JP2002289377A - Illumination control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illumination control system, which uses a TV camera as a brightness-detecting sensor detecting brightness distribution of an irradiated domain of an illumination apparatus, and can perform always proper and effective illumination by detecting brightness and judging necessity for illumination suitably by detecting people's existence by a function as a human detecting sensor, in the necessary area of the image obtained with the TV camera. SOLUTION: The illumination control system is provided with a processing means constituted so that, by detecting the brightness distribution of the irradiation domain of the illumination apparatus and taking it in as the image with the TV camera, automatic control of the illuminating output of the illumination apparatus may be carried out based on this image data, wherein the above processing means is constituted so that the photographic image of the above TV camera may be divided into two or more area, the existence of those who exist in each area may be detected, a dimmer signal may be generated based on the data, and the automatic control of the illuminating output of the illumination apparatus may be carried out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting control system in a room or the like of a building, and more particularly to a TV camera (CCD camera or the like) as a brightness detection sensor in a room or the like.
The present invention relates to a lighting control system capable of exerting more functions on image information obtained by a TV camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a lighting fixture L is provided on a ceiling surface CS.
Illumination sensor IS for detecting the brightness of the irradiation area of n is provided, and the light output of the lighting equipment Ln is automatically controlled by the dimming signal Sd output based on the detected value of the illumination sensor IS. Control systems are well known (see FIG. 21). In this case, the illuminance sensor IS
S, the brightness detection position with respect to the irradiation area of the lighting fixture Ln is fixed, and the brightness detection area LDA is also fixed (see FIG. 22).

Further, as a conventional lighting control system, T
A method has also been proposed in which the brightness distribution of the illumination area of the lighting fixture Ln is captured as an image using a V camera or the like, and illumination control is performed using this image data. In such a lighting control method, images taken by a TV camera or the like are continuously captured, and these images are compared with a brightness distribution image at the time of lighting design to detect a change in brightness, respectively. The illumination control is performed based on this detection value.

However, in the above-described conventional lighting control system, in order to perform lighting control suitable for the indoor environment as much as possible, it is necessary to change the detection position of the brightness of the illuminance sensor IS with respect to the irradiation area of the lighting equipment Ln. Brightness detection area L
It is necessary to increase the number of DA settings. However, when the conventional illuminance sensor IS is used, there is a problem that a large-scale work such as a ceiling work is required when the detection position of the illuminance sensor IS or the detection area LDA is added.

[0005] From such a viewpoint, in the related art, indoor lighting fixtures are divided into several groups, and setting is made such that control is performed in different patterns depending on places and time.
Alternatively, various illumination control systems have been proposed which are configured to perform control such that a constant illuminance is obtained by capturing, as an image, a brightness distribution of an illumination area of a lighting fixture using a TV camera or the like.

[0006]

However, as described above, in the case of performing illumination control with a constant illuminance using a camera, if the lighting equipment is turned on when no person is present at the place, wasteful energy is consumed. That you are using. In such a case, when a person leaves the place,
There is no problem if the lighting equipment is turned off, but in a public place such as an office, the lighting operation is often forgotten. In addition, in a system that performs lighting control according to a time zone, there is a problem that the user has to create a time chart of the design illuminance value by himself / herself, which is troublesome.

The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive studies and studies and as a result, have used a TV camera as a brightness detection sensor for detecting the brightness distribution of the illumination area of the lighting fixture.
The image obtained by the TV camera is divided into a plurality of areas, brightness is detected from the image data for each of the divided areas, and the presence or absence of a person is detected by a function as a human sensor. It has been found that a lighting control system capable of performing lighting control such as turning off a corresponding lighting fixture when no person is present in each area can be easily constructed.

In such a lighting control system, a time chart for lighting control can be automatically created by recording data of a person detected for each area for a certain period of time. It has been found that it is possible to easily and easily construct a system that performs appropriate lighting control depending on the time zone.

Further, as described above, in an illumination control system in which an image obtained by a TV camera is set to be divided into a plurality of areas, brightness is detected from image data for each of the divided areas, and a person or the like is detected. The moving object, that is, the presence or absence of a moving object is detected, and from the time when the moving object is no longer detected, the lighting equipment corresponding to the area is dimmed down so as to gradually lower the dimming level, and the area around the area is When the brightness is detected and the brightness of the surrounding area reaches the lower limit of the predetermined brightness, the dimming down control is interrupted, and the control state is changed until the moving object is detected again. By configuring the system to maintain the brightness, it is possible to always maintain the optimal brightness only in the area where lighting is required, and to save energy in lighting control. Have found that can be easily achieved.

