Bright Ideas in Gesture-Controlled Smart Lighting

Introduction

We've all been there - you're settled in for a focused and productive work session, and suddenly you realize you need to get up to turn on the light. It's a small annoyance, but one that can be frustrating nonetheless.

But what if you could avoid this hassle altogether? What if you could control the lighting in your home with just a simple hand gesture? Thanks to advances in gesture-controlled technology, this vision is becoming a reality. In this article, we'll explore Infineon's innovative solution for a gesture-controlled smart lamp, and show you how it can make your life easier and more convenient.

Hardware Setup

Many devices like office lamps can be controlled by gestures. An overview of the used producs is presentend in the block diagram below.

This block diagram illustrates a fully integrated lighting solution based on Infineon technology, where the lamp is controlled via gestures using a 60GHz radar. The power stage is based on the PFC Flyback board REF_ICL8810_LED_43W_BM or an equivalent. The secondary stage uses two identical channels of the ILD8150 tunable white board REF_TW_ILD8150E_60V_1A , supplying two tunable white LED strips with a rated voltage of 48V and a maximum current of 1A. The system maximum voltage is 56V, so to achieve maximum efficiency we have to choose LED voltage close to the maximum.

The system begins by converting AC input into a regulated DC voltage through a Power Factor Correction (PFC) module and DC/DC buck converters. The auxiliary supply powers low-voltage circuits, while the tunable-white/dimming module adjusts the light’s brightness and color. Both boards REF_ICL8810_LED_43W_BM and REF_TW_ILD8150E_60V_1A can simply be plugged together.

Gesture recognition is enabled by the XENSIV™ KIT CSK BGT60TR13C radar, which identifies gestures like push (on/off), left/right (color change), and forward/back (dimming up/down). The radar board sends PWM control signals with a frequency of 250Hz from its pins 9.0 and 10.4 to the tunable white board’s DIM1 and DIM2 pins. Connect accordingly:

When the radar board detects the push gesture, it switches PWM signals on/off at the last saved point. When the radar detects gesture up/down it increases/decreases DIM1 and DIM2 PWM duty cycles accordingly. When the radar board detects left/right gestures it changes the ratio of two PWM signals, increasing one and decreasing the second (changing color temperature).

The LED strips are connected to sockets LED1 and LED2. The maximum LED current is defined by jumpers X9 and X29. For the existing office lamp 700mA is enough.

The REF_TW_ILD8150E_60V_1A LED driver has an auxiliary power supply, 3.3V with maximum of 500mW. But the radar board consumes up to 3W, so an external AC/DC 5W microUSB charger is used in the project. The radar algorithm could be further optimized to reduce power consumption. check out the inside of our gesture control smart lamp:

Software

Developing a radar-based gesture detection system requires a combination of advanced hardware and sophisticated software. At the heart of our system is a XENSIV 60-GHz radar sensor, capable of capturing high-resolution data on object movements.

To process this data, we've developed a custom software application running on a PSoC6 microcontroller. Our software utilizes a gesture algorithm to interpret the radar data and identify specific hand movements, such as pushes. By analyzing the radar signals, the algorithm can detect subtle changes in movement patterns, enabling accurate gesture recognition.

Through the integration of advanced radar technology and sophisticated software, our system can reliably detect hand pushes and other gestures, paving the way for innovative applications in fields such as human-machine interaction and IoT development.

The accompanying GIFs demonstrate our system's ability to detect various gesture movements, including pushing, swiping down, and swiping left. However the software includes detecting swipes in all directions, such as up and right. By fine-tuning our algorithm and optimizing system parameters, we aim to successfully detect all these movements.

The code implementation that enables this gesture recognition capability is provided at the end of this article. Our system can currently accurately detect the following gestures:

With our gesture recognition system in place, we can now take it to the next level by integrating the smart lighting system. The ultimate goal is to create a seamless and intuitive user experience, where the lamp settings are adjusted in response to the detected gestures.

Upon successful detection of a gesture, our system sends a corresponding command to the lamp controller, which then adjusts the lighting settings accordingly. For instance, a push gesture might trigger the lamp to switch on or off, while a swipe gesture could adjust the brightness or color temperature of the light.

Farewell

As we conclude this project, we're thrilled to share the final video of our smart lamp in action. Watch as our gesture recognition system seamlessly integrates with the lamp controller, responding to every push, swipe, and gesture with precision and accuracy.

We're grateful for the opportunity to share our knowledge and passion with you, and we hope that our project has inspired you to explore the world of gesture recognition and smart home automation.

If you're interested in learning more, we encourage you to check out other projects and tutorials that might spark your creativity and curiosity. Who knows what innovative ideas you'll come up with?