JP2013191371A - Illumination control device, and illumination control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust an optical output of a lighting system such that brightness of the lighting system does not vary even in the case that a plurality of lighting apparatuses are arranged and that great large excess and deficiency do not occur in brightness of a lighting space.SOLUTION: A plurality of brightness sensors 22 are arranged in a lighting space in which a lighting apparatus 21 is arranged. The brightness sensors 22 detect brightness of a plurality of places of the lighting space. An illumination control device 10 includes an acquisition part 11 for acquiring brightness values reflecting brightness of the lighting space detected by the brightness sensors 22. An operation part 12 of the illumination control device 10 calculates a representative value of a plurality of brightness values acquired from the plurality of brightness sensors 22 at prescribed acquisition timing by the acquisition part 11. A control part 13 instructs the lighting apparatus 21 about a light control value so as to keep the representative value within a target range in the case that the representative value calculated by the operation part 12 deviates from a regulated target range.

Description

  The present invention relates to an illumination control device that controls the light output of an illumination device according to the brightness of an illumination space, and an illumination control system using the illumination control device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided an illumination control device that performs dimming control of an illumination device in accordance with the brightness detected by a brightness sensor attached to a ceiling or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The illuminating device described in Patent Document 1 uses a representative value calculated from illuminance data obtained by detecting the illuminance of a work surface by an illuminance detection unit (corresponding to a brightness sensor) and sampling the detection output of the illuminance detection unit. Part (corresponding to the lighting device) is dimming controlled. That is, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a representative value such as a moving average value or an integral value is calculated from illuminance data that is time-series data of the detection output of the illuminance detection unit, and the calculated representative value is used. The light output of the illumination unit is controlled. With this configuration, in the illumination device described in Patent Document 1, the illumination unit is not controlled following a sudden and instantaneous change in the detection output of the illuminance detection unit, and the light output of the illumination unit flickers. It is suppressed.

JP-A-8-195284

  By the way, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the range of the work surface detected by the illuminance detection unit is limited to a relatively narrow range. In an illumination space such as an office where a large number of lighting devices are installed, the brightness varies depending on the location, and the light output of all the lighting devices in the lighting space is controlled using the brightness detected by one brightness sensor. Then, the illuminance is excessive or insufficient depending on the location of the illumination space. The degree of excess or deficiency of the illuminance depends on the installation location of the brightness sensor. When the installation location of the brightness sensor is not appropriate, the illuminance greatly deviates from an appropriate value depending on the location of the illumination space.

  On the other hand, a technology is also known in which a brightness sensor is provided for each lighting fixture and the light output is controlled for each lighting fixture. However, when the light output of each lighting fixture is controlled, the luminance of the lighting fixture varies from place to place. There is a possibility that the user may feel uncomfortable.

  Even when a plurality of lighting devices are arranged in the lighting space, the present invention prevents the luminance of the lighting device from varying depending on the location by uniformly controlling the lighting device, and further greatly improves the brightness of the lighting space. An object of the present invention is to provide an illumination control device in which the light output of the illumination device is optimized so as not to cause excess or deficiency, and to provide an illumination control system using the illumination control device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the illumination control device according to the present invention reflects the brightness of the illumination space from a plurality of brightness sensors that detect the brightness of a plurality of locations in the illumination space in which the illumination device is disposed. An acquisition unit that acquires a brightness value, a calculation unit that calculates a representative value of a plurality of brightness values acquired from each of the brightness sensors at a predetermined acquisition timing, and the representative value calculated by the calculation unit And a control unit for instructing the lighting device to provide a dimming value so that the representative value falls within the target range when deviating from a predetermined target range.

  In the illumination control apparatus, the acquisition unit acquires a brightness value from the plurality of brightness sensors using the interrupt timing at which an interrupt signal generated by any one of the brightness sensors is received as the acquisition timing. It is preferable that the control unit immediately instructs the lighting device to adjust the dimming value so that the representative value of the brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit at the interrupt timing falls within the target range.

  In this illumination control device, the control unit may determine that the representative value is within the target range when the representative value of the brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit at the interrupt timing is out of a specified limit range. More preferably, the lighting device is immediately instructed with a dimming value so as to be within the range.

  In this illumination control apparatus, it is more preferable that the brightness sensor generates an interrupt signal when the brightness value deviates from a specified limit range.

  In this lighting control device, it is more preferable that only the lower threshold value, which is the lower limit value, is determined for the limit range.