On the other hand, as a conventional lighting control system, for example, a human sensor is installed at equal intervals on a ceiling to detect the position of a person in a room and always appropriately control the lighting of a place where a person is present. What has been proposed. However, in this case, there is a disadvantage that a large number of sensors must be mounted on the ceiling in order to detect the position of the person. Further, when a camera is used, the number of sensors to be installed can be reduced. However, since the cameras must be strictly arranged, there is a problem that the installation is troublesome. further,
When a person is moving, it is difficult to calculate the moving distance and moving direction.

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies and studies, and as a result, arranged two cameras at opposing positions.
It has been found that the relative position in a room, the moving distance and the moving direction when moving can be easily calculated by calculating the size ratio of the object (person) from the images captured by both cameras.

In today's indoor environment such as an office, individuals have computers, and these computers are complete with an in-house network and are constructed so that they can be connected to e-mail and the Internet. Similarly, small digital cameras have rapidly spread, are being reduced in price, and have been widely applied to various types of terminal devices.

[0013] From such a viewpoint, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies and studies and as a result, connected a camera for photographing a user to a computer connected via a network. By detecting the brightness of the background of the user and by automatically controlling the light output of the corresponding lighting fixture via the lighting control server, for example, the presence or absence of the user can be detected by the camera, They found that energy saving in lighting control could be easily achieved by turning off or dimming the corresponding lighting equipment when no user was present.

Further, according to the present invention, by using a TV camera as a brightness detection sensor for detecting the brightness distribution of the illumination area of the lighting fixture, the brightness of a plurality of areas is obtained from an image obtained by one camera. Can be set so that a single camera outputs a dimming signal to a dimming circuit of one or a plurality of lighting fixtures, and a plurality of cameras can control dimming of a plurality of lighting fixtures. It can be set to output a dimming signal to the circuit, and the degree of freedom of the setting position of the camera can be increased according to the design of the illumination area of the lighting fixture. We found that easy illuminance design could be done easily.

As described above, when a TV camera is used as a brightness detection sensor, a personal computer (PC terminal), a transmission signal generator, and the like are required as auxiliary devices indispensable to the TV camera. These devices are complicated and the area occupied by these devices is also large, and there is a problem that the installation place is limited.

The inventors of the present invention have made intensive studies and studies, and as a result, have formed an automatic lighting control terminal with a built-in camera in which the functions of a TV camera, a PC terminal, and a transmission signal generator are integrated. It has been found that the overall configuration can be made compact, the installation thereof can be facilitated, and a highly reliable system configuration can be obtained.

Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to use a TV camera as a brightness detection sensor for detecting the brightness distribution of an illumination area of a lighting fixture, and to obtain a brightness in a required area of an image obtained by the TV camera. To provide a lighting control system capable of always determining the necessity of lighting and performing proper and effective lighting by detecting the presence or absence of a person by the function of a human sensor as well as detecting the presence of a person. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is to divide an image obtained by a TV camera into a plurality of areas, detect the brightness and detect the presence or absence of a moving object in each area, and detect no moving object. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting control system capable of achieving proper and efficient lighting control by controlling lighting of a lighting device corresponding to the area at a point in time.

Still another object of the present invention is to automatically calculate a moving distance and a moving direction with respect to a moving ratio from an image captured by a TV camera, and perform switching of illumination control based on the calculated data. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a lighting control system capable of achieving economical lighting control at low cost.

Another object of the present invention is to set a TV camera as a user photographing camera connectable to a computer connected to a network, wherein the camera detects at least the brightness of a user's face or a user background,
A lighting control system capable of smoothly and efficiently achieving lighting control in an indoor environment such as an office where a personal computer is owned by controlling the light output of a corresponding lighting fixture via a lighting control server. Is to provide.

Still another object of the present invention is to set a single camera to output a dimming signal to a dimming circuit of one or a plurality of lighting fixtures, and to control a plurality of lighting fixtures by a plurality of cameras. By setting the dimming signal to be output to the optical circuit, the degree of freedom of the setting position of the camera can be increased according to the design of the irradiation area of the lighting fixture, and each can be appropriately and efficiently used depending on the lighting environment. An object of the present invention is to provide a lighting control system capable of easily performing an illuminance design.

