JPH11214181A - Lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting system which can inform a user of the change in operation when a set value is changed by operating an operation part. SOLUTION: A control part 6 is provided with functions that perform a change in an operation mode in accordance with a level of a voltage signal sent by the operation of a variable resistor in an operation part 4 and lighting hold time setting corresponding to an operation mode, lighting start illuminance setting, modulated light lighting time setting, etc., and functions that flicker an LED 7 for a predetermined time and inform changes when these operation modes are changed and set values such as time setting and illuminance setting are changed. The control part 6 incorporates a time circuit 60 for controlling time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lighting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional lighting apparatus, in order to notify a user of an operation of changing an operation mode, when an operation switch is operated, a means for notifying the user that the operation has been accepted by an answerback sound or an operation switch. Is operated, means for informing the user that the operation has been accepted by changing the lighting state of the lighting load, and furthermore, an operation switch is constituted by a push button switch in which the push operation state is maintained when the push operation is performed. Means for notifying the user of the operation state by the push operation state, or further using a variable resistor as the operation means of the operation switch, and changing the volume of the notification sound in accordance with the rotation of the variable resistor to notify the user of the operation state. Means for notifying, or means for displaying a countdown state with the timer operation and notifying the user of the timer operation state are provided. There are things.

These means allow the user to immediately recognize that the change operation has been accepted at the same time as the change operation. However, the change in the state of the lighting load does not occur immediately, and the user feels anxious about the setting operation.

[0004]

Generally, the above set value is changed by a variable resistor in many cases. Since the variable resistor can change the set value linearly,
In addition to being able to set a plurality of set values, it is easy to use because wiring is easy. Further, if the lighting load is turned on / off or the power is turned on / off at the same time when the variable resistor is operated, the user can easily recognize the lighting load. However, if the load condition does not change when the setting is made, for example, in the time setting for the operation that occurs several hours later, or in the setting change operation of the setting value where the operation can not be confirmed unless the set illuminance is reached, the setting is performed securely It is uneasy for the user whether or not it is done.

[0005] For example, in a device such as a porch light equipped with an illuminance sensor unit, when the variable resistor is operated to change the set value of the operation time, no change occurs when the variable resistor is operated. Therefore, the user is anxious whether or not the setting has been changed. A remote control using a lighting device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-50889.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has as its object the object that when a set value is changed by operating an operation unit, a user performs a change operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting device capable of notifying the user.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation unit for generating an electric signal in accordance with an operation, and a lighting load receiving a signal from the operation unit. In a lighting device including at least a change unit that detects a change in a set value according to an operation and a unit that controls a lighting load based on the set value, an electric signal sent from the operation unit to the control unit is a voltage or current level. Is a signal that changes according to the operation, and when the change unit detects that the set value has been changed according to the state of the electric signal, the change unit operates the notification unit for a predetermined time.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the changing means detects that the set value has been changed if the level of the electric signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the changing means detects that the set value has been changed if the level of the electric signal is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the changing means detects that the set value has been changed if the level of the electric signal is within a predetermined value range. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the changing means detects that the set value has been changed if the absolute value of the time derivative of the level of the electric signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined level. I do.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the changing means detects that the set value has been changed with a continuous value corresponding to the operation position of the operation unit. It is characterized by the following. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the change unit detects that the set value has been changed with a discontinuous value corresponding to the operation position of the operation unit. Features.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, the notifying means notifies by an operation of a display lamp provided in addition to the lighting load. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the notifying unit performs the notification by an operation of the lighting load.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the notification is performed by an operation of at least one of a plurality of lighting loads. According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the change means starts the notification by the notification means in a state before the change, and shifts to the next change state when the notification is completed. It is characterized by doing.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the first to tenth aspects are provided.
In the invention according to any one of the above, the change means terminates the state before the change and starts the notification by the notifying means at the time of transition to the next change state. Claim 13
According to the present invention, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the changing means starts the notification by the notifying means from the point in time when the state before the change is completed and until the transition to the next changed state. It is characterized by performing.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the first to tenth aspects are provided.
In the invention according to any one of the above, the changing means starts the notification by the notifying means in a state before the change, and ends after shifting to the next changed state. According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourteenth aspects, the operation unit has a function of changing an operation mode of the lighting load and setting a set value.

