WO2024256313A1

WO2024256313A1 - Transferring light settings between physical and virtual environments

Info

Publication number: WO2024256313A1
Application number: PCT/EP2024/065876
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Deixler; Dzmitry Viktorovich Aliakseyeu
Original assignee: Signify Holding BV
Current assignee: Signify Holding BV
Priority date: 2023-06-13
Filing date: 2024-06-10
Publication date: 2024-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 2025-12-13

Abstract

Methods of determining illumination settings for virtual environments and physical environments are disclosed. A first method comprises obtaining a first contextual characteristic of a virtual environment, accessing a memory of a lighting system, the lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the physical environment, obtaining, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the physical environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, and rendering the virtual environment on the display and applying the selected illumination setting to the virtual environment. A second method comprises: obtaining a first contextual characteristic of a physical environment, accessing a memory of a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of a virtual environment to be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device, obtaining, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the virtual environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, and controlling one or more lighting devices to apply the selected illumination setting in the physical environment.

Description

TRANSFERRING LIGHT SETTINGS BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method of determining illumination settings for a virtual environment. The invention further relates to a method of determining illumination settings for a lighting system. The invention further relates to a computer program product

5 for executing one of the methods. The invention further relates to a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system. The invention further relates to a lighting control system.

BACKGROUND

Recent developments in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) enable users to interact with virtual objects in (semi) virtual environments. These virtual environments may be displayed as an overlay on top of the physical environment, for example on a smartphone or on AR-glasses, thereby creating a so-called mixed reality environment. Alternatively, the virtual environments may be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device, immersing the user in that virtual environment. This technology

15 enables many different types of applications. For instance, it enables creation of virtual environments wherein a user can recreate the user’s physical world, perform activities and interact with other users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventors have realized that if a user wishes to create a virtual world, many environmental aspects need to be set and configured in the virtual world. One of these aspects is lighting (illumination) of the virtual environment. Typically, illumination settings are defined for certain contextual characteristics. For instance, certain activities require certain illumination, certain environmental temperatures require certain illumination, certain

25 times of day require certain illumination, etc. The inventors have further realized that setting the lighting inside the virtual environment can be a difficult or cumbersome process. It is therefore an object to reduce the effort required to set lighting in a virtual environment. According to a first aspect, the object is achieved by a method of determining illumination settings for a virtual environment to be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device, the method comprising: obtaining a first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, accessing a memory of a lighting system, the lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the physical environment, obtaining, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the physical environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, and rendering the virtual environment on the display and applying the selected illumination setting to the virtual environment.

By selecting an illumination setting from the memory of the lighting system based on the contextual characteristic, the illumination setting in the virtual environment corresponds to the illumination setting of the physical environment for the same (or similar) contextual characteristic. This is beneficial because it reduces the effort required to set lighting in a virtual environment.

The inventors have further realized that if a user has already set the illumination settings in the virtual world, that these can be transferred to a (physical) lighting system. It is therefore another object to reduce the effort required to set lighting in a physical environment. According to a second aspect, this object is achieved by a method of determining illumination settings for a lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment, the method comprising: obtaining a first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, accessing a memory of a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of a virtual environment to be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device, obtaining, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the virtual environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, and controlling the one or more lighting devices to apply the selected illumination setting in the physical environment. By selecting an illumination seting from the memory of the virtual reality system or the augmented reality system based on the contextual characteristic, the illumination seting in the physical environment corresponds to the illumination seting of the virtual environment for the same (or similar) contextual characteristic. This is beneficial because it reduces the effort required to set lighting in a physical environment.

The first contextual characteristic and the second contextual characteristics may be user activities performed by a user. A user may, for example, have set an illumination seting for the lighting system for a specific activity. This illumination seting may then be transferred to the virtual environment such that when the user performs the same activity (virtually) in the virtual environment, the same (or similar) illumination is provided in the virtual environment. In another example, a user may, for example, have set an illumination seting for the virtual environment for a specific activity. This illumination seting may then be transferred to the lighting system such that when the user performs the same activity (physically) in the physical environment, the same (or similar) illumination is provided in the physical environment by one or more lighting devices.