Another object of the present invention is to integrate the functions of a TV camera, a PC terminal and a transmission signal generator,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting control system that is configured as an automatic lighting control terminal with a built-in camera, and that can be made compact in its entire configuration and that can be easily installed and have a highly reliable system configuration.

[0023]

In order to achieve the above object, a lighting control system according to the present invention captures the detection of the brightness distribution of an illumination area of a lighting fixture as an image by a TV camera, and based on this image data. In a lighting control system provided with arithmetic processing means configured to automatically control the light output of a lighting fixture, the arithmetic processing means divides an image captured by the TV camera into a plurality of areas, and includes an image in each area. The system is characterized in that the presence or absence of a person is detected, a dimming signal is generated based on the data, and the light output of the lighting fixture is automatically controlled.

In this case, the arithmetic processing means analyzes, for each of the divided areas, a time zone in which a person is frequently detected and a time zone in which a person is not detected, and automatically controls the light output of the lighting fixture according to the time zone. Can be set to

Further, the lighting control system according to the present invention comprises:
In a lighting control system including an arithmetic processing unit configured to capture detection of a brightness distribution of an irradiation area of a lighting fixture as an image by a TV camera and automatically control a light output of the lighting fixture based on the image data, In the arithmetic processing means, the image captured by the TV camera is divided into a plurality of areas, and the presence or absence of a moving object is detected together with the detection of brightness from the image data for each area. The lighting equipment corresponding to the area is set to be turned off.

In this case, in the arithmetic processing means,
When the moving object is no longer detected in any of the areas, the lighting fixture corresponding to the area is set to perform dimming down control, and the brightness of the surrounding area is detected, and the brightness of the surrounding area is detected. It can be set so that the dimming down control is interrupted when the brightness reaches the lower limit of the brightness defined in advance.

An illumination control system according to the present invention is a computer system in which the detection of brightness distribution of an illumination area of a lighting fixture is captured as an image by a TV camera, and the light output of the lighting fixture is automatically controlled based on the image data. In the illumination control system provided with a processing unit, the arithmetic processing unit automatically calculates a moving distance and a moving direction of a moving person from an image captured by the TV camera, and calculates the moving distance and the moving direction of the person. It is characterized in that it is set so as to switch the control of the light output of the lighting equipment in accordance with the setting.

Further, the lighting control system according to the present invention comprises:
In a lighting control system configured to automatically detect the brightness distribution of the illumination area of the lighting fixture as an image by the TV camera and automatically control the light output of the lighting fixture based on the image data, the TV camera is connected to a network. Set as a user shooting camera connectable to a computer, the camera shoots at least the user's face or its background, detects the brightness of the face or background, and uses a corresponding lighting fixture via a lighting control server Is characterized in that the optical output is controlled.

In this case, the camera can be configured to detect the presence or absence of a user, and to control the corresponding lighting fixture to be turned off or dimmed when there is no user.

Further, the illumination control system according to the present invention is configured so that the detection of the brightness distribution of the illumination area of the lighting fixture is captured as an image by a TV camera, and the light output of the lighting fixture is automatically controlled based on the image data. In the lighting control system provided with the arithmetic processing means, the arithmetic processing means outputs a dimming signal to a dimming circuit of one or more lighting fixtures based on image data input from at least one camera. It is characterized in that it is set to perform.

In this case, in the arithmetic processing means,
Based on image data input from a plurality of cameras, a setting can be made to output a dimming signal to a dimming circuit of a plurality of lighting fixtures.

In the above-described illumination control system according to the present invention, the TV camera and an arithmetic processing unit for comparing the image input from the TV camera with a preset image to generate light output control data. And a transmission unit for transmitting the light output control data as a transmission signal, wherein an automatic illumination control terminal with a built-in camera is used.

[0033]

Next, an embodiment of a lighting control system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034]

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of a lighting control system according to the present invention, and shows the arrangement of components constituting the system.

However, in FIG. 1, the system configuration of the illumination control system according to the present invention includes a TV camera 10 as a brightness detection sensor, an arithmetic control unit 12 including a PC terminal or the like as arithmetic processing means, Control device 1
Lighting device 1 in which the light output of the light source is automatically controlled by a dimming signal Sd output based on the image data input to 2
6-1 and 16-2.

