JP7344349B2 - Lighting systems and lighting control devices - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to lighting systems, and particularly to technology for controlling lighting equipment through wireless communication.

A lighting system that controls a plurality of lighting fixtures using wireless communication is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In a lighting system using wireless communication, it is necessary to identify each lighting device using identification information and control each lighting device. The identification information is stored in the storage area of each lighting fixture at the time of manufacture. Here, when introducing a lighting system, when each lighting fixture is installed at an installation location such as a ceiling, the installation company installs each lighting fixture without distinguishing between them. Therefore, at the time of completion of installation, it is not possible to specify which position on the ceiling the lighting fixture with which identification information is installed. Therefore, as part of the initial installation settings when introducing the lighting system, the user uses a terminal device such as a tablet device to perform a process of associating lighting fixtures with installation positions.

The tablet device holds in advance a lighting distribution diagram showing the locations of the lighting equipment using symbols. The tablet device then receives the identification information of each lighting fixture via wireless communication. The tablet device has a touch panel, and displays on the touch panel a user interface in which a lighting distribution diagram and buttons indicating received identification information are displayed. When this button is touched, the tablet device sends a lighting instruction to the lighting fixture having the identification information written on the button, and the lighting fixture lights up.

In the lighting distribution diagram displayed on the tablet device, the user drags and drops a button with the identification information of the lit lighting fixture onto the symbol representing the lit lighting fixture, and enters the identification information and location of the lighting fixture. Make a correspondence with.

International Publication No. 2014/203537

However, in the above-mentioned lighting system, when the user wants to associate the identification information of the lighting equipment with the location in the lighting layout diagram, it takes time to make the association when the number of lighting equipment increases. There's a problem.

In view of the above problems, the present invention relates to a lighting system using wireless communication, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lighting system that can shorten the time required for installation settings at the time of introduction.

In order to solve the above problems, a lighting system according to the present invention includes a plurality of lighting fixtures and a lighting control device that instructs the lighting fixtures to perform the same lighting control for each group consisting of at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures. A lighting system comprising: the plurality of lighting fixtures forming a mesh network, and the lighting fixtures being controlled by wireless communication via the mesh network; In order to select a lighting fixture, a button for displaying at least some of the plurality of lighting fixtures on one screen, a button for displaying the name of one of the groups, and a button for displaying the lighting fixture, Based on the reception strength of the radio waves directly received by the lighting control device from the lighting fixtures, the lights are displayed in descending order of distance from the lighting control device, and by operating a button that displays the lighting fixtures, the lighting A fixture identification operation can be performed and a selection can be made as to whether the luminaire is included in one of the displayed groups .

With the above-described configuration, the lighting system according to the present invention can control the lighting equipment by simply registering the desired lighting equipment as a group among the lighting equipment for which identification information has been received. can reduce the time required.

A diagram showing the configuration of a lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention Block diagram showing the configuration of lighting equipment included in the lighting system Block diagram showing the configuration of the gateway included in the lighting system Block diagram showing the configuration of a smartphone included in the lighting system (a) Diagram showing the group information list, (b) Diagram showing the lighting equipment information list (a) Diagram showing the group registration UI, (b) Diagram showing the group registration UI (when entering a group name) (a) Diagram showing the group registration UI (with the toggle switch touched), (b) Diagram showing the group registration UI (with the checkbox checked) Diagram representing group control UI Flowchart showing the flow of lighting equipment group registration processing Flowchart showing the process flow for creating a lighting equipment information list Flowchart showing the flow of group information creation processing Flowchart showing the flow of identification information-group mapping process Flowchart showing the flow of group control processing A diagram showing a group registration UI according to the second embodiment of the present invention A diagram showing a group registration UI according to the third embodiment of the present invention

Hereinafter, a lighting system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. First embodiment>
<1.1. Overview＞
A lighting system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes 40 lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 and a lighting control device 2, as shown in FIG. Each of the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 holds identification information therein, and is uniquely identified by this identification information. The lighting control device 2 is a system for controlling operations such as turning on and off the light sources of the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40, and changing the dimming rate. The lighting control device 2 includes a smartphone 6, which is an example of an information terminal device used by the user to instruct the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 to perform operations requested by the lighting fixture LF1 to the lighting fixture LF1 in response to user inputs made by the user to the smartphone 6. - Equipped with a gateway 5 that transmits an operation instruction to at least one of the LFs 40. Note that the lighting control device 2 does not necessarily need to be composed of a plurality of devices like the smartphone 6 and the gateway 5, and among the functions provided by the smartphone 6 and the gateway 5, it is necessary to control the operation of the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40. It may be configured with one lighting control device having the necessary functions, or it may be configured with more devices.

The lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40, the gateway 5, and the smartphone 6 communicate with each other wirelessly. Dotted arrows in FIG. 1 schematically indicate wireless communication. The wireless communication is based on the Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (hereinafter referred to as "BLE") specification, but is not limited thereto. The gateway 5 and the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 are connected to each other in a one-to-many or many-to-many manner to form a mesh network. The gateway 5 can directly or indirectly send operation instructions to any of the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 through the mesh network.

Note that communication between the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40, the gateway 5, and the smartphone 6 may all use the same communication specification, or may use a plurality of communication specifications. Further, the lighting control device 2 does not necessarily need to be composed of the gateway 5 and the smartphone 6, and is sufficient as long as it can control the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40. For example, the lighting control device 2 may be configured with a single device, or may be configured with a device different from the gateway 5 and the smartphone 6, such as a tablet terminal device or a personal computer, or may be configured with three or more devices. It may also be a thing. Furthermore, although the number of lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 is set at 40, it is not limited to this and may be changed as appropriate.

The lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 include LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as examples of light sources, and have the function of performing operations indicated by operation instructions received from the gateway 5. The lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 are installed in three locations, for example, a conference room, a living room, and a hallway. Here, the lighting fixtures installed at the same installation location are grouped together and controlled to perform the same operation all at once. Hereinafter, a group consisting of lighting fixtures installed in a conference room will be referred to as a "conference room group", a group consisting of lighting fixtures installed in a living room will be referred to as a "room group", and a group consisting of lighting fixtures installed in a hallway will be referred to as a "room group". The constituent groups are called "corridor groups."

Here, the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 are installed on the ceiling at each installation location by a contractor or the like when the lighting system 1 is introduced. Since the construction contractor installs the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 without distinguishing them, immediately after the installation is completed, it is not possible to identify which lighting fixture with which identification information is included in which group in the lighting system 1. There is.

Therefore, in order to control the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 in groups according to the installation location, each identification information of the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40, more specifically, the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40, is set according to the installation location. It is necessary to process the correspondence to groups.

The lighting system 1 is a system that makes it possible to associate groups with identification information using a simple procedure. Each configuration of the lighting system 1 will be described in more detail below.

<1.2. Configuration>
<1.2.1. Lighting equipment LFn>
The lighting fixture LFn (n represents any one of 1 to 40) includes a light source section 41, a circuit section 43, and a wireless module (hereinafter referred to as "WM") section 44, as shown in FIG.

The light source section 41 includes a light source configured with an LED and a light source board that is a circuit board on which the light source is arranged. Note that the light source only needs to function as a light source for illumination, and may be composed of something other than an LED, such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) device. The light source unit 41 performs operations such as turning on the light source, turning off the light, changing the dimming rate, and adjusting the color based on the input control signal.

The circuit section 43 includes a socket into which the WM section 44 is attached, and supplies direct current to the light source section 41 in response to a signal received from the WM section 44 .

The WM unit 44 is a module that performs wireless communication and is detachable from a socket of the WM unit 44 . The WM unit 44 is capable of wireless communication according to a plurality of communication specifications, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a dedicated WM unit 44 may be prepared for each different communication specification, and the WM unit 44 may be configured according to the communication protocol to be used. It may also be attached to a socket. The WM section 44 includes a wireless communication section 44a and a control section 44b.

The wireless communication unit 44a has a function of performing wireless communication. The wireless communication unit 44a functions as a transmitting means for transmitting information and a receiving means for receiving information. The wireless communication unit 44a holds a Media Access Control address (hereinafter referred to as "MAC address") as an example of identification information. The MAC address is also used as an address for wireless communication. Below, the value of the MAC address of the lighting fixture LFn may be expressed as "LID_n".

Note that LID_n is actually a 48-bit number, and there are regulations such as that a manufacturer-specific number is assigned to the first 24 bits. Further, the identification information is not limited to the MAC address, and any information that can identify each of the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 is sufficient. For example, it may be a random number uniquely assigned to the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40.

When receiving communication data, the wireless communication unit 44a notifies the control unit 44b if the communication data is addressed to the own device, and transfers the communication data to the other device via the mesh network if the communication data is addressed to another device.

The control unit 44b includes an IC (Integrated Circuit) and has a function of controlling the operation of the lighting fixture LFn.

When the control unit 44b receives an operation instruction regarding the operation of the light source, such as turning on, turning off, blinking, increasing the dimming rate, and decreasing the dimming rate, the control unit 44b sends a control signal to the circuit unit 43 to perform the operation indicated by the operation instruction. The light is output to the light source section 41 via the light source section 41. Further, if the operation instruction is an instruction to transmit a beacon, which is a signal for having other devices recognize the identification information of the own device, the wireless communication unit 44a transmits a beacon containing the identification information of the own device to a predetermined location. Instructs to send calls at time intervals. If the operation instruction is a beacon stop instruction, beacon transmission is stopped.

<1.2.2. Gateway 5>
As shown in FIG. 3, the gateway 5 includes a wireless communication section 51, a wired communication section 52, a control section 53, a ROM 54, and a RAM 55.

The wireless communication unit 51 has a function of performing wireless communication, and holds a MAC address as an example of identification information. The MAC address is used as an address for wireless communication. When receiving communication data, the wireless communication unit 51 notifies the control unit 53 if the communication data is addressed to the own device, and transfers the communication data to the other device via the mesh network if the communication data is addressed to another device.

The wired communication unit 52 has a function of performing data communication via a wired network cable. The wired network is, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network). For example, in a case where a plurality of gateways 5 work together, the plurality of gateways 5 are connected to each other by wire. The wired communication unit 52 exchanges necessary information with other gateways 5 using wired communication. Note that if wired communication is not performed, the wired communication section 52 can be omitted.

The ROM 54 is a nonvolatile memory that stores a lighting control program for operating the control unit 53 and the like. The ROM 54 holds a group information list and a lighting equipment information list. Details of the group information list and the lighting equipment information list will be described later.

The RAM 55 is a storage device into which the lighting control program stored in the ROM 54 is loaded.

The control unit 53 has a function of controlling the operation of the gateway 5. The control unit 53 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Each function of the gateway 5 is realized by the control unit 53 executing a lighting control program loaded from the ROM 54 and stored in the RAM 55.

<1.2.3. Smartphone 6>
The smartphone 6 is a portable information terminal device that has a rectangular plate-like appearance as shown in FIG. 1 and has a touch panel 65 fitted into one surface. The smartphone 6 has a function of displaying a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "UI") on the touch panel 65. The smartphone 6 issues instructions for the operation requested by the user based on the content of the UI displayed on the touch panel 65 and the touch and gesture input (hereinafter referred to as "user input") to the touch panel 65 performed by the user. and sends a control request to the gateway 5 based on the user input. When the gateway 5 receives a control request from the smartphone 6, it transmits an operation instruction to the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 based on the control request. The smartphone 6 includes a control section 61, a ROM 62, a RAM 63, a wireless communication section 64, and a touch panel 65, as shown in FIG.

