JP6422609B1 - Load control system and installation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a load control system capable of relaxing a restriction on the number of connected loads and controlling a load without using a battery.
A load control system 100 for controlling an LED bulb 40 controlled according to a control signal includes a switch 10 that receives a manual operation for controlling the LED bulb 40, and an LED bulb 40 according to a manual operation on the switch 10. And a controller 20 (a dimmer) that wirelessly transmits a control signal for controlling the control signal, and a live line L and a neutral line N extending from the power source 30. The controller 20 is connected to the live line L and the neutral line N and supplied with power, and the live line L and neutral line N are connected to the LED bulb 40 without passing through the controller 20 and supply power to the LED bulb 40. .
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a load control system for controlling a load and an installation method thereof.

  A dimmer is used to adjust the power to the ceiling luminaire in response to a manual operation on a switch disposed on the wall. This dimmer is connected between the power source and the luminaire together with the switch, and adjusts the illumination intensity by adjusting the power supplied to the luminaire according to the pressing time of the switch for adjusting the illumination intensity, for example. To do.

  However, the dimmer as described above has an upper limit on the power that can be borne, and when the power exceeding the upper limit is applied, the protection function built in the dimmer itself is activated to cut off the power supply. It was a configuration. Therefore, there is an upper limit (for example, about 5) in the number of lighting fixtures that can be controlled by connecting to one dimmer, and more lighting fixtures cannot be controlled.

  On the other hand, the wireless load control system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a wireless transmitter 1 disposed on a wall and a wireless receiver 2 disposed on a ceiling and inserted into a power feeding path to a load L. The wireless transmitter 1 outputs a wireless signal when the switch is operated, and the wireless receiver 2 controls the power supply to the load L when receiving the wireless signal from the wireless transmitter 1.

  According to the wireless load control system of Patent Document 1, the wireless transmitter 1 is not inserted between the power source and the load, and the wireless transmitter 2 transmits a wireless signal for controlling the load L from the wireless transmitter 1. Since the load L is controlled, a large number of loads can be controlled without being limited by the upper limit of the power that can be borne as described above.

JP-A-6-335055

  However, in the wireless load control system of Patent Document 1, the wireless transmitter is driven by a battery in order to eliminate the need for falling wiring to the wall. Therefore, it takes time to replace the battery for the wireless transmitter.

The present invention provides a load control system in which the number of loads can be increased without being restricted by the protection function of the controller for controlling the load , and the controller does not need to be driven by a battery, so that battery replacement is unnecessary. The purpose is to do.

  One aspect of the present invention is a load control system that controls a load controlled in accordance with a control signal, the switch receiving a manual operation for controlling the load, and the load according to the manual operation on the switch. A controller that wirelessly transmits the control signal for controlling; and a live line and a neutral line extending from a power source; the controller is connected to the live line and the neutral line and is supplied with power; The neutral line is connected to the load without passing through the controller and supplies power to the load.

  In the present invention, a load controlled according to a control signal is employed as the load. The load is connected to a power source through a live line and a neutral line wired on the back of the ceiling without going through a controller and is supplied with power. The load is controlled by a control signal wirelessly transmitted by the controller in response to a manual operation on the switch. A live line and a neutral line are connected to the controller without a load from the power source, and the power is supplied. With this configuration, since the controller is not inserted between the power source and the load, the number of loads can be increased without being limited by the protection function of the controller. In addition, since power is supplied to the controller from the power source through the live line and the neutral line, it is not necessary to drive the controller with a battery, and battery replacement is not necessary.

  In the load control system, the load may be a lighting fixture, and the control signal may include information on a dimming parameter for dimming the lighting fixture. The dimming control of the lighting apparatus may be performed.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to perform dimming of the luminaire as a load by a control signal from the controller.

  In the load control system, the switch may be provided on a wall, and the live line and the neutral line are wired from the power source to the back of the ceiling and connected to the load, and the live line is connected to the ceiling. It is wired in the wall from the back to the controller via the switch, and the neutral line may extend along the wall from the ceiling back to the controller.

