JP3985838B2 - Wiring system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention enables power supply from the basic module to the functional module through both the power line and the information line between the basic module and the plurality of functional modules connected via the power line and the information line wired in advance. And a wiring system for performing communication between a basic module and a functional module through an information line.

Conventionally, a central monitoring device and a plurality of terminals are connected via a signal line, and a transmission signal composed of a multipolar baseband signal is transmitted from the central monitoring device to the terminal using the signal line as a transmission line. Remote monitoring and control by associating terminals connected to switches and sensors with terminals connected to loads by transmitting using time division multiplex transmission method, and operating loads in response to switch and sensor operations A system is provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this remote monitoring control system, each terminal device is configured to communicate with the central monitoring device using a transmission signal, and to use the power of the transmission signal as a power source for the internal circuit of the terminal device. .
Japanese Patent No. 3136006

  As described above, in the remote monitoring and control system described in Patent Document 1, if the central monitoring device and the terminal are connected via a signal line, the transmission signal transmitted through the signal line causes an internal circuit of the terminal. Electric power can be supplied. However, since electric power is supplied to each terminal through a signal line in the form of a transmission signal with two poles, each terminal uses a power circuit to rectify and stabilize the transmission signal to generate a power supply for the internal circuit. I have. Each power supply circuit supplies power only to the internal circuit of each terminal, and if the power consumption suddenly increases in any terminal (that is, the impedance between the parts connected to the signal line in the terminal) If the power is being supplied in the form of a transmission signal by the central monitoring device, the line voltage of the signal line is lowered, and the power supplied to each terminal may be insufficient.

  In addition, as described above, each terminal device has a power supply circuit. Therefore, power loss occurs in each terminal device to supply power, and power increases as the number of terminals increases. Loss cannot be ignored.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned reasons, and its purpose is to prevent power supply from being deficient by supplying power to a functional module in two systems, and to To provide a wiring system in which a power supply circuit is required and the other system is a system that does not require a power supply circuit, and the power supply circuit is stopped during a period of low power consumption to reduce loss in the power supply circuit. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the power line and the information line wired in advance are connected to the basic module, and the plurality of functional modules are connected to the power line and the information line, respectively. It is a wiring system in which power can be supplied to each functional module through both, and communication is performed through the information line between the basic module and each functional module, and the basic module supplies DC power to the functional module through the information line. The function module is equipped with a main power supply circuit, and the functional module is charged by a direct current supplied from the main power supply circuit through the information line and a sub power supply circuit that supplies power to the internal circuit using the power supplied through the power line, and the internal circuit A charge storage unit that supplies power and a power that instructs the sub power circuit to start and stop by a signal notified from the information line Acquiring a control circuit, and a current monitoring unit for monitoring the current flowing into the internal circuit, further, the basic module, the current value detected by the current monitoring unit of each functional module by communicating with the functional module A monitoring unit that performs an instruction to stop the sub power supply circuit to the power supply control circuit when the current value acquired from the current monitoring unit is equal to or less than a specified value that can be satisfied by the charge from the charge storage unit. Features.

  According to this configuration, since it is possible to supply power to the functional module through both the power line and the information line, it is possible to supply relatively large power through the power line. Even if the consumption increases or changes, it is possible to prevent the supply power from being insufficient. Moreover, since the DC power generated by the main power supply circuit provided in the basic module is supplied to each functional module through the information line, the functional module does not need a power supply circuit for the power supplied through the information line. It is possible to supply power to the functional module in two systems simply by providing a secondary power supply circuit for the power of the power supply, and supply relatively large power to the functional module using a small-capacity secondary power supply circuit. Can do. That is, it is possible to reduce the size of the components of the sub power supply circuit, leading to a reduction in the size of the functional module. Furthermore, since the current supplied to the internal circuit of the functional module is monitored by the current monitoring unit, and the operation and stop of the sub power supply circuit are selected according to the monitoring result of the current monitoring unit, less power is required for the internal circuit. For example, power loss due to the sub power circuit can be reduced by stopping the sub power circuit. In other words, when the power consumption in the internal circuit is low, the power required for the internal circuit can be satisfied with only the power supplied from the main power supply circuit through the information line. Power consumption can be suppressed.

