LOAD CONTROL SYSTEM HAVING A VISIBLE LIGHT SENSOR

• US 20170171941A1
• Filed: 12/09/2016
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Lutron Electronics Company Incorporated (Lutron Electronics)
• Inventors: STEINER, JAMES P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,264,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23153 Controlled load, lightbulb, roller blind itself acts as display to acknowledge command
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A sensor for sensing environmental characteristics of a space may include a visible light sensing circuit for recording an image of the space and a control circuit responsive to the visible light sensing circuit. The control circuit may detect an occupancy or vacancy condition in the space in response to the visible light sensing circuit, and measure a light level in the space in response to the visible light sensing circuit. The control circuit may also include a low-energy occupancy sensing circuit for detecting an occupancy condition in the space. The control circuit may disable the visible light sensing circuit when the space is vacant. The control circuit may detect an occupancy condition in the space in response to the low-energy occupancy sensing circuit and subsequently enable the visible light sensing circuit. The visible light sensor may be configured in a way that protects the privacy of the occupants of the space.

Claims

1. A sensor for sensing environmental characteristics of a space, the sensor comprising:

a visible light sensing circuit configured to record an image of the space; and

a control circuit configured to sense a first environmental characteristic of the space by applying a first mask to focus on a first region of interest of the image, and to sense a second environmental characteristic of the space by applying a second mask to focus on a second region of interest of the image.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to apply the first mask to focus on the first region of interest of the image in order to detect at least one of an occupancy condition and a vacancy condition in the space.

3. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to apply the second mask to focus on the second region of interest of the image in order to measure a light level in the space.

4. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to apply the first mask to focus on the first region of interest of the image and to apply the second mask to focus on the second region of interest of the image in order to detect at least one of an occupancy condition and a vacancy condition in the space.

5. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust an operational characteristic of the sensor to a first level when applying the first mask to focus on the first region of interest of the image, and to adjust the operational characteristic of the sensor to a second level when applying the second mask to focus on the second region of interest of the image.

6. A sensor for sensing environmental characteristics of a space, the sensor comprising:

a visible light sensing circuit configured to record an image of the space; and

a control circuit configured to perform a number of sequential sensor events for sensing a plurality of environmental characteristics in response to the image, each sensor event characterized by one of the plurality of environmental characteristics to detect during the sensor event and a respective mask;

wherein the control circuit is configured to perform one of the sensor events to sense the respective environmental characteristic by applying the respective mask to the image to focus on a region of interest and process the portion of the image in the region of interested using to a predetermined algorithm for sensing the respective environmental characteristic.

7. The sensor of claim 6, wherein each sensor event is further characterized by one or more operational characteristics.

8. The sensor of claim 6, wherein the image comprises a raw image or a preprocessed image.

9. A sensor for sensing environmental characteristics of a space, the visible light sensor comprising:

a visible light sensing circuit configured to record an image of the space;

a control circuit configured to;

determine which one or more modes the visible light sensor is performing, wherein the one or more modes comprises a daylight glare mode, a daylighting mode, a color temperature mode, or an occupancy/vacancy mode; and

perform differently based on which one or modes the visible light sensor is performing.

10. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the control circuit is configured to:

based on the control circuit determining that the visible light sensor is performing in a daylight glare mode;

identify an intensity of light presented at the task area within the recorded image of the space; and

based on the intensity of light presented on the task area being the intensity of light representative of sunlight, adjust a motorized window treatment so that the intensity of light representative of sunlight is prevented from presenting at the task area.

11. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the control circuit is configured to:

based on the control circuit determining that the visible light sensor is performing in a daylighting mode;

identify the intensity of light presented at the task area within the recorded image of the space;

adjust an intensity level of a light source presented at the task area;

monitor the adjustment of the intensity level of the light source presented at the task area in the recorded image until the intensity of light presented at the task area is a preferred intensity of the light to be presented at the task area; and

stop the adjustment of the intensity level of the light source presented at the task area in the recorded image when the intensity of light presented at the task area is a preferred intensity of the light to be presented at the task area.

12. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the control circuit is configured to:

based on the control circuit determining that the visible light sensor is performing in a color temperature mode;

identify a color temperature presented at the region of interest within the recorded image of the space;

adjust the light source to present another color temperature at the region of interest within the recorded image of the space;

monitor the adjustment of the light source to present the other color temperature at the region of interest within the recorded image of the space until the color temperature of the other color temperature presented at the region of interest within the recorded image of the space is a preferred color temperature to be presented at the region of interest; and

stop the adjustment of the light source to present the other color temperature at the region of interest within the recorded image of the space when the color temperature presented at the region of interest is a preferred color temperature to be presented at the region of interest.

13. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the control circuit is configured to:

based on the control circuit determining that the visible light sensor is performing in an occupancy/vacancy mode;

identify that a user enters or exits the region of interest in the recorded image of the space; and

adjust a load control device differently based on whether the user enters the region of interest or the user exits the region of interest.

14. A sensor for sensing environmental characteristics of a space, the sensor comprising:

a visible light sensing circuit configured to record an image of the space; and

a control circuit configured to detect at least one of an occupancy condition and a vacancy condition in the space in response to the visible light sensing circuit, the control circuit further configured to measure a light level in the space in response to the visible light sensing circuit.

15. The sensor of claim 14, wherein the control circuit is configured to focus on a region of interest in the image of the space and to measure the light level in the region of interest.

16. The sensor of claim 15, wherein the control circuit is configured to apply a digital mask to the image so as to ignore areas of the image outside of the region of interest when measuring the light level in the region.

17. A sensor for sensing an environmental characteristic of a space, the sensor comprising:

a visible light sensing circuit configured to record an image of the space;

a low-energy occupancy sensing circuit configured to detect an occupancy condition in the space; and

a control circuit configured to disable the visible light sensing circuit when the space is vacant, the control circuit configured to detect an occupancy condition in the space in response to the low-energy occupancy sensing circuit and to subsequently enable the visible light sensing circuit.

18. The sensor of claim 17, wherein the control circuit is configured to detect that a vacancy condition in the space in response to the visible light sensor.

19. The sensor of claim 18, wherein the control circuit is configured to disable the visible light sensor after detecting the vacancy condition in the space.

20. The sensor of claim 17, further comprising:

a communication circuit configured to transmit and receive digital messages;

wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit a digital message indicating an occupancy condition via the communication circuit after detecting an occupancy condition in the space in response to the low-energy occupancy sensing circuit.

21. The sensor of claim 20, wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit a digital message indicating a vacancy condition via the communication circuit after detecting a vacancy condition in the space in response to the visible light sensing circuit.

22. The sensor of claim 17, wherein the control circuit is configured to detect that the occupancy condition is maintained in the space in response to the visible light sensor.

23. The sensor of claim 17, wherein the low-energy occupancy sensing circuit comprises a passive infrared sensing circuit.

24. The sensor of claim 17, wherein the visible light sensing circuit comprises a camera and an image processor.

25. The sensor of claim 17, wherein the environmental characteristic comprises a movement, a light intensity, a color temperature, the occupancy condition, or a vacancy condition.

26. The sensor of claim 17, wherein the control circuit is configured to:

detect the occupancy condition in the space while in an occupancy/vacancy mode; and

based on detecting the occupancy in the space, transmit a message to a load control device to adjust a light intensity presented by the load control device.

