JP7122643B2 - Equipment control system and equipment control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device control system and a device control method.

Techniques for controlling air conditioners or lighting equipment by means of information terminals are known. Patent Literature 1 discloses a home information system that automatically controls an air conditioner or a lighting device by a home information terminal depending on the presence or absence of a person or the open/closed state of a window.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-176009

In a system in which equipment is controlled based on the presence or absence of a person, it is difficult to finely change the control details of the equipment.

The present invention provides a device control system and a device control method capable of finely changing the control details of the device.

A device control system according to an aspect of the present invention acquires a retention rate indicating the length of time a person stays in a target area, which is determined based on the detection result of a sensor that detects the position of a person in the target area. and a control unit that controls an environment control device that controls the environment of the target area based on the acquired stay rate.

A device control method according to an aspect of the present invention obtains a retention rate indicating the length of time a person stays in a target area, which is determined based on the detection result of a sensor that detects the position of a person in the target area. and controls an environment control device that controls the environment of the target area based on the acquired stay rate.

A program according to an aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the device control method.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the apparatus control system which can change the control content of an apparatus finely, and an apparatus control method are implement|achieved.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a device control system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the functions of the image sensor. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of operation example 1 of the device control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing a unit area. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating a retention rate. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing criteria for determining the usage state of the target area. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence relationship between determination results and control details. 8 is a flowchart of an operation example 2 of the device control system according to the first embodiment; FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an operation example 3 of the device control system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing target areas when controlling air conditioners. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing criteria for determining the work state of a person in the target area. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of operations of the device control system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a unit area in which the stay rate is equal to or higher than the threshold. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the calculation result of the staying area ratio when controlling the lighting equipment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a calculation result of a staying area ratio when controlling an air conditioner.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. Numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of components, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in independent claims representing the highest concept will be described as arbitrary constituent elements.

Each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily strictly illustrated. Moreover, in each figure, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected with respect to substantially the same structure, and the overlapping description may be abbreviate|omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment 1)
[Constitution]
First, the configuration of the device control system according to Embodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a device control system according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the equipment control system 10 is a system that communicates with the image sensor 20 , the lighting equipment 30 , and the air conditioning equipment 40 and controls the lighting equipment 30 and the air conditioning equipment 40 . The device control system 10 may communicate with the plurality of lighting devices 30 and the plurality of air conditioning devices 40 to control the plurality of lighting devices 30 and the plurality of air conditioning devices 40 .

The image sensor 20 is, for example, a sensor that is attached to the ceiling of a facility and detects the position of a person in a specific area by capturing an image of a specific area within the facility. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the functions of the image sensor 20. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, in Embodiment 1 below, substantially the entire imaging range of image sensor 20 is defined as specific area A, and a plurality of areas obtained by dividing specific area A are target areas A1. ~A4. For example, the lighting equipment 30 provided in the equipment control system 10 is arranged in each of the target areas A1 to A4, and the equipment control system 10 can control the lighting environment for each of the target areas A1 to A4.

Specifically, the equipment control system 10 controls the lighting equipment 30 based on a retention rate (in other words, a retention rate) that indicates how long people stay in the target areas A1 to A4. Each component of the device control system 10 will be described in detail below.

As described above, the image sensor 20 is attached, for example, to the ceiling of the facility and captures an image of a specific area A within the facility. A video includes a plurality of frames, and the image sensor 20 detects the position of a person in the specific area A by performing image processing on each of the plurality of frames.

For example, the image sensor 20 detects the position of a person in the target frame by comparing the target frame with a background image obtained by capturing an image of a specific area A without a person. The image sensor 20 outputs, for example, a frame (hereinafter also referred to as a frame to be processed) indicating whether or not the pixel value of each pixel includes a person detected by the image sensor 20 as a detection result. do.

The equipment control system 10 performs information processing such as calculation of a retention rate based on the detection results of the image sensor 20, and controls the lighting equipment 30 based on the information processing results. The device control system 10 includes a communication section 11 , an information processing section 12 and a storage section 16 .

