JPS648919B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is mainly used for residential lighting equipment, and relates to a lighting device that can adjust the dimming of a light source such as an incandescent light bulb in stages by operating a pull switch, for example.

As an illumination device for continuously controlling the light of an illumination light source, for example, one having a configuration as shown in FIG. 1 can be considered. In Figure 1, 1 is a light source for illumination such as an incandescent light bulb, 2 is a dimmer, 3 is an electric motor, and 4
is a pull switch, and the light source 1 for illumination is dimmed by operating this switch 4.

Figure 2 shows the circuit diagram of this lighting device.
5 is an AC power supply, 6 is a triac, 7 is a variable resistor for dimming, 8 is a resistor, 9 is a capacitor, and 10 is a trigger diode.

The rotation of the electric motor 3 is controlled by the operation of the pull switch 4 and is connected to the variable resistor 7 shown in FIG. Continuous dimming of the illumination light source 1 can be performed. FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing changes in illuminance with respect to time in this case.

In the case of such a configuration, it is difficult to obtain the desired brightness because it takes time for the motor to stop rotating after the user turns off the switch when the desired brightness is reached. Since the light is continuous, it has the disadvantage that it is difficult to reliably change the illuminance due to the visual afterglow effect. Moreover, this device uses many mechanical parts for adjustment, so it also has the drawback of lacking reliability.

In the first place, the requirements for residential lighting equipment that allows for dimming are (1) ease of operation;

(2) Be able to set as many dimming levels as possible.

(3) It can be operated in a relatively short time.

(4) The operator should be able to recognize the dimming level each time.

etc.

However, conditions (2), (3), and (4) have contradictory aspects, and conventionally it has not been possible to satisfy all of these conditions.

For example, the lighting device shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 44-30539 has a brightness level that changes by 25% and can only be dimmed in four stages. Furthermore, the time interval between changes is completely unknown. It cannot be used for residential lighting equipment because it does not dim the light in response to the operation of a control switch. Furthermore, the light cannot be adjusted without using a program setting device.

There is a control device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 50-82864 that adjusts the brightness according to the operation of an operating switch, but this device changes the brightness steplessly like the ones shown in Figures 1 to 3. It does not allow the operator to visually see the range of change.

Furthermore, the load control device of JP-A-49-118288 is
Although the output changes in stages according to the number of pulses, it is not used to change the output in stages continuously and to stop at an arbitrary stage according to the operator's wishes. It merely shows the mechanism as an A/D conversion technology.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned situation, and by adopting a configuration in which the brightness level of the light source is increased or decreased in steps at time intervals of 0.3 to 0.8 seconds while the operation switch is operated, It is an object of the present invention to provide an illumination device that requires a relatively short operation time, can accurately recognize the level of dimming, and can be easily adjusted to the level desired by the operator.

This invention is characterized in that the time interval between brightness level changes that change one step at a time is 0.3 to 0.8 seconds.

In other words, the desired number of dimming levels in a general household is, for example, brightness for bright and dark mood lighting, brightness for light work, brightness for receiving guests, and brightness for relaxing while watching TV. There are about 6 levels. In this way, changes in brightness can be perceived while operating the switch, and it is also possible to turn off the switch at the desired brightness level to obtain the desired brightness in a short time and accurately. It is required.

By the way, it has been confirmed through experiments that it is preferable that the change width for each step, which makes the change in brightness perceivable, is 5% or more. The brightness level of the light source is increased or decreased step by step while operating the switch, and the range of brightness change for each step is adjusted to a visible level. Experiments have shown that it takes a minimum of 0.3 seconds to acknowledge that the switch is turned off and operate the switch. Therefore, it is not practical to set the time interval for each step to less than 0.3 seconds. Also,
Experiments have revealed that if the time interval exceeds 0.8 seconds, the time interval is too large and one cycle becomes long, causing pain to the operator.

From the above, if the time interval between each stage is too short, it is impractical, and if it is too long, it will cause pain to the operator.
By setting the time to 0.3 to 0.8 seconds, operation at the desired brightness can be performed accurately, and the desired brightness can be obtained in a short time without causing irritation to the operator.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Fig. 4, the main circuit of this lighting device connects one end of the AC power source _Es to one end of a light source L such as a lamp via a phase control device such as a triax _Q1 , and connects the other end to the light source L. by connecting it to the other end of the

A full-wave rectifier D ₀ consisting of four diodes is connected between both terminals of the AC power source E _s , and a constant voltage diode ZD ₁ with the polarity shown and a capacitor C ₁ are connected between its output terminals via a resistor R ₁ . The parallel circuits are connected to form a first DC constant voltage power supply.

Similarly, a constant voltage diode ZD ₂ and a capacitor C ₂ are connected across the output terminals of the full-wave rectifier D ₀ through a resistor R ₂
are connected in parallel to form a second DC constant voltage power supply.

