IP Library Granted Patent US 9,795,004
Granted Patent B2
US 9,795,004 · App. 14/252,397 · Granted Oct 17, 2017

Learning capable lighting equipment

Inventors: Darren Blum (San Mateo, CA); Januk Aggarwal (Tysons Corner, VA); Aaron Engel-Hall (San Francisco, CA); John England (San Francisco, CA); Min-Hao Michael Lu (Castro Valley, CA)
Assignee: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
H05B37/0227H05B33/086H05B33/0863H05B37/0218H05B37/0236Y02B20/46
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,795,004
App. No.
14/252,397
Granted
Oct 17, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A lighting device or system is configured to control of one or more parameters of light output, such as ON/OFF status, intensity when ON, color characteristics and position or orientation of light output (e.g. via a motorized luminaire control). The device or system may have other output capability, e.g. display projection or audio. Sensors or other input devices are responsive to the user. Responsive to user input, sensed activity, and/or acquired information, the device or system, controls a light source in accordance with a lighting control function. Operation of the light source and the lighting control function may be modified based on learning by the device or system.

Claims (67)

1. A lighting device, comprising:

a processor;

a source of light, the source of light being configured to output visible light for general illumination in a manner permitting control of a plurality of parameters of the visible light output, responsive to control by the processor;

an image sensor configured to capture images;

a data communication interface, controlled by the processor, configured for communication of data from and to the lighting device over a network;

a microphone accessible to the processor and configured to detect audio user input activity;

a storage device accessible by the processor; and

a program in the storage device, wherein execution of the program by the processor configures the lighting device to implement functions, including functions to:

identify the occupant by:

detecting, based on occupancy sensed by the image sensor or the microphone, that an individual has entered the space serviced by the lighting device; and

biometrically identifying that the individual is a particular identified occupant from the captured images from the image sensor by: (i) applying facial recognition, (ii) determining relative dimensions of the individual in comparison to one or more objects in the space, or (iii) recognizing gestures from the individual;

retrieve a profile of the identified occupant, the profile including a lighting control function established for the identified occupant;

operate the light source to illuminate the space while the identified occupant is in the space, including control of at least one of the plurality of parameters of the visible light output in accordance with the lighting control function established for the identified occupant;

access, via communication over the network, information about the identified occupant from an on-line social media service;

responsive to the accessed information about the identified occupant, determine a social media status of the identified occupant;

detect a condition in a space illuminated by the lighting device based on the captured images, the condition relating to an activity of an occupant when within the space;

process the condition responsive input from the captured images to determine an activity status that recognizes a task being performed by the identified occupant while in the space;

detect via voice recognition a current mood status of the identified occupant from the audio user input activity of the microphone;

in response to: (i) determining the social media status, (ii) determining the activity status that recognizes the task being performed by the identified occupant while in the space, and (iii) detecting the mood status of the identified occupant from the audio user input activity, adjust at least one of the plurality of parameters of the visible light output of the lighting control function included in the profile, the adjustment resulting in an adjusted lighting control function; and

further operate the light source to illuminate the space in accordance with the adjusted lighting control function.

2. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein:

lighting device is further configured to control an environmental condition other than light in the space;

the retrieved profile includes a control function established for the identified occupant with respect to the environmental condition; and

execution of the program by the processor configures the lighting device to implement further functions, including functions to:

control of the environmental condition in accordance with the environmental control function established for the identified occupant; and

based on at least one of the determined statuses of the identified occupant, adjust the control of the environmental condition.

3. The lighting device of claim 1 , further comprising a learning module configured to implement the function to adjust the lighting control function based upon previously determined statuses in response to previous light source operation or control adjustment.

4. The lighting device of claim 3 , wherein:

the learning module comprises a neural network;

the neural network receives the currently determined statuses and the previously determined social media status, activity status, and mood status as input;

the neural network produces a weight corresponding to each of the currently determined statuses based on the previously determined statuses; and

the function to adjust the lighting control function is based on at least one of the currently determined statuses and corresponding weight.