In the illumination control system having the above-described configuration, the TV camera 10 is arranged in a required direction with respect to the room 18 to be subjected to the illumination control, and, for example, an arbitrary portion of an image input area surrounded by a dashed line. Brightness detection area LD in position
Set A. And in the arithmetic and control unit 12,
The brightness data of the set brightness detection area LDA is calculated, the output level of the lighting fixture is calculated based on the result, and the light output of the lighting fixture is controlled.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show examples of setting the brightness and the human detection area in the illumination control system of the present invention having the above-described configuration. In other words, FIG. 2 shows a layout image of an office to be controlled, and FIG. 3 shows a plurality of area division states for the image shown in FIG. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the divided areas A1 to A4 can be set at an arbitrary position in an arbitrary size, and the number of the set areas can be arbitrarily set. In this case, each area A1 to A1
The setting of A4 can be easily set by, for example, displaying an image photographed by a camera on a display screen of a terminal device for setting, and selecting an arbitrary range on the image with a mouse. .

However, in this embodiment, when the areas A1 to A4 are set as shown in FIG. 3, the following real-time control is performed. That is, the presence status of a person in each area is detected at regular intervals, and when a person is present, a switch of a lighting device that irradiates the area is turned on. ,
The switch of the lighting equipment is turned off.

In the present embodiment, all the sensed presence data are stored simultaneously with the real-time control. As a storage location, an external hard disk in the arithmetic processing means, a hard disk in a personal computer for area setting, or the like can be used. Then, from the stored data, the presence status for each day of the week and for each hour can be analyzed.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are graphs showing the times when the presence of the person in the area A1 shown in FIG. 3 is sensed for each day of the week (see FIG. 4) and for each time (see FIG. 5). This is an example. From FIGS. 4 and 5, it can be seen that there are a time zone in which the presence is sensed and a time zone in which the presence is hardly sensed. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, there is no sense of presence on holidays such as Saturday and Sunday. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the presence of a person is not sensed in the early morning and after work. Furthermore, it is clear that the time during the lunch break is short.

Therefore, from the data of the presence status collected as described above, a time zone with a high frequency of presence and a time zone with a low frequency are predicted. It is possible to automatically set a time schedule for performing lighting control such as turning off the illuminance during a time when the frequency is low and turning off the light when no time is present.
Also in this case, more appropriate lighting control can be realized by using the real-time control together.

As shown in FIG. 6, by dividing the area for each individual seat, data collection of the occupancy status of each seat and ON / OFF of a task light provided for each seat are performed.
Control can also be performed automatically, and more efficient lighting control can be achieved.

[0043]

Embodiment 2 FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the lighting control system according to the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a control operation program of the system. Note that the basic system configuration and the configuration and arrangement of the illumination control system according to the present embodiment are the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1 described above.

In the present embodiment, in the system configuration shown in FIG.
Import DA image. On the other hand, the arithmetic and control unit 12 compares the image data input by the TV camera 10 with the data of the point to be controlled in the previously stored reference image data taken at the design illuminance. Each lighting fixture 16- is adjusted so that the points of the current image data are matched with the point data of the reference image.
A dimming signal Sd for dimming control of 1, 16-2 is transmitted. In the present embodiment, the arithmetic and control unit 12 also detects a moving object by analyzing continuously input image data.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the image of the brightness detection area LDA is divided into a plurality of areas by the TV camera 10, and the brightness is detected from the image data for each area, and the presence or absence of a moving object is detected. . Then, when the moving object is no longer detected, the lighting devices corresponding to the area are sequentially turned off. The control operation in this case will be described with reference to the flowchart of the control operation program shown in FIG.

That is, in FIG. 7, first, a moving object detection process in each area is performed (STEP-1). in this case,
It is determined whether or not a moving object has been detected (STEP-2). When a moving object is detected, the operation is performed so as to repeatedly execute the detecting process of the moving object in the area (STEP-1).
Next, in the determination of the presence or absence of the moving object detection (STEP-2), when the moving object is not detected any more, the lighting device corresponding to the area is controlled so that the dimming level is gradually reduced. Start optical down control (STEP-
3). Simultaneously with the dimming down control, the brightness of the surrounding area is detected (STEP-4), and it is determined whether or not the brightness is within a specified range (STEP-5).
Control. If the result of the determination indicates that the brightness of the peripheral area is within the specified range, the dimming control is continued, and when the brightness of the peripheral area reaches the lower limit of the specified range, the dimming control is performed. The control is stopped, and the lighting control is continued with the lighting fixture at the current dimming level.
In this way, according to the lighting control system of the present embodiment, without adding equipment necessary for lighting control,
Appropriate lighting control can be performed so as to maintain optimal brightness in an area where lighting is required and to achieve energy saving.

