JP2011003408A - Dimmer and illumination system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dimmer that can be constructed in space-saving and is inexpensive, and an illumination system.SOLUTION: The dimmer 1 includes: a dimming substrate 30 including a signal output circuit (dimming circuit) that outputs a dimmer signal S to regulate a dimming level of the illumination device 2: a power source substrate 20 including a power supply conversion circuit (power source circuit) that converts commercial power source AC into operating voltage of the dimming substrate 30: a case 10 to house each substrate in a state that the power source substrate 20 and the dimmer substrate 30 are interposed on each other; and a connection cable 41 to connect the power source substrate 20 and the dimming substrate 30. The dimming substrate 30 has a connecting connector 31 in which a connector 42 installed on one end side of the connecting cable 41 is inserted from the parallel direction with a surface of the dimming substrate 30 and is connected, while the power source substrate 20 has a connecting connector 21 in which a connector on the other end side of the connecting cable 41 is inserted from the perpendicular direction against the surface of the dimming substrate 30 and connected.

Description

  The present invention relates to a dimmer that outputs a dimming signal for controlling the dimming level of a lighting fixture, and an illumination system using the dimmer.

  This type of dimmer is connected to a lighting fixture that uses LEDs (light emitting diodes) or discharge lamps as a light source, and outputs a dimming signal to the lighting fixture in response to a user's operation. There is a dimmer that changes the above (for example, Patent Document 1).

  The dimmer described in Patent Document 1 is attached to a mounting frame for a wiring device (for example, a mounting frame of a large-angle continuous wiring device standardized by JIS), and the rear part of the main body of the dimmer is embedded in the wall surface. Stored in the switch box. This dimmer includes a switching element such as a triac on a power supply path from a commercial power source to a lighting fixture, and a variable resistor operated by operating a dimming handle, and according to the resistance value of the variable resistor The power supplied to the luminaire is controlled by phase control in which the switching element is turned on and off by the phase and the zero cross point. That is, the user operates the dimming handle attached to the surface of the dimmer to change the dimming level of the lighting device.

  On the other hand, there is also a dimmer that adjusts the dimming level of the luminaire by providing a control circuit for adjusting the dimming level of the fluorescent lamp in the luminaire body and outputting a pulse width modulation signal via a signal line. This type of dimmer converts a weak electric circuit such as a control circuit for outputting a dimming signal according to a user's operation, and a weak electric circuit for operating the low electric circuit from a high electric power supplied from a commercial power source. And a strong electric circuit such as a power conversion circuit.

JP 2007-294269 A

  By the way, this type of dimmer is required to be miniaturized in order to improve the usability by reducing the occupied area when installed on the wall surface.

  However, when a weak electric circuit such as a signal output circuit and a high electric circuit such as a power converter circuit are configured on a single printed circuit board, the noise of the high electric circuit may affect the operation of the weak electric circuit. Therefore, it is necessary to dispose the weak electric circuit and the high electric circuit apart from each other, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the entire dimmer.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive dimmer and illumination system that can be installed in a small space.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dimming operation means for adjusting the dimming level of the lighting device, and a dimming control for controlling the dimming level according to the operation of the dimming operation means. A weak electric wiring board on which a weak electric circuit component including a dimming circuit that outputs a control signal is mounted, and a high electric wiring board on which a high electric circuit component including a power supply circuit that converts a commercial power source into a weak electric power for operation of the weak electric circuit is mounted A connection cable for electrically connecting the low-power wiring board and the high-power wiring board, and a case for storing the wiring board and the connection cable in a state where the wiring boards are arranged in an overlapping manner, The weak electrical wiring board is provided with an electric wire connecting portion in which one end side of the connection cable is inserted and connected from a direction parallel to the surface of the board, and the other end side of the connection cable is provided on the strong electrical wiring board. Wherein the wire connecting portion to be plugged from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate is arranged.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the connection cable is covered with an insulating jacket.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first and second aspects, each wiring board is arranged such that a connection cable is wired along a direction in which the wiring board is assembled into the case. A power supply connection portion is disposed in the main body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, each of the wiring boards is provided with a notch for passing the connection cable in an outer edge portion. To do.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, an insulating sheet is disposed between the weak electric wiring board and the high electric wiring board.

  The invention of claim 6 is characterized by comprising a lighting fixture that performs dimming control of a light source in accordance with the dimming signal, and a dimmer according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the low-power circuit that handles the low-power such as the dimming signal and the high-power circuit that handles the high-power such as the commercial power supply are configured on different wiring boards. The influence on the dimming signal due to noise can be reduced, and a small and inexpensive dimmer can be provided by overlapping in the front-rear direction.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the connection cable is covered with the insulating jacket, the coating of the connection cable is prevented from being damaged by rubbing with the end surface of the substrate, and the connection cable is separated and wired. It is possible to prevent the connection cable from being bitten when the board is incorporated into the case.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the connection cable is wired along the assembling direction of each wiring board, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the connecting cable bites when the wiring board is incorporated into the case.

