JP2008282588A - Lighting fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting fixture which makes an effective use of existing power line equipment and is adaptable to inputs of data signals from a user. <P>SOLUTION: The lighting fixture 11 has an interface 4 and a PLC modem 5 built in. The interface 4 contains a plug of a rosette type or the like such as is connected to a wiring fixture connected to the power line directly or through an adapter. The PLC modem 5 superposes or separates power and data signals, and carries out communication with an outside server or the like through the power line 2. To the PLC modem 5, a lighting control circuit 13 and a light source 14 are connected in series in turn, and separately, a communicating device 12 is connected. Further, a data signal inputting means is provided which is adaptable to inputs of data signals 7b from a user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lighting fixture, and more particularly, to a lighting fixture having a power line communication (PLC) function.

  Conventionally, lighting has been abundant in daily life of human beings, and lighting facilities are provided everywhere, both indoors and outdoors. Along with this, power line networks that supply power to lighting equipment have also become widespread. For example, in general households, lighting fixtures are attached to popular or standard wiring fixtures installed on the ceiling directly or via adapters. It is done. On the other hand, with the development of technology, the spread of communication networks is rapidly expanding. However, in order to construct a communication network, it was necessary to lay a network cable or the like.

  In recent years, PLC technology has attracted attention in order to solve such problems. According to this PLC technology, communication signals can be superimposed on power and communication can be performed with external devices via a power line, thereby reducing the cost required for laying cables and the like for communication network construction. Can do. Lighting fixtures (including adapters) using such PLC technology are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5, for example.

JP-A 63-263838 JP 2001-217757 A JP 2004-96608 A JP 2004-320228 A JP 2006-121638 A

  However, the luminaire described in the above patent document separates a data signal transmitted from an external host device via a power line, and performs one-way communication (transmission) to a terminal device in the vicinity of the luminaire. Or transmitting / receiving to / from the terminal device. Here, in order to input a data signal from the user side other than the terminal device, it is necessary to provide a separate communication device.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this problem, Comprising: It aims at providing the lighting fixture corresponding to the input of the data signal from a user side, utilizing existing power line equipment effectively.

  The luminaire according to the first invention of the present application includes an interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem for separating or superimposing power and data signals and performing power line carrier communication via the interface, and an external device connected to the PLC modem. A communication means for communicating the data signal with a device; a lighting control circuit connected to the PLC modem; and a light source connected to the lighting control circuit. In addition to the means, data signal input means for receiving an input data signal from the outside is included.

  The lighting apparatus according to the second invention of the present application includes an interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and data signals, and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, and is connected to the PLC modem. A power supply unit for converting power; a modulation circuit connected to the power supply unit and the PLC modem for modulating the data signal; a lighting control circuit connected to the power supply unit and the modulation circuit; and the lighting control circuit The LED is a light source for visible light communication for transmitting the data signal to an external device, and the PLC modem receives a data signal input for receiving an input data signal from the outside Means.

  A lighting apparatus according to the third invention of the present application includes an interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and data signals, and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, and is connected to the PLC modem. A power supply unit for converting power; a modulation circuit connected to the power supply unit and the PLC modem for modulating the data signal; an electronic ballast connected to the PLC modem and the modulation circuit; and a lighting control circuit The fluorescent lamp is a light source for visible light communication for transmitting the data signal to an external device, and the PLC modem receives data received from an external input data signal Signal input means is included.

  The lighting apparatus according to the fourth invention of the present application includes an interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and data signals, and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, and is connected to the PLC modem. A power supply unit that converts power; a modulation circuit that is connected to the power supply unit and the PLC modem and modulates the data signal; a control circuit that is connected to the modulation circuit and the power supply unit; and A connected infrared transmitter; an electronic ballast connected to the PLC modem; and a fluorescent lamp connected to the electronic ballast, wherein the fluorescent lamp transmits the data signal to an external device. The PLC modem includes data signal input means for receiving an input data signal from the outside.

  A lighting apparatus according to the fifth invention of the present application includes an interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and a data signal and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, and is connected to the PLC modem. A power supply unit that converts power, a wireless LAN communication unit that is connected to the power supply unit and the PLC modem and communicates the data signal with an external device via a wireless LAN, and an electronic ballast connected to the PLC modem; A fluorescent lamp connected to the electronic ballast, wherein the PLC modem includes data signal input means for receiving an input data signal from the outside.

