Automatic lighting control system and method

• US 7,843,353 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2007
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Yueh-Feng, Chien, Ting-Chou, Chen, Yen-Ann, Pan, Meng-Shiuan, Tseng, Yu-Chee
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/950,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20090072945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 340/600, 340/641, 340/642, 340/332, 315149-159, 700/12
• US Class Current: 340/600
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• 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

An automatic lighting control system includes at least a lighting device, at least a sensor, and a decision module. Each lighting device is adjustable and has a remote control function. A wireless sensor network is configured by the one or more sensors. Each sensor may sense a corresponding luminance and returns the luminance to the decision module in a wireless manner. The decision module may dynamically adjust one or more lighting devices to a suitable luminance by referring to system information, the returned luminance and user'"'"'s demands.

Claims

1. An automatic lighting control system, comprising:

at least a lighting device, each of said at least a lighting device being adjustable and having a remote control function;

at least a sensor, said at least a sensor automatically configuring a wireless sensor network, and each of said at least a sensor detecting a corresponding luminance of a system environment; and

a decision module, said decision module receiving said luminance detected by said sensor through a wireless network, and adjusting each of said at least a lighting device in a remote dynamic decision mode according to system information, users'"'"' demands and said detected luminance by each of said at least a sensor;

wherein said at least a sensor is chosen from one of any combination of at least a fixed sensor and at least a portable sensor and is placed in one of a plurality of virtual grids formed by dividing said system environment for detecting the luminance in the corresponding virtual grid.

2. An automatic lighting control system, comprising:

at least a lighting device, each of said at least a lighting device being adjustable and having a remote control function;

at least a sensor, said at least a sensor automatically configuring a wireless sensor network, and each of said at least a sensor detecting a corresponding luminance of a system environment; and

a decision module, said decision module receiving said luminance detected by said sensor through a wireless network, and adjusting each of said at least a lighting device in a remote dynamic decision mode according to system information, users'"'"' demands and said detected luminance by each of said at least a sensor;

wherein said system information at least comprises information on each of said at least a lighting device, a relative weight of luminance of each of said at least a lighting device on each of said at least a sensor, information on said system environment, luminance demands of user'"'"'s activities, and luminance effect extent for each of said at least a lighting device, said relative weight of a lighting device on a sensor being defined as a ratio of the luminance detected for the lighting device by the sensor in said system environment to the luminance detected for the lighting device by the sensor underneath the lighting device.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said luminance demands of user'"'"'s activities include defining a range of demand luminance.

4. An automatic lighting control system, comprising:

a plurality of lighting devices including at least a general lighting device and at least a local lighting device, each of said lighting devices being adjustable and having a remote control function;

at least a sensor, said at least a sensor automatically configuring a wireless sensor network, and each of said at least a sensor detecting a corresponding luminance of a system environment; and

a decision module, said decision module receiving said luminance detected by said sensor through a wireless network, and adjusting each of said lighting devices including said at least a general lighting device for illuminating a global environment and said at least a local lighting device for illuminating a specific spot in a remote dynamic decision mode according to system information, users'"'"' demands and said detected luminance by each of said at least a sensor;

wherein said at least a sensor is chosen from one of any combination of at least a fixed sensor and at least a portable sensor, said at least a portable sensor includes a control unit, a lighting sensor, a demand input interface and a wireless transmission module, said control unit receives luminance detected by said lighting sensor, a user uses said demand input interface for inputting demands on luminance, and said control unit transmits said detected luminance and said demands of the user to said decision module through said wireless transmission module.

5. An automatic lighting control system, comprising:

at least a lighting device, each of said at least a lighting device being adjustable and having a remote control function;

at least a portable sensor, said at least a portable sensor automatically configuring a wireless sensor network, and each of said at least a portable sensor including a control unit, a lighting sensor, a demand input interface and a wireless transmission module, and detecting a corresponding luminance of a system environment; and

a decision module, said decision module receiving said luminance detected by said at least a portable sensor through a wireless network, and adjusting each of said at least a lighting device in a remote dynamic decision mode according to system information, users'"'"' demands and said detected luminance by each of said at least a portable sensor;

wherein said control unit receives luminance detected by said lighting sensor, a user uses said demand input interface for inputting demands on luminance, and said control unit transmits said detected luminance and said demands of the user to said decision module through said wireless transmission module.

6. A method for controlling luminance for an automatic lighting control system, applicable to a system environment in which a user moves or changes demands on luminance, said method comprising:

pre-storing system information, user information, and luminance reported by at least a sensor and determining the luminance required to be provided by at least a general lighting device of said system environment;

dynamically adjusting each of said at least a general lighting device;

determining the luminance required to be provided by at least a local lighting device of said system environment, and adjusting each of said at least a local lighting device; and

receiving luminance detected and reported from each of said at least a sensor and determining whether a target threshold of luminance is reached;

if not, repeating the above steps until said target threshold of luminance is reached.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said adjusting each of said at least a general lighting device and each of said at least a local lighting device is through a binary search method.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said determining the luminance required to be provided by each of said at least a general lighting device and each of said at least a local lighting device is through a linear programming equation to satisfy each user'"'"'s demands and determining the luminance satisfying the minimum demands of each user.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said linear programming equation applies a trial-and-error algorithm to solve said linear programming equation.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said trial-and-error algorithm includes:

processing in advance at least a user'"'"'s luminance demand range in said linear programming equation;

solving said linear programming equation through an algorithm; and

if said linear programming is unsolvable, relaxing said luminance demand range of each user in said linear programming equation and returning to said step of solving said linear programming equation.