JP7480651B2 - Lighting Control System - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a lighting control system.

Traditionally, lighting control systems that remotely control multiple lighting devices have been introduced in studios, stages, etc. For example, the lighting control device of such a lighting control system collects information about the lighting devices installed in studios, stages, etc. according to a standard called RDM (Remote Device Management), which is an extension of a standard called DMX512, and controls dimming and color adjustment based on the collected information to perform lighting effects.

JP 2017-224406 A

However, with conventional technology, there are cases where the expected lighting effect is not reproduced. Specifically, with conventional technology, when information about a lighting device is collected during dimming control, stepped dimming, in which the brightness changes stepwise, may occur unexpectedly, which may cause a sense of incongruity or discomfort.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a lighting control system that can prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming interruptions.

The lighting control system according to the embodiment communicates with lighting devices while sending and receiving control signals that change the state of the lighting devices that have a communication function. The lighting control system also has a control device that interrupts the transmission of device information to the lighting devices based on the amount of change in the state of the lighting devices.

The present invention provides a lighting control system that can prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming interruptions.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a lighting control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each device included in the lighting control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit included in the lighting control device of the lighting control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each device included in the lighting control system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit included in a lighting control device of a lighting control system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each device included in the lighting control system according to the third embodiment.

The lighting control system according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Components having the same functions in the embodiments will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. Note that the lighting control system described below is merely an example, and is not intended to limit the embodiment.

The lighting control system 1 according to the embodiment described below communicates with the lighting devices 10 while sending and receiving control signals that change the state of the lighting devices 10 that have a communication function. The lighting control system 1 also has a control device (lighting control device 100) that interrupts the transmission of device information to the lighting devices 10 based on the amount of change in the state of the lighting devices 10.

The control device (lighting control device 100) according to the embodiment described below includes a reception unit 151, a generation unit 152, and a monitoring unit 154. The reception unit 151 receives information related to the control of the lighting device 10. The generation unit 152 generates a control signal for the lighting device 10. The monitoring unit 154 monitors the amount of change based on the information generated by the generation unit 152.

The control device (lighting control device 100) according to the embodiment described below includes an operation unit 140 and a monitoring unit 154. The operation unit 140 accepts operations related to the control of the lighting device 10. The monitoring unit 154 monitors the amount of change based on the operations accepted by the operation unit 140.

The control device (lighting control device 100) according to the embodiment described below suspends transmission of device information after a predetermined time has elapsed based on the operation received by the operation unit 140.

The control device according to the embodiment described below includes a monitoring unit that monitors the amount of change based on the control signal of the lighting device 10 received from a higher-level device (lighting control device 100).

The control device in the embodiment described below is a node 20 to which lighting equipment 10 is connected.

The control device in the embodiment described below is a relay device 40 located between a node 20 to which lighting devices 10 are connected and a higher-level device (lighting control device 100).

The control device according to the embodiment described below transmits a dummy signal to the higher-level device (lighting control device 100) instead of device information.

[First embodiment]
(Lighting control system configuration)
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a lighting control system according to a first embodiment. The lighting control system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of lighting devices 10 (shown in Fig. 1 as lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the individual devices, they will be collectively referred to as "lighting devices 10"), a plurality of nodes 20 (shown in Fig. 1 as nodes 20-1 to 20-n. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the individual devices, they will be collectively referred to as "nodes 20"), a hub 30, a power supply device 50, and a lighting control device 100. Note that the types and numbers of the lighting devices 10 and the nodes 20 included in the lighting control system 1 can be changed as desired.

In the lighting control system 1, the lighting devices 10 are lighting devices capable of two-way communication with the node 20 and the lighting control device 100 using a communication protocol based on the DMX standard or a communication method based on the RDM standard, which is an extension of DMX. The lighting devices 10 also have semiconductor light-emitting elements such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and perform lighting effects in studios, on stages, etc. by changing the brightness, range, color, etc. according to control signals. The lighting devices 10 are equipment installed in any space, such as a studio or a stage, and are installed on a baton used to suspend lighting devices, etc. In the example of FIG. 1, lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n are installed on a baton B1. Note that the lighting devices 10 may include those that are not installed on the baton.