27. A method of configuring a visible light sensor mounted in a space, the visible light sensor installed at a location at which the visible light sensor can record an image of the space, the visible light sensor configured to transmit and receive digital messages via a first communication link during operation, the method comprising:

recording an image of the space by the visible light sensor;

executing a configuration software on the visible light sensor to transmit a digital representation of the image to a network device via a second communication link;

setting at least one configuration parameter of the visible light sensor at the network device using the digital representation of the image;

transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor; and

subsequently installing operation software in place of the configuration software, wherein the operation software is configured to operate according to the at least one configuration parameter, and wherein the visible light sensor is unable to transmit digital messages via the second communication link while executing the operation software during operation.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the configuration software configures the visible light sensor to operate in a plurality of modes of operation during the execution of the operation software, wherein the plurality of modes of operation comprise at least one of a daylighting mode, a daylight glare mode, a color temperature mode, or an occupancy/vacancy mode.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the configuration software configures the visible light sensor to alternate sequentially between the plurality of modes of operation after expiration of predefined periods of time during the execution of the operation software.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the configuration software configures the visible light sensor to alternate between different modes of the plurality of modes of operation based on identification of different environmental characteristics in the image.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one configuration parameter relates to a respective mode of the plurality of modes of operation.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

transmitting the digital messages via the first communication link during operation of the visible light sensor, wherein the digital messages comprise load control instructions for controlling an electrical load.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor comprises transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor via the first communication link or second communication link.

34. A sensor mountable in a space, the sensor comprising:

a visible light sensing circuit configured to record an image of a space;

a first communication circuit configured to transmit and receive digital messages via a first communication link during operation;

a second communication circuit configured to transmit and receive digital messages via a second communication link during configuration; and

a control circuit configured to;

execute a configuration software to transmit a digital representation of the image to a network device via the second communication link,

receive at least one configuration parameter from the network device in response to the digital representation of the image; and

subsequently install operation software in place of the configuration software, wherein the operation software is configured to operate according to the at least one configuration parameter, and wherein the operation software is configured to be unable to transmit digital messages via the second communication link while executing the operation software during operation.

35. The sensor of claim 34, wherein the configuration software is configured to enable the control circuit to operate in a plurality of modes of operation during the execution of the operation software, wherein the plurality of modes of operation comprise at least one of a daylighting mode, a daylight glare mode, a color temperature mode, or an occupancy/vacancy mode.

36. The sensor of claim 35, wherein the configuration software is configured to enable the control circuit to alternate sequentially between the plurality of modes of operation after expiration of predefined periods of time during the execution of the operation software.

37. The sensor of claim 35, wherein the configuration software is configured to enable the control circuit to alternate between different modes of the plurality of modes of operation based on identification of different environmental characteristics in the image.

38. The sensor of claim 35, wherein the at least one configuration parameter relates to a respective mode of the plurality of modes of operation.

39. The sensor of claim 34, wherein the control circuit is further configured to transmit the digital messages via the first communication link during operation of the visible light sensor, wherein the digital messages comprise load control instructions for controlling an electrical load.

40. The sensor of claim 34, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the at least one configuration parameter via the first communication link or second communication link.

41. A method of configuring a visible light sensor mounted in a space, the visible light sensor installed at a location at which the visible light sensor can record an image of the space, the visible light sensor configured to transmit and receive digital messages via a first communication link during operation, the method comprising:

installing a configuration module in the visible light sensor, the configuration module enabling the visible light sensor to transmit and receive digital messages via a second communication link;

recording an image of the space by the visible light sensor;

transmitting a digital representation of the image from the visible light sensor to a network device via the second communication link while the configuration module is installed in the visible light sensor;

setting at least one configuration parameter of the visible light sensor at the network device using the digital representation of the image;

transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor wherein the visible light sensor is configured to operate according to the at least one configuration parameter; and

uninstalling the configuration module from the visible light sensor to prevent the visible light sensor from subsequently transmitting digital messages via the second communication link during operation.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

operating the visible light sensor in a plurality of modes of operation, wherein the plurality of modes of operation comprise at least one of a daylighting mode, a daylight glare mode, a color temperature mode, or an occupancy/vacancy mode.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the visible light sensor alternates sequentially between the plurality of modes of operation after expiration of predefined periods of time.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the visible light sensor alternates between different modes of the plurality of modes of operation based on identification of different environmental characteristics in the image.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the at least one configuration parameter relates to a respective mode of the plurality of modes of operation.

46. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

transmitting the digital messages via the first communication link during operation of the visible light sensor, wherein the digital messages comprise load control instructions for controlling an electrical load.