The ROM 62 is composed of a flash memory and the like, and holds various data in addition to applications, programs, and UI. The ROM 62 holds a reception strength-distance conversion table as an example of data. The reception strength-distance conversion table shows the reception strength of the radio waves that the smartphone 6 receives from the lighting fixture LFn, and the approximate distance between the lighting fixture LFn and the smartphone 6 at that reception strength (the unit is an example). (in meters). It is assumed that the relationship between the reception strength and the distance information in the reception strength-distance conversion table is derived in advance by actual measurement or simulation.

The RAM 63 is a storage device into which the lighting control program stored in the ROM 62 is loaded.

The touch panel 65 is an electronic component that combines a display section that displays images and information constituting a UI, and an input section that accepts input of user instructions, and functions as a user interface means. The display section includes, for example, a liquid crystal panel. Further, the input unit is, for example, a touch pad. Touch panel 65 notifies control unit 61 of user input.

The control unit 61 includes a CPU. Each function of the smartphone 6 is realized by the control unit 61 executing a lighting control program loaded from the ROM 62 and stored in the RAM 63. The control unit 61 identifies the content of the user instruction based on the UI displayed on the touch panel 65 and the user input notified from the touch panel 65, and executes processing according to the user instruction.

The wireless communication unit 64 is composed of a device that performs wireless communication. The wireless communication unit 64 performs wireless communication with the gateway 5 and the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40. The wireless communication unit 64 also has a function of measuring the reception intensity (RSSI) of the received radio waves.

In the smartphone 6, the UI and the like do not need to be stored in the ROM 62 in advance, and an application capable of displaying the UI may be downloaded from a server and stored in the ROM 62. In other words, by downloading an app to a smartphone on the market, it becomes possible to use the smartphone as a user interface means.

<1.3. Data structure and UI>
The data structure and UI used by the lighting control program in the lighting system 1 will be described below.

<1.3.1. Data structure>
(1) Group information list 150
As shown in FIG. 5A, the group information list 150 is a collection of group information in which group identification information that uniquely identifies a group is associated with group name information that indicates a group name. One row of the group information list 150 is one group information. As an example, the first row of the group information list 150 shows group information in which the group identification information 150a is "1" and the group name information 150b is "conference room."

(2) Lighting equipment information list 200
The lighting fixture information list 200 is a collection of lighting fixture information indicating information about the lighting fixtures LFn from which the smartphone 6 was able to receive beacons. In the lighting fixture information list 200, as shown in FIG. 5(b) as an example, one line is one piece of lighting fixture information. The lighting equipment information includes group information, identification information, distance information, lighting information, dimming rate information, and group information. In the lighting fixture information list 200, the first column is fixture name information, the second column is identification information, the third column is distance information, the fourth column is lighting information, and the fifth column is lighting information. This is light rate information, and the sixth column is group information.

The fixture name information represents the name given to the lighting fixture LFn by the user. The default for the appliance name information is "name not set." The user can set a desired name as the appliance name information using a separate name setting UI or the like. Using the fixture name information, the user can easily distinguish the lighting fixtures LFn, which is difficult to do using identification information that is a string of numbers, symbols, etc.

The identification information is identification information that the lighting fixture LFn represented by the lighting fixture information has.

The distance information indicates the approximate distance between the smartphone 6 and the lighting fixture LFn. When the distance information is "1", it indicates that the distance between the smartphone 6 and the lighting fixture LFn is approximately 1 m (meter).

The lighting information indicates whether the lighting fixture LFn is currently on or off. When the light is on, it is "On", and when it is off, it is "Off".

The dimming rate information indicates the current dimming rate (unit: %) of the light source of the lighting fixture LFn.

The group identification information is group identification information of a group in which the lighting fixture LFn is included. As the group information in the lighting equipment information list 200, group identification information in the group information list 150 is written. The lighting equipment information in the lighting equipment information list 200 is linked to the group information in the group information list 150 that has the same group identification information. The initial value of the group identification information is "0" indicating that there is no group to which it belongs.

As an example of the lighting fixture information list 200, the first line in FIG. 5(b) is information regarding the lighting fixture LF1 whose identification information 201b is "LID_1", whose fixture name information 201a is "name not set", and distance information. 201c is "1", lighting information 201d is "On", dimming rate information 201e is "100", and group identification information 201f is "1".

<1.3.2. UI>
The smartphone 6 includes a "group control UI" for the user to control lighting fixtures in groups, and a "group registration UI 100" for setting the relationship between the lighting fixtures and the group in advance of the control.

(1) Group registration UI100
The group registration UI 100 is a UI for group registration that is displayed when the smartphone 6 inputs a user input to the touch panel 65 indicating the start of group creation by selecting from a menu showing operations that can be selected by the user. As shown in FIG. 6A, the group registration UI 100 includes a group input field IB, a cancel button CB, a save button SB, and a control button LBn.

The group input field IB is an input field for the user to set a group name. When the user inputs a group name into the smartphone 6, the user touches the group input field IB. When a touch by the user is detected, the smartphone 6 displays a cursor CS indicating the character input position in the group input field IB, and displays the software used by the user to input characters, as shown in FIG. 6(b), for example. Display keyboard KB.

The software keyboard KB is a software keyboard equipped with a plurality of key images representing letters, numbers, symbols, etc. When the user touches a key image, the smartphone 6 inputs the letters, numbers, symbols, etc. corresponding to the key image. recognize what has happened.

The user sequentially touches keys representing desired characters on the software keyboard KB and inputs a desired group name. Note that the software keyboard KB is displayed on the touch panel 65 of the smartphone 6 not only when inputting a group name but also when the user needs to input characters, numbers, and the like.

