Lighting Control System

Abstract

To provide a lighting control system that can reliably detect the presence of a person over a wide range, whether the person is moving or not.SOLUTION: A lighting control system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a lighting fixture 110 that illuminates a lighting space 160, a human detection sensor that detects a person in the lighting space 160, and a control device 140 that controls the lighting fixture 110 on the basis of a human detection signal from the human detection sensor, and as the human detection sensor, a pyroelectric sensor 120 and a sensor 130 different in type from the pyroelectric sensor 120 are used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to lighting control systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Lighting control systems that reduce the power consumption of lighting fixtures by turning them off when no one is present in the lighting fixture's illumination area have been known for some time. Patent Document 1 describes a lighting fixture that can detect people using multiple pyroelectric sensors. Patent Document 2 describes a lighting control system that uses a human presence sensor that controls the sensitivity of the pyroelectric sensor according to the ambient temperature. Non-Patent Document 1 describes a thermal diode infrared sensor that identifies people and objects and grasps their behavior. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-021704 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2019-216075 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Mitsubishi Electric website, News Release, August 6, 2019<URL:https: / / www.mitsubishielectric.co.jp / news / 2019 / pdf / 0806.pdf> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The pyroelectric sensors disclosed in the above Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the problem that they cannot detect the presence of a person when the person is not moving. In addition, Non-Patent Document 1 can obtain a thermal image, but has problems such as the time it takes to sense a person when expanding the detection range or moving the sensor to expand the detection range.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a lighting control system that can reliably detect the presence of people over a wide area and perform lighting control, whether people are moving or not. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A lighting control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A lighting fixture that illuminates the lighting space; a human detection sensor that detects a person in the lighting space; a control device that controls the lighting fixture based on a detection signal from the human detection sensor; A lighting control system comprising: The human detection sensor Sa is , pyroelectric sensor and a type different from the pyroelectric sensor Able to detect stationary people having a sensor, a time required for the pyroelectric sensor to detect a person is a time that responds to the movement of the person, and a time required for the sensor capable of detecting a stationary person to detect a person is longer than the time required for the sensor to respond to the movement of the person; When a human detection signal based on at least one of the pyroelectric sensor and the sensor capable of detecting a stationary human is input, the control device controls the lighting state of the lighting device. do. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a lighting control system can be provided that can reliably detect the presence of people over a wide area, whether they are moving or not. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a lighting control system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the control configuration of the lighting control system. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a detailed configuration of a thermal diode sensor. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for controlling the turning on and off of lighting fixtures executed by a control device of the lighting control system. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for air conditioning control that is executed by a control unit (not shown) of the air conditioning system using a human detection signal from a pyroelectric sensor. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining how the detection range is divided into a plurality of blocks and detection is performed by the thermal diode sensor in the lighting control system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a lighting control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments are merely examples of lighting control systems that embody the technical concepts of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and may be equally applied to other embodiments within the scope of the claims.

[0011] [Embodiment 1] A lighting control system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a lighting control system 100. Fig. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the control configuration of the lighting control system 100. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the detailed configuration of a thermal diode sensor 130.

[0012] The lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is installed, for example, indoors, and includes lighting fixtures 110 that illuminate an indoor lighting space 160, human detection sensors 120 and 130 that detect people in the lighting space 160, a control device 140 that controls the lighting fixtures 110 based on detection signals from the human detection sensors 120 and 130, and an air conditioning system 150. Furthermore, the lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure uses the pyroelectric sensor 120 and the sensor 130, which is a different type from the pyroelectric sensor 120, as a human detection sensor.

[0013] Lighting fixture 110 is, for example, a downlight type lighting fixture, and is connected to control device 140, which enables lighting control such as turning the light on and off. In lighting control system 100 of this embodiment, a plurality of lighting fixtures 110 are provided, and a plurality of lighting fixtures 110 are controlled by control device 140.