  In the illumination control apparatus, the acquisition unit further includes a function of acquiring a detection output of a human sensor that detects the presence or absence of a person in the illumination space, and the control unit is configured such that the human sensor is a human at the acquisition timing. It is preferable that the lighting device is instructed with a dimming value so that the representative value calculated by the calculation unit falls within the target range.

  In this lighting control device, the acquisition unit uses the basic timing that is a constant time interval and the interrupt timing that has received the interrupt signal generated by the brightness sensor as the acquisition timing to obtain brightness from the brightness sensor. When the control unit changes the dimming value instructed to the lighting device by the brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit at the interrupt timing, the dimming value is at least until the next basic timing. Is preferably maintained.

  In order to achieve the above object, a lighting control system according to the present invention includes a plurality of brightness sensors that detect the brightness of a plurality of locations in the lighting space, and one or more lighting fixtures that illuminate the lighting space. A lighting control device that determines the dimming value of the lighting fixture using the brightness detected by the brightness sensor and instructs the dimming value of the lighting fixture by communication, and the lighting control device includes the lighting control device, An acquisition unit that acquires a brightness value reflecting the brightness of the illumination space from a brightness sensor; and an arithmetic unit that calculates a representative value of a plurality of brightness values acquired from the brightness sensor at a predetermined acquisition timing; A control unit for instructing the lighting device to provide a dimming value so that the representative value falls within the target range when the representative value calculated by the arithmetic unit deviates from a predetermined target range. It is characterized by.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, since the lighting device is uniformly controlled even when a plurality of lighting devices are arranged in the lighting space, the luminance of the lighting device does not vary depending on the location. In addition, the brightness values of a plurality of locations in the illumination space are acquired using a plurality of brightness sensors, and the representative values of the acquired plurality of brightness values are used, and the representative values of the lighting device are within the target range. Since the dimming value is instructed, there is an advantage that the light output of the lighting device is optimized so that the brightness does not greatly increase or decrease depending on the location of the illumination space.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the illumination control system using the same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the process sequence same as the above. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a processing procedure according to the second embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows the illumination control system of Embodiment 3. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example same as the above.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, an illumination space illuminated using a plurality of illumination devices, such as an office or a store, will be described as an example. However, the number of lighting devices may be one. Moreover, in the following description, although the independent lighting fixture is demonstrated as a lighting device, the lighting device does not necessarily need to be provided with the form of the independent fixture.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lighting fixture 21 communicates with the lighting control apparatus 10 through the communication path L1. Therefore, a communication address is set for the lighting fixture 21, and the lighting control device 10 designates the lighting fixture 21 using the address, and transmits a dimming signal to the lighting fixture 21 through the communication path L1. When the lighting fixture 21 receives the dimming signal, it adjusts the light output according to the dimming value included in the dimming signal.

  In the illustrated example, the lighting control device 10 and a plurality of lighting fixtures 21 are connected by a single communication path L1, but the lighting control device 10 can communicate with each lighting fixture 21. In this case, the form of the communication path L1 is not particularly limited. For example, the communication path L1 between the lighting control apparatus 10 and the lighting fixture 21 may be branched into a plurality of systems by a relay device (not shown), and the lighting fixture 21 may be connected to each system. Further, although a wired communication path L1 is assumed, a wireless communication path L1 may be used.

  A plurality of brightness sensors 22 are arranged in the illumination space in which the luminaire 21 is arranged. The brightness sensor 22 is normally disposed on the ceiling, and monitors the illuminance on the desk surface or floor surface with reflected light. However, the brightness sensor 22 may be arranged not only on the ceiling but also on the wall surface. In short, the brightness sensor 22 detects an output corresponding to an incident light beam reflecting the brightness of the illumination space as a brightness value.

  In the illustrated example, the brightness sensor 22 is connected to the lighting control device 10 via a connection line L2 different from the lighting fixture 21, and the lighting control device 10 determines the brightness of the lighting space from the individual brightness sensors 22. Get the reflected brightness value individually. Therefore, the illustrated illumination control device 10 includes one connection line L2 for each brightness sensor 22. However, when communication is performed between the illumination control device 10 and the brightness sensor 22, it is sufficient that there is one or more connection lines L2. In this case, similarly to the lighting fixture 21, an address for communication is set in the brightness sensor 22, and the lighting control device 10 recognizes the brightness sensor 22 individually using the address. The communication path L1 to which the lighting fixture 21 is connected and the connection line L2 to which the brightness sensor 22 is connected may be shared.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the illumination control device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires a brightness value from the brightness sensor 22. The acquisition unit 11 acquires a brightness value at a predetermined acquisition timing for each brightness sensor 22. The acquisition unit 11 acquires a brightness value from the brightness sensor 22 at a basic timing that is a constant time interval of, for example, about 15 s and an interrupt timing when a condition described later is satisfied. That is, the acquisition unit 11 has two types of acquisition timings, namely basic timing and interrupt timing. The lighting control device 10 includes a fixed-cycle timer 14 that measures a fixed cycle in order to determine the basic timing.

