JP2002299068A - Dimming lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dimming lighting system that prevents imbalance in a lamp life and gradually switches brightness in dimming control in a tunnel, and is superior in safety and maintainability. SOLUTION: The dimming lighting system has a two-light luminaire 2, having two lighting circuits 3 and 5 which have dimming control parts 3c and 5c and is capable of two-stage dimming, and a dimming switching means; the dimming switching means has a plurality of repays X1 and X2 for switching on or off a power input supplied to each lighting circuit 3, 5 of the two-light luminaire 2 and switching on or off a dimming control input to each dimming control part 3c, 5c of the two-light luminaire 2; an on-off combination of the relays according to dimming signals can selectively control each lighting circuit 3, 5 of the two-light luminaire 2 from a combination of full lighting, dimming and extinguishment to switch three stages of dimming; and in dimming control, a lighting circuit to be switched off is controlled or switched appropriately.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dimming illumination system used in a road tunnel where an automobile or the like runs.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, illumination in a road tunnel, particularly at the entrance of a tunnel, requires light control so as to minimize the illuminance difference from the outside. This is because if the outside of the tunnel is bright as in the daytime and the inside of the tunnel is very dark, if you enter the tunnel suddenly from a bright state outside the tunnel, it will be completely dark and extremely dangerous for the driver of the car It is. Similarly, if the outside of the tunnel is dark as at night and the inside of the tunnel is illuminated very brightly, suddenly entering the tunnel from the dark state outside the tunnel will be dazzling and extremely dangerous for the driver of the car State. Therefore, it is necessary to control the illumination inside the tunnel according to the external situation of the tunnel.

[0003] As a lighting means in the tunnel, a fluorescent lamp,
There are sodium lamps and the like, but there are tunnel lighting such as 100% lighting during the day, 50% dimming at night, and 25% dimming control at midnight. These switch the dimming switch with a separately prepared dimming voltage to dimming the two-lamp lighting fixture.

FIG. 6 shows a conventional example of a tunnel light control system. In FIG. 6, a power switch SW1 is provided at an output terminal of the AC power supply 1, and a power supply voltage from the AC power supply 1 is supplied to two lighting circuits 3 and 5 constituting the two-lamp lighting fixture 2. The lighting circuits 3 and 5 are constituted by, for example, inverter-type lighting circuits. The lighting circuits 3, 5 light the lamps 4, 6, such as fluorescent discharge lamps, respectively connected thereto.

The lighting circuit 3 has power supply input terminals 3a and 3b, and a power supply voltage is input from the AC power supply 1. The lighting circuit 3 includes a dimming control unit 3c capable of performing two-stage control, and the dimming control unit 3c includes a relay X2.
Dimming switch composed of the A contacts X2a and X2a. The lighting circuit 3 is in a state where power is input to the power input terminals 3a and 3b, and when the dimming switch of the dimming control unit 3c is off, the lamp 4 becomes all light (100% lighting),
When the dimming switch is on, the lamp 4 is dimmed by 50%.

The lighting circuit 5 has a power input terminal 5a,
5b, and a power supply voltage is input from the AC power supply 1 through a dimming switch composed of relay B contacts X1a and X1a. The lighting circuit 5 includes a dimming control unit 5c capable of performing two-stage control, and a dimming switch including A contacts X2a and X2a of a relay is connected to the dimming control unit 5c. The lighting circuit 5 includes power input terminals 5a, 5b
When the dimming switch of the dimming control unit 5c is off with the power being input to the lamp 6, the lamp 6 is all light (100% lighted), and when the dimming switch is on, the lamp 6 is 50.
% Dimming.

As is well known, the A contact of the relay X2 is turned off (OFF) when power is not supplied, and is closed (O) when power is input.
N). The contact B of the relay X1 is closed (ON) when power is not supplied, and is disconnected (OFF) when power is input.

The lighting state of each of the lighting circuits 3 and 5 and the lighting state of the whole appliance are as shown in FIG. 7 by the combination of ON / OFF of the power supply input to the relays X1 and X2.

On the other hand, in a lighting device in a general facility, the switching time at the time of the dimming control is about 20 to 60 ms, which is a switching time at which the user can see that the dimming has been performed by the eyes. Therefore,
If there is a sudden change in brightness during high-speed driving, there is a risk of driving.

[0010]

However, in the case of the prior art, 100% lights up two lights, 50% lights down one light or lights up two lights at 50%, 25% lights off one light and the remaining 50%
It is controlled by lighting. In this method, there is a problem that the lamp life is unbalanced because one of the lamps always keeps lighting.

