Methods of and apparatus for locating energy harvesting devices in an environment

A method of installing a light energy harvesting electronic device in an environment using a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

• an application on the portable electronic device guiding a user of the portable electronic device within the environment by means of a display on the portable electronic device to take one or more images of an environment in which the light energy harvesting electronic device is to be installed using a camera of the portable electronic device, and providing the one or more images of the environment to an image analysis engine operable to analyze an image or images of an environment to generate data representative of a light source or sources and geometry in the environment;
• the image analysis engine analyzing the image or images taken of the environment to generate data representative of the light source or sources and geometry in the environment in which the light energy harvesting electronic device is to be installed, and providing the data representative of the light source or sources and geometry in the environment to a processor operable to use a computer graphics processing physically based lighting model that is used for rendering computer graphics images for display to simulate the interaction of light from the light source or sources with geometry in an environment, wherein the computer graphics processing physically based lighting model is adapted to account for the light energy harvesting properties of the light energy harvesting electronic device;
• and
• the processor operable to use the computer graphics processing physically based lighting model that is used for rendering computer graphics images for display using the computer graphics processing physically based lighting model to simulate the interaction of the light from the light source or sources with the geometry in the environment based on the generated data representative of the light source or sources and geometry in the environment, wherein the geometry considered by the computer graphics processing physically based lighting model comprises surfaces within the environment, the surfaces comprising boundaries of the environment and one or more objects positioned within the environment, the computer graphics graphics processing physically based lighting model taking account of the position, size and/or surface properties of the one or more objects positioned within the environment, and
• said processor operable to use the computer graphics processing physically based lighting model providing data indicative of the simulated interaction of the light from the light source or sources with the geometry in the environment to a processor operable to predict the amount of light energy that will be available at different locations in an environment using data indicative of the simulated interaction of light from the light source or sources with geometry in the environment;
• and
• the processor operable to use the simulated interaction of light from the light source or sources with geometry in an environment using the simulated interaction of the light from the light source or sources with the geometry in the environment to predict the amount of light energy that will be available at different locations in the environment, and providing to the application on the portable electronic device data for providing on the display of the portable electronic device a representation indicating the suitability of locations in the environment for installing the light energy harvesting electronic device based on the predicted amount of light energy that will be available at different locations in the environment;
• and
• the application on the portable electronic device providing to the user within the environment on the display of the portable electronic device, using augmented reality display techniques, a representation overlaid on the environment viewed by the user indicating the suitability of locations in the environment for installing the light energy harvesting electronic device based on the data for providing on the display of the portable electronic device the representation indicating the suitability of locations in the environment for installing the light energy harvesting electronic device, the display guiding the user to place the light energy harvesting electronic device in the environment.

An apparatus for identifying a location for a light energy harvesting electronic device within an environment, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one processor configured to:
• generate data representative of a light source or sources and geometry in the environment by analyzing one or more images of the environment captured by a user within the environment wishing to place the light energy harvesting electronic device within the environment;
• use a computer graphics processing physically based lighting model that is used for rendering computer graphics images for display to simulate the interaction of light from a light source or sources with geometry in an environment based on the data representative of a light source or sources and geometry in the environment, wherein the computer graphics processing physically based lighting model is adapted to account for the light energy harvesting properties of the one or more light energy harvesting electronic devices, wherein the geometry considered comprises surfaces within the environment, the surfaces comprising boundaries of the environment and one or more objects positioned within the environment, the computer graphics graphics processing physically based lighting model taking account of the position, size and/or surface properties of the one or more objects positioned within the environment;
• use the simulated interaction of the light from the light source or sources with the geometry in the environment to predict the amount of light energy that will be available at different locations in the environment, thereby to allow a location or locations suitable for a light energy harvesting electronic device in the environment to be identified;
• and
• display to the user within the environment, using augmented reality display techniques, a representation overlaid on the environment viewed by the user that is indicative of the suitability of different locations in the environment for locating a light energy harvesting electronic device based on the predicted amount of light energy that will be available, the display guiding the user to place the light energy harvesting electronic device in the environment.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer software code which when executing on a processor performs a method of identifying a location for a light energy harvesting electronic device within an environment, the method comprising:

• generating data representative of a light source or sources and geometry in the environment in which the light energy harvesting electronic device is to be located by analyzing one or more images of the environment captured by a user within the environment wishing to position the light energy harvesting electronic device in the environment;
• using a computer graphics processing physically based lighting model that is used for rendering computer graphics images for display to simulate the interaction of the light from the light source or sources with the geometry in the environment based on the data representative of a light source or sources and geometry in the environment, wherein the computer graphics processing physically based lighting model is adapted to account for the light energy harvesting properties of the light energy harvesting electronic device, wherein the geometry considered comprises surfaces within the environment, the surfaces comprising boundaries of the environment and one or more objects positioned within the environment, the computer graphics graphics processing physically based lighting model taking account of the position, size and/or surface properties of the one or more objects positioned within the environment;
• and
• using the simulated interaction of the light from the light source or sources with the geometry in the environment to predict the amount of light energy that will be available at different locations in the environment, thereby to allow a location or locations suitable for the light energy harvesting electronic device in the environment to be identified;
• the method further comprising displaying to the user within the environment, using augmented reality display techniques, a representation overlaid on the environment viewed by the user that is indicative of the suitability of different locations in the environment for locating a light energy harvesting electronic device based on the predicted amount of light energy that will be available, the display guiding the user to place the light energy harvesting electronic device in the environment.