JPH10134965A - Lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce noise elements affecting to a remote control signal due to a lighting load, enhance the accuracy and reliability of remote control communications, shorten the time required by remote control communications, and thereby form up an easy-to-use system in the lighting system combining a luminaire with remote control. SOLUTION: In the lighting system which is formed of a luminaire D capable of receiving remote control signals, and of changing arbitrarily the lighting condition of itself, and of a remote control receiver and transmitter G capable of changing the lighting condition of the luminaire by remote control signals, before or in the early stage of the time when, communication is started by remote control signals, and at the time when communication is established, the lighting condition of the load for the luminaire (lighting frequency and illuminance) is changed, or the remote control signals (transmitting intensity, communication speed or the frequency of carrying waves) are thereby changed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting device for controlling a lighting fixture by a remote control (hereinafter, referred to as a remote control).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 31, many lighting systems combining a remote controller and a lighting fixture have been commercialized. The signal from the remote control is infrared light, and when it is received near the lighting equipment, it emits a considerable amount of light in consideration of the effects of optical noise radiated from the lighting itself or noise from the oscillation of an inverter such as a fluorescent lamp. Unless a strong remote control signal or a slow communication speed is output, the possibility of communication failure increases, and in the worst case, communication may not be possible at all.

In a conventional system, a signal from a remote controller is a short signal such as a dimming / ON / OFF signal that requires only one command. Therefore, a certain light emission intensity,
As far as the communication speed is concerned, even if there are some failures, the operator does not mind. However, as high-performance lighting equipment becomes popular, the amount of data that must be transmitted also increases, and the number and speed of communication failures are not very comfortable for operators. It is becoming something. In addition, when the data amount increases, it becomes difficult to understand when the data communication has ended, and the user may inadvertently stop holding the remote control.

Furthermore, in the conventional system, since the user moves to the communicable range of the remote control of the lighting equipment to be controlled and cannot directly control the remote control without directing the remote control, it is necessary to systematize and control a large number of lighting equipment. Can not control very much. For example, as shown in FIG.
Even if the user wants to operate the appliance b from the vicinity of the appliance a, he or she cannot go unless it is moved directly below the appliance b. Also, if the remote control has a channel or the like, it may not operate even though the signal is transmitted depending on the setting, which is difficult for the user to understand.

[0005]

The problems to be solved by the present invention are that the time required for completing the communication becomes longer due to the relationship between the communication reliability and the transmission speed of the conventional remote controller, and the equipment to be controlled. However, it is inconvenient that remote control signals must be directly supplied to a remote controller, and an object of the present invention is to transmit a large number of remote control signals accurately and quickly.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, as shown in FIG. 1, a remote control signal can be received and the self-lighting state can be arbitrarily changed. In a lighting device including a lighting fixture and a remote control transmitter capable of changing the state of the lighting fixture by a remote control signal, the lighting fixture is used before or at the beginning of communication with the remote control signal and at the time of establishing communication. , Or the remote control signal is changed.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Various embodiments will be described below as preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a remote control lighting device including a lighting device D and a remote control transmitter G. The lighting device D is capable of transmitting and receiving remote control signals. Part A, a lighting load part B such as a lamp,
The remote control transmitter G has a lighting control unit C for processing the remote control signal to control the lamp lighting state. The remote control transmitter G is capable of transmitting and receiving a remote control signal. A remote control unit F for transmitting a remote control signal for controlling D is provided. The difference from the related art is that the lighting state of the illumination load is changed during communication of the remote control signal.