The control button LBn is a button used to register the lighting fixture LF into a group. One control button LBn corresponds to one lighting fixture LFn. The control buttons LBn are created in the same number as the number of rows in the lighting fixture information list 200, that is, the number of lighting fixtures LFn whose beacons can be received by the smartphone 6. The information displayed on a predetermined button in the control button LBn is information described in the lighting equipment information whose identification information is “LID_n” in the lighting equipment information list 200.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the control button LBn includes a name display section LBna, an ID display section LBnb, a distance display section LBnc, and a check box LBnd.

The ID display section LBna displays "LID_n" which is identification information of the lighting fixture LFn to be controlled using the control button LBn.

The name display section LBnb displays the name of the lighting fixture LFn to be controlled using the control button LBn. The displayed content is the fixture name information of the lighting fixture information whose identification information in the lighting fixture information list 200 is “LID_n”.

The distance display section LBnc displays the approximate distance between the lighting fixture LFn and the smartphone 6. The displayed distance is the distance information of the lighting equipment information whose identification information in the lighting equipment information list 200 is “LID_n”. Note that the distance display section LBnc of the group registration UI 100 displays "[distance information] within m". If the distance information is 1, "within 1 meter" will be displayed. m represents meter.

The check box LBnd is a check box used to select whether to include the lighting fixture LFn controlled by the control button LBn in the group identified by the group name input in the group input field IB. When the user touches the checkbox LBnd to register lighting fixture LFn to a group, the checkbox LBnd changes from a simple rectangular image shown in FIG. 6(a) to a mark at the center of the rectangle shown in FIG. 7(b). The image changes to a checked image, indicating that it has been selected for inclusion in the group.

Here, the area other than the area where the check box LBnd of the control button LBn is displayed blinks as an example to identify the lighting fixture LFn that is the target of judgment whether or not to include it in the group (other lighting fixtures are turned off). (Hereinafter, this area will be simply referred to as a "toggle switch"). For example, when the lighting fixture LFn is in the off state and the user touches the toggle switch of the control button LB1, the display of the control button LBn of the smartphone 6 changes from the state shown in LB1d in FIG. 6(a) to the state shown in FIG. 7(a). It changes to the state shown in LB1d. The hatching on the control button LB1 in FIG. 7(a) indicates that, for example, the background color of the control button LB1, which was blue in the case of FIG. 6(a), changes to yellow in the case of FIG. 7(a). , indicates that the lighting fixture LFn blinked for identification. Note that the hatched portion of the control button LB1 in FIG. 7A corresponds to the area corresponding to the toggle switch of the control button LB1.

The user can touch the toggle switch to make the lighting fixture LFn blink, and check where the blinking lighting fixture LFn is placed. The user can check the location where the lighting fixture LFn is installed (for example, a conference room) and then decide whether to include the lighting fixture LFn in a group (for example, a conference room group), which is convenient for the user. Highly sexual.

When the user selects to include the lighting fixture LFn in the group identified by the group name input in the group input field IB, the user touches the check box LBnd. When the user touches the image, the image of the check box LBnd changes from a simple rectangular image as shown as the check box LB1d in FIG. 6(a) to a check mark with a check mark written in the rectangle shown as the check box LB1d in FIG. 7(b). The image is changed to a rectangular image.

In this state, if the user wants to return the lighting fixture LFn not to be included in the group, the user may further touch the check box LBnd. At this time, the image of the check box LBnd is changed from a checked rectangular image to a simple rectangular image. Each time the user touches the check box LBnd, whether or not to include the lighting fixture LFn in the group is toggled.

The save button SB is a button for determining the lighting fixtures LFn to be included in the group identified by the group name input in the group input field IB. When the user touches the save button SB, it is determined that the lighting fixture LFn associated with the control button LBn whose checkbox LBnd is a checked rectangular image is included in the group with the group name written in the group input field IB.

The cancel button CB is a button for canceling the group creation process, and functions as a canceling means. When the user touches the cancel button CB, the smartphone 6 cancels the group creation process, and the user instruction to include the lighting fixture LFn in the group, which the user indicated by touching the checkbox LBnd, is discarded. . This allows the user to reselect which lighting fixtures to include in the group.

As an example, the control buttons LB1 to LB40 are arranged from top to bottom in descending order of distance information. The user can, for example, go near a lighting fixture to be registered as a group with the smartphone 6 and use the control buttons LBn arranged at the top in order, thereby registering a group from the lighting fixtures LFn that are located nearby. Since the processing can be carried out, the work can be done efficiently.

Furthermore, it is not necessary to display all of the control buttons LBn displayed at once as a list on the group registration UI 100, and as shown in FIGS. 6(a), 6(b), 7(a), and 7(b), As shown as an example, a part of it may be displayed. In this case, the control buttons LBn that are not displayed may be displayed by scrolling the screen, or a fixed number of control buttons LBn may be allocated to a plurality of pages so that they can be displayed for each page.

(2) Group control UI 130
The group control UI 130 is a UI for collectively controlling lighting fixtures included in a group. As shown in FIG. 8, the group control UI 130 includes an all-on button AON, an all-off button AOF, and a group control panel PAs (s is a natural number indicating any one from 1 to the number of groups).

The group control panel PAs is a panel for collectively controlling the lighting fixtures LFn arranged in the conference room. Controls that can be executed using the group control panels PAs include, for example, turning on, turning off, and changing the dimming rate.

The group control panel PAs includes a group name PAsa, a light on/off button PAsb, a dimming rate slide bar PAsc, and a dimming rate display image PAsd.

Group name PAsa displays the group name of the group to be controlled. The group name displayed in the group name PAsa is the group name information in the sth row of the group information list 150.

