Workplace Lighting Control via Calendar Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lighting systems lack the ability to automatically adjust illumination settings based on future events and user preferences without requiring additional sensors, limiting their effectiveness in optimizing lighting conditions for specific activities or moods.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising tunable luminaires and a calendar module on a computer-implemented device that receives calendar entries with lighting scene selections, allowing automatic adjustment of lighting characteristics such as color temperature, intensity, and angle based on user and invitee inputs, without the need for additional sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If lighting systems use preset lighting scenes with manual control, then lighting can be adjusted for different activities and moods, but the system cannot automatically adapt to future events and user preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by integrating with calendar applications to pre-determine lighting settings for future events. When a user schedules an event with specific lighting preferences, the system automatically configures the appropriate lighting scene before the event occurs, eliminating the need for manual adjustment at the time of the event.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting system serves itself by automatically retrieving event information from calendar applications and adjusting lighting parameters without user intervention. The system monitors calendar entries, identifies upcoming events, and autonomously applies the corresponding lighting scenes, making the system self-sufficient in adapting to user needs.
2Extent of automation
If lighting systems add sensors to detect user presence and preferences, then automatic adjustment capability improves, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses calendar applications as an intermediary to obtain user presence and preference information. Instead of installing physical sensors in the workspace, the system accesses already-existing digital calendar data that contains event scheduling and lighting preference information, thereby achieving automatic control without additional hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system leverages the multi-functionality of calendar applications, which already serve for event scheduling and now also provide lighting control data. By repurposing existing calendar functionality for lighting automation, the system avoids the need for dedicated sensors while achieving intelligent automatic adjustment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If lighting systems provide multiple preset scenes, then lighting can meet different activity needs, but the system lacks personalization for individual users and invitees
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by associating specific lighting preferences with individual users and events. Each user can have customized lighting settings for different event types, and the system selects the appropriate localized preferences based on the calendar entry, ensuring personalization rather than applying uniform preset scenes to all situations.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to inventive systems and methods for automatically controlling illumination of a workplace. The lighting system includes one or more tunable luminaires and a calendar module executing on a computer-implemented device configured to receive a calendar entry. The calendar entry includes a starting time of a future event, the identity of one or more invitees to the future event, and a lighting scene selection for the workplace. A lighting controller receives the lighting scene selection from the calendar module and generates one or more control signals to automatically adjust at least one characteristic of light emitted by the tunable luminaires in the workplace for the future event based on the lighting scene selection in the calendar entry.