  The illumination control device 10 calculates the representative value from a plurality of brightness values acquired at the basic timing for each brightness sensor 22, and gives the lighting fixture 21 using the representative value calculated by the calculation unit 12. And a control unit 13 for instructing a dimming value. As the representative value, an average value or a median value of a plurality of brightness values is mainly used, and a maximum value or a minimum value of the plurality of brightness values is used as a representative value depending on the characteristics or application of the illumination space. In the following, it is assumed that an average value is used as the representative value. The control unit 13 defines a target range for the brightness value, and when the representative value deviates from the target range, instructs the luminaire 21 to adjust the dimming value so that the representative value falls within the target range.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the target range is determined by an allowable upper limit V1 and an allowable lower limit V2 across the target value V0. The target value V0 is determined according to the use of the illumination space, for example, and the upper limit and the lower limit of the change in brightness value with respect to the target value V0 are determined as the allowable upper limit V1 and the allowable lower limit V2. In FIG. 3, the time indicated by “x” is a basic timing, and the calculation unit 12 obtains a representative value from the brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit 11 at this time. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the basic timing corresponds to times t0, t1,.

  In the control unit 13, the representative value (P1 in FIG. 3) calculated by the calculation unit 12 is within the allowable upper limit V1 and the allowable lower limit V2 (the representative value P1 is lower than the allowable upper limit V1 and the allowable lower limit V2). In the period exceeding ()), the dimming value given to the lighting fixture 21 is determined as an appropriate value, and the dimming value at that time is maintained. On the other hand, when the representative value P1 is equal to or higher than the allowable upper limit V1, the dimming value is determined so as to decrease the light output of the lighting fixture 21, and conversely, when the representative value P1 is equal to or lower than the allowable lower limit V2, the lighting fixture 21 is set. The dimming value is determined so as to increase the light output.

  In the example of FIG. 3, since the representative value P1 is equal to or greater than the allowable upper limit V1 at times t1 and t5, the control unit 13 transmits a dimming value that decreases the light output to the lighting fixture 21. Further, since the representative value P1 is equal to or lower than the allowable lower limit V2 at time t2, the control unit 13 transmits a dimming value that increases the light output to the lighting fixture 21. That is, the dimming value update RN transmitted to the lighting fixture 21 is performed at times t1, t2, and t5 that are basic timings.

  The change width of the increase / decrease of the dimming value when performing the dimming value update RN is dynamically determined based on the difference between the representative value obtained by the calculation unit 12 and the allowable upper limit V1 or the allowable lower limit V2, or , Is fixedly set to a constant value. In the case of adopting a configuration in which the change width of the increase / decrease of the dimming value is fixed, it is conceivable that the representative value does not fall within the target range simply by transmitting the dimming value to the lighting fixture 21 once. Accordingly, even in such a case, the change width of the dimming value is sufficiently larger than the difference between the allowable upper limit V1 and the allowable lower limit V2 so that the representative value falls within the target range while the dimming value is transmitted several times. It is necessary to set a small value.

  The operation of the illumination control device 10 is shown in FIG. The illumination control device 10 includes a device that performs the above-described processing by executing a program like a microcomputer. When the operation of the lighting control device 10 is started, the fixed-cycle timer 14 starts measuring time and whenever the fixed-cycle timer 14 times up (S11, S12: yes), the acquisition unit 11 sets the brightness sensor 22 for each brightness sensor 22. A brightness value is acquired (S13).

  The brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit 11 is given to the calculation unit 12, and the calculation unit 12 calculates a representative value (for example, an average value) from the acquired brightness value (S14). When the representative value calculated by the calculation unit 12 is equal to or greater than the allowable upper limit V1 (S15: yes), the control unit 13 decreases the dimming value (S16), and the representative value calculated by the calculation unit 12 is equal to or less than the allowable lower limit V2. If it is (S17: yes), the dimming value is increased (S18). When the representative value falls below the allowable upper limit V1 (S15: no) and the representative value exceeds the allowable lower limit V2 (S17: no), the control unit 13 continues until the acquisition unit 11 acquires the brightness value next time. , Maintain the current dimming value.