According to a sixteenth aspect, in the fifteenth aspect, a set value setting signal is input from the operation unit to the control means during a notification period corresponding to a change in the operation mode of the lighting load. . According to a seventeenth aspect, in the sixteenth aspect, a setting value setting signal is input from the operation unit to the control means at the end of the notification corresponding to the change in the operation mode of the lighting load.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows a configuration of the present embodiment.
The lighting device of the present embodiment constitutes a lighting device such as an entrance porch light, for example, for detecting a lighting load 1 such as an incandescent lamp and a presence or absence of a person in a predetermined detection area. A human sensor (human sensor) 2, an illuminance sensor unit 3 including an optical sensor 3a for detecting a brightness level of external light and an amplifier 3b, and an operation unit 4 for changing an operation mode or a set value And dimming of lighting load 1, lighting /
The load control unit 5 that performs control such as turning off the light and the operation mode set by the operation of the operation unit 4 provide the load control unit 5 with the detection signal of the human sensor 2 and the detection signal of the illuminance sensor 3 based on the detection signal. A control unit 6 serving as a change unit and a control unit for outputting a load control signal for controlling the lighting of the lighting load 1;
And as main components.

The lighting apparatus of the present embodiment is set with a plurality of operation modes. For example, a "greeting mode" in which the lighting load 1 is dimmed and lit for a certain period of the day is forcibly set. A plurality of operation modes can be set, including a "forced lighting mode" for lighting the illumination load 1. At the same time as the mode change, set values such as the operation time and the illuminance at the start of operation according to each mode are set so as to correspond to the mode.

The operation unit 4 uses a variable resistor whose resistance value changes linearly in accordance with the rotation angle as an operation switch, and outputs a voltage (or current) signal that is varied by rotating the variable resistor. 6 to send.
The control unit 6 changes the operation mode according to the level of the transmitted voltage (current) signal, sets a lighting holding time, a lighting start illuminance, a dimming lighting time, and the like corresponding to the operation mode. If there is a change in the setting value such as a change in time, a time setting, or an illuminance setting, the LED 7 is made to blink for a predetermined time to notify the user of these changes. The control unit 6 includes a timer circuit 60 for time control.
Built-in.

The above-mentioned lighting holding time is a time in the operation mode in which the lighting load 1 is turned on when the motion sensor 2 detects the light, and the lighting state is maintained after the motion sensor 2 stops detecting a person. In the mode in which the illumination load 1 is turned on when the ambient illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor unit 3 falls below a certain level, the starting illuminance is set to the illumination load 1
And the dimming lighting time is the dimming lighting time in the “greeting mode” in which the lighting load 1 is dimmed and lit for a certain period of time in the day. Adjustment settings can be made.

A mode change and a set value change in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. When the variable resistor of the operation unit 4 is rotated and the level of the voltage signal input from the operation unit 4 to the control unit 6 changes in the range of 0 V to 1.0 V, as shown in FIG. When the operation mode (A mode) is less than 2V, the operation mode (B mode) is 0.2V to 10V, and the threshold voltage for changing the operation mode is 0.2V, When the variable resistor of No. 4 is rotated and the level of the voltage signal input to the control unit 6 becomes 0.2 V or more, the control unit 6 detects this and changes the operation mode to the A mode as shown in FIG. When the LED 7 is set to, for example, 60 Hz by the operation of the built-in timer circuit 60 as shown in FIG.
The blinking of 4: 6 in the second cycle is continued for 30 seconds as shown in FIG. This period is a period for notifying the change of the operation mode or the set value (operation of the setting change mode C). When this period ends, the control unit 6 sets the operation mode to the B mode and changes the set value such as time or illuminance in the B mode.

