WO2013024655A1 - Illumination controller - Google Patents

Abstract

This illumination control device is provided with: a measurement processor for generating three-dimensional information of an illumination space including a floor surface illuminated by a plurality of illumination devices, the information being generated on the basis of an image acquired from an image-capturing means for capturing an image of the illumination space; a map-generating unit for generating, on the basis of the three-dimensional information, an illumination range map representing the illumination range of each of the plurality of illumination devices on the floor surface of the illumination space; a person-detecting unit for determining, on the basis of the three-dimensional information, the presence-position of where a person is present on the floor surface of the illumination space; and a control designator for determining a designation value of light outputted from each of the plurality of illumination devices with reference being made to the presence-position and the illumination range map.

Description

Lighting control device

The present invention relates to a lighting control device.

Conventionally, a technique for automatically adjusting the light output of a lighting fixture according to the presence or absence of a person in the lighting space illuminated by the lighting fixture has been proposed. This type of technology prevents the forgetting to turn off the lighting fixtures by turning on the lighting fixtures only when there is a person in the lighting space, and consumes light by suppressing the light output of the lighting fixtures when no one is present. It is adopted for the purpose of suppressing an unnecessary increase in electric power.

The presence or absence of a person is often detected using a human sensor equipped with a pyroelectric infrared sensor. However, a technique for acquiring an image of an illumination space using an imaging unit such as a camera, determining whether the person is a person from the image, and detecting the position of the person has also been proposed.

By the way, when the lighting space is wide like an office or a store, a plurality of lighting fixtures are generally arranged. Each lighting fixture does not illuminate the entire illumination space, but makes a part of the illumination space an illumination range. Here, the illumination range means a range in which necessary illuminance can be obtained according to the purpose of use of the illumination space. For example, when the luminaire is arranged on the ceiling, the illumination range is a range where the illuminance on the floor is equal to or greater than the illuminance specified.

When one illumination space is illuminated by a plurality of lighting fixtures, the light output of the lighting fixture can be adjusted according to the location of the person if the location of the presence of the person in the illumination space is known. That is, when a person is localized in the lighting space, by relatively increasing the light output from the lighting fixtures present in the vicinity of the person and by relatively reducing the light output of the remaining lighting fixtures. The power consumption in the entire lighting space is reduced. Here, when the light output is increased, the case of full lighting (rated lighting) is included, and when the light output is decreased, the case of turning off the light is included.

In the above-described operation, since the light output of the luminaire that makes the area where no person is present the illumination range is relatively small, compared with the case where the light output of the luminaire is constant throughout the illumination space, The power consumption by the appliance is reduced. And since the light output of the lighting fixture which exists in the vicinity of a person is relatively enlarged, the required illumination intensity according to utilization of illumination space is ensured.

In order to adjust the light output of the luminaire according to the position of the person, a human sensor using a pyroelectric infrared sensor is provided in each luminaire, and the human sensor detects whether or not a person is detected. It is conceivable to adjust the light output of lighting fixtures around the person in coordination. In this case, in order to link a plurality of lighting fixtures, it is necessary to communicate between the lighting fixtures. When this configuration is adopted, the same number of human sensors as the lighting fixtures are required, and a circuit configuration for linking the lighting fixtures is required for each lighting fixture, resulting in an increase in cost. The problem that leads to.

On the other hand, in the case of adopting a technique for detecting the presence position of a person using an image acquired using an imaging unit, it is not necessary to provide an imaging unit for each lighting fixture, and a person in the illumination range of a plurality of lighting fixtures Can be detected by a single imaging means. When this type of technology is employed, although depending on the size of the illumination space, the entire illumination space is often imaged by a single imaging means.

However, when detecting the presence position of a person using the imaging unit, it is necessary to associate the position in the image captured by the imaging unit with the position in the illumination space in advance.

Document 1 (Japanese Published Patent Publication No. 2009-283183) uses two image sensors that capture images from two directions orthogonal to each other and uses the image data obtained from the two image sensors to determine the position of a person. A technique is described in which the coordinates are calculated and the dimming control of the luminaire is performed so that the closer to the position where a person is, the brighter the light is.

In Document 1, in order to make the logical address of the lighting fixture in the imaging data coincide with the actual physical address of the lighting fixture, the lighting fixtures are sequentially turned on one by one, and the position of the brightened area in the imaging data is used. Find the coordinates of the luminaire. In other words, the lighting fixtures are turned on one by one, and the physical address of the lighting fixture that has been turned on is associated with the logical address of the bright area in the image.

By the way, in the technique described in Document 1, when a three-dimensional object such as a desk, a shelf, a rocker, an office machine, or a partition exists in the illumination space, the logical address and the physical address cannot be accurately associated with each other. There is a case. If the logical address and the physical address are not accurately associated with each other, there is a possibility of controlling an inappropriate lighting fixture when adjusting the light output of the lighting fixture based on the position of the person in the lighting space.

Now, as shown in FIG. 11, consider a case where a desk 26 is arranged in the vicinity of the lighting fixture 25 in the lighting space including the lighting fixtures 24 and 25. It is assumed that the camera 16 as an imaging unit is disposed between the lighting fixtures 24 and 25. In the illustrated arrangement, when a person 31 is present in the vicinity of the desk 26, the light output of the lighting fixture 25 is relatively increased, and the lighting fixture 24 arranged far from the desk 26 relatively increases the light output. It is desirable to make it smaller.

Here, if one side of the desk 26 is included in the field of view of the camera 16, direct light from the lighting fixture 24 is incident on the side of the desk 26, but no direct light from the lighting fixture 25 is incident. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, in the image captured by the camera 16, one side surface of the desk 26 is associated with the lighting fixture 24. In the image shown in FIG. 12, the shaded area is an area associated with the luminaire 24, and the remaining area is associated with the luminaire 25.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the person 31 existing near the desk 26 may overlap the position (hatched portion) where the person 31 exists in the vicinity of the desk 26 and associated with the lighting fixture 24. . In this case, the light output of the lighting fixture 24 becomes relatively larger than the light output of the lighting fixture 25, which causes a problem that the intended operation cannot be obtained.

Fig. 13 shows an example of actual operation. FIG. 13A is an example of an illumination space, and shows a case where illumination is performed by three illumination fixtures. The illumination range for each lighting fixture is indicated by three regions E1, E2, E3 on the floor surface. A plurality of three-dimensional objects 27 (desks, shelves, office machines, etc.) are arranged on the floor of the lighting space, and a camera 16 is arranged on the ceiling. In the illustrated example, the camera 16 is disposed on the ceiling near the boundary between the areas E1 and E2.

Images taken by the camera 16 when the lighting fixtures are individually turned on are as shown in FIGS. 13B, 13C, and 13D. Then, when the physical address of the lit lighting fixture is associated with the logical address of the bright area in each image, the physical address of the lighting fixture corresponds to the image captured by the camera 16 as shown in FIG. Attached. In FIG. 13 (e), the physical address of the lighting fixture is represented using three-level gray value.

Originally, the physical addresses of the lighting fixtures must be grouped into one area for each lighting fixture, similarly to the regions E1, E2, and E3 shown in FIG. However, since the three-dimensional object 27 exists in the actual illumination space, the physical address of one luminaire is divided into a plurality of areas as shown in FIG. (A region surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 13E) may occur. If such an enclave-like area is generated, there is a possibility of controlling an inappropriate lighting device with respect to the position of the person as described above.

The present invention uses the three-dimensional information of the lighting space to enable the illumination range by the lighting fixture to be associated on the floor surface, and as a result, the position of the person on the floor surface can be appropriately positioned. It is an object of the present invention to provide an illumination control device that can control the light output of a lighting fixture.

