JP2006236669A - Lighting device and lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means having a simple structure and notifying the end of a service life of lighting equipment. <P>SOLUTION: This lighting system is provided with a lighting device 11 turning on a light source, a lighting control part 12 controlling an output of the lighting device 11, a service life detection means 14 detecting that the lighting device 11 reaches the end of its life, and a control signal input part 13 receiving output information to the lighting control part 12 from a controller 2 on the outside. In detection of the end of the life, the operation part 21 in the controller 2 is disabled. A means 15 short-circuiting or opening a signal line between the control signal input part 13 and the controller 2 is provided, and in detection of the end of the service life by the service life detection means 13, the operation part 21 in the controller 2 is disabled as the signal line is short-circuited or opened. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a lighting device and a lighting system having a life detection function.

  It has been a long time since lighting fixtures using fluorescent lamps and HID lamps have been used. When using the lighting equipment, if the lamp reaches the end of its life, it will be difficult to turn on, it will be difficult to turn on, or the conventional brightness will be lost. Will do.

  On the other hand, the luminaire itself has a useful life, that is, a so-called life. It appears due to fatigue of metal parts, oxidation, deterioration of plastic parts, discoloration, breakage, deterioration of parts constituting the ballast, reduction of insulation resistance, and the like. Nevertheless, when the lamp is lit normally, the user generally keeps using it without noticing the life of the lighting fixture.

  Disadvantages when used beyond the service life are not only that the proper performance as a lighting fixture cannot be obtained, but there is a risk of causing unsafe conditions such as breakage and dropping of the fixture depending on the deteriorated part.

  In general electronic devices such as TVs, changes from the beginning can be seen relatively easily due to various deteriorations, and TV performance such as image blurring, color changes, and sound malfunctions. It is easy to guess that.

  On the other hand, since the main function of the luminaire is to properly shine the lamp and illuminate the object, there is a current situation that the degree of deterioration of the luminaire is difficult to understand. For this reason, it is very difficult for the user to understand the deterioration of the appliance, and a lighting fixture having a useful life of, for example, 10 years may continue to be used for more than 10 years, and in some cases for more than several decades.

Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-185374 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-259533, the lighting time of the discharge lamp is counted, and if the preset time is exceeded, the luminaire reaches the end of its life. Therefore, there has been proposed a discharge lamp lighting device provided with means for performing a protection operation and notifying.
JP 2001-185374 A JP 2004-259533 A

  However, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-185374, the means for counting the discharge lamp lighting time is not clear. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-259533, the discharge lamp lighting time is counted based on the energization time of the discharge lamp lighting device. However, in recent discharge lamp lighting devices, the discharge lamp lighting / extinguishing control is performed by an external signal. What can be performed and those that can be turned on / off by human sensors have been put into practical use, and the energization time to the discharge lamp lighting device does not necessarily coincide with the lighting time of the discharge lamp.

  In view of such a situation, the present invention provides means for notifying the lifetime of a lighting device with a simple configuration.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the lighting device of the present invention includes a lighting device 11 that turns on a light source, a lighting control unit 12 that controls the output of the lighting device 11, and a lighting device 11 as shown in FIG. It has a life detection means 14 for detecting that the life has been reached, and a control signal input unit 13 for receiving output information to the lighting control unit 12 from the external controller 2. It is characterized by being inoperable.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to notify the lifetime of the lighting device by disabling the operation unit of the external controller when the lifetime is detected by the lifetime detector.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The lighting device 1 of the present embodiment includes a lighting device 11 that lights a lamp 3 as a light source, a lighting control unit 12 that controls the output of the lighting device 11, and a life detection that detects that the lighting device 11 has reached the end of its life. Means 14 and a control signal input unit 13 for receiving information output to the lighting control unit 12 from an external controller 2 are provided, and the operation unit 21 of the controller 2 is disabled when a life is detected. More specifically, a means 15 for short-circuiting or opening a signal line between the control signal input unit 13 and the controller 2 is provided, and when the life is detected by the life detecting means 14, the controller 2 is short-circuited or opened. The operation unit 21 is made inoperable. In addition, the illuminating device 1 and the lamp | ramp 3 are integrated in the lighting fixture, and are installed in the ceiling etc., and the controller 2 is installed in the wall surface etc.