The communication unit 11 acquires the detection result of the position of the person from the image sensor 20 through communication. The communication unit 11 also transmits a control command for controlling the lighting device 30 to the lighting device 30 . The communication unit 11 is implemented by, for example, a communication circuit.

The information processing section 12 performs information processing such as calculation of a stay rate based on the detection result of the image sensor 20 . The information processing section 12 is implemented by, for example, a microcomputer or processor. The information processing section 12 specifically includes a calculation section 13 , an acquisition section 14 , and a control section 15 .

The calculator 13 calculates the retention rate based on the detection result of the image sensor 20 . A specific method for calculating the retention rate will be described later. The acquisition unit 14 acquires the stay rate calculated by the calculation unit 13 .

The control unit 15 controls the lighting device 30 based on the acquired retention rate. The lighting device 30 is an example of an environment control device. Specifically, the control unit 15 controls the lighting device 30 by causing the communication unit 11 to transmit a control command.

The storage unit 16 is a storage device that stores programs and the like executed by the information processing unit 12 . The storage unit 16 is implemented by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

The lighting equipment 30 controls the lighting environment of the specific area A. FIG. The lighting equipment 30 is an example of environmental control equipment to be controlled by the equipment control system 10 . The lighting device 30 is, for example, an elongated ceiling light, but the specific aspect of the lighting device 30 is not particularly limited.

The air conditioner 40 adjusts the air environment of the specific area A. The air conditioner 40 controls the temperature or humidity of the specific area A, for example. The air conditioner 40 is an example of environmental control equipment. In addition, a humidifier etc. are illustrated as an environment control apparatus.

[Operation example 1]
Next, an operation example 1 of the device control system 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of operation example 1 of the device control system 10 . Although the device control in the target area A1 will be described below, the same applies to the device control in the target areas A2 to A4.

First, the communication unit 11 of the device control system 10 acquires the detection result of the image sensor 20 (S11). As described above, the image sensor 20 outputs, as a detection result, a frame to be processed that indicates whether or not the pixel value of each pixel includes a person detected by the image sensor 20, and the communication unit 11 Get the output frame to be processed. Hereinafter, the pixels detected by the image sensor 20 and indicating that a person is included are also referred to as human-presence pixels.

Next, the calculation unit 13 calculates a retention rate (S12). The calculation unit 13 first calculates a stay rate for each of a plurality of unit areas obtained by dividing the target area. FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing a unit area. As shown in FIG. 4, the unit area is an area obtained by dividing the target area A1 into a matrix. That is, the target area A1 includes a plurality of unit areas.

If a portion corresponding to a unit area of the frame to be processed obtained from the image sensor includes a person-presence pixel, the calculation unit 13 determines that there is a person in the unit area. On the other hand, if the portion corresponding to the unit area of the processing target frame obtained from the image sensor 20 does not include a person-presence pixel, the calculation unit 13 determines that there is no person in the unit area. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating a retention rate.

The calculation unit 13 determines whether or not a human-presence pixel is included in a portion corresponding to a unit area in each of a plurality of temporally continuous processing target frames, and counts the number of times it is determined that a human-presence pixel is included. to count. As shown in (a) of FIG. 5 , when calculating the retention rate with one minute (that is, 60 seconds) as the unit time, for example, 600 frames to be processed are included. Judgment is performed twice, and the ratio of the number of times it is determined that a human presence pixel is included in 600 times is the staying rate of the unit area.

(b) of FIG. 5 shows the transition of the stay rate of the unit area calculated every minute in this manner for 60 minutes. As shown in (c) of FIG. 5, the calculation unit 13 sets the average value for 8 hours from 9:00 to 17:00 as the average stay rate of the unit area. Note that the length of the period for calculating the average retention rate is not limited to eight hours, and may be changed as appropriate.

Such an average stay rate is calculated for each of a plurality of unit areas included in target area A1. That is, a plurality of average stay rates are calculated corresponding to the number of unit areas. The calculation unit 13 calculates the representative value of such a plurality of average stay rates as the stay rate of the target area A1. The representative value is, for example, the maximum value among a plurality of average retention rates, but may be an intermediate value or an average value.

