JP2002260871A - Illumination control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illumination control system in which reliability of signal transmission and control operation is improved and convenience of load control is enhanced. SOLUTION: In the decentralized control system, the control terminal 20 and the monitor terminal 10, in which the terminal information including a unique address and identification data or the like are set up and stored in the nonvolatile storage part, are connected to the transmission line 40, and by transmitting the control signals that are sent from the monitor terminal 10 to control the control terminal 20 and the signals such as the monitor signals including the condition content of its own terminal that are sent from the control terminal 20, the control of the load 21 connected to each control terminal 20 and monitoring of the condition are performed. The above monitor terminal 10 sends to the transmission line 40 a sequence control signal that includes plural control data based on the change of operator's operation and monitoring condition and corresponding plural control start-time data, and the control terminal 20 receives this control data in one lot and performs the control corresponding to each time data in order, in accordance with the lapse of time for each control start-time data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting control system for turning on / off and dimming many indoor and outdoor lighting loads.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a lighting control system has been used which controls turning on / off and dimming of a plurality of indoor and outdoor lighting loads, and monitors the lighting / unlit state of the lighting loads.

The lighting control system includes a centralized lighting control system and a distributed lighting control system.

The centralized lighting control system includes a central control device for managing the entire system, a monitoring terminal for detecting a human operation and transmitting a signal to the central control device, and a control device for controlling the central control device. A control terminal that receives a signal and performs a control operation on the load in accordance with the content of the signal is connected to a control terminal. The operation switch of the monitoring terminal turns on a plurality of lighting loads. In order to turn off the light, the central control device needs to store a plurality of light-on / off control data. If a failure occurs in the central controller, there is a drawback that the lighting load cannot be turned on and off, but it is still used to control a wide range of lighting.

On the other hand, a distributed lighting control system does not correspond to the above-mentioned central control device, and a monitoring terminal, a control terminal, a setting tool, and the like are connected to a transmission line. The monitoring terminal provided on the wall has control data for turning on and off a plurality of lighting loads connected to the control terminal. When an operation switch of the monitoring terminal is operated, a plurality of lighting loads connected to one or a plurality of control terminals are turned on and off using the light on / off control data corresponding to the operation switch. The control terminal transmits the turning-on / off state of each lighting load to the monitoring terminal, so that the monitoring terminal can confirm the turning-on / off state of the lighting load.

Hereinafter, a distributed lighting control system will be described. FIG. 21 shows a configuration diagram of a conventional distributed lighting control system. A monitoring terminal device 1 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a wall switch) provided with an operation switch provided on a wall or the like and operable by a person, and a power supply to a lighting load 5 using lighting control data from the wall switch 1 A control terminal 2 for controlling on / off of the supply via a relay or the like and a setting tool 3 for performing various settings are connected to the transmission line 4.

The monitoring terminal 1 includes a processing unit such as a CPU, a nonvolatile storage unit for storing terminal device information including a unique address and identification data, a transmission interface unit for the transmission line 4, and A control signal for controlling the control terminal device 2 is transmitted to the transmission line 4 while being connected to the control terminal device 2. It has a function of monitoring the state of the load 5 such as a lamp to be performed by a monitoring signal sent from the control terminal device 2.

The control terminal 2 includes a processing unit such as a CPU, a non-volatile storage unit for storing terminal information including a unique address and identification data, a transmission interface unit for the transmission line 4, Further, it is configured to include a drive unit for driving the load 5 and the like, and controls the load 5 such as a lamp based on a control signal transmitted from the monitoring terminal 1 via the transmission line 4. On the other hand, own terminal 2
Has the function of sending out a monitoring signal including the state contents of the above to the transmission line 4.

In the lighting control system, control data is set from the setting tool 3 to the processing units of the plurality of monitoring terminals 1, and a person operates the operation switches of the monitoring terminals 1, whereby the monitoring terminals 1 are operated. Is transmitted on the transmission line 4 or by operating the operation switch, a plurality of control data are transmitted on the transmission line 4 a plurality of times at a time interval required for control, and the control terminal 2 Every time it receives the control data, it performs various controls in accordance with the control data.

In the prior art (hereinafter referred to as "prior art 1"), when the control terminal is controlled after a set time after operating the switch of the monitoring terminal, the set time elapses after the switch is operated. Then, a control signal is sent from the monitoring terminal to the control terminal. In the case where the control state of the control terminal is changed every time a plurality of set times elapse based on one switch operation of the monitoring terminal, each time corresponds to each time a plurality of set times elapse after one switch operation. The control signal was sent to the control terminal several times. Therefore, in order to send a series of control data consisting of a plurality of control data from the monitoring terminal to the control terminal, the control data is sent from the monitoring terminal to the control terminal every time a set time on the time axis elapses. I had to send it.

Further, as another prior art (hereinafter, referred to as "prior art 2"), when dimming control is performed on a load connected to a control terminal, a monitoring terminal for lighting dimming is required. The dimming control gradation value data obtained by adding or subtracting the control gradation step value for each control unit time by the switch operation has been transmitted to the lighting dimming control terminal a plurality of times as control data. That is, control data is sent from the monitoring terminal to the control terminal for each control gradation step.

Further, as another conventional technique (hereinafter, referred to as "Prior Art 3"), in the case of group control or pattern control in which a plurality of control terminals are simultaneously controlled, a plurality of control terminals individually address themselves. When the control terminal received the control data, the control terminal was performing the lighting load control operation in accordance with the control data. That is, the control operation by each control terminal was not always performed simultaneously.

Further, as another conventional technique (hereinafter referred to as "Prior Art 4"), when a certain pattern is allocated to a large number of lighting loads and pattern control is performed, a control signal of a pattern number is sent from a monitoring terminal. Every time the pattern is received, the lighting load is controlled based on the control data in the control terminal corresponding to the pattern number. That is, when a control terminal controlled by a certain pattern receives a control signal of another pattern, control is forcibly switched according to a control signal received later. In other words, conventionally,
Rear priority pattern control was performed.