  According to the invention of claim 4, by passing the connection cable through the notch portion provided in each wiring board, the connection cable bites between each wiring board and the inner surface of the case when the wiring board is assembled into the case. This can be further prevented.

  According to the invention of claim 5, by providing an insulating sheet between the weak electric wiring board and the strong electric wiring board, the insulation between the wiring boards can be improved, and the interval between the weak electric wiring board and the high electric wiring board can be reduced. Further downsizing can be performed.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the area occupied by the dimmer when installed on the wall surface can be reduced, and an inexpensive illumination system can be provided.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the light modulator concerning embodiment of this invention. The light control device and switch concerning the embodiment are shown, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a side view. (A) (b) is sectional drawing which shows the light control device concerning the embodiment. It is a schematic circuit diagram which shows the wiring system concerning the embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the upper and lower sides in FIG. 2A are assumed to be the upper and lower sides of the dimmer 1, and the left and right sides in FIG.

  The wiring system according to the present embodiment is supplied with power from a commercial power supply AC as shown in FIG. 4, and a lighting fixture 2 that supplies lighting power to a light source such as a fluorescent lamp, and a dimming level via a signal line L1. A dimmer 1 that outputs a dimming signal S for controlling the lighting fixture 2 to the lighting fixture 2 and a switch 3 that is connected in series with the commercial power source AC and the lighting fixture 2 and switches the lighting fixture 2 on and off.

  The dimmer 1 is connected to the power line L3 to which the power line L3 that connects the lighting fixture 2 and the switch 3 is connected, and to the power line L2a that connects the lighting fixture 2 and the commercial power source AC. A power feeding path is formed together with the line L2c. Thus, when the user turns on / off the switch 3, the power to the lighting fixture 2 is turned on / off and the power to the dimmer 1 is turned on / off.

  The luminaire 2 receives, for example, a dimming signal S that is a pulse signal from the dimmer 1, and controls the dimming level of the light source based on a duty ratio that is a ratio of an on / off period of the dimming signal S. ing. Here, the dimming signal S is a pulse signal having an amplitude of +12 V, and the frequency is set to 1 kHz. A control circuit (not shown) built in the lighting fixture 2 maximizes the dimming level when the on-duty (ratio of the on period to the cycle) of the dimming signal S is 0%, and dimming When the on-duty of the signal S is 100%, the light control level is set to the minimum. The above setting is not limited to the dimming level based on the amplitude, frequency, and duty ratio of the dimming signal S, and may be set to an appropriate value according to the usage pattern. Further, the control of the light control level by the pulse width modulation as described above is not limited, and the light control level may be controlled by other modulation methods such as frequency modulation.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, the case 10 of the dimmer 1 is formed to have a size substantially equal to a mounting frame (JIS C 8375) for a large-angle continuous wiring apparatus standardized by JIS. The mounting frame 4 is formed to have two unit dimensions (two module dimensions) that can be attached to the mounting frame 4, and the mounting claw 12 c provided on the side surface of the case 10 has the mounting frame 4. It is fixed by engaging with the instrument mounting hole 4b. Further, the switch 3 is formed in one module size, and is arranged below the dimmer 1 in parallel. The mounting frame 4 is screwed to a switch box (not shown) embedded in the wall by a fixing screw (not shown) inserted through the mounting hole 4 a of the mounting frame 4, and the dimmer 1 and the switch 3. Is embedded in the wall surface. Since the switch 3, the mounting frame 4, and the switch box are well-known techniques, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The case 10 includes a body 11 formed in a substantially box shape whose front surface is opened by a synthetic resin, and a cover 12 formed in a substantially box shape whose rear surface is opened by a synthetic resin, which is attached to the opening of the body 11. The decorative panel 13 that is attached to the cover 12 so as to cover the front surface of the cover 12, and the handle insertion hole 13 a provided in the approximate center of the decorative panel 13, are attached to the variable resistor 33 described later. A dimming knob 14 to be worn is attached. Further, inside the case 10, the power supply terminal block 23 to which the power supply lines L <b> 2 a and L <b> 3 are connected is mounted on the rear surface, the insulating sheet 40 made of an insulating material, and the connection cable 41. The dimming substrate 30 electrically connected to the power supply substrate 20 is housed and arranged side by side so as to overlap each other in the front-rear direction.