In operation, first, as shown in FIG. 2, a signal for designating, for example, a lighting level is transmitted from the remote control transmitter G. The lighting control unit C of the lighting fixture D detects the input of the remote control signal based on a change in the state of the input port. FIG. 3 shows a change in the state of the input port of the lighting control unit C. A signal is transmitted from the remote control communication unit A to the input port of the lighting control unit C, and a change from a no-signal state to a state with a signal is detected. By doing so, the start of communication is detected. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the lighting control unit C changes the lighting state of the lighting load unit B. In this example, the lighting control unit C controls to turn off the lighting load unit B. When the lighting equipment D is turned off, as shown in FIG. 5, light noise of the lamp which becomes noise with respect to the remote control signal, and noise due to the oscillation of the inverter when the lighting load part B is a fluorescent lamp, etc. Therefore, the remote control signal can be transmitted in an environment where communication is very easy, and signal errors and the like are drastically reduced. When confirming that all the remote control signals from the remote control transmitter G have been correctly received, the lighting control unit C controls the lighting load unit B to turn on the light again. As shown in FIG. 6, the end of the communication can be visually recognized by re-lighting as soon as the communication ends. That is, it can be seen that the remote control signal has been correctly communicated by changing the lamp state from point to extinguishing to point, so that the user who operates the remote controller can feel safe. Also, setting errors are eliminated. By doing as described above, the remote control signal to the lighting apparatus D can be transmitted quickly and accurately without error, and the end of the communication can be easily understood by the user.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, a signal that detects the start of communication by a change in the input port in the first embodiment is converted into a signal including special information indicating the start of communication from the remote controller, as shown in FIG. When a signal indicating the start of the special transmission is transmitted from the remote control transmitter G,
As shown in FIG. 8, the signal is transmitted from the remote control communication unit A to the illumination control unit C. The illumination control unit C knows that the remote control signal transmission is to be started, and controls the illumination load unit B to turn off the light. At the same time, the lighting control unit C, as shown in FIG.
A signal indicating completion of communication preparation is sent from remote control communication unit A to remote control transmitter G. Embodiment 1 for other operations
Is the same as By doing so, a short signal such as dimming can be distinguished from a long signal such as data setting, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained without unnecessary turning off of the illumination load unit B.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the third embodiment. This embodiment is different from the first or second embodiment in that the lighting control unit C that detects the start of communication turns off the lighting load unit B.
This is to keep the light control state. Other operations are the same as those in the first or second embodiment. By doing so, even during communication, the light is not turned off, the minimum brightness can be secured, and the communication reliability can be improved as compared with the related art.

The structure of a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11. This embodiment is different from the structure of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Is an improvement of When a signal is sent from the remote control transmitter G to the lighting equipment D, the output intensity of the light emitting unit H in the remote control communication unit E is set to be stronger than usual during a first certain period (here, one frame). That is, as shown in FIG. 12, if the signal “start signal transmission” is transmitted with a light emission intensity higher than normal, the light emission intensity is high. Is easier to reach. Lighting control unit C that has received a strong signal
Controls the lighting load section B to weaken or turn off the output, as shown in FIG. Remote control transmitter G
Returns the light emission intensity of the light emitting unit H to a normal state and transmits necessary information. The rest is the same as in Example 2 or 3,
Since the optical noise and the noise of the inverter oscillation are eliminated, the signal arrives even with the normal light emission intensity. By doing this,
Remote control signals can be transmitted reliably even at the beginning of communication,
Further, it is not necessary to always transmit at a high intensity, and the same effect as that of the second or third embodiment can be obtained without consuming unnecessary power.

Also, in the fifth embodiment, the start of communication is detected by the change of the input port in the fourth embodiment, but when a signal is transmitted from the remote control transmitter G to the lighting equipment D as shown in FIG. , For the first certain period (here, 1
Frame), the communication speed is lower than usual. If the communication speed is low, the noise of the high frequency component can be easily removed, so that the communication is likely to succeed even when the lighting equipment D is normally lit. That is, communication errors are less likely to occur. After that, the remote control transmitter G returns the communication speed to the normal speed and transmits necessary information as shown in FIG. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment. By doing so, the remote control signal can be transmitted reliably even at the beginning of communication, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained without increasing the time required for communication.

The configuration of the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 14. This embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. A memory N in which a communication state is stored is added. In the present embodiment, when the remote control transmitter G and the lighting fixture D exchange communication, a reply from one of them does not come or a reply comes but a code error occurs. In such a case, the communication conditions are changed at the same time based on a predetermined rule.