Moreover, the result of monitoring the current by the current monitoring unit provided in the functional module is notified to the functional module by communication, and the monitoring unit provided in the basic module instructs the functional module to start and stop the sub power supply circuit. The basic module can grasp the operating state of each functional module.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, since power is supplied to the functional module in two systems, it is possible to prevent the supply power from being insufficient even if the power consumption of the functional module increases or changes. There is an advantage that can be. In addition, while supplying power with two systems, one system can supply power without using a sub power supply circuit simply by providing a charge storage unit. Large electric power can be supplied to the functional module, and there is an advantage that the components of the sub power supply circuit can be miniaturized and the functional module can be miniaturized. In addition, since the sub power supply circuit is selected to be started or stopped according to the current supplied to the internal circuit of the functional module, the main power supply circuit can be routed through the information line during standby time when the power consumption of the internal circuit is low. The power necessary for the internal circuit can be satisfied only by the power supplied from the power supply, and there is an advantage that the power consumption of the entire wiring system can be suppressed.

  In the wiring system according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a wiring device called a gate device 4 is stored in a switch box 3 that is embedded in a proper place in a building. The gate device 4 is connected to the power line Lp and the information line Li, which are wired in advance in the wall. One switch box 3 and one gate device 4 may be provided. However, since the present invention is effective when there are a plurality of switch boxes 3 and a plurality of gate devices 4, a case where a plurality of switch boxes 3 and gate devices 4 are provided will be described below. In the illustrated example, a basic module 1 having a gateway function including a router and a hub, and a wiring board 5 including a main breaker MB and a branch breaker BB are used.

  A plurality of systems (three systems in the illustrated example) of information lines Li are connected to the basic module 1, and each information line Li is connected to an external Internet network NT as a gateway. The basic module 1 has a function of not only branching the information line Li into a plurality of systems and connecting the information line Li to the Internet network NT but also monitoring the operation state of each functional module 2 through the information line Li. The main breaker MB is connected to the commercial power supply AC, and the power line Lp is connected to the branch breaker BB. In the illustrated example, the branch breaker BB is representatively shown as one system, but usually a plurality of branch breakers BB are provided.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the function module 2 has a main function of load control such as an outlet or a switch, and a function module 2 that has a main function of exchanging information such as a speaker or a display. Yes. In the configuration of this embodiment, even when load control is the main function, the amount of power used by the load connected to the outlet, the number of times the switch is operated, and the like are monitored as information via the information line Li. Is possible.

  The gate devices 4 of each system are connected by a feed line of a power line Lp and an information line Li. One of the gate devices 4 of each system is connected to the wiring board 5 via the power line Lp and the information line Li. That is, the gate devices 4 of each system are connected in parallel to the power line Lp and connected in parallel to the information line Li.

  The gate device 4 includes a connection port 6 (see FIG. 3) formed of a connector connected to the power line Lp and the information line Li. Therefore, a power path for supplying power to the functional module 2 and an information path for communicating with the functional module 2 can be obtained simply by connecting a connector of the functional module 2 described later to the connection port 6 of the gate device 4. It can be secured at the same time. Moreover, since the gate device 4 is only connected in parallel to the power line Lp and the information line Li, the functional module 2 can be connected to any gate device 4. That is, since the functional module 2 can be freely arranged within the range where the gate device 4 is arranged, it is possible to provide a wiring system having a high degree of freedom in layout and excellent workability.