When the B mode is the "greeting mode" described above, the set value of the dimming lighting time can be further adjusted in the "greeting mode". ~ 0.3V for 8 hours, 0.3V ~
At 0.9 V, 8 hours to 15 hours (linear increase), 0.
When the voltage is 9 V or more, the time can be adjusted to 15 hours or more.

In the above description of the operation, when the level of the voltage signal exceeds the threshold value, the LED 7 is made to blink for a certain period of time to notify the user. The LED 7 may be notified by blinking for a certain period of time even when it falls below. Of course, a current signal may be used instead of a voltage signal. (Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the change is notified when the voltage signal level exceeds one predetermined threshold value or falls below the threshold value. In the present embodiment, a plurality of threshold values are set, and when these threshold values are exceeded or fallen below, a notification is made by flashing display using the LED 7.

Since the circuit configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, only the operation of the control unit 6 which is a feature of this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the voltage signal is 0.2 V or less, in the range of 0.2 V to 0.35 V, in the range of 0.35 V to 0.65 V, and 0.65 V to 0.
Range of 8V, 5 levels L ₁ ~L that above 0.8V
₅ is set, and the boundary level of each range is set to a threshold value to a level. When the threshold value is exceeded and falls within a predetermined range (or falls below), the control unit 6 executes the embodiment. Similar to 1, as shown in FIG. 5B, the LED 7 is caused to blink for a certain period of time to set a period (setting change mode C) for notifying that the operation mode has been changed or the setting has been changed. Here, the A mode indicates a mode set by a voltage signal lower than a certain threshold, and the B mode indicates a mode set by a voltage signal exceeding a certain threshold.

FIG. 6 is an imaginary diagram showing the relationship between the knob 4a of the variable resistor of the operation unit 4 and the level of the voltage signal input to the control unit 6 from the operation unit 4 depending on its rotational position. By the way, since the voltage signal is changed by the rotation operation of the variable resistor in the operation unit 4, for example, 0.35 V to 0.65 V may be instantaneously passed. It is assumed that the notification is made by an instantaneous operation such as three times.

(Embodiment 3) In Embodiments 1 and 2,
The level of the voltage (or current) signal to be sent to the control unit 6 is changed by rotating the variable resistor of the operation unit 4, and the operation mode is changed or the set value is changed by comparing this level with a threshold value. In the present embodiment, the change is determined by comparing, for example, the slope of the change in the voltage signal, that is, the time derivative (slope) of the signal input from the operation unit 4 with a preset set value. It is like that. Since the circuit configuration uses the circuit configuration of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, it is not particularly illustrated here.

For example, assuming that the level of the voltage signal changes from 0 V to 1.0 in one second by rotating the variable resistor of the operation unit 4 in one second is the above set value ((a) in FIG. 7). When the voltage signal changes earlier than this set value, for example, the voltage level is changed from 0 V to 1.0 V by 0.5
When an operation of changing the time in seconds ((b) in FIG. 7) is performed, the control unit 6 determines that there is a change, and blinks the LED 7 in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments to change the operation mode or Notifies that the set value has been changed.

FIG. 7C shows an operation in which the change from 0 V to 1.0 V is changed in a time longer than 1.0 second. In this case, the control unit 6 does not judge that there is a change. . In each of the first to third embodiments, the change of the operation mode or the set value is notified by the blinking of the LED 7, but the change may be notified as follows. For example, a method of notifying by turning on the LED 7.

When the control is performed such that the LED 7 is turned on at the same time as the lighting load 1 is turned on, when the control unit 6 determines that the operation has been changed by the operation of the operation unit 4, the control of the lighting load 1 is performed. A method of notifying the change by turning off the LED 7 while keeping the lighting state as it is. If the lighting load 1 is turned off before the change notification (setting change mode C) is performed, the lighting load 1 is turned off when the setting change mode C is started, and conversely, before the change notification (setting change mode C) is performed. If the lighting load 1 is turned on, the lighting load 1 is turned off at the time when the setting change mode C is started to notify the user.

