JP5416004B2 - Wireless communication system and wireless receiver used therefor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication system and a wireless receiver used therefor.

  Conventionally, application of a wireless communication system has been studied to control lighting fixtures installed in rooms, hallways, and the like. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication system including a wireless transmitter including a brightness sensor and a human body sensor, a wireless receiver having a function of controlling a lighting fixture, and the like. In this wireless communication system, an illuminance signal different from the actual brightness is transmitted from the wireless transmitter because the brightness is detected by the brightness sensor at intervals of several seconds in order to reduce power consumption. There is a fear.

  Therefore, in order to properly control the lighting fixtures while detecting the brightness at intervals of a few seconds, set the error absorption time, and when detecting the presence of a person within this error absorption time, wait for a while, A technique for transmitting a control signal after performing brightness detection is shown (see paragraphs (0032) to (0033)). In addition, when the counting of the internal timer is started by the “dark” signal as the illuminance signal and the presence of a person is detected by the human body sensor within the error absorption time, the wireless transmitter determines the brightness determination value. A technique for transmitting an illuminance signal in which “I” is rewritten to “dark” is shown (see paragraphs (0038) to (0039)).

JP 2008-234940 A

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is effective when there is a one-to-one relationship between a radio transmitter and a radio receiver in a radio communication system, that is, when there is a single radio transmitter for one radio receiver. is there. However, when controlling lighting devices over a certain area such as corridors and toilets in factories, stores, hospitals, etc., it is necessary to install multiple wireless transmitters, resulting in the following problems. .

  That is, when a plurality of wireless transmitters are introduced into the wireless communication system disclosed in Patent Document 1, each wireless transmitter cannot know the beginning of the error absorption time counted by the other wireless transmitters. Therefore, an illuminance signal different from the actual brightness is transmitted within an error absorption time counted by another wireless transmitter, and there is a possibility that the lighting device cannot be controlled appropriately.

  Therefore, if it is attempted to notify the start of the error absorption time by communicating with each other between the wireless transmitters, it is necessary to provide each wireless transmitter with a reception function, leading to an increase in the cost of the wireless communication system.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and in a wireless communication system having a plurality of wireless transmitters, a system capable of appropriately controlling an electric device such as a lighting device with a low power consumption and an inexpensive configuration. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a brightness sensor that detects ambient brightness every first predetermined time, a human body sensor that detects the presence of a human body in a predetermined area, and the human body detection. When the presence of a human body is detected by the sensor, a plurality of wireless transmitters having a wireless transmitter that wirelessly transmits a signal related to the brightness detected last by the brightness sensor via radio waves, and the wireless transmitter A wireless reception unit that receives the transmitted signal, a drive unit that drives a connected load, a timer that counts a second predetermined time during which the drive unit drives the load, and a signal received by the wireless reception unit And a control unit that controls a driving state of the driving unit over a second predetermined time counted by the timer, and the control unit of the wireless receiver includes: After receiving a signal transmitted from any of the wireless transmitters within a third predetermined time that is equal to or longer than the first predetermined time after driving the load to the drive unit for the second predetermined time, the wireless reception The wireless communication system is characterized in that the drive unit drives a load regardless of the brightness-related signal received by the unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the wireless communication system according to the first aspect, the control unit of the wireless receiver is transmitted from any of the wireless transmitters within the second predetermined time counted by the timer. When the received signal is received, the drive unit is allowed to maintain the previous operation state.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the wireless communication system according to the first or second aspect, the control unit of the wireless receiver receives a signal relating to brightness included in the signal received by the wireless receiving unit as “dark”. ”, The operation of the driving unit is set to a driving state.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the wireless communication system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the second predetermined time can be set via the wireless transmitter, and the wireless transmitter Is characterized in that when the presence of a human body is detected by the human body sensor, a signal relating to the brightness and a signal relating to the second predetermined time are transmitted to the wireless receiving unit.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is a wireless receiver used in the wireless communication system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a signal transmitted from any one of the wireless transmitters is received within the third predetermined time, the load is driven regardless of the brightness-related signal included therein. Even if the actual brightness changes from light to dark immediately after detection by the sensor, the load is driven. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately control the load with an inexpensive configuration while suppressing power consumption by thinning out the detection operation by the brightness sensor every first predetermined time.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the wireless receiver receives a signal within the second predetermined time, the driving unit operating state is maintained. Therefore, when the user is continuously moving, the operating state of the load is also As a result, the user is less likely to feel uncomfortable.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the periphery of the wireless transmitter that senses the human body is dark, the operation of the drive unit is set to the drive state, so that the convenience of the system is improved.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the second predetermined time can be set in accordance with the installation location of the wireless communication system and the user's action pattern, so that the convenience of the system is enhanced. In addition, when the setting of the second predetermined time is changed, a signal related to the second predetermined time is transmitted to the wireless receiver when the presence of the human body is detected, so that it is reliably reflected in the control of the driving unit. Can be made. In addition, since it is possible to set the second predetermined time individually for each wireless transmitter, various controls can be performed by varying the second predetermined time according to the installation location of each wireless transmitter. This makes it possible to further improve the convenience of the system.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the radio communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 can be easily constructed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the radio | wireless transmitter and radio | wireless receiver of the system. The figure which shows the operation state of the system when a user moves. The time chart which shows the operation state of the system in time series. The time chart which shows another operation state of the same system in time series. The time chart which shows another operation state of the system in time series. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the radio | wireless receiver of the system.