  A plurality of circuit components including a connection connector 31 into which a connector 42 provided on one end side of the connection cable 41 is plugged in and a rotary variable resistor 33 are mounted on the front side of the light control substrate 30. A plurality of circuit components including a signal line terminal block 32 to which the signal line L1 is connected are mounted on the rear surface side of the light control substrate 30. These multiple circuit components constitute a signal output circuit that uses the power supplied through the connection connector 31 as operating power and outputs the dimming signal S to the signal line L1 in accordance with the resistance value of the variable resistor 33. Yes.

  The connection connector 31 is configured so that the connector 42 can be plugged in from a direction parallel to the surface of the light control substrate 30 (a direction from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. It is arranged. In addition, a cable notch 30 a whose vertical width is set to be substantially equal to the thickness of the connection cable 41 is provided at the lower end side of the light control board 30 and below the connection connector 31. It has been.

  On the rear surface side of the power supply substrate 20, a plurality of connectors including a connection connector 21 to which a connector 42 provided on the other end side of the connection cable 41 is connected and a power supply terminal block 22 to which the power supply lines L <b> 2 a and L <b> 3 are connected. Circuit parts are mounted. A plurality of circuit components having a small thickness such as chip diodes are mounted on the front side of the power supply substrate 20. These circuit components constitute a power conversion circuit that steps down the power supplied from the commercial power supply AC to the operating power of the dimming board 30 and stabilizes it, and outputs it to the dimming board 30 via the connection connector 21. ing.

  The connection connector 21 is arranged so that the connector 42 can be inserted and connected from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the power supply substrate 20 (a direction parallel to the assembly direction to the case 10) (see FIG. 3A). reference). Further, on the lower end side of the power supply substrate 20, a cable cutout 20 a is provided at a position overlapping with the cable cutout 30 a provided on the lower end side of the dimming substrate 30 in the mounting direction in the case 10. Further, the power supply substrate 20 has a terminal for passing the signal line terminal block 32 through a portion facing the signal line terminal block 32 when the power supply substrate 20 and the light control substrate 30 are arranged to overlap each other. A notch 20b is provided. In the present embodiment, the terminal notch 20b and the signal line terminal block 32 are provided at the upper left end, and the power terminal block 22 is provided at the lower right end.

  The insulating sheet 40 is made of, for example, an insulating synthetic resin, and is formed with side pieces 40c that protrude rearward from one side in the left-right direction. Further, notches 40a and 40b are provided at substantially the same positions as the notches 20a and 20b provided on the power supply substrate 20, respectively.

  The connection cable 41 is composed of a plurality of electric wires, and is provided with the connectors 42 and 42 at both ends as described above, and is made of an insulating material, and is covered with a tube-shaped outer sheath 42 so as to bundle the plurality of electric wires. Yes. In addition, although the connectors 42 and 42 are provided in the both ends of the connection cable and connected with the connection connectors 21 and 31, they may be connected using terminals such as crimp terminals.

  When assembling the dimmer 1, first, the power supply substrate 20, the insulating sheet 40, and the dimming substrate 30 are overlapped, and the connectors 42 and 42 are connected to the connection connectors 21 and 31, respectively. At this time, the connection cable 41 is wired along the cable cutouts 20a, 30a, and 40a. Next, the power supply terminal block 22 of the power supply substrate 20 is positioned in the terminal opening 11 c provided on the back surface of the body 11, and the signal line terminal block 32 of the light control substrate 30 is provided on the back surface of the body 11. The power supply substrate 20, the insulating sheet 40, and the light control substrate 30 are accommodated from the front surface of the body 11 so as to be positioned in the opening 11 b for use. Accordingly, the connection cable 41 is accommodated in a space formed by the inner wall of the body 11 and the cable cutouts 20a, 30a, and 40a, and is wired along the inner wall surface of the body 11 (see FIG. 3B). .

  Then, the cover 12 is put on the front opening of the body 11 so that the protruding portion of the variable resistor 33 is passed through the through hole 12b provided in the cover 12, and the mounting claw 12a of the cover 12 and the mounting claw 11a of the body 11 And the cover 11 is held by the body 11. Further, the decorative panel 13 is attached from the front surface of the cover 12, and the dimming knob 14 is attached to the variable resistor 33 through the handle insertion hole 13 a of the panel 13. Thereby, the variable resistor 33 can be operated by operating the dimming knob 14.

  In this way, the power supply substrate 20 that constitutes the high-power circuit including the power supply circuit and the dimming substrate 30 that constitutes the low-power circuit including the dimming circuit are separated, and the power supply substrate 20 and the dimming substrate 30 are separated. The dimmer 1 is assembled by storing in the body 11 in a state of being stacked.