The illumination control device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a measurement processing unit, a map generation unit, a human detection unit, and a control instruction unit. The said measurement process part is comprised so that the three-dimensional information of the said illumination space may be produced | generated based on the image acquired from the imaging means which images the illumination space containing the floor surface illuminated by several lighting fixtures. The map generation unit is configured to generate an illumination range map that represents an illumination range of the luminaire on the floor surface of the illumination space based on the three-dimensional information. The person detecting unit is configured to obtain a position where a person is present on the floor surface of the illumination space based on the three-dimensional information. The control instruction unit is configured to determine an instruction value of each light output of the plurality of lighting fixtures with reference to the presence position and the illumination range map.

In the illumination control device according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the imaging means includes two cameras. The measurement processing unit is configured to generate the three-dimensional information from two images respectively obtained from the two cameras using the principle of triangulation.

In the lighting control apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the map generation unit is a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position on the floor surface in the image with respect to each of the plurality of lighting fixtures. The luminance value is changed, and the pixel is assigned to the illumination range of the luminaire in which the luminance value change is maximized. The map generation unit is configured to obtain a difference between a first luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position and a second luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position as a change in the luminance value. The first luminance value is a luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging unit when the light output of the lighting fixture is the first light output. The second luminance value is a luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging unit when the light output of the lighting fixture is a second light output different from the first light output. .

In the lighting control apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the map generation unit is a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position on the floor surface in the image with respect to each of the plurality of lighting fixtures. The luminance value is changed, and the pixel is assigned to the illumination range of the lighting fixture in which the luminance value change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The map generation unit is configured to obtain a difference between a first luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position and a second luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position as a change in the luminance value. The first luminance value is a luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging unit when the light output of the lighting fixture is the first light output. The second luminance value is a luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging unit when the light output of the lighting fixture is a second light output different from the first light output. .

In the lighting control apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the map generation unit is a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position on the floor surface in the image with respect to each of the plurality of lighting fixtures. And a pixel is assigned to the illumination range of the luminaire where the contribution is maximized. When the light output of one of the plurality of lighting fixtures is a first light output and the light output of the other lighting fixture is a second light output lower than the first light output, the map generation unit And a luminance value of the pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging means. The map generation unit is configured to obtain, as the contribution, a ratio of the luminance value corresponding to the one lighting fixture with respect to a total of the luminance values corresponding to the plurality of lighting fixtures.

In the lighting control apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the map generation unit is a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position on the floor surface in the image with respect to each of the plurality of lighting fixtures. And determining that the pixel is assigned to the illumination range of the luminaire where the contribution is equal to or greater than a specified threshold. When the light output of one of the plurality of lighting fixtures is a first light output and the light output of the other lighting fixture is a second light output lower than the first light output, the map generation unit And a luminance value of the pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging means. The map generation unit is configured to obtain, as the contribution, a ratio of the luminance value corresponding to the one lighting fixture with respect to a total of the luminance values corresponding to the plurality of lighting fixtures.

In the lighting control device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the map generation unit assigns a pixel corresponding to a surface intersecting the floor surface in the image It is configured not to be assigned to the illumination range.

In the lighting control device according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the map generation unit is an undetermined position that is not included in any of the lighting ranges in the lighting range map. Is present, the undetermined position is assigned to any one of the illumination ranges based on the positional relationship between the illumination range and the undetermined position of each of the plurality of lighting fixtures.

In the lighting control device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect, the map generation unit obtains a position immediately below the lighting fixture on the floor surface of the image based on the lighting range. Configured.

In the illumination control apparatus according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect, the positional relationship is a positional relationship between the position immediately below and the undetermined position of each of the plurality of lighting fixtures.

The illumination control apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention according to any one of the first to tenth aspects further includes the imaging means and an illumination control unit. The lighting control unit is configured to control the lighting fixture so that the light output of the lighting fixture becomes a value corresponding to the indication value when receiving the indication value.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the illumination control apparatus of Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the camera in the illumination control apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a principle explanatory view of the lighting control device of Embodiment 1. It is a principle explanatory view of the lighting control device of Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows the operation example of the illumination control apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the procedure which produces | generates an illumination range map in the illumination control apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the concept of the parallax in the illumination control apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the correction process of an illumination range map in the illumination control apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation example of the illumination control apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the illumination control apparatus of Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of a lighting fixture. It is a figure explaining the subject corresponding to the example of arrangement | positioning of FIG. It is a figure explaining the conventional operation | movement.

The present invention relates to a lighting control device, and more particularly to a lighting control device that automatically adjusts the light output of a lighting fixture in accordance with the position of a person.

The illumination control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention described below assumes three-dimensional measurement by stereo vision using two cameras in a three-dimensional measurement unit that acquires three-dimensional information of an illumination space. However, the configuration of the three-dimensional measurement unit is not limited as long as the three-dimensional information is acquired from an image captured by a camera as an imaging unit. For example, in addition to a passive configuration such as stereo vision, an active configuration that acquires three-dimensional information by projecting a light pattern such as a light cutting method or a phase shift method may be used. These techniques use the principle of triangulation.

The three-dimensional measuring unit emits intensity-modulated light whose intensity changes at a constant period and receives reflected light with a camera, thereby obtaining the distance for each pixel from the phase difference between the intensity-modulated light and the received light. A technique for generating This technique is called the TOF (Time of Flight) method because it measures the flight time of light.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the illumination control device of the present embodiment includes a three-dimensional measurement unit 10, a storage unit 14, and an illumination control unit 15.

The three-dimensional measuring unit 10 includes two cameras 11 and 12 as imaging means arranged so that the visual fields with respect to the three-dimensional real space almost overlap. The three-dimensional measuring unit 10 includes an arithmetic processing unit 13.

The cameras 11 and 12 are configured by combining an optical system with an area image sensor in which pixels are arranged on lattice points of a two-dimensional lattice, and a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, or the like is used as the area image sensor. . The two cameras 11 and 12 having the same specifications such as image resolution and focal length are used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the two cameras 11 and 12 have optical axes Ax1 and Ax2 parallel to each other and a direction along a line connecting the centers C1 and C2 of the light receiving surfaces PL1 and PL2 (“baseline direction”). And the optical axes Ax1 and Ax2 are arranged orthogonally. Here, the optical axes Ax1, Ax2 are straight lines connecting the optical centers O1, O2 and the centers C1, C2 of the light receiving surfaces PL1, PL2.

Each camera 11 and 12 includes an optical system (not shown) having a function corresponding to a fisheye lens or a fisheye lens having an angle of view close to 180 degrees. The projection system of the optical system is not particularly limited, but will be described below using the equidistant projection method.

Further, the two cameras 11 and 12 are arranged so that the baseline direction and the horizontal direction on the light receiving surfaces PL1 and PL2 coincide. That is, parallel stereo is assumed.

The projection system of the optical system is not limited to the equidistant projection system, and the optical system may have other distortion characteristics, or an optical system with unknown distortion characteristics can be used because calibration is performed. It is.

The configuration of the above-described three-dimensional measurement unit 10 is not limited, but by adopting the above-described configuration, a wide viewing angle that captures the entire illumination space can be obtained, and the cameras 11 and 12 can capture images. The amount of calculation when calculating three-dimensional information from the obtained image is reduced.

Here, the cameras 11 and 12 are arranged at a high place such as the ceiling so that the optical axes Ax1 and Ax2 are both vertically downward. Moreover, the cameras 11 and 12 are arrange | positioned so that the whole illumination space which is the illumination object of the lighting fixture mentioned later may be included in a visual field.

In the following, as shown in FIG. 3, the direction along the horizontal direction (that is, the baseline direction) in the light receiving surfaces PL1 and PL2 is the x direction, and the direction along the vertical direction in the light receiving surface is the y direction. The direction orthogonal to the z direction.