  According to this structure, the load driven using the wiring behind the ceiling can be controlled by the wall switch.

  An installation method for installing the load control system using an existing wiring in which a live line from the power source is connected to the load through the switch and the controller, and extends from the power source in the back of the ceiling Connecting the live line directly to the load, disconnecting the live line connected to the load from the controller to the load, and connecting to the neutral line behind the ceiling, so that the load from the controller Let the live line connected to the neutral line extend along the wall from the ceiling to the controller.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to realize the wiring of the load control system described above by performing cutting and connection work on the conventional ceiling wiring, and without performing work on the inside of the wall.

  An installation method for installing the load control system using an existing wiring in which a live line behind the ceiling from a power source is connected to the load via the switch and the controller, between the power source and the load Then, the live line extending along the wall from the back of the ceiling is short-circuited, and the neutral line connecting the controller and the neutral line on the back of the ceiling is newly provided.

  According to this configuration, it is easy to connect the neutral line that is newly installed in the wall to the existing neutral line on the back of the ceiling, and the live line short circuit and the new neutral line controller Construction such as connection to can be performed in a wall that is relatively easy to work with.

  According to the present invention, since the controller is not inserted between the power supply and the load, the number of loads can be increased without being restricted by the protection function of the controller. In addition, since power is supplied to the controller from the power source through the live line and the neutral line, it is not necessary to drive the controller with a battery, and battery replacement is not necessary.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a load control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the LED bulb according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional wiring. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a wiring example of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing another wiring example of the present embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below shows an example when the present invention is implemented, and the present invention is not limited to the specific configuration described below. In carrying out the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be adopted as appropriate. In the following, as a load, a luminaire capable of dimming (specifically, a wireless dimming LED bulb, hereinafter simply referred to as “LED bulb”) is illustrated, but the load is not limited thereto. Load control refers to controlling power consumed by a load for the purpose of controlling the output of the load.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a load control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The load control system 100 includes a switch 10, a dimmer 20 as a controller, a power supply 30, an LED bulb 40 as a load, a control device 50, and a wireless router 60. The power source 30 is a commercial power source that supplies a rated AC voltage.

  The switch 10 includes a first operation switch 11, a communication cutoff switch 12, and a second operation switch 13. The first operation switch 11 and the second operation switch 13 are normally open (a contact) embedded push button switches, and the communication cutoff switch 12 is a one-sided embedded switch. The first operation switch 11, the communication cutoff switch 12, and the second operation switch 13 are each manually operated by the user independently.

  The dimmer 20 includes a plurality of terminals including an N terminal 21, an S1 terminal 22, an S2 terminal 23, an NO1 terminal 24, and an L terminal 25. The N terminal 21 is a neutral input terminal, to which a neutral wire (grounding side wire) N connected to the power source 30 is connected. The first operation switch 11 and the second operation switch 13 are connected to the S1 terminal 22 and the S2 terminal 23, respectively. The NO1 terminal 24 is a live output terminal, but is not used in the present embodiment. The L terminal 25 is a live input terminal to which the communication cutoff switch 12 is connected.

  A live line (power supply side electric wire) L is connected to each of the first operation switch 11, the communication cutoff switch 12, and the second operation switch 13. Thereby, the S1 terminal 22, the L terminal 25, and the S2 terminal 23 are connected to the live line L via the first operation switch 11, the communication cutoff switch 12, and the second operation switch 13, respectively. With this configuration, as long as the communication cutoff switch 12 is ON, power is supplied from the power source 30 to the dimmer 20 regardless of the operation on the first operation switch 11 and the second operation switch 13. In other words, the communication cutoff switch 12 is a switch that cuts off the power supply to the dimmer 20, and all the functions of the dimmer 20 can be stopped by turning off the communication cutoff switch 12.