  The lighting fixture of the present invention includes, for example, an interface for connecting to a wiring fixture fixed to the ceiling, and a PLC modem capable of transmitting data signals in both directions by superimposing or separating power and signals. ing. As a result, existing wiring fixtures can be used as they are on the equipment side such as buildings where lighting fixtures are installed, and even when newly installed, wiring work is no different from installing normal lighting fixtures. It can be carried out. Further, by using the PLC, it is not necessary to newly lay a network cable or the like, so that a network environment can be easily constructed.

  In addition, lighting fixtures are often placed in places (such as the upper part) where there are relatively few obstacles around the lighting fixtures. By utilizing such a feature, for example, a good communication state with a portable terminal can be obtained. In this case, visible light communication using the light source of the lighting fixture can be performed. Thereby, communication can be performed without attaching a transmission source to the lighting fixture.

  Furthermore, the lighting fixture of this invention has the data signal input (uplink) means which receives the input data from the outside (for example, user side) to the PLC modem separately from the communication apparatus. As a result, the data signal can be uplinked from the user side separately from the terminal device, and communication with the server or the like or control of the light source of illumination can be performed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the lighting fixture corresponding to the input of the data signal from a user side is obtained, utilizing the existing power line equipment effectively.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a lighting apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lighting fixture 11 of this embodiment includes an interface 4 and a PLC modem 5. The interface 4 includes, for example, a rosette type plug or the like that is connected to a wiring device connected to the power line directly or via a general-purpose adapter. The PLC modem 5 superimposes or separates power and data signals and communicates with an external server or the like via the power line 2. Further, the lighting control circuit 13 and the light source 14 are sequentially connected in series to the PLC modem 5, and separately from this, the communication device 12 is connected. Furthermore, the luminaire 11 includes data signal input means corresponding to the input of the data signal 7b from the user side.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. A power + data signal 3 indicating a state in which a data signal transmitted from an external server or the like is superimposed on the power is sent to the PLC modem 5 via the interface 4 connected to the power line 2. The PLC modem 5 separates the power 6 and the data signal 7 and outputs them separately. The electric power is supplied to the lighting control circuit 13 and the light source 14, and the lighting control circuit 13 drives the light source 14. Further, the data signal (and power necessary for driving the communication device 12) is sent to the communication device 12, and output (downlink) from the communication device 12 to an external device (not shown) (7a). In the opposite case, the data signal 7b input (uplink) from the outside is superimposed on the power by the PLC modem 5 and output from the power line 2 to the outside. Here, the data signal 7 b can be configured to be sent to the lighting control circuit 13 via the PLC modem 5.

  In this embodiment, the lighting fixture 11 includes an interface that can be connected to a general-purpose connection fixture, a PLC modem, and a communication device 12. By incorporating these functions, it is possible to easily construct a communication network by effectively utilizing an existing power line network. Further, by uplinking the data signal 7b from the user side and sending it to the lighting control circuit 13 connected to the PLC modem 5, not only communication with the outside via the power line but also the light source 14 via the lighting control circuit 13 is provided. Can also be controlled. The uplink means of the data signal 7b may be wired or wireless. In the case of wireless, it may be, for example, wireless radio waves, voice, ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, or the like.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a lighting fixture according to the second embodiment. The lighting fixture 11 of the present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above in that it has an input / output function of the data signals 7a and 7b, but transmits the data signal 7a to the outside by visible light communication. This is different from the first embodiment. 2 is the same as that of the second embodiment except for the following items, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the luminaire 11 of the present embodiment includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 17 as a light source and a lighting control circuit 13 for driving the LED 17. The modulation circuit 15 is connected to the PLC modem 5 and the lighting control circuit 13. The power supply unit 16 is connected to the PLC modem 5, the modulation circuit 15, and the lighting control circuit 13.