  As described above, when the configuration of the present embodiment is adopted, since the dimming value of the lighting fixture 21 is determined using the representative value of the brightness value detected by the plurality of brightness sensors 22, the illumination space can be used by the user. The brightness can be adjusted to be suitable for the user. For example, when the brightness of the lighting space varies from place to place, if control is performed to vary the dimming value of the lighting fixture 21 that illuminates a location with different brightness, the luminance of the lighting fixture 21 varies depending on the location. Discomfort occurs. On the other hand, when the configuration of the present embodiment is adopted, since the dimming value of the lighting fixture 21 is determined using the representative value of the brightness value collected from a relatively wide area of the lighting space, the luminance of the lighting fixture 21 is There is no variation from place to place. In addition, it is not necessary to instruct the dimming value for each lighting fixture 21 while optimizing the light output of the lighting fixture 21 so that the brightness of the lighting space does not become excessive or insufficient. It is.

(Embodiment 2)
In the configuration described in the first embodiment, the control unit 10 acquires the brightness value at each basic timing that is a constant time interval. For this reason, the light output (luminance) of the luminaire 21 cannot follow the change in the brightness of the illumination space earlier than the time interval of the basic timing. That is, when the brightness of the illumination space deviates from the target range, the brightness of the illumination space cannot be converged to the target range unless the time interval of the basic timing is waited at the maximum.

  If the change in the brightness of the lighting space is due to natural light, the brightness will change relatively slowly, so even if the basic timing is set relatively long, the brightness of the lighting space A sense of incongruity with changes is unlikely to occur. However, when the brightness of the lighting space changes suddenly with the opening and closing of the blinds and curtains, the state where the brightness of the lighting space greatly deviates from the target range will continue until the next basic timing. For the person, a sense of incongruity occurs.

  This embodiment demonstrates the technique which changes the light output of the lighting fixture 21 following the rapid change of the brightness of illumination space. The illumination control device 10 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. However, the acquisition unit 11 has a function of receiving an interrupt signal generated by any one of the brightness sensors 22 and acquiring a brightness value from the brightness sensor 22 when the interrupt signal is received. Here, the brightness sensor 22 is associated with the illumination space illuminated by the luminaire 21, and the acquisition unit 11 has a plurality of associations associated with the illumination space to which the brightness sensor 22 that generated the interrupt signal belongs. Brightness values are acquired from the individual brightness sensors 22.

  That is, the same illumination as the brightness sensor 22 that has generated the interrupt signal among the brightness sensors 22 connected to the illumination control device 10 is defined as the interrupt timing when the interrupt signal is received from one brightness sensor 22. Brightness values are acquired from a plurality of brightness sensors 22 corresponding to the space. With this operation, the acquisition unit 11 acquires a brightness value from the brightness sensor 22 using an interrupt timing different from the basic timing as an acquisition timing.

  In short, when an interrupt signal is input from at least one brightness sensor 22, the acquisition unit 11 obtains brightness values from all the brightness sensors 22 arranged in the same illumination space as the brightness sensor 22. Get it. The brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit 11 is input to the calculation unit 12. Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the calculation unit 12 calculates the representative value, and the control unit 13 transmits the dimming value to the lighting fixture 21.

  On the other hand, the brightness sensor 22 has a function of transmitting an interrupt signal to the illumination control device 10 through the connection line L2 when the brightness value has a limit range set and the brightness value deviates from the limit range. Yes. In addition, the brightness sensor 22 returns the brightness value to the illumination control device 10 when the illumination control device 10 requests acquisition of the brightness value after transmitting the interrupt signal to the illumination control device 10.

  FIG. 5A shows the operation of the illumination control device 10, and FIG. 5B shows the operation of the brightness sensor 22. When the operation starts, the lighting control device 10 starts measuring a fixed time by the fixed-cycle timer 14, and whenever the fixed-cycle timer 14 times out (S21, S23: yes), the acquisition unit 11 performs the brightness sensor 22. Each brightness value is acquired (S24). However, if an interrupt signal is input from the brightness sensor 22 while the fixed period timer 14 is measuring the fixed time (S22: yes), the fixed period timer 14 is measuring the fixed time. Even if it exists, the brightness value of the brightness sensor 22 is acquired (S24).

  The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment, and the brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit 11 is given to the calculation unit 12, and the calculation unit 12 calculates a representative value (for example, an average value) from the acquired brightness value. Is calculated (S25). When the representative value calculated by the calculation unit 12 is equal to or greater than the allowable upper limit V1 (S26: yes), the control unit 13 decreases the dimming value (S27), and the representative value calculated by the calculation unit 12 is the allowable lower limit. When it is V2 or less (S28: yes), the dimming value is increased (S29). When the representative value falls below the allowable upper limit V1 (S26: no) and the representative value exceeds the allowable lower limit V2 (S28: no), the control unit 13 determines that the acquisition unit 11 next acquires the brightness value. Maintains the current dimming value.