The node 20 is a distributor that distributes control information that enables two-way communication with the lighting equipment 10 and the lighting control device 100 using a communication protocol based on the DMX standard or a communication method based on the RDM standard, which is an extension of DMX. The node 20 is a device that relays communication between the lighting control device 100 and the lighting equipment 10, and is realized by a device called a DMX node or an RDM node, for example. Specifically, the node 20 is connected to the hub 30 in a manner that enables two-way communication by a wired or wireless network such as Ethernet (registered trademark), and communicates with the lighting control device 100 and the like via the hub 30.

In the example of FIG. 1, the nodes 20 are installed on batons, just like the lighting devices 10. In the example of FIG. 1, node 20-1 is installed on baton B1, node 20-2 is installed on baton B2, and node 20-n is installed on baton Bn. Each node 20 stores information about the baton on which it is installed and information about the lighting devices 10 connected to it. In other words, each node 20 stores placement information of the lighting devices 10 that indicates the correspondence between the baton and the lighting devices 10. Note that the node 20 does not have to be installed on the baton.

The hub 30 is connected to the lighting control device 100 via a wired or wireless network such as Ethernet (registered trademark) in a manner that allows two-way communication, and is a repeater that relays communication between the lighting control device 100 and each of the nodes 20-1 to 20-n.

The power supply unit 50 is a power supply unit that supplies power to each of the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n, and has functions such as voltage conversion, a breaker, and a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). The power supply unit 50 may be connected directly to the lighting devices 10, etc., without going through the hub 30.

The lighting control device 100 is a control device capable of communicating bidirectional control signals (e.g., control signals compatible with the RDM standard) with the lighting devices 10, and is generally called a dimmer console or control console. When the lighting control device 100 receives an operation command for the lighting devices 10 from a user (e.g., an operator who operates the lighting control device 100), it generates a control signal including a control address assigned to the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n and transmits the control signal to the nodes 20-1 to 20-n via the hub 30. The nodes 20-1 to 20-n convert the control signal received from the lighting control device 100, for example, into a signal conforming to the RDM standard (RDM signal) and output it to the lighting device 10 indicated by the control address. This controls the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n. In this way, the lighting control device 100 remotely controls the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n using, for example, the control address included in the RDM-compatible control signal. The lighting control device 100 is an example of a control device.

The lighting control device 100 also collects lighting device information such as "model number", "port number", "UID", "DMX address", "operation mode", and "lighting time" from each lighting device 10 via the node 20. The lighting control device 100 stores the device information collected from each lighting device 10 in the memory unit 120 as lighting device information 121.

(Overview of processing executed by lighting control device 100)
In a conventional lighting control system, stepped dimming may occur when the lighting control device 100 collects device information while controlling the dimming of the lighting device 10. For this reason, in order to avoid the occurrence of stepped dimming, for example, a process is implemented in which either dimming control for changing the brightness of the lighting device 10 or communication for collecting information about the lighting device 10 is executed, and the other is disabled.

The lighting control device 100 according to the embodiment monitors whether a state in which dimming is likely to occur, and executes a process to suspend collection of device information from each lighting device 10 when a state in which dimming is likely to occur. Specifically, the lighting control device 100 monitors the amount of change in the state of the lighting devices 10. The lighting control device 100 suspends transmission of device information from the lighting devices 10 based on the amount of change in the state of the lighting devices 10.

In this way, the lighting control device 100 according to the embodiment executes a process to interrupt the transmission of device information from the lighting device 10 in a state in which dimming is likely to occur. This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming.

(Functional configuration of each device according to the first embodiment)
The above-mentioned processing executed by the lighting control device 100 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2 together with a description of the functional configuration of each device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each device included in the lighting control system according to the first embodiment. Note that the description of the contents described in Fig. 1 will be omitted as appropriate.

First, the configuration of the lighting device 10 will be described. The lighting device 10 according to this embodiment is a lighting device controlled by a control signal generated from control information conforming to the RDM standard, and has a memory unit 13, a control unit 14, and a light source unit 15.

The storage unit 13 is a non-volatile memory included in the lighting device 10, and stores device information about the lighting device 10. Examples of device information include the manufacturer's name, device model number, UID, control address, number of channels to be used, mode information to be used, lighting time, power supply time, mass, and personality settings.