[0014] The pyroelectric sensor 120 is a sensor that detects people over a wide range from changes in infrared rays that occur when people move. This pyroelectric sensor 120 is capable of detecting people over a wide range and can detect people in immediate response to their movements. On the other hand, pyroelectric sensor 120 may not detect a person who is not moving, such as a seated person or a person who is standing still. In other words, pyroelectric sensor 120 may not detect a person even if the person is not moving and is present in lighting space 160. Therefore, when a person stands still, pyroelectric sensor 120 is set to maintain a presence state for several minutes to prevent false detection so as not to detect an absence.

[0015] Such a pyroelectric sensor 120 is connected to the control device 140 and the air conditioning system 150 and outputs a human detection signal to the control device 140 and the air conditioning system 150.

[0016] The sensor 130 is a different type from the pyroelectric sensor 120, and is capable of detecting a person who is not moving. The sensor is an infrared sensor using a thermal diode 130a (hereinafter referred to as a "thermal diode sensor"). In this embodiment, the thermal diode sensor 130 is included in the air conditioning system 150. This thermal diode sensor 130 can receive infrared rays emitted by, for example, a person and acquire a thermal image, and can identify whether the person is a person or an object, and whether the person is moving or not. In other words, the thermal diode sensor 130 has the ability to detect even a stationary person without false detection. In order to receive infrared rays and calculate the temperature with high precision, the thermal diode sensor 130 must operate in a vacuum to suppress heat radiation through gas.

[0017] In this embodiment, the thermal diode sensor 130 is miniaturized by vacuum sealing the sensor pixels 130c including the thermal diodes 130a using a wafer batch molding method. Note that in Fig. 3, reference numeral 130d denotes a silicon substrate, reference numeral 130e denotes a sealing frame, and a lid material that covers the opening of the sealing frame 130e is not shown.

[0018] In the thermal diode sensor 130, in order for the thermal diode 130a to receive infrared rays and calculate the temperature with high precision, it is necessary to increase the number of pixels per unit area. For this reason, the thermal diode sensor 130 achieves thinning by forming support legs 130b in the pixel section using a semiconductor process. The thermal diode sensor 130 increases the number of pixels per unit area by miniaturizing the pixels.

[0019] Furthermore, the thermal diode sensor 130 has the thermal diode 130a and the high-performance amplifier formed on the same substrate, and by shortening the distance between the thermal diode 130a and the high-performance amplifier, electromagnetic noise generated due to the distance is minimized, thereby suppressing accuracy degradation due to electromagnetic noise and achieving high temperature resolution. In this way, the thermal diode sensor 130 has a high pixel count and high temperature resolution, making it possible to obtain detailed thermal images, identify whether the object is a person or an object, and understand whether the person is walking (moving), running (moving), sitting (not moving), or standing still (not moving).

[0020] The air conditioning system 150 is realized by, for example, an air conditioner and includes a thermal diode sensor 130 . This air conditioning system 150 performs air conditioning control, such as delivering airflow to people in the lighting space 160, based on human detection information from the thermal diode sensor 130.

[0021] In the air conditioning system 150, the thermal diode sensor 130 can move in a predetermined range in the detection direction, so that it can detect a wide range of temperature changes, such as those caused by walls, floors, and human movement, using the thermal diode sensor 130. The thermal diode sensor 130 can be rotated, for example, in the left-right and / or up-down directions within a predetermined rotation angle range.

[0022] Such a thermal diode sensor 130 can periodically automatically move within its movable range to monitor the status of people within the lighting space 160. However, since the thermal diode sensor 130 detects people by moving its detection area, it may take several minutes, for example, to complete detection over a wide area. That is, it is difficult for the thermal diode sensor 130 to perform air conditioning control that quickly responds to an increase or decrease in the number of people in the illumination space 160 due to people entering and leaving.

[0023] On the other hand, the thermal diode sensor 130 can detect a person who is not moving, and therefore can reliably detect the presence or absence of a person in the illumination space 160, which is difficult to detect with the pyroelectric sensor 120.

[0024] The air conditioning system 150 is connected to the pyroelectric sensor 120, and is capable of controlling air conditioning using a human detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120. For example, when the pyroelectric sensor 120 detects a person entering the lighting space 160, the air conditioning system 150 operates at full power. In this way, the air conditioning system 150 controls the air conditioning using the human detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120, making it possible to detect people that the thermal diode sensor 130 cannot respond to immediately, and for example, it is possible to perform air conditioning control that responds immediately to a person entering the lighting space 160.

