Lighting control device and lighting system

• US 9,451,676 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hidaka, Yuto, Matsuda, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US14/442,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20150305119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 315/291, 315/307, 315/209.R, 315/246, 315/312
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• 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

A detector detects first information which represents sensing presence or absence of a person in an illuminated space and represents a position of the person in the illuminated space when sensing the presence, and second information representing brightness of the illuminated space. When external light enters the illuminated space, a controller receives both detected results of first information and second information and controls lighting fixtures in a lump so that the second information becomes a prescribed target value when the presence is sensed. When no external light enters the illuminated space, the controller receives a detected result of the first information and individually controls respective lighting fixtures in accordance with the first information regardless of the second information.

Claims

1. A lighting control device, configured to control each of lighting fixtures for giving respective light to an illuminated space, the lighting control device comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from an image sensor for capturing an image of the illuminated space, the captured image;

a detector configured to detect first information which represents sensing presence or absence of a person in the illuminated space and represents a location of the person in the illuminated space when sensing the presence, and second information representing brightness of the illuminated space;

a controller configured to control each of the lighting fixtures;

a judgment unit configured to judge whether or not external light enters the illuminated space, the external light being light except for respective light from the lighting fixtures; and

a switch configured to switch an operation mode of the controller so that it becomes a first mode when it is judged by the judgment unit that the external light enters and so that it becomes a second mode when it is judged that no external light enters, wherein

the controller is configured;

in the first mode, to receive both detected results of the first information and the second information from the detector and to control the lighting fixtures in unison so that the second information becomes a prescribed target value when the person is present in the illuminated space; and

in the second mode, to receive a detected result of the first information from the detector and to individually control respective lighting fixtures in accordance with the first information regardless of the second information when the person is present in the illuminated space.

2. The lighting control device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured, in the second mode, to light part of the lighting fixtures and to turn off remaining part thereof in accordance with the first information when the person is present in the illuminated space, the part of the lighting fixtures giving light around the person.

3. The lighting control device of claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured, in the second mode, to light all of the lighting fixtures at a reference dimming ratio when no person is present in the illuminated space, and

the reference dimming ratio is a value that is set so that minimum quantity of light that is necessary to detect the first information from the captured image is secured in the illuminated space.

4. The lighting control device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured, when the person is present in the illuminated space in the first mode, to increase dimming ratios of the lighting fixtures if the second information is below the target value and to decrease the dimming ratios of the lighting fixtures if the second information is above the target value.

5. The lighting control device of claim 4, wherein

the target value has a prescribed range, and

the controller is configured, when the person is present in the illuminated space in the first mode, to control the lighting fixtures so that the second information is included in the range of the target value.

6. The lighting control device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured, in the first mode, to turn off the lighting fixtures in unison when no person is present in the illuminated space.

7. The lighting control device of claim 1, wherein

the image sensor comprises an amplifier configured to amplify an output, and an AGC circuit configured to automatically adjust an amplification factor of the amplifier, and

the judgment unit is configured to judge whether or not the external light enters based on the amplification factor automatically adjusted by the AGC circuit.

8. A lighting system, comprising

lighting fixtures;

and

a lighting control device configured to control each of the lighting fixtures for giving respective light to an illuminated space, the lighting control device comprising;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from an image sensor for capturing an image of the illuminated space, the captured image;

a detector configured to detect first information which represents sensing presence or absence of a person in the illuminated space and represents a location of the person in the illuminated space when sensing the presence, and second information representing brightness of the illuminated space;

a controller configured to control each of the lighting fixtures;

a judgment unit configured to judge whether or not external light enters the illuminated space, the external light being light except for respective light from the lighting fixtures; and

a switch configured to switch an operation mode of the controller so that it becomes a first mode when it is judged by the judgment unit that the external light enters and so that it becomes a second mode when it is judged that no external light enters, wherein

the controller is configured;

in the first mode, to receive both detected results of the first information and the second information from the detector and to control the lighting fixtures in unison so that the second information becomes a prescribed target value when the person is present in the illuminated space; and

in the second mode, to receive a detected result of the first information from the detector and to individually control respective lighting fixtures in accordance with the first information regardless of the second information when the person is present in the illuminated space.