Lighting control system

• US 9,420,671 B1
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Terumitsu, Ohashi, Tomonori, Aono, Hiroko, Sato, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THUY V
• Application Number:
  US15/003,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20160219683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 207 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/82, 307/10.1, 307/10.8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/054 Variable non-standard intensity, i.e. emission of various beam intensities different from standard intensities, e.g. continuous or stepped transitions of intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/18 for varying the light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A lighting control system includes a plurality of light sources, a plurality of light source drivers, each of the light source drivers being configured to adjust a light emission intensity of an associated one of the light sources in at least two levels, and an integrated controller configured to control the light source drivers to control conditions of the light sources in an integrated manner. The integrated controller is configured to control the light source drivers to execute a light intensity transition of reducing the light emission intensity from a first light intensity level to a second light intensity level that is lower than the first light intensity level with respect to each of the light sources such that a timing at which the light intensity transition ends is substantially the same for each of the light sources.

Claims

1. A lighting control system comprising:

a plurality of light sources;

a plurality of light source drivers, each of the light source drivers being configured to adjust a light emission intensity of an associated one of the light sources in at least two levels; and

an integrated controller configured to control the light source drivers to control conditions of the light sources in an integrated manner,

wherein the integrated controller is configured to control the light source drivers to execute a light intensity transition of reducing the light emission intensity from a first light intensity level to a second light intensity level that is lower than the first light intensity level with respect to each of the light sources such that a timing at which the light intensity transition ends is substantially the same for each of the light sources.

2. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the integrated controller is configured to execute the light intensity transition such that, in a case in which at least one of the first light intensity level and the second light intensity level is different between the light sources, the light intensity transition starts at an individual timing for each of the light sources.

3. The lighting control system according to claim 2, wherein the integrated controller is configured to determine, in a case in which a slope characteristic of the light intensity transition is substantially the same for each of the light sources, the individual timing at which the light intensity transition starts for each of the light sources based on the first light intensity level and the second light intensity level of each of the light sources, the slope characteristic, and the timing at which the light intensity transition ends.

4. The lighting control system according to claim 3, wherein the integrated controller is configured to execute the light intensity transition using, in a case in which a plurality of slope characteristics of the light intensity transition are available for the plurality of light sources, the slope characteristic that is preselected from the plurality of slope characteristics.

5. The lighting control system according to claim 2, wherein the integrated controller is configured to determine, in a case in which a plurality of slope characteristics of the light intensity transition are available for the plurality of light sources, the individual timing at which the light intensity transition starts for each of the light sources based on the first light intensity level and the second light intensity level of each of the light sources, a corresponding one of the slope characteristics of the light intensity transition of each of the light sources, and the timing at which the light intensity transition ends.

6. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the integrated controller is configured to determine, in a case in which the first light intensity level and the second light intensity level are common to the plurality of light sources and in which a plurality of slope characteristics of the light intensity transition are available for the plurality of light sources, the individual timing at which the light intensity transition starts for each of the light sources based on the first light intensity level and the second light intensity level, a corresponding one of the slope characteristics of light intensity transition of each of the light sources, and the timing at which the light intensity transition ends.

7. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the integrated controller is configured to adjust, in a case in which in a slope characteristic of the light intensity transition is variable for at least one of the light sources, the slope characteristic of the light intensity transition of the at least one of the light sources such that the light intensity transition of the light sources starts at a common timing and such that the timing at which the light intensity transition ends is substantially the same for each of the light sources.

8. The light control system according to claim 1, wherein the second light intensity level includes a level at which the light emission intensity is zero.