System for evaluating luminance and movement within an observation space, and method for controlling light sources within the observation space

• US 7,459,661 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optotronic GmbH (Inventronics (Hangzhou), Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Patent-Treuhand-Gesellschaft Fur Elektrische Gluhlampen mbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Huber, Andreas, Schleicher, Gotthard
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps; Georgia Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bui-Pho; Pascal M
• Application Number:
  US11/226,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 250/221, 250/205, 250/208.1, 340/541, 340/542, 340/545.3, 383/12, 382/74
• US Class Current: 250/205
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A sensor system has a video camera and an evaluation unit, the evaluation unit receiving a video signal from the video camera and providing output information relating to luminance and movement of an observation space. The evaluation unit can include a microcontroller that undertakes calculations in order to provide the output information. However, the sensor system can be included in a light control system. A method for controlling an artificial light component of controllable light sources via a light control system includes: picking up a video signal, relaying the video signal to the input of the evaluation unit, evaluating the video signal with reference to luminance and movement in the evaluation unit, outputting the information relating to luminance and movement at the output of the evaluation unit to a control unit and setting a desired brightness of the controllable light sources via the control unit.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a video camera for providing a single video signal representative of an observation space;

an evaluation unit, said evaluation unit having an input and an output, wherein the input receives the video signal from the video camera and the output provides output information relating to luminance and movement of the observation space, wherein the evaluation unit is further operable to process the single video signal to;

(i) divide the observation space into various zones; and

(ii) weight each zone for luminance and for movement during an evaluation wherein a weight of a zone for luminance is independent of a weight for the zone for movement, and wherein the evaluation unit is operable to disregard at least one of the following information;

luminance and movement in at least one zone;

wherein the evaluation unit is operable to assign a weight of zero to the disregarded information; and

wherein the output information relating to luminance and movement of the observation space provided by the output of the evaluation unit further comprises information relating to luminance and movement of the zones of the observation space; and

a control unit for receiving the output information from the evaluation unit and setting a brightness of a plurality of controllable light sources as a function of the output information, wherein each controllable light source illuminates at least one zone, wherein setting a particular one of the controllable light sources comprises controlling the brightness of the particular controllable light source in response to detecting movement in a zone illuminated by the particular light source.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the video camera includes a CCD or MOS chip.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 characterized in that the evaluation unit includes a microcontroller or DSP that undertakes calculations in order to provide the output information.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the evaluation unit includes a computer system with equipment for processing video signals that undertakes calculations in order to provide the output information.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the evaluation unit includes a microcontroller or DSP that undertakes calculations in order to provide the output information.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the evaluation unit includes a computer system with equipment for processing video signals that undertakes calculations in order to provide the output information.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the video camera can be used for monitoring purposes.

8. A method for controlling light sources within an observation space, the method comprising the steps of:

picking up a single video signal representative of the observation space by a video camera;

relaying the video signal to the input of the evaluation unit;

processing the single video signal to divide the observation space into a plurality of zones;

assigning weights to each of the zones for luminance and for movement wherein a weight of a zone for luminance is independent of a weight for the zone for movement;

evaluating the video signal with reference to luminance and movement in the evaluation unit, wherein the step of evaluating is performed in dependence upon the weights assigned to each of the zones;

outputting the information relating to luminance and movement of the observation space at the output of the evaluation unit to a control unit;

setting a desired brightness of each of a plurality of light sources by means of the control unit in accordance with prescribed setpoints, wherein setting the desired brightness comprises controlling the brightness of the light source corresponding to a zone of the plurality of zones in which movement is detected; and

disregarding at least one of the following information;

luminance and movement, in at least one zone;

wherein disregarding comprises assigning a weight of zero to the disregarded information; and

wherein outputting the information relating to luminance and movement comprises outputting the information relating to luminance and movement of each zone of the observation space at the output of the evaluation unit to the control unit.