Occupancy-Aware Lighting Fixture Dimming for Safer Indoor Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting systems fail to illuminate areas where people are not present, leading to unsafe conditions for individuals moving in indoor spaces.
Innovation Solution
A lighting system comprising multiple fixtures and sensors that perform dimming control based on detection signals, ensuring areas with and without people are adequately illuminated, maintaining a safe environment by adjusting light levels accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If lighting control illuminates only the area where a person is present, then energy consumption is reduced, but areas where people are not present remain dark causing safety concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system performs preliminary illumination by keeping lights in a first dimming state (brighter state) in areas adjacent to where a person is detected, before the person actually moves to those areas. This anticipatory lighting ensures that when the person moves into adjacent areas, the lighting is already prepared, maintaining safety while avoiding complete darkness in potentially visited areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses detection signals from sensors as intermediaries to coordinate control across multiple lighting fixtures. When a person is detected in one area, the system transmits detection signals to adjacent lighting fixtures, which then adjust their dimming states accordingly. This intermediary signal mechanism enables coordinated lighting control that balances energy savings with safety requirements.
2Reliability
If multiple lighting fixtures are controlled to maintain brightness in all areas, then user safety is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system applies different dimming states to different lighting fixtures based on local conditions. When a person is detected in a specific area, only the lighting fixture in that area and adjacent fixtures are maintained in a first dimming state, while other fixtures are set to a second dimming state (darker state). This localized quality adjustment ensures safety in and around the occupied area while reducing energy consumption in unoccupied areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial illumination by maintaining brighter lighting (first dimming state) only in the area where a person is present and adjacent areas, rather than illuminating the entire space. This partial action provides sufficient lighting for safety in occupied zones while allowing darker conditions in unoccupied zones, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.
3Speed
If lighting fixtures respond immediately to detection signals from all areas, then responsiveness is improved, but false activation occurs when multiple sensors detect people
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system uses feedback from detection signals to dynamically adjust the dimming state of lighting fixtures. When a detection signal is received indicating a person is present, the system responds by adjusting the lighting in the target area and adjacent areas. The feedback mechanism continues to monitor detection signals, and when no person is detected for a predetermined period, the system returns to a darker state, ensuring responsive yet accurate lighting control.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting system dynamically adjusts the dimming state of lighting fixtures based on real-time detection signals. The controller modifies the lighting output according to the presence or absence of persons in different areas, creating a dynamic lighting environment that adapts to changing conditions while maintaining safety and energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting fixture includes: a light source; a communicator that receives (i) a first detection signal indicating that a person is detected in a target area and (ii) a second detection signal, among a plurality of second detection signals, indicating that a person is detected in an area other than the target area among the plurality of areas; and a controller that (a) controls the light source in a first dimming state when the first detection signal is received, and (b) maintains the first dimming state when, in a case where all of the plurality of lighting fixtures are in the first dimming state, a second detection signal indicating that a person is detected in a first area is received, and, during a most recent predetermined period, a second detection signal indicating that a person is detected in a second area is received.