Controlling a lighting system using a mobile terminal

The disclosure relates to the control of a lighting system illuminating a space such as a room. The controller receives signals from a mobile user terminal, including an indication of a user input entered by a user via an on-screen user interface of the mobile user terminal. The controller is also able to determine a position from which the user input was entered by the user. Further, each of a plurality of discrete control policies is associated with a respective positional demarcation within the space in question, where each control policy defines a respective type of response of the illumination to one or more on-screen elements of the lighting-control user interface. Based on this association, the controller selects one of the control policies associated with the determined position. The controller then controls the lighting system to provide the illumination in accordance with the response defined by the selected control policy.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is the U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2015/052023, filed on Jan. 30, 2015, which claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 14153296.0, filed on Jan. 30, 2014. These applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the control of a lighting system based on a user input entered through an on-screen user interface of a mobile user terminal.

BACKGROUND

It is known to be able to remotely control the lights in a room based on an input from a mobile user terminal such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop computer installed with a suitable lighting control application. The mobile terminal comprises a wireless transceiver capable of communicating with a transceiver of the lighting system, typically operating based on a short-range RF technology such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The application running on the mobile terminal is thereby able to send a request to a controller of the lighting system, and assuming the mobile terminal or user meets any conditions for being allowed to control the lighting (if any) then the controller generates a corresponding lighting control command to control the lighting accordingly. For example the user is typically provided the option of switching the lights on or off, or dimming the lights up or down.

It is also known that the particular light sources the user can control from his or her terminal may be limited based on location. The location of the mobile terminal can be determined relative to a plurality of reference nodes having known locations, e.g. the anchor nodes of an indoor location system. This is achieved by measuring properties of signals transmitted between the mobile terminal and reference nodes, and inferring the location from which the combination of those properties must have been experienced or would have most likely been experienced; e.g. by measuring signal properties such as time of flight and/or signal strength relative to the reference nodes and performing a calculation such as trilateration or multilateration to infer the mobile terminal's location. Combining this calculation with the known location of the reference nodes (e.g. determined from a location database), it is thus possible to determine the location of the mobile terminal in more absolute terms, e.g. relative to a floor plan, map, globe or other reference framework. The lighting system can then use such information to determine which light source or sources the user is allowed to control from his or her current location.

In one example, the user is only allowed to control the lights in the same room or corridor within which his or her terminal is detected to be located, but not the lights in other rooms or corridors operated under that same system (e.g. in the same building). So for instance the user can only use the mobile terminal to switch on and off or dim those of the system's light sources in the same room as the detected location; but others of the lights sources in that system are not affected by any user input the user enters through the mobile terminal.

In another example, only those lights within a certain range of the detected location can be controlled. Thus the lights are controlled in an approximate circle or ring around the user. In another implementation, the lights are turned on in a brightness distribution around the user such that the brightness of the different light sources decreases with their distance from the detected location.

SUMMARY

Even in systems where the control is limited based on location, the system still always exhibits the same type of behaviour wherever the user goes. For instance in an implementation where the user is allowed to dim the lights in the same room, then the user's terminal can only ever operate just those lights, regardless of what room the user is in or where within a room the user is. Similarly in an implementation where the lights are turned on in a ring or brightness distribution around the user, then wherever the user goes, the user terminal would still always simply provide the same function of raising or lowering the lights in the same distribution around the detected location. I.e. the control always works according to the same function of position.

It is recognised herein on the other hand, that it would be desirable if not only the lighting itself was controlled based on position, but also if the way in the control works could also vary in dependence on position. Accordingly, in the following disclosure, different control policies are applied depending on user position, where each policy defines a different respective type of response of the lighting to input from the user terminal. I.e. each control policy provides a different relationship between the user interface and the response of the lighting, and the selection between these different policies is dependent on position. The term “position” as used herein may refer to location and/or orientation, so for example different types of responses may be assigned to different zones within a room or other space, and/or the response may depend on the direction the user is facing.

For instance a user at the entrance of a room may wish to dim all the light sources in the room uniformly, while a user sitting at a desk may wish to dim only the light sources around the desk and/or to dim the light sources according to a brightness distribution around the desk. Or as another example, a user may wish to dim only those light sources within his or her field of view, unless no light sources are in the user's field of view in which case an alternative, default policy may be applied. Policies defining other responses may also be provided.

Hence according to one aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a controller for controlling a lighting system to provide illumination in a space occupied by one or more users. The controller comprises communication logic, positioning logic, control policy selection logic, and lighting command logic. The communication logic is able to receive signals from a mobile user terminal, including an indication of a user input entered by a user via a lighting-control user interface provided by an on-screen user interface of the mobile user terminal. Further, the positioning logic is configured to determine a position within said space from which the user input was entered by the user.

The control policy selection logic is configured to operate based on an association such as a database or algorithm which associates each of a plurality of discrete control policies with a respective positional demarcation within said space. Based on this association, the control policy selection logic selects one of the control policies associated with the determined position. Each control policy defines a respective type of response of the illumination to one or more on-screen elements of the lighting-control user interface (through which the user input is entered). The command logic then controls the lighting system to provide the illumination in accordance with the response defined by the selected control policy.