  As the switch box 3, for example, a switch box 3 to which a mounting frame 10 (see FIG. 3) defined in JIS standard (C 8375) can be attached is used. The mounting frame 10 shown in the figure is called a series type, and three embedded wiring devices standardized as one module of a large-angle continuous switch in the JIS standard (C 8304) can be attached.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting frame 10 includes a rectangular window hole 10 a for mounting an instrument penetrating front and back in the center. In order to attach the wiring device to be attached to the mounting frame 10, the front part of the wiring device is inserted from the rear of the window hole 10a, and the wiring device is attached to the device locking portions provided on the left and right frame pieces 10b. The to-be-latched part provided in the both right and left sides is combined. In the illustrated example, a claw is provided as a locked portion in the wiring device, and a gap is provided as a device locking portion in the frame piece 10b of the mounting frame 10. However, there is a configuration in which a hole is provided in the wiring device as a locked portion and a claw is provided in the frame piece 10b of the mounting frame 10 as a device locking portion. An insertion hole 10 d is provided through the upper and lower frame pieces 10 c of the mounting frame 10. In order to attach the mounting frame 10 to the switch box 3, a screw receiver (not shown) provided in the switch box 3 by inserting a mounting screw (not shown) from the front into the insertion hole 10 d in a state where a wiring device is mounted on the mounting frame 10. ).

  When the mounting frame 10 is attached to the wall panel, a mounting hole is provided in the wall panel, and a tightening screw inserted into the insertion hole 10d is screwed into a member called a metal fitting (not shown). The tightening screw may be tightened so that the peripheral portion of the mounting hole penetrating the panel is sandwiched between the mounting frame 10 and the sandwiching bracket. Alternatively, the attachment frame 10 can be attached to the wall by screwing a wood screw into the wall material through the attachment frame 10.

  In the present embodiment, the power line Lp and the information line Li connected to the distribution box 1 or another switch box 3 are introduced from the upper part of each switch box 3, and the switch box 3 located at the end of each system is excluded. From the lower part of each switch box 3, a power line Lp and an information line Li, which are feed wirings to other switch boxes 3, are derived. Further, by attaching the attachment frame 10 to which the gate device 4 is attached to each switch box 3, the gate device 4 is housed in each switch box 3 as described above. Here, since the power line Lp and the information line Li are connected to the gate device 4, in order to prevent the power line Lp and the information line Li from being mixed with each other, the power line Lp and the information line Li are connected to the switch box 3. It is desirable to provide the inlet and the outlet separately.

  The gate device 4 incorporates a terminal having a so-called quick-connection terminal structure that connects wires using the spring force of a leaf spring, and inserts the wire into a wire insertion opening that opens at the back of the device. Thus, a configuration is adopted in which the electric wire is mechanically held and electrically connected. Two pairs of wire insertion openings are provided for the power line Lp and the information line Li. Each pair is used to connect feed wires. Electrically connected to the power path connection port 6a provided with a contact portion electrically connected to the terminal to which the power line Lp is connected and the terminal to which the information line Li is connected on the front surface of the body of the gate device 4 An information path connection port 6b provided with a connected contact portion is arranged.

  The power path connection port 6 a and the information path connection port 6 b are modularized as one connection port 6. In each gate device 4 in the wiring system, each power path connection port 6a and each information path connection port 6b have the same specifications (such as the arrangement of contact portions and the size of the connection port). The positional relationship of the information path connection port 6b is unified. A connection body 7 provided on the back surface of the functional module 2 is detachably coupled to the connection port 6. That is, the connection body 7 of the functional module 2 includes a power path connection body 7a that is detachably coupled to the power path connection port 6a and an information path connection body 7b that is detachably coupled to the information path connection port 6b. A modular connection body 7 is provided. In a state where the connection body 7 of the functional module 2 is connected to the connection port 6 of the gate device 4, the functional module 2 covers the front surface of the gate device 4. Here, the connection port 6 and the connection body 7 constitute a connector.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the functional module 2 can be used alone by connecting only one unit to the gate device 4, and in a plane along the wall surface with respect to the basic functional module 2 a. There is an extended function module 2b that is arranged and used in combination with the basic function module 2a to expand the function of the basic function module 2a. Not only can one extended function module 2a be connected to the basic function module 2a, but also a plurality of extended function modules 2a can be connected. However, in the present invention, the extended function module 2a is not a gist and will not be described in detail.

  Since the technical idea of the present invention is applied regardless of whether the basic function module 2a is used alone or the extended function module 2b is used in combination with the basic function module 2a, in the following description, the basic function module 2a is used. Regardless of whether 2a is used alone or the extended function module 2b is used in combination with the basic function module 2a, both cases will be described as the function module 2.