  The dimmer 20 further includes a control module 26, a memory 27, and a communication module 28. The control module 26 adjusts the control signal as a control signal for controlling the load 3 according to the input given from the live line L to the S1 terminal 22 and the S2 terminal 23 via the first operation switch 11 and the second operation switch 13, respectively. An optical level notification signal is generated. When the first operation switch 11 and the second operation switch 13 are pressed (connected), the live line L is connected to the S1 terminal 22 and the S2 terminal 23, respectively. The control module 26 detects such a connection state for each of the S1 terminal 22 and the S2 terminal 23, and generates a dimming level notification signal according to the detected connection state.

  The memory 27 stores the current dimming parameters (that is, ON / OFF, illuminance level, and hue parameter level) according to the dimming level notification signal generated by the control module 26. The wireless communication module 28 has a wireless communication function, and wirelessly transmits the dimming level notification signal generated by the control module 26.

  The LED bulb 40 is connected to the power supply 30 by a live line L and a neutral line N. The dimmer 20 is not interposed between the power supply 30 and the LED bulb 40. That is, the LED bulb 40 is connected to the power source 30 independently of the dimmer 20, not as a load of the dimmer 20. In other words, the dimmer 20 and the LED bulb 40 are connected to the power supply 30 in parallel. Further, the LED bulb 40 does not include the switch 10 between the power source 30 and the LED bulb 40, and is always connected to the power source 30 regardless of the manual operation of the switch 10.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the LED bulb. The LED light bulb 40 is roughly composed of a globe part 41 and a control part 42. The globe part 41 is provided with LED chips 43r, 43g, and 43b, which are light emitters of three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The controller 42 includes dimmers 44r, 44g, and 44b corresponding to the LED chips 43r, 43g, and 43b, a controller 45 that controls the dimmers 44r, 44g, and 44b, and a dimming level control that is wirelessly transmitted. The wireless communication part 46 which receives a signal, the 1st electric power feeding terminal 47 connected to the live line L, and the 2nd electric power feeding terminal 48 connected to the neutral line N are provided.

  One of the two poles of the LED chips 43r, 43g, 43b is connected to the first power supply terminal 47 via the dimmers 44r, 44g, 44b, respectively, and the other is connected to the second power supply terminal 48. The control unit 45 controls the dimmers 44r, 44g, and 44b according to the dimming level control signal received by the wireless communication unit 46, respectively. The dimmers 44r, 44g, and 44b are respectively controlled by the control unit 45 and adjust the power supplied from the live line L to the LED chips 43r, 43g, and 43b.

  When the power supplied to the LED chips 43r, 43g, and 43b is all zero, the LED bulb 40 is turned off. Even if the LED bulb 40 is turned on / off by providing a switch between the dimmers 44r, 44g, 44b and the first power supply terminal 47, and turning the switch on and off under the control of the control unit 45. Good. When the total power supplied to the LED chips 43r, 43g, and 43b increases, the illuminance (also referred to as brightness and intensity) of the LED bulb 40 increases, and conversely, the power supplied to the LED chips 43r, 43g, and 43b. When the total value of becomes smaller, the illuminance of the LED bulb 40 becomes smaller.

  Further, if the power supplied to the LED chips 43r, 43g, 43b is approximately the same and the illuminance of the LED chips 43r, 43g, 43b is approximately the same, the light emission color of the LED bulb 40 approaches white, and the LED When the balance of the power supplied to each of the chips 43r, 43g, and 43b is changed, the hue of the emission color of the LED bulb 40 changes, and the emission color becomes tinged.

  Accordingly, the dimming level control signal includes dimming parameter information including ON / OFF, illuminance UP / DOWN, and hue parameter UP / DOWN. The control unit 45 controls the dimmers 44r, 44g, and 44b according to these parameters, thereby realizing light emission according to the dimming level control signal from the LED bulb 40.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the dimmer 20 will be further described. The control module 26 controls the LED bulb 40 by performing a short pressing operation on the first operation switch 11 (that is, a short-time connection of the live line L to the S1 terminal 22). A dimming level notification signal to be turned on is generated, and a dimming level notification signal to turn off the LED bulb 40 by a short press operation on the second operation switch 13 (that is, a short-time connection of the live line L to the S2 terminal 23). Generate.