In the prior art, it is dangerous to drive in a tunnel or the like if the driver finds that the brightness has suddenly changed during high-speed driving due to dimming control or the like.

In view of the above, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and in dimming control in a tunnel, there is no imbalance in lamp life, and safety is changed so that brightness is gradually changed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a dimmable lighting system excellent in maintainability.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dimming illumination system including a dimming control unit and a plurality of lighting circuits having a plurality of lighting circuits capable of dimming in at least two stages; Switch means for switching on or off a power input supplied to each lighting circuit of the lighting equipment for lighting, and switching on or off a dimming control input of each lighting control unit of the lighting equipment for multiple lighting. By turning on / off these switch means according to the dimming signal, each lighting circuit of the multi-lamp lighting device is controlled by a combination of all light, dimming, and extinguishing. Dimming switching means capable of switching dimming in stages and switching and controlling a lighting circuit to be turned off during dimming control.

In the above description, a multi-lamp lighting device refers to a lighting device in which a plurality of lighting circuits for lighting a plurality of lamps are provided in one lighting device. By individually controlling each of the plurality of lamps provided in the multi-lamp lighting fixture in at least three stages of full light, dimming, and extinguishing, multi-stage dimming is possible for the whole fixture.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of lamps mounted on the multi-lamp lighting fixture is individually all-lighted.
When performing multi-stage dimming control by combining the dimming and extinguishing states, the lamp to be extinguished is not switched to the same lamp at all times, so that the life of each lamp as a whole appliance can be extended. It can be made uniform.
Therefore, in illumination in a tunnel, maintenance such as replacement during the lamp life becomes easy.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the dimming illumination system according to the first aspect, the dimming switching means is configured to turn off a plurality of lighting circuits constituting the multi-lamp lighting fixture in a specific dimming stage. When there is a lighting circuit to be turned on, the lighting circuit to be turned off is switched between the plurality of lighting circuits at regular intervals.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the specific dimming step is, for example, in a two-lamp lighting apparatus, the lighting circuits of the two-lamp lighting apparatus individually control all light, dimming, and extinguishing. Thus, in the case where multi-step light control is possible for the entire appliance, even one light control step refers to a light control step having two lighting methods. For example, 100
25% when 50% lighting and 25% lighting are possible
There are two lighting methods for lighting (when the first lighting circuit is 50% dimming and the second lighting circuit is 0% lighting, or the first lighting circuit is 0% lighting and the second lighting circuit is 50% lighting). % Dimming)
In some cases, the lighting circuits that emit 0% light (i.e., turn off) may be used as the first lighting circuit or the second lighting circuit at regular intervals, so that the lamp life of each lighting circuit is substantially equal. Becomes possible.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the dimming illumination system according to the first or second aspect, the dimming switching means includes:
When the plurality of switch means are constituted by a plurality of relays, different combinations of relay contacts are performed on these switch means, and the on / off combination of power input to each relay is changed according to a dimming signal. Thus, the light control can be switched in multiple stages.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the different combinations of the relay contacts are as follows: a relay is normally off (no power input); an A contact that is turned on with power input; There is a B contact that turns off when there is,
Such a combination of the A contact and the B contact is indicated.
By using different combinations of relay contacts in this way, a dimming illumination system that is advantageous in terms of cost can be realized without increasing the number of relays as compared with the related art.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the dimming illumination system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the multi-lamp lighting apparatus has two lighting circuits capable of two-stage dimming. It is constituted by a two-lamp device, and the dimming switching means is capable of switching dimming in three stages.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, as the illumination in the tunnel, three-stage dimming control of 100% lighting during the day, 50% lighting at night, and 25% lighting at midnight is performed. To perform such dimming control, it is appropriate to use a two-lamp device having two lighting circuits capable of two-stage dimming.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dimming lighting system, comprising: a lighting device having a dimming control unit and a lighting circuit capable of performing at least two-step dimming; It is possible to perform dimming by switching to a plurality of stages, and the time from receiving the dimming signal to dimming the lighting circuit starts within 0.25 seconds, and 1 after the start.
Dimming switching means for controlling so as to gradually switch within 0 seconds.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the brightness is switched gradually within a range of about 0.3 to 10 seconds. With this, when a car is traveling at a speed of 80 to 100 km / h in a tunnel over a distance of 200 m or more, if there is a dimming instruction while the car is near the entrance of the tunnel, the vehicle will be brightened while in the tunnel. Since the switching of the brightness is performed and the switching of the brightness is performed gradually during traveling, there is an advantage that the driver does not notice the change in brightness and can prevent the occurrence of an accident due to the sudden change in brightness.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dimming illumination system, comprising: a lighting device having a dimming control unit and having a lighting circuit capable of at least two-stage dimming; a lighting circuit of the lighting device according to a dimming signal. Dimming control means for controlling dimming by switching to a plurality of stages, and controlling so that the time required for dimming the lighting circuit after receiving the dimming signal is changed within 10 seconds. Things.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Before describing the configuration of the main part of the dimming lighting system according to the embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 1, the overall configuration of the dimming lighting system will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those in FIG. 6 are described with the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 2, the main controller 7 for dimming control, for example, for managing the time schedule of a day, illuminates 100% for a predetermined period during the day and a predetermined period for the night as tunnel lighting according to a time sequence. Outputs a dimming signal of 50% dimming, and a 25% dimming signal (see FIG. 3) during a predetermined period at midnight. These three dimming signals are transmitted to the terminal 8
Supplied to The terminal device 8 includes a transmission interface (I / F) unit that receives dimming data from the main control device 7,
A processing unit such as a CPU for decoding dimming data, a non-volatile storage unit connected to the processing unit for storing a unique address of the own terminal, and relaying dimming control data for relay output from the processing unit; And a drive unit for driving the lighting circuits 3 and 5 so that the lamps 4 and 6 are turned on, 50% dimmed, or turned off by supplying the lights to X1 and X2.