  On the other hand, the brightness sensor 22 measures brightness (S31), and compares the measured brightness value with an upper threshold and a lower threshold that define a limit range (S32, S33). When the measured brightness value is equal to or higher than the upper threshold value (S32: yes) or lower than the lower threshold value (S33: yes), an interrupt signal is transmitted to the illumination control device 10 (S34). Moreover, if acquisition of a brightness value is requested | required from the illumination control apparatus 10 (S35: yes), brightness will be measured (S36) and the measured brightness value will be transmitted to the illumination control apparatus 10 (S37).

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the lighting control device 10 decreases the dimming value at the basic timing (t1, t2, t3, t4, t5) if the representative value of the brightness value is equal to or greater than the allowable upper limit V1. If the representative value of the brightness value is less than or equal to the allowable lower limit V2, the dimming value is increased. Further, when the brightness value measured by the brightness sensor 22 is equal to or higher than the upper threshold value V3 or lower than the lower threshold value V4, illumination is performed from the brightness sensor 22 at the interrupt timings indicated at times t11, t12, and t13. An interrupt signal is transmitted to the control device 10. That is, the brightness sensor 22 generates an interrupt signal when the measured brightness value deviates from a limit range defined by the upper threshold value V3 that is the upper limit value and the lower threshold value V4 that is the lower limit value. . Therefore, the lighting control device 10 immediately reduces the dimming value if the representative value of the brightness value is equal to or greater than the upper threshold value V3, and the dimming value if the representative value of the brightness value is equal to or less than the lower threshold value V4. Increase immediately.

  In FIG. 6, the vertical axis represents the brightness value measured by one brightness sensor 22 for the interrupt timing, and the representative value of the brightness values measured by the plurality of brightness sensors 22 for the basic timing. is there. Accordingly, the brightness values in the figure are not necessarily continuous, but are schematically illustrated for explaining the operation.

  The lighting control device 10 determines a dimming value that instructs the lighting fixture 21 for the purpose of adjusting the brightness of the lighting space to a target range. Therefore, when the representative value of the brightness value is not less than the upper threshold value V3 or not more than the lower threshold value V4, the method of determining the dimming value instructed to the lighting fixture 21 is that the brightness value is not less than the allowable upper limit V1 or the allowable lower limit V2. This is the same as the method of determining the dimming value in the following cases.

  By the way, the upper threshold value V3 is set higher than the allowable upper limit V1, and the lower threshold value V4 is set lower than the allowable lower limit V2. Therefore, the lighting control device 10 makes the change width of the increase / decrease of the dimming value instructed to the lighting fixture 21 at the interrupt timing larger than the change width of the increase / decrease of the dimming value instructed to the lighting fixture 21 at the basic timing. Is preferred.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in addition to the operation of the first embodiment, the dimming that instructs the lighting fixture 21 when the brightness of the illumination space is equal to or higher than the upper threshold value V3 or lower than the lower threshold value V4. The value is changed immediately. Therefore, even when the brightness of the illumination space changes suddenly with the opening and closing of the blinds and curtains, the light output of the lighting fixture 21 can be changed following the change in brightness. In other words, the control is simplified by determining the dimming value of the lighting device 21 from the representative values of the brightness values obtained from the plurality of brightness sensors 22, and instantly with respect to a sudden change in brightness. Responsiveness is also secured by changing the dimming value. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In the above-described operation example, the limit range is defined by the upper threshold value V3 that is the upper limit value and the lower threshold value V4 that is the lower limit value. Therefore, when the brightness of the illumination space suddenly changes with the opening / closing of a blind or a curtain, the illumination control device 10 can output the light from the luminaire 21 regardless of whether it is brighter or darker. The dimming value is transmitted to the lighting fixture 21 so as to change. Since the basic timing is a fixed time interval, the frequency at which the dimming value is transmitted to the luminaire 21 does not increase no matter how the brightness of the illumination space changes. On the other hand, since the interrupt signal is generated at an arbitrary timing, the frequency of generation of the interrupt signal may be increased.