If the lighting load 1 is turned on or off before the change notification (setting change mode C) is performed, a method of dimming the lighting load 1 when the setting change mode C is started. A method in which the lighting load 1 blinks when the setting change mode C starts. (For example, in the case of 60 Hz, 4: 6 blinks in a 1.2 second cycle, etc.) Note that the operation of the illumination load 1 is the operation of the LED 7, that is, LE.
It may be linked with each operation of turning on D7, blinking LED7, and turning off LED7. (However, use in a combination other than the normal combination. Usually, when the LED 7 is also turned on when the lighting load 1 is turned on, the notification in this combination is omitted.) When controlling a plurality of lighting loads 1, at least one is used. Notification using two lighting loads.

For example, in a lighting fixture in which the lighting load 1 is constituted by an incandescent lamp, one of the incandescent lamps is operated as described above. Similarly, in a lighting fixture in which the lighting load 1 is configured by a fluorescent lamp, one of the fluorescent lamps is operated as described above. In a lighting fixture in which the lighting load 1 is configured by an incandescent lamp and a fluorescent lamp, the above operation is performed by the lighting load 1 including the incandescent lamp.

The notification operation by the lighting load 1 includes the operation of the LED 7 attached thereto, that is, the lighting of the LED 7,
You may link with each operation | movement of blinking of LED7, and turning off of LED7. (However, use a combination that is not in the normal combination.
Usually, when the LED 7 is also turned on when the lighting load 1 is turned on, the notification in this combination is omitted. In the first to third embodiments, the mode change notification (setting change mode C) is performed between the time when a mode (A mode) is ended as shown in FIG. 3 and the time when the mode to be changed (B mode) is started. Embodiment 4 is described below.
Alternatively, a change notification such as that described in (5) may be performed. In the fourth and fifth embodiments, the circuit configuration of the first embodiment is used.

(Embodiment 4) In this embodiment, when the level of the voltage (current) signal input to the control unit 6 exceeds the threshold value by operating the variable resistor of the operation unit 4 during the A mode, FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 6 at this point
Mode change notification to blink D7 (setting change mode C)
Is performed. At this time, the operation mode of the lighting load 1 is A
The mode is maintained, and the mode shifts to the operation mode of the B mode when the setting change mode C is completed. For example, when shifting from the mode without the setting of the “greeting mode” (A mode) to the mode with the setting (B mode), control of the setting change mode C is performed during the A mode, and B Move to mode.

(Embodiment 5) In this embodiment, when the level of the voltage (current) signal input to the control unit 6 exceeds the threshold value by operating the variable resistor of the operation unit 4 during the A mode, FIG. At this point, the A mode is terminated, and the mode change is notified in the setting change mode C, and at the same time, the mode shifts to the B mode.

For example, "greeting mode" (A mode)
When the setting is changed to another operation mode (B mode) different from the above, at the point of time when the setting is changed, the "greeting mode" which is the A mode is canceled, and the mode is shifted to the B mode, for example, the lighting load 1 is turned off. At the same time, for example, the control of the setting change mode C for blinking the LED 7 is performed for about 5 seconds. (Embodiment 6) In this embodiment, the operation unit 4 is operated during the A mode.
When the level of the voltage (current) signal input to the control unit 6 exceeds the threshold value by operating the variable resistor of FIG.
At this point, a change notification is made in the setting change mode C as shown in FIG. At this time, the A mode is continued and ends when a predetermined time elapses, and the mode shifts to the B mode from this end point. On the other hand, since the setting change mode C is set for a fixed time from the A mode to the B mode, the setting change mode C continues for a predetermined time after shifting to the B mode. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the illumination start illuminance set value is changed in an operation mode in which the illumination load 1 is illuminated when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor unit 3 becomes equal to or less than the illumination start illuminance set value, The controller 6 performs input and determination of the ambient illuminance value during the operation of the setting change mode C instead of immediately responding to the change, and during this time, causes the illumination load 1 to perform a normal lighting operation.