In addition, when the captured images of the cameras 11 and 12 are displayed on the monitor device, the coordinate system is determined so that the rightward direction in the horizontal direction is the positive direction in the x direction and the downward direction in the vertical direction is the positive direction in the y direction. ing. For the z direction, the direction away from the light receiving surface of the camera is the positive direction. That is, the positive direction in the z direction is the front direction of the camera.

For example, the pixel position of the image (first image) captured by the camera 11 is represented in the format (u1, v1), and the pixel position of the image (second image) captured by the camera 12 is in the format (u2, v2). It is represented by The u1 axis and the u2 axis are coordinate axes in the x direction, and the v1 axis and the v2 axis are coordinate axes in the y direction. Moreover, since it is parallel stereo, the u1 axis and the u2 axis are aligned on a straight line.

In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) are arranged at a high place such as the ceiling, and between the lighting fixture 21 and the lighting fixture 22. Cameras 11 and 12 are arranged.

As described above, the visual fields of the cameras 11 and 12 are set so that the three lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 include the entire illumination space to be illuminated. In FIG. 1, three lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 are arranged in a straight line for convenience of illustration, but the number of lighting fixtures 20 may be three or more, and the lighting fixture 20 may be an arbitrary one. You may arrange | position by positional relationship.

Image data (images) output from the cameras 11 and 12 are input to the arithmetic processing unit 13. In the present embodiment, the case where the image data is a grayscale image will be described as an example. However, the technical idea described below is applicable even if the image data is a color image.

The arithmetic processing unit 13 includes a computer as a hardware resource, and executes a program for causing the computer to function as a device that performs processing described below. With this program, the arithmetic processing unit 13 functions as a measurement processing unit 130, a map generation unit 131, a person detection unit 132, a collation unit 133, and a control instruction unit 134.

However, the arithmetic processing unit 13 may be configured to include dedicated hardware. In addition to a computer having a microcomputer, a device having a function of executing a program such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) may be used.

When the cameras 11 and 12 output analog signals, an AD converter that converts the analog signals into digital signals is provided between the cameras 11 and 12 and the arithmetic processing unit 13. Further, a filter circuit or the like that removes unnecessary components such as noise from the image data may be provided between the cameras 11 and 12 and the arithmetic processing unit 13.

The system program and application program for operating the arithmetic processing unit 13 are stored in the storage unit 14. Also, the captured image data and the calculation process data that are the processing targets of the arithmetic processing unit 13 are also stored in the storage unit 14 that functions as a data memory and a working memory. Accordingly, the storage unit 14 includes a storage medium in which stored contents are held without power supply, such as a flash memory and a hard disk drive device, and a volatile memory serving as a main storage for storing system programs and application programs during processing. including.

The arithmetic processing unit 13 includes a measurement processing unit 130 that generates three-dimensional information of the illumination space using image data acquired from the cameras 11 and 12. That is, the measurement processing unit 130 3D information of the illumination space 50 based on the image acquired from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) that captures the illumination space 50 including the floor surface 40 illuminated by the plurality of lighting fixtures 20. Is configured to generate In the present embodiment, a part of the storage unit 14 and the measurement processing unit l30 constitute the three-dimensional measurement unit 10 together with the cameras 11 and 12. A technique for generating three-dimensional information from image data will be described later.

The arithmetic processing unit 13 includes a map generation unit 131 that generates an illumination range map that represents an illumination range for each of the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23, and a person detection unit 132 that detects the presence position of the person 30 using three-dimensional information. Is provided.

In other words, the map generation unit 131 is configured to generate an illumination range map representing each illumination range of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 in the illumination space 50 based on the three-dimensional information generated by the measurement processing unit 130. . The illumination range map represents the illumination range of the luminaire 20 on the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50. In particular, in this embodiment, the illumination range map represents each illumination range of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 on the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50. The illumination range is, for example, an area of the floor surface 40 that is illuminated by the luminaire 20.

The person detection unit 132 is configured to obtain an existence position where a person exists in the illumination space 50 based on the three-dimensional information generated by the measurement processing unit 130. The presence position is a position where the person 30 exists on the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50.

The illumination range map generated by the map generation unit 131 is stored in the map storage unit 141 provided in the storage unit 14. The map storage unit 141 is preferably composed of a rewritable nonvolatile memory.

When the human detection unit 132 detects the presence position of the person 30, the arithmetic processing unit 13 collates the detected position (existing position) with the illumination range map, thereby determining the position (existing position) in the illumination range. A collation unit 133 for extracting the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is provided.

That is, the collation unit 133 refers to the illumination range map generated by the map generation unit 131 and has an illumination range that includes the presence position obtained by the human detection unit 132 from the plurality of lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23. It is comprised so that the lighting fixture 20 may be selected.

Information for identifying the luminaires 21, 22, and 23 extracted by the collating unit 133 is given to the control instruction unit 134 provided in the arithmetic processing unit 13, and the luminaire 21 is determined by the control instruction unit 134 according to a predetermined rule. , 22 and 23 are determined. That is, the control instruction unit 134 refers to the existence position obtained by the person detection unit 132 and the illumination range map generated by the map generation unit 131, and determines the instruction value of each light output of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20. Configured to determine.

The rule is set so that, for example, only the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) extracted by the collation unit 133 are rated-lit.

For example, when the collation unit 133 selects the luminaire 21, the control instruction unit 134 selects an instruction value corresponding to the rated lighting as the instruction value of the light output of the luminaire 21. Moreover, the control instruction | indication part 134 selects the instruction | indication value corresponding to light extinction as an instruction | indication value of the light output of the lighting fixtures 22 and 23 which were not selected.

Alternatively, the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) extracted by the collation unit 133 is rated-lit and the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) adjacent to the periphery of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23). A rule is set to dim the light.

For example, when the collation unit 133 selects the luminaire 21, the control instruction unit 134 selects an instruction value corresponding to the rated lighting as the instruction value of the light output of the luminaire 21. Further, the control instruction unit 134 selects an instruction value corresponding to 50% lighting as the instruction value of the light output of the lighting apparatus 22 adjacent to the selected lighting apparatus 21. Further, the control instruction unit 134 selects an instruction value corresponding to turning off as the instruction value of the light output of the lighting fixture 23 that is not adjacent to the selected lighting fixture 21.

These rules are examples, and the rules may be set so that the area around the position where the person 30 exists in the illumination space 50 is relatively brighter than the remaining areas.

The output (instruction value) of the control instruction unit 134 provided in the arithmetic processing unit 13 is given to the illumination control unit 15 that adjusts the light output of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23).

The illumination control unit 15 adjusts the light output of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) according to the instruction content (instruction value) of the control instruction unit 134. Therefore, when the presence position of the person 30 is detected, the lighting state of the luminaire 20 (21, 22, 23) is controlled according to the rule set in the control instruction unit 134.

Hereinafter, individual technologies (in other words, components of the lighting control device of the present embodiment) will be described in more detail. The three-dimensional measuring unit 10 obtains the three-dimensional information of the real space based on the captured images captured by the two cameras 11 and 12, respectively, so that the two cameras 11 and 12 capture the pair captured at the same time. The obtained image (captured image) is acquired and stored in the storage unit 14.

Now, focus on one of the two cameras 11 and 12. As shown in FIG. 3, a three-dimensional coordinate system (xyz) with the optical center O as the origin is defined for the real space, and a two-dimensional coordinate system (o-uv) is defined for the light receiving surface PL. . The coordinate system of the light receiving surface PL has a one-to-one correspondence with the coordinate system of the captured image. The x direction in the three-dimensional coordinate system in the real space is parallel to the baseline direction, and the y direction is parallel to the vertical direction of the light receiving surface. The u direction in the two-dimensional coordinate system on the light receiving surface PL is parallel to the x direction, and the v direction is parallel to the y direction.

The position of the pixel on the light receiving surface PL is represented by the number of pixels in the horizontal and vertical directions with the upper left corner as the origin. If the coordinates of the point on the optical axis projected on the image are (uc, vc), the distance r between (uc, vc) and the pixel located at the coordinates (u, v) is expressed by the following equation (1). expressed.

