Automatic shut-off light system when user sleeps

• US 6,825,769 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Trajkovic, Miroslav, Gutta, Srinivas, Colmenarez, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US09/952,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20030052789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 340/575, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/540, 340/3.1, 434/238, 367/197, 367/198, 367/199
• US Class Current: 340/575
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A method and system for the automatic detection of a sleeping person and for adjusting electrical power supplied to a number of electronic devices; it includes a unit for observing the behavior of a person in a predetermined area under surveillance and a unit for analyzing output data from the observing unit to determine whether the observed behavior is associated with predefined sleeping behaviors. Upon recognition that the observed behavior indicates the sleeping state of a person, the electrical power supplied to the plurality of electronic devices is selectively adjusted according to predetermined criteria.

Claims

1. A method wherein at least one of a predetermined sleeping behaviors includes recognizing when a plurality of people enter an area a predetermined under surveillance and for providing variations in electrical power supplied to a plurality of devices in response to the detection of a sleeping person, said method comprising the steps of:

tracking behavior of a person in the predetermined area the under surveillance;

comparing said tracked behavior with at least one of a plurality of predetermined sleeping behaviors to establish a behavior match; and

,

if a match is established, adjusting the electrical power supplied to the plurality of said devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the plurality of said predetermined sleeping behaviors in a memory medium.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the predetermined sleeping behaviors includes recognizing when a particular person'"'"'s eyelids are closed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the predetermined sleeping behaviors includes recognizing when a particular person is snoring.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the predetermined sleeping behaviors includes recognizing when a particular person is motionless for a predetermined time period.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the behavior of said person is tracked with cameras.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the behavior of said person is tracked with sensors.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining at least a partial image of a face of the person containing an image of at least one eyelid.

9. A method wherein at least one of a predetermined sleeping behaviors includes recognizing when a plurality of people enter area a predetermined under surveillance implemented by a processor for adjusting electrical power supplied to a plurality of devices in predetermined area the under surveillance, said method comprising the steps of:

observing behavior a of a person in said predetermined area by comparing said observed behavior with at least one of a plurality of predetermined sleeping behaviors to establish a behavior match;

if a match is found, obtaining at least a partial image of a face of the person containing an image of at least one eyelid;

tracking an area around the eye region of the person to determine if said at least one eyelid is closed; and

,

if at least one said eyelid is closed, selectively adjusting the electrical power supplied to the plurality of said devices.

10. The method according to claim 9, if a match is not found, repeating said step of comparing said observed behavior with the plurality of said predetermined sleeping behaviors until a behavior match is established.

11. The method according to claim 9, if at least one said eyelid is not closed, repeating said step of tracking the area around the eye region until at least one said eyelid is closed.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of storing the plurality of said predetermined sleeping behaviors in a memory medium.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the predetermined sleeping behaviors includes recognizing when a particular person'"'"'s eyelids are closed.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the predetermined sleeping behaviors includes recognizing when a particular person is snoring.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the predetermined sleeping behaviors includes recognizing when a particular person is motionless for a predetermined time period.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the behavior of said person is observed with cameras.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein the behavior of said person is observed with sensors.

18. A system wherein an memory a means includes recognizing when a plurality of individuals enter an area an under surveillance for adjusting electrical power supplied to a plurality of devices in response to a detection of a sleeping person, said system comprising:

means for observing a behavior a of a person in a predetermined area under surveillance;

means for analyzing output data from said observing means to determine whether said observed behavior is associated with predefined sleeping behaviors;

means for storing said predefined sleeping behaviors; and

,

means for adjusting the electrical power supplied to the plurality of said devices.

19. The system according to claim 18, further comprising means for generating a control signal indicating that said observed behavior is associated with said predefined sleeping behaviors.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein said means for observing includes cameras.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein said means for observing includes sensors to sense snoring sounds.

22. The system according to claim 18, wherein said memory means includes recognizing when a particular person'"'"'s eyelids are in a closed state.

23. The system according to claim 18, wherein said memory means includes recognizing when a particular person is snoring.

24. The system according to claim 18, wherein said memory means includes recognizing when a particular person is motionless for a predetermined time period.

25. The system according to claim 18, further comprising means for observing at least a partial image of the face of the person containing an image of at least one eyelid.