Intelligent shading object movement based on sun sensor intensity

Abstract

An intelligent umbrella includes a light sensor to generate a light intensity measurement, a motor to move the light sensor about an azimuth axis, the light sensor generating a plurality of light intensity measurements and associated locations. The intelligent umbrella also includes a controller to receive the plurality of light intensity measurements from the light sensor, and to identify a highest light sensor measurement of the plurality of light sensor measurements and an associated location. The controller generates and communicates a command including the associated location to a motor, which receives the command and moves the light sensor to the associated location. The controller moves a light sensor about an elevation axis, determines a peak intensity value and corresponding elevation location, and moves the light sensor to the corresponding elevation location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An intelligent umbrella, comprising:
 a light sensor to generate a light intensity measurement;   a motor to move the light sensor about an azimuth axis, the light sensor generating a plurality of light intensity measurements and associated locations;   a controller to receive the plurality of light intensity measurements from the light sensor, and identify a highest light sensor measurement of the plurality of light sensor measurements and an associated location, the controller to generate and communicate a command including the associated location, wherein the motor receives the command and moves the light sensor to the associated location.   
     
     
         2 . The intelligent umbrella of  claim 1 , further comprising the controller to generate and communicate instructions to the motor to move the light sensor 360 degrees about the azimuth axis. 
     
     
         3 . The intelligent umbrella of  claim 2 , wherein the light sensor generates greater than 100 measurements during movement of the light sensor about the azimuth axis. 
     
     
         4 . The intelligent umbrella of  claim 1 , further comprising an additional motor to move the light sensor about an elevation axis, the light sensor generating a second plurality of light intensity measurements and associated elevation locations. 
     
     
         5 . The intelligent umbrella of  claim 1 , further comprising the controller to receive the second plurality of light intensity measurements and identify a largest light intensity measurement of the second plurality of light intensity measurements and an associated elevation measurement. 
     
     
         6 . The intelligent umbrella of  claim 1 , further comprising the controller to communicate the associated elevation measurement to the second motor, the second motor to move the light sensor to the associated elevation measurement. 
     
     
         7 . A method of positioning a shading element in a shading object comprising:
 moving a sun sensor about an azimuth axis;   generating a plurality of sun sensor values for a plurality of locations about the azimuth axis;   capturing a peak intensity sun sensor value and corresponding peak intensity location;   moving the shading element to the peak intensity location about the azimuth axis.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the sun sensor is moved 360 degrees about an azimuth axis. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of sun sensor values is greater than 100 sun sensor values. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising moving a sun sensor about an elevation axis. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising generating a second plurality of sun sensor values for a second plurality of locations about the elevation axis and capturing a peak intensity value and corresponding peak intensity location about the elevation axis from the second plurality of sun sensor values. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising moving the shading element to the corresponding peak intensity location about the elevation axis. 
     
     
         13 . An article, comprising:
 one or more processors;   a non-transitory storage medium, comprising computer-readable instructions stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions which when executed cause an umbrella to:   move a light sensor about an azimuth axis;   generate a plurality of light sensor intensity values for a plurality of locations about the azimuth axis;   capture a peak light sensor intensity value and corresponding peak intensity location;   move the shading element to the peak intensity location about the azimuth axis.   
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the light sensor is moved 360 degrees about the azimuth axis. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the plurality of light sensor intensity values is greater than 100 light sensor intensity values. 
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 13 , further comprising computer-readable instructions which when executed by the one or more processors cause the umbrella to move a light sensor about an elevation axis. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising computer-readable instructions which when executed by the one or more processors cause the umbrella to: generate a second plurality of light sensor intensity values for a second plurality of locations about the elevation axis and capture a peak intensity value and corresponding peak intensity location about the elevation axis from the second plurality of light sensor intensity values. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising computer-readable instructions which when executed by the processors cause the umbrella to: move the shading element to the corresponding peak intensity location about the elevation axis. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 capturing, utilizing a Global Positioning System receiver, a reference time, a local time, and/or a number of days since start of a year of the shading object;   calculating an azimuth angle and an elevation angle for the shading object based, at least in part, on the captured reference time, the captured local time, and/or the number of days since start of the year; and   moving the shading element to the calculated azimuth angle and the calculated elevation angle.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 capturing using a digital compass, a true North reading and determining an direction/orientation reading of the shading object;   calculating an updated azimuth angle and an updated elevation angle for the shading object based, at least in part, on the determined direction/orientation reading; and   moving the shading element to the calculated updated azimuth angle and the calculated updated elevation angle.