Further, since the equidistant projection method is employed, a model in which the point P in the three-dimensional real space is projected onto the surface of the spherical surface SP having the radius 1 and having the optical center O as the center position can be used. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the angle θ [rad] formed by the straight line connecting the point Q where the point P in the real space is projected on the surface of the spherical surface SP and the optical center O with the optical axis Ax (z-axis direction) is Using the distance r, it is expressed by the following equation (3).

However, in the above equation (3), the distance L0 indicates the radius of the circle on the light receiving surface PL corresponding to z = 0 on the spherical surface SP on which the real space is projected. In FIG. 3, a point R indicates the position of a pixel obtained by projecting the point Q onto the light receiving surface PL.

If the calibration is performed so that the point P in the real space is associated with the pixel at the coordinates (u, v) of the light receiving surface PL, the point P in the real space is projected onto the surface of the spherical surface SP used as a model. The position (Xr, Yr, Zr) of the point Q is expressed by the following equations (4), (5), (6).

Further, the distance r in the above equation (1) can be set to r = f · θ, and in this case, f corresponds to a proportional constant of the optical system in the equidistant projection method.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the position (Xr, Yr, Zr) of the point Q is replaced by the x-axis, y-axis, z-axis instead of the pixel coordinates (u, v). Can be expressed as a combination of angles around two of the three axes. For the point Q, an angle around the x axis (an angle in the yz plane) is β, and an angle around the y axis (an angle in the zx plane) is α. Further, the angle φ represented by the above equation (2) can be referred to as an angle around the z axis (an angle in the xy plane).

The angle α increases toward the positive direction of the z-axis with the positive direction of the x-axis as 0 degree, and the angle β increases toward the positive direction of the z-axis with the positive direction of the y-axis as 0 degrees. When the angles α and β are used, the pixel position can be expressed by (α, β) instead of the coordinates (u, v). In order to convert from the coordinates (u, v) to (α, β), the following equations (7) and (8) are calculated using the calculation results of the above equations (4), (5), and (6). .

FIG. 5 shows the result of conversion from an image expressing the pixel position in coordinates (u, v) to an image expressed in (α, β) by the procedure described above. FIG. 5A shows a captured image (first image) obtained by the camera 11, and FIG. 5B shows a captured image (second image) obtained by the camera 12. 5C and 5D show images converted from coordinates (u, v) to (α, β), respectively.

As described above, the measurement processing unit 130 in the arithmetic processing unit 13 determines the position (u, v) of the pixel in the captured image captured by the two cameras 11 and 12 as an angle in the above-described three-dimensional real space. An image converted into a set (α, β) is generated. Hereinafter, an image in which the position corresponding to the point P in the real space is represented by (α, β) is referred to as a converted image.

Here, since the present embodiment is premised on the parallel stereo under the above-described conditions, in the two converted images obtained from the captured images captured by the two cameras 11 and 12, the same point P in the real space is used. The values of β corresponding to are equal.

Therefore, when searching for the pixel corresponding to the same point P in the real space from the two converted images, it is only necessary to change the angle α without changing the angle β. In the process of associating pixels, the processing load is reduced as compared with the case of using a captured image.

In short, when searching for a pixel corresponding to one point P in real space (hereinafter referred to as “corresponding point”) from two converted images, only a range within the same angle β around the x axis is searched. Therefore, the search range for corresponding points is narrowed, and the processing load is reduced.

By the way, the measurement processing unit 130 employs a block matching technique in order to evaluate whether or not it is a corresponding point. That is, a block including a plurality of pixels is formed around a portion of one of the two converted images for which the corresponding point is to be evaluated, and a scanning block having a size corresponding to the block is formed on the other converted image. The scanning block is scanned along the α axis. It is desirable to set the block and the scanning block as a rectangular area around the pixel for which the corresponding point is to be evaluated.

The pixel at the coordinate (α1, β1) in one converted image and the pixel at the coordinate (α2, β2) in the other converted image are the corresponding points when the evaluation value Vs shown in the following equation (9) is minimized. I reckon. However, the search is performed under the condition of β2 = β1. Further, the block and the scanning block have (2N + 1) pixels in the α direction and (2M + 1) pixels in the β direction. In Equation 5, I (α1, β1) is a luminance value at the coordinates (α1, β1) of one converted image, and I2 (α2, β2) is a luminance value at the coordinates (α2, β2) of the other converted image. Value.

The evaluation value Vs used in the above equation (9) is a value known as SAD (Sum of Absolute Difference), but other evaluation values can be used for evaluation of corresponding points. For example, SSD (Sum of Squared Difference), normalized cross-correlation function, etc. can be used as the evaluation value. Further, instead of block matching, other stereo matching techniques may be employed.

As described above, the measurement processing unit 130 extracts the corresponding points from the two converted images, and then generates a parallax image having the parallax d as a pixel value for each coordinate (α, β). The parallax d is obtained as d = α2−α1 for the corresponding point. An example of the parallax image is shown in FIG. The measurement processing unit 130 obtains a coordinate value in the z direction in the real space based on the parallax d with respect to the point P. That is, three-dimensional information in real space can be obtained.

Next, the map generation unit 131 will be described. The map generation unit 131 generates an illumination range map in which the three-dimensional information obtained by the measurement processing unit 130 is associated with the illumination range of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23).

In order to generate the illumination range map by the map generation unit 131, the map generation unit 131 individually lights the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 one by one, and images when the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 are turned on respectively. Is captured by at least one of the cameras (11, 12), and the gray value (luminance value, pixel value) of each pixel is obtained.

For example, after all the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 are turned off, an image in which only the lighting fixture 21 is turned on is taken by the camera 11, and then an image in which only the lighting fixture 22 is turned on is taken by the camera 11. Next, an image obtained by lighting only the lighting fixture 23 is captured by the camera 11.

The three images thus obtained are images in which only one lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is lit (FIGS. 13B, 13C, and 13D). See).

Therefore, by comparing the gray values in the three images, which lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) dominates in which region of the field of view of the camera 11 (that is, the illumination space 50). Information is obtained.

In this embodiment, two steps of processing are performed when generating the illumination range map. In the first stage, a correspondence map image is generated with the same resolution as the captured image of the camera 11. When generating the corresponding map image, the map generation unit 131 calculates the intensity value of the same coordinates (u, v) for the three images captured by lighting the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 one by one. Compare.

Further, the map generation unit 131 selects the image having the smallest gray value (the highest received light intensity), and the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) that is turned on when the image is captured, the coordinates ( u, v).

That is, for each of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20, the map generation unit 131 changes the luminance value (gray value) of the pixel corresponding to the predetermined position on the floor surface 40 in the image obtained by the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12). Ask for.

For example, the map generation unit 131 obtains the difference between the first luminance value and the second luminance value as a change in luminance value. The first luminance value is a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position in an image obtained from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) when the light output of the lighting fixture 20 is the first light output (for example, light output corresponding to rated lighting). Luminance value. The second luminance value is a predetermined value in an image obtained from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) when the light output of the lighting fixture 20 is a second light output different from the first light output (for example, a light output corresponding to turning off). This is the luminance value of the pixel corresponding to the position.

The map generation unit 131 assigns the pixel to the illumination range of the lighting fixture 20 in which the change in the luminance value is maximized.

Specifically, identifiers that can be distinguished from each other are given to the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23, and the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is assigned to each coordinate (u, v) of the captured image. Associate. The identifier may be any value as long as it can be associated with one pixel. For example, the identifier “1” is assigned to the lighting fixture 21, “2” is assigned to the lighting fixture 22, and “3” is assigned to the lighting fixture 23. .

