JP2005063844A - Lighting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting apparatus capable of annunciating an operation status to another device by a power line carrier technique by barely applying design change to a lighting circuit. <P>SOLUTION: This lighting system A is equipped, in addition to the lighting circuit 1 for lighting a lamp 5, with a communication circuit 2 for transmitting a transmission signal having a frequency higher than that of a commercial power source 7 to a monitoring device B by using a power line carrier technique. That is to say, the lighting system A has an inductor L1 inserted between a power line 3 and the lighting circuit 1 for securing impedance of the power line 3 for the frequency of the transmission signal because the power line 3 is used as a transmission path of the transmission signal. The inductor L1 has a secondary winding used as a detecting winding n2, and the lighting system A is equipped with a detection circuit 6 for detecting the operation status of the lighting circuit 1 and the lamp 5 by using the output of the detecting winding n2. The detection circuit 6 annunciates detection information on the basis of the operation status to the monitoring device B through the communication circuit 2 by the transmission signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a lighting device capable of notifying other devices of the operating state of a lighting circuit.

  Conventionally, some lighting circuits for lighting a lamp such as a discharge lamp have a function of detecting an operating state of the lamp and the lighting circuit. Here, in order to protect the lighting circuit, the operating state is not only a normal operating state where the lamp is lit or extinguished, but also a so-called Emiles where the lamp is turned off or in a half-wave lighting state. An abnormal operation state such as By detecting these operating states, various information (that is, information related to maintenance) such as lamp burnout, Emires, power consumption, cumulative lighting time, and lighting circuit life can be obtained from the operating state.

  By the way, in order to easily monitor the operating state of the lighting device regardless of the installation conditions of the lighting device, a technique for monitoring the operating state of the lighting device from a distance is desired. In particular, in the case where a plurality of lighting devices are provided, it is time-consuming to detect the operating state of each lighting device, so a technique for monitoring the operating state of the lighting device from a distance using communication technology is required. Is done.

On the other hand, as an illuminating device using communication technology, the operation of the lighting circuit is controlled by adopting a power line carrier technology that uses a power line of a commercial power source that supplies power to the lighting circuit as a transmission line and receives a transmission signal from another device. Things are known. As shown in FIG. 11, this lighting device includes a communication circuit 2 that receives a transmission signal from another device and controls the operation of the lighting circuit 1 in addition to a lighting circuit 1 that lights a lamp 5 such as a discharge lamp. Prepare. The lighting circuit 1 and the communication circuit 2 are both connected to the power line 3 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-98277 (page 3-4, FIG. 1)

  By the way, in order to monitor the operation state of the lighting device from a distance using communication technology, in the lighting circuit 1 of the lighting device described in Patent Document 1, the operation state provided in the lighting circuit as a protection function as described above. It is conceivable to use a detection function. However, the lighting device described in Patent Document 1 is intended to control the lighting circuit 1 from a distance, and there is no idea of monitoring the operation state from a distance. There is no function to extract to the outside. Even if the communication circuit 2 in the lighting device described in Patent Document 1 can be transmitted, a dedicated lighting circuit provided with an output terminal for extracting the detection result of the operating state is newly provided. It is expensive to design and manufacture.

  By the way, in the power line carrier technology, a phase advance capacitor or power supply unit provided in another device connected to the power line 3 (for example, an air conditioner using a inverter, an illumination device, or an electronic device such as a computer). There is a possibility that the signal transmission characteristic in the power line 3 may be deteriorated by the noise prevention capacitor or the like reducing the impedance of the power line 3. When the signal transmission characteristics of the power line 3 deteriorate, the error rate of a transmission signal using the power line 3 as a transmission path increases. Therefore, the power line carrier technology includes a low-pass filter 4 having an inductor L1 inserted between the power line 3 and the lighting circuit 1 in order to ensure the impedance of the power line 3 with respect to a transmission signal having a frequency higher than that of the commercial power supply. ing. The present invention pays attention to the fact that the current flowing through the inductor L1 is the supply current to the lighting circuit 1 for lighting the lamp 5, and adopts a configuration for monitoring the operating state of the lighting device by monitoring the current flowing through the inductor L1. To do.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described reason, and is an illuminating device capable of notifying the other devices of the operating state of the lighting circuit and the lamp by the power line carrier technology without substantially changing the design of the lighting circuit. The purpose is to provide.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a lighting circuit for supplying power from a power line of a commercial power source to light a lamp, and a transmission signal having a frequency higher than that of the commercial power source are superimposed on the commercial power source to a monitoring device as another device via the power line. A communication circuit having a transmission function, an inductor inserted between the power line and the lighting circuit to block a transmission signal and having a secondary winding, and a detection winding using the secondary winding of the inductor as a detection winding And a detection circuit that detects the operating state of the lighting circuit and the lamp using the output of the lamp and transmits detection information based on the operating state to the other device by a transmission signal through the communication circuit.