5. A lighting device, comprising:

a processor;

a source of light, the source of light being configured to output visible light for general illumination in a manner permitting control of a plurality of parameters of the visible light output, responsive to control by the processor;

a camera configured to capture images;

an occupancy sensor accessible to the processor and configured to detect that an individual has entered the space serviced by the lighting device;

a data communication interface, controlled by the processor, configured for communication of data from and to the lighting device over a network;

a microphone accessible to the processor and configured to detect audio user input activity;

a storage device accessible by the processor; and

a program in the storage device, wherein execution of the program by the processor configures the lighting device to implement functions, including functions to:

identify at least one of the plurality of respective occupants by:

detecting, based on occupancy sensed by the occupancy sensor, the camera, or the microphone, that the individual has entered the space serviced by the lighting device; and

biometrically identifying that the individual is a particular identified occupant from the captured images from the camera by: (i) applying facial recognition, (ii) determining relative dimensions of the individual in comparison to one or more objects in the space, or (iii) recognizing gestures from the individual;

for each respective identified occupant:

retrieve a profile of the respective identified occupant, the profile including a lighting control function established for the respective identified occupant;

determine a control setting for at least one of the plurality of parameters of the visible light output from the lighting control function established for the respective identified occupant;

access, via communication over the network, information about the respective identified occupant from an on-line social media service;

responsive to the accessed information about the respective identified occupant, determine a social media status of the respective identified occupant;

detect a condition in a space illuminated by the lighting device based on the captured images, the condition relating to an activity of an occupant when within the space;

process the condition responsive input from the captured images from the camera to determine an activity status that recognizes a task being performed by the respective identified occupant while in the space;

detect via voice recognition a current mood status of the identified occupant from the audio user input activity of the microphone; and

in response to: (i) determining the social media status, (ii) determining the activity status that recognizes the task being performed by the identified occupant while in the space, and (iii) detecting the mood status of the respective identified occupant from the audio user input activity, adjust the control setting, the adjustment resulting in an adjusted lighting control function for the respective identified occupant; and

operate the light source to illuminate the space for general illumination in accordance with a composite lighting control function, the composite lighting control function based on a contribution from each respective identified occupant's adjusted lighting control function.

6. The lighting device of claim 5 , wherein the function to adjust the control setting for each identified occupant comprises a function to modify the lighting control function established for the respective identified occupant based on a combination of the determined social media status, activity status, and mood status for the respective identified occupant.

7. The lighting device of claim 5 , further wherein:

each retrieved profile includes a respective weight; and

each respective identified occupant's contribution to the composite lighting control function is based on the respective weight.

8. The lighting device of claim 7 , wherein the retrieved profile with the greatest corresponding weight controls the composite lighting control function.

9. The lighting device of claim 7 , wherein the contribution of each respective identified occupant is further based on a weighted utility function for each respective identified occupant and the maximization or minimization of a composite utility function including the weighted utility function for each respective identified occupant.

10. The lighting device of claim 5 , wherein further execution of the program by the processor further configures the lighting device to implement further functions, including functions to:

for any unidentified occupant, retrieve a default profile, the default profile including a default lighting control function;

determine a control setting for at least one of the plurality of parameters of the visible light output in accordance with the default lighting control function;

process the condition responsive signal from the sensor to determine an activity status of any unidentified occupant while in the space;

based on the activity status of any unidentified occupant, adjust the control setting of the at least one of the plurality of parameters of the visible light output in accordance with the default lighting control function; and

operate the light source and adjust the control of the at least one of the plurality of parameters of the visible light output based on each unidentified occupant's contribution to the composite operation of the light source and the composite adjustment to the control setting of the at least one of the plurality of parameters of the visible light output in accordance with the composite lighting control function.

11. The lighting device of claim 5 , further comprising a learning module configured to, based on previously determined statuses, previous operations, previous adjustments and previous contributions, influence the contribution of each identified occupant to the composite lighting control function.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 14, 2014
From: BLUM, DARREN; ENGEL-HALL, AARON; LU, MIN-HAO MICHAEL; ENGLAND, JOHN
To: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
Reel/Frame 032889/0684 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 17, 2014
From: AGGARWAL, JANUK
To: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
Reel/Frame 032700/0772 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150296594A1 · Oct 15, 2015