  When the generation frequency of the interrupt signal increases, the frequency with which the illumination control device 10 acquires the brightness value from the brightness sensor 22 increases, and the frequency with which the dimming value is transmitted to the lighting fixture 21 also increases. As a result, the traffic on the communication path L1 increases and the occupation time of the connection line L2 becomes longer. When such a situation occurs, the time from the generation of the interrupt signal until the light output of the lighting fixture 21 changes becomes longer, and as a result, the responsiveness may be lowered.

  By the way, if the work surface illuminance suddenly decreases, there is a possibility that the work may be hindered due to the adaptation of the eyes. Never come. According to this knowledge, it is considered that the limit range does not hinder the work even if only the lower threshold value V4 is defined without defining the upper threshold value V3.

  Therefore, if the upper threshold value V3 that is the upper limit value is not defined for the limit range but only the lower threshold value V4 that is the lower limit value is defined, the brightness value measured by the brightness sensor 22 becomes lower than the lower threshold value V4. Only in that case, the lighting control device 10 will receive an interrupt signal. Therefore, it is possible to immediately change the light output of the luminaire 21 following a rapid change in brightness without causing a major hindrance to the work performed in the illumination space.

  In short, when the brightness of the illumination space suddenly decreases, the light output of the illumination device 21 is immediately increased to ensure the brightness, and when the brightness of the illumination space suddenly increases, the light of the illumination device 21 is increased. A configuration is adopted in which the output is updated at the next acquisition timing. With this operation, the frequency with which the lighting control device 10 accesses the brightness sensor 22 is reduced and the frequency with which the lighting control device 10 transmits the dimming value to the lighting fixture 21 is also reduced as compared with the configuration described above. That is, it becomes possible to improve the responsiveness to a rapid change in brightness in the illumination space as compared to the above operation example. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the above-described configuration example.

  By the way, since the brightness sensor 22 generates an interrupt signal when the brightness value deviates from the limit range, the brightness sensor 22 includes a comparison circuit (not shown) that compares the brightness value with the limit range. The comparison circuit is preferably configured to compare the brightness value with both the upper threshold value V3 and the lower threshold value V4.

  However, when the configuration in which the illumination control apparatus 10 receives an interrupt signal only when the lower threshold value V4 is equal to or lower than the lower threshold value V4, the brightness sensor 22 is configured to compare the brightness value with only the lower threshold value V4. Also good. When this configuration is adopted, the brightness sensor 22 only needs to include a comparison circuit that compares the brightness value only with the lower threshold value V4, and thus compares the brightness value with the upper threshold value V3 and the lower threshold value V4. Compared to the configuration, the configuration is simple. Further, since the frequency of occurrence of an interrupt signal in the brightness sensor 22 is reduced as compared with the configuration in which the brightness value is compared with the upper threshold value V3 and the lower threshold value V4, the illumination control device 10 and the brightness sensor are consequently obtained. The frequency of information transmission with the terminal 22 is also reduced. Further, in this configuration, since the brightness sensor determines the relationship between the brightness value and the limit range, the processing load on the illumination control device 10 is reduced.

  On the other hand, when the brightness value becomes equal to or lower than the lower threshold value V4, the light control value is instructed to the lighting fixture 21, and the brightness sensor 22 sets the brightness value to both the upper threshold value V3 and the lower threshold value V4. The comparison circuit is provided in the lighting control device 10 when the interrupt signal is generated by comparison. That is, when the illumination control apparatus 10 receives an interrupt signal from the brightness sensor 22, the illumination control apparatus 10 acquires a brightness value from the corresponding brightness sensor 22, and compares the brightness value with the lower threshold value V4. When the illumination control device 10 is provided with a comparison circuit, an operation for comparing the brightness value with both the upper threshold value V3 and the lower threshold value V4 and an operation for comparing the brightness value only with the lower threshold value V4 are mixed. Even when the brightness sensor 22 is, a common configuration can be used. That is, two types of operations can be handled using one type of brightness sensor 22.

  When the configuration of the present embodiment is adopted, the amount of information transmitted through the connection line L2 between the lighting control device 10 and the brightness sensor 22 is reduced, so that the transmission amount of information permitted to the connection line L2 is the same. Even so, the number of brightness sensors 22 can be increased. That is, it is possible to increase the number of brightness sensors 22 managed by the illumination control device 10 and construct a large-scale system.

  By the way, in the configuration in which the lighting control device 10 instructs the dimming value to the lighting fixture 21 when the lighting control device 10 receives the interrupt signal from the brightness sensor 22 as in the configuration described above, the splits generated by the plurality of brightness sensors 22 are provided. May be input to the lighting control device 10 one after another within a short time. In this case, if the brightness value is acquired from the brightness sensor 22 for each input of the interrupt signal and the dimming value is determined, there is a possibility of instructing the lighting fixture 21 to have a different dimming value for each input time of the interrupt signal. Occurs. That is, the dimming values are sequentially instructed to the lighting fixtures 21 within a relatively short time, and the light output of the lighting fixtures 21 may not reach a desired value, and overshoot or undershoot may occur. .