  A wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system 1 includes a plurality of wireless transmitters 2, a plurality of lighting fixtures (loads) 3, a wireless receiver 4, an AC power supply 5, and the like. The wireless transmitter 2 and the luminaire 3 are provided at appropriate intervals in a hallway of a factory, a store, a hospital, or the like or a ceiling of a toilet. The wireless receiver 4 is provided on the corridor or the wall surface of the toilet. The wireless transmitter 2 and the wireless receiver 4 can communicate with each other wirelessly via radio waves such as specific low-power radio. The wireless transmitter 2 detects the brightness of the surroundings and the presence of a human body, and transmits a signal related thereto to the wireless receiver 4. The wireless receiver 4 has a function as a two-wire switch, is connected in series between the AC power source 5 and the lighting fixture 3, and the operating state of the lighting fixture 3 is based on a signal transmitted from the wireless transmitter 2. To control.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the wireless transmitter 2 and the wireless receiver 4. The wireless transmitter 2 includes a brightness sensor 21, a human body sensor 22, an operation unit 23, a wireless transmission unit 24, a control unit 25, and the like. The brightness sensor 21 detects the brightness around the wireless transmitter 2 and outputs a signal related to brightness. Since the wireless transmitter 2 is configured to be driven by a battery so that it can be easily added, the brightness detection by the brightness sensor 21 with relatively large power consumption is first performed in consideration of battery consumption. It is supposed to be performed every predetermined time. The human body detection sensor 22 detects the presence of a human body in a predetermined area around the wireless transmitter 2 by infrared rays or the like. The operation unit 23 is configured by, for example, a rotary switch and is used for setting a lighting holding time (second predetermined time described later) of the lighting fixture 3. The wireless transmission unit 24 transmits a signal related to the brightness output from the brightness sensor 21 and a signal related to the second predetermined time set by the operation unit 23.

  The control unit 25 manages the control of each of the above units. For example, when the presence of a human body is sensed by the human body sensor 22, the control unit 25 relates to a brightness-related signal last detected and output by the brightness sensor 21 or a second predetermined time set by the operation unit 23. The signal is transmitted from the wireless transmission unit 24. Specific examples of the above-described signal relating to brightness include a “bright” signal and a “dark” signal. When the value detected by the brightness sensor 21 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, a “bright” signal is transmitted from the wireless transmission unit 24, and when the value is less than the predetermined threshold, a “dark” signal is transmitted.

