# US 10,375,797 B2 · Lighting device and method for operating the lighting device

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- Number: US 10,375,797 B2
- Document ID: US10375797B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/154,435
- Filed: 2014-01-14
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-15
- Assignees: Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA
- Applicants: HELLA KGaA Hueck & Co.
- Inventors: Jürgen Heinrich
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10375797B2

## CPC

- H05B 47/115: by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
- H05B 47/18: via data-bus transmission
- H05B 47/1975: {Gesture control}
- H03K 17/962: {Capacitive touch switches}
- Y02B 20/40: Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS

## Abstract

The invention relates to a lighting device having a first number of light-emitting elements and having a second number of control elements, operating contactlessly, for controlling the light-emitting elements such as especially for switching the light-emitting elements on or off and/or for controlling their brightness, the second number being less than or equal to the first number, the light-emitting elements being controlled contactlessly by a movement of at least one hand of a user over two or more control elements. The invention also relates to a relevant method.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for operating a lighting device, the method comprising
providing a lighting device configured to illuminate a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprising a first number of light-emitting elements, a second number of control elements for switching the light-emitting elements on or off and for controlling the brightness of the light-emitting elements, and a microcontroller comprising a detection unit, an interpretation unit, and a drive unit, wherein the second number of control elements is equal to the first number of light-emitting elements, wherein each light-emitting element of the first number light-emitting elements is paired with only one control element of the second number of control elements, wherein each of the control elements is directly adjacent to a corresponding light emitting element;
moving of at least one hand of a user over two or more control elements,
receiving at the detection unit a signal from the control elements, processing the signal at the interpretation unit to identify human hand gestures and generate drive commands, and driving the illumination of the light-emitting elements with the drive unit utilizing the drive commands,
wherein
(i) with a fast movement of the hand from a first light-emitting element over an adjacent second light-emitting element to a further adjacent third light-emitting element, the first light-emitting element darkens or is extinguished and the second light-emitting element brightens or lights up and subsequently the second light-emitting element darkens or is extinguished and the third light-emitting element brightens or lights up, wherein the fast movement is a movement of about 10 to 20 cm within 0.5 seconds, and
(ii) with a regular movement of the hand from a first light-emitting element over an adjacent second light-emitting element to a further adjacent third light-emitting element, the first light-emitting element remains in its current state and the second light-emitting element brightens or lights up, and subsequently the third-light emitting element lights up, wherein the regular movement is a movement slower than the fast movement.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein, starting from the first light-emitting element in the direction of movement of the hand, N light-emitting elements are provided, the third light-emitting element darkens or is extinguished and the subsequent light-emitting element brightens or lights up, this process being repeated until the (N−1)th light-emitting element darkens or is extinguished and the Nth light-emitting element brightens or lights up.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein with a movement of two hands in opposite directions along the control elements or the light-emitting elements with associated control elements, the light-emitting elements are all switched on or off or increase or decrease in their brightness so that they brighten up or light up or darken or are extinguished.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein the movement of two hands in opposite directions is a movement of the hands toward each other or away from each other.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein when the hand is positioned within a first threshold value of the distance to a first control element of the second number of control elements and the position of the hand is maintained approximately steady, the brightness of the light-emitting elements is driven to become cyclically brighter and thereafter darker again with an increasing period of time until the hand is no longer positioned within the first threshold value.