In the terminal 8, based on the dimming data (100% lighting, 50% dimming, 25% dimming) from the main controller 7, power is input to the relays X 1 and X 2 connected to the terminal 8. A dimming control signal for driving control of ON / OFF of ON is generated. Based on the dimming control signal from the terminal device 8,
The relays X1 and X2 turn on and off the input from the power supply 1 to generate four types of on / off combinations, and as a result, the lighting circuits 3, 5 and the entire apparatus have lighting states as shown in FIG. And a dimming state can be realized.

The main controller 7 is provided with a plurality of terminals 8 whose dimming control contents should be different (that is, different time schedules) depending on the location in the tunnel. In accordance with the dimming control signal from each of the lighting devices 2, different dimming is performed for each terminal device 8. Or,
For example, a relatively large number of lighting fixtures 2 are arranged near the entrance of the tunnel, but in order to perform dimming control in such a place, the main control device 7 sends a plurality of terminals 8 to almost all. A dimming signal of the same time schedule is supplied so that a similar dimming is performed on a plurality of lighting fixtures 2.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a dimming illumination system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 6 are described with the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, a power switch SW 1 is provided at an output terminal of the AC power supply 1, and a power supply voltage from the AC power supply 1 is supplied to two lighting circuits 3 and
5 is supplied. The lighting circuits 3 and 5 are constituted by, for example, inverter-type lighting circuits. The lighting circuits 3 and 5 light the fluorescent lamps 4 and 6 respectively connected thereto when the power supply from the power supply 1 is supplied.

The lighting circuit 3 has power input terminals 3a and 3b, and these power input terminals 3a and 3b are connected to an AC power source 1a.
From the power supply voltage is the A contact X1a of the relay X1 and the relay X2
Through the parallel circuit of the B contact X2b. The lighting circuit 3 includes a dimming control unit 3c capable of performing two-step control. The dimming control unit 3c includes a relay X1.
And a dimming switch composed of a B contact X1b of the relay X2 and a B contact X2b of the relay X2. The lighting circuit 3 is a state in which power is input to the power input terminals 3a and 3b, and when the dimming switch (X1b or X2b) of the dimming control unit 3c is off, the lamp 4 emits all light (100% lighting). When the dimming switch (X1b or X2b) is turned on, the lamp 4 is dimmed by 50%.

The lighting circuit 5 has a power input terminal 5a,
5b, the power supply voltage from the AC power supply 1 is input via a dimming switch composed of a parallel circuit of an A contact X2a of the relay X2 and a B contact X1b of the relay X1. The lighting circuit 5 includes a dimming control unit 5c capable of two-stage control. The dimming control unit 5c includes a dimming switch including a B contact X1b of the relay X1 and a B contact X2b of the relay X2. Is connected. The lighting circuit 5 is in a state where power is input to the power input terminals 5a and 5b, and when the dimming switch (X2a or X1b) of the dimming control unit 5c is off, the lamp 6 emits all light (100% lighting). When the dimming switch (X1b or X2b) is on, the lamp 6 is dimmed by 50%.

As is well known, the A contact of the relay X2 is turned off (OFF) when power is not supplied, and is closed (O) when power is input.
N). The contact B of the relay X1 is closed (ON) when power is not supplied, and is disconnected (OFF) when power is input.