Next, the light control device will be explained. First, to explain the clock pulse generation circuit in the ignition phase control circuit, this circuit connects a series circuit of resistor R ₃ and resistor R ₄ between the terminals of a constant voltage diode ZD ₁ , and also uses a pull switch SW as an operating switch. Connect the series circuit of resistor R ₅ and capacitor C ₃ through the connection point of resistor R ₅ and capacitor C ₃ .
It is constructed by connecting the connection point of the resistors R ₅ and R ₄ to the gate of PUT Q ₂ to the anode of PUT Q ₂ , and grounding the cathode via a resistor R ₆ .

This clear pulse generating circuit generates clock pulses for changing the brightness level of the light source stepwise at time intervals of 0.3 to 0.8 seconds, as will be described later.

Next, the clock pulse generation circuit is constructed by connecting a series circuit of a capacitor _C4 and a resistor _R7 between the terminals of a constant voltage diode _ZD2 .

Further, as the shift register IC, for example, a static shift register whose internal circuit is composed of a D-type flip-flop and an inverter and which reads data at the rising edge of a shift pulse applied to a clock terminal can be used.

In the shift register IC shown in Fig. 4, 1 is the power supply V _DD terminal, 2 is the data input terminal, 3 is the clear input terminal, 4 is the clock terminal, and 5 to 8 are the clock terminals.
Q ₁ ′ to Q ₄ ′ output terminals, and 9 indicates a ground terminal.

Resistors R ₈ to _{R 11} are connected to the output side of the shift register 16.
A PUT relaxation oscillation circuit is constituted by resistors R ₁₂ to R ₁₇ , transistor Q ₃ , PUT Q ₄ , capacitor C ₅ and transformer TR. In other words, resistors for setting the firing phase of output terminals 5 to 8 in stages.
It is activated through R ₈ to R ₁₁ , and is connected to _{the resistor R 12 and}
Lead to connection point R ₁₃ .

In particular, the resistance values of the resistors R ₈ to _{R 11} are selected so that the range of change in illuminance for each stage is 5 to 10%, which is a visible level.

The connection point is further connected to the base of the transistor Q ₃ through a resistor R ₁₄ , and the collector of the transistor Q ₃ is connected to the constant voltage diode ZD ₂ through a resistor R ₁₅ .
The emitter is connected to the positive terminal of C5 and the emitter is grounded through capacitor _C5 .

On the other hand, a resistor is placed between the terminals of the constant voltage diode ZD ₂ .
Connect the series circuit of R ₁₆ and R ₁₇ , connect the connection point to the gate of PUT Q ₄ , which is the ignition element, connect the emitter of the transistor Q ₃ to the anode of PUT Q 4, and connect its cathode to the gate of PUT Q ₄ , which is the ignition element. Ground through the primary side. In addition, transformer TR 2
The configuration is such that a gate signal is supplied to triac _Q1 from the next side.

Next, the operation of this lighting device will be explained. First, when the power source E _s is turned on with the pull switch SW (operating switch) open, a charging current flows through the capacitor C ₄ in the clear pulse generation circuit.
A pulse voltage is generated across the resistor _R7 . This voltage is applied as a clear pulse to the clear input terminal 3 of the shift register IC. In this state, although the power supply voltage V _DD and data input are applied to the shift register IC, the shift pulse is not applied to the clock terminal 4, so the output terminals 5 to 8 are applied to the shift register IC.
No output voltage is generated. Therefore, the voltage given by the constant voltage diode ZD ₂ is divided by resistors R ₁₂ and R ₁₃ and applied via resistor R ₁₄ to the base of transistor Q ₃ to set a relatively low base bias voltage. Ru. Therefore, the trigger phase of the triax _Q1 is also relatively delayed, and the voltage supplied to the light source L is also a relatively low value.

Next, when the contact of the pull switch SW is closed, while the contact is closed, the clock pulse generation circuit consisting of resistors _R3 to _R6 , PUT _Q2 , and capacitor _C3 operates, and evenly spaced pulse voltage is applied to resistor _R6 . Occurs on both ends. This voltage is supplied as a clock pulse to the clock input terminal 4 of the shift register IC.
As a result, first, at time t ₁ , the shift register IC
Q ₁ ′ output is generated, and this output continues to be generated because the data input is continuously applied as DC.

In response to this, the base of the transistor Q ₃ in the relaxation oscillator circuit has a voltage regulated by the constant voltage diode ZD ₂ divided by the parallel resistance values of the resistors R ₈ and R ₁₂ and the resistor R ₁₃ . A value approximately equal to the value will be applied. In other words, the bias between the times t ₀ and t ₁ described above
The base bias of Q ₃ increases, which advances the trigger phase of the triax Q ₁ and also increases the voltage applied to the light source L.

When time advances further and reaches _t2 , the clock pulse generation circuit consisting of PUT _Q2 etc. generates a second pulse across the resistor _R6 , and this is supplied to the clock input terminal 4 of the resistor IC, so the above-mentioned Similarly, the Q ₂ ' output terminal 6 of the shift register IC also generates an output voltage. This results in transistor Q ₃
At the base of , there is a parallel resistance value of resistors R ₈ , R ₉ and R ₁₂ with a voltage specified by the constant voltage diode ZD ₂ and a value approximately equal to the voltage divided by the resistor R ₁₃ . is applied through resistor _R14 .

