Motion sensor with automatically adjustable sensitivity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10451649-B2
Application number	US-201816212457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2018
Priority date	Jun 10, 2016
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A motion sensor includes a sensor element to sense a motion, and a controller communicably coupled to the sensor element. The controller is configured to set a detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to a maximum setting of the detection sensitivity. The controller is further configured to decrease the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor upon a detection of the motion until the motion is undetectable by the motion sensor at a decreased setting of the detection sensitivity. The controller is further configured to increase the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor until the motion sensor detects the motion at an increased setting of the detection sensitivity and to set the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting based on the increased setting.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A motion sensor, comprising:
a sensor element to sense a motion; and
a controller communicably coupled to the sensor element, wherein the controller is configured to:
set a detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to a maximum setting of the detection sensitivity;
decrease the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor, upon a detection of the motion at the maximum setting of the detection sensitivity, until the motion is undetectable by the motion sensor at a decreased setting of the detection sensitivity; and
set the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting after decreasing the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor.

2. The motion sensor of claim 1 , further comprising a wireless transceiver communicably coupled to the controller to wirelessly transmit and receive wireless signals.

3. The motion sensor of claim 1 , wherein the controller sets the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to the maximum setting of the detection sensitivity during a programming mode of the motion sensor.

4. The motion sensor of claim 3 , wherein the motion sensor enters the programming mode in response to user input received wirelessly by the motion sensor.

5. The motion sensor of claim 3 , wherein the motion sensor enters the programming mode in response to a user input received via a user interface of the motion sensor.

6. The motion sensor of claim 3 , wherein the motion sensor exits the programming mode if the motion is undetected within a timeout period after the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor is set to the maximum setting of the detection sensitivity.

7. The motion sensor of claim 6 , wherein the controller leaves the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor set to the maximum setting of the detection sensitivity when the motion sensor exits the programming mode at an end of the timeout period.

8. The motion sensor of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to decrease the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor in fixed sensitivity intervals that correspond to fixed distances.

9. The motion sensor of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to decrease the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor in non-fixed sensitivity intervals that correspond to variable distances.

10. A motion sensor, comprising:
a first sensor element to sense a first motion in a first area;
a second sensor element to sense a second motion in a second area; and
a controller configured to:
decrease a first detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensor element until the first motion is undetectable by the motion sensor;
increase the first detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensor element after the motion becomes undetectable until the motion sensor detects the first motion at an increased setting; and
set the first detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensor element to a new setting based on the increased setting, wherein the new setting is different from a setting of a second detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the second sensor element.

11. The motion sensor of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to set the second detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the second sensor element based on the second motion.

12. The motion sensor of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to set the first detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensor element to the new setting during a programming mode of the motion sensor.

13. The motion sensor of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to indicate to a user if a user's motion is sensed by both the first sensor element and the second sensor element during the programming mode.

14. The motion sensor of claim 12 , wherein the motion sensor enters the programming mode in response to a user input received via a user interface of the motion sensor.

15. The motion sensor of claim 12 , wherein the motion sensor exits the programming mode in response to a user input received wirelessly by the motion sensor.

16. The motion sensor of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to set the first detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensor element and the second detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the second sensor element based on a third motion sensed in an area that is overlapped by the first area and the second area.

17. A method of adjusting a detection sensitivity of a motion sensor, the method comprising:
decreasing, by a controller, the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor until a motion that is previously detectable by the motion sensor is undetectable by the motion sensor;
increasing, by the controller, the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor after the motion becomes undetectable until the motion sensor detects the motion at an increased setting; and
setting, by the controller, the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting, wherein the new setting is determined based on the increased setting.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising entering a programming mode of the motion sensor in response to a user input prior to setting the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to the new setting.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the motion sensor comprises a first sensor element and a second sensor element, wherein the step of setting the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to the new setting comprises setting the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensor element to the new setting, and wherein the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the second sensor element is a different setting from the new setting.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising indicating, by the motion sensor, the setting of the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to the new setting.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd
• Cooper Technologies Co

Inventors

• Cho Nam Chin
• Christ James Richard
• Johnston Tyler Christian

Classifications

• G08B13/19

  using infrared-radiation detection systems {(G08B13/194 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G08B29/24

  Self-calibration, e.g. compensating for environmental drift or ageing of components · CPC title

• G01P21/00

  Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups · CPC title

• G08B29/20

  Calibration, including self-calibrating arrangements · CPC title

• G01P13/00 Primary

  Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement (electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00) · CPC title