[0047]

Third Embodiment FIGS. 8 to 13 show still another embodiment of the illumination control system according to the present invention, and are explanatory diagrams showing control operation states. Note that the basic system configuration and the configuration and arrangement of the illumination control system according to the present embodiment are the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1 described above.

In this embodiment, the moving distance and the moving direction of the moving person are automatically calculated from the image taken by the TV camera, and the light output of the lighting equipment is calculated in accordance with the calculated moving distance and the moving direction. It is characterized in that the control is switched. Therefore, a method of calculating a moving distance and a moving direction of a person in the photographed image will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, FIG. 8 shows the arrangement of a camera for detecting a moving person in this embodiment. That is, in the present embodiment, a pair of cameras 10-1 and 10-2 are disposed to face each other at the center of the left and right side walls of the room 18. Then, the two cameras 1 facing each other
The setting is made so that the movement of a person can be photographed within the visual range of 0-1, 10-2. So, the person who is taking a picture from point A to B
When moving to a point, the movement vector AB can be decomposed as shown in FIG. That is, in this case, in the exploded view of the vector shown in FIG.
Vector AB is a vector representing movement. Then, the vector decomposed in the horizontal direction viewed from the camera is defined as a vector A.
Bx, the vector decomposed in the depth direction is a vector ABy
And

Next, FIG. 10 shows an example of images taken by the cameras 10-1 and 10-2 at the points A and B, respectively. Normally, an image includes a person who has moved and a landscape inside the room. In the present embodiment, a portion where the pixel value of the image has changed is detected, and only the person who has moved is extracted. Then, from the extracted pixels, the moving amount of the person can be calculated as follows.

(1) The amount of movement in the horizontal direction is point A, B
Images taken at each point can be compared and calculated from the displacement of the person's position. (2) The moving direction in the horizontal direction can be determined based on the direction of displacement of the position of the person (to the left or right). (3) The amount of movement in the depth direction can be calculated by calculating the ratio of the size of a person from images captured simultaneously by two cameras at the same point.

In this case, as shown in FIG.
Set the distance from the camera at each point B,
Let D be the distance between the two cameras. Therefore, at point A, the size of the person in the image taken by each camera is HA
1, HA2, and the distance from each camera to AC1, A
If C2 is used, the relationship shown in the following equation (1) is obtained. AC1: AC2 = HA2: HA1 (1) Also at point B, the relationship shown in the following equation (2) is obtained in the same manner as described above. BC1: BC2 = HB2: HB1 (2) Then, from the relationship of the distance, the relationship shown in the following equation (3) is obtained. AC1 + AC2 = BC1 + BC2 = D (3) Therefore, according to the equations (1) to (3), the amount of movement in the depth direction from the point A to the point B is expressed by the following equation (4).

[0053]

(Equation 1)

(4) The moving direction in the depth direction is as shown in FIG.
Compare the size HA1 and HB1 of the person shown in FIG.
If B1 is the direction approaching the camera 10-1 (right → left direction in FIG. 8), if HA1> HB1, the direction is away from the camera 10-1 (left → right direction in FIG. 8). You can judge.

FIG. 12 shows the lighting fixture 16 in the room 18.
2 shows the layout of the lighting and the lighting control state before the movement of the person. In this case, the position of the lighting fixture 16 with respect to the two cameras 10-1 and 10-2 is mapped in advance and prepared as arrangement data. The lighting control method when a person is at the point A is such that only the lighting fixture corresponding to the point A is turned on 100%, the surrounding area is turned on 50%, and the other lighting fixtures are turned off. Control is performed so that only the periphery of the person is illuminated.

FIG. 13 corresponds to FIG. 12 and shows the lighting control state after the movement of the person. In this case, the lighting control method is based on the data of the moving distance and the moving direction obtained from the images captured by the cameras 10-1 and 10-2, and obtains the lighting fixture corresponding to the point B from the position data of the lighting fixture. The control of the lighting equipment is switched such that the lighting equipment is turned on 100%, the surroundings are turned on 50%, and other lighting equipment is turned off. In this way, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to acquire the relative position of the object in the room without having to dispose the camera so strictly, and achieve appropriate lighting control in accordance with the movement of a person. can do.

