Occupancy sensor and method of operating same

• US 6,415,205 B1
• Filed: 08/26/1999
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hubbell Building Automation, Inc. (Hubbell, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MyTech Corp (Hubbell, Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, Bruce G., Woytek, Timothy W., Konradi, Vadim A., Cullen, Gerard L., Fowler, John J., Williams, Jonathan D., Myron, Douglas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAIN, EDWARD F
• Application Number:
  US09/383,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 700/11, 700/14, 700/22, 700/28, 700/275, 340/825.3, 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 340/825.34, 340/825.36, 340/506, 340/508, 340/517, 340/539, 340/541, 340/565, 340/587, 340/521, 340/522, 340/567, 340/529, 340/554, 340/540, 307/112, 307/116, 307/117, 307/125, 307/139, 307/140, 307/32
• US Class Current: 700/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/256 of results relating to different input data, e.g. multimodal recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/183 Single detectors using dual technologies G08B13/1672, G08B13/2448, G08B13/2494 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/16 using microprogrammed units, e.g. state machines
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/36 Data generation devices, e.g. data inverters
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/38 Response verification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• 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 47/12 by detecting audible sound
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/13 by using passive infrared detectors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A multiple sensing technology-based occupancy sensor. Ultrasonic and infrared sensors are used to produce first and second occupancy estimator signals that are combined using a fusion based detection algorithm to produce a combined estimator signal. The combined estimator is then used to switch electrical loads when the combined estimator signal is above a predetermined threshold. The result is an occupancy sensor that has a very high probability of occupancy detection and a low probability of false tripping.

Claims

1. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

a plurality of occupancy sensors for producing a respective plurality of occupancy estimator signals, each indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said plurality of occupancy sensors, for calculating a composite occupancy estimator from said plurality of occupancy estimator signals, and for comparing said composite occupancy estimator to a programmable composite activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of at least one of said plurality of occupancy sensors;

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said composite occupancy estimator is greater than said composite activation threshold; and

wherein said sensitivity of said at least one of said plurality of occupancy sensors is adjusted by said programmable microprocessor as a function of an energization state of said electrical load, said programmable microprocessor calculating an average time between determinations by said programmable microprocessor that said composite occupancy estimator is greater than said composite activation threshold, wherein said sensitivity of said at least one of said plurality of occupancy sensors is adjusted by said programmable microprocessor as a function of said average time.

2. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

a plurality of occupancy sensors for producing a respective plurality of occupancy estimator signals, each indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said plurality of occupancy sensors, for calculating a composite occupancy estimator from said plurality of occupancy estimator signals, and for comparing said composite occupancy estimator to a programmable composite activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of at least one of said plurality of occupancy sensors;

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said composite occupancy estimator is greater than said composite activation threshold; and

wherein said sensitivity of said at least one of said plurality of occupancy sensors is adjusted by said programmable microprocessor as a function of an energization state of said electrical load, said programmable microprocessor further acting to stretch at least one of said occupancy estimator signals by detecting a peak value of said at least one occupancy estimator signal, and holding said peak value for a predetermined time.

3. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

a plurality of occupancy sensors for producing a respective plurality of occupancy estimator signals, each indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said plurality of occupancy sensors, for calculating a composite occupancy estimator from said plurality of occupancy estimator signals, and for comparing said composite occupancy estimator to a programmable composite activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of at least one of said plurality of occupancy sensors;

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said composite occupancy estimator is greater than said composite activation threshold; and

wherein said sensitivity of said at least one of said plurality of occupancy sensors is adjusted by said programmable microprocessor as a function of an energization state of said electrical load, said programmable microprocessor storing occupancy times of day for an area sensed by said plurality of occupancy sensors and adjusting said sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensor based on said stored occupancy times of day.

4. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

at least one occupancy sensor for producing at least one respective occupancy estimator signal indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said at least one occupancy sensor, for comparing said at least one occupancy estimator signal to an activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensor as a function of detected false-on-stay-on events; and

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor;

operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator is greater than said activation threshold.

5. The load controller of claim 4, said programmable microprocessor indicating an error condition when said adaptive adjustment of said sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensors fails to minimize erroneous energization and de-energization of said electrical load within a predetermined time.

6. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

at least one occupancy sensor for producing at least one respective occupancy estimator signal indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said at least one occupancy sensor, for comparing said at least one occupancy estimator signal to an activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensor as a function of detected lights-stay-on-no-activation events; and

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator signal is greater than said activation threshold.

7. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

at least one occupancy sensor for producing at least one respective occupancy estimator signal indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said at least one occupancy sensor, for comparing said at least one occupancy estimator signal to an activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensor as a function of detected lights-stay-on-with major occupancy events; and

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator signal is greater than said activation threshold.

8. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

at least one occupancy sensor for producing at least one respective occupancy estimator signal indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said at least one occupancy sensor, for comparing said at least one occupancy estimator signal to an activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensor as a function of detected false-on events; and

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator signal is greater than said activation threshold.

9. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

at least one occupancy sensor for producing at least one respective occupancy estimator signal indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said at least one occupancy sensor, for comparing said at least one occupancy estimator signal to an activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensor as a function of detected false-off events; and

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator signal is greater than said activation threshold.

10. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

at least one occupancy sensor for producing at least one respective occupancy estimator signal indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said at least one occupancy sensor, for comparing said at least one occupancy estimator signal to an activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensor as a function of detected false-off events;

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator signal is greater than said activation threshold; and

to de-energize said electrical load after a predetermined time.

11. The occupancy based load controller of claim 10, wherein said predetermined time is increased when said electrical load is first de-energized and then re-energized within a time interval, said time interval being less than said predetermined time.

12. The occupancy based load controller of claim 11, wherein said predetermined time, after being increased, is maintained at said increased value for an extended time period, said extended time period being longer than said predetermined time.

13. The occupancy based load controller of claim 12, wherein said predetermined time is decreased after the expiration of said extended time period.

14. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

at least one occupancy sensor for producing at least one respective occupancy estimator signal indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said at least one occupancy sensor, for comparing said at least one occupancy estimator signal to an activation threshold, said programmable microprocessor being operable to adaptively adjust a sensitivity of said at least one occupancy sensor as a function of a learning curve whereby sensitivity adjustments are reduced in magnitude as time advances; and

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator signal is greater than said activation threshold.

15. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

a plurality of occupancy sensors for producing a respective plurality of occupancy estimator signals, each indicative of motion within a space;

an acoustic sensor for producing a signal indicative of sound within said space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said plurality of occupancy sensors, for calculating a composite occupancy estimator from said plurality of occupancy estimator signals, for producing a load energization signal as a function of said composite occupancy estimator and said signal indicative of sound within said space,

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize and de-energize an electrical load in response said load energization signal;

said programmable microprocessor analyzing said a signal indicative of sound within said space only for a specified time both before and after de-energization of said electrical load.

16. The occupancy based load controller of claim 15, wherein said plurality of occupancy sensors includes a PIR sensor.

17. The occupancy based load controller of claim 15, wherein said plurality of occupancy sensors includes an ultrasonic sensor.

18. The occupancy based load controller of claim 15, wherein said plurality of occupancy sensors includes a combination an ultrasonic sensor and a PIR sensor.

19. The occupancy based load controller of claim 15, said programmable microprocessor analyzing said a signal indicative of sound within said space for a time before de-energization of said electrical load to establish an average acoustic occupancy threshold, and analyzing said a signal indicative of sound within said space for a time after de-energization of said electrical load for patterns of human speech.

20. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

a plurality of occupancy sensors for producing a respective plurality of occupancy estimator signals, each indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said plurality of occupancy sensors, for calculating a composite occupancy estimator from said plurality of occupancy estimator signals, and for comparing said composite occupancy estimator to a programmable composite activation threshold; and

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator signal is greater than said activation threshold; and

to de-energize said electrical load after a predetermined time, said predetermined time being set upon power on of said load based occupancy controller according to a position of a manual user control, said manual user control having a test mode position and positions corresponding to a range of values for said predetermined time, wherein, if said manual user control is not in said test mode position, said predetermined time is adjustable by adaptive sensor algorithms in said programmable microprocessor.

21. The occupancy based load controller of claim 20, wherein, if said manual user control is in said test mode position, said predetermined time is set to a test mode value.

22. The occupancy based load controller of claim 21, wherein, if said manual user control remains in said test mode position for an extended time period, the extended time period being longer than the predetermined time, then said predetermined time is adjustable by adaptive sensor algorithms in said programmable microprocessor.

23. An occupancy based load controller, comprising:

at least one occupancy sensor for producing at least one respective occupancy estimator signal indicative of motion within a space;

a programmable microprocessor, connected to said at least one occupancy sensor, for comparing said at least one occupancy estimator signal to a programmable activation threshold; and

a controllable load energizing device responsive to said programmable microprocessor, operable to automatically energize an electrical load when said microprocessor determines that said occupancy estimator signal is greater than said activation threshold; and

to de-energize said electrical load after a predetermined time, said predetermined time being set upon power on of said load based occupancy controller according to a position of a manual user control, said manual user control having a test mode position and positions corresponding to a range of values for said predetermined time; and

wherein if said manual user control is not in said test mode position, said predetermined time is adjustable by adaptive sensor algorithms in said programmable microprocessor.

24. The occupancy based load controller of claim 23, wherein, if said manual user control is in said test mode position, said predetermined time is set to a test mode value.

25. The occupancy based load controller of claim 24, wherein, if said manual user control remains in said test mode position for an extended time period, the extended time period being longer than the predetermined time, then said predetermined time is adjustable by adaptive sensor algorithms in said programmable microprocessor.