522 results about "Ambient lighting" patented technology

An illuminating device coupled with sensors or an image acquisition device and a logical controller allows illumination intensity and spectrum to be varied according to changing user needs. The system provides illumination to areas according to the principles of correct lighting practice for the optimal performance of visual tasks in the most efficient, cost effective manner. Aspects of the invention include: lighting fixtures which adapt to ambient lighting, movement, visual tasks being performed, and environmental and personal conditions affecting illumination requirements at any given instant. Lighting fixtures having spatial distribution of spectrum and intensity, providing both “background” room lighting, and “task” lighting.

A device allows easy and unencumbered interaction between a person and a computer display system using the person's (or another object's) movement and position as input to the computer. In some configurations, the display can be projected around the user so that that the person's actions are displayed around them. The video camera and projector operate on different wavelengths so that they do not interfere with each other. Uses for such a device include, but are not limited to, interactive lighting effects for people at clubs or events, interactive advertising displays, etc. Computer-generated characters and virtual objects can be made to react to the movements of passers-by, generate interactive ambient lighting for social spaces such as restaurants, lobbies and parks, video game systems and create interactive information spaces and art installations. Patterned illumination and brightness and gradient processing can be used to improve the ability to detect an object against a background of video images.

The present invention provides for systems and methods for dimming a LED matrix functioning as a backlight to an avionics display. A system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a processor for receiving inputs of ambient lighting and temperature, as well as light generated by the LED matrix. The processor provides modulated pulse wave signals (square waves) to two control circuits for controlling the LED matrix in two modes. At low dimming levels, the processor modulates the duty cycle of a first square wave for affecting the light level and maintains a minimal duty cycle of a second square wave. Once the highest light level is obtained by increasing the duty cycle of the first square wave, the processor then modulates a second square wave by increasing its duty cycle. The duty cycle of the second square wave is modified by a circuit to produce a voltage level which is provided as an input to control light level of the LED matrix. As the duty cycle of the second signal is increased, so is the voltage level provided to the LED matrix and the light generated by the LED matrix.

A system for automatic regulation of daylight admitted by a window in the presence of artificial illumination produced by a high-efficiency (e.g., fluorescent-type) electric lamp. A preferred embodiment, adaptive window covering system 10, consists of an illuminance sensor 11, a conventional control apparatus 12, and a conventional shading means 13. System 10 is used in conjunction with a conventional, high-efficiency, electric lamp 14 and a conventional window 18, in a room 19. Sensor 11 produces a signal dependent on power contained in a portion of the daylight spectrum, but substantially insensitive to power contained in the spectrum of artificial illumination produced by lamp 14. In a preferred embodiment, sensor 11 includes a silicon photodiode and optical low-pass filter to provide a spectral response which extends from approximately 800 to 1200 nanometers, which falls outside the spectrum produced by typical fluorescent lamps (e.g, 300 to 750 nanometers). Sensor 11 is oriented to sample the ambient illumination in room 19, which includes both daylight and artificial components. Control apparatus 12 produces an actuating signal dependent on the output of sensor 11. Shading means 13 varies the amount of daylight admitted by window 18 as a function of the actuating signal produced by control apparatus 12. Thus, system 10 varies the amount of daylight admitted by window 18 as a function of the power contained in a portion of the daylight spectrum, but independent of the power contained in the spectrum produced by lamp 14.

The invention is a modular ambient lighting system for providing lighting to the interior of the building. The system features three separate modules: (1) a support module, (2) a power module, and (3) a light fixture body module. The support module provides an electrical connection to the building and structural connection to the ceiling of the building. An interchangeable power module fits into a recess or “foot print” in the support module. The power module includes the electrical components of the lighting system (e.g. ballast, transformer, emergency batteries, etc). An interchangeable light fixture body module houses the lamp that can be configured to deliver direct, indirect, or direct/indirect illumination. The interchangeable features of the modules offers superior flexibility because of the ease to reconfigure the electrical operation of the light system, the type illumination delivered, or the aesthetics of the light system.