The lighting/extinguishing button PAsb is a button for instructing execution of lighting/extinguishing of the lighting fixture LFn belonging to the group to be controlled. Every time the user touches the lights-on/off button PAsb, the smartphone 6 determines that one of the user input indicating lighting and the user input indicating turning off has been input in a toggle manner. The light-on/off button PAsb displays "On" when a user input indicating lighting is made, and displays "Off" when a user input indicating turning off is made. “On” and “Off” of the lights-on/off button PAsb are linked with the lighting information of the lighting fixture LFn included in the group represented by the group identification information in the s-th row of the group information list 150.

The light control rate slide bar PAsc includes a light control rate range image PAscR and a light control rate bar image PAscB. The light control rate range image PAscR is a rectangular image, with the left end representing a light control rate of 0% and the right end representing a light control rate of 100%. The light control rate bar image PAscB can be moved on the light control rate range image PAscR by a user's drag operation. Then, the light control rate is determined by the ratio at which the position of the light control rate bar image PAscB internally divides the light control rate range image PAscR in the longitudinal direction. As an example, when the light control rate bar image PAscB divides the light control rate range image PAscR into 1:4 in the longitudinal direction, the light control rate indicates 20%. The light control rate display image PAsd numerically displays the light control rate indicated by the light control rate slide bar PAsc.

Note that the method of specifying the dimming rate is not limited to the method using a sliding bar such as the dimming rate slide bar PAsc, and it is sufficient if the dimming rate can be specified. For example, the dimming rate may be specified by directly inputting a numerical value using a software keyboard.

The all lighting button AON is a button for lighting all lighting fixtures LFn included in all groups. When the user touches the all lighting button AON, all the lighting fixtures LFn whose identification information is included in the lighting fixture information list 200 are turned on.

The all-off button AOF is a button for turning off all the lighting fixtures LFn included in all groups. When the user touches the all-lights-off button AOF, all of the lighting fixtures LFn whose identification information is included in the lighting fixture information list 200 are turned off.

<1.4. Operation＞
Below, the lighting equipment group registration process in the lighting system 1 configured as described above will be explained.

<1.4.1. Group registration process for lighting equipment>
The overall flow of the lighting equipment group registration process will be described using FIG. 9.

First, the user inputs a user instruction to the smartphone 6 to instruct the start of the lighting equipment group registration process (step S101). Triggered by the smartphone 6 accepting the input of the user instruction, the lighting system 1 executes lighting equipment information list creation processing (step S103). Details of step S103 will be described later using FIG. 10. Through this lighting equipment information list creation process, the smartphone 6 creates a lighting equipment information list 200 as shown in FIG. 5(b) as an example. However, at this point, all group information in the lighting equipment information list 200 is "0", indicating that there is no group to which it belongs.

Next, the smartphone 6 reflects the fixture name information, identification information, and distance information of the acquired lighting fixture information list 200 on the name display section LBna, ID display section LBna, and distance display section LBnc of the control button LBn. As an example, a group registration UI 100 shown in FIG. 6(a) is created (step S105). The smartphone 6 displays the group registration UI 100 on the touch panel 65 (step S107).

Using the group registration UI 100 displayed on the touch panel 65, the user inputs a group name (see FIG. 6(b)). Based on the user's input, the smartphone 6 executes group creation processing (step S109). Details of step S109 will be described later using FIG. 11. In the group information creation process, the smartphone 6 creates a group information list 150 showing the correspondence between group identification information and group names as shown in FIG. 5(b), for example.

Next, the user uses the group registration UI 100 displayed on the touch panel 65 to input information related to the identification information-group association process. Based on this input, the lighting system 1 executes identification information-group association processing (step S111). Through the identification information-group association process, the group identification information of the group to which each lighting fixture LFn belongs is recorded in the group information column of the lighting fixture information list 200 shown in FIG. 5(b). Details of step S111 will be described later in conjunction with FIG. 12. The above steps complete the lighting equipment group registration process.

<1.4.1.1. Lighting equipment information list creation process>
The lighting fixture information list creation process in step S103 will be described below with reference to FIG. 10.

When the user performs an operation to open the group registration UI 100 shown in FIG. 6(a), the smartphone 6 transmits a beacon transmission instruction to the lighting fixture LFn to the gateway 5 (step S201).

Upon receiving the beacon transmission instruction to the lighting fixture LFn, the gateway 5 transmits the beacon transmission instruction to each of the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40 with which communication has been established (steps S203, S205). Although the description of the lighting fixtures LF3 to LF40 is omitted in FIG. 10, it is assumed that the same processing as that for the lighting fixtures LF1 and LF2 is performed.

The lighting fixture LF1 that has received the beacon transmission instruction transmits a beacon (step S221). The smartphone 6 receives the beacon transmitted by the lighting fixture LF1, and extracts the identification information of the lighting fixture LF1 from the received beacon (step S223). Furthermore, the smartphone 6 measures the reception strength of the radio waves transmitting the beacon (step S225), and converts the measured reception strength of the radio waves into distance information using the reception strength-distance conversion table stored in the ROM 62. (Step S227).

As in the case of lighting fixture LF1, lighting fixture LF2 that has received the beacon transmission instruction transmits a beacon (step S241). The smartphone 6 receives the beacon transmitted by the lighting fixture LF2, extracts the identification information of the lighting fixture LF2 from the received beacon (step S243), and measures the reception strength of the radio wave transmitting the beacon (step S245). ), the measured reception strength of the radio wave is converted into distance information using a reception strength-distance conversion table (step S247).

For the lighting fixtures LF3 to LF40, the same processing as steps S221 to S227 for the lighting fixture LF1 is performed. Thereby, the smartphone 6 acquires identification information and distance information for each of the lighting fixtures LF1 to LF40.

