Addressable Lampshade Opacity Control for Glare-Free Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lampshades struggle to effectively control light distribution to prevent glare while allowing for flexible illumination adjustments, especially when controlling multiple lamps using mobile devices, which can be cumbersome and challenging due to manual orientation issues.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing addressable lampshades that communicate with a mobile device via a camera to modulate opacity patterns, enabling automatic determination of the user's position relative to the lamp and allowing for precise control of shading and illumination through spatiotemporally varying light patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a single unshaded light bulb is used, then illumination intensity is improved, but glare increases reducing visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The lampshade is divided into multiple independently controllable segments or regions, allowing different portions of the lampshade to be transparent or opaque as needed. This segmentation enables selective light blocking to eliminate glare in specific directions while maintaining illumination in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The lampshade incorporates dynamically adjustable transparency properties through addressable elements that can change between transparent and opaque states. This dynamic capability allows the lampshade to adapt its light distribution in real-time, reducing glare when detected and maintaining illumination when needed.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional lampshades are used to block light, then glare is reduced, but flexibility in illumination control is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The lampshade uses addressable elements that can dynamically change their transparency state individually or in groups, enabling flexible control over light distribution patterns. This allows the system to adapt to different lighting scenarios, user positions, and environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The lampshade controls the transparency parameter of its addressable elements to regulate light passage. By adjusting the transparency parameter of different regions independently, the system achieves versatile illumination control while effectively managing glare.
3Measurement precision
If manual orientation control is used for multiple lamps, then precision in targeting is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses camera-based detection to automatically identify and target lamps, providing visual feedback to confirm the selected lamp. This feedback mechanism eliminates the need for manual orientation adjustments while maintaining precise lamp selection through automated recognition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical orientation control with an automated optical detection system using a camera. The camera automatically identifies and targets the desired lamp, substituting the mechanical rotation and alignment process with an automated vision-based system that improves ease of operation while maintaining precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and intuitive control of light distribution, reducing glare and enhancing illumination based on user position, without the need for manual alignment, by using addressable lampshades that interact with mobile devices to generate and analyze light patterns.
Implementation Method 1
The camera captures an image of the lamp and detects spatiotemporally varying light patterns from the lamp
Implementation Method 2
An opaqueing surface of the addressable lampshade is modulated to produce an identification pattern for the lamp
Data Source
AI summary
A light source is provided with a digitally addressable lampshade that includes a plurality of regions of controllable opacity. Systems and methods are described for controlling the digital lampshade. In an exemplary embodiment, an addressable lampshade effects a time-varying pattern of changes to the opacity of the regions to generate a lamp identification pattern. A lamp is identified from the patterns by a camera-equipped mobile device. The mobile device then causes the identified lamp to generate a position-determining pattern of light. The mobile device determines its own position relative to the lamp based on the pattern of light received by the camera. The mobile device then instructs the digital lampshade, according to user input, to allow illumination or to provide shade at the determined position of the mobile device.