FIG. 22 shows a conventional pattern control data holding and control method. In FIG. 22, it is assumed that a pattern number ("No." in the figure) and control data ("Settings" in the figure) corresponding to the control content are stored in the control terminal 2 in advance. When the switch of the monitoring terminal 1 is pressed, the control terminal 2 controls the lighting load 5 based on the pattern control data set in the number. When the switch of the monitoring terminal 1 is pressed, the control terminal 2 controls the lighting load 5 based on the pattern control data set in the number. When a switch of a number (,) in which no control data is set in the control terminal 2 is pressed, the control terminal 2 keeps the current control. When the switch is pressed after the switch is pressed, the control terminal 2 controls the lighting load 5 based on the control data of the switch pressed later. In the setting example of the control terminal in FIG. 22, the load 5 is 50% when the switch is pressed.
Lighting is controlled, and the load 5 is controlled to 100% lighting when the switch is pressed next time.

FIG. 23 shows a conventional pattern control range. A plurality of monitoring terminals 1 and a plurality of control terminals 2 are connected to one transmission line 4. The control terminals 2 are arranged in line with the layout of the place where they are installed. Monitoring terminal 1
23, the range of the plurality of control terminals 2 controlled when the switch is pressed and the range of the plurality of control terminals 2 controlled when the switch is pressed are indicated by thick lines (,) in FIG. It is assumed that it is set as follows. When the switch is pressed after the switch is pressed, the control terminal that is present in both the control range and the control range controls the lighting load 5 based on the control data of the switch that is pressed later. . That is, based on the set control data of FIG. 22, the range common to both the control ranges is switched from the 50% lighting state to the 100% lighting state, and the white portion of the resulting control range is 50%
The entire control range indicated by lighting and diagonal lines is controlled to a 100% lighting state.

[0016]

However, in the case of the prior art 1, since a single operation of the wall switch causes a plurality of signal transmissions, the transmission line becomes busy and the probability of signal collision occurs. And the reliability of signal transmission decreases.

In the case of the prior art 2, since the control data is sent from the monitoring terminal to the control terminal at every control gradation step, the transmission line is busy. In particular,
When a plurality of illumination dimming control terminals are controlled from different illumination dimming monitoring terminals, there is a problem that the probability of signal collision increases and the reliability of signal transmission decreases.

Furthermore, in the case of the prior art 3, when simultaneously controlling a plurality of control terminals, each control terminal performs a control operation when receiving control data. The control timing of the control terminal was shifted.

Furthermore, in the case of the prior art 4, when a control terminal controlled by a certain pattern receives a control signal of another pattern, control is forcibly switched according to a control signal received later. However, there is a problem that desired pattern control is not always performed.

In view of the above-mentioned various problems, the present invention aims to improve the reliability and convenience in lighting control. In the case of pattern control, the control timing of each control terminal does not shift, and in the case of pattern control, the previously controlled pattern is maintained as necessary, and the lighting control that improves the reliability of signal transmission and control operation It is intended to provide a system.

[0021]

A lighting control system according to the present invention is connected to a transmission line, and terminal information including a unique address and identification data is set and stored in a nonvolatile storage unit. A control terminal for controlling a load based on a control signal transmitted through the transmission line, and transmitting a monitoring signal including a state content of the own terminal to the transmission line; and connecting to the transmission line. The terminal information including a unique address and identification data is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, and a control signal for controlling the control terminal is transmitted to the transmission line. A monitoring terminal device for monitoring the state of the load connected to the transmission line, wherein a control signal including a plurality of control data and a plurality of control start time values corresponding thereto according to a human operation or a change in the monitoring state is transmitted to the transmission line. Sending To a monitoring terminal unit; is obtained by including a.

In the above description, the monitoring terminal is a terminal having operation switches and sensors installed on a wall or the like, and the load controlled by the control terminal means a lighting load such as a discharge lamp or a light bulb. I do. The monitoring terminal and the control terminal connected to the transmission line of the lighting control system are all C terminals.
It has a configuration including at least a processing unit including a PU, a transmission interface unit connected to a transmission line, and a storage unit that stores an address, identification data, and the like as each terminal on the lighting control system. . As the storage unit, a non-volatile memory such as an EPROM is used.

In the present invention, when operating a wall switch (monitoring terminal) or detecting a change in the monitoring state of a sensor terminal, a plurality of control data and a plurality of corresponding data are transmitted from each of the monitoring terminals. A control signal including the control start time value is sent out on the transmission line. That is, from each monitoring terminal, a plurality of sequential control data can be sent together with the respective time values to the target control terminal, and the control terminal can collect these at once.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the lighting control system according to the first aspect, the control terminal adjusts the control data corresponding to the control data after a control start time after receiving a control signal from the monitoring terminal. Control.

In the present invention, after the control terminal receives the sequence data (control data and the corresponding control start time value), the monitoring terminal outputs a signal based on a switch operation, sensor detection, or the like. When the control terminal receives this, the control terminal starts timer counting, and based on the sequence data already taken, when the control start time comes, the load is controlled by the corresponding control data. The control terminal sequentially executes the fetched data as time elapses. Since the control of the control terminal every time elapses is performed independently from the monitoring terminal, it is possible to prevent the transmission line from becoming busy.

The lighting control system according to the third aspect of the present invention is connected to a transmission line, and terminal information including a unique address and identification data is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, and is transmitted via the transmission line. A control terminal for controlling the load based on the control signal transmitted by the control terminal and transmitting a monitoring signal including the content of the state of the own terminal to the transmission line; Terminal device information including identification data and the like is set and stored in a nonvolatile storage unit,
A monitoring terminal that sends out a control signal for controlling the control terminal to the transmission line and monitors a state of a load connected to the control terminal. And a monitor terminal for transmitting a control gradation step value and a control unit time together with information on up / down of the dimming gradation as data of the control signal to be controlled.

