Control method of lamp

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/643,938, filed May 8, 2012, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates in general to a control method of a lamp, and more particularly to a control method of a lamp capable of controlling the lamp in wireless technology.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional lamp is controlled by a solid electrical wire. For example, a switch disposed on a wall is directly connected to the lamp by the solid electrical wire for being controlled to switch the lamp on or off. However, such design is limited to a geographical disposition of the lamp, and hence the lamp can't be controlled effectively.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a control method of a lamp is provided. The control method comprises the following steps. Whether a touch event occurs in a control device is determined; obtaining a coordinate of a touch point if the touch event occurs; whether the touch point occurs in a color control area of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the control device is determined; responding to a color temperature set and a brightness set from the control device, generating a first pulse width modulation (PWM) and a second PWM; whether the lamp connects with to the control device is determined; package the first PWM and the second PWM in a color control package; a transmission thread is opened, wherein the step of opening the transmission thread comprises the following steps: whether the value of a transmission flag is equal to 1 is determined; transmitting the color control package to the lamp by wireless technology if the value of the transmission flag is equal to 1; the value of a responding flag is set to 0; and whether the value of the responding flag is set to 0 within a time interval is determined; and a receiving thread is opened, wherein the step of opening the receiving thread comprises the following steps: whether a lamp package from the lamp is received is determined after the color control package is transmitted to the lamp; whether the lamp package is a responding package is determined if the lamp package from the lamp is received; the value of the responding package is set to 1 and the value of the transmission flag to 0 if the lamp package is the responding package.

The above and other aspects of the invention will become better understood with regard to the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiment(s). The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a Graphical User Interface of a control device according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 2A-2B show a flowchart of the control device controlling the lamp by the GUI.

Referring to FIG. 1 a GUI of a control device according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. The control device 100 , such as a cell-phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or other handheld electronic device, comprises an output device 110 , a control unit 120 , a wireless module 125 and a GUI 130 . In the present embodiment, the output device 110 is a display device, and the control unit 120 controls the output device 110 to display a frame of the GUI 130 for adjusting brightness and/or a color temperature of a lamp 200 comprising the first light-emitting element 210 and the second light-emitting element 220 . In another embodiment, the output device 110 comprises at least one button, and the control unit 120 controls the brightness and/or the color temperature of the lamp 200 according to a signal from the triggered button. Since the brightness and the color temperature of the lamp 200 can be adjusted by the control device 100 through wireless communications protocol, the application to the lamp 200 and the control device 100 is expanded.

The wireless module 125 can transmit a wireless signal, such as a package, to the lamp 200 . The control unit 120 and the wireless module 125 can be formed by any known semiconductor process. Alternatively, at least one of the control unit 120 and the wireless module 125 is firmware. In one embodiment, the control unit 120 and the wireless module 125 can be integrated into one piece. In another embodiment, the control unit 120 and the wireless module 125 can be severally formed, and then electrically connected to each other via any known technique.

The GUI 130 provides a color control area 131 comprising a brightness control area 1311 and a color temperature control area 1312 . The position of a brightness control bar 1311 b decides desired brightness of the lamp 200 , and the position of a color temperature control bar 1312 b decides a desired color temperature of the lamp 200 . The GUI 130 further provides a virtual connection button 132 for performing a wireless connection between the control device 100 and the lamp 200 .

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2B , a flowchart of the control device controlling the lamp by the GUI are shown.

Referring to FIG. 2A , in step S 110 , the value of a transmission flag (hereinafter referred to as Tx flag) and the value of a responding flag (hereinafter referred to as ACK flag) are set to 0.

In step S 112 , the control device 100 determines (or judges) whether the lamp 200 connects with the control device 100 in wireless. For example, user can trigger the virtual connection button 132 provided in the GUI 130 to connect the lamp 200 with the control device 100 by wireless technology. If the lamp 200 connects with the control device 100 , process proceeds to step S 114 , step S 116 and step S 118 simultaneously by way of time division multiplexing (TDM) or other applicable technique. If the lamp 200 has not connected with the control device 100 , process returns to step S 110 to wait for a wireless connection between the control device 100 and the lamp 200 .