Here, the manufacturer name is the name of the manufacturer of the lighting device 10. The device model number is the model number of the lighting device 10 determined by the manufacturer. The UID is an identifier for identifying each lighting device 10-1 to 10-n. The UID is, for example, information expressed as a 12-digit hexadecimal number that is assigned in advance to each lighting device 10-1 to 10-n. The control address is an address on the DMX data link, that is, a control address used when the lighting control device 100 controls the lighting device 10. The number of channels is the number of control addresses used to control the lighting device 10. For example, a lighting device 10 with a channel number of "4" can control the illuminance, red (R), blue (B), and green (G) individually by setting individual control addresses for each of the illuminance (I), red (R), blue (B), and green (G). In the following description, the control address with the smallest value among one or more control addresses set in the lighting device 10 may be described as the start address.

The lighting time is information indicating the total time that the light source of the lighting device 10 is turned on. The power supply time is information indicating the total time that power is supplied to the lighting device 10. The mass is information indicating the mass of the lighting device 10. The personality setting is information indicating the operating mode of the lighting device 10.

The control unit 14 controls the lighting. For example, when node 20-1 receives a control signal from the lighting control device 100, it converts the received control signal into an RDM signal and outputs it to the lighting device 10 corresponding to the control address. Then, the control unit 14 controls the light source unit 15 according to the RDM signal received from node 20-1.

In addition, node 20-1 may output a request to send device information to each of the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n. For example, node 20-1 outputs a request to send device information of each of the lighting devices 10 connected to itself to each of the lighting devices 10 in response to a request from the lighting control device 100. In this case, the control unit 14 reads out the device information registered in the storage unit 13, and outputs the read out device information to node 20-1.

When node 20-1 receives a command from the lighting control device 100 to assign a new control address, it outputs a setting signal to each lighting device 10 indicating the value of the control address to be newly assigned to the lighting device 10. In this case, the control unit 14 registers in the storage unit 13 the control address indicated by the setting signal received from node 20-1.

The light source unit 15 is a light source included in the lighting device 10. The light source unit 15 is realized by a semiconductor light-emitting element such as an LED whose illuminance, illuminated range, color, etc. can be controlled according to the control of the control unit 14.

Next, the configuration of node 20-1 will be described. Node 20-1 according to this embodiment has a communication unit 23, a setting unit 24, a memory 25, an acquisition unit 26, and multiple ports 27-1 to 27-n (collectively referred to as "ports 27" when there is no need to distinguish between them). In addition, an address table 25a is registered in memory 25.

First, an example of information stored in the address table 25a will be described. In the address table 25a, control addresses for controlling the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n installed in the node 20-1 are registered in association with the location information of the node 20-1 and the port number of the node 20-1. That is, in the address table 25a according to this embodiment, the placement information of the lighting devices 10 and the control addresses are registered in association with each other.

The communication unit 23 has a receiving unit 23a and a transmitting unit 23b, and is a communication device that transmits and receives information to and from the lighting control device 100 via the hub 30, and is realized by a communication device such as a NIC (Network Interface Card). For example, the communication unit 23 communicates with the lighting control device 100 to transmit information about the lighting devices 10 acquired by the acquiring unit 26 described below. In other words, the transmitting unit 23b of the communication unit 23 transmits information about the lighting devices 10 acquired by the acquiring unit 26 to the lighting control device 100.

The acquisition unit 26 acquires information about the lighting devices 10 connected to the port 27, which is a connection terminal. For example, the acquisition unit 26 outputs a request to send lighting device information from each of the ports 27-1 to 27-n at a predetermined time interval. Then, when the acquisition unit 26 receives device information as a response from the lighting devices 10, it notifies the setting unit 24 of the port number of the port that received the device information.

Next, the configuration of the lighting control device 100 will be described. The lighting control device 100 according to this embodiment has a communication unit 110, a memory unit 120, a display unit 130, an operation unit 140, and a control unit 150. The communication unit 110 transmits and receives control signals to and from the lighting devices 10 via the hub 30 and the nodes 20. The communication unit 110 is realized by a communication device such as a NIC, for example.