(Embodiment 7) In Embodiments 1 to 3, the variable resistor is used as the operation section 4 and the predetermined value is determined by a continuous voltage value corresponding to the rotational operation position. Then, for example, level 1 is 0.0V, level 2 is 0.2V, level 3 is 0.5V, and level 4 is 0.75V.
When V and level 5 are set to 0.9 V, operations similar to those in the above-described embodiments are performed.

That is, in the present embodiment, a circuit configuration similar to that of FIG. 1 is used.
5 can be selected. Of course, the operation unit 4 may be constituted by a variable resistor. In the first embodiment, it is described that the lighting hold time can also be changed by the variable resistor of the operation unit 4. In this case, for example, the level 1 (holding time 5 seconds) to the level 2
It goes without saying that when the value changes to (holding time 30 seconds), not only that the value has been changed, but also that an operation of setting a value of 5 seconds or 30 seconds to the control unit 6 is involved. Similarly, the same applies to the lighting start illuminance setting. It is assumed that the changed value can be set in addition to notifying that the setting has been changed.

The changed set value may be input to the control unit 6 while the notification is being performed (during the setting change mode), or when the notification is completed (after the completion of the setting change mode). 6 may be input. Also, a variable resistor may be provided in the operation unit 4 for changing each set value.

[0038]

The present invention is configured as described above. Therefore, when a set value is changed in accordance with the operation of the operation unit,
The user can be notified by the notification means, so that even if the setting change does not cause an immediate change in the lighting load or the like at the time of the change, the user can be notified that the change in the set value has been accepted, and the user can feel secure. Has the effect of giving

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an output signal of an operation unit of the above.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart for explaining the above operation.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an output signal of an operation unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart for explaining the above operation.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an output signal of an operation unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the sixth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lighting load 2 Human sensor 3 Illuminance sensor part 4 Operation part 5 Load control part 6 Control part 60 Timer circuit 7 LED

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Shigeaki Yamazaki 1048 Odomo Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Inside Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Claims (17)

[Claims] An operation unit for generating an electric signal in accordance with an operation, a change unit for receiving a signal from the operation unit and detecting a change in a set value related to an operation of a lighting load, and lighting based on the set value In a lighting device having at least a means for controlling a load, the electric signal sent from the operation unit to the control unit is a signal in which the level of voltage or current changes in accordance with the operation, and the changing means depends on the state of the electric signal. An illuminating device characterized in that a notifying means is operated for a predetermined time when it is detected that a set value has been changed. 2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the changing means detects that the set value has been changed if the level of the electric signal is equal to or more than a predetermined value. 3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the changing means detects that the set value has been changed if the level of the electric signal is lower than a predetermined value. 4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the changing means detects that the set value has been changed if the level of the electric signal is within a predetermined value range. 5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the changing means detects that the set value has been changed when the absolute value of the time derivative of the level of the electric signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. 6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the change unit detects that the set value has been changed with a continuous value corresponding to the operation position of the operation unit. 7. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein the changing means detects that the set value has been changed at a discontinuous value corresponding to the operation position of the operation unit. . 8. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit notifies by an operation of a display lamp provided in addition to the lighting load. 9. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit performs the notification based on an operation of a lighting load. 10. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit notifies by at least one operation of a plurality of lighting loads. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the changing means starts the notification by the notifying means in a state before the change, and shifts to the next changed state when the notification is completed. Lighting equipment. 12. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein the changing means starts the notification by the notifying means when the state before the change ends and the state changes to the next change state. . 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the changing means starts the notification by the notifying means from a point in time when the state before the change is completed and before the transition to the next changed state. The lighting device according to any one of the above. 14. The illumination according to claim 1, wherein the change means starts the notification by the notification means in a state before the change, and ends after shifting to the next change state. apparatus. 15. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit has a function of changing an operation mode of the lighting load and setting a set value. 16. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein a set value setting signal is input from the operation unit to the control unit during a notification period corresponding to the change in the operation mode of the lighting load. 17. The lighting device according to claim 16, wherein a setting value setting signal is input from the operation unit to the control means at the end of the notification corresponding to the change in the operation mode of the lighting load.