In step S 114 , the control device 10 determines whether a touch event occurs in the GUI 130 . If the touch event occurs, step S 1141 is performed; if the touch event has not occurred, process returns to step S 141 . For example, user can adjust a brightness control bar 1311 b provided in the GUI 130 to a desired position for obtaining a desired brightness and a color temperature control bar 1312 b provided in the GUI 130 to a desired position for obtaining a desired color temperature, and then step S 1141 is performed.

In step S 1141 , the control unit 120 obtains two coordinates of the touch points T 1 and T 2 generated in the GUI 130 .

In step S 1142 , the control unit 120 determines whether the touch points occur in the color control area 131 of the GUI 130 of the control device 100 . If the touch points occur in the color control area 131 of the GUI 130 of the control device 100 , the touch points T 1 and T 2 represent a brightness set and a color temperature set respectively, and then process proceeds to step S 1143 ; if the touch point does not occur in the color control area 131 of the GUI 130 of the control device 100 , process returns to step S 114 to continue to determine whether any touch point occurs in the color control area 131 of the GUI 130 of the control device 100 .

In step S 1143 , the control unit 120 generates a first PWM (hereinafter referred to as PWM 1 ) and a second PWM (hereinafter referred to as PWM 2 ), responding to the color temperature set and the brightness set, wherein the PWM 1 and the PWM 2 are decided by the following formula (1) and (2) for controlling the first light-emitting element 210 and the second light-emitting element 220 respectively. When the lamp 200 receives the PWM 1 and PWM 2 (in step S 1184 flowing from step S 1183 ), the first light-emitting element 210 and the second light-emitting element 220 to generate a first light and a second light, respectively, and then the first light and the second light blend to form an expected-color light.

In formula (1) and (2), the Br represents the brightness set in accordance with the brightness control area 1311 , and the CCT represents the color temperature set in accordance with the color temperature control area 1312 . The constants, such as 0.0015, 0.084, 0.002 and 0.996, are not limited to present embodiment of the invention.

In step S 1144 , the control unit 120 confirms whether the PWM 1 and the PWM 2 are different from a previous PWM 1 and a previous PWM 2 , respectively. For example, if the current PWM 1 and the current PWM 2 represent a new touch event, the PWM 1 and the PWM 2 are different from the previous PWM 1 and the previous PWM 2 , and then process proceeds to step S 1145 . If the current PWM 1 and the current PWM 2 represent the same touch event (i.e. the same position of the color control area 131 are touched twice or more), the current PWM 1 and the current PWM 2 are substantially the same as or close to the previous PWM 1 and the previous PWM 2 , and then process returns to step S 114 .

In step S 1145 , the control unit 120 determines whether the lamp 200 connects with the control device 100 . If the lamp 200 connects with the control device 100 , process proceeds to step S 1146 . If the lamp 200 disconnects with the control device 100 , process returns to step S 114 .

In step S 1146 , the control unit 120 determines whether the value of the Tx flag is equal to 0. If the value of the Tx flag is equal to 0, it means that no package ready for being transmitted is stored in a buffer B 1 , and then process proceeds to step S 1147 . If the value of the Tx flag is not equal to 0, it means that any package which has been stored in the buffer B 1 will be ready for being transmitted, and thus process returns to step S 1146 .

In step S 1147 , the control unit 120 packages the PWM 1 and the PWM 2 in a color control package PK 1 , and then put the color control package PK 1 to the buffer B 1 for transmitting the color control package PK 1 to the lamp device 200 .

In step S 1148 , the control unit 120 sets the value of the Tx flag to 1, such that the color control package PK 1 is in a transmissible state, and thus the color control package PK 1 can be transmitted to the lamp 200 in step S 1162 (described below) flowing from step S 1161 (described below).