Additionally or alternatively, the first and second contextual characteristics are times of day or times of year. A user may, for example, have set an illumination setting for the lighting system for a specific time of day. This illumination seting may then be transferred to the virtual environment such that when the time of day or time of year in the virtual environment corresponds to a time of day or time of year stored in the memory of the lighting system, the same (or similar) illumination is provided in the virtual environment. In another example, a user may, for example, have set an illumination setting for the virtual environment for a specific time of day or a time of year. This illumination seting may then be transferred to the lighting system such that when the time of day or time of year in the physical environment corresponds to a time of day or time of year stored in the memory of the AR/VR system, the same (or similar) illumination is provided in the physical environment by one or more lighting devices.

Additionally or alternatively, the first and second contextual characteristics are types of the environment. A user may, for example, have set an illumination seting for the lighting system for a specific type of the environment (e.g. a living room, a dining room, an entertainment area, etc.). This illumination seting may then be transferred to the virtual environment such that in an environment of a certain type in the virtual environment the illumination corresponds to an illumination seting for the same type of environment of the lighting system . In another example, a user may, for example, have set an illumination setting for the virtual environment for a specific type of the environment (e.g. a living room, a dining room, an entertainment area, etc.). This illumination setting may then be transferred to the lighting system such that in an environment of a certain type in the physical environment the illumination corresponds to an illumination setting for the same type of environment of the virtual environment.

The first contextual characteristic may change over time, and the obtaining of the illumination setting may be performed at different moments in time. For instance, each time the first contextual characteristic changes, the obtaining of the illumination setting may be performed at different moments in time. Alternatively, the obtaining of the illumination setting may be performed at predefined or random moments in time.

The one or more illumination settings may be user-defined illumination settings for the respective second contextual characteristics. This is beneficial, because the user’s illumination preferences are transferred from the physical environment to the virtual environment, or vice versa. The method may further comprise: receiving, via a user interface, one or more user inputs indicative of the user-defined illumination settings for the respective second contextual characteristics.

The first contextual characteristic may be obtained by receiving a user input indicative of the first contextual characteristic via a user interface. Alternatively, the first contextual characteristic may be obtained from the physical environment by receiving a sensor input indicative of the first contextual characteristic via a sensor. The sensor may be selected based on a desired first contextual characteristic for which an illumination setting is to be transferred from the virtual environment. Alternatively, the first contextual characteristic may be obtained from a memory, for instance a memory of the lighting system or a central control system.

The method may further comprise: providing, via a user interface, a notification to request a user to apply the selected illumination setting, and applying the selected illumination setting only after receiving a confirmation of the request.

According to a third aspect, the object is achieved by a computer program product for a computing device, the computer program product comprising computer program code to perform any of the above-mentioned methods when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of the computing device.

According to a fourth aspect, the object is achieved by a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system, comprising: a display configured to render a virtual environment, a processor communicatively coupled to a lighting system, the processor configured to: obtain a first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, access a memory of the lighting system, the lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the physical environment, obtain, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the physical environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, and render the virtual environment on the display and apply the selected illumination setting to the virtual environment.

According to a fifth aspect, the object is achieved by a lighting control system for determining illumination settings for a lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment, comprising: an input interface configured to obtain a first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, a processor communicatively coupled to a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system, the processor configured to: access a memory of the virtual reality system or the augmented reality system, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of a virtual environment to be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device, obtain, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the virtual environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, and control the one or more lighting devices to apply the selected illumination setting in the physical environment.

It should be understood that the virtual reality system and augmented reality system, the lighting control system and the computer program product may have similar and/or identical embodiments and advantages as the above-mentioned respective methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the disclosed systems, devices and methods will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of devices and methods, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows schematically an example of a virtual environment displayed on an AR/VR system and a corresponding physical environment comprising lighting devices of a lighting system;

Fig. 2 shows schematically an AR/VR system and a corresponding lighting system;

Fig. 3 shows schematically a method of determining illumination settings for a virtual environment; and

Fig. 4 shows schematically a method of determining illumination settings for a lighting system.

