ILLUMINATION APPARATUS AND BRIGHTNESS ADJUSTING METHOD

• US 20120027253A1
• Filed: 03/09/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: DAI, LUNG, ZHANG, SHAO-LIN
• Application Number:
  US13/043,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20120027253A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

An illumination apparatus comprises a control unit, an image capturing unit, a processor unit, a comparison unit, an adjustment unit and an illumination unit. The control unit generates a start signal in a predetermined time. The image capturing unit captures a plurality of images of ambient road condition according to the start signal. The processor unit extracts the edges of the vehicle from the captured images to obtain a current traffic. The adjustment unit generates different pulse voltages according to the different volume of traffic. The illumination unit emits light according to the different pulse voltages.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit adapted to capture the image of ambient road condition;

a processor unit adapted to extract the edges of the vehicle from the captured images to obtain current traffic;

an adjustment unit adapted to generate different pulse voltages according to different volume of traffic; and

an illumination unit adopted to emit light according to the pulse voltage.

2. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination apparatus further comprises a comparison unit, and the comparison unit is used for determining whether the traffic is at least a predetermined value and generate a control signal.

3. The illumination apparatus of claim 2, wherein the comparison unit comprises a first predetermined value and a second predetermined value, if the traffic is at least the first predetermined value, the comparison unit generates a first control signal, the adjustment unit generates a first pulse voltage according to the first control signal.

4. The illumination apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first predetermined value is larger than the second predetermined value.

5. The illumination apparatus of claim 3, wherein if the traffic is less than the first predetermined value but at least the second predetermined value, the comparison unit generates a second control signal and the adjustment unit generates a second pulse voltage according to the second control signal, the duty cycle of the pulse voltage is less than that of the first control signal.

6. The illumination apparatus of claim 3, wherein if the traffic is less than the second predetermined value, the comparison unit generates a third control signal, the adjustment unit stop generating pulse voltage according to the third control signal.

7. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the traffic is computed based on size of the captured images.

8. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination apparatus further comprises a control unit adapted to generate a start signal in a predetermined time to the image capturing unit, the image capturing unit captures a plurality of the images of ambient road condition according to the start signal.

9. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination unit is a LED street lamp, the image capturing unit is a camera set around the illumination unit.

10. A brightness adjusting method adapted to adjusting the brightness of an illumination apparatus, the adjusting method comprising:

capturing a list of the current images of ambient road condition;

processes the captured images to obtain current traffic;

generating different pulse voltages according to the volume of traffic; and

the illumination apparatus emitting light according to the pulse voltage.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the illumination apparatus comprises a first predetermined value and a second predetermined value and the first predetermined value is larger than the second predetermined value.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of determining whether the current traffic is at least the first predetermined value;

if the current traffic is at least the first predetermined value, generating a first control signal; and

generating a first pulse voltage according to the first control signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein if the current traffic is less than the first predetermined value, determining whether the current traffic is at least the second predetermined value;

if the traffic is at least the second predetermined value, generating a second pulse voltage; and

the illumination unit emitting light according to the second pulse voltage.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein if the current traffic is less than the second predetermined value, stop generating pulse voltage;

and

the illumination unit stop emitting light.

the illumination unit emitting light according to the first pulse voltage.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the traffic is computed based on the size of the captured images.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the illumination apparatus is a LED street lamp.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the traffic is computed base on the number of the vehicles of the captured images.