  According to this configuration, since the secondary winding is provided in the inductor inserted between the power line and the lighting circuit in order to block the transmission signal, the current flowing through the inductor is monitored as the secondary winding output. Thus, it is possible to detect the operating state of the lighting circuit and the lamp without changing the design of the lighting circuit. As a result, it is possible to monitor the operating state from a distance while suppressing an increase in cost by changing the addition of an inductor having a secondary winding and a communication circuit without newly designing and manufacturing a lighting circuit. Is possible.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the detection information inserted between the detection circuit and the communication circuit is invalidated for a predetermined dead time from the start of energization of the lighting circuit. It has the control circuit which makes it.

  According to this configuration, detection information in a period immediately after the start of energization and in which the operation state is not stable is invalidated, so that erroneous information can be prevented from being transmitted to other devices. Moreover, the timing which starts transmission of detection information can be determined by setting a dead time suitably.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the dead time is a time from the start of energization to the lighting circuit until the lamp reaches stable lighting.

  Generally, the period until the lamp reaches stable lighting is higher than the period when the lamp is stably lit, and the noise level generated by the lighting circuit is high and the signal transmission characteristics of the power line are poor. However, according to this configuration, since the operating state is notified after the lamp is steadily lit and the error rate of the transmission signal becomes low, it is possible to prevent an operating state notification error.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the capacitor according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the capacitor is connected to the power line via the inductor and constitutes a low-pass filter that blocks the transmission signal together with the inductor. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, since the capacitor and the inductor constitute a low-pass filter, it is possible to prevent a transmission signal from entering the lighting circuit and causing a malfunction.

  In the present invention, a secondary winding is provided in an inductor inserted between a power line and a lighting circuit to block a transmission signal, and a current flowing through the inductor is monitored as a secondary winding output. It is possible to detect the operating state of the lighting circuit and the lamp without changing the design of the circuit. As a result, it is possible to monitor the operating state from a distance while suppressing an increase in cost by changing the addition of an inductor having a secondary winding and a communication circuit without newly designing and manufacturing a lighting circuit. Is possible.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the lighting device A of the present embodiment is connected to the power line 3 of the commercial power supply 7 together with a monitoring device B as another device having a function of monitoring and displaying the operating state of the lighting device A. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the monitoring device B monitors the operating state of a plurality of lighting devices A.

  Each lighting device A is supplied with a commercial power supply 7 and rectifies and outputs the commercial power supply 7, and receives a power supply from the power supply circuit 11 to output a high frequency to turn on the lamp 5 that is a discharge lamp. Each of the lighting circuits 1 includes an inverter circuit 12 to be operated and an inverter control circuit 13 that controls the operation of the inverter circuit 12. Although not shown in the drawing, the lighting circuit 1 has a function of detecting the operating states of the lighting circuit 1 and the lamp 5 for protection of the lighting circuit 1 as in the conventional configuration. Each lighting device A includes a communication circuit 2 that uses a power line carrier technology that is connected to the power line 3 and transmits a transmission signal having a higher frequency than the commercial power source 7 to the commercial power source 7 and transmitted to the monitoring device B. In this embodiment, the example in which the illuminating device A comprises the lighting fixture is shown.

  Since the illuminating device A includes the communication circuit 2 using the power line carrier technology using the power line 3 as a transmission path, the power line 3 and the lighting circuit 1 are used to secure the impedance of the power line 3 with respect to the frequency of the transmission signal. An inductor L1 is inserted in between. The inductor L1 used in the present embodiment includes a detection winding n2 as a secondary winding to constitute a transformer. Since the current I1 flowing through the primary winding n1 of the inductor L1 is the current I1 supplied to the lighting circuit 1, the operating state of the lighting device A is determined by detecting the current I1 flowing through the primary winding n1 of the inductor L1. Can be monitored. Therefore, the illumination device A includes a detection circuit 6 that detects the output of the detection winding n2. An output terminal of the detection circuit 6 is connected to a control terminal con of the communication circuit 2 that receives an input signal and starts transmission of a transmission signal.

