Motion Sensor Detection Range Adjustment for Lighting Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motion sensor-controlled lighting devices face issues with unintentional deactivation due to limited detection area settings, which can lead to unnecessary switching off when a person is still in the detection range but not moving, causing user dissatisfaction and product acceptance problems.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves automatically increasing the detection range or response sensitivity of the sensor means upon activation, allowing small movements to maintain lighting activation and preventing deactivation after a minimum switch-on time, without manual intervention, using electronically preset or adjustable sensitivity levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the detection area is made large enough to reliably detect a person moving there, then the detection reliability is improved, but the detection area becomes too sensitive to remote events causing unintentional activation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the detection range variable rather than fixed. The sensor unit automatically adjusts its detection range based on whether a target object is detected: extending the range when a target is present to maintain reliable detection, and reducing the range when no target is present to prevent unintentional activation from remote events. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between detection reliability and sensitivity to harmful factors.
2Reliability
If the sensor means detect small movements to maintain lighting activation, then the operational reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the detection sensitivity parameter dynamically. When a target object is detected, the sensor unit increases its response sensitivity to detect even small movements, ensuring the lighting remains activated. This parameter adjustment is achieved through electronic control of the existing sensor unit rather than adding complex hardware, thus improving operational reliability while minimizing device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the detection range is extended automatically upon activation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the loss of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action through the minimum switch-on time mechanism. When motion is detected and lighting is activated, the system maintains activation for a predetermined minimum period regardless of subsequent motion detection. This periodic approach ensures ease of operation by preventing premature switching off during brief periods of no motion, while the energy loss is controlled by the defined minimum duration rather than continuous operation.
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 enhances user comfort by reducing unintentional deactivation and improving operational reliability, applicable beyond lighting to other motion-controlled applications with minimal additional hardware effort.
Implementation Method 1
They typically have high-frequency-based Sensors as sensor means (so-called radar sensors), alternatively, and widely used, motion sensors acting on the basis of infrared signals (so-called PIR sensors, PIR = passive infrared). What all these units have in common is that they carry out a movement detection in a specific detection area (e.g. by means of suitable optics in the case of an infrared sensor or antenna structure in the case of a high-frequency sensor), for example on the basis of a Doppler effect in the case of a radar sensor
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a motion sensor-controlled lighting device with a lighting unit (11) having a light source (10) and sensor means (14, 18) cooperating with the lighting unit, which are designed to detect a preferably human movement in a detection area (19) and to activate the lighting unit in response to a detected movement, wherein the sensor means have adjustment means (20, 16) for predetermining and/or changing the detection area, wherein the adjustment means (16) are designed such that, in response to the activation of the lighting unit, the detection area and/or a response sensitivity is extended and/or increased by a controlled change of sensor parameters of the sensor means.