Fig. 2 (a) illustrates the setting flow of lighting patterns.
One or more LEDs are selected as a target group by spotting with the backside light of a smartphone. Once the target is
specified, a lighting pattern is selected. The lighting patternof LEDs is divided into two types: independent blinking
and combination blinking. In independent blinking, each LED blinks independently as the name suggests, while combination blinking indicates that a group of LEDs blink in a coordinated manner. Combination blinking can further be classified into three types: blinking alternately odd-numbered LEDs and even-numbered LEDs, blinking in a spotted order, and turning on in a spotted order (and turning off after all LEDs turn on).
Fig. 2 (b) shows these selection panels. Additionally, four parameters are defined in blinking: color, blinking interval, transition, and rhythm. As shown in
Fig. 2(c), the blinking color parameter controls the color of LEDs with 24-bit RGB values. The blinking interval indicates the
period of time from lighting-on to lighting-out and vice versa. The user specifies the interval by pressing a button to set the period of “on”, and an image of a light on the panel replays the interval
(Fig. 2 (d)). This allows the user to express his/her desired lighting interval in an intuitive manner. The blinking transition was introduced to specify the pattern of change from lighting-on to lighting-out and vice versa, so that the lighting
changes 1) discretely (binary), 2) gradually or 3) continually “turning on”. Finally, the blinking rhythm controls the cycle
of lighting and lighting-out. By default, an LED blinks with a specific cycle; however, it can be changed, e.g., on, on, off, off, and on, by tapping on the line that indicates “on” and “off”. Thus, a user can express his/her idea for lighting control with four blinking patterns and four functional parameters.