The storage unit 120 is realized by a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, or a random access memory (RAM). As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 120 stores lighting device information 121, control information 122, and monitoring parameters 123.

The lighting device information 121 is device information about the lighting device 10 transmitted from the transmitter 23b of the lighting device 10.

Lighting device information 121 includes items such as "control address," "lighting device UID," "lighting device information," "function," "baton number," and "installation location information."

"Control address" indicates the numerical value of the control address. "Lighting device UID" indicates identification information for identifying a lighting device, i.e., UID. Note that the lighting device UID is actually information expressed as a 12-digit hexadecimal number that is assigned to a lighting device in advance, but in the embodiment, it is indicated by a reference code (10a-1, etc.). "Lighting device information" indicates information about a lighting device. For example, the lighting device information includes information indicating the type of lighting device, such as "spotlight" or "base light," and the power consumption of the lighting device, such as "1 kW (kilowatt)."

"Function" indicates the function corresponding to the control address. For example, in the case of a lighting device that uses 4 channels and has a function for adjusting colors such as R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) for each channel, and a function for adjusting I (Intensity), which is information indicating the overall light intensity, the function corresponding to each control address is registered in the lighting device information 121. Note that the function may also include information such as Z (Zoom), which determines the focal position of the lens, and S (Strobe) and C (Curve), which are operation information.

The "baton number" is a number for identifying the node 20 that is the source of the lighting device information, i.e., the node 20 to which the lighting device 10 is connected. The "installation location information" is information indicating which port of the node 20 the lighting device 10 is connected to, such as a port number. Note that the installation location information may further store information for identifying the node, etc.

The control information 122 is information for controlling each lighting device 10, and includes, for example, information regarding dimming control and the operation of multiple faders in the operation unit 140. Specifically, the control information 122 includes, for example, information associating level values of faders and submasters (SMs), illuminance, color, etc. for each lighting device 10, and information on various scenes.

The monitoring parameters 123 are thresholds that serve as a criterion for determining whether or not to interrupt the transmission of a request signal for lighting device information (device information) to the lighting device 10. In other words, the monitoring parameters 123 are thresholds that determine whether or not to interrupt the transmission of device information from the lighting device 10. The monitoring parameters 123 include, for example, a threshold related to the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10. The monitoring parameters 123 are, for example, parameters related to dimming control of the lighting device 10. There may be multiple monitoring parameters 123. The monitoring parameters 123 may also be a function or map that combines multiple elements. Furthermore, different monitoring parameters 123 may be adopted depending on the degree of the dimming level of the lighting device 10, for example.

The display unit 130 is a display device that displays the arrangement information of each of the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n connected to the lighting control device 100 and the control addresses set for each of the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n under the control of the control unit 150 described later, and is realized, for example, by a liquid crystal display. Specifically, the display unit 130 displays information about the lighting devices 10 (for example, the control addresses set for the lighting devices 10) based on the acquired information about the lighting devices 10, together with the arrangement information that indicates the arrangement status of the lighting devices 10. The display unit 130 may not only display (output) information, but also have an interface function as an input device. For example, when the display unit 130 is realized by a touch panel display, the display unit 130 also functions as an interface that accepts input operations.

The operation unit 140 receives operations for each of the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n, and has, for example, a number of faders F01 to Fn. Each of the faders F01 to Fn is assigned an individual fader number. The faders F01 to Fn are, for example, sliders that receive operations to change the illuminance of each of the lighting devices 10-1 to 10-n. The operation unit 140 may be realized using a touch panel or the like. The operation unit 140 may also have physical buttons.

The control unit 150 is a computing device that executes various types of information processing, and may employ, for example, electronic circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or integrated circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 150 has an internal memory for storing programs that define various processing procedures and control data, and executes various types of processing using these. The control unit 150 functions as various processing units by running various programs.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit of a lighting control device of a lighting control system according to the first embodiment. The control unit 150 has a reception unit 151, a generation unit 152, a collection unit 153, and a monitoring unit 154.

The reception unit 151 receives information related to the control of the lighting device 10. For example, the reception unit 151 receives information corresponding to an operation on the operation unit 140. The reception unit 151 may also receive, for example, control information 122 pre-stored in the storage unit 120.