  With this configuration, when the detection result of the detection circuit 6 is input to the control terminal con of the communication circuit 2, the communication circuit 2 transmits the operation state of the lighting device A to the monitoring device B by a transmission signal, and the monitoring device B is illuminated. The operating state of the lighting circuit 1 and the lamp 5 in the device A such as lighting / extinguishing, lamp burnout, and Emires is displayed.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the detection circuit 6 includes a diode D1, a resistor R2, and a resistor R3 connected in series to both ends of the detection winding n2, and a capacitor C2 is connected in parallel to the resistor R3. The comparator CP1 compares the voltage across the capacitor C2 (hereinafter referred to as the monitoring voltage Vw) with the threshold voltage Vref. Further, the output terminal of the comparator CP1 is connected to the control terminal con of the communication circuit 2, and the comparator CP1 becomes active and activates the control terminal con of the communication circuit 2 during the period when the monitoring voltage Vw is lower than the threshold voltage Vref. . Here, active / inactive is associated with binary signals of H level and L level, respectively. In the following description, active is described as H level, but active may be L level.

  Next, the operation state of the illumination device A is exemplified by the case where the operation state of the illumination device A is in the normal state where the lamp 5 is lit and the out-of-lamp state where the lamp 5 is in an inconsistent state. Will be explained. First, since the current I1 is supplied to the lighting circuit 1 when the lamp 5 is in a normal operating state, the monitoring voltage Vw is set to the threshold voltage Vref as shown in FIG. Greater than. As a result, the output X of the comparator CP1 is at L level, and the control terminal con of the communication circuit 2 is naturally at L level. On the other hand, when the lamp is turned off, the function of protecting the lighting circuit 1 stops the oscillation of the inverter circuit 12 and no current is supplied to the lighting circuit 1, so that the monitoring is performed as shown in FIG. The voltage Vw becomes substantially zero and falls below the threshold voltage Vref. As a result, since the output X of the comparator CP1 becomes H level and the control terminal con of the communication circuit 2 also becomes H level, the operation state is transmitted from the communication circuit 1 to the monitoring device B by the transmission signal and is sent to the monitoring device B by “ The operating status of “Lamp out” is displayed.

In addition to the lighting device A and the monitoring device B, a sensor end C such as a human sensor or an illuminance sensor is connected to the power line 3, and the monitoring device B sets the lighting device A group and the sensor terminal C. It also has a display function. Further, the monitoring device B includes a monitoring communication circuit 2 ′ connected to the power line 3 and receiving a transmission signal and outputting it as an operating state, and a display 8 that receives the output of the monitoring communication circuit 2 ′ and displays the operating state. Composed. The monitoring communication circuit 2 ′ has a primary side connected to the power line 3 through a parallel circuit of a resistor R1 ′ and a capacitor C1 ′ so as not to be affected by noise generated by other devices (not shown) connected to the power line 3. A coupling transformer T1 ′ to be connected and a monitoring communication main circuit 21 ′ to be connected to the secondary side of the coupling transformer T1 ′. The communication circuit 2 of the lighting device A is also the same, and a coupling transformer T1 whose primary side is connected to the power line 3 via a parallel circuit of a resistor R1 and a capacitor R2, and two coupling transformers T1. The communication main circuit 21 is connected to the next side and has a control terminal con. The communication circuit 2 and the monitoring communication circuit 2 ′ may each have both a transmission function and a reception function, and in this case, each lighting device A can be remotely controlled by the monitoring device B. It is.
(Embodiment 2)
As described above, in the lighting device A, the lighting circuit 1 includes the inverter control circuit 13 that controls the operation of the inverter circuit 12.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lighting device A of the present embodiment incorporates a timer (not shown) in the inverter control circuit 13 with respect to the lighting device A of the first embodiment, and the timer output Y of the inverter control circuit 13. The difference from the first embodiment is that a logical product circuit AN1 is added as a control circuit that takes a logical product with the output of the comparator. Here, the output terminal of the AND circuit AN1 is connected to the control terminal con of the communication main circuit 21 instead of the output terminal of the comparator CP1.

  A timer built in the inverter control circuit 13 counts a predetermined dead time ts from the start of energization to the lighting circuit 1. The timer output Y of the inverter control circuit 13 is at the L level during the period in which the timer counts the dead time ts, and becomes the H level when the timer counts up the dead time ts. The dead time ts is appropriately set at the time of design.

