Patent Publication Number: US-8970786-B2

Title: Ambient light effects based on video via home automation

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the priority date and is a continuation of Ser. No. 13/654,255, filed on Oct. 17, 2012, which is hereby incorporated it is entirety by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This invention relates to ambient light effects, and more specifically, to ambient light effects generated via home automation systems based on information included in a video file. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Television programs, movies, and video games most commonly provide visual stimulation from a television screen display and audio stimulation from the speakers connected to the television. There are some known systems that attempt to enhance a viewer&#39;s/user&#39;s experience by providing a more interactive/responsive environment. For example, some video gaming systems cause lighting devices such as lamps to generate an ambient light effect (“ALE”) during game play. 
     To provide an enjoyable interactive experience, the lighting devices need to generate the ambient light effects at appropriate times when the associated scene is displayed to a user. Thus, an ambient light effect-capable system needs to be able to identify one or more scenes during the display of which an ambient light effect is to be generated. One such system focuses on detecting and analyzing various parameters of the video file or video game application and generating ambient light effects based on the detected parameters. One problem with such an approach is that many video files and video games include various access restrictions imposed by the content providers, and such restrictions may make it difficult or impossible to analyze the parameters of a video file and/or video game. 
     Home automation systems provide networks for controlling various electrical devices such as lighting fixtures, garage door openers, home alarm systems, and the like. Home automation systems are not known to be integrated with electronic devices such as televisions, DVD players, or video game consoles to provide ambient light effects based on scenes or action sequences included in television programs, movies, and video games. 
     What is needed are systems and methods of producing ambient light effects in association with one or more portions of a video file that overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention satisfies this need. In one embodiment, a system for controlling ambient light effects comprises a receiving device including at least one processor programmed to parse incoming video content to detect at least one portion of the incoming video content and determine at least one ambient light effect to be associated with the at least one portion of the video content. The system further includes at least one home automation controller in communication with the at least one processor. The system further includes at least one lighting device in communication with at least one of the receiving device and the home automation controller. The processor of the receiving device is programmed to send a command from the receiving device to the home automation controller, the command specifying the at least one ambient light effect determined by the at least one processor to be associated with the at least one portion of the video content. The at least one lighting device includes at least one hardware controller adapted to, after receiving the command from the home automation controller, to generate the at least one ambient light effect specified in the command. 
     The receiving device can be selected from one of a television, set-top box, disc player, personal computer, laptop, tablet computer, and mobile phone. 
     In one approach, the home automation controller is integrated into the receiving device. The receiving device and the home automation controller can be in communication with a common graphical interface. The graphical interface can include one or more options adapted to be configured by a user to control the at least one ambient light effect. 
     In another approach, the home automation controller is spaced apart from the receiving device. 
     The home automation controller can include a translator adapted to translate the command received by the home automation controller from the receiving device. The home automation controller can be in communication with the receiving device via one of a wired connection and wireless connection. The home automation component can be in communication with the at least one lighting device via one of a wired connection and wireless connection. 
     In one approach, the command by the processor identifies the at least one lighting device for generating the at least one ambient light effect specified in the command. In another approach, the command by the processor includes chrominance control data specifying at least one color of the ambient light effect to be generated by the at least one lighting device, the color being selected from red, green, blue, or combinations thereof. In yet another approach, the command includes data specifying brightness level of the at least one ambient light effect to be generated by the at least one lighting device. In still another approach, the command includes data specifying a predetermined time for generating the at least one ambient light effect by the at least one lighting device after receiving the command. 
     In an approach, the at least one lighting device is adapted to both interpret the command including chrominance control data and to generate the at least one color specified in the command. 
     The at least one home automation controller can be in communication with at least one electrical device not in communication with the receiving device or the at least one lighting device. 