The operation will be described as shown in FIG.
The remote control transmitter G transmits a signal to the lighting equipment D, and the received lighting equipment D detects that the signal has an error. The lighting equipment D transmits a signal requesting retransmission to the remote control transmitter G. If such a situation occurs one or more times, or if there is no response for a certain period of time when a reply should come from the other party,
Both the lighting equipment D and the remote control transmitter G switch the carrier wave of the remote control signal. In this example, if the communication has been performed at the first (30 kHz) of the memory N, the lighting equipment D and the remote control transmitter G are switched to the second 35 kHz, and the communication is restarted. While repeating this, communication can be automatically performed in the optimum communication state at that time.

If the communication failure does not disappear even if it is changed to a certain extent, the operation shifts to the communication condition having the least error among the conditions up to that time. By doing so, even in an environment where the remote control signal does not easily reach the partner device, it is possible to reliably communicate in an optimal communication state at each time.

In a seventh embodiment, the frequency of the carrier wave in the sixth embodiment may be switched so that the communication speed is gradually reduced.
Other points are the same as in the sixth embodiment, and the same effects as in the sixth embodiment can be obtained. In this case, the communication speed is stored in the memory N of FIG. 14, and is switched by both the lighting equipment D and the remote control transmitter G in synchronization.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the eighth embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of FIG.
Or the method in which the lighting load unit B is turned off or fixed in the dimming state during the remote control communication, but the lighting load unit B is periodically changed, and the remote control signal communication is performed within a certain interval. It is. The operation will be described with reference to FIG. 16. The lighting control unit C that has detected the start of communication by using any of the means of the first or third embodiment transmits a signal indicating the start of communication from the remote control communication unit A to the remote control. Transmit to transmitter G. At the same time, the output of the lighting load section B is changed periodically. In this example, as shown in FIG.
Control is performed so as to repeat in a cycle of 300 ms from point → destruction →. Since the lighting control unit C that has received the communication start signal from the lighting fixture D knows that the lighting load unit B blinks from that point on, the lighting control unit C can know the blink timing of the lighting load unit B. The lighting control unit C transmits a remote control signal when the lighting load unit B is in the “extinguished” state.
The lighting control unit C temporarily stops communication before the lighting load unit B enters the state of “dot”, and then waits for the lighting load unit B to enter the state of “extinction”. The above is repeated until all the signals have been transmitted. By doing so, it is possible to transmit the remote control signal more accurately than before, without any loss of light during the remote control communication, and it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the lighting load portion B is periodically changed from “point” to “extinction”. However, the same effect can be obtained by changing “point” to “dimming”.

The configuration of the ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 17. This embodiment is different from the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that an illuminance sensor J is added to a remote control transmitter G. is there. In the present embodiment, the remote controller G
The illuminance sensor J incorporated in the remote control transmitter G detects the change in the illuminance of the illuminating device D instead of the one that has taken the timing independently. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, when it is detected by the illuminance sensor J that the lighting fixture D is turned off, a remote control signal is output from the remote control communication unit E, and as shown in FIG. When it is detected that D is lit, the remote control communication unit E does not output a remote control signal. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the eighth embodiment, and the same effects as those of the eighth embodiment can be obtained.

The configuration of the tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 20. This embodiment is different from the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. K, so that a wired communication unit L is provided in the lighting equipment D.

The operation will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, as shown in FIG. 21, when the lighting fixture D1 receives a signal from the remote control transmitter G, as shown in FIG.
The lighting fixture D1 receives its lighting load B based on the signal.
, D at the same time as the other lighting fixtures D2, D3, D4,.
The content from the remote control transmitter G is transmitted to n. And
As shown in FIG. 23, the lighting fixture Dn acquires a signal from the remote control transmitter G received by the lighting fixture D1 from the signal line K through the wired communication unit Ln, and based on the signal,
The lighting load unit Bn is controlled. In this way, even when it is desired to control a plurality of appliances with the remote control, it is possible to perform the operations with a single operation without instructing the remote control one by one, thereby constructing a very easy-to-use remote control lighting system. it can.

The structure of the eleventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 24. This embodiment is different from the tenth embodiment shown in FIG.
Is configured such that a storage unit M for storing an individual address or a group number in the lighting fixture D is provided. In operation, the difference from the tenth embodiment is that the signal from the remote control transmitter G includes information indicating an address or a group, and the lighting control unit C that has received the information based on the address or the group information. , To determine the processing of the signal.