In embodiments, a given user input can be interpreted in dependence on the determined position of the user. The on-screen element through which that user input is entered need not even change from the user's perspective, so that the user continues to operate the interface in the same way regardless of his or her position or the policy being applied, and the translation into the response of the currently selected policy is performed entirely “behind the scenes”. Hence in embodiments, each of at least two of said control policies defines a different type of response of said illumination mapped to a same on-screen element of the lighting-control user interface, such that controlling the same on-screen element in the same way causes a different type of response depending on the determined position.

In alternative embodiments, the user interface may be adapted based on the determined position or selected policy, so that the user is presented with different controls reflecting the fact that he or she will be controlling a different function. Hence in embodiments, each of at least two of said control policies defines a different type response of the illumination mapped to a different respective on-screen element of the lighting-control user interface, and the control policy selection logic is configured to operate in coordination with the mobile user terminal such that the user interface adapts to present the user with the respective on-screen element of the selected control policy. The user interface may also emphasise the on-screen element of the selected control policy, and/or hide or suppresses the on-screen element of one or more of the control policies that are not selected.

In further embodiments, as well as the selection of the control policy being based on the determined position, the respective response defined by at least one of the control policies comprises a spatial distribution in the illumination wherein the spatial distribution is also a function of the determined position. I.e. the response defined by at least one of the policies is a function of both user input and user position, in addition to the question of which policy is selected also being a function of position. For example, at least one policy may define a response whereby a plurality of light sources are dimmed in a distribution around the user's location, the distribution being such that the brightness of the light sources decreases with their separation form the user's position. One or more other policies may not define such a spatial distribution, e.g. with at least one policy controlling all the light sources in the relevant space uniformly.

As mentioned, the positional demarcation may comprise either a demarcation in location and/or orientation of the user. For example there may be defined different zones, such as a macro zone which controls light sources uniformly and/or controls all the lights in a certain space, and a non-macro zone which controls only a subset of the light sources within a certain range of the user's position and/or controls light sources according to a spatial distribution whereby intensity decreases with separation from the user's position. Alternatively or additionally, there may be defined different directional demarcations such as demarcations based on the user's field of view. E.g. when one or more light sources in a space are within the user's field of view then the user input may control those light sources (in favour of those not in the user's field of view), while when no light sources are in the user's field of view then a default control policy may be applied (such as that only the one or a subset of the light sources nearest to the user are controlled by the user input). In embodiments, the control of the light sources in the user's field of view may be performed based on a spatial distribution whereby intensity decreases with separation from the user.

In yet further alternative or additional embodiments, there may be provided other control policies associating other responses, positional demarcations, user inputs and/or on-screen user interface elements. Further, policies may be either preconfigured or user-defined (by a commissioning user or end user).

According to a further aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a computer program product configured so as when executed on one or more processing units to perform operations implementing any of the logic or operations mentioned above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following describes examples of a lighting system which automatically selects between different control policies, i.e. different ways in which a user interface of a mobile terminal maps to the control of the lighting, wherein the control policy is selected in dependence on a position from which the user is determined to have entered the user input. As mentioned, position may refer to location and/or orientation. The position may be determined by detecting the position of the mobile user terminal, e.g. by means of trilateration between anchor nodes of a positioning system; and/or may be determined by detecting the position of the user, e.g. by means of a time-of-flight based imaging sensor or presence sensors. Generally it may be assumed that the location of the mobile terminal is approximately the same as the location of the mobile terminal. Further, if it is assumed the user always holds his or her terminal in approximately the same orientation or a known orientation when using its user interface, it may be assumed that the orientation of the mobile terminal is approximately given by the orientation of the mobile terminal.

The selection of the control policy may depend on which of a plurality of predetermined zones the user is found to be located in, and/or on which direction the user is facing. Further, in one or more zones and/or when the user is facing in one or more particular directions, the control is not binary, but rather the influence a user input has relates to distance of the user from one or more of the light sources being controlled. For instance, the influence the user can exert on a plurality of light sources may vary progressively according to how much each light source affects the user's location (a light source that is further away from the user has less effect on the illumination provided to the user's location, and as such the system is arranged such that, reciprocally, the user's input will have less influence on the light sources that are further away than those that are nearer). In embodiments, one or more of the control policies may also take into account the location of the user versus the location of other users in the same space, such that the influence a user's input has on each light source depends on the user's location relative to the one or more other users as well as the location relative to the light source. Further, the distance of the user from one or more light sources may also influence which functions the user is granted access to.

The absolute location of users in the space may be detected by a mobile user terminal or other device disposed about the user's person, or by other means such as a ToF based imaging sensor or presence sensors. This absolute location may be used to determine whether the user is in a certain allocated zone, e.g. a “macro zone”. Macro zones are zones disclosed herein, which may be set aside to have “macro” function irrespective of the user's distance from the light sources in question. An action performed by the user in a macro zone is applied to the entire area associated with the macro zone. For example, someone standing at the entrance to an office may have complete control of all the office lights, despite being outside of the main floor of the office where the input entered by the user may be proportionally interpreted according to the proximity and/or orientation of a user relative to light sources of the system. Note that “proportional” as used herein does not necessarily mean proportional in the strict mathematical sense, i.e. not necessarily a linear relationship between any two quantities such as the change in intensity of the illumination and a number of “+” or “−” button presses, or between change in intensity and a degree through which an on-screen control wheel is dialled (though such relationships would be examples of possible embodiments).

