Lighting control system and lighting control method

• US 9,532,436 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2014
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Ushirosako, Hiroaki, Koizumi, Yoshiaki, Hibara, Naoyuki, Komatsu, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Wei
• Application Number:
  US14/782,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20160029459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 362/249.02, 362/806, 315/86, 315/307, 315/209.R, 315/224, 315/225, 315/172, 315/308
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/21 of two or more light sources connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

The centralized lighting and air conditioning controller controls the light emission of lighting devices using brightness configuration values, and an environmental sensor transmits illuminance measurement values to the centralized lighting and air conditioning controller by wireless communication. The centralized lighting and air conditioning controller receives the illuminance measurement values, and based on the change in the illuminance measurement values and the change in the RSSI when the illuminance measurement values are received, acquires the degree of influence on the environmental sensor by the light from each of the lighting devices, and acquires the unknown or indeterminate position of the environmental sensor based on the degree of influence.

Claims

1. A lighting control system comprising:

a plurality of lighting devices configured to emit light;

a control device configured to control the plurality of lighting devices; and

a measuring device configured to measure an illumination, wherein

the measuring device comprises;

a transmitter configured to transmit a wireless signal indicating an illumination measurement to the control device,

the control device comprises;

a receiver configured to receive the wireless signal indicating the illumination measurement from the measuring device; and

a position acquirer, and

the position acquirer is configured;

to apply, prior to a period that the lighting device is controlled by an emission pattern, the illumination measurement indicated by the wireless signal received by the receiver and a received signal intensity of the wireless signal received by the receiver to a noise correspondence relationship to acquire a noise in an illumination target region, the noise correspondence relationship being a relationship between the noise preventing an acquisition of a position of the measuring device, the illumination measurement, and the received signal intensity;

to apply the acquired noise to an emission correspondence relationship to acquire an emission pattern per the lighting device, the emission correspondence relationship being a relationship between the noise, the measurement value, and a pattern of change of each lighting device in order to remove an influence of the noise from the received signal intensity;

to control the plurality of lighting devices to emit light according to the acquired emission pattern;

while the plurality of lighting devices emits the light according to the acquired emission pattern, based on the illumination measurement measured by the measuring device and the emission pattern per the lighting device, to acquire a degree of influence of emission per the lighting device relative to the illumination measurement by the measuring device; and

to acquire, based on positions of the plurality of lighting devices and the degree of influence per the lighting device, the position of the measuring device relative to the positions of the plurality of lighting devices.

2. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the position acquirer is configured to acquire, as the noise, natural light other than the light from the plurality of lighting devices and a mobile object.

3. The lighting control system according to claim 2, wherein

the position acquirer:

when, prior to a period that each lighting device is controlled by the emission pattern, a variation of the illumination measurement is less than or equal to a first threshold value and a variation of the received signal strength indicator of the wireless signal indicating the illumination measurement is less than or equal to a second threshold value, determines that the natural light and the mobile object are absent;

when, prior to a period that each lighting device is controlled by the emission pattern, the variation of the illumination measurement exceeds the first threshold value and the variation of the received signal strength indicator of the wireless signal indicating the illumination measurement is less than or equal to the second threshold value, determines that the natural light is present and the mobile object is absent;

when, prior to a period that each lighting device is controlled by the emission pattern, the variation of the illumination measurement is less than equal to the first threshold value and the variation of the received signal strength indicator of the wireless signal indicating the illumination measurement exceeds the second threshold value, determines that the natural light is absent and the mobile object is present; and

when, prior to a period that each lighting device is controlled by the emission pattern, the variation of the illumination measurement exceeds the first threshold value and the variation of the received signal strength indicator of the wireless signal indicating the illumination measurement exceeds the second threshold value, determines that the natural light and the mobile object are present.

4. The lighting control system according to claim 3, wherein

the position acquirer:

acquires, when determined that the natural light and the reflection are absent, a first emission pattern of which an illumination is different for each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices, and acquires, while the plurality of lighting devices emits the light according to the acquired first emission pattern, based on the illumination measurement measured by the measuring device and the first emission pattern per the lighting device, the degree of influence of emission per the lighting device relative to the illumination measurement by the measuring device;

acquires, when determined that the natural light is present and the mobile object is absent, a second emission pattern so that light including a frequency component that is different for each lighting device is emitted, and acquires, while the lighting device emits the light according to the acquired second emission pattern, based on the frequency component indicated by the illumination measurement measured by the measuring device and the second emission pattern per the lighting device, the degree of influence of emission per the lighting device relative to the illumination measurement by the measuring device;

acquires, when determined that the natural light is absent and the mobile object is present, a third emission pattern of which an illumination is different for each lighting device, and acquires, while the lighting device emits the light according to the acquired third emission pattern, based on a mode of measurements of the illumination measured by the measuring device and the third emission pattern per the lighting device, the degree of influence of emission per the lighting device relative to the illumination measurement by the measuring device; and

re-acquires, when determined that the natural light and the mobile object are present, the noise after a predetermined time has passed.

5. A lighting control method comprising:

transmitting, by a measuring device configured to measure an illumination, a wireless signal indicating an illumination measurement;

receiving, by a control device configured to control the plurality of lighting devices, the wireless signal indicating the illumination measurement from the measuring device;

applying, by the control device, prior to a period that the lighting device is controlled by an emission pattern, the illumination measurement indicated by the wireless signal received by the receiver and a received signal intensity of the wireless signal received by the receiver to a noise correspondence relationship to acquire a noise in an illumination target region, the noise correspondence relationship being a relationship between the noise preventing an acquisition of a position of the measuring device, the illumination measurement, and the received signal intensity;

applying, by the control device, the acquired noise to an emission correspondence relationship to acquire an emission pattern per the lighting device, the emission correspondence relationship being a relationship between the noise, the measurement value, and a pattern of change of each lighting device in order to remove an influence of the noise from the received signal intensity;

controlling, by the control device, the plurality of lighting devices to emit light according to the acquired emission pattern;

while the plurality of lighting devices emits the light according to the acquired emission pattern, based on the illumination measurement measured by the measuring device and the emission pattern for the lighting device, acquiring, by the control device, a degree of influence of emission per the lighting device relative to the illumination measurement by the measuring device; and

acquiring, by the control device, based on positions of the plurality of lighting devices and the degree of influence per the lighting device, the positions of the measuring device relative to the positions of the plurality of lighting devices.