In the present invention, the data of the control signal transmitted by operating the up or down switch of the lighting dimming monitoring terminal includes data representing the dimming gradation up or down from the current dimming gradation. , A control unit time for changing the light control gradation, and data of a light control gradation step value changed for each unit time. The control terminal can fetch and hold these three data at a time, and perform up dimming or down dimming of the load based on these data until a stop signal comes.
Since data including three parameters for dimming is sent and received from the monitoring terminal to the control terminal collectively, control data is sent from the monitoring terminal to the control terminal for each gradation step. As compared with the related art, it is possible to prevent the transmission line from becoming busy.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the lighting control system, terminal information including a unique address and identification data is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, and is connected to the transmission line. While controlling the load based on the control signal transmitted by the control terminal, while transmitting a monitoring signal including the state content of the own terminal to the transmission line, a plurality of control terminals, some or all of them A plurality of control terminals that perform control in accordance with the control data at the time of receiving the control synchronization signal after receiving the control data at the corresponding control terminal when simultaneously controlling the control terminal; connected to the transmission line; Terminal information including a unique address and identification data is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, and a control signal for controlling the control terminal is transmitted to the transmission line, while the control terminal is controlled. A monitoring terminal for monitoring the state of the load connected to the control terminal, the control terminal transmitting the control data to all the corresponding control terminals when controlling a part or all of the plurality of control terminals at the same time. And a monitoring terminal for transmitting the control synchronization signal to all control terminals.

In the present invention, control data is transmitted to all the control terminals corresponding to the group control or pattern control for simultaneously controlling a plurality of control terminals, and then a control synchronization signal is transmitted to the corresponding control terminals. And send
The control terminal can perform the control operation at the same timing in accordance with the control data received and held in advance when the control synchronization signal is received.

The lighting control system according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is connected to a transmission line, and terminal information including a unique address and identification data is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, and is transmitted via the transmission line. A control terminal for controlling the load based on the control signal transmitted by the control terminal and transmitting a monitoring signal including the content of the state of the terminal to the transmission line. At the time of setting inside, at the same time, priority information of pattern control is set, and at the time of pattern control, a control terminal that performs control preferentially in a pattern of higher priority; connected to the transmission line;
Terminal information including a unique address and identification data is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, and sends a control signal for controlling the control terminal to the transmission line while connecting to the control terminal. And a monitoring terminal capable of transmitting a control signal corresponding to each pattern at the time of pattern control.

In the present invention, when the control terminal sets the pattern control data in the control terminal in advance, the priority information of the pattern control is set at the same time. When a corresponding control signal is transmitted, the control terminal performs control with a higher priority pattern. That is, even if a control signal of another pattern is received from the monitoring terminal, control is performed according to the priority information preset in the control terminal. Thus, when a control terminal controlled by one pattern receives a control signal of another pattern, control is not forcibly switched according to a control signal received later, and control is performed first. Pattern can be maintained in accordance with the priority order.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the lighting control system according to the fifth aspect, the control terminal can set validity / invalidity of the priority.

In the present invention, pattern control using priority information in the pattern setting information in the control terminal is performed, or pattern control not using priority information (when a control signal of another pattern is received, (The priority control after the pattern control is forcibly switched in accordance with the received control signal). It is also possible to selectively set priority validity / invalidity for a part of a plurality of lighting loads connected to each control terminal. As described above, there is an advantage that the types of pattern control modes can be expanded.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighting control system according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the priority in the control terminal is set in the lighting control system and the priority setting in the lighting control system according to the sixth aspect is enabled / disabled. Can be arbitrarily changed using a setting device.

In the present invention, the setting of the priority in the control terminal and the validity / invalidity of the priority can be easily performed using the setting device.
Invalid settings can be made.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the lighting control system according to the seventh aspect, the setting device can be connected to the transmission line wirelessly or via a wire through a wireless interface device. .

According to the present invention, the setting device can be connected to the transmission line not only by wire but also by radio.

[0038]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a lighting control system according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a content image of a signal transmitted from a monitoring terminal. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow from the operation of the wall switch to the end of the control terminal operation.

In FIG. 1, a wall switch (monitoring terminal with an operation switch) 10 that can be operated by a person, a control terminal 20 that controls on / off of power supply to an illumination load 21 by a relay or the like, a system setting, A setting tool 30 for confirming information of each terminal is connected to a transmission line 40.
The control terminal 20 is supplied with a 100 V AC power supply (not shown) as a power supply for the lighting load 21. The setting tool 30 is used when performing setting operations such as group control and pattern control, and when confirming the addresses and identification data of each terminal of the monitoring terminal 10 and control terminal 20.

Each of the monitoring terminal 10 and the control terminal 20 connected to the transmission line 40 of the lighting control system is a CPU that performs control processing according to a control program.
And a storage unit that stores an address, identification data (ID), and the like as each terminal on the lighting control system. Has become.
As the storage unit, a non-volatile memory such as an EPROM is used. The illumination load is, for example, a discharge lamp or a light bulb.

As shown in FIG. 2, the signal transmitted from the monitoring terminal 10 has a configuration in which data of each control start time value and control data corresponding to each time value are paired. That is, control data [0] to [n] exist corresponding to the control start time values [0] to [n], respectively.

From the operation of the wall switch 10 to the control terminal 20
As shown in FIG. 3, first, the operation of the wall switch 10 is performed by the wall switch 10 until the operation of FIG.
Is transmitted (step S11). The control terminal device 20 that has received the signal starts a counter in the own device (step S21), and when any one of the control start time values matches the counter value, the control terminal device 20 adjusts the control data corresponding to the control start time value. The load 21 connected to the control terminal 20 is controlled (steps S22, S23 ...). The counter is stopped when the count for all control times and the control are completed (step S24).