  The functional module 2 includes a flat housing 8a made of synthetic resin, as shown in FIGS. That is, a thin projection that has a small projecting dimension from the wall surface when attached to the gate device 4 and can be allocated to a functional unit having various functions such as display, notification, and operation exposed on the front surface side of the housing 8a. Is formed. A connection body 7 is provided on the rear surface of the housing 8a. When the connection body 7 is coupled to the connection port 6 of the gate device 4, the functional module 2 is electrically connected to the power line Lp and the information line Li. Mounting holes 8c are opened in the upper and lower portions of the housing 8a, and mounting screws (not shown) are inserted into the mounting holes 8c from the front side of the housing 8a with the housing 8a coupled to the gate device 4. Then, by screwing a mounting screw into the mounting screw hole 10e of the mounting frame 10, the functional module 2 is mechanically fixed to the mounting frame 10, and as a result, the coupling strength of the functional module 2 to the gate device 4 is increased. Can be increased. A decorative cover 8b is detachably attached to the front surface of the housing 8a, and the head of the mounting screw is hidden when the decorative cover 8b is mounted on the housing 8a.

  Below, the structure which supplies electric power to the functional module 2 is demonstrated. As described above, the functional module 2 is connected to the basic module 1 housed in the wiring board 5 via the information line Li. The information line Li has a function of supplying power from the basic module 1 to the functional module 2 as well as transferring information between the basic module 1 and the functional module 2. A configuration for supplying power to the functional module 2 is shown in FIG.

  The basic module 1 is provided with a main power supply circuit 11 that generates a DC voltage from the commercial power supply AC, and an output voltage of the main power supply circuit 11 is applied between the information lines Li. In addition, the basic module 1 is provided with a communication circuit 12 for exchanging information with the functional module 2 through the information line Li. A main filter circuit 13 is inserted between the main power supply circuit 11 and the communication circuit 12 and the information line Li.

  The main filter circuit 13 includes a direct current passing part 13a inserted between the output terminal of the main power supply circuit 11 and the information line Li, and a signal passing part 13b inserted between the communication circuit 12 and the information line Li. Prepare. The direct current passing unit 13a is configured by using, for example, two diodes or inductors inserted between the output terminal of the main power supply circuit 11 and each line of the information line Li, and the signal passing unit 13b is configured by, for example, the communication circuit 12 And two lines of information lines Li, respectively. Here, the signal transmitted through the information line Li is assumed to be a high-frequency rectangular wave signal. That is, the main filter circuit 13 superimposes the output signal of the communication circuit 12 on the output voltage of the main power supply circuit 11 and sends it to the information line Li, and separates the signal passing through the information line Li from the direct current to the communication circuit 12. Will give. By using the main filter circuit 13, the signal from the communication circuit 12 can be transmitted by superimposing the signal from the communication circuit 12 on the DC voltage applied to the information line Li by the main power supply circuit 11, and the signal transmitted from the functional module 2 can be transmitted. The communication circuit 12 can receive the separated DC voltage.

  The basic module 1 is provided with a monitoring unit 14 that monitors the operating state of each functional module 2 via the communication circuit 12, and the monitoring unit 14 obtains a monitoring result by a current monitoring unit 26 described later from the functional module 2. Then, an instruction is given regarding the operation of the sub power supply circuit 25 provided for each functional module 2. For example, if the functional module 2 having a speaker is used for an interphone call, it is in a standby state until the call button is pressed on the slave unit. Consumption can be reduced.

  On the other hand, the functional module 2 includes a capacitor 21 serving as a charge storage unit charged by a direct current from the main power supply circuit 11 and a communication circuit 22 for transferring information between the communication circuit 12. A main filter circuit 23 is inserted between the capacitor 21 and the communication circuit 22 and the information line Li. Although it is desirable to use the capacitor 21 having a large capacity for the charge storage portion, it is also possible to use a secondary battery having no memory effect.

