Occupancy sensor with stored occupancy schedule

• US 8,797,159 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crestron Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Crestron Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Kirkpatrick, Philip, Kumar, Russikesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US13/113,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 340/6.1, 340/6.11, 340541-567, 340/573.1, 340/573.4
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/189 using passive radiation detection systems

Abstract

An occupancy sensor detects expected and unexpected occupancies in a monitored area with an expected occupancy schedule. The occupancy sensor includes a real time clock, a memory, a sensor element, a processor, indicator lights and a network interface. The occupancy sensor transmits an occupancy correction signal to a network if the actual occupancy of the monitored area does not match the expected occupancy state of the monitored area.

Claims

1. An occupancy sensor configured for detecting expected and unexpected occupancies within a monitored area, said occupancy sensor comprising:

(a) a real time clock configured for providing the current time;

(b) a memory configured for storing an expected occupancy schedule;

(c) a sensor element configured for detecting the actual occupancy of the monitored area;

(d) a first dedicated physical indicator light configured for being continuously active when the monitored area is expectedly occupied according to the expected occupancy schedule and being blinkingly active when the monitored area is unexpectedly occupied according to the expected occupancy schedule;

(e) a second dedicated physical indicator light configured for being continuously active when the monitored area is expectedly vacant according to the expected occupancy schedule and being blinkingly active when the occupancy of the monitored area is unexpectedly vacant according to the expected occupancy schedule; and

(f) a processor configured for;

(i) accepting signals from the sensor element and the real time clock,

(ii) comparing the actual occupancy of the monitored area to the expected occupancy of the monitored area, and

(iii) generating a first signal and a second signal wherein said first signal provides the actual occupancy of the monitored area and the second signal provides whether said actual occupancy matches the expected occupancy.

2. The occupancy sensor of claim 1 further comprising a network interface configured for communicating on a network.

3. The occupancy sensor of claim 2 wherein the expected occupancy schedule is received from the network.

4. The occupancy sensor of claim 2 wherein the occupancy sensor is configured for transmitting an occupancy correction signal to the network.

5. The occupancy sensor of claim 4 wherein the occupancy sensor transmits the occupancy correction signal when the actual occupancy of the monitored area does not match the expected occupancy of the monitored area according to the expected occupancy schedule.

6. The occupancy sensor of claim 4 wherein the occupancy correction signal is a digital signal corresponding to an occupancy state of the monitored area.

7. The occupancy sensor of claim 2 wherein the network interface is a Power over Ethernet (PoE) interface.

8. The occupancy sensor of claim 2 further comprising an infrared (IR) transceiver configured for communicating with a remote control, wherein said occupancy sensor is further configured for passing information received from said remote control to the network via the network interface.

9. The occupancy sensor of claim 1 further comprising an infrared (IR) interface configured for bidirectional communication with a remote control and wherein:

(a) the IR interface is configured for receiving a security override code from the remote control; and

(b) the processor is configured for outputting the second signal corresponding to the actual occupancy matching the expected occupancy in response to the IR interface receiving the security override code.

10. The occupancy sensor of claim 1 wherein the first signal is a binary signal with a first state corresponding to occupied and a second state corresponding to vacant and the second signal is a binary signal with a first state corresponding to expected and a second state corresponding to unexpected.

11. The occupancy sensor of claim 6 wherein the occupancy correction signal is a binary signal with a first state corresponding to expected and a second state corresponding to unexpected.

12. The occupancy sensor of claim 1 wherein the first dedicated physical indicator light and the second dedicated physical indicator light are mounted external to the monitored area.

13. The occupancy sensor of claim 1 wherein the first dedicated physical indicator light and the second dedicated physical indicator light are disposed on a surface of the occupancy sensor.

14. An occupancy sensor configured for detecting expected and unexpected occupancies within a monitored area, said occupancy sensor comprising:

(a) a real time clock configured for providing the current time;

(b) a memory configured for storing an expected occupancy schedule;

(c) a sensor element configured for detecting the actual occupancy of the monitored area;

(d) a processor configured for;

(i) accepting signals from the sensor element and the real time clock,

(ii) comparing the actual occupancy of the monitored area to the expected occupancy of the monitored area, and

(iii) generating an occupancy correction signal;

(e) a first dedicated physical indicator light, said first dedicated physical indicator light being continuously active when the monitored area is expectedly occupied according to the expected occupancy schedule and being blinkingly active when the monitored area is unexpectedly occupied according to the expected occupancy schedule; and

(f) a second dedicated physical indicator light, said second dedicated physical indicator light being continuously active when the monitored area is expectedly vacant according to the expected occupancy schedule and being blinkingly active when the occupancy of the monitored area is unexpectedly vacant according to the expected occupancy schedule; and

(g) further comprising an infrared (IR) interface configured for bidirectional communication with a remote control and wherein the IR interface is configured for receiving a security override code from the remote and the processor is configured for outputting an occupancy correction signal indicating the monitored area is expectedly vacant in response to the IR interface receiving the security override code.