  Here, since the power supply terminals L2a and L3 are directly connected to the power supply terminal block 22 of the power supply substrate 20, the stress at the connection portion is required to have sufficient strength to withstand the construction, and the power supply line L2a. Since the covering strip needs to have a predetermined length so that L3 is not easily detached, the power terminal block 22 is formed to have a predetermined height. In addition, since many circuit components such as a smoothing capacitor constituting the high-power circuit are tall and are mounted on the rear surface of the power supply substrate 20 together with the power supply terminal block 22, the height dimension of the power supply substrate 20 is increased. . Furthermore, when the height dimension of the power supply substrate 20 is increased, the height dimension of the light control substrate 30 needs to be decreased.

  Therefore, the connection connector 31 of the light control board 30 is installed so that the connector 42 is inserted and connected in a direction parallel to the surface of the light control board 30. The thickness can be reduced, and the length of the entire dimmer 1 in the front-rear direction can be shortened. Further, the connection connector 21 of the power supply board 20 is installed so that the connector 42 is inserted and connected from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the power supply board 20, and the area in the vertical and horizontal directions on the rear surface side of the power supply board 20. The power supply substrate 20 can be made small.

  In this manner, the size of each of the substrates 20 and 30 can be formed in a smaller shape as compared with the case where the high electric circuit and the low electric circuit are configured on a single wiring substrate, and each of the substrates 20 and 30 can be formed. Can be housed inside the case 10 in a stacked state, the size of the dimmer 1 can be reduced, and an illumination system with a reduced construction area on a wall surface or the like can be provided. Further, by disposing the insulating sheet 40 between the power supply substrate 20 and the dimming substrate 30, the interval between the power supply substrate 20 and the dimming substrate 30 can be reduced, and a smaller dimming can be achieved. The device 1 is realized.

  At the time of assembling the dimmer 1, the connection connectors 21 and 31 are arranged on the respective boards 20 and 30 so that the connection cable 41 is wired along the direction in which the connection cable 41 is assembled into the case 10. However, the possibility of biting into the case 10 is reduced.

  Since the connection cable 40 is wired so as to fit in the space formed by the cable cutouts 20a, 30a, 40a, the connection cable 40 does not bite into the gaps between the boards 20, 30 and the body 11, and each board 20, 30 can be easily accommodated in the body 11. Furthermore, since the connection cable 40 is covered with the jacket 42, even when the connection cable 40 is caught in the gap between the boards 20 and 30 and the body 11, the connection cable 40 can be prevented from being disconnected.

  In this embodiment, the rotary variable resistor 33 and the dimming handle 14 are used as the dimming operation means. However, a method of changing the resistance value by using a slide type variable resistor, tact A method using a switch such as a switch, or a method in which a light receiving unit is provided in the dimmer 1 and can be operated from the outside by an infrared remote controller or the like may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dimmer 2 Illumination device 3 Switch 10 Case 20 Power supply board (high-power wiring board)
21 Connector (wire connection part)
22 Power supply terminal block 30 Light control board (weak electrical wiring board)
31 Connector (wire connection part)
32 Signal line terminal block 33 Variable resistor (dimming control means)
40 Insulation sheet 41 Connection cable

Claims (6)

A dimming circuit component including a dimming operation means for adjusting the dimming level of the lighting device and a dimming circuit that outputs a dimming control signal for controlling the dimming level according to the operation of the dimming operation means is mounted. A low-power wiring board, a high-power wiring board on which a high-power circuit component including a power supply circuit that converts a commercial power source into a low-power for operation of the low-power circuit is mounted, and the low-power wiring board and the high-power wiring board electrically A connection cable to be connected; and a case for storing each of the wiring boards and the connection cable in a state where the wiring boards are arranged in an overlapping manner,
The weak electrical wiring board is provided with an electric wire connecting portion in which one end side of the connection cable is inserted and connected from a direction parallel to the surface of the board, and the other end side of the connection cable is provided on the strong electrical wiring board. A dimmer characterized in that an electric wire connecting portion inserted and connected from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate is arranged.   The dimmer according to claim 1, wherein the connection cable is covered with an insulating jacket.   3. The power supply connection portion is disposed on each wiring board so that a connection cable is routed along a direction in which the wiring board is assembled into the case. A dimmer according to one item.   The dimmer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the wiring boards is provided with a notch for passing the connection cable in an outer edge portion.   The light control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an insulating sheet is disposed between the weak electric wiring board and the high electric wiring board.   An illumination system comprising: a lighting fixture that performs dimming control of a light source according to the dimming signal; and a dimmer according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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