  The wireless receiver 4 includes a wireless reception unit 41, a drive unit 42, a timer 43, a control unit 44, and the like. The wireless reception unit 41 receives a signal transmitted from the wireless transmission unit 24. The drive unit 42 is controlled by the control unit 44 to drive (turn on or turn off) the luminaire 3. The timer 43 counts a second predetermined time during which the driving unit 42 drives (lights) the lighting fixture 3. The control unit 44 controls the above-described units. For example, the control unit 44 is based on a signal received by the wireless reception unit 41, that is, a signal related to the brightness last detected and output by the brightness sensor 21 and a signal related to the second predetermined time set by the operation unit 23. Thus, the operation of the drive unit 42 is controlled. Thereby, the lighting fixture 3 lights up over the 2nd predetermined time set as lighting holding time.

  Incidentally, a certain amount of time is required for communication between the wireless transmission unit 24 and the wireless reception unit 41 (see FIG. 4 and the like). Further, in consideration of the consumption of the battery built in the wireless transmitter 2, the brightness detection by the brightness sensor 21 is performed every first predetermined time. Therefore, depending on the timing at which the second predetermined time elapses, a “bright” signal is transmitted from the wireless transmission unit 24 even though the lighting fixture 3 is not in a lighting state and the actual brightness is dark, and the wireless reception unit 41 may be received. Upon receiving this signal, the control unit 44 of the wireless receiver 4 mistakenly recognizes that it is not necessary to turn on the lighting fixture 3 during the daytime, and the driving by the driving unit 42 is not resumed and the lighting fixture 3 is turned off. It is controlled and may cause inconvenience for the user.

  Therefore, the wireless receiver 4 of the present embodiment causes the driving unit 42 to drive the lighting device 3 over the second predetermined time as the lighting holding time, and then the third predetermined time (corresponding to the error absorption time in Patent Document 1). When a signal transmitted from one of the wireless transmitters 2 is received, even if the signal includes a “bright” signal, that is, regardless of whether the signal is related to brightness The unit 42 is configured to drive the lighting fixture 3. Here, the third predetermined time is a first predetermined time that serves as a reference (detection interval) of the brightness detection timing by the brightness sensor 21 in consideration of the time required for communication by the wireless transmission unit 24 and the wireless reception unit 41. Is set equal to or greater than

  Further, by counting the third predetermined time by the timer 43 on the wireless receiver 4 side, as shown in FIG. 3, when the signals are sequentially transmitted from the plurality of wireless transmitters 2 as the user moves. Even in such a case, the start of the third predetermined time can be managed by the control unit 44 of the wireless receiver 4. Thereby, without giving a wireless reception function to each wireless transmitter 2, a signal transmitted from each wireless transmitter 2 can be linked and used as a determination criterion for control of the drive unit 42. The lighting fixture 3 can be appropriately controlled by the configuration.

  The operation of the wireless receiver 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 are time charts showing operations of the wireless transmitter 2 and the wireless receiver 4. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the wireless receiver 4. 4 corresponds to the flow of # 5 → # 6 → # 10 in FIG. Similarly, FIG. 5 corresponds to the flow of # 5 → # 6 → # 7 → # 9 in FIG. 7, and FIG. 6 corresponds to the flow of # 5 → # 6 → # 7 → # 8 → # 9 in FIG. 4 to 6 illustrate the case where there are two wireless transmitters 2 (wireless transmitters 2A and 2B), the same operation is performed even if the number of wireless transmitters 2 is increased.