As a result, the base bias of transistor _Q3 increases further than the bias between times _t1 and _t2 ,
Therefore, the trigger phase of the triax _Q1 also advances further, and the voltage applied to the light source L also increases further.

After that, when time t ₃ is reached through the same process, Q ₃ ′ output of the shift register is generated, and when time t ₄ is reached, Q 3 ′ output is generated.
The Q ₄ ' output is generated and the base bias of the transistor Q ₃ increases accordingly, so that the voltage applied to the light source L increases stepwise.

In this state, even if the contact of the pull switch SW is kept closed after time _t4 , a clock pulse will still be generated, but in this case, there will be no output from the shift register IC in response to it, so it will not affect the voltage applied to the load. Moreover, no matter when the contact of the pull switch SW is opened, this switch SW is connected to the power supply voltage V _DD of the shift register IC and the power supply that supplies the data input, so in the case of Fig. 4, the AC power supply E _s is connected. As long as the output of the shift register IC continues to be generated, the output of the shift register IC that has been generated up to that point will continue to be generated.
Therefore, the voltage applied to the light source L also remains at a constant level without changing its value.

In this way, five output levels including the first level can be obtained by opening and closing the contacts of the pull switch SW. The number of output levels can be easily increased by increasing the number of output terminals of the shift register IC, and although the one in Figure 4 shows five levels for simplicity, this number may vary depending on the need. It is normal to further increase the amount depending on the situation.

In this lighting equipment, the level of the voltage supplied to the light source can be arbitrarily set by opening and closing one contact in the signal circuit. Therefore, even if this unit is installed on a high ceiling, etc., the illuminance can be changed to increase in stages as shown in Figure 5 depending on the time the pull switch SW is pulled. If you let go of the light, you can maintain the illuminance that was just before it.

Furthermore, the time required for the change is constant for each stage, and the width of change E _A of the illuminance for each stage is adjusted to a visible level by setting the resistors R ₈ to R ₁₁ , for example. If the width of this change is small, it becomes difficult to distinguish between each stage due to the visual afterglow effect, and if it is too large, the desired brightness cannot be obtained because the number of changes from the dark state to the bright state is small.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the range of change is as follows. In other words, the illuminance at maximum output
If the illuminance is set to 5 to 10 in the case of 100, and the illuminance at time _t1 in FIG. 5 is set to 40 to 60, about six levels can be obtained. Moreover, the time required to shift to one stage is reduced to about 0.3 to 0.8 seconds. In this way, the illuminance change will be 5 to 10% for one step, so there will be little afterglow effect, and the user will be able to clearly feel the illuminance change, and the change will be small enough for practical use. It can be made into small pieces.

Therefore, the user can easily and accurately adjust the illuminance by closing the pull switch SW and watching the illuminance change step by step, and then opening the switch SW when the desired brightness is reached. Moreover, the operation can be performed accurately in a short time and does not cause any pain to the operator.

Further, in this lighting device, the illuminance is controlled only by the length of the closing time of the switch contact, so the reliability of the control can be improved because the degree of dependence on the mechanism is reduced.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications without changing the gist.

For example, in the above embodiment, the illuminance increases step by step, but the present invention can also be configured so that the illuminance gradually decreases over time as shown in FIG.

Furthermore, although the operation switch has been described as a pull switch as shown in the right end of Figure 7, this invention is not necessarily limited to this, and may be a toggle switch or a rotary switch as shown in the center and left end of the figure. You can choose as appropriate.

As described above, according to the present invention, the brightness level of the light source can be increased or decreased in stages during operation of the operation switch, and the range of change in the brightness level for each step can be visualized. By adopting a configuration in which the level of one stage is changed at time intervals of 0.3 to 0.8 seconds, the dimming level can be accurately recognized in a relatively short operation time without causing any pain to the operator. It is possible to provide a lighting device that can be easily adjusted to the level desired by the operator.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of an illumination device which is a premise of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram of changes in illuminance. FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 5 and 6 are stepwise illuminance change characteristics diagrams for explaining the operation of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram of various types of illuminance used in the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a switch. 1... Light source for illumination, 2... Dimmer, 3... Electric motor, 4... Pull switch, 5... AC power supply, 6...
...triax, 7...variable resistance, 8...resistance,
9... Capacitor, 10... Trigger diode, E _s ... AC power supply, Q ₁ ... Triack, L
...Light source, D ₀ ... Full-wave rectifier, R ₁ to R ₁₇ ... Resistor, C ₁ to _{C 5} ... Capacitor, DZ ₁ , DZ ₂ ... Constant voltage diode, Q ₁ , Q ₄ ... PUT, Q ₃ ...Transistor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An alternating current power source, a light source such as a lamp energized from this power source, an operating switch, and a device that increases or decreases the brightness level of the light source step by step during operation of the switch, and increases or decreases the brightness level for each step. a dimming device that adjusts the range of change in the level to a visible degree, and adjusts the level of each step from 0.3 to 0.8.
A lighting device characterized in that the lighting device changes at time intervals of seconds.