  In FIG. 2, the power + data signal 3 input via the power line 2 is separated by the PLC modem 5. Among these, electric power is supplied to the power supply unit 16 and becomes a power source for driving the lighting control circuit 13, the LED 17, and the modulation circuit 15. The data signal is analog / digital converted by the modulation circuit 15 and then sent to the lighting control circuit 13. The lighting control circuit 13 turns on / off (flashes) the LED 17 at such a high speed that it cannot be identified by human eyes based on the digitally converted data signal. For example, the on / off state of the LED 17 is assigned to the digital signal so that the digital signal is on (lit) when the digital signal is 1 and off (dark) when the digital signal is 0. As the LED 17 blinks, the lighting device 11 transmits a data signal 7a (visible light communication) to an external device (not shown). Contrary to the above, the case where the data signal 7b is uplinked and the signal is output from the lighting fixture 11 to the power line 2 (or the lighting control circuit 13) is the same as in the first embodiment.

  In this embodiment, communication with an external device is performed by turning on / off the LED 17. Thereby, in addition to the original lighting function of a lighting fixture, the lighting fixture 11 which has a communication function by visible light communication can be obtained using LED17 which is a light source of a lighting fixture. Moreover, since the light source of a lighting fixture is utilized for communication, it can communicate without attaching a transmission source newly to a lighting fixture. Visible light communication is one-way communication, but as shown in FIG. 2, bidirectional communication can be performed by separately providing a data signal input means for uplinking the data signal 7b. Further, the LED 17 can be controlled by the data signal 7b as in the first embodiment.

  In addition, in this embodiment mentioned above, although LED is used as a light source, this invention is not limited to this. For example, organic EL (Electroluminescence) or inorganic EL may be used as the light source.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a lighting apparatus according to the third embodiment. The lighting fixture 11 of this embodiment is another example which transmits the data signal 7a outside by visible light communication. 3 is the same as that of the second embodiment except for the following items, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lighting fixture 11 of this embodiment has a fluorescent lamp 19 as a light source. Further, an electronic ballast 18 is provided in a portion corresponding to the lighting control circuit 13 of FIG. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  An example of the operation of transmitting the data signal 7a in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication method using visible light according to the present embodiment. The data signal analog / digital converted in the modulation circuit 15 is sent to the electronic ballast 18. This digital signal corresponds to the transmission data in FIG. In an electronic ballast capable of dimming (adjusting brightness), the lighting frequency also changes when the brightness changes, so that the fluorescent light is lit so that it is lit at a different dimming level corresponding to the digital signal data (0 or 1). The lamp 19 is controlled. As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic ballast 18 changes the dimming level of the fluorescent lamp 19 based on the transmission data (digital signal). Thereby, the lighting fixture 11 can transmit (visible light communication) the data signal 7a as the intensity of light intensity outside. As shown in FIG. 4, since the digital signal data can be expressed by the magnitude of the lighting frequency of the fluorescent lamp 19, the visible light communication can be performed based on the digital signal data with the magnitude of the lighting frequency. The case of the data signal 7b is the same as that in the first or second embodiment described above.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a lighting fixture according to the fourth embodiment. The lighting fixture 11 of this embodiment is an example in which the communication device 12 described in the first embodiment is configured as an infrared communication device. 5 is the same as the first and third embodiments except for the items described below, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the lighting fixture 11 of the present embodiment, an electronic ballast 18 and a fluorescent lamp 19 are connected to the PLC modem 5. This is the same as that of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, but in this embodiment, the third embodiment is that no data signal is input to the electronic ballast 18, that is, no communication is performed by the light source. It is different from the form. Further, a modulation circuit 15, a power supply unit 16, a control circuit 20, and an infrared transmitter 21 are provided as the communication device 12 in FIG. 1 described above. The power supply unit 16 is a power supply device for driving the modulation circuit 15 and the control circuit 20.

  The transmission operation of the data signal 7a in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The data signal separated from the power by the PLC modem 5 is modulated by the modulation circuit 15 and then sent to the control circuit 20. The control circuit 20 drives the infrared transmitter 21 based on this modulation signal. From the infrared transmitter 21, an infrared data signal 7a is transmitted to an external device (not shown). The case of the data signal 7b is the same as in the first to third embodiments described above.

  Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a lighting fixture according to the fifth embodiment. The lighting fixture 11 of this embodiment has a wireless LAN host unit 22 in place of the infrared transmitter 21 and the circuit units (modulation circuit 15 and control circuit 20) related thereto in the lighting fixture 11 of the fourth embodiment. is doing.