FIG. 4 shows the lighting state of each of the lighting circuits 3 and 5 and the lighting state of the whole appliance by the combination of ON / OFF of the power supply input to the relays X1 and X2.

Referring to the lighting state of FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the lighting circuits 3 and 5 are both lit 100% when the appliance is 100% lit, and the lighting circuits 3 and 5 are lit when the appliance is 50% lit. Are dimmed by 50%, and the lighting circuit 3 is dimmed by 50% and the lighting circuit 5 is illuminated (turned off) by 0%, or the lighting circuit 3 is turned on at 25% lighting of the total appliance.
Are turned on (turned off) by 0%, and the lighting circuit 5 is dimmed by 50%.

Therefore, in the state shown in FIG.
The following controls are possible. Dimming the lighting circuit 3 by 50% and extinguishing the other lighting circuits 5 or turning off the lighting circuit 5 by 50%
This is whether the light is dimmed and the other lighting circuits 3 are turned off. Therefore, when the 25% dimming state is reached in the midnight period, the terminal 8
Performs a control to alternately switch the lighting circuit 3 or 5 that should perform 50% dimming at regular intervals for the relays X1 and X2, thereby eliminating the problem that only one of the lamps is always lit. it can.

Therefore, when 25% dimming data is received from the main controller 7 in accordance with the time scheduler, the power supply to the relay X1 or X2 is kept constant in the program memory of the processing unit in the terminal device 8. A program for controlling switching at every time is stored.

According to one embodiment described above, a dimming switching circuit in a multi-lamp lighting fixture, for example, a two-lamp lighting fixture, is provided with a different combination of relay contacts to provide a specific dimming stage (for example, FIG. 4). With 25% dimming, either lamp 4 or 6 can be dimmed alternately at regular intervals, for example, and the life of a plurality of lamps used can be made substantially equal.

As described above, there are sodium lamps, fluorescent lamps, and the like as illumination means in the tunnel. However, if there is a sudden change in brightness during high-speed driving in an automobile, there is a risk of driving. Therefore, a dimming signal (100% lighting, 50% dimming, 25% dimming) from the main controller 7 is transmitted to the terminal 8
Is received, the dimming control units 3c and 5c of the lighting circuits 3 and 5 are received.
Thus, the time until the dimming switching is performed and the brightness switching is actually completed can be set. Normally, in order to avoid a sudden change in brightness in a tunnel, it is necessary to switch the brightness gradually from the reception of a dimming signal to the completion of dimming at the time of dimming switching. By setting the time from receiving the dimming signal to the completion of dimming to a predetermined time longer than the switching time in general facilities, the driver can switch dimming without perceiving a change in brightness in the tunnel. Will be done. Since the switching of the relay contacts accompanying the dimming switching is performed instantaneously, it is necessary to control the dimming control units 3c and 5c so that the brightness is gradually gradually changed by switching the relay contacts. To this end, timers are provided in the dimming control units 3c and 5c, and the lamp currents supplied to the lamps 4 and 5 are gradually changed within a predetermined time (about 0.3 to 10 seconds) after the relay contacts are switched. It is possible to realize it.

In a tunnel, the limit of human response to light with eyes is about 0.25 seconds. If it is within 0.25 seconds, you will not notice even if it disappears for a moment.

On the other hand, in a tunnel having a length exceeding 200 m, a function of switching brightness is required for illumination in the tunnel. This is because if the vehicle is traveling at a speed of 80 to 100 km / h in a tunnel shorter than 200 m, the vehicle will pass immediately before the brightness is switched. 8
The distance is about 222 m when traveling at 0 km / h for 10 seconds, and about 278 m when traveling at 100 km / h for 10 seconds.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in a dimming lighting system capable of dimming by switching to a plurality of stages, as shown in FIG. Time starts switching within 0.25 seconds,
The dimming switching control is performed so that the switching is gradually performed within 0.3 seconds to 10 seconds after the switching is started. FIG. 5A shows a dimming signal. From the rising edge of the dimming signal,
As shown in FIG. 5 (b), switching of dimming is started within 0.25 seconds, and the brightness is gradually switched to a target dimming level within 10 seconds. The dimming switching can be started immediately after receiving the dimming signal, and the switching can be completed within 10 seconds after the start, so that the time from receiving the dimming signal to dimming the lighting circuit is 10 seconds. It may be made to switch within.

