LIGHTING SYSTEM

• US 20130342113A1
• Filed: 06/03/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: TANIGAWA, Tetsuya, NANAHARA, Atsuo, MATSUDA, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 9,226,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/154
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

The lighting system includes a plurality of controllers each configured to control one or more lighting apparatuses. Each controller is configured to associate a set of coordinates of a position in an image taken by an image sensor thereof with an address of the lighting apparatus selected as a control object of a particular controller out of the other controllers. Each controller is configured to, when a person is detected by the image processing unit thereof, determine the set of coordinates of a position of the detected person; and, when the lighting apparatus associated with the determined set of coordinates is the control object of the particular controller, send a control signal to the particular controller. The particular controller is configured to, upon receiving the control signal, light the lighting apparatus corresponding to the determined set of coordinates.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising a plurality of controllers each configured to control one or more lighting apparatuses,

wherein

each of the lighting apparatuses has an address specific thereto,

each of the lighting apparatuses includes:

a first communication unit configured to communicate with the controller selecting the corresponding lighting fixture as a control object;

a light source; and

a first control unit configured to light the light source, each of the controllers includes;

an image sensor configured to take an image of a lighting area of the lighting apparatus selected as the control object of the corresponding controller;

an image processing unit configured to detect presence of a person in the image taken by the image sensor, and the image processing unit being configured to, upon detecting a person, determine a set of coordinates of a position of the detected person;

a second control unit configured to operate the lighting apparatus selected as the control object of the corresponding controller according to a detection result from the image processing unit; and

a second communication unit configured to communicate with the lighting apparatus selected as the control object of the corresponding controller,

each of the controllers is configured to

associate the set of coordinates of a position in the image taken by the image sensor of the controller with the address of the lighting apparatus selected as the control object of a particular controller out of the other controllers, and

each of the controllers is configured to

when a person is detected by the image processing unit of the controller, determine the set of coordinates of a position of the detected person, and

when the lighting apparatus associated with the determined set of coordinates is the control object of the particular controller, send a control signal to the particular controller, and

the particular controller is configured to, upon receiving the control signal, light the lighting apparatus associated with the determined set of coordinates.

3. The lighting system according to claim 1, wherein

the control signal includes the address of the lighting apparatus selected as the control object of the particular controller.

5. The lighting system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the controllers is configured to control the image sensor in such a manner to take the image each time the lighting apparatus being lit is switched in a process of lighting all the lighting apparatuses one by one sequentially, and

each of the controllers is configured to associate the set of coordinates of a position in the lighting area of the lighting apparatus being lit with the address of the lighting apparatus being lit, with regard to each of the images taken by the image sensor through the process.

7. The lighting system according to claim 3, wherein

each of the controllers is configured to control the image sensor in such a manner to take the image each time the lighting apparatus being lit is switched in a process of lighting all the lighting apparatuses one by one sequentially, and

each of the controllers is configured to associate the set of coordinates of a position in the lighting area of the lighting apparatus being lit with the address of the lighting apparatus being lit, with regard to each of the images taken by the image sensor through the process.

2. A lighting system comprising a plurality of controllers each configured to control one or more lighting apparatuses,

wherein

each of the lighting apparatuses has an address specific thereto,

each of the lighting apparatuses includes:

a first communication unit configured to communicate with the controller selecting the corresponding lighting fixture as a control object;

a light source; and

a first control unit configured to light the light source,

each of the controllers includes;

an image sensor configured to take an image of a lighting area of the lighting apparatus selected as the control object of the corresponding controller;

an image processing unit configured to detect presence of a person in an image taken by the image sensor, and the image processing unit being configured to, upon detecting a person, determine a set of coordinates of a position of the detected person;

a second control unit configured to operate the lighting apparatus selected as the control object of the corresponding controller according to a detection result from the image processing unit; and

a second communication unit configured to communicate with the lighting apparatus selected as the control object of the corresponding controller,

each of the controllers is configured to associate the set of coordinates of a position in the image taken by the image sensor of a particular controller out of the other controllers with the address of the lighting apparatus selected as the control object thereof, and,

each of the controllers is configured, when the particular controller sends a control signal in response to detection of a person by the image processing unit thereof, light the lighting apparatus associated with the position of the person detected by the particular controller.

4. The lighting system according to claim 2, wherein

the control signal includes information representing the set of coordinates of a position of the person detected by the image processing unit of the particular controller.

6. The lighting system according to claim 2, wherein

each of the controllers is configured to control the image sensor in such a manner to take the image each time the lighting apparatus being lit is switched in a process of lighting all the lighting apparatuses one by one sequentially, and

each of the controllers is configured to associate the set of coordinates of a position in the lighting area of the lighting apparatus being lit with the address of the lighting apparatus being lit, with regard to each of the images taken by the image sensor through the process.

8. The lighting system according to claim 4, wherein

each of the controllers is configured to control the image sensor in such a manner to take the image each time the lighting apparatus being lit is switched in a process of lighting all the lighting apparatuses one by one sequentially, and

each of the controllers is configured to associate the set of coordinates of a position in the lighting area of the lighting apparatus being lit with the address of the lighting apparatus being lit, with regard to each of the images taken by the image sensor through the process.