JP2000138925A - Automatic lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow an automatic lighting device to more surely control a lighting fixture by providing a supervisory sensor that supervises an object to be supervised by means of an image, calculating the shape of the object based on image information acquired by the supervisory sensor and background data having been acquired in advance so as to identify a visitor thereby sensing a human body more accurately. SOLUTION: An image analysis means 2 receives a current image from an image detection means 1, compares first the image with a background image having been detected in advance form the image detection means 1 to extract an image of an object. In this stage, the quantity of processing data can considerably be reduced so as to attain the image processing at high-speed. Then the image analysis means 2 stores patterns of objects to be detected such as persons and identifies an object to be detected (e.g. a person such as a visitor) based on a degree of coincidence between the patterns stored in the image analysis means 2 and a pattern of an image of the object obtained after the background image is eliminated. Furthermore, this device can handle animals or automobiles or the like other than persons for the object of supervision as a matter of course.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic lighting device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for detecting whether or not a detection target such as a person is present indoors and outdoors at an entrance or a gate, and turning on / off a lighting fixture such as a entrance light or a gate light.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, lighting devices have been manually controlled to be turned on and off at will by human beings, both indoors and outdoors. For this reason, the user often forgets to turn off the power and wastes power, and the position of the switch is often unknown due to the darkness.

For this reason, in recent years, a device for controlling a lighting fixture using an illuminance sensor or a human body detection sensor has been proposed (for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-169760). As a sensor, a CDS sensor or an infrared sensor is generally used.

[0004]

However, it is difficult to accurately detect a human body with a CDS sensor or an infrared sensor, and it is lit even when no one is present, or only a small animal such as a dog or a cat passes. There was a problem that it was turned on.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic lighting device that detects a human body more accurately using an image detecting means and operates more reliably.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a monitoring sensor for monitoring an object to be monitored by an image, illumination means for illuminating the surroundings, and the monitoring sensor comprises Lighting control means for illuminating by the lighting means when an object is detected. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the monitoring sensor calculates the shape of the object from the acquired image information and the background data acquired in advance, and performs the visit based on the degree of coincidence with the pattern of the object stored in advance. The automatic lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the automatic lighting device recognizes a person. According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic lighting device including a monitoring sensor for monitoring a monitored object by an image, and illuminating when the monitored object is detected. According to the invention described in claim 2, the monitoring sensor calculates the shape of the object based on the acquired image information and recognizes the visitor.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an automatic lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an image detection unit, which is an image pickup unit including an optical lens, for example, a television camera or an artificial retinal chip. Reference numeral 2 denotes an image analysis unit that calculates the shape of an object or the like from the image information captured by the image detection unit 1 and determines the presence or absence of a human body. Further, the image analysis unit 2 can calculate the illuminance from the image information captured by the image detection unit 1 and determine whether illumination is necessary. Reference numeral 3 denotes switch input means for forcibly turning on or off the illumination. Reference numeral 6 denotes timer counting means for counting the time from when the detection of the human body stops until the lighting is turned off. 4 is image analysis means 2
And lighting control means for controlling a controlled device 5 such as a lighting fixture based on information from the switch input means 3 and the timer counting means 6.

A more specific control example of the automatic lighting device of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Now, when the power is turned on to the automatic lighting control device, the lighting control means 4 is turned on.
First, it is determined whether or not the state of the switch input means 3 is the automatic control (step S1). If it is not automatic control (No in step 1), the lighting control means 4
Determines again whether the state of the switch input means 3 is forcible lighting (step 2). Then, in the case of forced lighting (Yes in step 2), the lighting control means 4
The controlled device 5 such as a lighting device is turned on (step 3).
If it is not forced lighting (No in step 2),
The lighting control means 4 turns off the controlled device 5 such as a lighting fixture (step 4). In the case of automatic control (Yes in step 1), the brightness of the surroundings is detected by the image analysis means 2 based on the image captured by the image detection means 1, and illumination is required by the lighting control means 4. It is determined whether or not it is (step 5). If the lighting is not required (No in step 5), the lighting control means 4 controls the controlled device 5 such as a lighting fixture.
Is turned off (step 4). If illumination is required (Yes in step 5), it is determined whether or not the monitored object has been detected by the image analysis unit 2 based on the image captured by the image detection unit 1 (step 6). . If a monitored object is detected (Yes in Step 6), the count of the timer counting means 6 is reset (Step 7), and the controlled device 5 such as a lighting fixture is turned on (Step 8). If no monitored object is detected (step 6
No), it is determined whether or not the timer counting means 6 has finished counting (step 9). If the timer counting means 6 has not finished counting (No in step 9), the timer counting means 6 counts one timer, and the lighting control means 4 lights the controlled device 5 such as a lighting fixture. (Step 8). If the timer counting means 6 has finished counting (Yes in step 9), the lighting control means 4 turns off the controlled device 5 such as a lighting fixture (step 4).

Next, a more specific example of control of the automatic lighting device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. When the image analysis unit 2 receives the current image diagram 3 (a) from the image detection unit 1, it first compares the current image diagram 3 (a) with the background image diagram 3 (b) detected by the image detection unit 1 in advance. Take out 3 (c). At this stage, the amount of processing data can be significantly reduced, and the image processing time can be shortened. The image analysis means 2 stores a pattern of a detection target such as a person,
FIG. 3C shows an image of the object obtained after the background image is removed.
The target to be detected (for example, a visitor or the like) is recognized based on the degree of coincidence between the pattern and the pattern stored in the image analysis means 2.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which a person outdoors is monitored and automatically turned on. However, it is needless to say that the person may be provided indoors, for example, near a staircase. Also,
It goes without saying that animals other than humans and vehicles may be monitored. Further, when determining the monitoring target, the determination may be made in consideration of the way of movement in addition to the still image.

[0011]

According to the present invention, a monitoring sensor for monitoring an object to be monitored by an image, an illuminating means for illuminating the surroundings, and the monitoring sensor are provided. Is provided with lighting control means for illuminating by the illuminating means when the monitoring target is detected, so that the monitoring sensor allows the monitoring target to be more accurately compared to a conventional CDS sensor or infrared sensor alone. Is detected, whereby the lighting fixture can be more reliably controlled and is effective. According to the automatic lighting device of the second aspect, the monitoring sensor of the first aspect calculates the shape of the object from the acquired image information and the previously acquired background data, and stores the shape of the object in advance. Since the visitor is recognized based on the degree of coincidence with the pattern of the object, the processing data can be significantly reduced, the image processing time can be reduced, as compared with the case where all the captured image data is used conventionally. It is valid.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart showing a control flow of the automatic lighting device.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are diagrams illustrating a method of removing a background image from an image including a detection target.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image detection means 2 Image analysis means 3 Switch input means 4 Lighting control means 5 Controlled equipment such as lighting equipment 6 Timer counting means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A monitoring sensor for monitoring an object to be monitored by an image, illumination means for illuminating the surroundings, and lighting control means for lighting the illumination means when the monitoring sensor detects the object to be monitored. An automatic lighting device, characterized in that: 2. The monitoring sensor calculates a shape of an object from acquired image information and background data acquired in advance,
2. The automatic lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the visitor is recognized based on the degree of coincidence with the pattern of the object stored in advance.