Patent ID: 9717118
Date: 2017-07-25
CPC Classifications: H05B,Y02B

Claim:
1. A light-emitting device control system, comprising: a light source that outputs a beam of light at a first surface location; a beam steering mechanism that includes a movable element and that receives and directs the beam of light in response to the movement of the element, the beam steering mechanism movable about at least two axes for steering the beam of light, the light source coupled to the beam steering mechanism for directing the beam of light at the first surface location, wherein an illumination region is formed at the first surface location in response to the directed beam of light; a control module that includes at least one sensor that includes a radiometrically calibrated thermal sensor, the control module positioned at a separate location than the light source and the beam steering mechanism, and communicating with the light source via a network, wherein the control module comprises at least one of a tracking and control sensor that detects a presence of a hand forming a hand gesture at a control spot based on a temperature of the hand; and a camera that tracks a motion of the hand gesture and recognizes the hand gesture, wherein the tracking and control sensor includes a lens that transmits both at least one of visible or thermal light, a thermal detector or array, and a visible FPA coupled to the thermal detector or array, the visible FPA positioned between the thermal detector or array and the lens, the thermal sensor FPA sensing emitted thermal light from the hand and the visible FPA sensing reflected light from hand; and a control spot generator that generates a color control spot for control area identification at a second surface location, the control module detecting a presence of a hand forming a hand gesture at the color control spot, and wherein the beam steering mechanism moves the illumination region in response to the hand gesture at the color control spot, the radiometrically calibrated thermal sensor detecting a temperature of the hand making the gesture in the color control spot, and the control module recognizing the hand gesture using a combination of the detected hand temperature and a library of known hand gestures.