new color setting is different from a current color setting of the lighting device. The new color setting is determined or has been determined for the new brightness level based on a textual description of the light scene and / or an image associated with the light scene.

[0070] The textual description of the light scene may be a textual description of the image associated with the light scene, for example. For instance, a light scene creator may give the name “sunset” or “Tokyo” to a light scene, e.g., to facilitate selection of the light scene by users. The image associated with the light scene may be displayed in a user interface for selecting a light scene from a plurality of light scenes, for example. This may help users more easily select and understand the potential light scenes, enhancing user interaction and satisfaction. The image associated with the light scene may represent a sunset or may represent Tokyo, for example.

[0071] A difference between the new color setting and the current color setting may depend on a difference between the new brightness level and the current brightness level. In most cases, new colors introduced as part of the dimming are preferably a result of a smooth transition (e.g., sunset). However, if desired, dimming could also lead to an instant introduction of new colors - e.g., deep dimming a scene depicted by a city skyline could introduce dimmed but saturated colors representing neon signage and the other way around.

[0072] A step 105 comprises controlling the lighting device according to the new color setting determined in step 103, and if applicable, the new light output level indicated in the input signal received in step 101. The implementation of Fig. 2 may be combined with one or more of the implementations of Figs. 3-10 and Fig. 12. With this method, different color settings may be rendered at different brightness levels without switching from one light scene to another light scene.

[0073] A second implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 3. The method may be performed by mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 3 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 2.

[0074] In the implementation of Fig. 3, step 103 of Fig. 2 is implemented by a step 113 and a step 111 is performed between step 101 and step 113. Step 111 comprises obtaining the textual description and / or the image. Step 113 comprises determining the new color setting for the lighting device based on the new brightness level and the textual description and / or the image obtained in step 111. Thus, in this implementation, the new color setting may be determined in real-time. The implementation of Fig. 3 may be combined with one or more of the implementations of Figs. 4-10 and Fig. 12.

[0075] A third implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 4. The method may be performed by mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 4 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 3.

[0076] In the implementation of Fig. 4, step 111 of Fig. 3 is implemented by steps 121 and 123 and step 113 of Fig. 3 is implemented by a step 125. Step 121 comprises obtaining the image associated with the light scene. Step 123 comprises generating a new image based on the new brightness level indicated in the input signal received in step 101 and the image obtained in step 121 or having another system generate the new image based on the new brightness level and the image. The other system may, for example, host the GPT-Vision model and the Dall-E model or may host a chatbot like ChatGPT that uses the GPT-Vision model and the Dall-E model.

[0077] Step 125 comprises determining the new color setting by determining colors for the new color setting based on the new image generated in step 123, or by having the other system or a further system determine colors for the new color setting based on the new image. The other system or the further system may, for example, host the GPT-Vision model or may host a chatbot like ChatGPT that uses the GPT-Vision model. In the implementation of Fig. 4, a textual description associated with the light scene is not required. The implementation of Fig. 4 may be combined with one or more of the implementations of Figs. 9. 10, and 12.

[0078] A fourth implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 5. The method may be performed by mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 5 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 3.

[0079] In the implementation of Fig. 5, step 111 of Fig. 3 is implemented by a step 131 and step 113 of Fig. 3 is implemented by a step 135. Step 131 comprises steps 121 and step 133. Step 121 comprises obtaining the image associated with the light scene. Step 133 comprises obtaining the textual description by performing an analysis on the image obtained in step 121 or having another system perform the analysis. This is beneficial, for example, if no textual description has been associated with the light scene. Alternatively, a textual description associated with the light scene may be combined with the textual description resulting from the image analysis. The other system may, for example, host the GPT-Vision model or may host a chatbot like ChatGPT that uses the GPT-Vision model.

[0080] Step 135 comprises determining the new color setting for the new brightness level based on the textual description obtained in step 133. Step 135 may comprise providing the new brightness level and the textual description to a large language model and receiving the new color setting in response, for example. The large language model may be hosted on another system than the system performing the method, for example. The large language model may be GPT and may be accessed via a chatbot like ChatGPT, for example. The large language model may be part of a multimodal model. The implementation of Fig. 5 may be combined with one or more of the implementations of Figs. 9. 10, and 12. A fifth implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 6. The method may be performed by the mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 6 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 3.