In step S 116 , the control unit 120 opens a transmission thread (hereinafter referred to as Tx thread) for transmitting the color control package PK 1 to the lamp 200 .

Referring to FIG. 2B , in step S 1161 , the control unit 120 determines whether the value of the Tx flag is equal to 1. If the value of the Tx flag is equal to 1, it means that the color control package PK 1 stored in the buffer B 1 is ready for being transmitted, and then process proceed to step S 1162 . If the value of the Tx flag is not equal to 1, it means that no package (such as, the color control package PK 1 ) ready for being transmitted is stored in a buffer B 1 , and thus process returns to step S 1161 .

In step S 1162 , the control unit 120 controls the wireless module 140 to transmit the color control package PK 1 to the lamp 200 by any known wireless technology.

In step S 1163 , the control unit 120 sets the value of the ACK flag to 0 (that is, the ACK flag is cleared) for avoiding step S 1164 proceeding to step S 1165 wrongly.

In step S 1164 , the control unit 120 determines whether the value of the ACK flag is set to 1 within a time interval, such as 500 milliseconds or other appropriate time interval. If the value of the ACK flag is set to 1 within the time interval, it means that lamp 200 has actually received the color control package PK 1 carrying the PWM 1 and the PWM 2 able to control the lamp 200 , and then process proceeds to step S 1165 . If the value of the ACK flag is not set to 1 within the time interval, it means that lamp 200 has not received the color control package PK 1 yet due to disconnection between the lamp 200 and the control device 100 or other possible reason, and thus process proceeds to step S 1166 to close the Tx thread and a receiving thread (hereinafter referred to as Rx thread and described below).

In step S 1165 , the control unit 120 sets the value of the Tx flag and the value of the ACK flag to 0 (that is, the Tx flag and the ACK flag is cleared), and then process returns to step S 1161 .

In step S 118 , the control unit 120 opens the Rx thread for receiving any package from the lamp 200 .

In step S 1181 , the control unit 120 determined whether a lamp package PK 2 from the lamp 200 is received. The lamp package PK 2 may be a responding package (hereinafter referred to as ACK package) or a non-ACK package. In detail, after the lamp 200 receives the color control package PK 1 from the control device 100 , the lamp 200 will transmits the ACK package to the control device 100 to inform the control device 100 of being received the color control package PK 1 . That is, if the control device 100 receives the ACK package, it means that the lamp 200 has actually received the color control package PK 1 carrying the PWM 1 and the PWM 2 able to control the lamp 200 . In contrary, if the lamp 200 is damaged or other possible reason, the non-ACK package may be transmitted to the control device 100 to inform the control device 100 of the damage massage. That is, although the control device 100 receives the non-ACK package, it means that the lamp 200 may not receive the color control package PK 1 , and thus process returns to step S 1181 .

In step S 1182 , the control unit 120 pareses the lamp package PK 2 to obtain messages within the lamp package PK 2 .

In step S 1183 , the control unit 120 determines whether the lamp package PK 2 is the ACK package. If the lamp package PK 2 is the ACK package, it means that the lamp 200 has actually received the color control package PK 1 , and then process proceeds to step S 1184 . If the lamp package PK 2 is non-ACK package, it means that the lamp 200 may have been damaged, and thus process returns to step S 1185 . In step S 1185 , the control device 100 can output a damage message, a warning message or other appropriate massage of the lamp 200 for user. For example, the outputting device 110 can display a pop-up warning window to inform the user of damage to the lamp 200 .

In step S 1184 , the control unit 120 sets the value of the ACK flag to 1 (when the ACK flag is 1, which means the lamp 200 has received the color control package PK 1 ) for step S 1164 being capable of certainly proceeding to step S 1165 , and sets the value of the Tx flag to 0 for step S 1146 being capable of certainly proceeding to step S 1147 .

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiment(s), it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.