In other words, an image whose pixel value is the identifier of the lighting device 20 (21, 22, 23) is generated, and this image becomes a corresponding map image (see FIG. 13E for an example of the corresponding map image).

The map generation unit 131 converts the corresponding map image into an illumination range map by the procedure shown in FIG. In the illumination range map, the pixel value of the corresponding map image (the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23)) is associated with the coordinate value of the three-dimensional information.

To generate the illumination range map, first, an identifier associated with the coordinate value of the three-dimensional information is set to 0 for initialization (S11).

Next, using the above equations (4)-(8), the coordinates (u, v) in the corresponding map image are converted into coordinates (α, β) (S12).

Further, the map generation unit 131 obtains the parallax d by collating the converted coordinates (α, β) with the parallax image, and calculates the distance Zd corresponding to the coordinates (α, β) by the following equation (10). (S13).

In the following equation (10), B is the distance between the optical center O1 of the camera 11 and the optical center O2 of the camera 12.

FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the point P in the real space, the optical centers O1 and O2 of the cameras 11 and 12, the angles α1 and α2, and the distance B. In FIG. 7, the coordinate z is the distance from the xy plane to the point P in the coordinate system with the optical center O <b> 1 of the camera 11 as the origin.

By the way, since the cameras 11 and 12 are arranged as described above, the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50 becomes a plane parallel to the xy plane (see FIG. 3) set with the camera 11 as a reference.

Now, the world coordinates with the origin set on the floor surface 40 are defined, and the coordinates of the optical center O1 of the camera 11 in the world coordinates are (X0, Y0, Z0). Further, the Z axis in the world coordinates has a positive direction from the floor surface 40 toward the ceiling surface. Therefore, in the world coordinates, the coordinates of the predetermined position on the floor surface 40 are represented by (X, Y, 0).

The coordinates (Xr, Yr, Zr) on the spherical surface SP obtained by the above expressions (4)-(6), the world coordinates (X0, Y0, Z0) of the optical center O1 of the camera 11, and the above expressions (10 ), The world coordinates (X, Y, Z) corresponding to the coordinates (u, v) in the corresponding map image are expressed by the following equation (11). That is, the coordinates (u, v) are converted into coordinates (X, Y, Z) (S14).

Next, the identifier set to the coordinates (u, v) of the corresponding map image is associated with the coordinates (X, Y) of the illumination range map converted from the coordinates (u, v) (S17).

This process is performed for all coordinates (u, v) of the corresponding map image (S19, S20).

By the way, it is conceivable that different coordinates (u, v) in the corresponding map image correspond to the same coordinates (X, Y) in the illumination range map.

Therefore, in order to avoid such duplication of coordinates (X, Y), when the Z value is already stored in the coordinate (X, Y) (S15: Yes), the Z value already stored and this time The magnitude is compared with the obtained Z value (S16).

If the current Z value is smaller than the stored Z value (S16: Yes), that is, if the part corresponding to the coordinates (X, Y) is located above the floor surface, the coordinates The identifier of the luminaire 20 (21, 22, 23) is associated with the coordinates (X, Y) corresponding to (u, v) (S17), and the Z value obtained this time is the coordinates (X, Y). Correspondingly stored (S18).

As described above, when a plurality of coordinates (X, Y) of the world coordinates correspond to one coordinate (u, v) of the corresponding map image, the smaller Z value is adopted. It is prevented that the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) set on the plane (substantially orthogonal plane) intersecting the floor surface 40 is associated with the illumination range map.

After generating the illumination range map by the process shown in FIG. 6, the map generation unit 131 sets any one of the coordinates (X, Y) to which the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is not associated. Correction processing is performed so as to associate the identifiers of the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23).

In this correction process, a coordinate position immediately under each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is estimated on the XY plane (floor surface), and coordinates (X, Y) are determined according to the distance from the coordinate position. Are associated with the identifiers of the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23).

The coordinate position immediately below the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is assigned an average coordinate position (center of gravity position) for each identifier using an illumination range map before correction processing. In short, the position of the center of gravity of the illumination range for each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is estimated as the coordinate position immediately below the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23).

The map generation unit 131 obtains the coordinate position immediately below the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23), and then uses the following equation (12) to calculate the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) in the lighting range map. The distance D between the coordinates (X, Y) that are not associated with the identifier and the coordinate position immediately below each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is obtained.

In the following equation (12), (ug, vg) is a coordinate position immediately below the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23), and has a different value for each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23).

　　　

The distance D (D1, D2, D3) is obtained for each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23). In this embodiment, three lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) are used. Three types of distances D are required for X, Y).

Since the luminaire 20 (21, 22, 23) is considered to have a larger influence as the distance D to the coordinates (X, Y) is smaller, the map generator 131 has the luminaire 20 with which the obtained distance D is minimized. Assign (21, 22, 23) to the coordinates (X, Y).

For example, when the corresponding map image is the image illustrated in FIG. 13E as an example, the map generation unit 131 first generates an illumination range map as illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 8, the identifiers of the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 are associated with the elliptical regions F1, F2, and F3, respectively.

Also, the center-of-gravity positions (ug1, vg1), (ug2, vg2), and (ug3, vg3) are obtained for each of the regions F1, F2, and F3. These barycentric positions (ug1, vg1), (ug2, vg2), (ug3, vg3) are regarded as coordinate positions immediately below the lighting fixtures 21, 22, 23, respectively.

Next, each center-of-gravity position (ug1, vg1), (ug2, vg2), (ug3) from coordinates (X, Y) not associated with the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) in the illumination range map. , Vg3), distances D1, D2, D3 are determined.

Luminaire 20 (21) corresponding to the center-of-gravity position (ug, vg) ((ug1, vg1), (ug2, vg2), (ug3, vg3)) at which the obtained distance D (D1, D2, D3) is minimized. , 22, 23) are assigned to the coordinates (X, Y).

As described above, on the floor surface 40 of the lighting space 50, the lighting fixture 20 (in which the distance D is the minimum with respect to the coordinates (X, Y) to which the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is not assigned. 21, 22, 23) are assigned. That is, the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is associated with all the coordinates (X, Y) of the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50 by the correction process of the illumination range map.

For the correspondence between the coordinates (X, Y) of the floor surface 40 and the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23), the coordinates directly below the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) (center of gravity position (ug, vg)). It is not essential to use the distance D.

For example, the distance from the coordinates (X, Y) to which the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is assigned may be used. That is, when the association with the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is not made, an identifier assigned to a close position may be assigned.

In any case, illumination is performed at the coordinates (X, Y) using the positional relationship between the illumination range for each of the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 and the position on the floor surface 40 represented by the coordinates (X, Y). The instrument 20 (21, 22, 23) will be assigned.

The processing described above is performed in the setting mode before the normal mode for controlling the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23). Next, the operation in the normal mode in which the light output of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is controlled according to the position where the person 30 is present will be described.

In the normal mode, the person detection unit 132 detects the presence position of the person 30 using the images captured by the cameras 11 and 12. That is, the person detection unit 132 not only detects the presence / absence of the person 30 in the illumination space 50 but also detects (identifies) a position (existence position) where the person 30 exists when the person 30 exists in the illumination space 50. To do.

In order to detect the presence position of the person 30 using the captured images output from the cameras 11 and 12, first, the three-dimensional measurement unit 10 acquires three-dimensional information of the illumination space 50. The three-dimensional information is generated according to the frame rates of the cameras 11 and 12, and for example, the three-dimensional information is acquired for each image output at 30 frames per second. The operation in which the three-dimensional measuring unit 10 acquires the three-dimensional information is as described above, and the coordinates (u, v) of the captured images for the cameras 11 and 12 are converted into (α, β), and the parallax image is further converted. Generated and three-dimensional information is calculated based on the parallax image.

In order to detect the presence position of the person 30, a difference between the parallax image (that is, the background image) generated in the setting mode and the person 30 is not present and the parallax image (that is, the evaluation image) generated in the normal mode. Use images.