     The systems and methods described herein provide an engaging experience to a user when watching television programming, movies, or playing video games. One advantage of the systems and methods described therein is that television programming, movies, and video games can be made more interactive for a user by including ambient light effects conveniently generated via the home automation system which can be in communication with practically any household lighting device. These and other advantages will be apparent upon consideration of the present specification. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of several exemplary devices of a system according to one embodiment; and 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of several exemplary devices of a system according to another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     Generally, systems and methods are described herein for providing ambient light effects for a user when watching television programming, movies, or playing video games. The ambient light effects can be generated by one or more lighting devices based on information included in the video file representing the television program, movie, or video game. The ambient light effects can be generated by a device receiving the video content and sending, via a home automation system controller, a command to one or more lighting fixtures determined for generating the ambient light effects. The home automation system controller can be integrated into the receiving device and can be located separately from the receiving device. The ambient light effects can be associated with various events or action sequences in the television program, movie, or video game, and can be customized by the user through an interactive graphical user interface. 
     One embodiment of a system according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 , where a receiving device  10  is connected to two lighting devices  16  and  18  via a home automation controller  20 . 
     The receiving device  10  receives television programming, movies, and video game content in the form of video files from a video source  12 . The receiving device  10  shown in  FIG. 1  can be a television, set-top box, optical disc player such as a DVD-player or Blu-Ray player, portable media player, personal computer, laptop, tablet computer, gaming console, mobile phone, and the like. The video source  12  can be any source capable of providing digital video files via a connection  11  to the receiving device  10 . The video source  12  can be a cable head-end, a DVD or Blu-Ray disc, a video game disc, hard drive, or a digital media server capable of streaming to the receiving device. Although the connection  11  between the receiving device  10  and the video source  12  is preferably a wired connection, it is to be appreciated that the connection  11  between the receiving device  10  and the video source  12  can also be wireless. 
     The receiving device  10  may include a processor  13  that is programmed to parse an incoming digital video signal or digital video file incoming from the video source  12  to detect at least one portion of the incoming video content and determine at least one ambient light effect to be associated with the at least one portion of the video content. For purposes of this application, the term “processor” will be understood to mean any hardware component capable of parsing a digital video signal or digital video file incoming into the receiving device  10  from the video source  12 . For example, the processor  13  may be a graphics card, a decoder, or the like. 
     The processor  13  of the receiving device  10  is also programmed to generate and send one or more commands to one or more lighting devices ( 16 ,  18 , or both) to generate the one or more of the ambient light effects determined by the processor  13  to be associated with various portions of the video content from the video source  12 . For example only, the processor  13  can cause the receiving device  10  to send a first command to the lighting device  16  to generate a first ambient light effect associated with a first portion of the incoming video content, and a second command to the lighting device  18  to generate a second ambient light effect associated with a second portion of the video content. The first and second ambient light effects may be the same or different. 
     In one approach shown in  FIG. 1 , the home automation system controller  20  is a physical device located separate from the receiving device  10  and connected to the receiving device  10  via a connection  15 . The home automation controller  20  is in turn connected to the lighting devices  16  and  18  via connections  17  and  19 , respectively. The connections  15 ,  17  and  19  can be wired or wireless connections. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the home automation controller  20  includes a hardware component such as a decoder or translator  22  programmed to translate the commands sent to the home automation controller  20  by the processor  13  of the receiving device  10 . Optionally, each of the lighting devices  16  and  18  may include a decoder or translator similar to the translator  22  to permit the lighting devices  16  and  18  to translate the commands sent to the lighting devices  16  and  18  by the home automation controller  20 . 
     The receipt of the commands by the lighting devices  16  and  18  causes the lighting devices  16  and  18  to generate the ambient light effects specified in the commands generated by the processor  13 . As such, the ambient light effects specified in the commands are generated by the lighting devices  16  and  18 , preferably when the one or more portions of the video content associated with the one or more ambient light effects specified in the commands are displayed to the user. The generation of the ambient light effects by the lighting devices  16  and  18  in association with scenes, action sequences, or events specified in the commands generated by the processor  13  creates an enhanced and visually pleasing experience for a user watching a television program, a movie, or playing a video game. 
