JP2008205917A - Visible light communication remote control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to surely transmit a communication signal from a remote controller to a terminal to be controlled in a visible light communication remote control system. <P>SOLUTION: The visible light communication remote control system is provided with: the remote controller 2 which transmits visible light L on which the communication signal is superimposed; and the controlled terminal 3 which receives the visible light L transmitted from the remote controller 2 to receive operation control based on the communication signal superimposed on the visible light L. In addition, the remote controller 2 transmits the visible light L with wavelength of approximately 580-620 nm. Since the visible light L is a lighting color near orange, it is easy to be visually recognized also in a room where a daytime white fluorescent lamp is lit, etc., the user can easily turn the visible light L to the controlled terminal 3 and the communication signal superimposed on the visible light L is surely transmitted to the controlled terminal 3. In addition, since wavelength of the visible light L is long, directivity of the communication signal is high and communication efficiency is more excellent than that of light with short wavelength. Thus, communication is possible even by low output and power consumption is suppressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote controller for transmitting visible light with a communication signal superimposed thereon, and a visible light communication remote controller system including a controlled terminal that receives operation control based on a communication signal superimposed on visible light transmitted from the remote controller. About.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, infrared rays have been widely used for transmission of control signals in remote controllers that remotely control electrical equipment such as lighting equipment. However, since infrared rays are not visually recognized by human eyes, it is necessary to increase the output of infrared rays in order to secure a certain communication range and communication distance. However, when the infrared output is increased, for example, in an environment where a plurality of lighting fixtures are installed, an infrared signal is received even for a lighting fixture that is not a control target, and the user controls any lighting fixture. There are things that cannot be done.

  In order to solve this problem, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a remote controller including a spotlight is known in addition to an infrared transmitter. This remote controller is set so that the reachable range of the output infrared light and the light irradiation range by the spotlight are equal. Therefore, when the user operates the remote controller with reference to the irradiation range of the light from the spotlight, the infrared signal can be accurately transmitted toward the lighting device to be controlled.

Further, as shown in Patent Document 2, there is known an illumination lamp that can transmit information data such as a control signal while having a function as illumination. This illumination lamp includes information data in the illumination light by turning on and off the light source at intervals not perceived by the human body.
JP 2004-193971 A JP 2005-318148 A

  However, the remote control disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires complicated output settings for both light sources in order to make the infrared reachable range and the spotlight light irradiation range equal. In addition, since both the infrared transmitter and the spotlight are driven when the remote controller is operated, battery consumption is accelerated.

  In addition, in a conventional luminaire that communicates with infrared rays, when the light source is a discharge lamp, weak infrared rays are radiated from the socket portion of the discharge lamp. It is necessary to provide the light receiving portion at a position away from the socket portion, and there is a limitation on the instrument design.

  Moreover, although the illumination lamp shown by patent document 2 uses white LED as a light source, the light radiate | emitted from white LED is a user in the room etc. where the daytime white fluorescent lamp is lit, for example. There was a defect that was difficult to see. Furthermore, a general white LED is not suitable for use as a communication signal because the wavelength of emitted light is relatively short and light is easily scattered.

  The present invention solves the above-described problem, and provides a visible light communication remote control system that allows a user to transmit a communication signal reliably and easily to an electric device to be controlled and has high communication efficiency. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a light source, a lighting circuit that lights the light source, a storage unit that stores a predetermined communication signal, and the lighting circuit that emits light from the light source. A remote controller including a control unit that superimposes a communication signal stored in the storage unit on light, and a controlled terminal that receives the communication signal superimposed on the light and receives operation control based on the communication signal The light source emits visible light having a wavelength of about 580 to 620 nm.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the visible light communication remote control system according to the first aspect, the controlled terminal is a lighting fixture, and lighting control is performed based on a communication signal superimposed on the visible light. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the visible light communication remote control system according to the first or second aspect, the remote control includes a battery and transmits the visible light without using a commercial power source.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the visible light communication remote control system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the remote control can be used as an electric lamp.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the visible light transmitted from the remote controller is a light color in the vicinity of orange that is easily visible. It can be easily emitted toward the controlled terminal, and thus the communication signal superimposed on the visible light can be reliably transmitted toward the controlled terminal. In addition, the visible light transmitted from the remote controller has a longer wavelength than the light of the conventional white LED, so that the directivity as a communication signal is high and the communication efficiency is good. Therefore, communication is possible even at a low output, and power consumption can be suppressed.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the luminaire receives the communication signal by visible light, for example, even if the light source of the luminaire is a discharge lamp, the communication signal is transmitted by infrared rays emitted from the socket portion of the discharge lamp. Reception is not disturbed. Therefore, unlike conventional lighting fixtures that communicate with infrared rays, there is no restriction on the fixture design such that the light receiving portion is provided at a position away from the socket portion.