As an example of using the control data paired with the control start time value as described above, there are controls called "delay off" and "temporary turn on". Speaking of 'delay off', for example, regarding the lighting of the entrance, if the operation switch is pressed while the lamp is on, the brightness will gradually decrease over time, and it will turn off after a predetermined time Control. In order to perform such control, when the wall switch (monitoring terminal) 10 is operated, the wall switch 1 is operated.
From 0, data of each control start time value as shown in FIG. 2 and lighting control data corresponding to each time value are transmitted, and the control terminal 20 for entrance lighting takes in the data, and then the time value is set as a function. The lighting state is controlled according to the control data,
The light is turned off by the light-off control data after a lapse of a predetermined time.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the transmission signal having the data of the configuration shown in FIG.
After being fetched to 0, each control data is executed according to the control start time fetched by the control terminal 20, so that
When the control state of the load 21 is changed over time by a switch operation or the like, the number of signals transmitted from the monitoring terminal 10 can be reduced. On the other hand, a plurality of signal transmissions have occurred), so that the probability of signal collision can be reduced.

FIGS. 4 and 5 relate to a lighting control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an external view of a lighting dimming monitoring terminal according to the second embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 shows a transition diagram of light gradation change.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the illumination control system is the same as that of FIG. In FIG.
The monitoring terminal 10 is a lighting dimming monitoring terminal, and the control terminal 20 is a lighting dimming control terminal 20. The signal transmitted by operating the up or down switch of the illumination dimming monitoring terminal 10 includes data representing the dimming gradation up or down from the current dimming gradation and a control unit for changing the dimming gradation. It includes the time and the data of the control gradation step value changed for each unit time.

The illumination dimming monitoring terminal 10 shown in FIG. 4 includes, as switches, an up (UP) switch 11 for transmitting a dimming gradation up signal and a dimming gradation down signal. A down (DOWN) switch 12 for transmitting, a stop (STOP) switch 13 for stopping dimming, and an on / off (ON / OFF) switch 14 for turning on or off the lighting load 21 are provided. Have been.

FIG. 5 shows how the lighting dimming control terminal 20 which receives the signal after the signal for increasing the dimming gradation is transmitted from the lighting dimming monitoring terminal 10 shows how the dimming gradation is increased. Is changed. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents light control gradation. When the dimming gradation up signal is transmitted from the lighting dimming control monitoring terminal 10, in addition to the dimming gradation up information, the control gradation step value and the data of the control unit time are transmitted, The control terminal 20 for the purpose of dimming captures these data as parameters for dimming, and based on the data, the control terminal 20 repeatedly performs the gradation up control on the load 21 in a step-by-step manner. The dimming up operation is continued until a stop signal is received from the terminal device 10. That is, at the stage of receiving the dimming gradation up signal, the control terminal 20 increases the dimming gradation by the dimming gradation step value, and thereafter, by the dimming gradation step value every control unit time. Repeat the control to raise the key. When receiving the stop signal halfway, the control terminal 20 stops the dimming gradation up operation and holds the dimming state at that time.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the information of up / down of the light control gradation by operating the switch of light control up or down, a control gradation step value and
After the data of the control unit time is collectively transmitted to the target control terminal 20 as parameters necessary for dimming, and taken into the control terminal 20, the control terminal 20 is controlled using those parameters. Since the up or down dimming operation is performed according to the program (conventionally, control data is transmitted many times from the monitoring terminal to the transmission line each time the dimming step is up or down), Therefore, the number of times of signal transmission for performing the signal transmission can be drastically reduced, and a highly reliable signal transmission environment with less possibility of signal collision can be constructed.

FIGS. 6 and 7 relate to a lighting control system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the lighting control system according to the third embodiment, and FIG. FIG. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIG.

In FIG. 6, a wall switch (monitoring terminal with an operation switch) 10 that can be operated by a person, a control terminal 20 that controls on / off of power supply to a lighting load 21 by a relay or the like, a system setting, A setting tool 30 for checking information of each terminal device and the like are connected to the transmission line 40. The control terminal 20 is supplied with a 100 V AC power supply (not shown) as a power supply for the lighting load 21. Furthermore, a plurality of control terminals 20 are connected to the transmission line 40.
In order to set (allocate) the control terminals that can be operated from the wall switch 10 and the control data of each of those control terminals to the wall switch (monitoring terminal) 10 in advance when there is a Pattern setting / operating device 50
Is connected. Such setting by the pattern setting / operation device 50 is called pattern assignment. The plurality of control terminals 20 to which the pattern is assigned are connected to the wall switch 10.
Is operated, predetermined control data is sequentially transmitted to each assigned control terminal, and the control terminal receiving the control data performs pattern control according to each control data. Has become. The setting tool 30 is used when performing setting operations such as group control and pattern control, and when confirming the addresses and identification data of each terminal of the monitoring terminal 10 and control terminal 20. In the group control, a plurality of control terminals to be controlled simultaneously are collectively set and a group address is set, so that a single control signal transmitted when the wall switch 10 is operated is used to control a plurality of control terminals. The control data can be sent to the container.

FIG. 7 shows the flow from the operation of the wall switch for pattern control to the actual control of the control terminal. Beforehand,
A plurality of control terminals 20 to be subjected to pattern control and control data of each of these control terminals are set in the wall switch 10 by the pattern setting / operation device 50.