The difference image has a pixel value difference of the same coordinate pixel value between the evaluation image to be compared and the background image. Therefore, when an object that is not included in the background image is included in the evaluation image, the pixel value of the coordinate corresponding to the object is relatively large. If this is utilized, it becomes possible to detect the presence position of the person 30 using a difference image.

In this embodiment, the difference between the parallax image in the setting mode and the parallax image in the normal mode is used to detect the presence position of the person 30, but the person's presence position may be detected by other methods.

For example, for each pixel of the parallax image, a distance image can be generated by calculating the value of the distance z shown in FIG. 7, so that a distance image in the setting mode and a distance image in the normal mode are generated, and the distance images are The presence position of the person 30 can be detected using the difference between the two.

Further, based on the image obtained from either of the cameras 11 and 12 in the normal mode, an area corresponding to the person 30 in the image is extracted by a method such as an inter-frame difference method or template matching, and the extracted area has parallax and By calculating the distance, the presence position of the person 30 can be detected.

The human detection unit 132 generates a differential image between the evaluation image generated based on the three-dimensional information acquired in the normal mode and the background image, and a pixel corresponding to the human is a pixel whose pixel value exceeds a prescribed threshold in the differential image Extracted as a candidate.

Specifically, a threshold value that appropriately sets a difference between the parallax dn (α, β) of the coordinates (α, β) in the evaluation image and the parallax db (α, β) of the coordinates (α, β) in the background image. When dn (α, β) −db (α, β)> dth is established as compared with dth, the pixel at the coordinate (α, β) is set as a candidate pixel corresponding to the person 30.

Note that the human detection unit 132 generates a difference image between the evaluation image generated based on the three-dimensional information acquired in the normal mode and the background image, and sets a pixel whose pixel value in the difference image is equal to or greater than a specified threshold value to the person. You may extract as a corresponding pixel candidate.

For example, when an evaluation image as shown in FIG. 9 (a) and a background image as shown in FIG. 9 (b) are obtained, the difference image is as shown in FIG. 9 (c). In the difference image shown in FIG. 9C, the pixel value of a pixel whose difference value (= dn (α, β) −db (α, β)) is equal to or less than a threshold value dth is set to a predetermined brightness (for example, maximum brightness), The larger the difference value, the lower the brightness of the pixel value. Therefore, a dark region is a candidate region corresponding to a person.

However, since there is a possibility that non-human noise is included even in a region where the difference value exceeds the threshold value dth, pixels whose difference value is equal to or less than the threshold value dth are removed as noise. Further, for the region where the difference value exceeds the threshold value dth, the connectivity is evaluated, and if there is connectivity, it is determined whether the area is within the specified range.

Here, connectivity is evaluated for the pixel of interest and adjacent pixels (near 4 or 8), and when both pixels exceed the threshold value dth, both pixels are determined to have connectivity. The

Further, the human detection unit 132 compares the area (number of pixels) of the pixels constituting the set with respect to a set of pixels determined to have connectivity, and if the area is within the specified range, the set Is assumed to correspond to the person 30.

By the above processing, an area corresponding to the person 30 is extracted as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 9D, coordinate conversion from the αβ plane to the XY plane is performed.

For the set of pixels estimated to correspond to the person 30, the position of the representative point with respect to the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50 is obtained. That is, the person detection unit 132 obtains coordinate values (X, Y, Z) in world coordinates for the set of pixels that are candidates for the person 30 using the above formulas (11) and (12). Further, the coordinates of the center of gravity on the XY plane are obtained for the set of pixels, and this coordinate is set as the position of the representative point of the person 30, that is, the position of the person 30.

As described above, when the presence position of the person 30 on the floor surface 40 is obtained by the person detection unit 132, the collation unit 133 collates the existence position of the person 30 with the illumination range map and corresponds to the existence position of the person 30. The lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) to be extracted is extracted.

That is, the identifier of the luminaire 20 (21, 22, 23) associated with the position of the person 30 in the illumination range map is extracted. The identifier extracted by the collation unit 133 is given to the control instruction unit 134.

The control instruction unit 134 determines the light output (light output instruction value) of the luminaires 21, 22, and 23 according to the appropriately set rules, and performs illumination control on the determined light output (light output instruction value). The unit 15 is instructed.

The simplest rule is to turn on only the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) corresponding to the identifiers extracted by the collation unit 133 at a rating, and turn off the other lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23). Is set.

Moreover, the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) corresponding to the identifier extracted by the collation unit 133 is turned on with a rating, and the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) around the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) are also displayed. 22 and 23) may be set to be dimmed (for example, the light output is dimmed to 50%). In this case, the other lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) are turned off except for the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) for which rated lighting and dimming lighting are instructed.

If the rules are set as described above, the lighting device 20 (21, 22, 23) that is close to the person 30 is lit at a rating to obtain the illuminance necessary for performing work and ensuring safety. be able to. In addition, since the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) that are far from humans are turned off, the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) that are less affected by work and ensuring safety are turned off. Energy saving can be realized.

In addition, since the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) are not associated with a surface (such as a side surface or a wall surface of the furniture) that intersects the floor surface 40 in the lighting space 50, a person on the floor surface 40 It becomes possible to control the light output of the luminaires 21, 22, and 23 so as to correspond to the 30 positions.

That is, an erroneous association in which a person's surroundings are illuminated with the lighting device 20 (21, 22, 23) far from the person 30 is prevented. In other words, since the illuminance necessary for the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) close to the person 30 is ensured, the energy required to ensure the necessary illuminance is reduced, resulting in energy saving. .

As described above, the illumination control apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the imaging unit (cameras 11 and 12) that captures the illumination space 50 illuminated by the plurality of lighting fixtures 20, and the imaging unit (cameras 11 and 12). A three-dimensional measurement unit 10 that acquires three-dimensional information of the illumination space 50 from the captured image, and an illumination range map in which the position on the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50 is assigned to the lighting fixture 20 by using the three-dimensional information. The map generation unit 131 that performs the detection, the person detection unit 132 that detects the position of the person 30 on the floor 40 in the illumination space 50 using the three-dimensional information, and the position of the person 30 are collated with the illumination range map. And a control instruction unit 134 that determines the light output of the luminaire 20 using the illumination range of each luminaire 20 extracted as described above.

In other words, the illumination control apparatus of the present embodiment includes a measurement processing unit 130, a map generation unit 131, a person detection unit 132, and a control instruction unit 134. The measurement processing unit 130 generates three-dimensional information of the illumination space 50 based on an image (captured image) acquired from an imaging unit that images the illumination space 50 including the floor surface 40 illuminated by the plurality of lighting fixtures 20. Configured. The map generation unit 131 is configured to generate an illumination range map representing the illumination range of the luminaire 20 on the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50 based on the three-dimensional information. The person detection unit 132 is configured to obtain an existing position where the person 30 exists on the floor surface 40 of the illumination space 50 based on the three-dimensional information. The control instruction unit 134 is configured to determine an instruction value for each light output of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 with reference to the presence position and the illumination range map.

In particular, the illumination control device of the present embodiment further includes imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) and an illumination control unit 15. When the illumination control unit 15 receives the instruction value from the control instruction unit 134, the illumination control unit 15 is configured to control the illumination apparatus 20 so that the light output of the illumination apparatus 20 becomes a value corresponding to the instruction value.

Further, in the illumination control apparatus of the present embodiment, the three-dimensional measuring unit 10 uses two cameras 11 and 12 as imaging means, and uses the triangulation principle from the images captured by the cameras 11 and 12 to use the illumination space. 50 three-dimensional information is acquired.

In other words, the imaging means includes two cameras 11 and 12. The measurement processing unit 130 is configured to generate three-dimensional information from two images (captured images) obtained from the two cameras 11 and 12 using the principle of triangulation.