  In order to prevent such an event, when the acquisition unit 11 receives an interrupt signal and the control unit 13 instructs the lighting fixture 21 to provide a dimming value, the control unit 13 controls the dimming value at least until the next basic timing. Is preferably maintained. In other words, when the lighting control device 10 changes the dimming value instructed to the lighting fixture 21 at the interrupt timing, at least until the next basic timing, the lighting control device 10 does not respond to other interrupt signals, and changes the dimming value. Configured to maintain.

  By adopting this configuration, even if an interrupt signal is generated from a plurality of brightness sensors 22 during a period between adjacent basic timings, the illumination control device 10 accepts only the interrupt signal generated first. It will be. As a result, the lighting control device 10 does not update the light output of the lighting fixture 21 within a short time, the light output of the lighting fixture 21 is kept stable, and overshooting or undershooting is prevented. .

(Embodiment 3)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a human sensor 23 connected to the illumination control device 10 via a connection line L3 is added. The human sensor 23 only needs to be able to detect the presence or absence of a person in the illumination space. For example, the human sensor 23 is configured to detect heat rays emitted from the human body using a pyroelectric infrared sensor. Here, the connection line L3 connecting the human sensor 23 to the illumination control device 10 can be shared with the connection line L2 connecting the brightness sensor 22. For example, when information is transmitted using the communication technology between the brightness sensor 22 and the human sensor 23 and the illumination control device 10, the acquisition unit 11 of the illumination control device 10 has one connection line L2 (L3). It is possible to acquire information from a plurality of brightness sensors 22 and human sensors 23 using the.

  In the illumination control device 10, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the presence / absence state of the person by the human sensor 23 as the detection output of the human sensor 23, and the control unit 13 detects that the human sensor 23 is a person in the illumination space at the acquisition timing. Only when the presence of the image is detected, the same operation as in the first or second embodiment is performed. As in the second embodiment, when the representative value of the brightness value acquired at the basic timing is out of the target range, the brightness value is set at the interrupt timing because the brightness value is out of the limit range. The case where the dimming value is instruct | indicated to the lighting fixture 21 in the case where it acquires is assumed.

  In the present embodiment, the lighting control device 10 acquires the presence / absence detection result from the human sensor 23 at the basic timing and the interrupt timing. Here, when the human sensor 23 does not detect the presence of a person in the illumination space, that is, when there is no person in the illumination space, the acquisition unit 11 does not acquire the brightness value from the brightness sensor 22, The dimming value of the lighting fixture 21 is maintained without being changed. On the other hand, when the human sensor 23 detects the presence of a person in the illumination space, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the brightness value from the brightness sensor 22, and the control unit 13 sets the brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit 11. The lighting fixture 21 is instructed with the dimming value determined based on it.

  The above-described operation determines whether or not to acquire the brightness value from the brightness sensor 22 according to the presence or absence of a person in the illumination space for both the basic timing and the interrupt timing. On the other hand, an operation may be employed in which the brightness value is acquired for the basic timing regardless of the presence or absence of a person, and the brightness value is acquired only for the interrupt timing when there is a person. Further, with respect to the interrupt timing, an operation of acquiring the brightness value may be employed only when the brightness value is equal to or lower than the lower threshold value V4 even if a person exists.

  FIG. 8 shows an operation example according to this embodiment. In the operation shown in FIG. 8, the limit range is determined in addition to the target range in the same manner as in the second embodiment. The upper limit is the upper limit of the target range, the allowable lower limit V2 is the lower limit of the target range, and the upper limit of the limit range. A certain upper threshold value V3 and a lower threshold value V4 that is the lower limit of the limit range are defined. FIG. 8 shows the detection result of the presence or absence of a person in the illumination space by the human sensor 23.

  The illustrated example applies to all three types of operations described above. That is, an operation for instructing a dimming value at both the basic timing and the interrupt timing, an operation for instructing a dimming value at the interrupt timing, and a dimming value only when the brightness is equal to or lower than the lower threshold V4 at the interrupt timing Any of the operations for instructing the operation is performed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the center in the left-right direction is the human existence period Te, and both sides in the left-right direction are the human absence period Ta.