  Further, the control module 26 generates a dimming level notification signal for increasing the illuminance of the LED bulb 40 by a long press operation on the first operation switch 11 (that is, long-time connection of the live line L to the S1 terminal 22). A dimming level notification signal for reducing the illuminance of the LED bulb 40 is generated by a long press operation on the two-operation switch 13 (that is, long-time connection of the live line L to the S2 terminal 23).

  At this time, in order for the control module 26 to adjust the illuminance of the LED bulb 40 according to the length of time of the long press operation to the first operation switch 11 / second operation switch 13, the long press operation period The dimming level notification signal of illuminance UP / DOWN is continuously generated.

  Further, the control module 26 performs the hue of the LED bulb 40 by a long pressing operation (that is, a long-time connection following the short-time connection of the live line L to the S1 terminal 22) that is continuous with the short-pressing operation on the first operation switch 11. A dimming level notification signal that changes the power of the second operation switch 13 is generated by a long press operation (that is, a long-time connection following the short-time connection of the live line L to the S2 terminal 23). A dimming level notification signal for changing the hue of the LED bulb 40 is generated.

  The hue is defined by being arranged in one dimension so as to continuously change depending on the one-dimensional parameter, and is determined by the magnitude of the one-dimensional parameter (hue parameter). In order to adjust the illuminance of the hue of the LED bulb 40 in accordance with the length of time of the long press operation to the first operation switch 11 / second operation switch 13, the hue parameter UP is continuously increased during the long press operation. A dimming level notification signal of / DOWN is generated.

  As described above, the wireless communication module 28 wirelessly transmits the dimming level notification signal generated by the control module 26.

  The control device 50 is connected with a dongle 51 for receiving a radio signal. The control device 50 receives the dimming level notification signal wirelessly transmitted from the dimmer 20 through the dongle 51. Then, the control device 50 generates a dimming level control signal according to the received dimming level notification signal, and transmits the dimming level control signal to the wireless router 60. Communication between the control device 50 and the wireless router 60 may be wired communication or wireless communication.

  The wireless router 60 wirelessly transmits the dimming level control signal received from the control device 50. The wireless communication unit 46 of the LED bulb 40 described above receives the dimming level control signal wirelessly transmitted from the wireless router 60.

  For communication between the dimmer 20 and the dongle 51 of the control device 50, Z-Wave (registered trademark), which is a wireless communication standard, can be adopted as a communication method. For communication between the wireless router 60 and the LED bulb 40, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), or the like, which is a wireless communication standard, can be used as a communication method.

  The control device 50 may output the dimming level notification signal received from the dimmer 20 as it is to the wireless router 60 as the dimming level control signal, but by adding some change or conversion to the dimming level notification signal. A dimming level control signal may be generated. In the dimming level control signal, it is only necessary to maintain the above dimming parameter information in the dimming level notification signal. As described above, the dimming level notification signal and the dimming level control signal having the same dimming parameter information are collectively referred to as a control signal.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the dimmer 20 generates a control signal corresponding to a manual operation to the switch 10 and wirelessly transmits the control signal, and the LED bulb 40 is connected to the switch 10 by the dimmer 20. A control signal generated in response to a manual operation is wirelessly received, and light control is performed according to the received control signal. In the example of FIG. 1, the control signal wirelessly transmitted from the dimmer 20 is transmitted to the LED bulb 60 via the control device 50 and the wireless router 60, but the wireless router 60 is omitted and the dongle of the control device 50 is omitted. The control signal may be directly transmitted from 51 to the LED bulb 60 wirelessly. Alternatively, the control device 50 and the wireless router 60 may be omitted, and the control signal wirelessly transmitted from the dimmer 20 may be directly received by the LED bulb 60.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control signal may be wirelessly transmitted from a device other than the control device 50 to the LED bulb 40 via the wireless router 60. In the example of FIG. 1, a wireless router 60 is connected to a communication network 70 such as the Internet. In this case, a control signal may be transmitted from the terminal device (for example, a smartphone) 80 connected to the communication network 70 to the LED bulb 40 via the communication network 70 and the wireless router 60. This means that the LED bulb 40 can be controlled from the terminal device 80 remote from the LED bulb 40.