Further, in the illumination control device of the present embodiment, the map generation unit 131 changes the light output for each lighting fixture 20 in two stages to generate an illumination range map, and the pixels constituting the image captured by the imaging unit Among the pixels corresponding to the floor surface 40 in the lighting space 50, the change in the gray value corresponding to the two-stage light output for each lighting fixture 20 is obtained, and the lighting fixture 20 that maximizes the change for each pixel is obtained. Associate.

In other words, the map generation unit 131 obtains a change in the luminance value of a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position on the floor surface 40 in the image for each of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20, and illuminates the pixel with the largest change in the luminance value. It is configured to be assigned to the illumination range of the instrument 20. The map generation unit 131 is configured to obtain a difference between the first luminance value and the second luminance value as a change in luminance value. The first luminance value is a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position in an image obtained from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) when the light output of the lighting fixture 20 is the first light output (for example, light output corresponding to rated lighting). Luminance value. The second luminance value is a predetermined value in an image obtained from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) when the light output of the lighting fixture 20 is a second light output different from the first light output (for example, a light output corresponding to turning off). This is the luminance value of the pixel corresponding to the position.

Moreover, in the illumination control apparatus of this embodiment, the map generation part 131 excludes the pixel corresponding to the surface which cross | intersects the floor surface 40 among the pixels which comprise the image which the imaging means imaged from the object of an illumination range map. .

In other words, the map generation unit 131 is configured not to assign a pixel corresponding to a surface intersecting the floor surface 40 in the image to any illumination range.

Further, in the lighting control device of the present embodiment, the map generation unit 131 sets each lighting fixture 20 at a position on the floor surface 40 of the lighting space 50 that is not associated with the lighting fixture 20 in the lighting range map. The lighting fixture 20 is assigned to the position using the positional relationship between the illumination range and the position.

In other words, when there is an undetermined position that is not included in any illumination range in the illumination range map, the map generation unit 131 is based on the positional relationship between the illumination range and the undetermined position of each of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20. The undetermined position is configured to be assigned to any illumination range.

Moreover, in the lighting control apparatus of the present embodiment, the map generation unit 131 estimates a position immediately below each lighting fixture 20 on the floor surface 40 based on the lighting range for each lighting fixture 20 in the lighting range map.

In other words, the map generation unit 131 is configured to obtain the position immediately below the lighting fixture on the floor surface 40 of the image based on the illumination range.

In particular, in the illumination control device of the present embodiment, the positional relationship between the illumination range and the undetermined position is the positional relationship between the position immediately below each of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 and the undetermined position.

According to the illumination control device of the present embodiment described above, the illumination range by the luminaire 20 is associated on the floor surface 40 by using the three-dimensional information of the illumination space 50. There is an advantage that it is possible to control the light output of the luminaire 20 at an appropriate position using the position of the person 30.

In the present embodiment, when the correspondence map image is generated, the received light intensity of the cameras 11 and 12 when the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 are turned on one by one is compared.

In response to this operation, a difference image is generated between an image obtained when the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 are turned on one by one and an image obtained when all the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 are turned off. The correspondence map image may be generated using the pixel value in the difference image.

Further, when generating the illumination range map, the light output of the luminaire 20 (21, 22, 23) may be changed in two stages, and the light output is turned on in two stages in the lighting state, not on and off. It may be changed to. In short, the change in the light output of the luminaire 20 (21, 22, 23) may be reflected in the change in the gray value in the cameras 11 and 12.

In the lighting control device of the present embodiment, the map generation unit 131 calculates the contribution to the pixel corresponding to the predetermined position of the floor surface 40 in the image for each of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20, and the contribution of the pixel is determined. You may allocate to the illumination range of the lighting fixture 20 which becomes the largest.

In this case, the map generation unit 131 has a light output of one of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 as a first light output (for example, a light output corresponding to rated lighting), and a light output of the other lighting fixtures 20. To obtain a luminance value I of a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position in an image obtained from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) when is a second light output lower than the first light output (for example, a light output corresponding to turning off). Configured. The map generation unit 131 is configured to obtain a ratio of the luminance value I corresponding to one lighting fixture 20 to the total S of the luminance values I corresponding to the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 as a contribution.

(Embodiment 2)
As described in the first embodiment, when the collation unit 133 collates the existence position of the person 30 detected by the human detection unit 132 with the illumination range map, the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is obtained from the illumination range map. Only one is extracted.

In this process, if an appropriate rule is set in the control instruction unit 134, the illuminance around the person 30 is appropriately set. However, depending on the position of the person 30, the rule is set so as to obtain an appropriate illuminance. It may be difficult to do this.

In the first embodiment, one lighting range map is generated by combining a plurality of lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23). In the present embodiment, each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is generated. Generate an illumination range map. That is, for the three lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23, three illumination range maps are generated.

As in the first embodiment, the map generation unit 131 turns on the lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23 one by one to generate three captured images. In the first embodiment, an illumination range map in which the identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is associated with the coordinate value of the three-dimensional information is generated using the gray values in the obtained three captured images. Yes. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, three individually lit images are generated using three captured images.

The individually lit image is obtained by dividing the gray value I at the coordinates (u, v) of one captured image by the sum S of the gray values of all the captured images at the same coordinates (u, v). u, v).

Here, the gray value when all the lighting fixtures 21, 22 and 23 are lit at the rated value is regarded as the sum S of the grayscale values of the captured images when the lighting fixtures 21, 22 and 23 are individually lit. Yes. For example, the gray value I of the captured image (individual lighting image corresponding to the lighting fixture 21) obtained when only the lighting fixture 21 is turned on is set to I1. The grayscale value I of the captured image (individual lighting image corresponding to the lighting fixture 22) obtained when only the lighting fixture 22 is turned on is defined as I2. The gray value I of the captured image (individual lighting image corresponding to the lighting fixture 23) obtained when only the lighting fixture 23 is turned on is set to I3. In this case, S = I1 + I2 + I3.

In addition, the pixel value of the individually lit image is I / S, and the degree (contribution) that each lighting fixture 21, 22, 23 affects the position represented by coordinates (u, v) is referred to as I / S. It is expressed by an indicator. Therefore, three individually lit images having pixel values of coordinates (u, v) of I1 / S, I2 / S, and I3 / S are obtained.

The individual lighting images are schematically shown in FIGS. 10 (a), 10 (b), and 10 (c). In each figure, the circular area indicates the field of view of the camera (11, 12).

The individual lighting images are the same as those shown in FIGS. 13B, 13C, and 13D. When the individual lighting images are combined, the corresponding map image described in the first embodiment is generated.

In the illustrated example, the individual lighting image corresponding to the lighting fixture 21 (FIG. 10A) is bright at the top, and the individual lighting image corresponding to the lighting fixture 22 (FIG. 10B) is bright at the center, and the lighting fixture 23. The individual lighting image corresponding to (FIG. 10C) is bright at the bottom.

Next, the map generation unit 131 uses three individual lighting images and associates the coordinates of the floor surface 40 in the illumination space 50 with the identifiers of the lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23), and the three illumination ranges. Generate a map.

Here, in the first embodiment, one lighting range map includes identifiers of a plurality of lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23, but in this embodiment, one lighting range map includes one lighting fixture 20. Only the identifiers (21, 22, 23) are included. In other words, three illumination range maps are generated from the three individual lighting images generated for each identifier of the lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23).

Further, the contribution to the coordinates (X, Y) for each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is associated with the illumination range map. The pixel values (I1 / S, I2 / S, I3 / S) of the coordinates (u, v) corresponding to the coordinates (X, Y) in the individual lighting image are used for the contribution at the coordinates (X, Y). .

The procedure for generating the illumination range map is basically the same as that in the first embodiment shown in FIG. That is, after the illumination range map is initialized, the pixel value of the coordinate (u, v) of the individually lit image is associated with the coordinate (X, Y) on the floor surface. Further, the association with the surface intersecting the floor surface 40 is prevented.