[0081] In the implementation of Fig. 6, step 111 of Fig. 3 is implemented by a step 141 and step 113 of Fig. 3 is implemented by a step 143. Step 141 comprises obtaining a textual description associated with the light scene. By using existing descriptions to adjust color settings, the system may become quicker and the need for real-time image analysis is reduced, focusing instead on pre-defined or user-supplied text data.

[0082] Step 143 comprises determining the new color setting for the new brightness level based on the textual description. Step 143 may comprise providing the new brightness level and the textual description to a large language model and receiving the new color setting in response, for example. The large language model may be hosted on another system than the system performing the method, for example. The large language model may be GPT and may be accessed via a chatbot like ChatGPT, for example. The large language model may be part of a multimodal model. The implementation of Fig. 6 may be combined with one or more of the implementations of Figs. 9. 10, and 12.

[0083] A sixth implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 7. The method may be performed by the mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 7 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 3.

[0084] In the implementation of Fig. 7, step 111 of Fig. 3 is implemented by steps 153 and 155, step 113 of Fig. 3 is implemented a step 157, and a step 151 is performed between steps 101 and 155. Steps 151 and 153 are performed after step 101 has been performed. Step 151 comprises determining a time of day in relation to the new brightness level, based on the new brightness level indicated in the input signal received in step 101. Step 153 comprises obtaining a textual description by performing step 131 of Fig. 5 or step 141 of Fig. 6.

[0085] Step 155 comprises generating a new image based on the textual description obtained in step 153 and the time of day determined in step 151 or having another system generate the new image based on the textual description and the time of day. Step 155 may comprise using a model like Dall-E or Stable Diffusion, possibly via a chatbot like ChatGPT, for example. Step 157 comprises determining the new color setting by determining colors for the new color setting based on the new image generated in step 155, or by having the other system or a further system determine colors for the new color setting based on the new image. Step 157 may comprise providing the new brightness level and the textual description to a large language model and receiving the new color setting in response, for example. The large language model may be hosted on another system than the system performing the method, for example. The large language model may be GPT and may be accessed via a chatbot like ChatGPT, for example. The large language model may be part of a multimodal model.

[0086] By determining the new color setting based on the time of day, the intended semantics of the light scene, as represented by the textual description and / or image, may be better achieved. For example, Tokyo has different colors by night than during the day, and if the brightness level is low, then colors of Tokyo by night are more appropriate than colors of Tokyo during the day if the image associated with the light scene is an image of Tokyo.

[0087] Mapping dimming to the time of day works especially well if the textual description and / or the image represents an outdoors scene and / or nature scene (i.e., showing natural phenomena), for example. The user may also be able to set the light scene as a 24 / 7 scene, which is a dynamic scene where the lighting automatically adjusts light output level throughout the day and follows the palette change. The implementation of Fig. 7 may be combined with one or more of the implementations of Figs. 9. 10, and 12.

[0088] A seventh implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 8. The method may be performed by the mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 8 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 3.

[0089] In the implementation of Fig. 8, step 111 of Fig. 3 is implemented by step 153, step 113 of Fig. 3 is implemented a step 161, and step 151 is performed between steps 101 and 155. Steps 151 and 153 are performed after step 101 has been performed. Step 151 comprises determining a time of day in relation to the new brightness level, based on the new brightness level indicated in the input signal received in step 101. Step 153 comprises obtaining a textual description by performing step 131 of Fig. 5 or step 141 of Fig. 6.

[0090] Step 161 comprises determining the new color setting by providing the textual description obtained in step 153 and the time of day determined in step 151 to a large language model and having the large language model determine colors for the new color setting based on the textual description and the time of day. This use of advanced Al can potentially provide more nuanced and context-aware color adjustments, leveraging large datasets and complex algorithms to predict optimal lighting settings.

[0091] The large language model may be hosted on another system than the system performing the method, for example. The large language model may be GPT and may be accessed via a chatbot like ChatGPT, for example. The large language model may be part of a multimodal model. The implementation of Fig. 8 may be combined with one or more of the implementations of Figs. 9. 10, and 12.

