JP2000228290A - Human body sensor and illumination control system using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a illumination control system using a human body sensor capable of maintaining proper illuminance regardless of an existing position of a human body and reducing incompatible feeling and uncomfortable feeling to one at the border of the detecting range of a human body sensor, and easily constructible at a low cost, without requiring plural sensors. SOLUTION: A human body sensor 7 normally detects existence and nonexistence of a human body in a detection range A, expands the detection range to a detection range B when detecting a change in existence and nonexistence of the body, detects existence and nonexistence of a body in its surroundings, and carries out illumination control such as lighting, switching-off and dimming of a luminaire 8 in consideration of existence and nonexistence in the surroundings of the detection range, based on the detected result. Thereby, by a means of controlling image reading, a picture element selecting range of an image pick-up element is made variable based on a judgement result by a means of judging existence and nonexistence, and a detecting range of existence and nonexistence in a designated space is made variable, therefore, one in the boarder of the detection range can be reliably detected without requiring use of plural human body sensors.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a motion sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a person and a lighting control system for controlling a dimming signal to a lighting device based on the detection by the motion sensor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional lighting control system turns on / off a lighting device based on detection of the presence / absence of a person within a detection range of a human sensor. By turning off the light, energy saving was realized. However, when a person is present at the boundary of the detection range of the human sensor, the surrounding illuminating device is turned off, so that an appropriate illuminance cannot be obtained, or
There has been a problem that a sudden change in illuminance causes a sense of incongruity. Therefore, means for solving this problem have been proposed.

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional illumination control system disclosed in, for example, JP-A-8-329730.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of this lighting control system. In the figure, reference numerals 1a to 1c denote a plurality of lighting devices mounted adjacent to a ceiling or the like in a control space, for example, each including two electric lights. 2a to 2c are sensors for detecting the presence / absence of a human body, and 3a to 3c are sensors 2a respectively.
２2c human body detection areas, and 4 is a person.

[0004] Reference numeral 5 denotes an infrared sensor having a plurality of detection units 5a to 5d, and reference numerals 6a and 6d denote lenses for condensing infrared energy emitted from a human body to the detection units 5a and 5d, respectively. X and Y are detection areas of the detection units 5a and 5d, respectively, and the detection ranges X and Y are configured to have different sizes, and are configured to substantially coaxially overlap.

Next, the overall operation will be described with reference to FIG. First, this lighting control system is a system including three lighting devices that independently perform lighting control according to the distance to a person, and performs lighting control of the entire control space, that is, lighting control and two-step light control. The control is performed.

A person 4 exists almost immediately below the lighting device 1c,
When the person 4 is present in the detection areas 3b and 3c, the illuminating device 1c that has detected the person 4 at the closest distance by the sensor 2c is turned on brightest, that is, both lights are turned on. Next, the lighting device 1b that has detected the person 4 at a short distance by the sensor 2b is turned on darker than the lighting of the lighting device 1c, that is, one light is turned on and the other light is turned off. Further, the lighting device 1a that does not detect the person 4 by the sensor 2a is turned off, that is, both of the lighting devices 1a are turned off.

Accordingly, the lighting devices 1a to 1c are turned off when the human 4 is not detected by the sensors 2,
It is configured to light up when the person 4 is detected near, and to light the brightest when the person 4 is detected closest.

Next, the operation of detecting a human body by the sensor 2 will be described with reference to FIG. First, FIG. 5 shows only a sensor and a lens provided in each lighting device. The detection ranges X and Y of the detection units 5a and 5d are set coaxially about a position substantially directly below the infrared sensor 5 or the illumination device 1, and the detection range X is set substantially at the center of the detection range Y. ing. Therefore, when the person 4 exists in the detection range X, both the detection units 5a and 5d detect the person. When the person 4 moves and the distance between the infrared sensor 5 and the person 4 increases, and the person 4 exists in the detection range Y not including the detection range X, the detection unit 5d detects the person 4 and detects the person 4. No detection is performed by the unit 5a.

That is, when the person 4 is near the infrared sensor 5 or the illuminating device 1 (detection range X), 2
When one of the detection units 5a and 5d detects the person 4, and the person 4 is located at a position slightly away from the infrared sensor 5 or the illumination device (a detection range Y not including the detection range X), one detection unit 5d Detects the person 4, and when the person 4 exists at a position (outside the detection range Y) away from the infrared sensor 5 or the lighting device, neither of the detection units 5a and 5d detects the person 4.

As described above, based on the number of the detection units 5a to 5d that have detected the presence of the person 4, the infrared sensor 5
Since the distance between the lighting device 1 and the person 4 is determined and the turning on / off of the lighting device 1 is controlled, the lighting device 1 can be optimally controlled according to the distance from the person 4. As described above, not only the lighting device 1 in the range where the person 4 is present, but also the lighting device 1 adjacent to the lighting device 1 can be turned on according to the distance from the person 4, so that it is comfortable. Optimal lighting control can be performed without impairing the performance, and energy can be saved.