All the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the invention, wherein other parts may be omitted or merely suggested.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Fig. 1 shows an augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality device (VR) 220 (bottom) and a corresponding lighting system (top). Fig. 2 shows the components of the lighting system 100 and an AR or VR system 200 comprising the AR/VR device in further detail.

In Fig. 1, the AR or VR device 220 is depicted as a head-mounted device (e.g. AR/VR glasses). The AR or VR device 120 comprises a display 222 configured to render a virtual environment 230. In an example wherein the device 220 is an AR device, the virtual environment 230 may be rendered as an overlay on the physical environment 130. Fig. 1 further shows the physical environment 130 comprising a lighting system 100, which comprises two lighting devices 110, 112. The lighting devices 110, 112 may be any type of lighting device comprising one or more (LED) light sources, and a processing unit for controlling the light output (e.g. hue, saturation and/or brightness) of the one or more light sources based on received control signals. The lighting devices 110, 112 may be arranged for providing general lighting, such as task lighting, ambient lighting, atmosphere lighting, accent lighting, indoor lighting, outdoor lighting, etc. The lighting devices 110, 112 may further comprise a communication unit (not shown) configured to receive lighting control commands. The communication unit may comprise hardware for communicating via one or more wireless communication protocols, for example Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Li-Fi, 3G, 4G, 5G or ZigBee. A specific communication technology may be selected based on the system architecture of the lighting system 100.

The AR or VR device 220 comprises a display 222 for rendering a virtual environment 230 comprising one or more virtual objects 260. In the example wherein the device 220 is an VR device, display 222 may be a regular display, for instance a headmounted display. In the example wherein the device 220 is an AR device, the virtual environment 230, the display 222 may be a (semi-) transparent see-through display, wherein the user can see the physical environment 130 through the display 222, and wherein the display 222 is configured to render the virtual environment 230 comprising one or more virtual objects 260 as an overlay on the physical environment 230. The display 222 may be integrated in the (semi-) transparent see-through display, or the virtual environment may be projected on the display 222. Alternatively, AR device 220 may comprise a camera configured to continuously capture images of the physical environment 130 and render the images on the display 222, while rendering the virtual environment 230 as an overlay on the images. It should be understood that such augmented reality devices are known in the art, and will therefore not be discussed in further detail.

Fig. 2 depicts the lighting system 100, which comprises the lighting devices 110, 112 and a lighting control system 102 (not shown in Fig. 1) for controlling the lighting devices 110, 112. The lighting control system 102 comprises one or more processors 106 (e.g. circuitry, microcontrollers, microchips). The control system 102 may further comprise one or more communication units 108 for communicating with the lighting devices 110, 112 to communicate lighting control commands for controlling the light output of the lighting devices (e.g. the color, brightness, saturation, beam shape/direction, etc.).

The one or more processors 106 are communicatively coupled to the AR or VR system 200 (e.g. via one or more (wireless) networks 280 via communication units 108 and 208). The one or more processors 106 are configured to: access a memory 204 of the AR or VR system 200, the memory 204 storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of a virtual environment 230 to be rendered on the display 222 of the AR or VR device 222. The one or more processors 106 are further configured to obtain, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230 which second contextual characteristic corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment 130. The one or more processors 106 are further configured to control the one or more lighting devices 110, 112 to apply the selected illumination setting in the physical environment 230. The control system 102 may comprise a single processor 106 for performing these steps. The processor 106 may, for example, be comprised in a (central) lighting control system (e.g. a bridge, a hub, a smartphone, etc.), in a remote (cloud) server, in a lighting device 110, 112, etc. Alternatively, the control system 102 may comprise multiple processors 106 for performing these steps. The processors 106 may be located in different parts of the system 100. The locations of the processors 106 and the steps performed by the respective processors 106 may depend on the system architecture of the control system 102 and/or the system architecture of the lighting system 100.