[0057]

Fourth Embodiment FIGS. 14 to 16 show another embodiment of a lighting control system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration.
Note that the basic system configuration and the configuration and arrangement of the illumination control system according to the present embodiment are the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1 described above.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, a user photographing camera 10 capable of connecting a TV camera to computers PC-1 to PC-4 connected to a network.
Set as -1 to 10-4, each camera can detect the user's presence by, for example, taking a picture of the user's face or its background and detecting the brightness of that face or background. Thus, the light output of the corresponding lighting fixtures 16-1 to 16-4 is controlled via the lighting control server 20.

That is, (a) and (b) of FIG.
7A and 7B are image examples showing a case where the user is not present and a state where the user is present, respectively, and show a case where the face of the user is detected. In this case, when the user's face is detected [FIG.
5 (b)], the user's presence is detected based on the brightness, and the lighting control is maintained. If the user is not present [see FIG. 15 (a)], the change in the brightness is performed. It is detected that the person is not present due to (darkening), and light-off control can be performed.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are image examples showing the case where the user is not present and the state where the user is present, respectively, and show the case where the background ceiling of the user is detected. In this case, when the background ceiling is detected while the user is present (see FIG. 16B), the user's presence is detected by the change in brightness (darkening), and the lighting control is maintained. However, when the user is not present, only the ceiling in the background is detected (see (a) of FIG. 16), and it is detected that the user is not present based on the brightness, and the light can be turned off. As described above, according to this embodiment, by detecting the brightness of each user, it is possible to easily detect the presence state of the user and perform fine lighting control.

[0061]

Embodiment 5 FIGS. 17 and 18 show still another embodiment of the lighting control system according to the present invention.
FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C are schematic explanatory diagrams each showing an example of the configuration and arrangement of the components of the system. Note that the basic system configuration and the configuration and arrangement of the lighting control system according to the present embodiment are described above with reference to FIG.
Is similar to that shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, a small camera is used as a brightness detection sensor for controlling illumination.
A small camera can be installed at a position where the brightness of the space to be subjected to lighting control can be detected and the installation work is easy, and multiple brightnesses can be set at arbitrary positions on the image by one camera. Since the detection points can be set, for example, as shown in FIG. 17A, an illumination control system that associates the camera 10 with the dimming circuit 13 on a one-to-one basis can be easily set. Also, as shown in FIG. 17B, the camera 10 and the dimming circuits 13-1 to 13-1.
It is also possible to easily set an illumination control system that makes one-to-many correspondence with 3-n. Further, as shown in FIG. 17C, an illumination control system that associates the cameras 10-1 to 10-n with the dimming circuits 13-1 to 13-n in a plural-to-multiple manner can also be set.

FIG. 18 shows an example of an image captured by a camera when performing illumination control in this embodiment. In this case, the camera is mounted on a partition, capturing the facing desk, wall and ceiling. The dimming circuit 13-1 is set so as to simultaneously dim five luminaires arranged in a line, and the dimming circuit 13-2 is set so as to simultaneously dim six 2 × 3 luminaires. Then, the dimming signal to the dimming circuit 13-1 is calculated by the arithmetic processing unit 12 from the detection results of the detection points 1 to 3 in the image and output to the dimming circuit 13-1. Similarly, the dimming signal to the dimming circuit 13-2 is calculated by the arithmetic processing unit 12 from the detection results of the detection points 4 to 6 in the image and output to the dimming circuit 13-2. In this manner, each of the detection points 1 to 6 is connected to the corresponding dimming circuit 13-.
1, 13-2 can be set to a point at which the brightness of the range irradiated by the light can be properly detected, and the detected value of the brightness and the target value are compared with each dimming circuit 1 based on the comparison calculation result.
The brightness of the room can be maintained at the target value by increasing or decreasing the outputs of 3-1 and 13-2.

[0064]

Sixth Embodiment FIGS. 19 and 20 show another embodiment of a lighting control system according to the present invention. FIG. 19 is a schematic explanatory view showing the arrangement of components of the system. 20 is a schematic block connection diagram showing the system configuration of the above components.

That is, in the present embodiment, the TV camera 10 and the PC terminal are replaced with a configuration in which the TV camera 10 and the arithmetic and control unit 12 comprising a PC terminal are separately provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. And a transmission signal generator are integrated into a camera-integrated automatic lighting control terminal 30 to make the entire device compact and easy to install, as well as a highly reliable system configuration. Things.