FIGS. 1 and 3provide schematic illustrations of an environment2, which may comprise an indoor environment such as one or more rooms4and/or corridors6of a building such as an office, and/or an outdoor environment such as a garden or park. The environment2is installed with a lighting system comprising a plurality of light sources8. A light source8may refer to a luminaire comprising one or more lamps, or to an individual lamp of a luminaire. For example the light sources8may be mounted on the ceiling, walls, floor or ground, or may be disposed elsewhere such as in free-standing units.

The environment2provides a space occupied by a user12, and that space is illuminated by at least some of the light sources8. The space in question may refer to the whole environment2or an area within that environment. For example in the case of the interior of a building, the space in question may be a single room4or corridor, an area within a room4or corridor6, or any combination of one or more rooms4and/or corridors6or areas within them. For the purpose of illustration, in the following discussion the space will be a room4, such that where reference is made to all the light sources in the space or illuminating the space or the like, this refers to all the light sources in or illuminating the relevant room4. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments the control may be set-up to operate based on any other spatial apportionment in the environment2or across the whole environment2.

The lighting system also comprises at least one wireless receiver or transceiver15configured to communicate with a mobile user terminal13of the user12, e.g. via a short-range RF access technology such as Wi-Fi or Blue tooth. The wireless transceiver15is at least configured to receive requests from the mobile user terminal13, sent in response to a user input entered through a graphical, on-screen user interface of the mobile user terminal13, e.g. a touch screen plus suitable UI layer of an operating system running on the terminal13. The mobile user terminal13is installed with a lighting control application configured so as when executed on the terminal13to provide a lighting control user interface through the terminal's user interface. The lighting control user interface comprises one or more on-screen elements through which the user can enter a user input, e.g. one or more buttons which the user can press, or one or more variable controls such as an on-screen control wheel. The user input entered in this manner is received by the lighting control application on the mobile user terminal13, which in turn sends a corresponding request to the lighting system via the wireless transceiver15.

Further, the lighting system is able to determine a location from which the user input was entered by the user. This may be the position of the mobile terminal13as measured by the mobile terminal13and communicated to the lighting system via the wireless transceiver15, and/or the position of the mobile terminal13as measured by a network (e.g. indoor location system) and communicated to the lighting system via the wireless transceiver15or other means (e.g. a connection to a local wired network or the Internet). Alternatively or additionally, the determined position may be the position of the user as detected by a positioning system of the lighting system, e.g. based on a time-of-flight imaging sensor, and/or a system of presence sensors such as ultrasound or infrared sensors. The mobile user terminal13is disposed about the user's person, typically being held while he or she is using it to control lighting, so the position of the mobile user terminal13and the position of the user12may be considered equivalent for the present purposes.

In embodiments, the space4may be sub-divided into a plurality of discrete zones16,18, corresponding to different sub-areas of the space4in which the user may be detected to be located when using the mobile terminal13. For example in one embodiment the zones comprise a first zone16which acts as a “macro” zone in a sub-area around the entrance10to the room4, while the remainder of the room4is designated as a second zone18which acts as a “proportionate” or “selective” zone. These will be discussed in more detail shortly.

FIG. 2aillustrates one category of techniques by which the location of the mobile terminal13may be determined. Here, the mobile user terminal13is found in communication with a plurality of reference nodes17whose locations can be known. The determination of the mobile terminal's location may be based on either a “device centric” or “network centric” approach, or a hybrid of the two. In a device centric approach, the mobile terminal13receives a respective signal from each of a plurality of reference nodes17within range and measures a given property of each signal, e.g. time-of-flight or signal strength. The mobile terminal13then performs a calculation (e.g. trilateration) to determine the location at which the mobile terminal13must be (or is most likely to be) situated in order to have experienced the particular combination of these measurements. The mobile terminal13then transmits an indication of the determined location to the lighting system via its wireless transceiver15. In a network centric approach, each of a plurality of reference nodes17within range of the mobile user terminal13each receive a respective signal from the mobile terminal13, and each takes a respective measurement of a given property of the respective signal, e.g. again time of flight or signal strength. The reference nodes17form at least part of location network, and the measurements are transmitted to a common element of the location network, e.g. a separate location sever. The location server then performs the calculation (e.g. trilateration) to determine the mobile terminal's location from these measurements and transmits an indication of the determined location to the lighting system via its wireless transceiver15or other means (e.g. wired local network or the Internet). In a hybrid approach, the device takes the measurements but returns them to the network to perform some or all or the calculation, or vice versa.

For example, the reference nodes17may be anchor nodes of an indoor positioning system installed in the space4or environment2, and the locations of the anchor nodes are stored in a location database of the indoor positioning system. In a device centric approach, the mobile terminal13detects its location relative to the anchor nodes17and also looks up the absolute locations of the anchor nodes17in the location database (via a suitable communication channel with the positing system, e.g. via a local wired or wireless network or the Internet). The “absolute” locations are the locations relative to a more broadly encompassing framework such as a map, floor plan or the globe, i.e. a framework by which the location of other objects than just the anchor or reference nodes17in isolation can be judged. Given the absolute location of the anchor nodes17and the location of the mobile device13relative to the anchor nodes17, the mobile13can then determine its absolute location on a map, floor plan or the like. In a network centric variant, the location network determines the relative location, looks up the anchor node locations in the location database, and determines the mobile's absolute location. Either way, the absolute location of the mobile terminal13may thus be provided to the lighting system.