The smartphone 6 then creates a lighting equipment information list using the identification information and distance information (step S261). Specifically, the smartphone 6 writes lighting equipment information about each lighting equipment LFn that has received a beacon in a row of the lighting equipment information list 200. The smartphone 6 writes "name not set" as an initial value in the fixture name information of the lighting fixture information, describes the received identification information "LID_n" in the identification information, and records the received distance information in the distance information. "Off" is written as an initial value in the lighting information, "100" is written as an initial value in the dimming rate information, and "0" is written as an initial value in the group identification information.

As described above, the lighting equipment information about the lighting equipments LF1 to LF40 is written in the lighting equipment information list 200.

<1.4.1.2. Group information creation process＞
The group information creation process in step S109 will be explained below using FIG. 11.

As described above, the user uses the group registration UI 100 displayed on the touch panel 65 to input a group name. The smartphone 6 acquires the group name (step S301).

The smartphone 6 generates group identification information corresponding to the acquired group name (step S303). The group identification information only needs to be information that can uniquely identify the group.

Then, the smartphone 6 writes group information in which the group name and group identification information are associated with each other in the group information list 150 (step S305).

<1.4.1.3. Group registration process>
The identification information-group association process in step S111 will be explained below using FIG. 12. Assume that the group is a conference room group, for example.

First, in order to determine whether the lighting fixture LFn is included in a group, the user uses the group registration UI 100 to input an instruction to blink the lighting fixture LFn to the smartphone 6 (step S401). Specifically, the user touches the toggle switch of the control button LBn on the group registration UI 100 shown in FIG. 7(a). Here, n represents a value selected by the user from 1 to 40.

When the smartphone 6 detects the touch of the toggle switch of the control button LBn, it transmits to the gateway 5 an operation instruction indicating blinking of the lighting fixture LFn, which is the lighting fixture corresponding to the control button LBn (step S403). Upon receiving the operation instruction, the gateway 5 transmits an operation instruction indicating blinking to the lighting fixture LFn (step S405). When the lighting fixture LFn receives the operation instruction indicating blinking, it blinks the light source (step S407) .
The user confirms whether the installation location of the flashing lighting fixture LFn is a conference room, and determines whether or not to include the lighting fixture LFn in the conference room group (step S421). If included in the conference room group (YES in step S421), touch the checkbox LBnd on the UI 100 shown in FIG. 7(b). This changes the check box LBnd to a checked state (step S423). If the lighting fixture LFn is not included in the conference room group (NO in step S421), the process advances to step S425.

Then, since the user has finished making a determination regarding the control button LBn, the user inputs an instruction to turn off the lighting fixture LFn by touching the toggle switch of the control button LBn shown in FIG. 7(a) (step S425). Upon receiving the input of the instruction to turn off the lighting fixture LFn, the smartphone 6 transmits the instruction to turn off the lighting fixture LFn to the gateway 5 (step S427). The gateway 5 receives the light-off instruction for the lighting fixture LFn, and transmits the light-off instruction to the lighting fixture LFn (step S429). Upon receiving the turn-off instruction from the gateway 5, the lighting fixture LFn turns off the light source (step S431).

Next, the smartphone 6 determines whether the cancel button CB has been touched by the user (step S441), and if it has not been touched (NO in step S441), the process proceeds to step S443, and if it has been touched (NO in step S441). YES), the group registration process ends. In step S443, the smartphone 6 determines whether the save button SB has been touched by the user, and if it has not been touched (NO in step S443), the process returns to step S401.

When the user touches the save button SB (YES in step S443), the smartphone 6 saves the lighting fixture information in the lighting fixture information list 200 for all the lighting fixtures LFn whose checkboxes LBnd in the group registration UI 100 are checked. The group identification information of the conference room group is written in the group information of (step S445). Then, the smartphone 6 transmits the lighting equipment information list 200 to the gateway 5 (step S447). The gateway 5 stores the received lighting fixture information list 200 in the ROM 54 (step S449).

As explained above, in the lighting fixture group registration process, when the user wants to include the lighting fixture LFn in the group, the user touches the check box LBnd of the control button LBn displayed on the group registration UI 100 displayed on the touch panel 65, All you have to do is touch the save button SB. Thereby, in the lighting system 1, the identification information LID_n of the lighting fixture LFn is associated with the group identification information. Furthermore, the group identification information is associated with the group name. Therefore, the user uses the touch panel 65 of the smartphone 6 to specify the group by group name and inputs a user instruction, thereby giving user instructions to the lighting system 1 for all lighting fixtures LFn included in the group. be able to.

As described above, according to the invention according to this embodiment, by using the group registration UI 100, it is possible to easily associate the lighting fixture LFn with a desired group, reducing the time required for initial settings at the time of installation. can do.

<1.4.2. Group lighting control>
Next, as an example of group lighting control that controls lighting fixtures LFn for each group, lighting control that lights up all lighting fixtures LFn included in a group will be described.

Group lighting control is lighting control that causes lighting fixtures LFn included in a group to perform the same operation. Hereinafter, the control for lighting the lighting fixtures LFn included in the conference room group will be explained using FIG. 13. When performing group lighting control, the user uses, for example, the group control UI 150 of FIG. 8 on the touch panel 65 of the smartphone 6.

Note that when the lighting fixture LFn included in the conference room group is off, "Off" is displayed in the lighting information of the lighting fixture information whose group identification information is 1 indicating the conference room group in the lighting fixture information list 200. Displayed. Accordingly, "Off" is displayed on the light-on/off button PA1b related to the conference room group of the group control UI 150 shown in FIG. 8.

When starting group lighting control, the user inputs a user instruction to display the group control UI 130 on the menu screen of the lighting control program on the touch panel 65 (step S501). Note that the top menu of the lighting control program may be the group control UI 130.