The automatic lighting control terminal 30 with a built-in camera for detecting the brightness by the TV camera applied to the lighting control system according to the present embodiment and performing the dimming control of the lighting fixture, as shown in FIG. , Camera 31, a setting device interface unit 32 for performing light control, an arithmetic processing unit 34, an image memory 33, and a control signal transmission unit 36
Are integrated. The setting device interface unit 32 is provided with a connection terminal 32a for connection to an external setting device, and the control signal transmission unit 36 also connects the lighting control system transmission line to the lighting fixture. A connection terminal 36a is provided.

Accordingly, in the lighting control system according to the present invention having the above-described embodiments, the installation space for the system configuration can be expanded by using the camera built-in automatic lighting control terminal 30 having the above configuration. Therefore, the degree of freedom in installation can be increased, and advantages such as easy system design of lighting control can be obtained.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. .

[0069]

As is clear from the above-described embodiment, according to the lighting control system of the present invention, the detection of the brightness distribution of the illumination area of the lighting fixture is captured as an image by a TV camera, and based on this image data. In a lighting control system provided with arithmetic processing means configured to automatically control the light output of a lighting fixture, the arithmetic processing means divides an image captured by the TV camera into a plurality of areas, and includes an image in each area. By detecting the presence / absence of a person, generating a dimming signal based on the data, and automatically controlling the light output of the lighting equipment, the TV
In the required area of the image obtained by the camera, the brightness is detected, and the presence or absence of a person is detected by a function as a human sensor, so that the necessity of the illumination is appropriately determined and the appropriate and effective illumination is always performed. It can be performed.

According to the illumination control system of the present invention, the image obtained by the TV camera is divided into a plurality of areas, and the brightness is detected for each area, the presence or absence of a moving object is detected, and the moving object is detected. At the time of disappearance, the lighting fixture corresponding to the area is controlled to be turned off, so that proper and efficient lighting control can be achieved.

Further, according to the lighting control system of the present invention, the moving distance and the moving direction with respect to the moving ratio are automatically calculated from the image captured by the TV camera, and the lighting control is switched based on the calculated data. , It is possible to achieve economical lighting control at low cost.

On the other hand, according to the lighting control system of the present invention, the TV camera is set as a user photographing camera connectable to a computer connected to the network, and the camera detects at least the brightness of the user's face or the user's background. Then, by controlling the light output of the corresponding lighting fixture via the lighting control server, it is possible to smoothly and efficiently achieve lighting control in an indoor environment such as an office where an individual owns a computer.

Further, according to the lighting control system of the present invention, one camera is set so as to output a dimming signal to a dimming circuit of one or more lighting fixtures, and a plurality of lighting fixtures is set by a plurality of cameras. By setting the dimming signal to be output to the dimming circuit, the degree of freedom of the setting position of the camera can be increased in accordance with the design of the illumination area of the lighting fixture, and the appropriate and appropriate setting can be made according to the lighting environment Efficient illuminance design can be easily performed.

According to the illumination control system of the present invention, the TV camera and the arithmetic processing unit for comparing the image input from the TV camera with a preset image to generate light output control data are provided. By using an automatic lighting control terminal with a built-in camera that integrates a transmission unit for transmitting the light output control data as a transmission signal, the overall configuration can be made compact and installation is easy. And a highly reliable system configuration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration and arrangement of components of a lighting control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of an image according to the first embodiment of the lighting control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting a divided area for the image shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a change for each day of the week based on collected data of the presence status in the divided area shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change with time based on collected data of the presence status in the divided area shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of setting a divided area for the image shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control operation program according to a second embodiment of the lighting control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a principle of a control operation of a lighting control system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a vector diagram showing movement of the object shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a captured image before and after movement of an object by each camera in FIG. 8;

11 is an explanatory diagram showing an analysis state regarding a moving distance and a moving direction of an object by each camera in FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a lighting control state before moving an object according to a third embodiment of the lighting control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a lighting control state after moving an object according to a third embodiment of the lighting control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration example according to a fourth embodiment of the lighting control system according to the present invention.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are explanatory diagrams respectively showing examples of changes in an image captured by a camera when performing illumination control with the system configuration shown in FIG. 14;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are explanatory diagrams respectively showing another example of a change in an image captured by a camera when performing illumination control with the system configuration shown in FIG. 14;

FIGS. 17 (a) to (c) are explanatory diagrams respectively showing a system configuration and a modification example of a lighting control system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

18 is an explanatory diagram showing an image captured by a camera and its brightness detection points when performing illumination control with the system configuration shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing another example of the configuration and arrangement of the components of the lighting control system according to the present invention.