In another example, the reference nodes17may be satellites of a satellite based positioning system, such as GPS. In this case the mobile terminal13receives respective signals from each of a plurality of the satellites, takes measurements of the signals and determines its location relative to the satellites, based on similar principles as discussed above. The satellite system also tracks the absolute locations of the satellites, so that the relative location can be translated into an absolute location. The calculation and/or look-up may be performed by the mobile terminal13(device centric approach) or a component of the satellite based location system (network centric approach), and reported from either to the lighting system.

As well as location, or as an alternative, the lighting system may be configured to operate based on the orientation of the user12. In embodiments this may be determined based on one or more on-board sensors of the mobile terminal13. For example a magnetometer (compass) may be used to determine the orientation of the mobile terminal13relative to the globe, or a system of accelerometers incorporated into the mobile terminal13may be used to track its direction of motion (if it is assumed the user always walks forward, the direction of motion gives an indication of the orientation). Thus the mobile terminal13may report an indication of the orientation to the lighting system, via the wireless transceiver15.

FIG. 2billustrates another technique for determining location and/or orientation of a user. This may be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to any of the above techniques. Here, the lighting system comprises at least one sensor14installed somewhere in the space4or with a view into the space4. In embodiments the sensor14comprises a time-of-flight sensor, comprising a time-of-flight sensing element42which is able to sense radiation emitted by an emitter and reflected back via objects in the space4.

The emitter may be a dedicated emitter20which may be considered part of the sensor14(as illustrated). In this case the emitted radiation may be radiation other than visible light, e.g. infrared, RF or ultrasound; or alternatively may comprise visible light. Non-visible radiation may be chosen so as not to intrude upon or be confused with the other visible light in the space4. And/or, the emitted radiation may comprise a certain identifier or signature so that it can be distinguished from other radiation in the environment, e.g. embedded with a certain code, or be given a characteristic waveform, frequency or spectrum. For example if the radiation is visible light then it may be embedded with an identifier by being modulated according to coded light techniques (e.g. see WO/127439), such that sensor14can recognise it when received back from amongst the light from various other light sources. Alternatively if all the light sources8illuminating the space4are synchronised with the capture, then such an identifier or signature may not be required. Alternatively the radiation used in the time-of-flight sensing may be from an incidental source such as one or more of the light sources8which are already emitting visible light into the space for the purpose of illumination. In this case the emitter20may be replaced with a suitable interface for synchronising the ToF sensing with pulsed emission by one or more of the light sources8.

The emission from the emitter20(or8) is synchronised with the detection via the sensing element42, either by controlling the emitter20to emit in synchronisation with the capture rate of the sensing element42, or by controlling the sensing element42to capture data in synchronisation with the modulation of the radiation from the emitter20, or by controlling both the sensing element and emitter together. Thus the relative timing of the emission and capture is known, so the ToF controller is able to associate time-of-flight information with the captured data.

Some of the emitted radiation will be reflected from the user12back towards the sensor14. As it is synchronised with the emission, the sensor14can be used to determine the amount of time between emission from the emitter20and reception back at the sensing element42, i.e. time-of-flight information. Further, the sensing element42takes the form of a two-dimensional pixel array, and is able to associate a time-of-flight measurement with a measurement of the radiation captured by some or all of the individual pixels. Thus the time-of-flight sensor14is operable to capture a depth-aware or three-dimensional image of the space4, including the user12. In the case where the sensing element42captures visible light, the time-of-flight sensor may also be referred to as a depth-aware or 3D camera. By applying image recognition to the depth-aware or 3D images captured by the sensor14, it is possible to detect information such as the location of the user12in the space4, and/or the direction in which he or she is facing (e.g. based on facial recognition). Details of time-of-flight based image sensing in themselves will be familiar to a person skilled in the art.

In yet another example, the sensor(s)14may alternatively or additionally comprise one or more other sensors. For example, the lighting system may be provided with one or more further time-of-flight imaging sensors disposed at other points in the space4, and the information from the sensors14may be used together to detect user position. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor(s)14may comprise one or more other types of sensor. For example, one or more two-dimensional cameras may be used in conjunction with image recognition techniques to detect user position. As another example, the lighting system may be provided with a plurality of ranging presence sensors such as active ultrasound sensors, which emit pulses of ultrasound and detect echoes of their respective pulses. If the user is within range of a plurality of such presence sensors so that the distance to each is able to be detected, then a trilateration type calculation may be performed to detect the user's location, similarly toFIG. 2a.