  Further, the LED bulb 40 may wirelessly transmit a state notification signal for notifying the light emission state from the wireless communication unit 46. The terminal device 80 may receive the status notification signal and display it. Thereby, in the terminal device 80, the light emission state of the LED bulb 40 can be confirmed.

  According to the load control system 100 configured as described above, the LED bulb 40 is connected to the power source 30 without being supplied with the dimmer 20 and is supplied with power. Therefore, even if the number of LED bulbs 40 increases, the current flowing through the dimmer 20 does not increase accordingly, and is controlled by the dimmer 20 without being restricted by the protective function of the dimmer 20. The number of LED bulbs 40 can be increased.

  Further, the dimmer 20 generates a control signal corresponding to the manual operation to the switch 10, and the LED bulb 40 performs dimming according to the control signal. Dimming of the LED bulb 40 can be performed. Furthermore, since power is supplied to the dimmer 20 from the power supply 30, it is not necessary to drive the dimmer 20 with a battery, and battery replacement is not necessary.

  In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the load is the LED bulb 40 disposed on the ceiling and the controller is the dimmer 20. However, the load applied to the load control system 100 is not limited thereto. I can't. The load may be another electrical appliance controlled by a control signal, and the controller may generate and wirelessly transmit a control signal for adjusting the power consumption of such an electrical appliance. The load may be, for example, a ceiling fan disposed on the ceiling, or a curtain driving device that is driven using wiring behind the ceiling. Further, the load is not limited to the one provided on the ceiling, and may be any electrical appliance.

  Below, the installation method in the case of applying the load control system 100 of this Embodiment as a system which controls a load with a wall surface switch by using the light bulb attached to a ceiling as a load is demonstrated. In particular, an installation method in the case where the above-described load control system 100 is introduced using existing wiring will be described below.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing existing wiring. 3 to 5, the power supply 30 is arranged behind the ceiling C (hereinafter referred to as “ceiling back”), but the position of the power supply 30 may be another place. In FIG. 3, the live line L and the neutral line N connected to the power supply 30 are connected to a light bulb 40 ′ that is wired on the back of the ceiling and attached to the ceiling C. A switch 10 is installed on the wall surface at an appropriate height.

  The switch 10 is attached to a wall surface in such a manner that a switch box (not shown) is embedded in the wall surface and a device is accommodated in the switch box. As a result, the first operation switch 11, the communication cutoff switch 12, and the second operation switch 13 are exposed on the wall surface and can be manually operated from the room. The dimmer 20 is accommodated in the switch box and connected to the switch 10. That is, the dimmer 20 is installed on the back side of the switch 10 and in the wall. Hereinafter, the switch 10 and the dimmer 20 integrated by the switch box are referred to as a switch unit 200.

  The live line L on the back of the ceiling is wired down from the back of the ceiling to the switch unit 200 in the wall. Specifically, the live line L extending from the power supply 30 extends to the switch unit 200 in the wall, and the live line L via the switch unit 200 extends to the back of the ceiling and is connected to the light bulb 40 ′. Has been. Thus, in the conventional wiring, the switch unit 200 is inserted into the live line L that connects the power supply 30 and the light bulb 40 '.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of wiring according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the wiring example of FIG. 4, the wiring of the load control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by using the conventional wiring shown in FIG. This assumes a case where the load control system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is introduced in a situation where the wiring shown in FIG. 3 is already present. That is, the wiring example of FIG. 4 is advantageous when the existing wiring shown in FIG. 3 is modified and the load control system 100 is introduced.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the live line L extending from the power supply 30 is directly connected to the LED light bulb 40 at a portion before falling to the switch unit 200 behind the ceiling. Accordingly, the live line L extending from the power source 30 is connected to the LED bulb 40 behind the ceiling without passing through the controller 20, and the LED bulb 40 is always connected to the power source 30 regardless of the manual operation to the switch 10. Become.