The wall switch 1 is operated by operating the wall switch 10.
From 0, control data to be set in each control terminal 20 is transmitted to each control terminal 20 to be subjected to pattern control (steps S31 to S35). Although not shown, there is a reception acknowledgment (ACK) from each control terminal 20 to the wall switch 10. If there is no ACK from the control terminal 20, the wall switch 10 also retransmits control data to the control terminal 20. When the control data has been transmitted to all the control terminals 20 to be subjected to the pattern control, the wall switch 10 transmits the control synchronization signal to the target control terminal 20, and the control terminal 20 that has received the control synchronization signal receives the control synchronization signal in advance. The lighting load 21 is controlled by the control data. Steps S41 and S42, steps S51 and S52, and step S6 in FIG.
1. In S62, the control terminals 1, 2, 2,
3 (this number corresponds to the address 1, 2, 3 of each control terminal). Pattern control data corresponding to each (for example, control data of 50% lighting, 60% lighting, 100% lighting). When the control terminals 1, 2, and 3 receive and store the respective control data, the wall switch 10
By transmitting a control synchronization signal corresponding to a control execution command from the control terminal, the lighting load connected to each of the control terminals 1, 2, 3 is controlled to a target control state.

According to the third embodiment of the present invention, when a plurality of control terminals are controlled simultaneously, it is possible to perform the control at the same timing without deviation of the control timing. In other words, the control is executed all at once, and it is possible to eliminate the deviation of the apparent timing.

FIGS. 8 and 9 relate to a lighting control system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a method for holding and controlling pattern control data, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a pattern control range. is there. 8 and 9, the same parts as those in FIG.

In FIG. 8, in the control terminal 20, a pattern number (“No.” in the figure) and control data (“Setting” in the figure) corresponding to the pattern number are set in advance by using a setting device or a setting tool (not shown). In addition, a priority number is set.
Pattern number ~ on the wall switch (monitoring terminal) 10
Are arranged. In the example of FIG. 8, 50% lighting control data and priority number 1 are set together with the pattern number in the control terminal 20, 100% lighting control data and priority number 2 are set together with the pattern number, and the pattern number is set. , Are not set with control data and priority numbers.

When the control terminal 20 receives the pattern number from the monitoring terminal 10, if the control of the pattern number having a priority number smaller than the priority number set in the received pattern number is performed. In this case, the received pattern number information is discarded. When the control terminal 20 receives the pattern number from the monitoring terminal 10, if the control of the pattern number having the priority number larger than the priority number set in the received pattern number is performed, Then, the control is switched to the control according to the received pattern number information.

When the switch of the monitoring terminal 10 is pressed, the control terminal 20 controls the lighting load 21 based on the pattern control data set in the number. That is, the load 21 is turned on by 50%. Thereafter, when the switch of the monitoring terminal 10 is pressed, the control terminal 20 receives the pattern number, but the control of the pattern number having a priority number smaller than the priority number set in the pattern number has already been performed. Therefore, the control of the pattern number is not performed. That is, switching to 50% lighting is not performed, and the state of 50% lighting is maintained.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a pattern control method. The range of the control terminal controlled when the switch is pressed (thick frame) and the range of the control terminal controlled when the switch is pressed (thick frame) are set as shown in FIG. ing. The range of this control terminal is
It is assumed that pattern numbers, control data, and priorities are set as shown in FIG. 8 in each control terminal belonging to each range. In other words, priority 1 is set for the control data, and priority 2 is set for the control data. Even if the switch is pressed after the switch is pressed, the control terminals that are present in both the control range and the control range do not control the pattern because the priority of the pattern number is high. Is maintained (50% lighting state). The range indicated by oblique lines is 100% lit.

According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the control terminal, the control of the pattern to be prioritized is not destroyed by the order of receiving the pattern numbers from the monitoring terminal, and the more appropriate pattern Control can be performed. In other words, by using the above-described pattern control method, the types of pattern control are increased, and the user has more options for pattern control.

FIGS. 10 to 14 relate to a lighting control system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the lighting control system according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a first control example, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second control example using priorities, FIG. 13 is an external view of a setting device,
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a flow of processing and signal transmission in each device at the time of setting the priority.

In FIG. 10, a wall switch (monitoring terminal with an operation switch) 10 which can be operated by a person, a control terminal 20 for turning on / off a power supply to a lighting load 21 by a relay or the like, and each terminal A setting device 60 for setting the address of the data, setting the pattern control data, setting the priority, and the like is connected to the transmission line 40. The setting device 60 may be connected via a wire, or may be connected via a wireless interface (I / F) unit 70 that converts a wireless signal from the setting device 60 into a wired signal and transmits the signal to the transmission line 40. is there. The control terminal 20 is supplied with a 100 V AC power supply (not shown) as a power supply for the lighting load 21.

In the first control example shown in FIG. 11, first, a plurality of illumination loads in a portion surrounded by a dotted frame A in FIG. At this time, priority is set to 4 for the signal of pattern 1 and 1 for the signal of pattern 2 to the control terminal 20 for controlling the lighting loads at four corners (portions indicated by hatching in the figure). The control terminal 20 for controlling the lighting load (white part shown) has a pattern 1
The priority order of 4 is set in advance for the signal of, and the priority order of 5 is set for the signal of pattern 2 in advance. Next, it is assumed that the control of the pattern 2 controls a wider area surrounding the above-described portion (the portion surrounded by a further dotted frame B shown in FIG. 11B). At this time, the control terminal 20 for controlling the lighting loads at the four corners (hatched portions shown in the figure) compares the priority of the signal of the pattern 1 and the priority of the current pattern 2 with each other. Is small, so pattern 2
(In this case, 'light off') is reflected on the lighting load. A control terminal 20 for controlling the illumination load (white portion in the drawing) other than the other four corners in the dotted frame A of FIG.
Compares the priority of pattern 1 with the priority of pattern 2, and the priority of pattern 1 is prioritized. Therefore, the control content of pattern 2 ('light off') is not reflected, and the control content of pattern 1 (at this time, Is 'lit'. In FIG. 11B, the control content of the pattern 2 (“light off”) is reflected in a range (a range of only the pattern 2) surrounded by the outer dotted frame B and the inner dotted frame A.