In yet further examples, the position of the mobile terminal13may be determined based on a measure of the luminance received by a camera or other light sensor of the mobile terminal13, and/or based on an image acquired by a camera of the mobile terminal13and processed such that the user's likely position and/or orientation can be computed. In another example, the positioning could be based on coded light signals from a plurality of the light sources8, detected via a camera or other light sensor of the mobile terminal13. In this case the measured signal property, such as intensity, in conjunction with a respective ID of the light source8embedded in the light from each light source8can indicate how far the mobile terminal13is from each of a plurality of the light sources8. E.g. this information may be used to determine the position of the mobile terminal13based on a trilateration type calculation similar to that described above, and/or by using image recognition or another type of algorithm to infer where the mobile terminal13must be in order to see the particular light sources8in view in an image it captures with its camera.

Any of the above positioning techniques may be used alone or in any combination to implement various possible embodiments.

FIG. 4is a schematic block diagram of a lighting system including control functionality. The lighting system comprises the one or more wireless transceivers15, the light sources8, and a controller22; all connected together by a suitable interconnect system24comprising one or more wired or wireless channels, such as an I2C bus, a DMX bus, a DALI bus, Ethernet connection Wi-Fi connection or ZigBee connection. The controller22is arranged to receive requests from the mobile user terminal13via the wireless transceiver15, and to receive position related information from the mobile terminal13and/or a separate positioning system via the wireless transceiver15and/or other means (e.g. local wired network or the Internet). Based on these signals, the controller22is further arranged to output control commands to the light sources8via the interconnect system24in order to control the light sources8. In embodiments the light sources8may comprise different kinds of light sources such as ambient lighting8a(illuminating the space8generally) and task lighting8b(targeted on a specific area within the space4such as a work surface, e.g. desk).

The controller22comprises: wireless communication logic37, positioning logic38, control policy selection logic40, and command generation logic41. In embodiments each of these is implemented as a portion of code stored on a memory28comprising one or more storage media, and arranged to be executed on a processor26comprising one or more processing units. Note therefore that the term logic does not imply hardware circuitry (though that would be an alternative implementation for some or all of the logic). In embodiments some or all of the components or functionality of the controller22may be implemented on a server (comprising one or more server units over one or more sites), and/or some or all of the controller22may be implemented in a dedicated control unit installed in the space4or environment2.

The wireless communication logic37is arranged to receive one or more requests from the mobile terminal13to control the lighting8, the requests being transmitted from the lighting control application running on the mobile terminal13in response to a user input entered through the lighting control user interface it provides. The requests are received at the controller22via wireless communication between the wireless transceiver15and a corresponding transceiver on the mobile terminal13, e.g. based on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Zigbee as a wireless access technology. Alternatively it is not excluded that the communications could be relayed to a wired transceiver of the controller22via a wireless access point or the like. Either way, the communication logic37is configured to process the requests to identify a lighting control operation requested by the user12, and to output an indication of the requested operation to the control policy selection logic40.

The positioning logic38is arranged to receive the position related information from the mobile terminal13(in an at least partially device centric implementation), and/or from a separate positioning system (in an at least partially network centric implementation). The position related information may be received via the wireless transceiver15, e.g. based on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Zigbee; and/or via other means such as a wired local network or the Internet. The positioning logic38is configured to process this information to determine a position (location and/or orientation) within the space4from which the user12entered the user input, and to output an indication of the detected position to the control policy selection logic40. Note that where it is said the positioning logic38determines the position, this does not necessarily mean that any or all of the positioning calculations are performed there. Indeed, as discussed above, in embodiments the calculation of the mobile terminal's position may be performed at the mobile terminal13itself and reported explicitly from the mobile terminal13to the positioning logic38of the controller22; or the position may be calculated by a separate positioning system based on measurements taken by the mobile terminal13or nodes17of the location network, and reported from the positioning system to the positioning logic38of the controller22. Nonetheless, in other embodiments the mobile terminal13or a separate positioning system may report “raw” or partially processed measurements to the lighting controller22, and the positioning logic38may indeed perform some or all of the remaining calculation there (in this case, effectively the controller22of the lighting system takes on some or all of the roll of a network centric positioning system). Generally to “determine” may cover either calculating or determining by other means such as receiving a report from another component or device.

The control policy selection logic40is arranged to receive an indication of the detected position from the positioning logic38and an indication of the user's requested operation from the communication logic37. The control policy selection logic40is also arranged to access a control policy database30and a commissioning database32, which may be stored locally (on local memory28) or remotely (e.g. on a server accessed via a network such as the Internet), or a combination of local and remote storage. The commissioning database32maps the respective locations of the light sources8against respective identifiers of those light sources8. The control policy database30maps control policies to respective combinations of user input and user position. Each database30,32could take the form of any data structure, and a relatively small look-up table may suffice in the case of smaller lighting systems. Alternatively or additionally, in some implementations, analytical means of mapping may be used, i.e. an algorithm or formula, in place of either or both of these databases30,32. The following will be described in terms of a database implementation, but it will be appreciated that the teachings extend to other implementations.

In embodiments the control policy database30defines the operating zones which are utilised by the lighting controller22. These may be expressed in a number of ways, e.g.: (i) as a measure of distance between the user and the known location of one of the light sources8comprised by the lighting system, (ii) as a measure of distance between the user12and the ToF emitter20(or8) and/or receiver42, (iii) as a measure of the luminance received by the mobile terminal12, and/or (iv) as a measure of the user's distance and orientation relative to light sources8controlled by the lighting system using an image acquired by the mobile terminal13. For example the control policy database30may define the lighting control functionality associated with one or more user inputs at one of more distances from one or more light sources8, and or from the ToF emitter20and/or detector42.