  According to the third and fourth aspects of the invention, since the remote control includes the light source that emits visible light and the battery, it can be used as a flashlight in the event of an emergency such as a power failure.

  A visible light communication remote control system (hereinafter referred to as a remote control system) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The remote control system 1 of this embodiment receives a visible light L transmitted from the remote control 2 by receiving a remote control 2 that transmits visible light L on which a communication signal is superimposed, decodes the communication signal, and based on the communication signal A controlled terminal 3 that receives operation control. The remote controller 2 is a so-called remote controller, and the controlled terminal device 3 is an arbitrary electric device that is remotely operated by the remote controller 2. Further, FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which one remote controller 2 and one controlled terminal device 3 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of controlled terminal devices 3 are provided for one remote controller 2. May be.

  The remote controller 2 includes a light source 21, a lighting circuit 22 for lighting the light source 21, a power supply unit 23 that supplies power to the lighting circuit 22, and a storage unit that stores a lighting pattern of the light source 21 corresponding to a predetermined communication signal. 24 and the lighting circuit 22 to turn on the light source 21 based on the lighting pattern stored in the storage unit 24, thereby superimposing a predetermined communication signal on the visible light L emitted from the light source 21. And an operation unit 26 for inputting control content by a user operation.

  The light source 21 is a light emitting element that emits visible light, and an LED is used in the present embodiment. The number and output of the light sources 21 are not particularly limited, but the wavelength of the visible light L emitted from the light sources 21 is approximately 580 to 620 nm. The lighting circuit 22 includes at least one switch element that performs an on / off operation according to a lighting control signal output from the control unit 25, and switches power supply from the power supply unit 23 to the light source 21 based on the on / off of the switch element.

  A battery is used for the power feeding unit 23, and this battery is built in the housing of the remote control 3. The battery may be a commercially available dry battery or a dedicated rechargeable battery suitable for the remote controller 2. When a dedicated rechargeable battery is used, it is desirable that the remote controller 2 be provided with an electrode for connecting to an external power source and a charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery (not shown).

  The storage unit 24 includes a general-purpose memory such as an EEPROM, a predetermined communication signal corresponding to a preset operation pattern of the controlled terminal device 3, and a lighting pattern for lighting the light source 21 based on the communication signal. Remember. Here, the lighting pattern is obtained by encoding information such as on / off of power supply to the light source 21 according to a predetermined standard.

  The control unit 25 is composed of a general-purpose microcomputer or the like. When an operation signal for controlling the operation of the controlled terminal 3 is input from the operation unit 26, the lighting pattern corresponding to the operation signal is read from the storage unit 24, A lighting control signal based on this is output to the lighting circuit 22.

  The operation unit 26 includes a plurality of buttons (not shown) for inputting an operation signal for causing the controlled terminal 3 to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with a user operation. Further, the remote controller 2 may be provided with a display unit (not shown) made up of an LED, an LCD, or the like in order to display an operation pattern of the controlled terminal 3 or the like.

  The controlled terminal 3 includes a light receiving unit 31 that receives the visible light L transmitted from the remote controller 2, a drive device 33 that drives the load 32, and a reception storage unit that stores a preset operation pattern of the load 32. 34 and a reception control unit 35 that decodes the communication signal included in the visible light L received by the light receiving unit 31 and controls the driving device 33 based on the operation pattern stored in the reception storage unit 34.

  The light receiving unit 31 includes a photodiode that converts light into an electrical signal, an amplification circuit that amplifies the electrical signal to obtain a predetermined communication signal, a filter circuit that obtains specific control information from the communication signal, and the like. When receiving the visible light L transmitted from the remote controller 2, the light receiving unit 31 decodes the communication signal superimposed on the visible light L and transmits it to the reception control unit 35. To do. Similarly to the storage unit 24 of the remote controller 2, the reception storage unit 34 includes a general-purpose memory such as an EEPROM, and stores a preset operation pattern of the load 32. The operation pattern here is appropriately determined depending on which electrical device the controlled terminal 3 is.