In the second control example shown in FIG. 12, first, a plurality of illumination loads in a portion surrounded by a dotted frame A in FIG. At this time, priority is set to 4 for the signal of pattern 1 and 1 for the signal of pattern 2 to the control terminal 20 for controlling the lighting loads at four corners (portions indicated by hatching in the figure). The control terminal 20 for controlling the lighting load (white part shown) has a pattern 1
In the case of the signal of No. 4, a priority of 5 is set in advance for the signal of the pattern 2, and further, for the control terminal 20 for controlling the central two lighting loads in the left column, the priority is set. Is disabled. Next, it is assumed that the control of the pattern 2 controls a wider area surrounding the above-described portion (the portion surrounded by a further dotted frame B shown in FIG. 12B). At this time, the control terminal 20 for controlling the lighting loads at the four corners
The priority of the signal of the pattern 1 is compared with the priority of the pattern 2 this time. Since the priority of the pattern 2 is smaller, the control content of the pattern 2 (in this case, “light off”)
Is reflected on the lighting load. A control terminal 2 for controlling the illumination load at other than the four corners in the dotted frame A in FIG.
In the case of 0, the priority of pattern 1 is compared with the priority of pattern 2, and the priority of pattern 1 is prioritized. Therefore, the control content of pattern 2 is not reflected, and the control content of pattern 1 ('lighting' at this time) Is reflected. In FIG. 12B, the control content of the pattern 2 (“light off”) is reflected in the range (the range of only the pattern 2) surrounded by the outer dotted frame B and the inner dotted frame A. However, the control terminal that controls the central two lighting loads in the left column in which the priority is set invalid has an invalid priority setting value. As shown in (a), the control content of pattern 1 ('lighting') is reflected in the lighting load after the control of pattern 1 as usual, and after the control of pattern 2 following that, control of FIG.
As shown in (b), the control content of pattern 2 ('light-out') is also reflected on the lighting load.

FIG. 13 shows the appearance of the setting device 60.
In the setting unit 60, the address setting of the control terminal 20 (here, the control terminals 1 to n corresponding to the addresses 1 to n), and the control terminal 20 of the set address is received from the wall switch 10 or the like. Priority (1, 2, 3,...) With respect to the control number (in this case, the pattern number)
Etc.) can be set. 13, the control terminal 1 (address 1) has priority 4 for pattern number 3, priority 4 for pattern number 4, priority 1 for pattern number 10, and pattern number 1 The case where the priority 5 is set for the is shown. For the same priority 4 in the figure, after the control terminal 1 receives, for example, pattern number 4 first,
When the pattern number 3 is received, the priority is given to the rear priority, and the control of the pattern number 3 received later is performed. The above settings are made for each control terminal.

Next, the flow of processing and signal transmission in each device at the time of setting the priority using the setting device 60 of FIG. 13 will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the setting device 60 sets the address of the control terminal device (here, control terminal device 1 corresponding to address 1) for which priority is to be set (step S71). At this time, the priority order is set for the pattern number of the control signal received by the control terminal, for example, as shown in FIG. 13 (step S72). Then, by pressing the transmission button of the setting device 60, the setting signal is transmitted to the transmission line 40 (step S73). From the setting device 60, when using a wired connection, the setting device 60 is connected to the transmission line 40. When using wireless communication, the setting device 6 is used.
From 0, a setting signal can be transmitted to the transmission line 40 via the wireless I / F unit 70, and the content of the priority is transmitted to the target control terminal 1 as a setting signal. The transmitted setting signal is received by the control terminal 1, and an acknowledgment (ACK) is transmitted from the control terminal 1 (step S90), and the setting unit 60 receives the ACK (step S74), thereby receiving the ACK (step S74). Confirm the completion of transmission to the device 1. The above setting process is performed for each control terminal. For the control terminal device 2 corresponding to the address 2, the setting device 60 performs steps S75 to S79.
And the process of step S100 is performed by the control terminal 2. Similarly, for the control terminal n corresponding to the address n, the setting unit 60 performs the processing of steps S80 to S83, and the control terminal 2 performs the processing of step S110. In the setting unit 60, it is also possible to set validity / invalidity of priority, including invalidation of priority as described in FIG.

According to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the fourth
Similarly to the embodiment, by setting the priority order of the control terminals, it is possible to perform preferential lighting and extinguishing. Further, the validity / invalidity of the priority order can be easily changed. The setting of priority validity / invalidity and the setting of priority can be easily performed using a wired or wireless setting device.

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment in which one monitoring terminal is functionally switched so as to have multiple functions.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a switch arrangement of the appearance of a conventional monitoring terminal. A monitoring terminal for controlling the dimming terminal, a monitoring terminal for controlling the on / off terminal, a monitoring terminal for controlling the on / off terminal, and a group switch; A monitoring terminal corresponding to each function, such as a monitoring terminal 17 for controlling a group circuit and a monitoring terminal 18 for controlling a zone / pattern circuit having a zone / pattern switch, is provided. However, in such a system having a monitoring terminal for each function, if there are a plurality of different types of control terminals, a plurality of monitoring terminals must be installed, and a new control terminal is required. In the case of expansion, a monitoring terminal corresponding to the control terminal had to be incorporated, and construction was troublesome.

On the other hand, an embodiment in which one monitoring terminal can be switched and used as described below will be described.

FIGS. 16 to 20 relate to a lighting control system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is an external view of a monitoring terminal in the sixth embodiment, and FIG. 17 is a monitoring terminal in FIG. FIG. 18 is a flow chart of the state transition operation of FIG. 17, and FIG. 19 is a system configuration showing a state in which a program is downloaded using a setting tool to arbitrarily change the function of the monitoring terminal. FIG. 20 is a state transition diagram of the monitoring terminal after the program change.

