Abstract: An LED lighting unit comprising a support structure (14), an LED-based light emitting structure (10) mounted within the support structure and an optical beam shaping arrangement (50, 52) over the top of the support structure. The optical beam shaping arrangement comprises an optically transparent and thermally stable material, and the support structure supports the microstructured layer at a small height above the LED-based light emitting structure. This height may for example be less than 0.5 mm. The optical beam shaping arrangement enables a compact and low height lighting unit to be mounted on a carrier by reflow soldering without damaging the optical beam-shaping component.

Abstract: An actuator comprises an electroactive polymer layer (402) and stretchable electrode structures (410, 411) that are disposed on each side of the electroactive polymer layer (402). A softer passive layer (401) is secured to one of the stretchable electrode structures (410, 411). When compressed transversally by the stretchable electrode structures (410, 411), the electroactive polymer layer (402) will expand tangentially and the actuator will relax into a shape wherein the interior of the electroded region is substantially parallel to the plane of the device, while a substantial portion of the area increase is absorbed by out-of-plane bends arising at the electrode boundary (duck mode). The invention can be embodied as optically reflective or refractive devices with variable geometry.

Abstract: A lighting unit comprising a tapering cavity surrounded by a circumferential reflective wall and extending between a light emission window and a light entrance surface where a light source is (to be) mounted. An optical plate having a light outcoupling structure is provided at the light emission window for redirecting and issuing light as a uniform lighting unit light beam. Said uniform lighting unit light beam has a first beam emission angle ? in a first direction and optionally, for example for a rectangular shaped light emission window, a second beam emission angle ? in a second direction transverse to the first direction. The tapering cavity having a first cut-off angle ? in said first direction, wherein ?=?+2*? with 0°<?<=10°, and optionally a second cut-off angles in the second direction transverse to the first direction wherein ?=?+? with 0°<=?<=10°.

Abstract: The invention relates to an actuator device (400) comprising an active layer (410) having directly or indirectly a skin layer (420) on top that can be touched by when in use by a user. The configuration of the active layer (410) can controllably be changed in an extension direction (x, y), and the skin layer (420) comprises a plurality of elevations (E) and intermediate recesses (R). Due to its structure, the skin layer (420) does not hinder conformation changes of the active layer (410) in the extension direction, while it provides favorable tactile characteristics of the actuator device (400). The active layer (410) may particularly comprise an electroactive polymer (EAP). The skin layer (420) may be composed of a plurality of grains isolated from each other, or it may comprise a thin surface layer (421) that is stiffer than the active layer (410).

Abstract: The invention provides a lighting unit (100) comprising (a) a lighting unit cavity (130), (b) a light source unit (110), for light source unit light (111), wherein the light source unit (110) comprises a light source (1100) and a collimator (1200), and (c) a light exit window (120), configured to enclose at least part of the lighting unit cavity (130) and configured to allow transmission of at least part of the light source unit light (111) as a beam of light (101), wherein the light exit window (120) comprises an upstream face (125) and a downstream face (126), with the upstream face (125) directed to the lighting unit cavity (130); wherein the upstream face (125) comprises light outcoupling structures (140), configured to couple the light source unit light (111) via the light exit window (120) out of the lighting unit (100).

Abstract: An actuator comprises an electroactive polymer layer (402) and a stretchable electrode structure (403) disposed at a first side of the electroactive polymer layer and further a counter electrode layer (401) disposed on a second side of the electroactive polymer layer, wherein the ratio YC/YEAP of the elastic modulus YC of the counter electrode layer and the elastic modulus YEAP of the electroactive polymer layer is at least 10. When compressed transversally by the electrodes, the electroactive polymer will expand tangentially and the actuator will relax into a shape wherein the interior of the electroded region is substantially recessed parallel to the plane of the device, while a substantial portion of the area increase is absorbed by out-of-plane bends arising at the electrode boundary (duck mode). The invention can be embodied as optically reflective or refractive devices with variable geometry.

Abstract: The invention provides a lighting unit (100) comprising (a) a lighting unit cavity (130), (b) a light source unit (110), for light source unit light (111), wherein the light source unit (110) comprises a light source (1100) and a collimator (1200), and (c) a light exit window (120), configured to enclose at least part of the lighting unit cavity (130) and configured to allow transmission of at least part of the light source unit light (111) as a beam of light (101), wherein the light exit window (120) comprises an upstream face (125) and a downstream face (126), with the upstream face (125) directed to the lighting unit cavity (130); wherein the upstream face (125) comprises light outcoupling structures (140), configured to couple the light source unit light (111) via the light exit window (120) out of the lighting unit (100).

Abstract: The invention relates to a diffuser (1) for use in a lighting device. The diffuser (1) comprises an at least partially transparent first layer (10) and an adjoining at least partially transparent second layer (20), the first layer being continuous and comprising a stretchable elastomer, the second layer being a segmented layer comprising a material with a high effective stiffness measured as the product of the thickness of the material and the elastic modulus of the material. The second layer (20) comprises a non-periodic pattern of segments (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, 21e) having different dimensions. The diffuser is stretchable between a first position in which the first layer is in a non-stretched state and the segments of the second layer are arranged adjacent each other such as to form a substantially continuous layer, and a second position in which the first layer is stretched out and the segments of the second layer are separated from each other such that part of the first layer is exposed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a foldable tactile display (1) and a method of operating it. The foldable tactile display comprises a plurality of actuators (2), one or more sensors (3-6), and a computing unit (7). The computing unit is able to control the plurality of actuators in response to the received command signals and sensor signals. In an embodiment, the tactile foldable display is used in connection with multimedia content. The foldable tactile display may be in the form of a tactile blanket.