  The operation of the present embodiment will be described by taking as an example the operation state in which the lamp 5 becomes unsatisfactory. When the lighting circuit 1 is energized and the lamp is out of operation, the monitoring voltage Vw shown in FIG. 5A is substantially zero, and the output X of the comparator CP1 shown in FIG. It is. However, since the timer output Y shown in FIG. 5C is at the L level during the dead time ts from the start of energization to the lighting circuit 1, the output of the AND circuit AN1 is at the L level. On the other hand, when the dead time ts elapses from the start of energization to the lighting circuit 1, the timer output Y shown in FIG. 5D becomes H level. Therefore, if the output X of the comparator CP1 is H level, the AND circuit AN1. Output becomes H level. In short, since the control terminal con of the communication main circuit 21 becomes H level when the lamp is out of operation and the dead time ts has passed since the start of energization of the lighting circuit 1, the operation state of the monitoring device B is changed. The display 8 is notified and the operating status of “lamp out” is displayed. On the other hand, during the dead time ts from the start of energization to the lighting circuit 1, the monitoring device B is not notified of the operating state regardless of the operating state.

  By the way, when the lamp 5 is a hot cathode discharge lamp, the lighting circuit 1 changes in the order of the preheating mode, the start mode, and the lighting mode from the start of energization to the lighting circuit 1 until the lamp 5 reaches stable lighting. The lamp 5 operates stably in the lighting mode period. The lighting circuit 1 has different voltages Vla applied to the lamp 5 depending on these three operating states. The voltage Vla applied to the lamp 5 by the lighting circuit 1 is, as shown in FIG. 6, the start mode period indicated by b in the figure from either the preheating mode period indicated by a in the figure or the lighting mode period indicated by c in the figure. Become bigger. That is, among the three operating states, the voltage Vla applied to the lamp 5 by the lighting circuit 1 during the start mode is maximum, so that the noise level with respect to the transmission signal is high during the start mode.

Therefore, if the above-described dead time ts is a time from the start of energization to the lighting circuit 1 to the transition to the lighting mode, the operating state is notified to the monitoring device B while the lighting circuit 1 is in the preheating mode or the start mode. And the lighting circuit 1 notifies the monitoring device B of the operating state during the lighting mode. Therefore, the noise level when the lighting device A notifies the monitoring device B of the operation state can be reduced. Other configurations and functions are the same as those of the first embodiment.
(Embodiment 3)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, an example in which the power supply circuit 11 includes a chopper circuit CH is shown.

  Specifically, the power supply circuit 11 includes a rectifier DB connected to the power line 3 via the inductor L1, and a series circuit of the boosting inductor L3 and the switching element Q1 is provided between the output terminals of the rectifier DB. L3 is connected to the positive electrode, and a series circuit of a smoothing capacitor C3 and a backflow prevention diode D2 is connected to both ends of the switching element Q1 so that the anode of the diode D2 is connected to the boosting inductor L3. Thus, the chopper circuit CH is configured. In general, an electrolytic capacitor is used as the capacitor C3. Both ends of the capacitor C3 are connected to the inverter circuit 12 as output terminals of the power supply circuit 11. On the other hand, between the input terminals of the rectifier DB, which is the input terminal of the lighting circuit 1, a capacitor C4 that constitutes the low-pass filter 4 together with the inductor L1. Connected. The low-pass filter 4 is designed to block the transmission signal and pass the commercial power source 7. Further, the inverter control circuit has a function of not only controlling the inverter circuit but also performing on / off control of the switching element Q1.

  By the way, this embodiment is characterized in that the life of the lighting circuit 1 is determined by the capacity loss of the capacitor C3. First, during a period in which the lighting circuit 1 is energized, the switching element Q1 is held off by the inverter control circuit 13 for a predetermined off time toff set by the designer at a predetermined timing set by the designer.

  Since the switching element Q1 is held off, the power supply circuit 11 becomes a capacitor input type power supply circuit. Therefore, in a normal operation state in which the capacitor C3 has no capacity loss, the waveform of the voltage Vc across the capacitor C3. Is a waveform in which a ripple voltage is superimposed on a substantially constant voltage, as shown in FIG. As a result, since the supply current I1 to the power supply circuit 11, that is, the supply current I1 to the lighting circuit 1 shown in FIG. 8C, has a waveform with a small half-value width, the current generated in the detection winding n2 is large. The monitoring voltage Vw shown in (e) is larger than the threshold voltage Vref. On the other hand, in an abnormal operation state in which the capacitor C3 has lost capacitance, the waveform of the voltage Vc across the capacitor C3 is a waveform obtained by only half-wave rectifying the AC voltage as shown in FIG. Close to. As a result, since the supply current I1 to the lighting circuit 1 shown in FIG. 8D has a waveform with a large half width, the current generated in the detection winding n2 is small, and the monitoring voltage Vw shown in FIG. Below the threshold voltage Vref.