The generating unit 152 generates a control signal for controlling the lighting device 10. For example, the generating unit 152 generates a control signal based on the information received by the receiving unit 151. The control signal generated by the generating unit 152 is transmitted to the lighting device 10 via the communication unit 110.

The collection unit 153 collects information about the lighting device 10 from the lighting device 10 via the node 20. The collection unit 153 requests the lighting device 10 to transmit device information at a predetermined timing set by an operator or the like. The collection unit 153 acquires the device information transmitted from the lighting device 10 in response to the request. The collection unit 153 stores the collected device information in the storage unit 120 as lighting device information 121. If lighting device information 121 with the same "UID" exists in the storage unit 120, the collection unit 153 overwrites and updates the lighting device information 121 based on the collected device information. The collection unit 153 may repeatedly request the transmission of device information at a predetermined cycle. This allows the lighting control device 100 to always be aware of the most recent device information collected by the collection unit 153, such as the lighting time of the lighting device 10.

The monitoring unit 154 monitors the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10. For example, the monitoring unit 154 monitors the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 based on the information generated by the generation unit 152. Here, the amount of change in the state is, for example, the degree to which the dimming level of the lighting device 10 changes. In addition, the amount of change in the dimming level of the lighting device 10 per unit time, i.e., the rate of change, may be used as the amount of change in the state. In addition, the amount of change in the dimming level of the lighting device 10 may be a combination of multiple elements, such as color tone and color temperature.

The monitoring unit 154 also determines the state of the lighting device 10. For example, the monitoring unit 154 compares the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 with the monitoring parameter 123, and determines whether the lighting device 10 is in a state that will cause dimming to occur. For example, when the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 exceeds the monitoring parameter 123, it is determined that the lighting device 10 is in a state that will cause dimming to occur.

When it is determined that the lighting device 10 is in a state that will cause a dimming cutoff, the monitoring unit 154 causes the collection unit 153 to suspend collection of device information. In other words, the monitoring unit 154 causes the lighting device 10 to suspend transmission of device information. The monitoring unit 154 also suspends the request to the collection unit 153 to transmit device information to the lighting device 10. This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming cutoff by the lighting device 10. Note that the suspension of collection of device information may be targeted at the lighting device 10 determined to be in a state that will cause a dimming cutoff, or at each lighting device 10 connected to the node 20-1 to which the lighting device 10 determined to be in a state that will cause a dimming cutoff is connected. Furthermore, it may be targeted at all lighting devices 10 connected to each node 20.

The monitoring unit 154 also causes the collection unit 153 to resume collection of device information. Specifically, the monitoring unit 154 causes the lighting device 10 to resume transmission of device information. The monitoring unit 154 also causes the collection unit 153 to resume requesting transmission of device information to the lighting device 10. Note that the resumption of collection of device information can be triggered by, for example, the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 falling below the monitoring parameter 123.

(Modification of the lighting control device according to the first embodiment)
In the above embodiment, the monitoring unit 154 monitors the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 based on the information acquired by the generation unit 152. However, this is not limited to the above. The monitoring unit 154 may monitor the amount of change in the state based on an operation received by the operation unit 140.

The monitoring unit 154 may monitor the amount of change in state based on operations that change the state of the lighting device 10 received by the operation unit 140, such as operations of the faders F01 to Fn or scene playback.

In addition, when the lighting control device 100 executes scene playback based on, for example, the operation of the operation unit 140, if the monitoring unit 154 determines as a result of monitoring that the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 increases after a predetermined time has elapsed and exceeds the monitoring parameter 123, the monitoring unit 154 can interrupt the collection of device information after the predetermined time has elapsed.

When the monitoring unit 154 determines that the lighting device 10 is in a state that will cause dimming, it instructs the collection unit 153 to suspend collection of device information. Note that collection of device information may be resumed, for example, when the amount of change in the state does not exceed the monitoring parameter 123 for a predetermined period (e.g., 1 to 5 minutes) after the collection of device information is suspended, or may be resumed after the scene played by the operation accepted by the operation unit 140 ends.