The commissioning database32contains the respective locations of the commissioned light sources8. It will be appreciated that given a known absolute location for the light sources8and the user12(or equivalently his or her mobile terminal13), then the relative distance of the user12from the light sources8may be computed. The locations of the light sources8in the commissioning database32may thus be used by the control policy logic40to determine positional demarcations or implement policies that are based on the position from which the user entered a user input into his or her mobile terminal, relative to one or more of the lights sources8. Optionally the commissioning database may also comprise information on the layout of the space4or obstacles in the space4, for use in assessing positional demarcations specified based on which light sources are in a user's field of view.

An administrator may configure the system. This may comprise of a number of steps including: entering an administration mode, selecting and loading existing control policies in the policy database30, and creating new control policies in the policy database30. For example new control policies may be created by the administrator to define a plurality of different types of responses the lighting system may be configured to have (e.g. local vs. macro control, and/or uniform vs. brightness distribution) in response to one or more kinds of user input that may be entered via the mobile terminal13, and to associate these with various zones within the area where users are to have control of the lighting system. Zones or other positional demarcations may be defined in a number of ways, e.g. based on the light sources8within the user's field of view, and/or based on the proximity to the nearest light source8. One or more user inputs may also be defined in a number of ways. For example: the user presses “on” and off” buttons to switch the lights on or off; and/or the user presses a “+” (plus) button or turns an on-screen wheel clockwise to increase lighting intensity, and presses a “−” (minus) button or turns an on-screen wheel anticlockwise to decrease lighting intensity. Settings defining responses to such inputs are stored in the policy database30, and the type of response is dependent on position.

Based on the mapping in the control policy database30, the detected position from the positioning logic38, and the requested operation received via the communication logic37, the control policy selection logic40selects the policy mapped to the detected position and user input by the policy database30. Further, the selection logic40may dynamically switch between control policies according to the operating context (as the user moves between zones, faces in different directions, and/or performs different user inputs). The control policy selection logic40duly outputs an indication of the parameters of the selected policy to the command generation logic41, which issues one or more commands over the interconnect system24in order to control the lighting8in accordance with the selected policy, and with the detected position and user input.

To aid understanding, below are several simplified examples of control policies which, in various embodiments, may be defined in the policy database30.

Positional demarcationUser inputPolicyProportional zone, onePresses “+” or “−”Dim up or down only those light sourcesor more light sourcesbutton [or adjustswhich are within the field of view (e.g. 120within field of viewvariable control]degrees), proportionally according to howfar they are located from the user.Presses “on” orSwitch on or off only those light sources“off” buttonwhich are within the field of view (e.g. 120degrees), proportionally according to howfar they are located from the user.Proportional zone, noPresses “+” or “−”Dim up or down only the light source 8light sources withinbutton [or adjustsnearest the user.field of viewvariable control]Presses “on” orSwitch on or off only the light source 8“off” buttonnearest the user.Macro zonePresses “+” or “−”Dim up or down all light sources in the(irrespective of field ofbutton [or adjustsspace 4 uniformly.view)variable control]Presses “on” orDim up all light sources in the space 4“off” buttonuniformly.

An example of the effect created by the lighting control policy for the above-defined proportional zone18is illustrated schematically inFIG. 1. Here, the lights are controlled in a distribution that is a function of the user's location and direction. When the user12enters a user input into the user interface of his or her mobile terminal12, this will control only those light sources8within his or her field of view, shown shaded in the figure. Optionally a range limit may also be imposed on the distance from the user12, so those lights sources beyond a certain radius are not controlled. Further, the lights are dimmed according to a gradated spatial distribution, whereby the light sources8in field of view are dimmed in proportion to their separation in terms of distance from the user12. That is, for a given user input, the user12has a greater influence on those of the field-of-view light sources8that are physically closer to the user than those that are further away. This is also illustrated schematically inFIG. 1, with the shading of the most influenced light sources being shown densest and the shading of the least influenced light sources8being shown sparsest. The influence could also vary with angular separation from the direction the user is facing.

An example of an alternative control policy that could be applied in a proportional zone18is illustrated schematically inFIG. 3. Here the lighting distribution applied in the proportional zone is not a function of field of view, but is still a function of user location. When the user12enters a user input into his or her mobile terminal13, this will control all (and only) those light sources8that are within a predetermined range threshold, e.g. a threshold on radius from the user12such that the controlled light sources8roughly form a circle or ring around the user12. Of those light sources8that fall within this range, the light sources8are dimmed in proportion to their respective distance from the user12. Similarly toFIG. 1, the controlled light sources8and the degree of influence are represented schematically by the shading inFIG. 3.

In an example use case, a user12is in a room4. He presses the “+” or “on” button on the user interface of his mobile terminal13whilst sitting immediately under a luminaire8. The luminaire8he is standing under increases in intensity, or the luminaires8immediately around him increase intensity (depending on the policy definition), but all other luminaires in the room4remain unchanged. The user12then moves to an entrance10of the room4and looks into the corridor6. The user12then again presses a “+” or “on” button. The intensity of all the luminaires8in the corridor6is increased (e.g. based on the fact that the user is in a macro zone16, or that the luminaires8in the corridor6are now in the user's field of view). Then the user12turns around and looks towards the room4he is leaving, which is illuminated by multiple luminaires8. He presses the “−” or “off” button, and the intensity of all lights in the room4is decreased.