  In the present embodiment, a wireless LAN host unit 22 that is a form of a communication device is built in the lighting fixture 11. Thereby, the lighting fixture 11 can transmit / receive the data signal 7 by radio | wireless with an external portable terminal, for example. Currently, various methods are used for the wireless LAN, but an appropriate method can be appropriately selected and used depending on external devices and communication conditions. As in the first to fourth embodiments, the data signal 7b can be input to the PLC modem 5 without using the wireless LAN host unit 22.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the PLC modem 5 is built in the lighting fixture 11, but it is also possible to incorporate a PLC modem in an adapter between the wiring fixture installed on the ceiling and the lighting fixture 11. is there. 7 to 9 are a block diagram, a perspective view, and a sectional view showing an example of the adapter 24 in which the PLC modem 5 is built. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the adapter 24 includes a general-purpose AC connection rosette 9 (hook plug). With this AC connection rosette 9, the adapter 24 is connected to, for example, a wiring device provided on the ceiling. In this way, an adapter with a built-in PLC modem having substantially the same external shape as a conventional general-purpose adapter can be realized. The data signal 7 may be input / output from / to the outside by the wiring device 10, and may be communicated to the outside by the wireless LAN host unit 22 as shown in FIG. 10. Further, as in the above-described embodiments, a data signal input means for inputting the data signal 7b to the PLC modem 5 may be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the lighting fixture which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the lighting fixture which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the lighting fixture which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the communication method by visible light in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the lighting fixture which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the lighting fixture which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the adapter which is a modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows one example of the adapter which is a modification of embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows one example of the adapter which is a modification of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the adapter which is the other modification of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2; power line 3; power + data signal 4; interface 5; PLC modem 6; power 7; data signal 7a; data signal 7b; data signal 8; Communication device 13; lighting control circuit 14; light source 15; modulation circuit 16; power supply unit 17;
18; electronic ballast 19; fluorescent lamp 20; control circuit 21; infrared transmitter 22; wireless LAN host unit 23; external device 24;

Claims (5)

An interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and a data signal and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, and communication of the data signal between the PLC modem and an external device And a lighting control circuit connected to the PLC modem, and a light source connected to the lighting control circuit. The PLC modem receives an input data signal from the outside in addition to the communication means. A luminaire comprising data signal input means for receiving. An interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and data signals and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, a power supply unit that is connected to the PLC modem and converts the power, and A modulation circuit connected to the power supply unit and the PLC modem for modulating the data signal; a lighting control circuit connected to the power supply unit and the modulation circuit; and an LED connected to the lighting control circuit. The LED is a light source for visible light communication for transmitting the data signal to an external device, and the PLC modem includes a data signal input means for receiving an input data signal from the outside. . An interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and data signals and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, a power supply unit that is connected to the PLC modem and converts the power, and A modulation circuit connected to the power supply unit and the PLC modem for modulating the data signal; an electronic ballast connected to the PLC modem and the modulation circuit; and a fluorescent lamp connected to the lighting control circuit. The fluorescent lamp is a light source for visible light communication for transmitting the data signal to an external device, and the PLC modem includes data signal input means for receiving an input data signal from the outside. lighting equipment. An interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and data signals and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, a power supply unit that is connected to the PLC modem and converts the power, and A modulation circuit connected to the power supply unit and the PLC modem for modulating the data signal; a control circuit connected to the modulation circuit and the power supply unit; an infrared transmitter connected to the control circuit; and the PLC An electronic ballast connected to a modem, and a fluorescent lamp connected to the electronic ballast, wherein the fluorescent lamp is a light source for visible light communication for transmitting the data signal to an external device; The PLC modem includes a data signal input means for receiving an input data signal from the outside. An interface for connecting to a power line, a PLC modem that separates or superimposes power and data signals and performs power line carrier communication via the interface, a power supply unit that is connected to the PLC modem and converts the power, and A wireless LAN communication means for communicating the data signal with an external device connected to the power supply unit and the PLC modem via a wireless LAN, an electronic ballast connected to the PLC modem, and a fluorescent lamp connected to the electronic ballast And the PLC modem includes data signal input means for receiving an input data signal from the outside.

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