Method for controlling a lighting system so that a light follows movement of a hand

Abstract

A method for controlling a lighting system in an interior chamber of a vehicle having controllable light sources that generate at least one reading light with a defined light cone and a light spot is provided. A gesture camera recognizes gestures of a person located in the interior chamber and the lighting system is controlled by the recognized gestures. A light controller is active between a starting point in time and an end point in time. When the light controller is active and in the event of a gripping or pointing gesture of a hand in the region of the light cone or light spot, the light cone or light spot is guided along with the hand carrying out the gesture.

Claims

1. A method for control a lighting system in an interior of a vehicle, the method comprising: generating, by a controllable light source of the vehicle, at least one reading light with a defined light cone and a light spot; determining that a light controller activation command is received, wherein the light controller activation command is received from a person located in the interior of the vehicle, and wherein the light controller activation command is a first gesture, a touch of a button, a touch of a touch-sensitive surface, or a command received by a speech controller; activating, responsive to determining that the light controller command is received, a light controller of the vehicle; recognizing, by a gesture camera of the vehicle, a second gesture of the person located in the interior of the vehicle, wherein the second gesture is a gripping or pointing gesture of the hand in a region of the light cone or light spot; and guiding, responsive to recognizing the second gesture, the at least one reading light along with movement of the hand performing the second gesture until the light controller is deactivated, wherein the light controller is deactivated responsive to receipt of a light controller deactivation command from the person, wherein the light controller deactivation command is a third gesture, another touch of the button, another touch of the touch-sensitive surface, the movement of the hand with the second gesture stopping for a period of time, or another command received by the speech controller.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: outputting feedback to the user of the activation and deactivation of the light controller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the feedback is output for an entire duration between the activation and deactivation of the light controller.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the feedback is a visual display.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the visual display is a variation of the light cone or the light spot in terms of brightness, size, color temperature, or color.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the feedback is acoustic or haptic feedback.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the controllable light source comprises light-emitting diode (LED) arrays or micro-LED arrays with individually controllable light points.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

(1) Further advantageous designs of the method according to the invention also emerge from the exemplary embodiment, which is described in more detail below with reference to the figures. Here are shown:

(2) FIG. 1 a schematic depiction of an interior chamber of a vehicle from above;

(3) FIG. 2 a possible pointing gesture in the region of a light spot;

(4) FIG. 3 a possible gripping gesture in the region of a light spot;

(5) FIG. 4 a schematic depiction of the active light controller of the method according to the invention; and

(6) FIG. 5 a principle depiction of a visual display through the light spot when the light controller is active.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) An interior chamber 1 of a vehicle (not depicted in its entirety) can be recognized in the depiction of FIG. 1. The interior chamber 1 of the vehicle consists of a front region having two seats 2, 3 and the back seat region having three seats 4, 5, 6. Various light sources in the form of micro-LED arrays 7 are to be present in the interior chamber 1 of the vehicle. Here, light sources 7 arranged in the region of the rear door handles 8 are present to explain the method according to the invention. Further positions for optional additional light sources would be, for example, front door handles 9 and various positions in the region of an armrest labelled with 10 in the interior chamber 1 of the vehicle. In this region, optional light sources labelled with 11 are indicated in a dashed manner. The interior chamber 1 of the vehicle further has a camera system for recording the interior chamber 1 and for recognizing and evaluating gestures of people in the interior chamber 1 of the vehicle. The camera system can also be referred to as the gesture camera 12.

(8) The light source 7 located in the rear left-hand door handle 8 in the driving direction F can here implement a light cone 14 and a light spot 13 in the longitudinally hatched region outlined with a dot-dashed line, while the light source 7 in the rear door handle 8 on the right in the driving direction F is responsible for the transversely hatched region outlined with a dashed lined. Now, a person wanting to read a book, a map, a magazine, or similar and having activated a reading light to do so, which is correspondingly generated via the light source 7 in the rear, left-hand door handle 8 in the driving direction F, is to sit, for example, on the rear seat 4 in the interior chamber 1 of the vehicle. For this, the light source 7 radiates the light cone 14, which generates the light spot 13 indicated. The person on the seat 4 would now like to shift this light spot 13 from their book, for example, from the one page to the other or to shift it in the region of a central console, for example, labelled with 15, in order to take hold of a drink from a cup holder located there. This can now be carried out by the person located on the seat 4 and (not depicted in more detail) “touching” the light spot 13 using a gesture and thus activating a light controller. In the depictions of FIGS. 2 and 3, exemplary gestures are indicated. In the depiction of FIG. 2, this is a pointing gesture, in which a pointing finger 17 is stretched out on a hand 16 and is directed towards the light spot 13. This gesture is recognized via the gesture camera 12 and the light controller is activated. By shifting the hand 16 or the outstretched pointing finger 17 and the corresponding recording of the movement by the gesture camera 12, the light spot 13 can now follow the hand 16 carrying out the gesture, such that the light spot virtually “touches” by means of the outstretched pointing finger 17 and is shifted into the desired position.

