Adaptive Lighting Control via Conversational Context Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current smart home voice assistants require explicit voice commands for lighting control, which can be cumbersome due to high cognitive load and limited context awareness, as they often necessitate specific vocabulary and syntax, and only partially account for emotional states.

Innovation Solution

A system that uses conversational input to determine activities and locations, allowing for adaptive lighting control by analyzing conversational signals, identifying suitable light settings, and controlling light devices accordingly, even without explicit location mention, using a combination of audio and text signals, presence sensors, and mobile device interfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If explicit voice commands are used for lighting control, then lighting can be controlled, but cognitive load increases and user convenience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelighting control convenienceVSAvoidcommand vocabulary complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically analyzing conversational input to determine user activity and location, then autonomously selecting and applying appropriate light settings without requiring users to issue explicit commands or remember specific vocabulary

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical voice command system with an acoustic analysis system that processes natural conversation sounds to infer user intent and automatically controls lighting based on detected activities and locations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If voice assistants require specific vocabulary and syntax, then commands can be recognized, but ease of operation deteriorates due to high cognitive load

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommand recognition accuracyVSAvoiduser effort

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of requiring users to conform to predefined command structures, the system inverts the approach by allowing users to speak naturally and having the system adapt its interpretation to the user's conversational patterns and intent

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Adaptability or versatility

If lighting control is based on emotional state only, then context awareness is improved, but adaptability deteriorates due to limited situational coverage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelighting scenario coverageVSAvoidcontext information completeness

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple information sources including acoustic analysis of conversations, location data, and activity recognition to create a comprehensive context understanding that goes beyond simple emotional state detection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11818820B2Adapting a lighting control interface based on an analysis of conversational input

Publication Date: 2023.11.14 SIGNIFY HOLDING BV

AI summary

A system (1) for adapting a lighting control interface is configured to receive a signal indicative of conversational input from a user, analyze the conversational input, determine an activity and a location (14) based on the analysis, select a stored activity matching the activity from a plurality of activities stored in a memory, each of the plurality of activities being associated with a light setting in the memory, obtain a light setting associated with the selected activity from the memory, identify a light device (24) at the location based on the determined location, and adapt a lighting control interface (27) to allow the light device at the location to be controlled according to the determined light setting in response to receiving an input via the lighting control interface.