Also, as shown in FIG.
When a relay signal for switching the 0% lighting lamp to the other extinguishing lamp is input, if the other lamp is turned on 50% within 0.25 seconds as shown in FIG.
The switching of the lamp can be performed without the human eye feeling the light being turned off. That is, the switching as shown in FIG. 5 (c) is performed for the relay contact signals for dimming switching for the relays X1 and X2, and the lighting output value of the entire appliance after the switching is the same as before the switching (FIG. 5 (d)). (The same 25% dimming before and after switching), the human eye does not recognize that the light is turned off within 0.25 seconds.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
By lighting the lighting circuit of each lamp 100%, 50% dimming and turning off (0% lighting), respectively, using a two-light lighting fixture,
Although dimming was performed stepwise by a combination of two lamps, the present invention can be applied to a case where dimming can be performed in multiple steps using a lighting device for multiple lamps of two or more lamps. Of course.

[0045]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of lamps mounted on the multi-lamp lighting fixture is individually all-lighted,
When performing multi-stage dimming control by combining the dimming and extinguishing states, the lamp to be extinguished is not switched to the same lamp at all times, so that the life of each lamp as a whole appliance can be extended. It can be made uniform.
Therefore, in illumination in a tunnel, maintenance such as replacement during the lamp life becomes easy.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the lamp life of each lighting circuit can be substantially equalized.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by using different combinations of relay contacts, it is possible to realize a dimming illumination system which is advantageous in terms of cost without increasing the number of relays as compared with the related art.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, two-stage dimming control for performing 100% lighting during the day, 50% lighting at night, and 25% lighting at midnight as illumination in the tunnel is performed in two steps. This can be realized by using a two-lamp device having two lighting circuits capable of dimming.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, the brightness is switched gradually within a range of about 10 seconds. Accordingly, since the brightness is gradually changed during traveling, there is an advantage that the driver does not notice the change in brightness and can prevent occurrence of an accident due to sudden change in brightness.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a dimming illumination system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of a dimming illumination system.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a time schedule of dimming of illumination in a tunnel.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a lighting state by a combination of ON / OFF of a relay in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a dimming level change at the time of dimming switching.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional dimming illumination system.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a lighting state by a combination of ON / OFF of a relay in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... AC power supply 2 ... Lighting equipment for 2 lamps 3,5 ... Lighting circuit 4,6 ... Lamp X1, X2 ... Relay

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Kazuyuki Uraya, Inventor 4-3-1 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation (72) Mitsuhiko Nishiya 3-3-1 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo No. Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation F term (reference) 3K073 AA21 AA58 AA86 AA87 CA01 CE12 CG15 CG19 CG26 CG41 CJ00 CJ11 CJ19 CL10

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A multi-lamp lighting device having a plurality of lighting circuits having a dimming control unit and capable of at least two-step dimming; turning on / off a power input supplied to each lighting circuit of the multi-lamp lighting device. To switch on and off the dimming control input of each dimming control unit of the multi-lamp lighting device, and turn on these switching units according to the dimming signal. By controlling the lighting circuit of the multi-lamp lighting apparatus by a combination of all light, dimming, and extinguishing, it is possible to switch dimming in multiple stages, A dimming switching means capable of switching and controlling a lighting circuit to be turned off at the time of the dimming. 2. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein, in a specific lighting control stage, when there is a lighting circuit to be turned off among a plurality of lighting circuits constituting the multi-lamp lighting device, the lighting control circuit switches the plurality of lighting circuits. 2. The dimming illumination system according to claim 1, wherein a lighting circuit to be turned off is switched at regular intervals. 3. The dimming switching means, when the plurality of switching means are composed of a plurality of relays, performs different combinations of relay contacts on these switching means, and switches to each relay according to a dimming signal. The dimming lighting system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dimming can be switched in multiple stages by changing a combination of on / off of a power input of the light source. 4. The multi-lamp lighting device is constituted by a two-lamp device having two lighting circuits capable of two-stage dimming, and the dimming switching means can switch dimming in three stages. The dimmable lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dimmable lighting system is capable. 5. A lighting fixture having a lighting control unit and a lighting circuit capable of dimming in at least two stages; and switching the lighting circuit of the lighting fixture into a plurality of stages in accordance with a dimming signal to perform dimming. A dimming switching means for controlling the dimming signal to be started within 0.25 seconds after receiving the dimming signal and to be gradually switched within 10 seconds from the start; And a dimming lighting system comprising: 6. A lighting fixture having a lighting control unit and a lighting circuit capable of dimming in at least two stages; and switching the lighting circuit of the lighting fixture into a plurality of stages in accordance with a dimming signal to perform dimming. Dimming switching means for controlling so that the time until the dimming of the lighting circuit in response to the dimming signal is switched within 10 seconds.