Therefore, in a normal operating state in which no capacity loss has occurred in the capacitor C3, the output X of the comparator CP1 is L level, and the capacity loss of the capacitor C3 occurs, so that the capacity of the capacitor C3 is a constant capacitance value (ie, When the monitoring voltage Vw falls below the capacitance value that makes the monitoring voltage Vw equal to the threshold voltage Vref), the output X of the comparator CP1 becomes H level. As a result, in an abnormal operation state in which the capacitor C3 has a capacity loss, the operation state is transmitted from the communication main circuit 21 to the monitoring device B by a transmission signal, and the operation state of “capacity loss” is displayed on the display 8. . Other configurations and functions are the same as those of the first embodiment.
(Embodiment 4)
As shown in FIG. 9, the lighting device A of the present embodiment has both three terminals inserted between the power line 3 and the lighting circuit 1 and turned on / off by the output X of the comparator CP1 with respect to the lighting device A of the third embodiment. The difference from the third embodiment is that a switching element Q2 made of a directional thyristor is added. In this illuminating device A, the switching element Q2 is controlled so that the output X of the comparator CP1 is turned off during the period of H level. For example, when the capacitor C3 loses its capacity, the illuminating device A2 Notifies the monitoring device B of the “capacity missing” operation state and simultaneously turns off the switching element Q2.

  With this configuration, even when an abnormal operation state such as a loss of capacitance of the capacitor C3 that cannot be detected by the detection means provided as a protection function in the lighting circuit 1 is detected, the abnormal operation state is detected and the power supply to the lighting circuit 1 is simultaneously detected. Since the supply is stopped, the lighting device A can be protected against an abnormal operating state.

  Further, when the lighting apparatus A is protected from the operation state with missing capacity by the above-described configuration, the lighting circuit 1 has a period during which the capacity loss of the capacitor C3 is detected (that is, the off time toff for turning off the switching element Q1). Is set to the period of the preheating mode (indicated by a in FIG. 8), it is possible to prevent stress from being applied to the components during the period of the lighting circuit 1 in the starting mode (indicated by b in FIG. 8).

  Even if the switching element Q2 is not used, a configuration in which the output X of the comparator CP1 is input to the inverter control circuit 13 as shown in FIG. 10 is adopted, and the inverter control circuit 13 is connected to the inverter circuit at the same time as detecting an abnormal operation state. If the oscillation of 12 is stopped, the same effect can be obtained. Other configurations and functions are the same as those of the third embodiment.

It is a circuit diagram which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the specific circuit same as the above. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an operation state indicating a normal operation state in which a lamp is lit, and FIG. 9B is an operation diagram illustrating an operation state in which a lamp is burned out. It is a circuit diagram which shows Embodiment 2 of this invention. FIG. 6 shows the operating state of lamp burnout, wherein FIGS. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the detection circuit, and (c) and (d) are diagrams for explaining the change in time of the timer output. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the time change of the voltage which the lighting circuit same as the above applies to a lamp | ramp. It is a circuit diagram which shows Embodiment 3 of this invention. (A), (c), (e) is an operation explanatory diagram showing an operating state in which no capacitor loss occurs in the above capacitor, and (b), (d), (f), a capacitor loss occurs in the above capacitor. It is an operation explanatory view showing an operating state. It is a circuit diagram which shows Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the other example same as the above. It is a circuit diagram which shows a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

A Lighting device B Monitoring device (other devices)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lighting circuit 2 Communication circuit 3 Power line 4 Low pass filter 5 Lamp 6 Detection circuit 7 Commercial power supply L1 Inductor n2 Detection winding (secondary winding of inductor)
AN1 AND circuit (control circuit)
C4 capacitor

Claims (4)

  A lighting circuit that supplies power from a power line of a commercial power source and lights the lamp, a communication circuit that has a function of superimposing a transmission signal having a frequency higher than that of the commercial power source on the commercial power source and transmitting the signal to another device via the power line, and a power line An operating state of the lighting circuit and the lamp is detected by using an inductor inserted between the lighting circuit and the transmission signal to be blocked and an output having the secondary winding and the output of the secondary winding of the inductor. An illumination device comprising: a detection circuit that transmits detection information based on a transmission signal to another device.   2. The control circuit according to claim 1, further comprising: a control circuit that is inserted between the detection circuit and the communication circuit and invalidates detection information based on an operation state for a predetermined dead time from the start of energization to the lighting circuit. Lighting device.   The lighting device according to claim 2, wherein the dead time is a time from the start of energization to the lighting circuit until the lamp reaches stable lighting.   4. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a capacitor that is connected to the power line via the inductor and forms a low-pass filter that blocks the transmission signal together with the inductor. 5.

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