  4 to 6, the wireless transmitters 2A and 2B periodically read the second predetermined time T2 set as the lighting holding time, and detect the brightness by the brightness sensor 21 every first predetermined time T1. . 4 to 6 show a state in which the periphery of the wireless transmitters 2A and 2B is dark at night or the like. In this state, when a human body is detected by the human body sensor 22 of the wireless transmitter 2A, the wireless transmitter 2A wirelessly receives a wireless signal related to the second predetermined time T2 and a wireless signal related to brightness, that is, a “dark” signal. To the device 4. The wireless receiver 4 (# 1 in FIG. 7 (hereinafter the same)) that has received the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless transmitter 2A determines a signal related to brightness included in the received wireless signal (# 2). Here, since the signal relating to brightness is “dark” (dark in # 2), the process proceeds to # 4 and lighting of the lighting fixture 3 is started. Lighting of the luminaire 3 is continued for a second predetermined time T2. Even if the lighting fixture 3 is turned off in the daytime or the like, if the surroundings of the wireless transmitters 2A and 2B are sufficiently bright due to external light or the like (bright in # 2), the lighting fixture 3 is kept off. (# 3), return to # 1.

  If the human body is sensed by the human body detection sensor 22 of the wireless transmitter 2B after the lighting fixture 3 is turned on in # 4, the wireless transmitter 2B relates to the wireless signal related to the second predetermined time T2 and the brightness. The wireless signal is transmitted to the wireless receiver 4. Here, since the second predetermined time T2 can be set for each wireless transmitter, the second predetermined time T2 set by the wireless transmitter 2A and the second predetermined time T2 set by the wireless transmitter 2B may be different. . The control unit 44 of the wireless receiver 4 that receives the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless transmitter 2B (# 5) determines whether or not the second predetermined time T2 has elapsed since the lighting fixture 3 was turned on in # 4. Determine (# 6).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, when a wireless signal transmitted from the wireless transmitter 2B is received during the counting of the second predetermined time T2, which is the lighting holding time, that is, while the lighting fixture 3 is turned on (in # 6) NO), the lighting state of the lighting fixture 3 is maintained (# 10). Lighting of the luminaire 3 is continued for the second predetermined time T2, which is counted again, and returns to # 5.

  After # 4 in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 5, the human body sensor 22 of the wireless transmitter 2B detects the human body after the elapse of the second predetermined time T2, which is the lighting holding time, that is, when the lighting fixture 3 is turned off. Is detected, the wireless transmitter 2B transmits a wireless signal related to the second predetermined time T2 and a wireless signal related to brightness to the wireless receiver 4 (# 5). In this case, the second predetermined time T2 has elapsed (YES in # 6), and the actual brightness is “dark” because the lighting fixture 3 is turned off, but transmitted from the wireless transmitter 2B. There is a possibility that the signal related to the brightness to be “bright” detected and output by the brightness sensor 21 at the end. In order to avoid such a control failure of the lighting fixture 3 due to a mismatch between the actual brightness and the received brightness signal, the control unit 44 of the wireless receiver 4 causes the wireless receiver 4 to wirelessly operate after the lighting fixture 3 is turned off. The time t until the signal is received is compared with the third predetermined time T3 (# 7). In the case shown in FIG. 5, since t <T3 (YES in # 7), # 8 is skipped (that is, whether the signal related to brightness is “bright” or “dark”). The process proceeds to # 9, and the lighting fixture 3 is turned on again for the second predetermined time T2, and the process returns to # 5.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the human body is detected by the human body sensor 22 of the wireless transmitter 2B after the second predetermined time T2 has elapsed and the third predetermined time T3 has elapsed, the lighting fixture 3 is turned off. Therefore, the actual brightness is “dark”. At this time, since the signal related to the brightness transmitted from the wireless transmitter 2B, that is, the signal detected and output last by the brightness sensor 21 is a “dark” signal, the signal regarding the actual brightness and the received brightness is obtained. Match. Therefore, the control unit 44 of the wireless receiver 4 shifts to # 9 in response to the “dark” signal related to brightness (dark in # 8), and the lighting fixture 3 is turned on again for the second predetermined time T2, and # Return to 5. On the other hand, when the surroundings of the wireless transmitter 2B become bright (bright in # 8) and the lighting fixture 3 is not required to be turned on, the lighting fixture 3 is kept off (# 11).