In this way, the lighting control system 1 according to the embodiment communicates with the lighting devices 10 while sending and receiving control signals that change the state of the lighting devices 10 that have a communication function. The lighting control system 1 also has a control device (lighting control device 100) that interrupts the transmission of device information to the lighting devices 10 based on the amount of change in the state of the lighting devices 10. This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming interruptions.

The control device (lighting control device 100) according to the embodiment includes a receiving unit 151, a generating unit 152, and a monitoring unit 154. The receiving unit 151 receives information related to the control of the lighting device 10. The generating unit 152 generates a control signal for the lighting device 10. The monitoring unit 154 monitors the amount of change based on the information generated by the generating unit 152. This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming interruptions.

The control device (lighting control device 100) according to the embodiment also includes an operation unit 140 and a monitoring unit 154. The operation unit 140 accepts operations related to the control of the lighting device 10. The monitoring unit 154 monitors the amount of change based on the operations accepted by the operation unit 140. This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming interruptions.

The control device (lighting control device 100) according to the embodiment also suspends transmission of device information after a predetermined time has elapsed based on the operation received by the operation unit 140. This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming interruptions.

Second Embodiment
Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each device in the lighting control system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit in the lighting control device of the lighting control system according to the second embodiment.

The lighting control system 1A according to this embodiment differs from the lighting control system 1 according to the first embodiment in that the lighting control device 100 has a control unit 150a that does not have a monitoring unit 154 instead of the control unit 150, and the node 20 (node 20-1) as the control device has a monitoring unit 28.

The monitoring unit 28 monitors the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 based on the control signal received by the receiving unit 23a from the higher-level device, the lighting control device 100.

The monitoring unit 28 also compares the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 with the monitoring parameter 123 to determine whether or not the lighting device 10 is in a state that will cause dimming to occur. For example, when the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 exceeds the monitoring parameter 123, it is determined that the lighting device 10 is in a state that will cause dimming to occur. The monitoring parameter 123 may be held by the lighting control device 100, or may be held by the memory 25 of each node 20.

When it is determined that the lighting device 10 is in a state that will cause dimming, the monitoring unit 28 instructs the lighting control device 100 to suspend collection of device information. In other words, the monitoring unit 28 suspends transmission of a control signal requesting transmission of device information to the lighting device 10 via the acquisition unit 26. The monitoring unit 28 also suspends transmission of device information to the lighting control device 100. This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming by the lighting device 10.

The monitoring unit 28 also resumes the transmission of device information from the node 20. The timing for resuming collection of device information is the same as in the lighting control system 1 according to the first embodiment.

However, when the transmission of device information from the node 20 to the lighting control device 100 is interrupted, it is assumed that the lighting control device 100 may erroneously detect that the lighting device 10 that has interrupted transmission does not exist. Therefore, the monitoring unit 28 may transmit a dummy signal generated by the dummy generation unit 29 to the lighting control device 100 via the transmission unit 23b to avoid erroneous detection. The dummy signal may be a weak signal (e.g., a signal with a minimum number of packets) that does not cause dimming.

In this way, the control device (node 20-1) according to the second embodiment includes a monitoring unit 28 that monitors the amount of change based on the control signal of the lighting device 10 received from the higher-level device (lighting control device 100). This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming interruptions.

In addition, the control device (node 20-1) according to the embodiment transmits a dummy signal to the higher-level device (lighting control device 100) instead of device information. This makes it possible to avoid false detection of the lighting device 10.

[Third embodiment]
6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each device in a lighting control system according to the third embodiment. A lighting control system 1B according to the present embodiment differs from the lighting control system 1A according to the second embodiment in that it further includes a relay device 40 having a monitoring unit 40a and a dummy generation unit 40b instead of the monitoring unit 28 and the dummy generation unit 29 of the node 20 (node 20-1).

The relay device 40 is located between the lighting control device 100 and the hub 30. The relay device 40 is, for example, a fixed terminal such as a notebook or desktop terminal, or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The relay device 40 may also realize the above-mentioned functions in cooperation with each other through communication between multiple devices.

The monitoring unit 40a monitors the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 based on the control signal received by the receiving unit 23a from the lighting control device 100, which is a higher-level device.