In the monitoring terminal 10A shown in FIG. 16, the display portion is entirely constituted by a liquid crystal display portion 81, and a button portion 82
Is a touch panel. The button includes a portion for displaying the function of the button or the state of the load monitored and controlled by the button. Further, next to the button, a place 83 to be controlled and monitored by the button is displayed. The function of the monitoring terminal 10A can be changed by the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84. The current function whose function has been changed is displayed on the current function summary display section 85 above the liquid crystal display section 81.

FIG. 17 shows an example of a state transition diagram of the monitoring terminal 10A. First, the monitoring terminal 10A is in a state having the function of the dimming switch (state 1 in FIG. 17A), and has a function equivalent to the function of the existing dimming switch shown in FIG. Here, when the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 is pressed once, the state transits to the state 2 in FIG. 17B, and becomes a monitoring terminal having an on / off switch function. It has the same function as the on / off switch. When the monitoring function change touch panel type button section 84 is pressed once again, FIG.
The state transits to the state 3 of (c), and becomes a monitoring terminal having a function of a group switch, and has a function equivalent to the function of the existing group switch shown in FIG. When the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 is pressed once more, the state transits to the state 4 in FIG. 17 (d), and becomes a monitoring terminal having a zone / pattern switch function.
Has the same function as the function of the existing zone / pattern switch described in. When the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 is further pressed once, the state transits to the state 1 and
Return to the monitoring terminal with dimmer switch status.

FIG. 18 shows the flow of the state transition of FIG. Each time the monitoring function changing touch panel type button unit 84 is pressed, the processing state shifts, and the processing content is continuously executed until the monitoring function changing touch panel type button unit 84 is next pressed. First, in step S120, it is determined whether or not the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 has been pressed, and if pressed, the process proceeds to step S120.
The process related to the dimming switch in step S121 is executed. Similarly, in step S122, it is determined whether or not the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 has been pressed. If so, the process proceeds to step S124, and if not, the process related to the on / off switch in step S123. Execute In step S124, it is determined whether or not the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 has been pressed. If it has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S126. If not, the process related to the group switch in step S125 is executed. . Further, it is determined in step S126 whether or not the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 has been pressed, and if pressed, the process returns to step S120. If not, the zone / pattern switch processing in step S127 is executed. .

Next, in FIG. 19, a monitoring terminal 10A according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention and a control terminal 2 for controlling on / off of power supply to the lighting load 21 via a relay or the like are shown.
0 and a setting tool 30 for performing various settings are connected to the transmission line 40, respectively. Here, transmission line 4
0, the setting tool 3 is connected to the monitoring terminal 10A connected to the
0 can be used to download the program. That is, the function of the monitoring terminal 10A is arbitrarily changed by downloading a program from the setting tool 30 to the monitoring terminal 10A via the existing transmission line 40 and changing the internal program of the monitoring terminal 10A. It is possible.

FIG. 20 shows the state transition of the monitoring terminal 10A after the change of the internal program. For example, when the internal program of the monitoring terminal 10A is changed by the method described with reference to FIG. 19, the function of the monitoring terminal 10A is changed.

First, the monitoring terminal 10A is in a state having the function of a group switch (state 1 in FIG. 20A).
Pressing (see FIG. 16) once causes a transition to state 2 in FIG. 20 (b), which becomes a monitoring terminal having an on / off switch function, and pressing the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 again. Then, the state changes to the state 3 in FIG. 20C, the monitoring terminal has a group switch state different from that of the first group switch, and when the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 is pressed one more time, FIG. The state transits to the state 4 of d) and becomes a monitoring terminal having a function of a zone / pattern switch. When the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 is pressed once more, the state transits to the state 5 of FIG. The monitoring terminal has a group switch state different from the group switch in the state 3 of the state 3. If the monitoring function change touch panel type button unit 84 is pressed once more, the state is changed to the state 1. Transferred, returns to the monitoring terminal unit having a status of the first group switch. The function of the monitoring terminal when the state has changed has the same function as that of the existing group switch, on / off switch, and zone / pattern switch shown in FIG.

According to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, one display unit is provided with a plurality of monitoring terminal functions in one housing having a set of display units, and the display and the function are switched. , There is no need to create multiple monitoring terminal housings,
It is economical. Conventionally, a plurality of monitoring terminals were installed. However, since one monitoring terminal can handle all of them, the installation space is not required. If it becomes necessary to add or modify the function of another monitoring terminal, the internal program of the monitoring terminal can be changed using the existing transmission line. There is no need to install a monitoring terminal in the facility, and the system can be easily added.

[0080]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, each of the monitoring terminals collectively collects a plurality of sequential control data together with a plurality of control start time values corresponding thereto. To the control terminal, and the control terminal fetches them all at once and executes control sequentially according to the passage of time based on control signals from switch operations and sensor detection from the monitoring terminal. The data transmission to the device can be reduced, and it is possible to prevent the transmission line from being busy and causing a signal collision. Therefore, a highly reliable lighting control system can be realized.

