Wake-up light with individual functionality (02-Oct-2009)

Wake-up light with individual functionality

A wake-up light is a lighting device that generates light having a gradually increasing intensity starting at a certain time set by the user. The wake-up light imitates the light of the rising sun at morning, so that the wake-up experience of a user is improved.

It is proposed to equip a wake-up light with a number of additional functionalities that improve the user experience, in particular in situations where two or more persons are present in the bed room.

A first additional feature is an audio system that produces sound that can be aimed at a predefined spot. This can for example be achieved by tuning the phase shift of multiple speakers, so that the sound can be directed at a single spot corresponding with the position of only one of the persons present. An array of speakers can for example be placed above the bed. The sound can be of different nature, for example music, or an additional alarm sound at the desired wake-up time. When the sound is music, the dynamic range of the sound (i.e. the difference between the maximum and minimum amplitude of the sound) can be decreased by using integrated software, which makes the music more relaxing to listen to. The focusing sound system can also be used to generate sounds during the time periods (gaps) between consecutive snores produced by a snoring person. Filling the gaps between snores provides a more constant overall sound, tha...