Following step S12, the calculator 13 calculates the frequency of change in the stay rate (S13). The change frequency of the residence rate is, in other words, the number of times that the amount of change in the residence rate (more specifically, the absolute value of the amount of change in the residence rate) exceeds the threshold within a certain period of time. The amount of change in the retention rate is, in other words, the time differential value of the retention rate. The certain period of time is, for example, any one hour of the eight hours from 9:00 to 17:00, but the length of the certain period of time is not particularly limited.

As shown in (d) of FIG. 5, the amount of change in the staying rate is obtained at predetermined time intervals for each unit area. The predetermined time interval is, for example, 1 minute. Such change frequency of the stay rate is calculated for each of a plurality of unit areas included in the target area A1. That is, a plurality of stay rate change frequencies are calculated corresponding to the number of unit areas. The calculation unit 13 calculates a representative value of such a plurality of stay rate change frequencies as the stay rate change frequency of the target area A1. The representative value is, for example, the maximum value among a plurality of retention rate change frequencies, but may be an intermediate value or an average value.

Following step S13, the acquisition unit 14 acquires the stay rate of the target area A1 calculated in step S12 (S14), and acquires the change frequency of the stay rate of the target area A1 calculated in step S13 (S15 ). The control unit 15 determines the use state of the target area A1 based on the acquired stay rate and the acquired change frequency of the stay rate (S16). Determining the state of use is, in other words, estimating the state of use. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing criteria for determining the usage state of the target area A1.

For example, the control unit 15 determines whether the stay rate is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and whether the change frequency of the stay rate is greater than or equal to the second threshold. It is determined which of the usage states corresponds. In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that the specific area A is an office, and the four usage states are, for example, office area, busy office area, corridor, and storeroom.

If the retention rate is relatively large and equal to or higher than the first threshold, it is estimated that there are many people in the target area A1. On the other hand, if the retention rate is relatively small and less than the first threshold, it is estimated that there are few people in the target area A1.

In addition, when the change frequency of the stay rate is relatively large and equal to or greater than the second threshold, it is estimated that the movement of people in the target area A1 is rapid. On the other hand, when the change frequency of the stay rate is relatively small and less than the second threshold, it is estimated that the movement of people in the target area A1 is gentle.

Based on such estimation, the control unit 15 determines that the target area A1 is a work area when the stay rate is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the change frequency of the stay rate is less than the second threshold. do. The control unit 15 determines that the target area A1 is a busy office area when the stay rate is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the change frequency of the stay rate is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

Further, when the staying rate is less than the first threshold and the change frequency of the staying rate is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the control unit 15 determines that the target area A1 is a passage. When the stay rate is less than the first threshold and the change frequency of the stay rate is less than the second threshold, the control unit 15 determines that the target area A1 is a storeroom.

Then, the control unit 15 controls the lighting device 30 according to the determination result of step S16 (S17). FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence relationship between determination results and control details.

When the target area A1 is determined to be a busy work area, the control unit 15 sets the brightness of the lighting device 30 lighting the target area A1 to 80%, and sets the fade-out time when turning off the lighting device 30 to 240 seconds. set. When the target area A1 is determined to be a work area, the control unit 15 sets the brightness of the lighting device 30 that illuminates the target area A1 to 100%, and sets the fade-out time when turning off the lighting device 30 to 120 seconds. do.

Further, when the target area A1 is determined to be a passage, the control unit 15 sets the brightness of the lighting device 30 lighting the target area A1 to 60%, and sets the fade-out time when turning off the lighting device 30 to 10 seconds. set. When the target area A1 is determined to be a storeroom, the control unit 15 sets the brightness of the lighting device 30 that illuminates the target area A1 to 50%, and sets the fade-out time when turning off the lighting device 30 to 10 seconds. .

In this way, the control unit 15 increases the brightness of the lighting device 30 and lengthens the fade-out time as the retention rate of the target area A1 increases. In addition, the control unit 15 shortens the fade-out time as the change frequency of the stay rate in the target area A1 increases.