The lighting control system 102 further comprises an input interface configured to obtain a first (physical) contextual characteristic of the physical environment 130. The input interface may be a receiver (e.g. part of communication unit 108) and receive a signal indicative of the first contextual characteristic from an external device (e.g. a sensor, a central control system, a smartphone, a remote server, etc.). Alternatively, the input interface may be an input to the processor 106, and may be coupled to a memory 104 of the control system 102. The first contextual may for example be retrieved from the memory 104 by the processor 106 via the input interface.

The processor 106 is configured to access the memory 204 of the VR or AR system 200. The memory 204 stores one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the virtual environment 230 to be rendered on the display 222. The processor 106 is further configured to obtain, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230 that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment 130. The processor 106 may, for example, compare the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment 130 with the second contextual characteristics stored in the memory 204, and select an illumination setting of a second contextual characteristic which (substantially) corresponds to the first contextual characteristic. Alternatively, the processor 106 may, for example, provide the first contextual characteristic to the processor 206 of the AR or VR system 200 which may then compare the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment 130 with the second contextual characteristics stored in the memory 204, and select an illumination setting of a second contextual characteristic which (substantially) corresponds to the first contextual characteristic. The processor 206 of the AR or VR system 200 may then communicate the selected illumination setting to the processor 106 of the lighting control system 102. The processor 106 may then control the one or more lighting devices 110, 112 to apply the selected illumination setting in the physical environment 130.

Fig. 2 further depicts the AR or VR system 200. The system 200 comprises an AR or VR device 220 comprising a display 222 configured to render the virtual environment 230 (e.g. in a look-up table). The AR or VR device 220 may comprise a control system 202 comprising one or more processors 206 communicatively coupled to the lighting system 100 (e.g. via one or more (wireless) networks 280 via communication units 108 and 208). The one or more processors 206 are configured to obtain a first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230 and access a memory 104 of the lighting system 100, the memory 104 storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the physical environment 130. The one or more processors 206 are further configured to obtain, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the physical environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230, and render the virtual environment 230 on the display 222 and apply the selected illumination setting to the virtual environment 230. The control system 202 may comprise a single processor 206 for performing these steps. The processor 206 may, for example, be comprised in the AR or VR device 220, in a central control device, (e.g. a bridge, a hub, a smartphone, etc.), in a remote (cloud) server, etc. Alternatively, the control system 202 may comprise multiple processors 106 for performing these steps. The processors 206 may be located in different parts of the system 200. The locations of the processors 206 and the steps performed by the respective processors 206 may depend on the system architecture of the control system 202 and/or the system architecture of the system 200.

The processor 206 of the AR or VR control system 202 is configured to obtain a first (virtual) contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230. The first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230 may be received via an input interface, which may be a receiver (e.g. part of communication unit 208) and receive a signal indicative of the first contextual characteristic from an external device (e.g. a remote server running an AR/VR software application and streaming the AR or VR content to the AR or VR device 220). Alternatively, the input interface may be an input to the processor 206, and may be coupled to a memory 204 of the system 200. The first contextual may for example be retrieved from the memory 204 by the processor 206 via the input interface. The processor 206 is configured to access the memory 104 of the lighting system 100. The memory 104 stores one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the physical environment 130 (e.g. in a look-up table). The processor 206 is further configured to obtain, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the physical environment 130 that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230. The processor 206 may, for example, compare the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230 with the second contextual characteristics stored in the memory 104, and select an illumination setting of a second contextual characteristic which (substantially) corresponds to the first contextual characteristic. Alternatively, the processor 206 may, for example, provide the first contextual characteristic to the processor 106 of the lighting control system 102 which may then compare the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment 230 with the second contextual characteristics stored in the memory 104, and select an illumination setting of a second contextual characteristic which (substantially) corresponds to the first contextual characteristic. The processor 106 of the lighting control system 102 may then communicate the selected illumination setting to the processor 206 of the AR or VR system 200. The processor 206 may then render the virtual environment 230 on the display 222 and apply the selected illumination setting to the virtual environment 230 (e.g. by rendering a virtual illumination of a virtual lighting device, or by providing general virtual illumination of the virtual environment 230).