  The operation of the remote control system of this embodiment will be described. When the user wants the controlled terminal 3 to perform a predetermined operation, the user directs the light source 21 toward the controlled terminal 3 and presses any button or the like provided on the operation unit 26 of the remote controller 2. When the control unit 25 receives the operation signal from the operation unit 26, the control unit 25 reads the communication signal corresponding to the operation pattern of the controlled terminal 3 stored in the storage unit 24, and converts the communication signal to the visible light L emitted from the light source 21. A lighting control signal for superimposing the communication signal is generated and output to the lighting circuit 22. When the lighting circuit 22 receives the lighting control signal, the lighting circuit 22 turns on the light source 21 according to the contents of the instruction and outputs visible light L on which the communication signal is superimposed.

  When receiving the visible light L from the remote controller 2, the light receiving unit 31 of the controlled terminal 3 reads a communication signal superimposed on the visible light L and transmits it to the reception control unit 35. The reception control unit 35 analyzes the communication signal transmitted from the light receiving unit 31 and refers to the reception storage unit 34 to generate an operation control signal for lighting the load 32 with an operation pattern corresponding to the communication signal. This is generated and output to the drive device 33.

  In the present embodiment, the visible light L (wavelength approximately 580 to 620 nm) emitted from the light source 21 is a light color near orange, and is easily identified by the user, for example, in a room where a daylight fluorescent lamp is lit. . Therefore, the user can easily direct the visible light L to the controlled terminal 3 and can reliably transmit the communication signal superimposed on the visible light L to the controlled terminal 3.

  Conventional light such as a white LED has a short wavelength and is likely to scatter, and thus is not suitable for use as a communication signal. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the wavelength of the visible light L emitted from the light source 21 is long, directivity as a communication signal is high, and communication efficiency can be improved. Therefore, stable communication is possible even at low output, and power consumption can be suppressed.

  In addition, since the remote controller 2 includes a battery as the power feeding unit 23, the light source 21 can emit visible light L without using a commercial power source, and can be used as a flashlight in an emergency such as a power failure. . Further, since the visible light L has a long wavelength and can reach far in the smoke and dust, the remote controller 2 is suitable as an electric lamp used in a disaster. Note that light having a wavelength longer than about 620 nm has strong redness and is not suitable for use as electric light.

  Next, a remote control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The remote control system 1 of this embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in that the controlled terminal 3 is a lighting fixture 4. The luminaire 4 receives the visible light L on which the communication signal transmitted from the remote controller 2 is superimposed, and lighting control is performed based on the communication signal.

  The remote controller 2 has the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment, but the operation unit 26 will be described more specifically here. A lighting button 26A for turning on the lighting fixture 4 in accordance with a user operation, a turn-off button 26B for turning off the lighting fixture, and a dimming button 26C for controlling lighting of the lighting fixture 4 with a predetermined dimming pattern. In addition, although the example of the remote control 2 provided with the two light control buttons 26C is shown in FIG. 3, it is not restricted to this, The light control button 26C has an appropriate number according to the light control pattern of the lighting fixture 4. Provided.

  The luminaire 4 includes an illumination light receiving unit 41 that receives the visible light L transmitted from the remote controller 2, an illumination load 42, an illumination lighting circuit 43 for lighting the illumination load 42, and a preset illumination load 42. The illumination storage unit 44 for storing the lighting pattern and the like, and the communication signal included in the visible light L received by the illumination light receiving unit 41, and the illumination lighting circuit 43 based on the lighting pattern stored in the illumination storage unit 44 And an illumination control unit 45 for controlling.

  The configurations of the illumination light receiving unit 41, the illumination storage unit 44, and the illumination control unit 45 are the same as those of the light reception unit 31, the reception storage unit 34, and the reception control unit 35 in the above-described embodiment. The illumination load 42 is not particularly limited, and for example, an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent lamp, an LED, or the like is used. The lighting lighting circuit 43 uses an appropriate lighting circuit according to the type of the lighting load 42, such as an inverter circuit when the lighting load 42 is a fluorescent lamp, and the lighting control unit 45 outputs the lighting lighting circuit 43. Lighting control of the illumination load 42 is performed by turning on and off the power supply from an external power source (not shown) based on the control signal.