[0025] The air conditioning system 150 is connected to the control device 140, and a human detection signal from the thermal diode sensor 130 of the air conditioning system 150 is output to the control device 140.

[0026] When the control device 140 receives a detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120 indicating the presence of a person, the control device 140 controls the lighting device 110 to turn on. Furthermore, when control device 140 receives a detection signal from thermal diode sensor 130 indicating that no one is present, control device 140 controls lighting device 110 to turn off.

[0027] The pyroelectric sensor 120 detects people over a wide range by detecting changes in the far-infrared rays emitted by people, but there is no change in people who are not moving, so there is an issue with not being able to detect people. Therefore, by using a method of moving the thermal diode sensor 130 (for example, a sweeping method, Move Eye (registered trademark)), it is possible to detect a wide range and distinguish between people who are not moving. On the other hand, moving people are detected by the pyroelectric sensor 120, and by dividing the function, it is possible to reliably detect people over a wide range, both moving and stationary.

[0028] The lighting control system 100 utilizes the respective advantages of the human detection sensors used in lighting fixtures and the human detection sensors used in air conditioners to reliably detect the presence or absence of people in spaces that can be detected by both sensors.

[0029] By linking the pyroelectric sensor 120 and the thermal diode sensor 130, the lighting control system 100 is able to keep the lights on even when a person is working while not moving, such as while seated, thanks to the thermal diode sensor 130, which is a human detection sensor for the air conditioning system 150. Furthermore, in the air conditioning system 150, the pyroelectric sensor 120, which is a human detection sensor for the lighting control system 100, makes it possible to operate the air conditioning in full mode immediately after a person enters the room. In this way, by having the human detection sensors of the lighting control system 100 and the air conditioning system 150 operate in cooperation with each other, the advantages of both systems are utilized to overcome the disadvantages of each system.

[0030] In the lighting control system 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the period at which the lighting control system 100 periodically monitors the human detection information of the air conditioning system 150 is set to be shorter than half the update period of the human detection information of the air conditioning system 150. Therefore, the lighting control system 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can reliably use the human detection information of the thermal diode sensor 130 each time it is updated by the air conditioning system 150.

[0031] Next, a procedure for controlling the turning on and off of lighting fixtures 110 executed by control device 140 of lighting control system 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure for controlling the turning on and off of lighting fixtures 110 executed by control device 140 of lighting control system 100.

[0032] First, the control device 140 determines whether or not a detection signal indicating the presence of a person has been received from the pyroelectric sensor 120 (step S101). In step S101, if control device 140 determines that it has received a detection signal from pyroelectric sensor 120 indicating the presence of a person (step S101: Yes), control device 140 turns on lighting device 110 (step S102). On the other hand, in step S101, if the control device 140 determines that it has not received a detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120 indicating the presence of a person (step S101: No), it skips the processing of step S102 and executes the processing of step S103 described below.

[0033] After turning on lighting fixture 110 in step S102, control device 140 determines whether or not a detection signal indicating that no one is present has been received from thermal diode sensor 130 (step S103). In step S103, if the control device 140 determines that it has not received a detection signal from the thermal diode sensor 130 indicating that no one is present (step S103: No), it returns to the determination process of step S101 and repeats the above-mentioned process. On the other hand, in step S103, if the control device 140 determines that it has received a detection signal from the thermal diode sensor 130 indicating that no one is present (step S103: Yes), the control device 140 turns off the lighting device 110 (step S104), returns the process to step S101, and repeats the above-mentioned process.

[0034] In the above explanation, the control device 140 of the lighting control system 100 controls the lighting fixture 110 to turn on and off. However, the control device 140 may also control the lighting fixture 110 to change the dimming rate based on human detection information from the thermal diode sensor 130 in conjunction with the control device 140's control of the lighting fixture 110 to turn on and off.

[0035] Next, the procedure of air conditioning control that is executed by a control unit (not shown) of the air conditioning system 150 using a human detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of air conditioning control that a control unit (not shown) of the air conditioning system 150 executes using a human detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120.

