SENSOR ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTROLLING ROOM LIGHTING, SENSOR NETWORK FOR CONTROLLING ROOM LIGHTING AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ROOM LIGHTING

• US 20150181662A1
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ams AG (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: ams AG (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: GHOSHAL, Sajol Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/325 Pulse-width modulation [PWM]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A sensor arrangement for controlling room lighting comprises a light sensor and a controller. The light sensor is arranged for both detecting an ambient light level and for detecting a remote signal to be emitted by a remote control unit. A detection signal is providing at a sensor terminal and is indicative of the ambient light level and indicative of the remote signal. The controller comprises an input terminal connected to the sensor terminal and comprises a controller means to generate a control signal depending on the detection signal to control a light source to be connected at an output terminal.

Claims

1. A sensor arrangement for controlling room lighting, comprising:

a light sensor arranged for detecting an ambient light level, in particular, arranged for detecting a photopic and/or scotopic ambient light level-, and for detecting a remote signal to be emitted by a remote control unit, and providing at a sensor terminal a detection signal indicative of the ambient light level and indicative of the remote signal, and

a controller comprising an input terminal connected to the sensor terminal and comprising a controller means to generate a control signal depending on the detection signal to control a light source to be connected at an output terminal.

2. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the detection signal comprises a light signal portion indicative of the ambient light level, and further comprises a remote signal portion indicative of the remote signal.

3. The sensor arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the light sensor comprises

a first sensor means being sensitive to visible light and generating the light signal portion,

a second sensor means being sensitive to infrared light to be emitted by the remote control unit and generating the remote signal portion.

4. The sensor arrangement according to claim 3, wherein

the first sensor means comprises an array of photo-diodes and

the second sensor means comprises an infrared photo-diode or an array of infrared photo-diodes.

5. The sensor arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the controller means is arranged to adjust a light output of the light source depending on the ambient light level with respect to a target value and/or is arranged to adjust control parameters of the light source depending on the remote signal, in particular arranged to adjust the target value, a color temperature, and/or control parameter presets.

6. The sensor arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the controller means comprises a micro-controller and/or control logic.

7. The sensor arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the controller means comprises a driver circuit for light emitting diodes and the light source comprises a light emitting diode or an array of light emitting diodes.

8. The sensor arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light sensor and the controller are integrated into a common module.

9. The sensor arrangement as in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a proximity sensor connected to the controller and providing at the sensor terminal a proximity signal wherein the controller is arranged to adjust the control parameters depending on the proximity signal.

10. The sensor network for controlling room lighting, comprising a plurality of sensor arrangements as in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each controller (2) comprises a communication means arranged for a bidirectional communication within the plurality of sensor arrangements.

11. The sensor network according to claim 10, wherein the communication means comprises a visible light communication interface, an infrared light communication interface, a Bluetooth interface, a wireless local area network interface, and/or a universal serial bus.

12. A method for controlling room lighting, comprising the steps of:

detecting using a light sensor an ambient light level, in particular, a photopic and/or scotopic ambient light level, and detecting a remote signal to be emitted by a remote control unit,

generating a detection signal indicative of the detected ambient light level and indicative of the detected remote signal, and

providing the detection signal at a controller- and generating a control signal depending on the detection signal to control a light source- to be connected to the controller-.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

adjusting a light output of the light source depending on the control signal with respect to a target value and/or

adjusting control parameters of the light source-depending on the control signal, in particular adjusting the target value, a color temperature, and/or control parameter presets.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising adjusting the control parameters depending on a proximity signal received from a proximity sensor and provided at the controller.

15. The method as in any one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising the steps of receiving and broadcasting the control parameters to at least one further controller coupled to the controller by means of a network designed for a bidirectional communication to the at least one further controller, in particular designed for a visible light communication, an infrared light communication, communication via Bluetooth, a wireless local area network, and/or a universal serial bus.