Another possibility for either the location-centric or field-of-view centric distributions applied in the proportional zone18is that all light sources8in the space4are controlled, but not uniformly (unlike in the macro zone16)—i.e. the light sources8in the space4are still controlled such that the influence exerted through the mobile terminal13decreases with the light sources' separation from the user's position, but no absolute distance threshold or angular threshold is imposed within the space4(e.g. room) beyond which the user input would have no influence. For example the intensity may decrease radially from the user's location all the way to the edges of the room4, or those light sources8within field of view may be controlled selectively or preferentially but not exclusively, such that the user input influences them to a greater degree than those outside the field of view.

In further embodiments, the control policy selection logic40may additionally be configured to apply one or more multi-user arbitration rules to deal with the possibility that two or more users are detected in the same space4(e.g. same room) and both attempt conflicting operations at the same time. Any of the above sensing and detection operations may be applied for detecting the position of one or more other users in the space4. Based on this, the control policy selection logic40may be configured to determine the relative position (relative distance and/or orientation) between two or more users requesting lighting control operations, and to moderate the application of a control policy in accordance with the one or more arbitration rules. For example, if the user12is in the proportional zone18and can observe more than one light source8, the control he or she has on the light sources8which affect other users may be reduced according to the relative effect the light has on (i) the user requesting the operation and (ii) the other user(s). E.g. if one or more other users would be affected more greatly by the operation of one or some of those light sources (e.g. because they are closer), then such light sources may be excluded from those being controlled in the space4, or influenced to a lesser degree than they would have been otherwise.

As illustrated in the various examples above, the controller22is able to define different types of response mapped to one or more on-screen elements of a lighting-control user interface, and to different positional demarcations such as different zones16,18or different viewing angles. Thus the type of response invoked through a mobile user terminal13depends on the user input and the position from which the user input was entered.

According to various embodiments, there are different possibilities for the way in which the responses defined by the control policies are mapped to the on-screen elements of the user interface.

One embodiment is exemplified inFIG. 5a.As shown, the mobile user terminal13comprises a screen54(e.g. touch screen) for providing an on-screen user interface, through which is provided a lighting control user interface56of the lighting control application running on the terminal13. The lighting control user interface56comprises a plurality of on-screen elements58through which the user12can enter a respective user input (which the application then sends as a request to the controller22to perform a corresponding function of the lighting system).

In the kind of embodiment illustrated schematicallyFIG. 5a,each of a plurality a different on-screen elements58is mapped to a different respective one of the plurality of possible control policies, thus defining a respective type of response to each of these on-screen elements58. For example, a macro control policy may be mapped to a first on-screen element58a(according to which all lights in a space4are controlled uniformly), whilst a one proportional or selective type control policy is mapped to a second on-screen element58b(e.g. a policy of the type shown inFIG. 3where the lights are controlled in a cluster around the user12in proportion to distance from the user), and/or a second proportional or selective type control policy is mapped to a third on-screen element58c(e.g. a policy of the type shown inFIG. 1where only the light sources8within the user's field of view are controlled).

Each of these on-screen elements58a,58b,58ccontrols one or more light sources8in accordance with the respective control policy mapped to that on-screen element, when the user12is found at the corresponding position for the respective control policy to be in force. Such on-screen elements58a,58b,58cmay comprise sub-elements such as individual “on”, “off”, “+” and/or “−” buttons for switching on and off or dimming the respective light source(s)8within the limitations allowed by the respective control policy being applied at the user's current location. Those other elements58a,58b,58cmapped to a control policy not currently applied at the user's current position are inactive.

Each of the on-screen elements58a,58band/or58cmay be placed at a different respective area of the screen54. Optionally, the “inactive” on-screen elements58a,58b,58cmay be hidden or suppressed (e.g. greyed out). Any such inactive elements58a,58b,58cthat are visible will have no effect on the lighting, though may optionally invoke some alternative effect such as displaying an error message or explanation to the user12.FIG. 5ashows an example of how the user interface might look when the user is in a macro zone16.

Alternatively the on-screen elements58a,58band/or58cmay appear at the same or overlapping positions but with different text or graphics to indicate the difference. The different elements will be displayed at different times depending on which policy is currently in force at the user's current position.

Another embodiment is exemplified inFIG. 5b. Here, for each of one or more on-screen elements58, the same on-screen element58is mapped to a plurality of different control policies defining a plurality of different possible responses to that same on-screen element depending on user position. Thus the lighting control user interface56comprises the same on-screen element(s)58regardless of which of a plurality of control policies is currently applied at the user's current location, but that same element58invokes a different type of response depending on the user's position. For example, the elements in question may comprise a single “on” button58d, a single “off” button58e, a single “+” button58fand/or a single “−” button58g(or single variable dimmer control). The “on” or “+” button always has the same general effect of turning one or more light sources8on or dimming them up, but with the effect being adapted in accordance with the control policy being applied at the user's current position. Similarly, “off” or “−” button always has the same general effect of turning one or more light sources8off or dimming them down, but again adapted in accordance with the control policy applied at the current location.