Note that the contents of control shown in FIG. 7 are an example. The control unit 15 may control the lighting device 30 so that the amount of power consumption reduction increases in the order of work area<busy work area<passage<storeroom. That is, the control unit 15 may control the lighting device 30 so that the amount of power consumption reduction is maximized in the target area determined to be the storeroom. In other words, the control unit 15 may cause the lighting device 30 to emit bright light in the order of work area>busy work area>passage>storeroom. That is, the control unit 15 may control the lighting device 30 so that the target area determined to be the storeroom is the darkest.

According to Operation Example 1 as described above, the device control system 10 can adaptively control the lighting device 30 based on the retention rate and the frequency of change in the retention rate. The equipment control system 10 can finely change the control contents of the environmental control equipment.

It should be noted that it is not essential to use the frequency of the stay rate and to determine the usage state of the target area A1. For example, the control unit 15 may determine the details of control of the lighting device 30 based on a comparison between the retention rate of the target area A1 and a threshold value. In this case, the control unit 15 may use a plurality of thresholds with different values to change the control details into three or more.

[Operation example 2]
The presence/absence frequency of a person may be used instead of the change frequency of the stay rate to determine the usage state. FIG. 8 is a flow chart of such an operation example 2. In FIG. In the description of Operation Example 2, the description will focus on the differences from Operation Example 1. FIG.

The communication unit 11 of the device control system 10 acquires the detection result of the image sensor 20 (S11), and the calculation unit 13 calculates the retention rate of the target area A1 (S12).

Next, the calculation unit 13 counts the number of times the state in which a person is present changes to the state in which no person is present in the target area A1, and calculates the number of counts per fixed time as the presence/absence frequency of the person (S21). . Specifically, the calculation unit 13 counts the number of times the state in which a human presence pixel is included is switched to the state in which a human presence pixel is not included, using processing target frames included in a certain period of time. The fixed time is, for example, eight hours from 9:00 to 17:00, but the length of the fixed time is not particularly limited. Note that the calculation unit 13 may count the number of times the state in which no person exists has changed to the state in which a person exists in the target area A1.

The acquisition unit 14 acquires the stay rate of the target area A1 calculated in step S12 (S14), and acquires the presence/absence frequency of people in the target area A1 calculated in step S13 (S22). The control unit 15 determines the usage state of the target area A1 based on the acquired stay rate and the acquired frequency of people's presence/absence (S16). The determination in step S16 is the same as in Operation Example 1, except that the presence/absence frequency of a person is used instead of the change frequency of the stay rate. Then, the control unit 15 controls the lighting device 30 according to the determination result of step S16 (S17).

According to Operation Example 2, the device control system 10 can adaptively control the lighting device 30 based on the residence rate and the frequency of people's presence/absence.

[Operation Example 3]
The person's presence/absence frequency is an example of person's presence/absence information indicating the presence/absence of a person in the target area A1. The lighting frequency of the lighting device 30, which is another example of the presence/absence information, may be used to determine the usage state. When the lighting device 30 lighting the target area A1 is lit, it is estimated that a person exists in the target area A1, and when the lighting device 30 lighting the target area A1 is lighting, a person is present in the target area A1. presumed not to. Therefore, the lighting frequency of the lighting device 30 can be used as human presence/absence information. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of such operation example 3. In FIG. In the explanation of the operation example 3, the explanation will focus on the differences from the operation example 1. FIG.

The communication unit 11 of the device control system 10 acquires the detection result of the image sensor 20 (S11), and the calculation unit 13 calculates the retention rate of the target area A1 (S12).

Next, the communication unit 11 acquires the lighting frequency of the lighting devices 30 that illuminate the target area A1 (S31). The lighting frequency is the number of times that the lighting device 30 changes from being turned off to being turned on in a certain period of time. The fixed time is, for example, eight hours from 9:00 to 17:00, but the length of the fixed time is not particularly limited. The lighting frequency is transmitted from the lighting device 30 to the communication unit 11, for example, and is controlled by a distribution board, a smart meter, or a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller (in other words, For example, it may be transmitted to the communication unit 11 from a control device (not shown) such as a home gateway. In addition, in step S31, the turn-off frequency may be acquired instead of the turn-on frequency. The turn-off frequency is the number of times that the lighting device 30 changes from a lighting state to a lighting state in a certain period of time.