  In addition, the live line L that has been connected from the switch unit 200 to the light bulb 40 ′ is disconnected from the light bulb 40 ′ behind the ceiling and connected to the neutral line N behind the ceiling. By doing so, the live line L connected to the light bulb 40 ′ from the switch unit 200 in the existing wiring is connected to the switch unit 200 as a neutral line N. Accordingly, the live line L extending from the power source 30 is connected to the switch unit 200, the neutral line N extending from the power source 30 is also connected to the switch unit 200, and the controller 20 is connected to the power source 30 in parallel with the LED bulb 40. Power from the power source 30 is supplied.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the cutting and connecting work is performed on the conventional ceiling wiring, and the wiring of the load control system 100 shown in FIG. Can be realized.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing another example of wiring according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the wiring example of FIG. 5 as well, the wiring of the load control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by making modifications to the existing wiring shown in FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 5, in the switch unit 200, the live line L extending from the dimmer 20 toward the light bulb 40 ′ is removed from the dimmer 20 and connected to the live line L extending from the power source 30. That is, the two live lines L extending from the back of the ceiling to the switch unit 200 are short-circuited in the switch unit 200. Thereby, the live line L extending from the power source 30 is connected to the LED bulb 40 via the switch unit 200 (but not via the controller 20), and the LED bulb 40 is always powered regardless of the manual operation to the switch 10. 30 is connected.

  Then, the neutral line N is newly lowered and wired from the neutral line N on the back of the ceiling to the switch unit 200. This new neutral line N connects the dimmer 20 and the neutral line N behind the ceiling. Accordingly, the live line L extending from the power source 30 is connected to the switch unit 200, the neutral line N extending from the power source 30 is also connected to the switch unit 200, and the controller 20 is connected to the power source 30 in parallel with the LED bulb 40. Power from the power source 30 is supplied.

  In the example of FIG. 5, the simple work of connecting the neutral line N to be newly lowered and connected to the neutral line N is sufficient for the back of the ceiling, the live line L is short-circuited, and the new neutral line N is dimmed. Construction such as connection to the container 20 can be performed in the switch unit 200 which is relatively easy to work.

  As described above, in the wiring examples of FIGS. 4 and 5, the load control system 100 can be realized by making necessary modifications to the LED bulb 40 attached to the ceiling using conventional wiring.

10 switch 20 dimmer 30 power supply 40 LED bulb 50 control device 60 wireless router 70 communication network 80 terminal device 100 load control system 200 switch unit L live line N neutral line

Claims (5)

A load control system for controlling a load controlled according to a control signal,
A switch for receiving a manual operation for controlling the load;
A controller that wirelessly transmits the control signal for controlling the load in response to a manual operation on the switch;
Live and neutral lines extending from the power source,
With
The controller is connected to the live line and the neutral line and is supplied with power,
The live line and the neutral line are connected to the load without passing through the controller and supply power to the load. The load is a lighting fixture;
The control signal has information of a dimming parameter for dimming the lighting fixture,
The load control system according to claim 1, wherein the load control is dimming control of the lighting fixture. The switch is provided on the wall;
The live line and the neutral line are wired from the power source to the ceiling and connected to the load, and the live line is wired in the wall from the ceiling to the controller through the switch, and A neutral line extends along the wall from the ceiling to the controller,
The load control system according to claim 1 or 2. An installation method for installing the load control system according to claim 3 using an existing wiring in which a live line on a ceiling from a power source is connected to the load via the switch and the controller,
Directly connecting the live line extending from the power source to the load behind the ceiling;
By disconnecting the live line connected to the load from the controller to the load and connecting to the neutral line behind the ceiling, the live line connected to the load from the controller is connected to the ceiling. The neutral line extending along the wall from the back to the controller,
Installation method. An installation method for installing the load control system according to claim 3 using an existing wiring in which a live line on a ceiling from a power source is connected to the load via the switch and the controller,
Short-circuiting the live line extending from the ceiling to the wall between the power source and the load;
The neutral line that connects the controller and the neutral line behind the ceiling is newly installed.
Installation method.