     In one exemplary approach shown in  FIG. 1 , the home automation controller  20  is in communication via lines  28  and  38  with devices such as garage door opener  30  and home alarm system  40 , respectively. The communication lines  28  and  38  are indicated in dashed lines to indicate that the processor  13  of the receiving device  10  cannot communicate with either the garage door opener  30  or the home alarm system  40  via the communications lines  28  and  38 . 
     In another approach shown in  FIG. 2 , the home automation controller  120  can be integrated into the receiving device  10 . In one approach, the system includes a graphical user interface  130  such that the processor  13  and the home automation controller  120  can communicate via the common user interface  130 . The graphical user interface includes one or more options adapted to be configured by a user to control and customize various aspects of the at least one ambient light effect specified in a command ultimately received by the lighting devices  16  and  18  from the processor  13   
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the home automation controller  120 , similar to the home automation controller  20 , can include a hardware component such as a decoder or translator  122  programmed to translate the commands sent to the home automation controller  120  by the processor  13 . Optionally, each of the lighting devices  16  and  18  may include a decoder or translator similar to the translator  122  to permit the lighting devices  16  and  18  to translate the commands sent to the lighting devices  16  and  18  by the home automation controller  120 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 2 , similarly to the home automation controller of  20 , the home automation controller  120 , in addition to being in communication with the lighting devices  16  and  18  ultimately controlled by the processor  13 , is in communication via lines  28  and  38  with devices such as garage door opener  30  and home alarm system  40 , respectively. The communication lines  28  and  38  are indicated in dashed lines to indicate that the processor  13  of the receiving device  10  cannot communicate with either the garage door opener  30  or the home alarm system  40  via the communications lines  28  and  38 . 
     The lighting devices  16  and  18  can be any type of household or commercial devices capable of producing visible light. For example only, the lighting devices may be stand-alone lamps, track lights, recessed lights, wall-mounted lights or the like. The lighting devices  16  and  18  are preferably adapted to be dimmed. The lighting devices  16  and  18  have been shown in  FIG. 1  as being identical for example only, and it is to be appreciated that the receiving device  10  can be simultaneously connected to two, three, four, or more types of different lighting devices. 
     Further, it is to be appreciated that the receiving device  10  has been shown in  FIG. 1  as being connected to two lighting devices  16  and  18  by way of example only, and that the receiving device  10  can be connected to any number of lighting devices suitable for a given room where the receiving device  10  is located. In one exemplary approach, the receiving device  10  may be connected to only one lighting device. In another approach, the receiving device  10  may be connected to four lighting devices each located in a corner of a room. In another approach, the receiving device  10  may be connected to at least two lighting devices located in front of a user, at least two lighting devices located on right and left sides of the user, and at least two lighting devices located behind the user so as to create a surround ambient light effect for the user. 
     With reference to both  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the commands sent by the processor  13  of the receiving device  10  to the home automation controllers  20  and  120  can identify a specific lighting device ( 16 ,  18 , or both) for generating the at least one ambient light effect specified in the command. 
     In one aspect, the commands sent by the processor  13  of the receiving device  10  to the home automation controllers  20  and  120  can include chrominance control data specifying at least one color of the ambient light effect to be generated by the lighting devices  16  and  18 . For example, the color can be selected from red, green, blue, or combinations thereof. In one approach, the lighting devices  16  and  18  can be adapted, for example by including a hardware component, a software component, or both, to interpret the command including chrominance control data and to generate the at least one color specified in the command received from the processor  13 . 
     In one aspect, the command generated by the processor  13  can include data specifying brightness level of the at least one ambient light effect to be generated by the lighting devices  16  and  18 . In another aspect, the command includes data specifying a predetermined time for generating the at least one ambient light effect by one or both of the lighting devices  16  and  18  after receiving the command. 
     The generation of the ambient light effects by the lighting devices  16  and  18  in association with scenes, action sequences, or events specified in the commands generated by the processor  13  and delivered via the home automation controllers  20  and  120  creates an enhanced and visually pleasing experience for a user watching a television program, a movie, or playing a video game. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.