The smartphone 6 displays the group control UI 130 on the touch panel 65 (step S503). When the user wants to turn on the lighting fixture LFn included in the conference room group, the user touches the light-on/off button PA1b related to the conference room group on the group control UI 150 displayed on the touch panel 65 (step S505). The smartphone 6 transmits an instruction to turn on the conference room group to the gateway 5 (step S507).

The gateway 5 refers to the lighting fixture information list 200 and extracts all the identification information of the lighting fixtures LFn included in the lighting fixture information whose group identification information indicates a conference room group (the value is 1). Step S521). Then, a lighting instruction is transmitted to the lighting fixture LFn indicated by these identification information (step S523). When the lighting fixture LFn receives the lighting instruction, it lights the light source (step S525).

Here, in FIG. 13, the lighting control in step S523 and step S525 is described only for one lighting fixture LFn and the rest is omitted, but the lighting control in step S523 and step S525 is described for all the identification information extracted in step S521. Similar processing is performed.

The lighting process has been described above as an example of group lighting control, but the control procedures are the same for the lights-off process, dimming process, and color toning process. Further, these group lighting controls can be performed not only manually but also automatically. Examples of automatic control include control that adjusts the light and color according to the time of day, and control that adjusts the light by detecting the surrounding brightness with a sensor.

<2. Second embodiment>
In the above embodiment, in the group registration process, the group registration UI 100 is used in which the lighting fixture LFn can be registered in a desired group by touching the check box LBnd of the control button LBn and touching the save button SB.

However, the UI for simply group-registering the lighting fixtures LFn may be different.

The group registration UI 400 of this embodiment is a UI for registering a group by drag and drop.

As shown in FIG. 14A, the group registration UI 400 includes a cancel button CB, a save button SB, a control button MBn, and a group display button GBp. Here, p indicates one from 1 to the number of groups (3 in this embodiment). The cancel button CB and save button SB are as described in the first embodiment.

The group display button GBp is a button on which a group name is displayed. Group information in the group information list 150 is displayed as a group name on the group display button GBp. It is assumed that the group information list 150 of this embodiment is created separately prior to the group registration process.

The configuration of the control button MBn is similar to that of the control button LBn, and includes a name display section LBna, an ID display section LBnb, and a distance display section LBnc, but a check box LBnd
The difference is that it does not include Further, the control button MBn is entirely a toggle switch, and each time the user touches it, the lighting fixture LFn is toggled on and off.

Further, the control button MBn is configured to be able to be dragged and dropped onto the group display button GBp. When the user uses the group registration UI 400 to register the lighting fixture LFn represented by the control button MBn to a group, as shown in FIG. , drag and drop control button MBn. Thereby, the lighting fixture LF1 is associated with the conference room group.

Similar to the first embodiment, this association is confirmed by touching the save button SB, and the group information of the lighting fixture information regarding the lighting fixture LFn in the lighting fixture information list 200 is added to the group information of the conference room group. Group identification information will be entered.

As explained above, the group registration process using the group registration UI 400 according to this modification also allows lighting fixtures LFn to be easily associated with a desired group, reducing the time required for initial settings at the time of installation. be able to.

<3. Third embodiment>
In the second embodiment, in the group registration process, a UI is used to register a lighting fixture into a group by dragging and dropping a control button MBn corresponding to a lighting fixture LFn onto a group display button GBp representing a desired group. Ta. However, it is sufficient that the drag and drop destination represents a group.

In this embodiment, a group registration UI 500 is used instead of the group registration UI 400.

The group registration UI 500 uses the same configuration as the group registration UI 400, but as shown in FIG. 15(a), instead of the group display button GBp in FIG. 14(a), a lighting diagram FG is displayed. The points are different.

The lighting diagram FG represents the installation locations of lighting equipment using symbols. The lighting diagram FG includes a group area GR1 representing a conference room, a group area GR2 representing a living room, and a group area GR3 representing a hallway. The group area GR1 corresponds to a conference room group, the group area GR2 corresponds to a room group, and the group area GR3 corresponds to a hallway group.

Group area GR1, group area GR2, and group area GR3 represent the floor plans of a conference room, living room, and hallway, respectively, and the group name is written in each group area, and the circle symbol in each group area is indicates the position where lighting fixture LFn is placed. As an example, 20 circles are written in the group region GR1, which indicates that 20 lighting fixtures LFn are arranged in the conference room.

When the user uses the group registration UI 500 to register the lighting fixture LFn represented by the control button MBn to a group, as shown in FIG. 15(b), in the group area GRp where the group name of the group to be registered is displayed, Drag and drop control button MBn. Thereby, the lighting fixture LF1 is associated with the conference room group.

Similar to the first embodiment, this association is confirmed by touching the save button SB, and the group information of the lighting fixture information regarding the lighting fixture LFn in the lighting fixture information list 200 is added to the group information of the conference room group. Group identification information will be entered.

As explained above, the group registration process using the group registration UI 500 according to this modification also allows lighting fixtures LFn to be easily associated with a desired group, reducing the time required for initial settings at the time of installation. be able to.

<4. Modified example>
Although the embodiments of the lighting system according to the present invention have been described above, the illustrated lighting system can be modified as follows, and the present invention is not limited to the lighting system as shown in the above embodiments. Of course not.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which one gateway 5 is used has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and there may be a plurality of gateways 5. A plurality of gateways 5 may also operate in cooperation. Since the physical wireless communication of the gateways 5 is limited, lighting fixtures installed in a wider range can be controlled by multiple gateways 5 working together.

(2) In the above embodiment, the timing of stopping the beacon transmitted by the lighting fixture LFn is not described, but after the group registration process is completed or the lighting fixture LFn for each group in the identification information-group association process is not described. The beacon may be stopped at an appropriate timing, such as after the completion of the beacon. For example, between steps S445 and S447, or after step S447, the smartphone 6 transmits a beacon stop instruction to the gateway 5 for all the lighting fixtures LFn whose checkboxes LBnd were checked in step S445. It may also be an instruction to do so.