  As described above, according to the wireless communication system 1 of the present embodiment, after the lighting device 3 is driven by the drive unit 42 for the second predetermined time T2, any one of the wireless transmitters 2 within the third predetermined time T3. When the signal transmitted from is received, the luminaire 3 is driven regardless of the signal relating to the brightness. As a result, even when the actual brightness changes from light to dark immediately after detection by the brightness sensor 21, the lighting fixture 3 is driven. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately control the lighting fixture 3 with an inexpensive configuration while suppressing power consumption by thinning out the detection operation by the brightness sensor 21 every first predetermined time T1.

  Further, when the wireless receiver 4 receives a signal within the second predetermined time T2, the operating state of the driving unit 42 is maintained, so that the lighting state of the lighting fixture 3 is also maintained when the user is continuously moving. Therefore, the user is less likely to feel uncomfortable. Further, when the periphery of the wireless transmitter 2 that senses a human body is dark, the operation of the drive unit 42 is set to the drive state, so that the convenience of the system is improved. Further, since the second predetermined time T2 can be set in accordance with the installation location of the wireless communication system 1 and the user's action pattern, the convenience of the system is improved. In addition, when the setting of the second predetermined time T2 is changed, a signal related to the second predetermined time T2 is transmitted to the wireless receiver 4 when the presence of a human body is detected. Can be reliably reflected. Moreover, since it is also possible to set the second predetermined time T2 individually for each wireless transmitter 2, by varying the second predetermined time T2 according to the installation location of each wireless transmitter 2, etc., Various controls are possible, further enhancing the convenience of the system.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to the structure of the said embodiment, After driving the illuminating device 3 to the drive part 42 over the 2nd predetermined time T2, any one within the time equivalent to the 1st predetermined time T1. What is necessary is just to be comprised so that the lighting fixture 3 may be driven when the signal transmitted from the wireless transmitter 2 is received. The present invention can be modified in various ways. For example, the load controlled by the wireless receiver 4 is not limited to the luminaire 3 and may be any electric device that varies its operating state according to brightness. There is no particular limitation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wireless communication system 2 Wireless transmitter 2A Wireless transmitter 2B Wireless transmitter 3 Lighting fixture (load)
4 Wireless receiver 5 AC power supply
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Brightness sensor 22 Human body sensor 24 Wireless transmission part 41 Wireless reception part 42 Drive part 43 Timer 44 Control part

Claims (5)

A brightness sensor that detects ambient brightness every first predetermined time, a human body sensor that detects the presence of a human body within a predetermined area, and the brightness when the human body sensor detects the presence of a human body A plurality of wireless transmitters each having a wireless transmission unit that wirelessly transmits a signal related to brightness detected last by the sensor via radio waves;
A radio reception unit that receives a signal transmitted from the radio transmission unit; a drive unit that drives a connected load; a timer that counts a second predetermined time during which the drive unit drives the load; and the radio reception unit A wireless receiver having a control unit that controls a driving state of the driving unit over a second predetermined time counted by the timer according to the signal received by
The controller of the wireless receiver transmits the load from the wireless transmitter within a third predetermined time that is equal to or longer than the first predetermined time after driving the load to the driving unit for the second predetermined time. A wireless communication system, wherein when a signal is received, the driving unit drives a load regardless of the brightness-related signal received by the wireless receiving unit.   When the control unit of the wireless receiver receives a signal transmitted from any one of the wireless transmitters within the second predetermined time counted by the timer, the control unit causes the driving unit to maintain the previous operation state. The wireless communication system according to claim 1.   The control unit of the wireless receiver sets the operation of the driving unit to a driving state when a signal related to brightness included in a signal received by the wireless receiving unit is “dark”. The wireless communication system according to claim 1 or 2. The second predetermined time can be set via the wireless transmitter;
The wireless transmitter transmits a signal related to the brightness and a signal related to the second predetermined time to the wireless receiver when the presence of a human body is detected by the human body sensor. The radio | wireless communications system as described in any one of thru | or 3 thru | or 3.   A wireless receiver used in the wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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