(9) In the depiction of FIG. 3, an alternative gesture is depicted. In this case, the hand carries out a gripping gesture and effectively grips the light spot 13 between the thumb 18 and the further fingers 19. Thus, the light spot 13 can also be “gripped” and correspondingly shifted or “pulled” into the new position. In the depiction of FIG. 4, this is depicted from a starting position, depicted dashed, of the light spot 13 and the hand 16 up to an end position of the hand 16. The light spot 13 is correspondingly followed and thus positioned in the same position at the end point in time in relation to the hand 16 as at the starting point in time, such that the person guiding the hand 16 can move the light spot 13 into the desired new position.

(10) The starting point in time for this light controller, during which the light spot 13 is followed by the hand 16 carrying out the gesture, can now be triggered in various manners. It is particularly simple and efficient to achieve this using a gesture recognized by the gesture camera 13. Thus, if a pointing gesture in terms of FIG. 2 or a gripping gesture in terms of FIG. 3 is made in the region of the light spot 13 or the light cone 14, in doing so, the light controller is then activated and the light spot 13 is correspondingly followed. Alternative possibilities would be, for example, touching a button or a touch-sensitive surface to activate the light controller for following the light spot 13, however this requires a second hand to initiate this starting process. A speech controller, which is received by a microphone 20 installed in the interior chamber 1 and indicated in FIG. 1 and is recognized as the starting point in time for the activation of the light controller, is conceivable. The same applies to the end point in time. In turn, this can be predetermined via the gesture controller by the gesture, for example, being triggered in the region of the light spot 13. Stopping the movement could also suffice as the specification of the end point in time. Here, it is also conceivable, in principle, in addition or alternatively to such a gesture, to in turn use a button or a touch-sensitive surface for predetermining the end point in time, or to predetermine the end point in time using a speech command. Here, the various manners can also be combined with one another, such that the person using the light controller can select from the variants described at their own convenience for the starting point in time and for the end point in time.

(11) Here, it is particularly favorable when there is a corresponding display at least of the starting point in time and the end point in time or also the entire duration when the light controller is active. This feedback to the person using the light controller helps to increase the acceptance and reliability of the system and the positive perception of the system with the person. In particular, the starting and/or end point in time can here be acoustically displayed via an acoustic signal from a speaker 21 indicated. A piece of haptic feedback, for example by a vibration of the seat 4 indicated by a line labelled with 22, is also conceivable. Similarly, it would also be conceivable to emit the feedback via the light cone 14 or the light spot 13 itself, for example by this briefly flashing, changing its light temperature or light color or similar. This is possible both for the end point in time and for the starting point in time. Furthermore, it is possible and, in particular with a visual display via the light spot 13, even useful when, during the entire time for which the light controller is active, it displays this. This can be carried out, for example, by a variation of the brightness, of the size and/or the color temperature or light color of the light spot 13, such that this pulses in terms of its size. In turn, this is schematically depicted in FIG. 4 with the gesture of the hand 16 according to FIG. 2 by the dashed line, which is supposed to indicate the enlargement and shrinking of the light spot 13.

(12) Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail by way of preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited by the examples disclosed, and other variations can be derived from these by the person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of the invention. It is therefore clear that there is a plurality of possible variations. It is also clear that embodiments stated by way of example are only really examples that are not to be seen as limiting the scope, application possibilities or configuration of the invention in any way. In fact, the preceding description and the description of the figures enable the person skilled in the art to implement the exemplary embodiments in concrete manner, wherein, with the knowledge of the disclosed inventive concept, the person skilled in the art is able to undertake various changes, for example, with regard to the functioning or arrangement of individual elements stated in an exemplary embodiment without leaving the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims and their legal equivalents, such as further explanations in the description.