Patent ID: 8872964

Claim:
An illumination system, comprising: a two-dimensional non-Passive Infrared (non-PIR) imager that images an area and produces image data representative of images across at least part of a visible portion of an electromagnetic spectrum; a light source that provides at least two levels of illumination in addition to a zero level of illumination in the area, wherein a first level of illumination corresponds to a non-zero level of illumination and a second level of illumination corresponds to a higher level of illumination than the first level of illumination; and a controller communicatively coupled to receive the image data from the non-PIR imager that determines at least a first period which is indicative of a daylight period and a second period which is indicative of a non-daylight period, and which processes the received image data to: detect at least one ambient environmental characteristic of the area in the part of the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum wherein the ambient environmental characteristic is indicative of a presence or imminent presence of a body in the area; vary a gain setting of the non-PIR imager in response to a signal indicative of a level of ambient brightness; and control operation of the light source by; deactivating the light source during the first period; activating the light source at the second illumination level in the area for at least a portion of the second period responsive to the detection of an environmental characteristic of the area indicative of a presence or imminent presence of a body in the area; and activating the light source at the first illumination level in the area for at least a portion of the second period.