Next, the acquisition unit 14 acquires the stay rate of the target area A1 calculated in step S12 (S14). The control unit 15 determines the usage state of the target area A1 based on the acquired stay rate and the acquired lighting frequency of the lighting device 30 (S16). The determination in step S16 is the same as in Operation Example 1, except that the lighting frequency is used instead of the residence rate change frequency. Then, the control unit 15 controls the lighting device 30 according to the determination result of step S16 (S17).

According to Operation Example 3 as described above, the device control system 10 can adaptively control the lighting device 30 based on the residence rate and the lighting frequency (or turning-off frequency) of the lighting device 30 .

[Modification 1]
In Embodiment 1 described above, the device control system 10 controls the lighting device 30 as the environment control device. The control unit 15 controls the air conditioner 40 so that, for example, the amount of power consumption reduction increases in the order of work area<busy work area<passage<storeroom. That is, the control unit 15 controls the air conditioner 40 so that the amount of power consumption reduction is maximized in the target area determined to be the storeroom.

By the way, the arrangement of the lighting devices 30 and the arrangement of the air conditioners 40 in the specific area A are not necessarily the same. Therefore, the method of dividing the specific area A may be different from the method of dividing when the lighting device 30 is controlled. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a target area when controlling the air conditioner 40. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the air conditioner 40 is to be controlled, the specific area A is divided into three target areas A5 to A7, for example. In this way, the target area is one of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing the specific area A, and the method of division differs depending on, for example, the type, function, or application of the environmental control device. .

[Modification 2]
In the operation examples 1 to 3 above, the control unit 15 determines the usage state of the target area A1, but the control unit 15 may determine the work state of the person in the target area A1. Determining the working state of a person is, in other words, estimating the working state of a person. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing criteria for determining the work state of a person in the target area A1.

If the retention rate is relatively large and equal to or greater than the first threshold, it is estimated that people are sitting at their desks and working continuously in the target area A1. On the other hand, if the retention rate is relatively small and less than the first threshold, it is estimated that short-time work is being done or people are moving in the target area A1.

Moreover, when the change frequency of the stay rate is relatively large and is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it is estimated that people are moving rapidly in the target area A1. On the other hand, when the change frequency of the stay rate is relatively small and is less than the second threshold, it is estimated that the movement of people in the target area A1 is gentle.

Based on this estimation, the control unit 15 determines that when the stay rate is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the frequency of change in the stay rate is less than the second threshold, the human work in the target area A1 is desk work. (concentration). When the stay rate is equal to or greater than the first threshold and the change frequency of the stay rate is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the control unit 15 determines that the work of the person in the target area A1 is desk work.

Further, when the staying rate is less than the first threshold and the change frequency of the staying rate is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the control unit 15 determines that the person is moving in the target area A1. When the stay rate is less than the first threshold and the change frequency of the stay rate is less than the second threshold, the control unit 15 determines that the work performed by the workers in the target area A1 is short-time work.

When the work of the person in the target area A1 is determined to be desk work (concentration), the allowable dimming amount of the lighting equipment 30 is small, and there is little room for lowering the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioning equipment 40 . In addition, if the work of the person in the target area A1 is determined to be desk work, there is some room to allow the dimming of the lighting equipment 30 . In addition, there is some room for lowering the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner 40 . When it is determined that a person is moving in the target area A1, the lighting device 30 has a large dimming allowance because it is sufficient if the person has enough brightness for movement. Also, there is much room for lowering the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner 40 .

For the above reasons, the control unit 15 controls the lighting device 30 or the air conditioning device 40 so that the amount of power consumption reduction increases in the order of desk work (concentration)<desk work<move, for example. That is, the control unit 15 controls the lighting equipment 30 or the air conditioning equipment 40 so that the amount of power consumption reduction is maximized when it is determined that the person is moving.