An example signalling flow for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is described below with reference to the signalling chart ofFIG. 6.

At step S10, the mobile terminal13receives signals from anchor nodes17of an indoor positioning system (e.g. Wi-Fi based indoor positioning system). At step S20, the mobile terminal13uses the received signals to determine its location (could be device-centric or network-centric techniques).

At step S30, the mobile terminal S30receives a user input for launching a lighting control application. At step S40, the mobile terminal13generates a user interface56which the user can operate to control one or more luminaires8. As discussed, there are at least two options for this: (a) the user interface includes one or more icons which are specific to the determined location, e.g. an ‘all lights in your office?’ icon if the user is located at his desk, or an ‘all lights in the building?’ icon if the user is located at the main exit of his office building; or (b) the user interface includes one or more icons which are location independent, e.g. an ‘on’ icon, an ‘off’ icon a ‘dim-up’ icon etc.

At step S50, the mobile terminal13receives a user input for controlling one or more luminaires8, e.g. the user input is a user selection of an “off” icon via the user interface56. At step S60, the mobile terminal13translates the controlling user input into a lighting command. At step S70, the mobile terminal13transmits the lighting command to a lighting control server (hosting controller22).

At step S80, the lighting control server translates the lighting command into one or more control signals for controlling the one or more luminaires8. The control signals are specified in a lighting control policy, the policy being selected based on the determined location which is incorporated in the lighting command. At step S90, the lighting control server then sends the one or more control signals to the one or more luminaires8.

Note that the selection of the control policy may be implemented at the controller22, or in the mobile terminal13, or a combination of the two or both in parallel. #

For example, lighting control application run on the mobile terminal13may be a relatively “dumb” application that simply passes on to the controller22an indication of the user's intention to dim or switch on or off the lights, without any particular knowledge of the control policies or which light source(s)8should be controlled. In this case the application just sends a bland control request to the controller22, along with any position related information. The controller22then looks up the relevant policy to apply at the user's current position, and interprets the request in dependence on the selected policy to determine which light source(s)8to control and in what manner. This type of implementation would be suitable for example in the position-independent user interface embodiment ofFIG. 5b.

Alternatively, the lighting control application run on the mobile terminal13may be configured to have an awareness of the different policies. In the position-dependent user interface embodiment ofFIG. 5afor example, the mobile terminal13would need at least some awareness of this. In this case the controller22and mobile terminal13work in a coordinated fashion so that the user interface56reflects the control possibilities that are available. In one embodiment, the application on the mobile terminal13may remain relatively “dumb” and the controller22instructs the mobile terminal13as to which elements it should display in the user interface56, i.e. effectively the controller22controls the user interface56remotely. In another embodiment, the controller22may communicate to the mobile terminal13an indication of one or more control policies that are currently available at the user's present position or which potentially could become available, and the mobile terminal13adapts the user interface56accordingly. In another embodiment, both the controller22and the mobile terminal13perform the policy look-up in parallel, e.g. the mobile terminal13can access the controller's policy database30remotely via the transceiver15or other means such as a connection to the Internet. If both the controller22and mobile terminal13also know the mobile's position, then this way both make the same selection in parallel so that the mobile terminal13can adapt its user interface56appropriately.

In yet another embodiment, the selection of the control policy is performed at the mobile terminal13and communicated to the controller22. In this case the selection may even be driven exclusively by the mobile terminal13. For example the control policy database30may be stored locally at the mobile terminal13, or the mobile terminal13may access the policy database30from a server via a connection to the Internet or a local network. The mobile terminal12also knows its own position, and based on this selects which lighting control policy should currently be applied. When the user12enters a user input, the mobile terminal13itself interprets this and sends a request to the controller22specifying which light source(s)8should be controlled and in what manner, and the controller22acts on this request accordingly (potentially even unconditionally in one possible implementation).

It will be appreciated that the above embodiments have been described only by way of example. While embodiments have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive, and the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

For instance, the scope of the disclosure is not limited to the specific policies and associations exemplified above. In embodiments, various combinations of some or all of the following may be implemented in the control policy database30(or other means of specifying control polices and associating the policies with positions and user inputs).

The user's relative distance from one or more light sources8, or other feature of a lighting system (e.g. the user's distance from an average of some or all of the system's light source locations). Example: the further a user is away, the less influence his or her mobile terminal13can have on task specific lights8b, but the greater the influence he or she has on the general ambient lighting8a.

The effect of a light source8or lighting system on the user's location.

Example: the less effect a light has on a user's location, the less control he or she has have over it.

The user's orientation. Example: the direction a user is looking in, and whether looking towards or away from a light source8, affects his or her perception of the illumination provided by the light source8.

The effect of a light source8or lighting system on other users' locations.

The degree of the user input (e.g. in the case of a variable control like an on-screen control wheel).

The user's absolute location within the space4, and optionally the absolute location of other users in the space4. Example: a user in a macro zone16may be given control of all lighting in the corresponding space irrespective of other users, while when two or more users are attempting control in a proportional zone18then arbitration rules may be applied.