[0092] An eighth implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 9. The method may be performed by the mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 9 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 2.

[0093] In the implementation of Fig. 9, the light scene is associated with different color palettes for different brightness levels and step 103 of Fig. 2 is implemented by a step 201. Step 201 comprises determining a new color setting for the lighting device based on the color palette associated with the new brightness level indicated in the input signal received in step 101. Thus, since the desired color palette is already associated with the light scene, it is in the implementation of Fig. 9 not (always) necessary to determine the new color palette / setting in real-time. The implementation of Fig. 9 may be combined with the implementation of Fig. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 and / or the implementation of Fig. 10 and / or 12.

[0094] A ninth implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 10. The method may be performed by the mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 10 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 9.

[0095] In the implementation of Fig. 10, the lighting device is a pixelated lighting device, the pixelated lighting device comprises a plurality of individually controllable light sources, i.e., pixels, and the light scene is associated with metadata which links colors in the different color palettes. In the implementation of Fig. 10, step 201 of Fig. 9 is implemented by a step 213 and a step 211 is performed between steps 101 and 213.

[0096] Step 211 comprises determining the current light output level and the current color setting per pixel. Step 213 comprises determining the new color setting for each respective pixel of the plurality of pixels based on the new light output level indicated in the input signal received in step 101, the current light output level determined in step 211, and the current color setting for the respective pixel, as determined in step 211. Step 105 comprises controlling the pixelated lighting device according to the new light output level indicated in the input signal received in step 101 and the new color settings determined in step 213. This causes the pixelated lighting device to render on each respective pixel a transition from the current color of the respective pixel to the new color of the respective pixel, by determining to which color in the color palette associated with the new light output level the current color is linked in the metadata.

[0097] With the metadata linking colors in different color palettes, the color change may be made more consistent. For example, if a light scene represents a sunset, individual pixels may gradually change to mimic the natural progression of colors seen in a sunset. A pixel that has a soft yellow (the color of the clouds) might change to yellow reddish, reddish bluish, and finally to soft purple.

[0098] Fig. 11 shows an example of metadata which links colors in different color palettes of the same light scene. A color palette 71 is associated with a light output level of 50%, a color palette 72 is associated with a light output level of 75%, and a color palette 73 is associated with a light output level of 100%. Fig. 11 shows pixelated lighting device 54 of Fig. 1 rendering different color patterns 81, 82, and 83 belonging to the same light scene at different light output levels 91 (50%), 92 (75%), and 93 (100%).

[0099] For example, when the pixelated lighting device 54 is currently rendering the light scene at a light output level of 50%, the pixels of the pixelated lighting device 54 render the color pattern 81. Then, when a user increases the light output level to 75%, not only will the pixels render the light with a higher light output level, but will also render different colors, specifically color pattern 82. In the implementation of Fig. 9, the pixels do not render colors randomly from the color palette 72 after the user increases the light output level, but the new color rendered by a pixel depends on the current color rendered by the pixel.

[0100] For instance, when the color orange is rendered at 50% light output level, this may be linked to the color red at 75% light output level. A pixel rendering the color orange at 50% light output level would therefore render the color red at 75% light output level. The implementation of Fig. 10 may be combined with the implementation of Fig. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 and / or the implementation of Fig. 12.

[0101] A tenth implementation of the method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings is shown in Fig. 12. The method may be performed by the mobile device 21 of Fig. 1, for example. The implementation of Fig. 12 is an extension of the implementation of Fig. 9. Step 101 comprises receiving an input signal indicative of a new brightness level. The new brightness level is different from a current brightness level.

[0102] A step 221 is performed after step 101. Step 221 comprises checking whether the light scene is associated with a color palette for the new light output brightness level indicated in the input signal received in step 101. If so, step 201 is performed next. Step 201 comprises determining a new color setting for the lighting device based on the color palette associated with the new brightness level indicated in the input signal received in step 101.