In this way, the equipment control system 10 can adaptively control the lighting equipment 30 or the air conditioning equipment 40 according to the working conditions of people in the target area A1.

By the way, if the lighting device 30 has a toning function, the controller 15 may control the lighting device 30 for toning. For example, when the standard color temperature is 5000K, the control unit 15 controls the lighting for illuminating the target area determined to be desk work and the target area determined for people to move. Control the color temperature of the device 30 to 5000K. On the other hand, the control unit 15 controls the color temperature of the lighting device 30 that illuminates the target area determined to be desk work (concentration) to 6000K, which is higher than the standard color temperature. This has the effect of making it easier for people who are concentrating on desk work to see the characters.

In addition, the control unit 15 may control the lighting equipment 30 toning according to the operation mode of the air conditioner 40 . For example, the control unit 15 may control the lighting device 30 to a relatively high color temperature (eg, 6000K) in the target area where the air conditioner 40 is in cooling operation. Thereby, the device control system 10 can give a feeling of coolness to a person staying in the target area. Further, the control unit 15 may control the lighting device 30 to a relatively low color temperature (for example, 4000K) in the target area where the air conditioner 40 is heating. As a result, the device control system 10 can give a warm feeling to people staying in the target area.

Such color toning control linked to the operation mode of the air conditioner 40 may be selectively performed when it is determined that the work state of the person in the target area is a specific work state. For example, toning control linked to the operation mode of the air conditioner 40 may be selectively performed when it is determined that a person is moving in the target area.

(Embodiment 2)
The control unit 15 controls the lighting device 30 or the air conditioning device based on the total area of the unit areas (hereinafter also referred to as the staying area) in which the staying rate is equal to or higher than the threshold among the plurality of unit areas included in the target area A1. 40 may be controlled. Embodiment 2 will explain the operation of the device control system 10 based on such a staying area. FIG. 12 is a flow chart of the operation of the device control system 10 according to the second embodiment.

First, the communication unit 11 of the device control system 10 acquires the detection result of the image sensor 20 (S41). Next, the calculation unit 13 calculates the stay rate of each of the plurality of unit areas included in the target area A1 based on the detection result (S42). The method of calculating the stay rate of the unit area is as described with reference to FIG.

The acquisition unit 14 acquires the stay rate calculated for each of the plurality of unit areas included in the target area A1 (S43), and the control unit 15 identifies the unit area where the stay rate is equal to or greater than the threshold (S44). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a unit area in which the stay rate is equal to or higher than the threshold. A hatched unit area in FIG. 13 is a unit area where the retention rate is equal to or higher than the threshold.

Next, the control unit 15 calculates the staying area (S45). As described above, the stay area is the sum of the areas of the unit areas whose stay rate is equal to or higher than the threshold among the plurality of unit areas included in the target area A1. Subsequently, the control unit 15 calculates the ratio of the staying area to the total area of the target area A1 (S46). FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the calculation result of the staying area ratio when controlling the lighting equipment 30 . FIG. 14 also shows the calculation result of the ratio of the staying area of the target areas A2 to A4.

When controlling the air conditioner 40, the specific area A may be divided into three target areas A5 to A7 as shown in FIG. Then, when controlling the air conditioner 40, the ratio of the staying area calculated for the target areas A5 to A7 is used. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the calculation result of the retention area ratio when the air conditioner 40 is controlled.

Then, the control unit 15 controls the lighting equipment 30 or the air conditioning equipment 40 according to the calculated retention area ratio (S47).

It is estimated that a large number of people are staying in a target area with a large percentage of staying area. On the other hand, it is estimated that the number of people staying in a target area with a small percentage of staying area is small.

Therefore, the control unit 15 reduces the reduction amount of the power consumption of the lighting device 30 in a target area having a larger percentage of the staying area. That is, the control unit 15 increases the brightness of the lighting device 30 that illuminates the target area in which it is estimated that the number of staying people is large. Thereby, the equipment control system 10 can adaptively control the lighting equipment 30 according to the ratio of the staying area. Note that the control unit 15 may increase the amount of power consumption reduction for a target area having a higher rate of staying area.