[0036] First, the control unit of the air conditioning system 150 determines whether or not a detection signal indicating that a person has entered the room has been received from the pyroelectric sensor 120 (step S201).

[0037] In step S201, if the control unit of the air conditioning system 150 determines that it has not received a detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120 indicating that a person has entered the room (step S201: No), the control unit of the air conditioning system 150 executes air conditioning control based on the person detection signal from the thermal diode sensor 130 (step S203) and repeats the determination process of step S201.

[0038] On the other hand, in step S201, if the control unit of the air conditioning system 150 determines that it has received a detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120 indicating that a person has entered the room (step S201: Yes), it executes air conditioning control in full power mode (step S202). In this way, the air conditioning system 150 can use the human detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120 to perform air conditioning control in immediate response to the entry of a person into the room. More specifically, for example, in the summer, when a person enters the lighting space 160, the cooling setting is operated in full power mode.

[0039] After performing air conditioning control in full power mode in step S202, the control unit of the air conditioning system 150 performs air conditioning control based on the human detection signal of the thermal diode sensor 130 (step S203), returns the processing to step S201, and repeats the above-described processing. The process in step S203 is performed, for example, after the air conditioning operation in full power mode in S202 has been performed for a predetermined time.

[0040] In the lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to detect people moving within the lighting space 160 based on the human detection signal of the pyroelectric sensor 120, and also to detect people not moving within the lighting space 160 based on the human detection signal of a sensor 130 different from the pyroelectric sensor 120, and the lighting fixtures 110 can be controlled by the control device 140 based on these human detection signals, thereby enabling lighting control that reliably detects the presence of people over a wide area, whether people are moving or not.

[0041] Furthermore, in the lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, a human detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120 is used to control the lighting on and off based on the presence detection of a person, so that a person entering the lighting space 160 can be reliably detected and the lighting fixtures can be turned on.

[0042] Furthermore, the lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure uses a sensor 130 that is a different type of sensor from the pyroelectric sensor 120 and is capable of detecting people who are not moving, and therefore lighting control can be performed over a wide area that reliably detects the presence of people, whether people are moving or not.

[0043] Furthermore, in the lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, a thermal diode sensor 130 is used as a sensor capable of detecting a person who is not moving, and therefore the presence of a person can be detected using a thermal image.

[0044] Furthermore, in lighting control system 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, thermal diode sensor 130 is used to control turning off lights when detecting the absence of people, and therefore it is possible to detect people who are not moving, which is difficult to detect with pyroelectric sensor 120. Therefore, lighting control system 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure can reliably control lighting device 110 to turn off when there is no one in lighting space 160, including not only people who are moving but also people who are not moving.

[0045] Furthermore, in the lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the detection direction of the thermal diode sensor 130 can be moved within a predetermined range, so that the thermal diode sensor 130 can detect people over a wide range.

[0046] Furthermore, in the lighting control system 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the thermal diode sensor 130 is included in the air conditioning system 150, and the lighting control system 100 periodically monitors the human detection information detected by the thermal diode sensor 130 in the air conditioning system 150, thereby making effective use of the thermal diode sensor 130 in the air conditioning system 150.

[0047] Furthermore, in the lighting control system 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the period during which the lighting control system 100 periodically monitors the human detection information of the air conditioning system 150 is shorter than half the update period of the human detection information of the air conditioning system 150, and therefore the human detection information of the thermal diode sensor 130 can be reliably utilized each time it is updated by the air conditioning system 150.

[0048] Furthermore, in the lighting control system 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the air conditioning system 150 can control the air conditioning using the human detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor 120, which makes it possible to detect people that the thermal diode sensor 130 cannot respond to immediately, and allows air conditioning control to be performed in response to changes in the number of people in the lighting space 160.

[0049] Furthermore, in the lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, after the current collecting sensor 120 detects a person and turns on the lighting device 110, the lighting device 110 continues to be turned on by referring to the person detection information from the thermal diode sensor 130. However, the lighting device 110 may also be turned on based on the person detection information from the thermal diode sensor 130.

