LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM AND LIGHTING CONTROL METHOD

• US 20160029459A1
• Filed: 04/16/2014
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: KOIZUMI, Yoshiaki, HIBARA, Naoyuki, KOMATSU, Masayuki, USHIROSAKO, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,532,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 acquire a disturbance generated in an illumination target region, based on a strength of the received wireless signal received by the receiver, and based on a value of the illumination measurement indicated by the wireless signal received by the receiver, using a correspondence relationship between the value of the illumination measurement, a strength of the received signal, and a disturbance preventing acquisition of a position of the measuring device;

to acquire an emission pattern for each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices based on the acquired disturbance using a correspondence relationship between the disturbance, the measurement value, and a pattern of change of each lighting device in order to remove an effect of the disturbance 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.

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

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

5. The lighting control system according to claim 4, 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 disturbance after a predetermined time has passed.

2. (canceled)

6. 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;

acquiring a disturbance generated in an illumination target region, based on a received signal strength of a received wireless signal and a value of the illumination measurement indicated by the received wireless signal, using a correspondence relationship between the value of the illumination measurement, the received signal strength, and the disturbance preventing acquisition of position of the measurement device;

acquiring, by the control device, the emission pattern of each lighting device of the plurality of lighting devices based on a disturbance acquired using a correspondence relationship between a disturbance and a pattern of change for the each lighting device in order to remove an effect of the disturbance from the received signal strength and the measurement value;

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.