The specific operation will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 25, when a signal including group number 2 is transmitted from remote control transmitter G,
As shown in FIG. 6, the luminaire D3 belonging to the group number 3 receiving the signal determines that the signal is addressed to a group to which the luminaire D3 does not belong. As shown in FIG. 26, the luminaire D3 does not change its own state. , Through the signal line K from the wired communication unit L3,
Play the contents of the received signal. The other devices look at the group information of the signal input from the signal line K and process the signal if it is the same as the own device, and otherwise ignore the signal. In this case, only devices belonging to group 2 change state.

Next, as shown in FIG. 27, when a signal including the information of group number 3 is received by the lighting equipment D3 from the remote control transmitter G, it is the same as its own group information. The content is processed, and at the same time, the content of the received signal is sent from the wired communication unit L3 to another device through the signal line K. Other devices look at the group information of the signal input from the signal line K, and if they are the same as their own,
Process the signal, otherwise ignore it. In this case, only devices belonging to group 3 change state.

Next, as shown in FIG. 29, when a signal containing individual address information indicating a fixture independent command is transmitted from the remote control transmitter G, the receiving lighting fixture D3 converts its own state into a signal. This signal is changed based on the individual address information indicating the single command, so that the signal is stopped without flowing through the signal line K.

In this manner, in a lighting fixture system having address or group information, group control or independent control can be performed with a remote controller, and control is performed even for a group that is far from the remote controller transmission location. be able to.

[0026]

According to the first to ninth, twelfth to fifteenth, and eighteenth aspects of the present invention, in a lighting system in which a lighting device and a remote controller are combined, it is possible to reduce a noise factor in a remote controller signal due to a lighting load. The accuracy and reliability of communication can be improved. As a result, the time required for remote control communication can be reduced, and a more user-friendly system can be constructed.

According to the tenth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, in a lighting system in which a lighting fixture and a remote controller are combined, communication can be performed in an optimum communication state according to the time, regardless of the surrounding environment. In addition, accuracy and reliability of remote control communication can be improved. As a result, the time required for remote control communication can be reduced, and a more user-friendly system can be constructed.

According to the sixteenth and seventeenth aspects of the present invention, in a lighting system in which a lighting device and a remote controller are combined, even if the user is away from the lighting device desired to be operated by the remote controller, control can be performed only by giving a signal to a nearby device. Since a plurality of appliances can be collectively controlled at the same time, a large-scale and easy-to-use and convenient system can be constructed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation at the start of communication according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a change in an input signal of a lighting control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation when the load is turned off according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation during communication according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation after the end of communication according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation at the start of communication according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation when a load is turned off according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a reply operation from the lighting fixture to the remote control transmitter according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation at the time of load dimming according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a fourth or fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation at the start of communication according to the fourth or fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation during communication according to the fourth or fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sixth or seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a communication operation during turning off light according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a communication stop operation during lighting according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of transmitting a remote control signal according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a transfer operation of a remote control signal according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation after control is completed according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of transmitting a remote control signal outside a group according to Embodiment 11 of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a transfer operation of a remote control signal outside a group according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of transmitting a remote control signal within a group according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a transfer operation of a remote control signal within a group according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a transmission operation of a remote control signal of a single command according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram showing a transfer prevention operation of a remote control signal of a single command according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram of Conventional Example 1.

FIG. 32 is an explanatory diagram of Conventional Example 2.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A remote control communication section B lighting load section C lighting control section D lighting equipment E remote control communication section F remote control control section G remote control transmitter