  Next, the operation of the remote control system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 in addition to FIGS. 2 and 3 described above. Here, it is assumed that a plurality of lighting fixtures 4 (4A to 4D) are installed as shown in FIG. Further, in the storage unit 24 of the remote controller 2 and the illumination storage unit 44 of the luminaire 4, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a lighting pattern of the lighting load 42 and a communication signal (here, data No. 1) corresponding to the lighting pattern. -4) is stored.

  When trying to turn on the lighting fixture 4B among the plurality of lighting fixtures 4A to 4D, the user directs the light source 21 of the remote controller 2 toward the installation direction of the lighting fixture 4B and presses the lighting button 26A. When the lighting button 26 </ b> A is pressed, the control unit 25 reads a communication signal (data No. 1) corresponding to a lighting pattern for lighting the illumination load 42 stored in the storage unit 24, and visible light emitted from the light source 21. A lighting control signal for superimposing data No. 1 on the light L is generated and output to the lighting circuit 22. When the lighting circuit 22 receives the lighting control signal, the lighting circuit 22 turns on the light source 21 according to the contents of the instruction, and outputs visible light L on which data No1 is superimposed.

  When receiving the visible light L from the remote controller 2, the illumination light receiving unit 41 of the luminaire 4 reads out a communication signal (data No 1) superimposed on the visible light L and transmits it to the illumination control unit 45. The illumination control unit 45 analyzes the communication signal transmitted from the illumination light receiving unit 41 and refers to the illumination storage unit 44 to control the dimming control signal for lighting the illumination load 42 with the lighting pattern corresponding to the data No1. Is output to the lighting circuit 43. The illumination lighting circuit 43 lights the illumination load 42 based on this dimming control signal. The other lighting patterns shown in FIG. 4 such as turn-off (data No. 2), 50% dimming (data No. 3), and 25% dimming (data No. 4) are performed in the same procedure as described above.

  In conventional luminaires that communicate with infrared rays, when the illumination load is a discharge lamp, weak infrared rays are radiated from the socket of the discharge lamp. It was necessary to provide the part at a position away from the socket part. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since communication is performed using visible light L, reception of communication signals is not hindered by infrared rays radiated from the socket portion of the discharge lamp even if the illumination load 42 is a discharge lamp. Therefore, regardless of the position of the socket part of the discharge lamp, the illumination light receiving part 41 can be provided at an arbitrary position, and the degree of freedom in the instrument design and circuit design of the illumination instrument 4 is increased. In general, from the viewpoint of weight balance of the lighting fixture 4 and communication efficiency of signals, the illumination light receiving unit 41 is preferably provided in the vicinity of the substantially central portion of the lighting fixture 4.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and various modifications can be made. For example, a unique address is allocated to each of the lighting fixtures 4A to 4D, and these addresses are stored in the storage unit 24 of the remote controller 2, and this address information is added to the communication signal superimposed on the visible light L. You can also. In this way, for example, when the user tries to turn on the luminaire 4B, the luminaire 4C does not malfunction even when the visible light L is received by the illumination light receiving unit 41 of the luminaire 4C.

The block block diagram of the visible light communication remote control system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block block diagram of the visible light communication remote control system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. External view of the remote control of the system. The figure which shows the usage example of the same system. . The figure which shows the table of the data No. memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the same system, and the lighting pattern of illumination load.

Explanation of symbols

1 Visible Light Remote Control System 2 Remote Control 23 Battery (Power Supply Unit)
3 Controlled terminal 4 Lighting equipment L Visible light

Claims (4)

A light source, a lighting circuit for lighting the light source, a storage unit for storing a predetermined communication signal, and controlling the lighting circuit to superimpose the communication signal stored in the storage unit on the light emitted from the light source In a visible light communication remote control system comprising: a remote controller including a control unit; and a controlled terminal that receives a communication signal superimposed on the light and receives operation control based on the communication signal.
The visible light communication remote control system, wherein the light source emits visible light having a wavelength of about 580 to 620 nm.   2. The visible light communication remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the controlled terminal is a lighting fixture and is controlled to be turned on based on a communication signal superimposed on the visible light.   The visible light communication remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control includes a battery and transmits the visible light without using a commercial power source.   The visible light communication remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the remote control can be used as an electric lamp.

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