  The main filter circuit 23 includes a direct current passing part 23a inserted between the capacitor 21 and the information line Li, and a signal passing part 23b inserted between the communication circuit 22 and the information line Li. The direct current passing part 23a is configured using, for example, two inductors inserted between both ends of the capacitor 21 and each line of the information line Li, and the signal passing part 23b is formed of, for example, the communication circuit 22 and the information line Li. Two capacitors inserted between each line are used. Accordingly, the direct current passes through the direct current passing part 23a in both directions, and the signal passes through the signal passing part 23b in both directions. By using the main filter circuit 23, the signal transmitted from the communication circuit 12 can be separated from the DC voltage and received by the communication circuit 22, and the capacitor 21 can communicate with the DC voltage applied to the information line Li. The signal from the circuit 22 can be superimposed and transmitted. Here, there is no particular limitation on the protocol for performing communication between the communication circuit 12 of the basic module 1 and the communication circuit 22 of the functional module 2, but the communication circuit 12 is individually connected to each communication circuit 22. Communication must be possible.

  As described above, since the functional module 2 includes the main filter circuit 23 and the capacitor 21 as the charge storage unit, even if a signal is superimposed on the DC voltage applied between the information lines Li, The voltage across the capacitor 21 becomes a stable voltage as much as necessary to operate the internal circuit 20 of the functional module 2.

  Between the capacitor 21 and the internal circuit 20, a backflow preventing diode D1 is inserted. Further, a diode D2 whose anode is commonly connected to the anode of the diode D1 is provided. The function of the diode D2 will be described later. The internal circuit 20 is provided with a current monitoring unit 26 that monitors the current supplied through the diodes D1 and D2, and the current flowing into the internal circuit 20 is monitored by the current monitoring unit 26. The monitoring result by the current monitoring unit 26 is transferred to the monitoring unit 14 of the basic module 1 through the communication circuit 22.

  The functional module 2 is electrically connected to the power line Lp, and can not only supply the power supplied from the main power supply circuit 11 to the internal circuit through the information line Li but also the power supplied from the power line Lp. Can be supplied to. Therefore, the functional module 2 is provided with a sub power supply circuit 25 that generates power to be supplied to the internal circuit 20 from an AC power supply (commercial power supply) supplied from the power line Lp.

  When the function module 2 includes not only the basic function module 2a but also the extended function module 2b, the sub power supply circuit 25 supplies power to the extended function module 2b. The power supply from the basic function module 2a to the extended function module 2b uses alternating current. Further, in the basic function module 2a and the extended function module 2b, AC-DC conversion is performed to supply DC power to the internal circuit. For this reason, the sub-power supply circuit 25 is provided in each of the basic function module 2a and the extended function module 2b. However, the sub power supply circuit 25 provided in the extended function module 2b is not the gist of the present invention, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  A DC power supply circuit 25 provided in the functional module 2 uses a DC-DC converter using a rectifier circuit such as a diode bridge and a switching element. A power supply control circuit 24 is attached to the sub power supply circuit 25. When the power supply control circuit 24 receives an instruction from the basic module 1 through the communication circuit 22, the operation of the switching element of the DC-DC converter is controlled. The operation and stop of the power supply circuit 25 are controlled. That is, when the current value flowing into the internal circuit 20 is transferred from the current monitoring unit 26 to the monitoring unit 14 provided in the basic module 1 and the conditions set in the monitoring unit 14 are satisfied, the monitoring unit 14 causes the power supply control circuit 24 to operate. Is instructed to either operate or stop the sub power circuit 25 and control the operation of the sub power circuit 25.

  The condition set in the monitoring unit 14 is defined by a current value that can be supplied to the internal circuit 20 by the capacitor 21. That is, if the current flowing into the internal circuit 20 is less than or equal to the current value that can be supplied from the capacitor 21, it is not necessary to supply power from the sub power supply circuit 25 to the internal circuit 20. A possible current value is set as a specified value, and if the current value of the current flowing into the internal circuit 20 is equal to or less than the specified value, the supply of power from the sub power supply circuit 25 to the internal circuit 20 is stopped. In short, if the specified value is set in the monitoring unit 14 and the current value acquired from the current monitoring unit 26 is equal to or less than the specified value set in the monitoring unit 14, the sub power supply circuit is connected to the power supply control circuit 24. 25 is instructed to stop. On the other hand, when the upper limit value set in a range that can be satisfied by the electric charge of the capacitor 21 and higher than the above specified value is reached, an instruction is given from the monitoring unit 14 to operate the sub power supply circuit 25, and the internal circuit 20 is instructed. Make sure that there is no shortage in power supply. Note that if the specified value set in the monitoring unit 14 is set to, for example, substantially 0, it is sufficient that the communication circuit 22 can operate with the electric charge of the capacitor 21, and therefore the capacitor 21 can be reduced in size.