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A lighting device comprising: a lighting device capable of receiving a remote control signal and capable of arbitrarily changing its own lighting state; and a remote control transmitter capable of changing a state of the lighting device by the remote control signal. At
A lighting device characterized in that a lighting state of a load of a lighting fixture is changed between before or at the beginning of communication using a remote control signal and when communication is established. 2. A lighting device comprising: a lighting device capable of receiving a remote control signal and capable of arbitrarily changing its own lighting state; and a remote control transmitter capable of changing the state of the lighting device by the remote control signal. At
A lighting device characterized in that a remote control signal is changed before or at the beginning of communication using a remote control signal and at the time of establishing communication. 3. A lighting device comprising: a lighting device capable of receiving a remote control signal and capable of arbitrarily changing its own lighting state; and a remote control transmitter capable of changing the state of the lighting device by the remote control signal. At
A lighting device characterized in that the intensity of a signal output from a remote control transmitter is switched between before or at the beginning of communication using a remote control signal and when communication is established. 4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein when the lighting device detects that the transmission is started from the remote control transmitter, the lighting oscillation frequency of the load is changed to a frequency apart from the frequency component of the remote control signal. Lighting equipment. 5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein when the lighting device detects that the transmission has been started from the remote control transmitter, the load is dimmed to reduce the light emission intensity of the load. 6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the load is turned off when the lighting device detects that transmission from the remote control transmitter has started. 7. The remote control transmitter according to claim 3, wherein the remote control transmitter increases the light emission intensity of the remote control signal transmission unit at the start of transmission, and when the lighting apparatus receives a signal having a large light emission intensity, the load is reduced. A lighting device characterized in that the state is changed to a state in which a remote control signal is easily received, and then the remote control transmitter outputs the remote control signal with a normal light emission intensity. 8. The remote control transmitter according to claim 2, wherein at the start of transmission, the remote controller transmits the remote control signal at a reduced communication speed, and when the lighting apparatus receives the remote control signal having the lower communication speed, A lighting device, characterized in that the load is changed to control reception of a remote control signal even when the communication speed is increased, and then the remote control transmitter outputs the remote control signal at a normally determined communication speed. 9. The remote control transmitter according to claim 2, wherein at the start of transmission, the remote control transmitter sets a special signal indicating that transmission is to be started, and when the remote control signal is received by the lighting apparatus, a load is applied. A lighting device characterized in that the state is changed to a state in which a remote control signal is easily received, and then the remote control transmitter outputs a normally defined remote control signal. 10. The remote controller according to claim 2, wherein, when the communication failure occurs more than a predetermined number of times during the remote control communication, transmission and reception are performed by automatically switching the carrier wave of the remote control signal on both the lighting equipment side and the remote control transmitter side. A lighting device characterized by the above-mentioned. 11. The remote controller according to claim 2, wherein, when the number of communication failures exceeds a predetermined number of times during remote control communication, transmission and reception are performed by automatically switching the communication speed of the remote control signal on both the lighting fixture side and the remote control transmitter side. A lighting device, comprising: 12. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device periodically changes a lighting state of the load, and the remote control transmitter includes:
A lighting device, wherein a remote control signal is transmitted only within a certain section of the cycle. 13. The lighting device according to claim 12, wherein the periodic change of the lighting fixture is switching between a lighting state, a turning off state, and a dimming state. 14. The method of claim 1, 4 to 9, 12 or 13.
The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting fixture returns the lighting load, whose state has been changed at the time of establishing the communication, to a normal state before the start of the communication after the end of the communication. 15. The method as claimed in claim 1, 4 to 9, 12, or 13.
2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting fixture turns on the lighting load whose state has been changed when the communication is established, after the communication ends, regardless of the state before the start of the communication. 16. A lighting device comprising: a lighting device capable of receiving a remote control signal and capable of arbitrarily changing its own lighting state; and a remote control transmitter capable of changing the state of the lighting device by the remote control signal. , Lighting devices are connected to each other by a communication signal line, and when a certain device receives a signal from a remote control transmitter, the content of the signal is transmitted to another lighting device through the signal line. Lighting equipment. 17. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein the lighting device has an address number or a group number, and information indicating the address number or the group number is added to a signal from the remote control transmitter. When a signal from the remote control transmitter is received, the content of the signal is determined.If the signal is necessary for the user, the signal is captured by the user.If the signal is determined to be unnecessary or necessary for other lighting equipment, the signal is determined. A lighting device for transmitting the content of a signal to another lighting fixture through a signal line. 18. The lighting device according to claim 12, wherein the periodic change of the lighting fixture is detected by an illuminance sensor built in a remote control transmitter.