  In the case of a dimmable lighting fixture capable of adjusting the light output, a controller 2 for adjusting the light output is required separately from the lighting fixture. The controller 2 includes a type in which the light output is adjusted stepwise by switching a switch or the like, or the light output is continuously adjusted by operating a knob. These controllers 2 are connected to lighting fixtures by signal lines, and generally have a short-circuit protection function in order to protect the control signal output unit 22 of the controller 2 when the signal lines are short-circuited. Specifically, in many cases, the signal output is stopped when the signal line is short-circuited.

  Using this function, when the life detecting means 14 detects that the lighting device 11 has reached the end of its life, for example, a function that intentionally shorts the signal line by the switch means 15 is added to the lighting device 1. Thus, it is possible to recognize that the life has been detected on the controller 2 side. That is, by operating the operation unit 21 such as a switch or knob of the controller 2, the light output of the lighting device 1 can be changed. However, when the signal line is short-circuited when the lifetime is reached, the controller 2 side Even if the operation unit 21 such as a switch or a knob is operated, the light output of the lighting device 1 does not change, and the operation becomes impossible. Therefore, it is possible to recognize a failure of the lighting device 1.

  When the signal output from the controller 2 is stopped, the light output is maximized in a general lighting device, so the life of the lighting device 1 is notified without giving the user an uncomfortable feeling that the required illuminance cannot be obtained. Is possible.

  Further, the same effect can be obtained by opening the signal line in addition to short-circuiting.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a notification means 23 for notifying the user of the end of life may be added to the controller 2. Specifically, for example, a monitor such as an LED may be added, and the light may be turned on or off according to the presence or absence of signal output to the lighting device 1 before reaching the end of life, and may be switched to another lighting state such as blinking when the end of life is reached. . The notification means 23 is not limited to the LED, and may be a display device such as a liquid crystal panel.

  In the conventional example (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-259533), an example in which the lifetime of the discharge lamp lighting device is notified to the outside of the lighting device through a network is disclosed, but a specific embodiment is not disclosed. . The present embodiment is characterized in that, in the lighting device 1 that controls the lighting state of the lighting device 11 from the external controller 2, the controller 2 side is notified of the end of the life of the lighting device 11 by short-circuiting or opening the signal line.

  In the first embodiment, by short-circuiting or opening the signal line for lighting control, the existing controller 2 can be used as it is, and the lifetime of the lighting device 11 and the lighting fixture can be notified. Further, by adding the notification means 23 to the controller 2, it is possible to reliably notify the user without operating the operation unit 21.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 shows a basic configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the lighting device 1 that controls the lighting state of the lighting device 11 from the external controller 2, an example of notifying the controller 2 side of the end of the life of the lighting device 11 by the communication units 16 and 24 capable of bidirectional communication. It is.

  In the case of a dimmable lighting fixture capable of adjusting the light output, a controller 2 for adjusting the light output is required separately from the lighting fixture. The controller 2 includes a type in which the light output is adjusted stepwise by switching a switch or the like, or the light output is continuously adjusted by operating a knob. Generally, only a lighting control signal is output from the controller 2 to the lighting device 1. However, in this embodiment, when the lighting device 11 reaches the end of its life, the controller from the lighting device 1 via the communication units 16 and 24. By outputting a signal to 2, it is possible to recognize the end of the life of the lighting device 11 on the controller 2 side.

  Specifically, as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation unit 21 of the controller 2 becomes inoperable, or as shown in FIG. 4, a display device (LED, LCD, etc.) or audio output device It is sufficient to notify the end of life by the notification means 23 as described above. In addition, since bidirectional communication is possible, various information can be output from the lighting device 1 to the controller 2 in addition to reaching the end of life.