[0103] If it is determined in step 221 that the light scene is not associated with different color palettes for different brightness levels, then step I l l is performed next. Step 111 comprises obtaining the textual description and / or the image. Step 113 comprises determining the new color setting for the lighting device based on the new brightness level and the textual description and / or the image obtained in step 111. Step 223 comprises storing the color palette corresponding to the new color setting determined in step 113 in association with the light scene and the new brightness level, e.g. in a memory.

[0104] Step 105 is performed after step 201 or step 223 has been performed. Step 105 comprises controlling the lighting device according to the new color setting determined in step 201 or step 113, and if applicable, the new light output level indicated in the input signal received in step 101. Thus, in the implementation of Fig. 12, the new color setting only needs to be determined in real-time for a certain light scene and a certain brightness level if it has not been determined for this certain light scene and this certain brightness level before.

[0105] In the implementation of Fig. 12, a new color palette is only calculated if a user adjusts the brightness level. Once calculated, the color palette is stored anticipating that the user might change the brightness level again when selecting the same light scene in the future. This approach may be used, for example, with user-created scenes that the user has created based on an image. The color palettes for other brightness levels for the same light scene may be calculated in the same iteration of step 113, e.g., when the user is likely to change the brightness level of the light scene again in the future but might do this to a different degree. The implementation of Fig. 12 may be combined with the implementation of Fig. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 and / or the implementation of Fig. 10.

[0106] Fig. 13 depicts a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system that may perform the method as described with reference to the flow charts.

[0107] As shown in Fig. 13, the data processing system 900 may include at least one processor 902 coupled to memory elements 904 through a system bus 906. As such, the data processing system may store program code within memory elements 904. Further, the processor 902 may execute the program code accessed from the memory elements 904 via a system bus 906. In one aspect, the data processing system may be implemented as a computer that is suitable for storing and / or executing program code. It should be appreciated, however, that the system 900 may be implemented in the form of any system including a processor and a memory that is capable of performing the functions described within this specification. The data processing system may be an Intemet / cloud server, for example.

[0108] The memory elements 904 may include one or more physical memory devices such as, for example, local memory 908 and one or more bulk storage devices 910. The local memory may refer to random access memory or other non-persistent memory device(s) generally used during actual execution of the program code. A bulk storage device may be implemented as a hard drive or other persistent data storage device. The processing system 900 may also include one or more cache memories (not shown) that provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the quantity of times program code must be retrieved from the bulk storage device 910 during execution. The processing system 900 may also be able to use memory elements of another processing system, e.g. if the processing system 900 is part of a cloud-computing platform.

[0109] Input / output (I / O) devices depicted as an input device 912 and an output device 914 optionally can be coupled to the data processing system. Examples of input devices may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a microphone (e.g. for voice and / or speech recognition), or the like. Examples of output devices may include, but are not limited to, a monitor or a display, speakers, or the like. Input and / or output devices may be coupled to the data processing system either directly or through intervening VO controllers.

[0110] The input and the output devices may be implemented as a combined input / output device (illustrated in Fig. 13 with a dashed line surrounding the input device 912 and the output device 914). An example of such a combined device is a touch sensitive display, also sometimes referred to as a “touch screen display” or simply “touch screen”. In such an implementation, input to the device may be provided by a movement of a physical object, such as e.g. a stylus or a finger of a user, on or near the touch screen display.

[0111] A network adapter 916 may also be coupled to the data processing system to enable it to become coupled to other systems, computer systems, remote network devices, and / or remote storage devices through intervening private or public networks. The network adapter may comprise a data receiver for receiving data that is transmitted by the systems, devices and / or networks to the data processing system 900, and a data transmitter for transmitting data from the data processing system 900 to the systems, devices and / or networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are examples of different types of network adapter that may be used with the data processing system 900.

[0112] As pictured in Fig. 13, the memory elements 904 may store an application 918. The application 918 may be stored in the local memory 908, the one or more bulk storage devices 910, or separate from the local memory and the bulk storage devices. It should be appreciated that the data processing system 900 may further execute an operating system (not shown in Fig. 13) that can facilitate execution of the application 918. The application 918, being implemented in the form of executable program code, can be executed by the data processing system 900, e.g., by the processor 902. Responsive to executing the application, the data processing system 900 may be configured to perform one or more operations or method steps described herein.