  In the illustrated example, the absence period Ta includes a period during which the brightness value is equal to or higher than the upper threshold value V3 or a period during which the brightness value is equal to or lower than the lower threshold value V4. However, during these periods, it is determined that there is no person in the lighting space and it is not necessary to adjust the brightness. On the other hand, in the existence period Te, there is a period in which the representative value of the brightness value is greater than or equal to the allowable upper limit V1 at time t3, which is the basic timing. Therefore, the dimming value update RN instructed to the lighting fixture 21 is updated at time t3. Is going. In addition, since there is a period in which the brightness value is equal to or lower than the lower threshold value V4 in the existence period Te, the dimming value update RN instructing the lighting fixture 21 is performed at time t14.

  As described above, the present embodiment detects the presence or absence of a person in the illumination space by the human sensor 23, and if the person is absent, does not instruct the dimming value to the lighting fixture 21 or at a basic timing. Only the dimming value is instructed to the lighting fixture 21. Therefore, the frequency with which the illumination control device 10 requests a brightness value from the brightness sensor 22 is reduced, and the frequency with which the illumination control device 10 instructs the lighting fixture 21 to provide a dimming value is reduced. For this reason, the frequency of changing the light output of the lighting device 21 is lower than when the human sensor 23 is not used. That is, useless control for changing the light output of the lighting fixture 21 when a person is absent in the lighting space is reduced. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration in which the lighting control device 10 is physically separated from the lighting fixture 21, the brightness sensor 22, and the human sensor 23 has been described. However, the lighting control device 10 may be physically coupled to any one of the lighting fixture 21, the brightness sensor 22, and the human sensor 23. For example, any of the plurality of brightness sensors 22 and the illumination control device 10 may share a case.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Lighting control apparatus 11 Acquisition part 12 Calculation part 13 Control part 14 Fixed period timer 21 Lighting fixture (illuminating device)
22 Brightness sensor 23 Human sensor

Claims (8)

An acquisition unit that acquires brightness values reflecting the brightness of the illumination space from a plurality of brightness sensors that detect the brightness of a plurality of locations in the illumination space in which the illumination device is disposed;
A calculation unit that calculates a representative value of a plurality of brightness values acquired at a predetermined acquisition timing from each of the brightness sensors;
A control unit that instructs the lighting device to provide a dimming value so that the representative value falls within the target range when the representative value calculated by the arithmetic unit deviates from a predetermined target range. A lighting control device. The acquisition unit acquires a brightness value from the plurality of brightness sensors, using the interrupt timing at which the interrupt signal generated by any of the brightness sensors is received as the acquisition timing,
The said control part instruct | indicates a light control value to the said illuminating device immediately so that the said representative value of the brightness value which the said acquisition part acquired at the said interrupt timing may be settled in the said target range. The lighting control apparatus according to 1. The controller is configured so that the representative value falls within the target range when the representative value of the brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit at the interrupt timing deviates from a specified limit range. The lighting control device according to claim 2, wherein a dimming value is instructed immediately. The lighting control device according to claim 2, wherein the brightness sensor generates an interrupt signal when a brightness value deviates from a specified limit range. The lighting control device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein only a lower threshold that is a lower limit is defined for the limit range. The acquisition unit further includes a function of acquiring a detection output of a human sensor that detects presence or absence of a person in the illumination space,
When the human sensor detects the presence of a person at the acquisition timing, the control unit sets a dimming value to the lighting device so that the representative value calculated by the calculation unit is within the target range. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting control device is an instruction. The acquisition unit acquires a brightness value from the brightness sensor using the basic timing that is a constant time interval and the interrupt timing that received the interrupt signal generated by the brightness sensor as the acquisition timing,
The control unit maintains the dimming value at least until the next basic timing when the dimming value instructed to the lighting device is changed by the brightness value acquired by the acquisition unit at the interrupt timing. The illumination control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A plurality of brightness sensors for detecting the brightness of a plurality of locations in the illumination space;
One or more lighting fixtures for illuminating the lighting space;
A lighting control device that determines a dimming value of the lighting fixture using the brightness detected by the brightness sensor, and indicates the dimming value of the lighting fixture by communication;
The lighting control device includes:
An acquisition unit for acquiring a brightness value reflecting the brightness of the illumination space from the brightness sensor;
A calculation unit for calculating a representative value of a plurality of brightness values acquired at a predetermined acquisition timing from the brightness sensor;
A control unit that instructs the lighting fixture to provide a dimming value so that the representative value falls within the target range when the representative value calculated by the arithmetic unit deviates from a predetermined target range. Characteristic lighting control system.

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