The first and second contextual characteristics are indicative of a context of the virtual and/or physical environment. The contextual characteristics may, for example, be environmental characteristics (e.g. ambient light, temperature, color of the environment, the type of environment/room/area, etc.), user characteristics (e.g. user activities, types of users, number of users, etc.) or time/date characteristics (e.g. time of year, time of day, type of season, etc.). Several examples of contextual characteristics are described below.

In a first example, the first and second contextual characteristics may be user activities performed by a user. An illumination setting for the lighting system 100 for a specific activity (e.g. watching a movie, socializing with other people, dinner, etc.) may have been defined (e.g. by a user, automatically, etc.). This illumination setting may then be transferred to the virtual environment 230 such that when the user performs the same activity (virtually) in the virtual environment, the same (or similar) illumination is provided in the virtual environment. Alternatively, a user may, for example, have set an illumination setting for the virtual environment 230 for a specific activity (e.g. watching a movie, socializing with other people, etc.). This illumination setting may then be transferred to the lighting system 100 such that when the user performs the same activity (physically) in the physical environment 130, the same (or similar) illumination is provided in the physical environment 230 by one or more lighting devices.

In a second example, the first and second contextual characteristics may be times of day or times of year. An illumination setting for the lighting system for a specific time of day (e.g. morning or evening) or a time of year (e.g. for a season or a period) may have been defined (e.g. by a user, automatically, etc.). This illumination setting may then be transferred to the virtual environment 230 such that when the time of day or time of year in the virtual environment corresponds to a time of day or time of year stored in the memory of the lighting system, the same (or similar) illumination is provided in the virtual environment. Alternatively, a user may, for example, have set an illumination setting for the virtual environment 230 for a specific time of day (e.g. morning or evening) or a time of year (e.g. for a season or a period). This illumination setting may then be transferred to the lighting system 100 such that when the time of day or time of year in the physical environment corresponds to a time of day or time of year stored in the memory of the AR/VR system 130, the same (or similar) illumination is provided in the physical environment 230 by one or more lighting devices.

In a third example, the first and second contextual characteristics may be types of the environment. An illumination setting for the lighting system for a specific type of the environment (e.g. a living room, a dining room, an entertainment area, etc.) may have been defined (e.g. by a user, automatically, etc.). This illumination setting may then be transferred to the virtual environment 230 such that in an environment of a certain type in the virtual environment the illumination corresponds to an illumination setting for the same type of environment of the lighting system. Alternatively, a user may, for example, have set an illumination setting for the virtual environment 230 for a specific type of the environment (e.g. a living room, a dining room, an entertainment area, etc.). This illumination setting may then be transferred to the lighting system 100 such that in an environment of a certain type in the physical environment 130 the illumination corresponds to an illumination setting for the same type of environment of the virtual environment 230.

The first contextual characteristic may change over time, and the processor 106 (and/or the processor 206) may be configured to obtain of the illumination setting at different moments in time. The processor 106, 206 may, for example, be configured to obtain the illumination seting each time the first contextual characteristic changes or for example at predefined or random moments in time.

The one or more illumination setings may be user-defined illumination setings for the respective second contextual characteristics. The processor 106 (and/or processor 206) may be configured to obtain associations between second contextual characteristics and illumination setings via a user interface (e.g. a voice interface, a touch display, etc.) by receiving a user input indicative of the associations. The user may, for instance, associate a specific (second) environmental characteristic (e.g. ambient light level, temperature level, the type of environment/room/area, etc.) with a specific illumination seting, and the processor 106, 206 may store the association in the respective memory 104, 204. The user may, for instance, associate a specific (second) user characteristic (e.g. a user activity, type of the user, a number of users, etc.) with a specific illumination seting, and the processor 106, 206 may store the association in the respective memory 104, 204.