A system and method for analysis of colorimetric test strip strips and disease management. The system can include an accessory that is operably coupled to a mobile device, the mobile device acquiring and/or analyzing images of the colorimetric test strips. The light box accessory can be detachably attached to the mobile device, or made to remain attached to the mobile device, but with the capability of having the light box accessory removed from the field of view of the camera for general photography purposes. In other embodiments, an image containing known calibration color(s) and reagent area(s) is obtained sans the light box for comparison with a previous calibration image to model changes in ambient lighting conditions and determine a color correction function. The correction can be applied to the detected reagent area color(s) for matching between the detected reagent area color(s) and reference color(s) on the reference chart. Optionally, the information can be processed and displayed to provide feedback, as well as transmitted to a health provider for analysis.

A method generates a stylized image of a scene including an object. A set of n input images are acquired of the scene with a camera. Each one of the n input images is illuminated by one of a set of n light sources mounted on a body of the camera at different positions from a center of projection of a lens of the camera. Ambient lighting can be used to illuminate one image. Features in the set of n input images are detected. The features include depth edges, intensity edges, and texture edges to determine qualitative depth relationships between the depth edges, the intensity edges and the texture edges. The set of n input images are then combined in an output image to enhance the detected features according to the qualitative relationships.

A method is disclosed for providing a virtual image to a user in a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) device. The method includes detecting an ambient illumination, calculating a target transmissivity of window provided in the HMD device, based on the ambient illumination, adjusting a transmissivity of the window based on the calculated target transmissivity, and providing a virtual image to the user by projecting light to the window from a projector provided in the HMD device.

An imaging apparatus, medium, and apparatus using infrared rays with image discrimination. The imaging apparatus may includes an image sensor optically together sensing a visible light component and an infrared component of an image, and an image processor to recognize an object component of the image. Accordingly, an infrared component cell can be far more easily implemented than conventionally. Also, an object component can be more accurately identified while being less affected by ambient illumination of the object component because an infrared component is used. Furthermore, both iris identification and color image acquisition can be achieved using a single camera by employing the image sensor, which senses the infrared component and the visible light component together. Thus, both the iris identification and the color image acquisition can be incorporated and executed by a single camera. Therefore, the imaging apparatus can be made compact.

A surveillance camera device with a light source is composed of a camera, a control unit which is connected to the camera, a light-source control unit which is connected to the control unit, and a light source. The control unit directly gets the illumination of images captured by the camera or its related parameters, to determine whether illumination of the environment of image captured is sufficient. When the illumination of the environment of image captured is changed, the control unit will send lighting control signal to the light-source control unit to activate or deactivate the light source, or adjust the light output intensity of the light source automatically, such that the illumination of the environment of the images captured can be accurately determined to provide the correct light fill-in for shooting clear images.

An intraocular camera for retinal prostheses may include an optical imaging system comprising a set of optical elements for forming an image of the external world on an image sensor array, wherein the optical elements and the image sensor array may be enclosed in an implantable biocompatible housing that may employ haptic elements for stabilization within the eye. The set of optical elements may be designed to have a short focal length and to provide adequate resolution images that can be transformed into a set of stimulation signals applied to a pixellated microstimulator array. Transmission of the signals from the intraocular camera to a microstimulator driver circuit may be accomplished either by a wired or wireless communication device. Power and control signals may be provided to the intraocular camera by a wired or wireless communication device, or optically by means of ambient illumination or an optical beam.

In accordance with the present invention, a new and improved digital camera has a capture mode of operation where a scene to be captured can be captured and stored in a removable memory device as a digital still image and subsequently retrieved and displayed on a LCD in a review mode of operation. Alternatively, the scene to be captured can be captured repeatedly and buffered to the LCD where the buffering rate is determined in a live view capture mode of operation allowing a user to preview the scene to be captured in various ambient lighting conditions. In one instance, under low ambient lighting conditions a user is able to manually adjust the live view/preview apparent image brightness level of tie displayed scene independently of any LCD brightness or contrast adjustments.

In a method of image subtraction a series of frames of a subject are taken using a video camera The subject is illuminated in a manner so that illumination is alternately on then off for successive fields within the image frame. A single frame is grabbed and an absolute difference between the odd field and the even field within that single image frame is determined. The resulting absolute difference image will represent the subject as illuminated by the system illumination only, and not by any ambient illumination, and can then be used to identify the subject in the image.