In addition, it is considered that the environmental temperature is difficult to decrease in the target area where the percentage of the staying area is large and the number of people staying is estimated to be large, and the air conditioning is difficult to work. Therefore, the control unit 15 reduces the amount of power consumption reduction of the air conditioner 40 that performs cooling in a target area having a larger percentage of the staying area. In other words, the control unit 15 increases the cooling effect of the air conditioners 40 installed in the target area for a target area that is estimated to have a large number of staying people. Thereby, the device control system 10 can perform adaptive cooling according to the ratio of the staying area.

In addition, it is considered that the environmental temperature is less likely to decrease and the heating is more effective in the target area where the ratio of the staying area is large and the number of staying people is estimated to be large. Therefore, the control unit 15 increases the power consumption reduction amount of the air conditioner 40 that performs heating in a target area having a larger percentage of the staying area. That is, the control unit 15 weakens the heating effect of the air conditioners 40 installed in the target area in which it is estimated that the number of staying people is large. Thereby, the equipment control system 10 can perform adaptive heating according to the ratio of the staying area.

(summary)
As described above, the device control system 10 determines the degree of residence time in the target area A1 based on the detection result of the image sensor 20 that detects the position of the person in the target area A1. An acquisition unit 14 that acquires the rate, and a control unit 15 that controls an environment control device that controls the environment of the target area A1 based on the acquired stay rate. The environmental control equipment is, for example, the lighting equipment 30 or the air conditioning equipment 40 .

Such a device control system 10 can finely change the control contents of the environment control device based on the degree of time that a person stays.

Also, the control unit 15 determines the state of the target area A1 based on the obtained stay rate, and controls the environmental control equipment according to the determination result. The state related to the target area A1 is, for example, the usage state of the target area A1 or the work state of a person in the target area A1. You can change the details.

In addition, in Operation Example 1, the control unit 15 controls the environment control device based on the acquired retention rate and the acquired change in the retention rate.

Such a device control system 10 can finely change the control contents of the environmental control device based on the retention rate and changes in the retention rate.

Further, in Operation Example 2 or 3, the acquisition unit 14 further acquires the presence/absence information indicating the presence/absence of people in the target area A1, and the control unit 15 determines the acquired stay rate and the acquired Control the environmental control equipment based on the presence/absence information.

Such a device control system 10 can finely change the control contents of environment control devices based on the stay rate and the information on the presence or absence of people.

Further, in Embodiment 2, the acquisition unit 14 acquires the stay rate of each of the plurality of unit areas obtained by dividing the target area A1, and the control unit 15 determines whether the stay rate of the plurality of unit areas is equal to or greater than the threshold. The environmental control equipment is controlled based on the total area of the unit area.

Such a device control system 10 can finely change the control contents of the environmental control device based on the area of the portion with a relatively high retention rate in the target area A1.

Also, for example, the target area A1 is one of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing the specific area A, and the manner of division differs depending on the type of environment control device.

Such a device control system 10 can change the position and size of the target area according to the type of environmental control device.

Further, for example, the device control system 10 further includes a calculator 13 that calculates a stay rate based on the detection result of the image sensor 20 , and the acquisition unit 14 acquires the stay rate calculated by the calculator 13 .

Such a device control system 10 can finely change the control details of the environmental control device based on the calculated retention rate.

Further, the present invention may be realized as a device control method executed by a computer or a program for causing a computer to execute the device control method. The device control method acquires a retention rate indicating the degree of time that a person stays in the target area A1, which is determined based on the detection result of the image sensor that detects the position of the person in the target area A1, and acquires the acquired retention rate. An environmental control device that controls the environment of the target area A1 is controlled based on the retention rate.

Such a device control system 10 can finely change the control contents of the environment control device based on the degree of time that a person stays.