The processor 106 (and/or processor 206) may be configured to obtain the first contextual characteristic by receiving a user input indicative of the first contextual characteristic via a user interface. The user interface may, for example, be a voice interface configured to receive voice inputs from the user, a touch-sensitive display, etc. The user may provide the user’s illumination preferences for a specific contextual characteristic (e.g. an environmental characteristic, an activity, an environment type, etc.) are transferred from the physical environment to the virtual environment, or vice versa.

The processor 106 may be configured to obtain the first contextual characteristic by receiving a sensor input indicative of the first contextual characteristic from a sensor (either directly or indirectly, for instance via an intermediary device such as a bridge or a central control system. The sensor may, for example, be a presence sensor for detecting presence of one or more users in the physical environment 130, a camera or an audio sensor for detecting activities of one or more users in the physical environment 130, a camera for detecting a type of the physical environment 130, a light sensor for detecting ambient lighting in the physical environment 130, etc. The sensor may be selected based on a desired first contextual characteristic for which an illumination seting is to be transferred from the virtual environment. Alternatively, the processor 106 may be configured to obtain the first contextual characteristic a memory, for instance a memory of the lighting system 100, a memory comprised in a central control system, a remote memory located in the cloud, etc.

The processor 106 (and/or the processor 206) may be further configured to provide, via a user interface, a notification to request a user to apply the selected illumination setting. The processor 106 (and/or the processor 206) may be further configured to receive a confirmation or a rejection from the user via the user interface, and apply the selected illumination setting only after receiving the confirmation of the request.

The processor 106 (and/or the processor 206) may be further configured to determine to what extent the illumination setting is transferable from the virtual reality system to the lighting system (or vice versa). It may, for example, occur that the illumination setting cannot be rendered (or can be rendered only partly) onto the lighting system. For instance, if the lighting system does not comprise lighting devices configured to render colored light (but while light only), the illumination setting of the AR/VR system may not be (fully) transferable to the lighting system. If desired illumination setting is not achievable, the processor 106 may replicate light distribution, for instance by creating a contrast between different lighting devices or areas of the environment with respect to the user. Thus, the light distribution may be used rather than the actual light settings (e.g. colors). In another example, the processor 106 may be configured to transfer characteristics of the illumination that have a higher priority. For instance, the color palette may have a higher priority compared to for example the relative locations of the colors in the environment. In another example, the color palette may have a higher priority compared to for example the brightness of the illumination. The priorities of the illumination characteristics may be predefined, user- defined, or be determined based on the contextual characteristics.

Fig. 3 shows schematically a method 300 of determining illumination settings for a virtual environment to be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device. The method 300 comprises: obtaining 302 a first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, accessing 304 a memory of a lighting system, the lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the physical environment, obtaining 306, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the physical environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, and rendering 308 the virtual environment on the display and applying the selected illumination setting to the virtual environment. The method 300 may be executed by computer program code of a computer program product when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of a computing device, such as the processor 206 of the AR or VR control system 202.

Fig. 4 shows schematically a method 400 of determining illumination settings for a lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment. The method comprises: obtaining 402 a first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, accessing 404 a memory of a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of a virtual environment to be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device, obtaining 406, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the virtual environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, and controlling 408 the one or more lighting devices to apply the selected illumination setting in the physical environment.

The method 400 may be executed by computer program code of a computer program product when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of a computing device, such as the processor 106 of the lighting control system 102.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. Use of the verb "comprise" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. The article "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer or processing unit. In the device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Aspects of the invention may be implemented in a computer program product, which may be a collection of computer program instructions stored on a computer readable storage device which may be executed by a computer. The instructions of the present invention may be in any interpretable or executable code mechanism, including but not limited to scripts, interpretable programs, dynamic link libraries (DLLs) or Java classes. The instructions can be provided as complete executable programs, partial executable programs, as modifications to existing programs (e.g. updates) or extensions for existing programs (e.g. plugins). Moreover, parts of the processing of the present invention may be distributed over multiple computers or processors or even the ‘cloud’.