  In this embodiment, the communication means may be wired or wireless. For example, as a specific example of wireless, there is an infrared remote control or the like that is generally used in home lighting equipment, but not only a lighting control signal is transmitted to the lighting device, but also a life reaching signal is transmitted from the lighting device to the remote control. By outputting, the user can easily recognize the lifetime of the lighting device. In the case of wireless, for example, when replacing an existing lighting device with a new lighting device, only the lighting device and the controller need to be replaced.

  In addition, if the timing to notify the lifetime is, for example, only when a remote control signal is transmitted or only when the lighting device is turned on, the lifetime is notified to the user without impairing the basic performance of the lighting device. It becomes possible to do.

  FIG. 5 shows another modification of the present embodiment. In this example, the life notification control means 17 is added to the configuration of FIG. 4 to notify the notification means 18 of the lighting device 1 or the notification means 23 of the controller 2 that the life of the lighting device 1 has been reached at an appropriate timing. Is. Here, as the notification means 18 or 23, in addition to displaying on the display device (LED, LCD, etc.) as described above, a method using a sound output device provided in the illumination device 1 or the controller 2 is also conceivable.

  When a plurality of lighting devices are controlled for one controller, it is possible to notify the lifetime by changing the lighting state of the lamp for each lighting device, that is, by changing the lighting pattern. .

  In the second embodiment, since both the lighting device 1 and the controller 2 have communication units, it is possible to reliably notify the controller 2 of the lifetime by the bidirectional communication function. Further, if the communication means is wireless, no wiring work is required, so that it can be easily constructed.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 6 shows a basic configuration of Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a life notification device 4 that notifies the end of the life of the lighting device 1 is added to FIG. 4 of the second embodiment, and bidirectional communication is performed between the life notification device 4 and the controller 2. It is. When the notification means 23 of the controller 23 displays or outputs a sound for life notification, the information is transmitted to the life notification device 4 by the communication unit 25. In the life notification device 4, the notification means 42 notifies the information received by the communication unit 41.

  Specific examples of the life notification device 4 include information terminal devices such as mobile phones and personal computers. With recent developments in information technology, for example, it is possible to turn on / off a lighting device at home using a mobile phone. Applying such a technique, for example, when the lighting device 1 reaches the end of its life, it is only necessary to notify the controller 2 or the like of the end of life from the controller 2 to a terminal such as a mobile phone or a personal computer. Further, instead of the information terminal directly operated by the user, the life may be notified to an information processing apparatus such as a server and managed collectively, and the user may obtain information on the end of life by accessing the server.

  In the third embodiment, the end of life can be confirmed from a remote location by notifying the information terminal and information processing device of the end of life, so there is no need to check at the site and the labor saving of the life diagnosis can be greatly reduced. It becomes.

(Embodiment 4)
This embodiment is an example in which the replacement time is determined by reading the manufacturing time information of the lighting device and the lighting fixture. With the recent development of information technology, for example, it is possible to store product information in a small IC tag of about several millimeters. Applying this technology, for example, by attaching an IC tag on which the lighting device or lighting fixture manufacturing time has been written to the lighting device or lighting fixture, and acquiring the tag information with the reading device, the lighting device replacement time is determined. To do. Specifically, for example, the level of the replacement time is set on the reading device side, and when reading the IC tag of the lighting fixture that has passed 15 years or more from the manufacturing time, that the life has been reached, sound, light, Announce via screen display.

  Originally, the production lots are displayed on the lighting fixtures and lighting devices, but in many cases, the display disappears due to deterioration over time, or it becomes dirty so as to be unreadable. Therefore, by using means such as an IC tag, it is possible to reliably read the manufacturing time and to notify the user of an appropriate replacement time.

  In the fourth embodiment, even when the lighting device or the lighting fixture is deteriorated, the manufacturing time can be surely known, and the appropriate replacement time can be surely grasped.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a new fifth embodiment using the configuration example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. By periodically short-circuiting the signal lines, the state of the lighting device can be transmitted to the controller.

  The illumination control signal that is currently in widespread use is a two-wire system, and dimming control of the illumination device is performed by varying the duty of the signal waveform as shown in FIG. Here, the frequency of the signal is f0, and the period is T0 (= 1 / f0).