  With the above operation, when the current flowing into the internal circuit 20 is so small that current supply from the sub power supply circuit 25 is unnecessary, the power of the functional module 2 is satisfied only with the power supplied through the information line Li, When the power required for the operation of the internal circuit 20 increases, it is possible to prevent the power shortage from occurring by operating the sub power supply circuit 25 and supplying relatively large power. Further, if the current supplied from the capacitor 21 and the sub power circuit 25 to the internal circuit 20 is set in a well-balanced manner, the capacities of the components used for the capacitor 21 and the sub power circuit 25 can be reduced. It leads to miniaturization of module 2.

  Since the capacitor 21 is connected to the information line Li through the direct current passing portion 23a, the capacitors 21 provided in the respective functional modules 2 are connected in parallel in terms of direct current. That is, the charge of the capacitor 21 can be used by the other functional modules 2 between the functional modules 1 connected to the information line Li.

  In the operation example described above, the monitoring unit 14 is provided in the basic module 1, the current value detected by the current monitoring unit 26 of the functional module 2 is transferred to the monitoring unit 14, and an instruction from the monitoring unit 14 to the power supply control circuit 23 is given. Therefore, in the basic module 1, the operation of each functional module 2 can be grasped, but in order to transmit the current value detected by the current monitoring unit 26 to the basic module 1, the current value in the current monitoring unit 26 There is a time lag between the detection of the sub power supply circuit 25 and the control of the sub power supply circuit 25. Therefore, a configuration in which the current value detected by the current monitoring unit 26 is reflected in the operation of the power supply control circuit 24 inside the functional module 1 may be adopted. Even when this configuration is adopted, the basic module 1 can grasp the operating state of the functional module 2 by notifying the monitoring unit 14 of the current value detected by the current monitoring unit 26. However, the monitoring unit 14 in this case does not have a function of giving an instruction to the power supply control circuit 24.

It is a principal part circuit diagram which shows embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure same as the above. It is a front view of the state which attached the functional block used for the same to an attachment frame. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of a functional block same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the gate apparatus and functional block which are used for the same as the above. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the functional block used for the same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Basic module 2 Functional module 11 Main power supply circuit 12 Communication circuit 13 Main filter circuit 13a DC passage part 13b Signal passage part 14 Monitoring part 20 Internal circuit 21 Capacitor (charge storage part)
22 Communication Circuit 23 Sub Filter Circuit 23a DC Passing Unit 23b Signal Passing Unit 24 Power Control Circuit 25 Sub Power Supply Circuit 26 Current Monitoring Unit AC Commercial Power Supply Li Information Line Lp Power Line

Claims (1)

The pre-wired power line and information line are connected to the basic module, and multiple function modules are connected to the power line and information line, respectively, and power is supplied from the basic module to each functional module through both the power line and information line. A wiring system capable of supplying and communicating between the basic module and each functional module through an information line, the basic module having a main power supply circuit for supplying DC power to the functional module through the information line The module includes a sub power supply circuit that supplies power to the internal circuit using power supplied through the power line, and a charge storage unit that is charged by a direct current supplied from the main power supply circuit through the information line and supplies power to the internal circuit. A power control circuit for instructing the sub power circuit to start and stop by a signal notified from the information line, and an internal And a current monitoring unit for monitoring the current flowing into the road, further, the basic module is provided with a monitoring unit that acquires the current value detected by the current monitoring unit of each functional module by communicating with the functional module The monitoring unit gives an instruction to stop the sub power supply circuit to the power supply control circuit when the current value acquired from the current monitoring unit is equal to or less than a specified value that can be satisfied by the charge from the charge storage unit. wiring system.

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