Control unit and method for lighting control

• US 9,301,373 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Pandharipande, Ashish Vijay, Caicedo Fernndez, David Ricardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaiser, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US14/233,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20140159589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 315/155, 315/315, 315/291, 342/82, 342/22, 342/450, 342/107, 607/62
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 control unit (9) for controlling luminance in a space (3), wherein the control unit is configured to estimate a three-dimensional location of at least one target (8) as a function of time, and control the luminance in the space based on the estimated three-dimensional location of the at least one target.

Claims

1. A control unit for controlling luminance in a space comprising:

at least one receiver in communication with the control unit,

at least one transmitter in communication with the control unit,

at least one illumination device in communication with the control unit, the illumination unit having light output controlled by the control unit,

the control unit being configured to;

using the at least one receiver and at least one transmitter mounted in the space, estimate, based upon signals received by the at least one receiver, a velocity of the at least one target such that a trajectory of the at least one target is estimated as a function of time,

identify an activity of the at least one target based on a comparison by the control unit of the trajectory with a model representative of a specific activity, and

control the luminance in the space by the control unit controlling the light output of the at least one illumination device based on the identified activity of the at least one target.

2. The control unit as claimed in claim 1, further being configured to estimate the velocity or trajectory based on an azimuth angle, an elevation angle, and a distance to the at least one target.

3. The control unit as claimed in claim 1 further being configured to identify the activity of the at least one target based on a comparison of the velocity or trajectory with at least one three-dimensional location limit of the target.

4. The control unit as claimed in claim 1 further being configured to identify the at least one target based on the estimate of the trajectory.

5. The control unit as claimed in claim 4, further being configured to estimate the velocity or trajectory based on at least one return signal, wherein the return signal is generated by reflection of at least one probing signal that is reflected against the at least one target.

6. The control unit as claimed in claim 5, further being configured to estimate a location of at least one static element based on the at least one probing signal and the at least one return signal.

7. The lighting control system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine an elapsed time, a phase shift and a change in frequency based on the at least one probing signal and/or the at least one return signal.

8. The control unit as claimed in claim 7, further being configured to estimate a horizontal range of the at least one target as a function of time.

9. The control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one target is part of an object and wherein the control unit is further configured to control the luminance based on the at least one object.

10. The control unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the object is a human body and the at least one target is an extremity of the human body.

11. A lighting control system for controlling a lighting function of at least one light source, comprising

the at least one transmitter for transmitting at least one probing signal within a transmitting range,

a plurality of receivers for receiving at least one return signal, the at least one return signal being a part of the at least one probing signal that is reflected against a target present within the transmitting range, wherein the plurality of receivers includes the at least one receiver, and

a control unit as claimed in claim 10, the control unit being in communication with the plurality of receivers to estimate the three-dimensional location of the at least one target as a function of time.

12. A method for controlling luminance in a space, comprising the steps of:

estimating a velocity of at least one target such that a trajectory of the at least one target is estimated as a function of time,

identifying an activity of the at least one target based on a comparison of the trajectory with a model representative of a specific activity, and

controlling the luminance in the space based on the identified activity of the at least one target.

13. A control unit for controlling luminance in a space comprising:

at least one receiver in communication with the control unit,

at least one transmitter in communication with the control unit,

at least one illumination device in communication with the control unit, the illumination unit having light output controlled by the control unit,

the control unit being operable to;

estimate a three-dimensional location of at least one target as a function of time,

identify an activity based upon signals received by the at least one receiver of the at least one target based on a comparison by the control unit of the estimated three-dimensional location with a model representative of a specific activity,

control the luminance in the space by the control unit controlling the light output of the at least one illumination device based on the identified activity of the at least one target and/or the estimated three-dimensional location,

identify the at least one target based on the estimate of the three-dimensional location,

estimate the three-dimensional location based on at least one return signal, wherein the return signal is generated by reflection of at least one probing signal that is a reflected signal,

determine at least one of an elapsed time, a phase shift and a change in frequency based on the at least one probing signal and/or the at least one return signal, and

estimate the velocity of the at least one target such that a trajectory of the at least one target is estimated as a function of time, and wherein the control unit is further configured to control the luminance in accordance with the trajectory.