A method and apparatus improves the visibility of information displayed on a portable electronic device display in various ambient lighting conditions. The portable electronic device measures the ambient light associated with the display and adjusts the display based on the measured ambient light to improve the visibility of the displayed information. In an exemplary embodiment, light detection electronics detect the ambient light associated with the display. A light processor processes the raw data to determine the measured ambient light based on the detected ambient light. A display controller of the portable electronic device adjusts the display based on the measured ambient light. An exemplary display controller may adjust the size of the displayed information, a backlight intensity of the display, or a display contrast based on the measured ambient light.

Apparatus and methods relating to display stacks wherein one or more index matching layers are utilized to minimize reflectance at the boundaries of otherwise adjacent layers. More particularly, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatus relating to a multilayer display stack comprising a glass layer, a first index matching layer, a first intermediate layer, a second index matching layer, a second intermediate layer, and a light emitting display panel wherein: the glass layer, first index matching layer, first intermediate layer, second index matching layer, and second intermediate layer are each transparent or translucent, and comprise an index of refraction; the index of refraction of the first index matching layer is between the index of refraction of the glass layer and the first intermediate layer; and the index of refraction of the second index matching layer is between the index of refraction of the first intermediate layer and the second intermediate layer. Alternative embodiments may comprise additional index matching layers, additional non-index matching layers, as well as layers other than those described herein.

Disclosed herein is a color display device that can be deployed at retail paint stores, kiosks, customers' offices or homes, airports, malls, etc. for rapid color and appearance prototyping. The color display device, which can be mobile, can display color under standardized lighting or simulated ambient lighting. The color display device can augment or replace a traditional paint chip rack or fan deck. The color display device can manipulate light sources additively and/or subtractively using an integrating light mixing capsule or chamber, special optics, mock objects and electronic control for color and appearance representation and for object illumination with desirable simulated ambient lighting.

A method of processing an array of pixels captured by an image capture device, includes providing a first two-dimensional array having first and second groups of pixels wherein pixels from the first group of pixels have narrower spectral photoresponses than pixels from the second group of pixels and wherein the first group of pixels has individual pixels that have spectral photoresponses that correspond to a set of at least two colors and the placement of the first and second groups of pixels define a pattern that has a minimal repeating unit arranged to permit the reproduction of a captured color image under different lighting conditions; responding to ambient lighting conditions, whether panchromatic pixels are to be combined with color pixels; combining pixels to produce a second two-dimensional array of pixels which has fewer pixels than the first two-dimensional array of pixels; and correcting the color pixels.

By automatically compensating for unwanted lighting effects caused by varying ambient light sources, digital still images and video are made to appear more naturally realistic. A set of correction factors based upon an ascertained ambient lighting conditions, such as color temperature, provides for selectively color correcting only those pixels requiring correction. In this way, only those portions of a digital image having excessive color due to ambient light conditions are improved without affecting those portions of the digital image not requiring correction.

A luminescence shock avoidance algorithm is disclosed to selectively limit the brightness level of a display device when the display device is activated in a dark environment to prevent the temporary vision impairment that can occur when a display device is activated in a dark environment. The algorithm receives the state of the display (e.g. on or in standby mode), and can optionally receive an ambient lighting value from an ambient light sensor and a user-selectable manual brightness adjustment setting to determine whether luminescence shock avoidance should even be triggered, and if it is triggered, how much should the brightness level of the display be limited.

A navigation device is configured to allocate display setting such as color schemes and screen contents to at least one ambient lighting condition, monitors and evaluates a signal indicative of ambient lighting conditions and determines whether display settings for the current ambient lighting conditions are already in use and to change display settings so that they suit current ambient lighting conditions if needed.

An efficient scalable networkable grow light system ensures that a DLI suitable for optimal plant growth without causing heat stress is met by selectively illuminating lighting elements of determined wavelengths, and adjusting intensity of the lighting elements, and adjusting the height of an assembly containing the lighting elements, if sensed ambient light is inadequate to meet the DLI. A hoist adjusts height to provide full illumination without causing heat stress, while reducing inefficiency due to excessive distance. If sensed ambient lighting is sufficient to meet the DLI, supplemental lighting is not activated.