[0050] [Embodiment 2] A lighting control system 200 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining how the detection range is divided into a plurality of blocks and detection is performed by the thermal diode sensor 230. In FIG.

[0051] Lighting control system 200 according to this second embodiment differs from lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment in that the detection range is divided into a plurality of blocks B1, B2, B3, and B4 and detection is performed by thermal diode sensor 230. Note that components that are the same as those in lighting control system 100 according to the first embodiment described above are assigned corresponding reference numerals in the 200 range, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0052] In the lighting control system 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the detection range is divided into four blocks B1, B2, B3, and B4, and detection is performed by the thermal diode sensor 230. The detection range of the thermal diode sensor 230 may be divided into a number of blocks other than four, as long as it is divided into a plurality of blocks.

[0053] The thermal diode sensor 230 detects the number of people present in each of the four blocks B1, B2, B3, and B4.

[0054] According to the lighting control system 200 of the second embodiment of the present disclosure, lighting control can be performed based on the number of people in the lighting space 160 by detecting the number of people in each block B1, B2, B3, and B4.

[0055] According to the lighting control systems 100 and 200 of the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure, thermal diode sensors 130 and 230 are used as sensors capable of detecting people who are not moving, but other sensors capable of detecting people who are not moving may also be used.

[0056] Furthermore, in the lighting control systems 100 and 200 according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure, the thermal diode sensors 130 and 230 are illustrated as being included in the air conditioning system 150, but the thermal diode sensors 130 and 230 may be included in devices other than the air conditioning system 150. Furthermore, although Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an example in which a single thermal diode sensor 130 and 230 is movable to perform wide-area detection, the present invention is not limited to this, and multiple fixed, immovable thermal diode sensors may be provided to perform wide-area detection.

[0057] The above describes a lighting control system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. However, the above-described embodiment exemplifies a lighting control system for embodying the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and does not limit the present disclosure to these embodiments. The present disclosure may be equally applied to other embodiments, such as variations of the embodiments or combinations of the embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 100,200...Lighting control system 110,210...Lighting fixtures 120...pyroelectric sensor 130, 230 ... Thermal diode sensor (sensor that can detect stationary people, human detection sensor) 130a...thermal diode 130b…Support leg 130c ... sensor pixel 130d...silicon substrate 130e...sealing frame 140 ...Control device 150...Air conditioning system 160...Lighting space B1, B2, B3, B4...blocks

Claims

1. A lighting fixture that illuminates the lighting space; a human detection sensor that detects a person in the lighting space; a control device that controls the lighting fixture based on a human detection signal from the human detection sensor; A lighting control system comprising: the human detection sensor includes a pyroelectric sensor and a sensor of a different type from the pyroelectric sensor that can detect a non-moving human, a time required for the pyroelectric sensor to detect a person is a time that responds to the movement of the person, and a time required for the sensor capable of detecting a stationary person to detect a person is longer than the time required for the sensor to respond to the movement of the person; A lighting control system in which the control device controls the lighting state of the lighting fixture when a human detection signal based on at least one of the pyroelectric sensor or the sensor capable of detecting a stationary human is input.

2. 2. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein a human presence detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor is used to control lighting by detecting the presence of a person.

3. 3. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein a sensor capable of detecting a person not moving is used for controlling the turning off of the lighting when the absence of a person is detected.

4. 4. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor capable of detecting a stationary person is movable in a detection direction within a predetermined range.

5. A lighting control system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sensor capable of detecting stationary people has a detection range divided into multiple blocks and is able to detect the number of people in each block.

6. Equipped with an air conditioning system, A lighting control system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the sensor capable of detecting a person not moving is included in the air conditioning system, and the lighting control system periodically monitors the person detection information detected by the sensor capable of detecting a person not moving by the air conditioning system.

7. A lighting control system as described in Claim 6, characterized in that the period at which the lighting control system periodically monitors the human detection information of the air conditioning system is shorter than half the update period of the human detection information of the air conditioning system.

8. 8. The lighting control system according to claim 6, wherein the air conditioning system is capable of controlling air conditioning using a human detection signal from the pyroelectric sensor.

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