47. The method of claim 41, wherein transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor comprises transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor via the first communication link or second communication link.

48. A sensor mountable in a space, the sensor comprising:

a visible light sensing circuit configured to record an image of a space;

a first communication circuit configured to transmit and receive digital messages via a first communication link during operation;

a connector adapted to be connected to a removable configuration module, the removable configuration module configured to transmit and receive digital messages via a second communication link during configuration; and

a control circuit configured to;

transmit a digital representation of the image to a network device via second communication link while the removable configuration module is installed in the visible light sensor during configuration, wherein the control circuit is unable to transmit the digital messages via the second communication link while the removable configuration module is uninstalled from the visible light sensor; and

receive at least one configuration parameter of the visible light sensor from the network device in response to the digital representation of the image,

wherein the operation software is configured to operate according to the at least one configuration parameter, and prevent the visible light sensor from subsequently transmitting digital messages via the second communication link during operation.

49. The sensor of claim 48, wherein the control circuit is configured to operate in a plurality of modes of operation, wherein the plurality of modes of operation comprise at least one of a daylighting mode, a daylight glare mode, a color temperature mode, or an occupancy/vacancy mode.

50. The sensor of claim 49, wherein the control circuit is configured to alternate sequentially between the plurality of modes of operation after expiration of predefined periods of time during the execution of the operation software.

51. The sensor of claim 49, wherein the control circuit is configured to alternate between different modes of the plurality of modes of operation based on identification of different environmental characteristics in the image.

52. The sensor of claim 49, wherein the at least one configuration parameter relates to a respective mode of the plurality of modes of operation.

53. The sensor of claim 48, wherein the digital messages configured to be transmitted via the first communication link during operation comprise load control instructions for controlling an electrical load.

54. The sensor of claim 48, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the at least one configuration parameter via the first communication link or second communication link.

55. A method of configuring a visible light sensor mounted in a space, the visible light sensor configured to be installed at a location at which the visible light sensor can record an image of the space, the visible light sensor configured to transmit and receive digital message via a first communication link during operation, the method comprising:

installing a configuration sensor at the location at which the visible light sensor is to be installed;

recording a first image of the space by the configuration sensor;

transmit a digital representation of the image from the configuration sensor to a network device via a second communication link;

setting at least one configuration parameter of the visible light sensor at the network device using the digital representation of the image;

uninstalling the configuration sensor;

installing the visible light sensor at the location at which the visible light sensor can record a second image of the space; and

transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor, wherein the visible light sensor operates according to the at least one configuration parameter during operation.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

operating the visible light sensor in a plurality of modes of operation, wherein the plurality of modes of operation comprise at least one of a daylighting mode, a daylight glare mode, a color temperature mode, or an occupancy/vacancy mode.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the visible light sensor alternates sequentially between the plurality of modes of operation after expiration of predefined periods of time.

58. The method of claim 56, wherein the visible light sensor alternates between different modes of the plurality of modes of operation based on identification of different environmental characteristics in the second image.

59. The method of claim 56, wherein the at least one configuration parameter relates to a respective mode of the plurality of modes of operation.

60. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

transmitting the digital messages via the first communication link during operation of the visible light sensor, wherein the digital messages comprise load control instructions for controlling an electrical load.

61. The method of claim 55, wherein transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor comprises transmitting the at least one configuration parameter to the visible light sensor via the first communication link.

62. The method of claim 55, wherein the visible light sensor is unable to transmit digital messages via the second communication link.

63. A network device for configuring a load control system, the load control system including a plurality of load control devices configured to control respective electrical loads in response to load control instructions, the configuration sensor comprising:

a communication circuit configured to transmit and receive digital messages via a communication link; and

a control circuit configured to;

receive a digital representation of an image of a space via the communication link;

use the digital representation to set at least one configuration parameter for configuring a visible light sensor to control at least one load control device of the plurality of load control devices; and

transmit the at least one configuration parameter via the communication link for configuring the visible light sensor to sense environmental characteristics in the space.