(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, in the above embodiment, the calculation unit included in the device control system calculates the retention rate, but the retention rate may be calculated by an image sensor. In other words, the image sensor may have the function of the calculator in the above embodiments. In this case, the acquisition unit of the device control system acquires the retention rate output from the image sensor via the communication unit.

Also, the calculation method of the stay rate of the target area is an example, and the calculation method of the stay rate is not particularly limited. For example, the process of dividing the target area into unit areas is not essential. More simply, the retention rate of the target area may be calculated as the ratio of the time during which the human presence pixels are included in the portion corresponding to the target area of the processing target frame to a certain period of time. Also, the method of calculating the stay rate of the unit area described in the above embodiment may be applied to the target area.

Also, the communication method between devices in the above embodiment is not particularly limited. Wireless communication may be performed between the devices, or wired communication may be performed. Also, wireless communication and wired communication may be combined between devices.

Further, in the above-described embodiments, the processing executed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. In addition, the order of multiple processes may be changed, and multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

Further, in the above embodiments, components such as the control unit may be implemented by executing software programs suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by reading and executing a software program recorded in a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor.

Also, components such as the control unit may be realized by hardware. For example, a component such as a controller may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form one circuit as a whole, or may be separate circuits. These circuits may be general-purpose circuits or dedicated circuits.

Also, general or specific aspects of the present invention may be implemented in a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. Also, any combination of systems, devices, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, and recording media may be implemented.

For example, the present invention may be implemented as a device control method, a program for causing a computer to execute the device control method, or a computer-readable non-temporary program in which such a program is recorded. may be realized as a general recording medium.

Also, the device control system described in the above embodiment may be realized as a single device or may be realized by a plurality of devices. When the device control system is realized by a plurality of devices, the components included in the device control system described in the above embodiments may be distributed to the plurality of devices in any way. Also, the equipment control system may include at least one of an image sensor, lighting equipment, and air conditioning equipment.

In addition, forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art can think of, or realized by arbitrarily combining the constituent elements and functions of each embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Also included in the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 device control system 13 calculation unit 14 acquisition unit 15 control unit 20 image sensor (sensor)
30 lighting equipment (environment control equipment)
40 air conditioning equipment (environmental control equipment)

Claims (9)

an acquisition unit that is installed on the ceiling side and acquires a retention rate indicating the degree of time that a person stays in the target area, which is determined based on the detection result of an image sensor that detects the position of a person in the target area;
A control unit that controls an environment control device that controls the environment of the target area based on the acquired retention rate,
The device control system, wherein the target area is one of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing a specific area included in an imaging range of the image sensor. The device control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the state of the target area based on the obtained retention rate, and controls the environmental control device according to the determination result. The device control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the environment control device based on the acquired retention rate and the acquired change in the retention rate. The acquisition unit further acquires human presence/absence information indicating the presence/absence of people in the target area,
The apparatus control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the environment control apparatus based on the obtained stay rate and the obtained person presence/absence information. The acquisition unit acquires the stay rate of each of a plurality of unit areas obtained by dividing the target area,
The apparatus control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the environment control apparatus based on a total area of unit areas in which the retention rate is equal to or greater than a threshold among the plurality of unit areas. an acquisition unit that acquires a retention rate indicating the degree of time that a person stays in the target area, which is determined based on the detection result of an image sensor that detects the position of a person in the target area;
A control unit that controls an environment control device that controls the environment of the target area based on the acquired retention rate,
the target area is one of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing a specific area included in the imaging range of the image sensor;
The method of dividing the specific area differs according to the type of the environment control device.
Equipment control system. Further comprising a calculation unit for calculating the retention rate based on the detection result of the image sensor,
The device control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the retention rate calculated by the calculation unit. Acquiring a retention rate indicating the extent of time that a person stays in the target area, which is determined based on the detection result of an image sensor that is installed on the ceiling side and detects the position of a person in the target area;
controlling an environment control device that controls the environment of the target area based on the acquired retention rate;
The device control method, wherein the target area is one of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing a specific area included in an imaging range of the image sensor. A program for causing a computer to execute the device control method according to claim 8 .

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