  When the signal line is short-circuited, the illumination dimming control controller stops signal output to prevent overcurrent. There are also devices that have a function of restarting signal output after a certain time so that control can be automatically restored when the short circuit of the signal line is released. Here, the signal output stop time of the controller after the short circuit is detected is T3.

  Assume that the lighting device repeats short circuit (T1) / short circuit cancellation (T2) of the signal line as shown in FIG. Here, four cycles are repeated with T1 + T2 as one cycle. If T1 <T3, T1 + T2> T3, the output signal from the controller is as shown in FIG.

  Further, when the lighting device repeats the short-circuit / short-circuit release as shown in (b-1) of the same figure, the output signal of the controller becomes as shown in (b-2) of the same figure. That is, a plurality of information can be transmitted from the lighting device to the controller by changing the pattern for periodically short-circuiting the signal lines in this way.

  For example, if a plurality of lighting devices are connected to a single controller, and each lighting device performs a short-circuit / short-circuit release operation corresponding to each address when the lighting device reaches a predetermined life or fails, It is possible to identify which lighting device the signal is from. Here, if T0 << T1, T2, T3, the basic function of dimming control is not impaired.

  In the fifth embodiment, information can be transmitted from the lighting device to the controller using a conventional dimming signal line.

It is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows one modification of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows one modification of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the other modification of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a wave form diagram of the light control signal used for Embodiment 5 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Illuminating device 2 Controller 3 Lamp 11 Lighting device 12 Lighting control part 13 Control signal input part 14 Life detection means 15 Switch means 21 Operation part 22 Control signal output part

Claims (9)

A lighting device that turns on the light source, a lighting control unit that controls the output of the lighting device, life detection means that detects that the lighting device has reached the end of life, and output information to the lighting control unit is received from an external controller An illumination device comprising a control signal input unit, wherein the operation unit of the controller is disabled when a life is detected. 2. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising means for short-circuiting or opening a signal line between the control signal input unit and the controller, and operating the controller by short-circuiting or opening the signal line when the life is detected by the life detecting means. An illuminating device characterized in that the part is inoperable. A lighting device that turns on the light source, a lighting control unit that controls the output of the lighting device, life detection means that detects that the lighting device has reached the end of life, and output information to the lighting control unit is received from an external controller And a control signal input unit for notifying the controller of the life detection result when the life is detected. 4. The lighting device according to claim 3, further comprising means for short-circuiting or opening a signal line between the control signal input unit and the controller, and when the life is detected by the life detecting means, the controller is notified by short-circuiting or opening the signal line. An illuminating device that notifies the means of the life detection result. A lighting device that turns on the light source, a lighting control unit that controls the output of the lighting device, life detection means that detects that the lighting device has reached the end of life, and output information to the lighting control unit is received from an external controller And a communication unit that transmits the detection result of the life detection means, and the operation unit of the controller is disabled during the life detection. A lighting device that turns on the light source, a lighting control unit that controls the output of the lighting device, life detection means that detects that the lighting device has reached the end of life, and output information to the lighting control unit is received from an external controller And a communication unit that transmits the detection result of the life detection means, and notifies the life detection result to the notification means of the controller when the life is detected. A lighting device that turns on the light source, a lighting control unit that controls the output of the lighting device, a life detection unit that detects that the lighting device has reached the end of its life, a life notification unit, and output information to the lighting control unit externally And a communication unit that receives from the controller, and at the time of life detection, a life detection result is notified to the life notification means when a signal is received from the controller. 8. A lighting system comprising the lighting device according to claim 6 and an external controller, wherein the controller includes a communication unit that transmits a life detection result to an external life notification device. A lighting device that turns on the light source, a lighting control unit that controls the output of the lighting device, life detection means that detects that the lighting device has reached the end of life, and output information to the lighting control unit is received from an external controller A means for transmitting information to an external controller by periodically short-circuiting the signal line between the control signal input section and the controller at the time of life detection by the life detection means. A lighting device.

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