[0011]

In the above-described conventional lighting control system, a plurality of sensors are used, and a plurality of detecting units are provided in the sensors to detect a person.
There was a problem that the system became complicated. In addition, there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the cost increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a motion sensor that detects a person without requiring a plurality of sensors. In addition, lighting equipment can be maintained at an appropriate illuminance regardless of the location of people, and it can reduce discomfort and discomfort for people located at the boundary of the detection range of the human sensor, making it easy to construct at low cost. A lighting control system is obtained.

[0013]

A human sensor according to the present invention comprises a plurality of pixels, and selects an image sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space and a pixel of the image sensor.
Image reading control means for extracting an image signal from pixels in the selected range; and presence / absence determination means for determining presence / absence of a person based on the image signal from the image reading control means. Changing the selection range of the pixels of the image sensor based on the determination result by the presence / absence determination means,
The detection range of the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space is varied.

Further, the lighting control system using the human sensor according to the present invention determines the presence / absence of a person based on an image signal from the image reading control means, and turns on / off the lighting device based on the determination result. Presence / absence determination means for controlling dimming, and when the determination by the presence / absence determination means changes from presence to absence or from absence to presence, the image reading control means selects pixels of the image sensor. The range is expanded, and the detection range of the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space is expanded.

Further, the image reading control means expands the selection range of the pixels of the image sensor from the normal range at regular time intervals, returns to the normal range after a predetermined time, and changes the detection range of the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space. It is to let.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a lighting control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a space such as an office for controlling lighting. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a human sensor used in the lighting control system, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the lighting control system.

In the figure, reference numeral 7 denotes a human sensor, which has a function of enlarging or reducing a detection range.
Usually, the presence / absence of a person is detected in a small range, and when the presence / absence of a person is detected at the boundary of the detection range, the detection range is expanded. A indicates the normal detection range of the human sensor 7 and B
Indicates a detection range when the human sensor 7 expands the detection range.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an inverter lighting device (hereinafter referred to as a lighting device), which indicates a lighting device. A dimming signal from the human sensor 7 is input to the luminaire 8, and blinking and dimming are controlled by the dimming signal. Reference numeral 9 denotes a control unit module for performing one illumination control of the illumination control system. The control unit module 9 includes four illumination fixtures 8 and one human sensor 7, and is independent for each control unit module 9. It is controlled by a dimming signal input from the human sensor 7.

Reference numeral 10 denotes an image pickup device constituted by a plurality of pixels 11, 12 denotes an image reading control means for selecting and taking out a specific image signal from the image pickup device 10, and 13 denotes an image reading control means 1.
And presence / absence determination means for determining the presence / absence of a person based on the output signal from the device 2. The human sensor 7 includes an image sensor 10, an image reading control unit 12, and a presence / absence determination unit 13.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the operation of the human sensor 7 alone will be described. The image reading control unit 12 extracts an image signal from the pixels 11 in a specific range in the image sensor 10 and outputs the image signal to the presence / absence determination unit 13. The presence / absence determination means 13 determines the presence / absence of a person in the range based on the image signal, sends a dimming signal to the lighting fixture 8, and controls the lighting / extinguishing / dimming of the lighting fixture 8.

The presence / absence determination means 13 outputs a signal for designating a detection range to the image reading control means 12. The image reading control means 12 changes the detection range of the human sensor 7 by specifying the range of the pixels 11 of the imaging device 10 to be detected based on the detection range signal.

Next, the operation of the human sensor 7 and the luminaire 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the human sensor 7 is operated, and the image reading control unit 12 sets a small range,
That is, an image signal is extracted from the pixel 11 in the control unit module 9 which can detect the detection range A, and this image signal is output from the image reading control means 12 to the presence / absence determination means 13 to start a detection operation (step S21). . The presence / absence determination means 13 detects a change in the presence / absence of a person based on the image signal (step S22), and indicates whether the person has disappeared (presence → absence) or a new person has appeared (absence → present). )
Is determined (step S23).

When the presence / absence of a person is detected, the detection range is expanded, that is, an image signal is extracted from the pixel 11 capable of detecting the detection range B including the surrounding control unit module 9 (step S24), and the detection is performed. It is detected whether or not a person exists in the range B (step S25). If the presence of a person is not detected, the process proceeds to step S31 described below, and the lighting device 8 is turned off. On the other hand, when the presence of a person is detected, the boundary of the detection range, that is, the control unit module 9
Is present around the control unit module 9 to which the human presence sensor 7 belongs.
A lighting control signal is sent to the lighting fixture 8 of the above, and the lighting is slowly reduced to reduce the illuminance so that an appropriate illuminance can be maintained for a person present at the boundary of the detection range (step S26).