(3) In the above embodiment, the user interface includes objects such as buttons and panels, but these do not necessarily have to be in the form of buttons or panels, and are at least separated by lines, colors, etc. It is sufficient if the area is

(4) Each functional component shown in the above-described embodiments may be realized as a circuit that executes the function, or may be realized by executing a lighting control program by one or more processors.

(5) The above-described embodiment and each modification may be partially combined.

<5. Supplement>
Hereinafter, the configuration of a lighting system as an embodiment of the present invention, modifications thereof, and effects will be further described.

(1) A lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of lighting fixtures and a lighting control device that instructs the lighting fixtures to perform the same lighting control for each group consisting of at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures. A lighting system comprising: each of the plurality of lighting fixtures includes transmitting means for transmitting identification information of its own fixture; and the lighting control device comprises a receiving means for receiving the identification information; A user interface means is provided for displaying a list of the lighting fixtures identified by the identification information and performing group registration processing for each of the displayed lighting fixtures.

With this configuration, the lighting system according to the present invention can control the lighting equipment by simply registering the desired lighting equipment as a group among the lighting equipment for which identification information has been received. It can save time .
(2) Further, the user interface means allows the user to instruct an operation to distinguish one of the displayed lighting fixtures from other lighting fixtures, and the lighting control device causes the user to instruct the user to distinguish between the displayed lighting fixtures and the other lighting fixtures. The lighting device to which the identification operation instruction has been given may be controlled to perform an operation to distinguish it from other lighting devices.

(3) Furthermore, the operation for distinguishing from the other lighting equipment may be any one of blinking, lighting, and turning off.

With this configuration, the user can determine whether to include the lighting fixture LFn in the group after confirming the installation location of the lighting fixture, which is highly convenient for the user.

(4) Furthermore, the user interface means may include a check box for specifying lighting fixtures to be included in a group, and the lighting fixtures whose check boxes are checked may be registered in the group.

With this configuration, the user can register desired lighting fixtures as a group simply by checking the checkbox, so group registration is easy and the time required for installation settings at the time of introduction can be shortened .
(5) Further, the user interface means has an area indicating the group, and by dragging and dropping a lighting fixture to be included in the group from among the listed lighting fixtures into the area indicating the group, the user interface means can select the group. It may also be registered.

With this configuration, a user can include a desired lighting fixture in a group with a simple operation.

(6) Furthermore, the user interface means may display a distance between each of the lighting fixtures displayed in the list and the lighting control device.

With this configuration, processing such as group registration can be performed from lighting fixtures that are located nearby, allowing the user to work efficiently.

(7) Furthermore, when transmitting the identification information, the transmitting means may include the identification information in a beacon and transmit it, and the receiving means may receive the beacon including the identification information.

This configuration allows identification information to be transmitted from the luminaire to the control system based on existing communication specifications defined for beacons.

(8) Moreover, it is good also as providing the smart phone provided with the said user interface means.

With this configuration, a smartphone on the market can be used as the user interface means by having the smartphone download an application capable of displaying a user interface.

1 Lighting system 2 Lighting control device 5 Gateway 6 Smartphone 41 Light source section 43 Circuit section 44 WM section 44a Wireless communication section 44b Control section 51 Wireless communication section 52 Wired communication section 53 Control section 54 ROM54
61 Control unit 62 ROM
63 RAM
64 Wireless communication section 65 Touch panel 100 Group registration UI
150 Group information list 150a Group identification information 150b Group name information 200 Lighting equipment information list 201a Equipment name information 201b Identification information 201c Distance information 201d Lighting information 201e Dimming rate information 201f Group identification information AOF All lights off button AON All lights button CB Cancel button CS Cursor GB1, GB2, GB3 Group display button GR1, GR2, GR3 Group area IB Group input field KB Software keyboard LB1, LB3, LB5, LB14 Control button LF1 to LF40 Lighting equipment MB1, MB3, MB5, MB14 Control button PA1 , PA2, PA3 Group control panel PA1a Group name PA1b On/off button PA1cB Dimming rate bar image PA1cR Dimming rate range image PA1d Dimming rate display image SB Save button 100, 400, 500 Group registration UI
130, 150 Group control UI

Claims (4)

a plurality of lighting fixtures; and a lighting control device that instructs the lighting fixtures to perform the same lighting control for each group consisting of at least one of the plurality of lighting fixtures, the plurality of lighting fixtures forming a mesh network. and a lighting system in which the lighting equipment is controlled by wireless communication using the mesh network ,
The lighting control device includes:
Displaying buttons corresponding to at least some of the plurality of lighting fixtures on one screen in order to select the plurality of lighting fixtures to be included in one of the groups;
The button for displaying the lighting fixture is displayed based on radio waves directly received by the lighting control device from the lighting fixture,
By operating a button that displays the lighting equipment, it is possible to perform an operation to identify the lighting equipment, and to select whether or not to include the lighting equipment in one of the groups. system. The lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the button for displaying the lighting equipment displays a distance from the lighting control device. A lighting control device that configures a mesh network and instructs the lighting fixtures to perform the same lighting control for each group consisting of at least one of a plurality of lighting fixtures controlled by wireless communication through the mesh network ,
The lighting control device includes:
Displaying buttons corresponding to at least some of the plurality of lighting fixtures on one screen in order to select the plurality of lighting fixtures to be included in one of the groups;
The button for displaying the lighting fixture is displayed based on radio waves directly received by the lighting control device from the lighting fixture,
By operating a button that displays the lighting equipment, it is possible to perform an operation to identify the lighting equipment, and to select whether or not to include the lighting equipment in one of the groups. Control device. The lighting control device according to claim 3, wherein the button for displaying the lighting fixture displays a distance from the lighting control device.