Lighting Sensor Occupancy Detection Without Added Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for determining occupancy and movement in buildings, such as retail or office settings, require separate and costly fixtures, communications, and processing infrastructure, which are intrusive and expensive, unlike existing lighting systems that only control the lighting level at a single point.
Innovation Solution
Reusing the existing infrastructure of computer-controlled building lighting systems, including LED lighting fixtures with sensors, to collect analytics on occupancy, location, and movement, and transmitting this data to a central controller for analysis, potentially augmented with video cameras, to determine time-based occupancy and movement patterns without the need for additional expensive infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If separate fixtures and infrastructure are used to determine occupancy and movement, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting fixtures are designed to perform multiple functions: providing illumination and simultaneously detecting occupancy and movement through integrated sensors. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated detection infrastructure, reducing system complexity while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the lighting function and occupancy detection function into a single integrated system. The lighting fixtures incorporate sensors that detect occupancy and movement, merging what were previously separate systems into one unified infrastructure.
2Measurement precision
If separate occupancy detection infrastructure is installed, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of manufacture and installation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting fixtures are designed to perform multiple functions: providing illumination and simultaneously detecting occupancy and movement through integrated sensors. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated detection detection infrastructure, reducing system complexity while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the lighting function and occupancy detection function into a single integrated system. The lighting fixtures incorporate sensors that detect occupancy and movement, merging what were previously separate systems into one unified infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides less expensive, less complex, and less intrusive means to gather occupancy and movement data, allowing for optimized space utilization and effective analysis of customer behavior, while maintaining the existing lighting system's functionality.
Implementation Method 1
Lighting level information is received from the light sensors of the automated lighting system identifying lighting level variations in an area
Data Source
AI summary
A method for utilizing an automated lighting system having a plurality of lighting fixtures with associated light sensors to determine occupancy of a plurality of occupants in an area of a building. Lighting level information is received from the lighting fixture sensors of the automated lighting system identifying lighting variations in an area to form a time-based history of lighting level variations. Analytic analysis is applied to the time-based history of lighting level variations to determine a time-based occupancy in the area.