Lighting System with Consensus Control for Shared Spaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In shared office spaces, existing lighting systems often fail to accommodate diverse individual lighting preferences, leading to user dissatisfaction due to conflicting preferences among users, as they typically allow only a single illumination level for shared areas, which can't be independently controlled by each user.
Innovation Solution
A lighting system with both manual and automatic control modes, where users can set individual illumination levels, and the system learns user preferences to determine a consensus level, balancing individual control with fairness and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single illumination level is set for the shared area, then the lighting system is simple to operate, but it cannot accommodate diverse individual lighting preferences of multiple users
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple user profiles, each with independent lighting preferences. Instead of a single centralized control for the entire shared area, the system divides control into individual user segments while maintaining a unified physical lighting infrastructure. This allows each user to have customized lighting settings without requiring separate physical lighting systems for each user.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a temporal dimension to lighting control by implementing different control modes (manual override mode and automatic consensus mode) that operate at different times. Users can manually override lighting settings during specific periods, and the system automatically adjusts to consensus preferences during other periods. This temporal segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing both individual control and system simplicity at different times.
2Ease of operation
If each user can individually control the illumination level in the shared area, then user satisfaction improves, but conflicts arise when user preferences are diverse or narrow
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically switches between manual override mode and automatic consensus mode based on real-time user interactions and preferences. When users actively adjust lighting, the system operates in manual mode to respect individual control. When preferences stabilize or conflicts arise, the system transitions to automatic consensus mode to maintain reliability and user satisfaction consistency across diverse user groups.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors user lighting adjustments and preferences, using this feedback to learn and adapt to individual user patterns. By analyzing feedback from multiple users over time, the system builds consensus preferences that reflect the collective needs of all users, thereby maintaining high satisfaction levels even when individual preferences diverge.
3Ease of operation
If the system operates in manual control mode allowing individual overrides, then user autonomy is maximized, but energy efficiency decreases due to lack of coordinated control
Solution Approach 1:
The system periodically transitions between manual control mode and automatic consensus mode. During manual mode periods, users exercise full autonomy to adjust lighting according to their immediate needs. During automatic consensus mode periods, the system coordinates control to optimize energy efficiency by consolidating adjustments and avoiding redundant overrides. This periodic alternation ensures both user autonomy and energy efficiency are maintained over time.
4Use of energy by moving object
If the system learns and applies consensus illumination levels, then energy efficiency improves, but individual user preferences may not be fully satisfied
Solution Approach 1:
The consensus algorithm acts as an intermediary between individual user preferences and the actual lighting control. Instead of directly implementing any single user's preference or averaging all preferences equally, the consensus mechanism mediates by finding optimal compromise levels that satisfy the majority of users while considering individual tolerance ranges. This intermediary process maintains energy efficiency through coordinated control while still adapting to individual preferences through the learning component.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2a
AI summary
A lighting system comprises at least one luminaire arranged to illuminate an area shared by a plurality of users. From at least one of the users, at least one level adjustment instruction is received, denoting an illumination level instructed by that user for the shared area. When operating in a manual control mode for the shared area, the at least one luminaire is controlled to emit illumination at the illumination level denoted by the most recently received of the level adjustment instruction(s). A plurality of user profiles is generated, each of a respective one of the users and comprising preference information, wherein the preference information for the at least one user is derived from his at least one level adjustment instruction. A consensus illumination level for the shared area is determined, by combining the preference information of at least two of the user profiles stored in the memory. In an automatic control mode, the at least one luminaire emits illumination at the determined consensus illumination level.