[0113] The invention may be implemented as a program product for use with a computer system, where the program(s) of the program product define functions. The program(s) may be contained on a variety of non-transitory computer-readable storage media, where, as used herein, the expression “non-transitory computer readable storage media” comprises all computer-readable media, with the sole exception being a transitory, propagating signal. The program(s) may also be contained on a variety of transitory computer-readable storage media. Illustrative computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to: (i) non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROM drive, ROM chips or any type of solid-state non-volatile semiconductor memory) on which information is permanently stored; and (ii) writable storage media (e.g., flash memory, floppy disks within a diskette drive or hard-disk drive or any type of solid-state random-access semiconductor memory) on which alterable information is stored. The computer program may be run on the processor 902 described herein.

[0114] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The detailed description has been presented for purposes of illustration, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the implementations in the form disclosed.

[0115] Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A system (21) for controlling a lighting device (51,52,53,54,55) to render a light scene according to new light settings, the light scene being associated with at least one color palette, the system (21) comprising at least one output interface (24) and at least one processor (25) configured to receive an input signal indicative of a new brightness level, the new brightness level being different from a current brightness level, obtain a textual description of the light scene, determine a new color setting for the lighting device (51,52,53,54,55) based on the new brightness level, the new color setting being different from a current color setting of the lighting device (51,52,53,54,55), the new color setting being determined for the new brightness level based on the textual description of the light scene, and control, via the at least one output interface (24), the lighting device (51,52,53,54,55) according to the new color setting.

2. A system (21) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor (25) is configured to obtain the textual description and determine the new color setting for the lighting device (51,52,53,54,55) based on the new brightness level and the textual description.

3. A system (21) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one processor (25) is configured to determine a time of day in relation to the new brightness level and determine the new color setting for the new brightness level based on the time of day and the textual description.

4. A system (21) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one processor (25) is configured to generate a new image based on the textual description and the time of day, and determine the new color setting by determining colors for the new color setting based on the new image.

5. A system (21) claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one processor (25) is configured to determine the new color setting by providing the textual description and the time of day to a large language model (38) and having the large language model (38) determine colors for the new color setting based on the textual description and the time of day.

6. A system (21) as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the at least one processor (25) is configured to obtain an image associated with the light scene, generate a new image based on the new brightness level and the image or having another system (38) generate the new image based on the new brightness level and the image, and determine the new color setting by determining colors for the new color setting based on the new image, or by having the other system (38) or a further system determine colors for the new color setting based on the new image.

7. A system (21) as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the at least one of the textual description represents an outdoors scene and / or nature scene and / or wherein the textual description of the light scene is a textual description of an image associated with the light scene.

8. A system (21) as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the light scene is associated with different color palettes for different brightness levels.

9. A system (21) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lighting device is a pixelated lighting device (54), the pixelated lighting device (54) comprising a plurality of individually controllable light sources (11-19), the light scene is associated with metadata which links colors in the different color palettes, and the at least one processor (25) is configured to control the lighting device according to the new color setting by rendering a transition from a current color of the current color setting to a new color of the new color setting on each of the plurality of individually controllable light sources (11-19), the new color being linked to the current color in the metadata.

10. A system (21) as claimed in any one of claims 1-9, wherein one of the at least one color palette associated with the light scene has been extracted from an image associatedwith the light scene and / or an image associated with the light scene is displayed in a user interface for selecting a light scene from a plurality of light scenes.

11. A system (21) as claimed in any one of claims 1-10, wherein a difference between the new color setting and the current color setting depends on a difference between the new brightness level and the current brightness level.

12. A method of controlling a lighting device to render a light scene according to new light settings, the light scene being associated with at least one color palette, the method comprising receiving (101) an input signal indicative of a new brightness level, the new brightness level being different from a current brightness level, obtaining a textual description of the light scene, determining (103) a new color setting for the lighting device based on the new brightness level, the new color setting being different from a current color setting of the lighting device, the new color setting being determined for the new brightness level based on the textual description of the light scene, and controlling (105) the lighting device according to the new color setting.

13. A computer program product for a computing device, the computer program product comprising computer program code to perform the method of claim 12 when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of the computing device.

Images