As described above, in the setting mode, an illumination range map for each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is formed by generating an illumination range map for each individual lighting image.

For example, from the individually lit images shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, three illumination range maps shown in FIGS. 10D, 10E, and 10F are generated. . The brightness in the illustrated illumination range map represents the contribution, and the higher the brightness, the greater the contribution.

In the normal mode, the collation unit 133 collates the existence position of the person 30 obtained by the person detection unit 132 with all the illumination range maps, and coordinates (X, X) corresponding to the existence position of the person 30 for each illumination range map. Y) contribution is extracted.

When the contribution for each lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) at the position where the person 30 is present is extracted from the illumination range map, the control instruction unit 134 extracts the contribution (I / S) extracted for each illumination range map. Is compared with a prescribed threshold value, and lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) whose contribution is equal to or greater than the threshold value are turned on.

For example, among the illumination range maps shown in FIGS. 10D, 10E, and 10F, the contribution of the position of the person 30 is equal to or greater than the threshold in FIGS. 10D and 10E, and FIG. ), The contribution degree of the position of the person 30 is less than the threshold value. In this example, the control instruction unit 134 turns on the lighting fixtures 21 and 22 and turns off the lighting fixture 23.

As described above, in the lighting control apparatus according to the present embodiment, the map generation unit 131 obtains the degree of contribution to the pixel corresponding to the predetermined position of the floor surface 40 in the image with respect to each of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20, and determines the pixel. It is comprised so that the contribution may be allocated to the illumination range of the lighting fixture 20 which becomes more than a prescribed threshold value. In the map generation unit 131, the light output of one of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 is the first light output (for example, the light output corresponding to the rated lighting), and the light output of the other lighting fixtures 20 is the first. It is configured to obtain a luminance value I of a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position in an image obtained from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) when the second light output is lower than the light output (for example, the light output corresponding to turning off). The The map generation unit 131 is configured to obtain a ratio of the luminance value I corresponding to one lighting fixture 20 to the total S of the luminance values I corresponding to the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 as a contribution.

In the illumination control device of the present embodiment, the map generation unit 131 changes the light output for each lighting fixture 20 in two stages in order to generate an illumination range map, and the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) captures images. For each pixel associated with the floor surface 40 in the illumination space 50 among the pixels constituting the image, a change in the gray value corresponding to the two-stage light output for each lighting fixture 20 is obtained, and the change is defined for each pixel. You may associate the lighting fixture 20 which becomes more than this threshold value.

In other words, the map generation unit 131 obtains a change in the luminance value of a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position on the floor surface 40 in the image for each of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20, and the change in the luminance value of the pixel is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. It may be configured to be assigned to the illumination range of the lighting fixture 20 to be.

In this case, the map generation unit 131 is configured to obtain the difference between the first luminance value and the second luminance value as a change in luminance value. The first luminance value is a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position in an image obtained from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) when the light output of the lighting fixture 20 is the first light output (for example, light output corresponding to rated lighting). Luminance value. The second luminance value is a predetermined value in an image obtained from the imaging means (cameras 11 and 12) when the light output of the lighting fixture 20 is a second light output different from the first light output (for example, a light output corresponding to turning off). This is the luminance value of the pixel corresponding to the position.

With the above-described operation, for example, when there is a person near the boundary of the illumination range of the plurality of lighting fixtures 21, 22, and 23, only one lighting fixture 20 (21, 22, 23) is turned on. In addition, a plurality of lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) around the person 30 can be turned on.

Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the lighting is performed according to the location of the person 30 without setting a rule for allowing lighting of the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) in the control instruction unit 134. It is possible to dynamically change the number of lighting fixtures 20 (21, 22, 23) to be changed. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Claims (11)

1. A measurement processing unit that generates three-dimensional information of the illumination space based on an image acquired from an imaging unit that images an illumination space including a floor illuminated by a plurality of lighting fixtures;
   Based on the three-dimensional information, a map generation unit that generates an illumination range map that represents an illumination range of the luminaire on the floor surface of the illumination space;
   Based on the three-dimensional information, a person detection unit for determining a presence position where a person exists on the floor surface of the illumination space;
   With reference to the presence position and the illumination range map, a control instruction unit that determines an instruction value of each light output of the plurality of lighting fixtures,
   A lighting control device comprising:
2. The imaging means includes two cameras,
   The said measurement process part is comprised so that the said three-dimensional information may be produced | generated using the principle of a triangulation method from the two images each obtained from the said two cameras. The lighting control apparatus according to 1.
3. The map generation unit obtains a change in luminance value of a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position on the floor surface in the image with respect to each of the plurality of lighting fixtures, and the lighting fixture that maximizes the change in the luminance value of the pixel. Is configured to assign to the lighting range of
   The map generation unit is configured to obtain a difference between the first luminance value and the second luminance value as a change in the luminance value;
   The first luminance value is a luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging means when the light output of the lighting fixture is the first light output,
   The second luminance value is a luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging unit when the light output of the lighting fixture is a second light output different from the first light output. The lighting control device according to claim 1.
4. The map generation unit obtains a change in luminance value of a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position on the floor surface in the image for each of the plurality of lighting fixtures, and the luminance value change of the pixel is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Configured to assign to the illumination range of the luminaire,
   The map generation unit is configured to obtain a difference between the first luminance value and the second luminance value as a change in the luminance value;
   The first luminance value is a luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging means when the light output of the lighting fixture is the first light output,
   The second luminance value is a luminance value of a pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image obtained from the imaging unit when the light output of the lighting fixture is a second light output different from the first light output. The lighting control device according to claim 1.
5. The map generation unit obtains a contribution to a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position of the floor surface in the image for each of the plurality of lighting fixtures, and sets the pixel to an illumination range of the lighting fixture that maximizes the contribution. Configured to assign,
   The map generation unit
   Obtained from the imaging means when the light output of one of the plurality of lighting fixtures is a first light output and the light output of the other lighting fixture is a second light output lower than the first light output. A luminance value of the pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image to be obtained;
   2. The illumination according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of the luminance value corresponding to the one lighting fixture to a sum of the luminance values corresponding to the plurality of lighting fixtures is obtained as the contribution. Control device.
6. The map generation unit obtains a degree of contribution to a pixel corresponding to a predetermined position of the floor surface in the image for each of the plurality of lighting fixtures, and the pixel of the lighting fixture whose contribution degree is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Configured to assign to lighting range,
   The map generation unit
   Obtained from the imaging means when the light output of one of the plurality of lighting fixtures is a first light output and the light output of the other lighting fixture is a second light output lower than the first light output. A luminance value of the pixel corresponding to the predetermined position in the image to be obtained;
   2. The illumination according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of the luminance value corresponding to the one lighting fixture to a sum of the luminance values corresponding to the plurality of lighting fixtures is obtained as the contribution. Control device.
7. The illumination control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the map generation unit is configured not to assign a pixel corresponding to a surface intersecting the floor surface in the image to any of the illumination ranges.
8. When there is an undetermined position that is not included in any of the illumination ranges in the illumination range map, the map generation unit is based on a positional relationship between the illumination ranges and the undetermined positions of the plurality of lighting fixtures. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein the undetermined position is configured to be assigned to any one of the lighting ranges.
9. The illumination control device according to claim 6, wherein the map generation unit is configured to obtain a position immediately below the lighting fixture on the floor surface of the image based on the illumination range.
10. The lighting control device according to claim 7, wherein the positional relationship is a positional relationship between the position immediately below each of the plurality of lighting fixtures and the undetermined position.
11. The imaging means, and an illumination control unit,
    The lighting control unit is configured to control the lighting fixture so that the light output of the lighting fixture becomes a value corresponding to the indication value when receiving the indication value. Item 2. The lighting control device according to Item 1.

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