20 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a system configuration of the components shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration and arrangement of components of a lighting control system using a conventional illuminance sensor.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a system configuration of a lighting control system using a conventional illuminance sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 TV camera 12 Arithmetic control unit (arithmetic processing unit) 13 Dimming circuit 16 Lighting fixture 18 Indoor 20 Illumination control server 30 Camera built-in automatic illumination control terminal 31 Camera 32 Setting device interface 32a Connection terminal 33 Image memory 34 Arithmetic processing unit 36 control signal transmission unit 36a connection terminal

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Morikawa 4-3-1 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (72) Inventor Takashi Ichijo 4-3-1 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo F-term in Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (reference) 3K073 AA03 AA12 AA16 AA47 AA60 AA75 AA83 AB04 AB07 AB08 BA25 BA28 CF13 CF14 CG02 CG06 CG15 CG29 CG44 CH21 CJ00 CJ01 CJ02 CJ05 CJ11 CJ22

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A lighting device comprising arithmetic processing means configured to capture detection of a brightness distribution of an irradiation area of a lighting fixture as an image by a TV camera, and to automatically control the light output of the lighting fixture based on the image data. In the control system, the arithmetic processing unit divides the image captured by the TV camera into a plurality of areas, detects the presence or absence of a person present in each area, generates a dimming signal based on the data,
A lighting control system, wherein the light output of a lighting fixture is set to be automatically controlled. 2. The arithmetic processing means analyzes, for each of the divided areas, a time zone in which a person is frequently detected and a time zone in which a person is not detected, and automatically controls the light output of the lighting fixture according to the time zone. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the lighting control system is set as follows. 3. A lighting device comprising arithmetic processing means configured to capture detection of a brightness distribution of an irradiation area of a lighting device as an image by a TV camera, and to automatically control the light output of the lighting device based on the image data. In the control system, the arithmetic processing unit divides the image captured by the TV camera into a plurality of areas, detects the presence / absence of a moving object together with the brightness detection from the image data for each area, and no longer detects the moving object. A lighting control system wherein, at a point in time, a lighting fixture corresponding to the area is set to be turned off. 4. When the moving object is no longer detected in any one of the areas, the arithmetic processing means is set to perform dimming down control on a lighting fixture corresponding to the area, and the brightness of a surrounding area is set. 4. The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein when the brightness of the surrounding area reaches a predetermined lower limit of brightness, the dimming control is interrupted. Control system. 5. A lighting device comprising arithmetic processing means configured to capture detection of a brightness distribution in an irradiation area of a lighting fixture as an image by a TV camera and to automatically control the light output of the lighting fixture based on the image data. In the control system, the arithmetic processing means automatically calculates a moving distance and a moving direction of the moving person from the captured image of the TV camera, and adjusts a light output of the lighting fixture according to the calculated moving distance and the moving direction. A lighting control system characterized in that control is set to be switched. 6. A lighting control system configured to capture detection of a brightness distribution in an irradiation area of a lighting fixture as an image by a TV camera, and to automatically control light output of the lighting fixture based on the image data. Is set as a user shooting camera connectable to a network-connected computer, the camera shoots at least the user's face or its background, detects the brightness of the face or background, and sends it through the lighting control server. A lighting control system for controlling the light output of the corresponding lighting fixture. 7. The camera detects presence or absence of a user,
7. The lighting control system according to claim 6, wherein when no user is present, the corresponding lighting fixture is turned off or dimmed. 8. A lighting device comprising arithmetic processing means configured to capture detection of a brightness distribution of an irradiation area of a lighting fixture as an image by a TV camera, and to automatically control the light output of the lighting fixture based on the image data. In the control system, the arithmetic processing unit is configured to output a dimming signal to a dimming circuit of one or more lighting fixtures based on image data input from at least one camera. Lighting control system. 9. A lighting device according to claim 8, wherein said arithmetic processing means outputs a dimming signal to a dimming circuit of a plurality of lighting fixtures based on image data input from a plurality of cameras. A lighting control system as described. 10. A TV camera, an arithmetic processing unit for comparing an image input from the TV camera with a preset image to generate light output control data, and transmitting the light output control data as a transmission signal. The lighting control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein an automatic lighting control terminal with a built-in camera is used which is integrated with a transmission unit for performing the control.