According to the third aspect of the invention, three parameters for dimming (data representing dimming gradation up or down, dimming control unit time, Data of dimming gradation step value per unit time)
Is transmitted collectively and received, so that the transmission line is busy and signal collisions occur as compared to the conventional technology in which control data is sent from the monitoring terminal to the control terminal for each gradation step. It can be prevented from occurring. Therefore,
A highly reliable lighting control system can be realized.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when simultaneously controlling a plurality of control terminals (at the time of group control, pattern control, or the like for simultaneous control), control data is transmitted to all the corresponding control terminals. By transmitting the control synchronization signal to all the corresponding control terminals later, it becomes possible to perform the control operation at the same timing in accordance with the control data received in advance when the control synchronization signal is received. Therefore, the reliability in the simultaneous control operation can be improved. Therefore, according to the fifth aspect of the invention, by setting the pattern control data including the priority information in the control terminal in advance, the control signal corresponding to each pattern is transmitted from the monitoring terminal at the time of pattern control. Then, the control terminal preferentially performs control in a pattern of higher priority. Thus, when a control terminal controlled by a certain pattern receives a control signal of another pattern, the control terminal is not forcibly switched to the subsequent pattern control according to the control signal received later. The controlled pattern can be maintained as needed.
Therefore, more appropriate pattern control can be performed, and convenience in load control can be improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the pattern control using the priority information in the pattern setting information in the control terminal is performed, or the pattern control without using the priority information (the control signal of another pattern is received). In this case, it is possible to set whether or not to perform the priority control after the pattern control is forcibly switched in accordance with the received control signal. As a result, the types of pattern control modes can be expanded, and convenience in load control can be increased.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily set the priority in the control terminal and to set the validity / invalidity of the priority by using the setting device. Can be improved.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the setting device can be connected to the transmission line not only by wire but also by wireless, and the operability of the setting operation can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a lighting control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a content image of a signal transmitted from a monitoring terminal according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow from the operation of a wall switch to the end of control terminal operation in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an external view of a lighting dimming monitoring terminal in a lighting control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a transition diagram of dimming gradation change in the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a lighting control system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flow of pattern control in the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for holding and controlling pattern control data in an illumination control system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a pattern control range in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a lighting control system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a first control example using priorities in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second control example using priorities in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an external view of a setting device according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a flow of processing and signal transmission in each device when setting a priority order in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a switch arrangement of the appearance of a conventional monitoring terminal.

FIG. 16 is an external view of a monitoring terminal in a lighting control system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state transition diagram of a monitoring terminal according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of the state transition operation of FIG. 17 in the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a system configuration and a program change in a state where a program is downloaded using a setting tool to arbitrarily change the function of the monitoring terminal according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a state transition diagram of a monitoring terminal after a program change in the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a configuration diagram of a conventional lighting control system.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a conventional pattern control data holding and control method.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a conventional pattern control range.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 10A monitoring terminal device 20 control terminal device 21 lighting load 30 setting tool 40 transmission line 50 pattern setting / operating device 60 setting device 70 wireless interface unit

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Maki Matsuzawa 4-3-1 Higashi Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo F-term in Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (reference) 3K073 AA11 AA60 AA75 AA77 CB06 CE06 CE07 CE09 CE12 CE16 CF16 CG06 CG15 CG42 CH21 CJ00 CJ01 CJ02 CJ03 CJ05 CJ11 CJ19 5K048 AA04 AA06 BA07 CA05 CA06 DC04 EB01 EB02 EB06 EB11 EB12 GC03 HA01 HA02

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. Terminal information including a unique address and identification data connected to a transmission line is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, based on a control signal transmitted through the transmission line. A control terminal for controlling the load and transmitting a monitoring signal including the state content of the terminal to the transmission line; terminal information connected to the transmission line and including a unique address, identification data, etc., is non-volatile A monitoring terminal that is set and stored in a storage unit for transmitting the control signal for controlling the control terminal to the transmission line and monitors a state of a load connected to the control terminal. A monitoring terminal for transmitting a control signal including a plurality of control data and a plurality of control start time values corresponding to the control data to the transmission line according to a human operation or a change in a monitoring state. Control system . 2. The lighting control according to claim 1, wherein the control terminal performs control in accordance with control data corresponding to the control start time after receiving a control signal from the monitoring terminal. system. 3. Terminal information including a unique address and identification data connected to a transmission line is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, and based on a control signal transmitted through the transmission line. A control terminal for controlling the load and transmitting a monitoring signal including the state content of the terminal to the transmission line; terminal information connected to the transmission line and including a unique address and identification data is nonvolatile; A monitoring terminal that is set and stored in a storage unit for transmitting the control signal for controlling the control terminal to the transmission line and monitors a state of a load connected to the control terminal. And a monitoring terminal for transmitting a control gradation step value and a control unit time together with information on up / down of dimming gradation as data of a control signal for controlling a control terminal for lighting dimming. Characteristic lighting system System. 4. A terminal device information connected to a transmission line and including a unique address and identification data is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, based on a control signal transmitted via the transmission line. A plurality of control terminals that transmit a monitoring signal including the state content of the own terminal to the transmission line while controlling the load, and correspond to a case where some or all of the control terminals are simultaneously controlled. A plurality of control terminals for performing control in accordance with the control data when a control synchronization signal is received after receiving the control data; and a terminal connected to the transmission line and including a unique address and identification data. Device information is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, and sends a control signal for controlling the control terminal device to the transmission line, while monitoring a state of a load connected to the control terminal device And monitoring the transmission of the control synchronization signal to all the corresponding control terminals after transmitting the control data to all the corresponding control terminals when controlling a part or all of the plurality of control terminals simultaneously. A lighting device, comprising: a terminal device; 5. A terminal device information connected to a transmission line, including a unique address and identification data, is set and stored in a non-volatile storage unit, based on a control signal transmitted via the transmission line. A control terminal that sends a monitoring signal including the status content of its own terminal to the transmission line while controlling the load.When pattern control data is set in the control terminal in advance, pattern control is performed simultaneously. A control terminal device in which priority information is set, and which performs control preferentially in a high priority pattern during pattern control; and a terminal device information connected to the transmission line and including a unique address and identification data. A monitoring terminal that is set and stored in a storage unit and sends a control signal for controlling the control terminal to the transmission line, and monitors a state of a load connected to the control terminal. During pattern control, and capable of monitoring terminal device transmits a control signal corresponding to each pattern; lighting control system characterized by comprising a. 6. The lighting control system according to claim 5, wherein the control terminal can set validity / invalidity of the priority order. 7. The priority in the control terminal in the lighting control system according to claim 5 and the setting of validity / invalidity of the priority in the lighting control system according to claim 6 are arbitrarily changed using a setting device. A lighting control system characterized in that the lighting control system is capable of: 8. The lighting control system according to claim 7, wherein the setting device is connectable to the transmission line wirelessly or via a wire through a wireless interface device.