The monitoring unit 40a also compares the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 with the monitoring parameter 123 to determine whether the lighting device 10 is in a state in which dimming will occur. For example, when the amount of change in the state of the lighting device 10 exceeds the monitoring parameter 123, it is determined that the lighting device 10 is in a state in which dimming will occur. The monitoring parameter 123 may be held by a storage unit (not shown) of the relay device 40, or may be held by the memory 25 of each node 20.

When it is determined that the lighting device 10 is in a state that will cause dimming, the monitoring unit 40a suspends the transmission of device information from the lighting control device 100. In other words, the monitoring unit 40a suspends the transmission of device information from the relay device 40, which relays communication between the lighting control device 100 and each node 20, to each node 20. The monitoring unit 40a also suspends the transmission of device information from the lighting device 10 to the lighting control device 100 via node 20-1. This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming by the lighting device 10.

The monitoring unit 40a also causes the lighting control device 100 to resume collecting device information. Specifically, the monitoring unit 40a causes the collection unit 153 of the lighting control device 100 to resume requesting transmission of device information to the lighting devices 10. The monitoring unit 40a also causes the node 20 to resume transmitting device information. The timing for resuming collection of device information is the same as in each of the above-mentioned embodiments.

The monitoring unit 40a may also transmit a dummy signal generated by the dummy generation unit 40b to the lighting control device 100 via the transmission unit 23b to avoid false detection. The dummy signal may be a weak signal that does not cause dimming. Instead of the dummy generation unit 40b, the monitoring unit 40a may use the dummy generation unit 29 (see FIG. 4) of the node 20-1 to transmit the dummy signal generated by the dummy generation unit 29 to the lighting control device 100.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the relay device 40 is located between the lighting control device 100 and the hub 30, but this is not limited thereto, and it may be connected to the hub 30, for example.

In this way, the control device (relay device 40) according to the embodiment is a relay device 40 located between the node 20-1 to which the lighting device 10 is connected and the higher-level device (lighting control device 100). This makes it possible to prevent or reduce the occurrence of dimming interruptions.

The control device (relay device 40) also causes the higher-level device (lighting control device 100) to send a dummy signal instead of device information. This makes it possible to avoid false detection of the lighting device 10.

[Other Modifications]
In the above-described embodiments, the lighting device 10 has been described as a device that complies with the RDM standard, but the lighting device 10 may include a device that does not comply with the RDM standard (for example, a device that complies with the DMX standard or a halogen lamp).

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims, as well as the scope and gist of the invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Lighting control system 10 Lighting device 20 Node 30 Hub 40 Relay device 100 Lighting control device 140 Operation unit 150 Control unit 151 Reception unit 152 Generation unit 153 Collection unit 154 Monitoring unit

Claims (7)

A lighting control system that communicates with a lighting device having a communication function while transmitting and receiving a control signal for changing a state of the lighting device, comprising:
a control device that interrupts transmission of device information from the control device to the lighting device based on an amount of change in a state of the lighting device ;
The control device includes:
a reception unit that receives information regarding control of the lighting device;
a generation unit that generates a control signal for the lighting device based on the information received by the reception unit;
a monitoring unit that monitors the amount of change based on the information generated by the generating unit;
A lighting control system comprising : A lighting control system that communicates with a lighting device having a communication function while transmitting and receiving a control signal for changing a state of the lighting device, comprising:
a control device that interrupts transmission of device information from the control device to the lighting device based on an amount of change in a state of the lighting device;
The control device includes:
an operation unit that receives an operation related to control of the lighting device;
a monitoring unit that monitors the amount of change based on the operation received by the operation unit;
A lighting control system comprising: The lighting control system according to claim 2 , wherein the control device interrupts the transmission of the device information after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the operation received by the operation unit. The control device includes:
a monitoring unit that monitors the amount of change based on a control signal for the lighting device received from a host device;
2. The lighting control system of claim 1, comprising: The lighting control system according to claim 4 , wherein the control device is a node to which the lighting devices are connected. The lighting control system according to claim 4 , wherein the control device is a relay device located between the node to which the lighting device is connected and the higher-level device. The lighting control system according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the control device causes the higher-level device to transmit a dummy signal instead of the device information.

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