Storage media suitable for storing computer program instructions include all forms of nonvolatile memory, including but not limited to EPROM, EEPROM and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as the internal and external hard disk drives, removable disks and CD-ROM disks. The computer program product may be distributed on such a storage medium, or may be offered for download through HTTP, FTP, email or through a server connected to a network such as the Internet.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method (300) of determining illumination settings for a virtual environment to be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device, the method (300) comprising: obtaining (302) a first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, accessing (304) a memory of a lighting system, the lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the physical environment, obtaining (306), from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the physical environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment, and rendering (308) the virtual environment on the display and applying the selected illumination setting to the virtual environment, wherein the first and second contextual characteristics are user activities performed by a user, times of day or times of year and/or types of the physical and/or virtual environment.

2. A method (400) of determining illumination settings for a lighting system comprising one or more lighting devices installed in a physical environment, the method (400) comprising: obtaining (402) a first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, accessing (404) a memory of a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system, the memory storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of a virtual environment to be rendered on a display of a virtual reality device or an augmented reality device, obtaining (406), from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the virtual environment that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment, and controlling (408) the one or more lighting devices to apply the selected illumination setting in the physical environment, wherein the first and second contextual characteristics are user activities performed by a user, times of day or times of year and/or types of the physical and/or virtual environment.

3. The method (300, 400) of any preceding claim, wherein the first contextual characteristic changes over time, and wherein the obtaining of the illumination setting is performed at different moments in time.

4. The method (300, 400) of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more illumination settings are user-defined illumination settings for the respective second contextual characteristics.

5. The method (300, 400) of claim 4, further comprising the steps of: receiving, via a user interface, one or more user inputs indicative of the user- defined illumination settings for the respective second contextual characteristics.

6. The method (300, 400) of any preceding claim, wherein the first contextual characteristic is obtained by receiving a user input indicative of the first contextual characteristic via a user interface.

7. The method (400) of claim 2, wherein the first contextual characteristic is obtained by receiving a sensor input indicative of the first contextual characteristic via a sensor.

8. The method (300, 400) of any preceding claim, wherein the method further comprises: providing, via a user interface, a notification to request a user to apply the selected illumination setting, and applying the selected illumination setting only after receiving a confirmation of the request.

9. A computer program product for a computing device, the computer program product comprising computer program code to perform the method (300, 400) of any of the preceding claims when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of the computing device.

10. A virtual reality system or an augmented reality system (200), comprising: a display (222) configured to render a virtual environment (230), a processor (206) communicatively coupled to a lighting system (100), the processor configured to: obtain a first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment (230), access a memory (104) of the lighting system (100), the lighting system (100) comprising one or more lighting devices (110, 112) installed in a physical environment (130), the memory (104) storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of the physical environment (130), obtain, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the physical environment (130) that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the virtual environment (230), and render the virtual environment (230) on the display (222) and apply the selected illumination setting to the virtual environment (230), wherein the first and second contextual characteristics are user activities performed by a user, times of day or times of year and/or types of the physical and/or virtual environment.

11. A lighting control system (102) for determining illumination settings for a lighting system (100) comprising one or more lighting devices (110, 112) installed in a physical environment (130), comprising: an input interface configured to obtain a first contextual characteristic of the physical environment (130), a processor (106) communicatively coupled to a virtual reality system or an augmented reality system (200), the processor (106) configured to: access a memory (204) of the virtual reality system or the augmented reality system (200), the memory (204) storing one or more illumination settings associated with second contextual characteristics of a virtual environment (230) to be rendered on a display

obtain, from the one or more illumination settings, an illumination setting associated with a second contextual characteristic of the virtual environment (230) that corresponds to the first contextual characteristic of the physical environment (130), and control the one or more lighting devices (110, 112) to apply the selected illumination setting in the physical environment (130), wherein the first and second contextual characteristics are user activities performed by a user, times of day or times of year and/or types of the physical and/or virtual environment.