Thereafter, the detection range is returned to the small detection range A (step S27), a change in presence / absence of a person is detected (step S28), and if there is no change, the detection range is detected every few minutes. The area is expanded to the range B (step S29), and the presence / absence of a person in the detection range B is confirmed (step S3).
0). Then, when a person no longer exists in the detection range B, it is determined that no person exists in the control unit module 9 and its surroundings, so that the lighting is turned off (step S31), and the detection range is reduced to a small range. (Step S32), and returns to the first step S21. On the other hand, if there is a person in step S30,
The detection range is returned to the small detection range A (step S3).
3) Return to step S29.

In step S23, the absence of a person →
If the presence is detected or if the presence / absence of a person changes in step S28, the detection range is set to the detection range B.
(Step S34), and it is detected whether or not a person exists in the detection range B (Step S35). Therefore, when the presence of a person is detected and a person is present around the control unit module 9, the luminaire 8 is slowly dimmed so that the surrounding people do not feel a sudden change in illuminance, and the illuminance is reduced. It is raised (step S36), and if there is no person, it is immediately turned on (step S37). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S32. As described above, appropriate control of turning on / off / dimming of the lighting fixture 8 is performed based on the presence / absence of a person in each control unit module 9 and its surroundings.

In the first embodiment, the human sensor 7 expands the detection range by detecting a change in the presence / absence of a person. However, the detection range is detected at regular intervals. The detection range may be expanded from the range to the detection range B and returned to the original normal detection range A after a predetermined time. As a result, the presence / absence of the person is detected by the human sensor 7 in a time cycle, so that there is no change in the presence / absence of the person in one control unit module 8 of the detection range A, and another control unit around the same. Even if a change occurs in the module 8, the lighting control is performed after a certain period of time, so that dimming control can be performed according to the surrounding situation, and more detailed lighting control can be realized.

[0027]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

The image reading control means varies the selection range of the pixels of the image sensor based on the determination result by the presence / absence determination means, and varies the detection range of the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space. It is possible to reliably detect a person present at the boundary of the detection range without using a sensor.

If the determination by the presence / absence determination means changes from presence to absence or from absence to presence, the image reading control means expands the selection range of the pixels of the image sensor, and the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space. Since the absence detection range is expanded, the lighting and lighting control of lighting fixtures is performed based on the presence / absence status of the surrounding people, and appropriate illuminance is applied to people at the boundaries of the detection range of the human sensor. It is possible to reduce discomfort and discomfort felt by the lighting control, and it is possible to easily perform the lighting control at low cost without using a plurality of sensors.

Further, the image reading control means expands the selection range of the pixels of the image sensor from the normal range at regular time intervals, returns to the normal range after a predetermined time, and changes the detection range of the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space. Therefore, even if there is no change in the presence / absence of a person and a change occurs around the detection range, the change is detected after a certain period of time and lighting control is performed, so that dimming control according to the surrounding conditions can be performed, Finer lighting control can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a lighting control system using a human sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a human sensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a lighting control system using a human sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional lighting control system.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a conventional lighting control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 motion sensor, 8 inverter lighting equipment, 9 control unit module, 10 image sensor, 11 pixels,
12 image reading means, 13 presence / absence determination means.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshiaki Koizumi 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Electric Corporation F-term (reference) 3K073 AA12 AA13 AA66 AA83 BA25 CE00 CF13 CG06 CG22 CG42 CJ11 CJ22

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup device comprising a plurality of pixels for detecting the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space, and an image reading control means for selecting a pixel of the image pickup device and extracting an image signal from pixels in a selected range. And presence / absence determination means for determining the presence / absence of a person based on the image signal from the image read control means, wherein the image read control means captures an image based on the determination result by the presence / absence determination means. A human sensor characterized by changing a selection range of a pixel of an element and changing a detection range of presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space. 2. An image pickup device comprising a plurality of pixels for detecting the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space, and an image reading control means for selecting pixels of the image pickup device and extracting an image signal from pixels in the selected range. And presence / absence determination means for determining the presence / absence of a person based on an image signal from the image reading control means, and for controlling lighting / extinguishing / light control of the lighting device based on the determination result, When the determination by the presence / absence determination means changes from presence to absence or from absence to presence, the image reading control means expands the selection range of the pixels of the image sensor, and detects the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space. A lighting control system using a human sensor, characterized by enlarging the image. 3. An image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels for detecting the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space, and an image reading control means for selecting pixels of the image sensor and extracting an image signal from pixels in the selected range. And presence / absence determination means for determining the presence / absence of a person based on an image signal from the image reading control means, and for controlling lighting / extinguishing / light control of the lighting device based on the determination result, The image reading control means expands the selection range of the pixels of the image sensor from the normal range at regular time intervals, returns to the normal range after a predetermined time, and varies the detection range of the presence / absence of a person in a predetermined space. Lighting control system using a human sensor.