Abstract: The invention relates to a display device (100-300) that comprises an image display unit (IDU) for displaying a visual image in combination with an adjacent topology display unit (TDU) that can controllably change the topology on a tactile display surface (TDS). Hence both visual and tactile information can be represented and can be related to each other by a control unit (CU).

Abstract: The invention relates to a diffuser (1) for use in a lighting device. The diffuser (1) comprises an at least partially transparent first layer (10) and an adjoining at least partially transparent second layer (20), the first layer being continuous and comprising a stretchable elastomer, the second layer being a segmented layer comprising a material with a high effective stiffness measured as the product of the thickness of the material and the elastic modulus of the material. The second layer (20) comprises a non-periodic pattern of segments (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, 21e) having different dimensions. The diffuser is stretchable between a first position in which the first layer is in a non-stretched state and the segments of the second layer are arranged adjacent each other such as to form a substantially continuous layer, and a second position in which the first layer is stretched out and the segments of the second layer are separated from each other such that part of the first layer is exposed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a lighting device (100) comprising a light source (110) and an optical component (120) adapted for obtaining a predetermined light distribution (300) at a target area (400). The optical component has a substrate (122) comprising a material that is capable of controllably changing shape when an activating force is applied thereto, and one or more optical elements (121). The substrate further comprises a material capable of being switched from a first state comprising a first static modulus to a second state comprising a second static modulus by means of an external stimulus (140), the first static modulus being smaller than the second static modulus, the static modulus being calculated as the ratio of strain to stress of the substrate under static conditions. This material is capable of controllably changing shape in the first state and being dimensionally stable in the second state, when no activating force is applied thereto.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for conveying an emotion to a person being exposed to multimedia information, such as a media clip, by way of tactile stimulation using a plurality of actuators arranged in a close vicinity of the person's body, the method comprising the step of providing tactile stimulation information for controlling the plurality of actuators, wherein the plurality of actuators are adapted to stimulate multiple body sites in a body region, the tactile stimulation information comprises a sequence of tactile stimulation patterns, wherein each tactile stimulation pattern controls the plurality of actuators in time and space to enable the tactile stimulation of the body region, and the tactile stimulation information is synchronized with the media clip. An advantage with the present invention is thus that emotions can be induced, or strengthened, at the right time (e.g. synchronized with a specific situation in the media clip).

Abstract: A controllable polymer actuator (1) comprising a dielectric elastomeric film (2); a first (3) and a second (4) deformable electrode arranged on opposite sides of the dielectric elastomeric film such that application of a voltage between the electrodes causes an active portion (7) of the controllable polymer actuator to change topography. The controllable polymer actuator (1) further comprises a deformation controlling layer (5, 6) connected to the dielectric elastomeric film. The deformation controlling layer at least locally has a higher stiffness than the dielectric elastomeric film, and exhibits a spatially varying stiffness across the active portion (7). This may enable surface topographies that could not at all be achieved using previously known controllable polymer actuators and/or may enable a certain surface topography to be achieved with a simpler electrode pattern and/or fewer individually controllable electrodes.

Abstract: The physiological condition of a person is determined in physiological condition determining system by using a sensor for sampling a plurality of heart beats of the person, and using a control unit to perform the acts of: extracting a series of cardiac R-R intervals from the heart beat samples, providing a two-dimensional representation of subsequent R-R intervals, wherein two subsequent R-R interval forms an entry in the two-dimensional representation resulting in a plurality of entries, determining a centroid, an average radius and an average rotation frequency for the plurality of entries in the two-dimensional representation, determining a plurality of distances between the radius and each of the entries in the two-dimensional representation, and determining the physiological condition of the person using the radius in combination with the plurality of distances.

Abstract: A method of providing a user interface for controlling a system (1;27) includes observing a presence of a body or body part of a user in a certain environment of a device (6,14-17;30). At least a perceptible part (28,34) of the user interface is made available to the user in association with a particular functionality for interacting with the system (1;27) controlled by the user interface in dependence on a rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment.

Abstract: A method of providing a user interface for controlling a system includes observing a presence of a body or body part of a user in a certain environment of a device. At least a perceptible part of the user interface is made available to the user in association with a particular functionality for interacting with the system controlled by the user interface in dependence on a rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment.

Abstract: There is provided a fall prevention system that is suitable for being worn by a user, comprising a sensor for determining an indication of the risk of the user falling; two or more feedback devices for attachment to respective parts of the user's body, each feedback device being controllable to apply feedback to said respective part; and a controller configured to control the two or more feedback devices such that feedback is applied to a particular part of the user's body in response to the determined indication.

Abstract: This invention relates to a servo system for operating an exoskeleton adapted to encircle an object of interest and for supplying a force thereon. A servomotor is coupled to a power source and operates the position of the exoskeleton and thus the force exerted by the exoskeleton on the object of interest. A measuring unit measures a raw driving current signal Iraw supplied by the power source to drive the servomotor. A low pass filter applies a low pass frequency filtering on the measured a filtered current signal Ifiltered. A processing unit determines an actuated current signal Iactuated based on the servomotor setting parameters, where Iactuated indicates the contribution to Iraw from the servomotor when operating the position of the exoskeleton. The processing unit also determines a driving force current signal Iforce indicating the force exerted by the exoskeleton on the object of interest, where Iforce is proportional to the difference between Ifiltered and Iactuated.

Abstract: A method of adapting an environment of a terminal (2) includes: —receiving data (27) from an external source at the terminal (2); —receiving monitoring data from a system for monitoring at least one user in the environment; and —controlling at least one output device for providing an output perceptible in the environment, the output being adjusted in dependence on the monitoring data. At least one segment including data pertaining to at least one mental state is retrieved from the data (27) from the external source, and the adjustment in dependence on the monitoring data is effected at least partly on the basis of the data pertaining to the at least one mental state.