JPH0997681A - Lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting system which can easily monitor the state of an illuminating load without separately providing a signal generating circuit and a signal line. SOLUTION: This system is a lighting system comprising a ballast C for controlling electric power supplied to an illuminating load La and a control part for controlling the ballast C. The ballast C is composed of a signal receiving part I, an electric power control part J, a state detecting part D for detecting the state of the illuminating load La by detecting its own state and outputting a state signal and a state signal transmitting part M for transmitting a state signal from the state detecting part D to a control part A trough a signal line B. The control part comprises a central processing part H and a signal transmitting part G and converts an input signal from the exterior into a control signal in the central processing part H and transmits it to the stabilizer C through the signal transmitting part G.

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 As a conventional lighting device, for example, at least a ballast for controlling electric power supplied to a lighting load and a control unit for controlling the ballast are provided, and a DC voltage level supplied to the ballast is controlled. That controls the lighting load by changing the lighting load and the on-duty of the pulse with a certain frequency that is supplied from the control unit to the ballast, that is, the control unit controls the ballast via a pair of signal lines. There is one that controls a ballast by transmitting a signal (for example, a DUTY signal) and performs dimming control of a lighting load (conventional example according to the present invention).

Here, in the above conventional example, the ballast is composed of a signal receiving unit and a power control unit, and a control signal transmitted from the control unit is input to the power conversion unit via the signal receiving unit. However, the power control unit controls the power supplied to the lighting load according to the control signal, and performs the dimming control of the lighting load. The control unit is composed of a central processing unit and a signal transmission unit, and converts an input signal from the outside into a control signal by the central processing unit and transmits the control signal to the ballast via the signal transmission unit.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, an attempt is made to provide a function of monitoring the state of the lighting load such as the energized state, the no-load state, the emilys state, and the dimming state. Then, a signal generation circuit for transmitting a status signal for notifying the status of the lighting load from the ballast to the control section and a signal line for transmitting the status signal to the control section are separately required. There arises a problem that the size is increased and the cost is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to easily monitor the state of a lighting load without separately providing a signal generating circuit and a signal line. A lighting device is provided.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the invention of claim 1, a ballast for controlling the power supplied to the lighting load, and a controller for controlling the ballast are provided. A lighting device that includes a pair of signal lines connecting a control unit and a ballast, controls the ballast by a control signal transmitted from the control unit via the signal line, and performs dimming control of a lighting load. The ballast transmits a status signal obtained by detecting the status of the lighting load to the control unit via a signal line.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the state signal is transmitted to the control unit by changing the voltage between the signal lines.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the status signal is superimposed on the control signal and transmitted to the control section.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the state signal changes the voltage between the signal lines by changing the impedance value between the signal lines.

According to the invention of claim 5, the ballast comprises:
It is characterized in that the power supplied to the lighting load is controlled by changing the state signal.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the control signal and the status signal are different types of signals.

According to the invention described in claim 7, one of the control signal and the status signal is a DC signal and the other is an AC signal.

According to the invention described in claim 8, one of the control signal and the status signal is a direct current signal and the other is a high frequency signal.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, one of the control signal and the status signal is a DC signal and the other is an AC high frequency signal.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the control signal and the status signal are signals having different frequency bands.

[0016]

[Embodiment]

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a first embodiment according to the present invention.

The difference from the above-mentioned conventional example is that the lighting load (hereinafter,
Call it a lamp. ) A state detection unit D that detects the state of La and outputs a state signal, and a state signal transmission unit M that transmits the state signal from the state detection unit D to the control unit A via the signal line B.
And a state signal receiving section L for notifying the central processing section H of the state of the lamp La by receiving the state signal inside the control section A. The description of the same configuration as is omitted.

In FIG. 1, G is a signal sending unit, I is a signal receiving unit, J is a power control unit, La is a lamp, and 1 is a SW panel for sending an input signal to a central processing unit H.

In this embodiment, the state of the ballast C is detected by the state detecting section D to detect the state of the lamp La such as the energized state, the no-load state, the emilys state, and the dimming state. The status signal is transmitted to the central processing unit H via the status signal sending unit M, the signal line B, and the status signal receiving unit L, and the status of the lamp La is notified to the central processing unit H.
Upon receiving the status signal, the central processing unit H transmits a control signal to the power control unit J via the signal transmission unit G, the signal line B, and the signal reception unit I, and the power control unit J supplies the control signal to the lamp La. Control power.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a second embodiment according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, the state signal receiving section L shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a voltage detecting section E for detecting the positive potential V1 of the signal line B, and the state signal sending section shown in FIG. The section M is composed of a variable resistance section Z connected between two lines of the signal line B and a resistance control section F which receives the state signal from the state detection section D and controls the variable resistance section Z. ,
The description of the same components as those of the other first embodiment will be omitted by retaining the same reference numerals.

In the present embodiment, the impedance value of the variable resistance portion Z is infinite during normal operation, and the impedance value of the variable resistance portion Z is controlled in response to the change of the state of the lamp La to control the impedance of the signal line B. The voltage between the two lines changes, and the change is detected by the voltage detection unit E and transmitted to the central processing unit H.

FIG. 3 shows a concrete circuit example of each component in the present embodiment. In FIG. 3, the signal transmission unit G is composed of a switching element Q1 that is turned on / off by a control signal from the central processing unit H via a resistor R3, and a resistor R1 connected to an external power supply Vcc. The signal receiving unit I is
The resistor R4 inserted between the external power supply Vdd and the input terminal of the power control unit J, and the phototransistor connected to the input terminal to the power control unit J and the resistor R2 are connected between two lines of the signal line B. And a photocoupler PC1 having a photodiode. The variable resistance section Z is composed of a photocoupler PC2 having a photodiode connected between the output terminals of the resistance control section F and a phototransistor connected between two lines of the signal line B. Voltage detector E
Is composed of a comparator CMP1 for comparing and outputting the voltage V1 and the reference voltage Va and transmitting the output signal to the central processing unit H. Note that the resistance R1, the resistance R2, and the resistance R2
The series connection of the photodiode of the photocoupler PC1 and the switching element Q1 is connected between the external power supply Vcc and the ground.

Next, the operation will be briefly described. When performing normal operation, the control signal output from the central processing unit H is input between the base and emitter of the switching element Q1 via the resistor R3 to turn on / off the switching element Q1 and operate the photocoupler PC1. The output signal of the photocoupler PC1 is input to the power control unit J. In this case, the photocoupler PC2 does not operate, and the phototransistor of the photocoupler PC2 is off.
As shown in, the voltage V1 becomes substantially equal to the external power supply Vcc when the switching element Q1 is off, and the external power supply Vcc is connected to the resistors R1, R2 when the switching element Q1 is on.
The potential Vb is divided by the photodiode of the photocoupler PC1 and the switching element Q1.

When the state detecting section D detects an abnormal state of the lamp La, the resistance control section F which receives the state signal from the state detecting section D operates the photocoupler PC2 to output the output impedance of the variable resistance section Z. The value is changed to zero, that is, the phototransistor of the photocoupler PC2 is turned on to short-circuit the two signal lines B. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the voltage V1 becomes substantially equal to the external power supply Vcc when the switching element Q1 is off, and becomes substantially equal to zero when the switching element Q1 is on.

By setting Va to be smaller than Vb, when a normal operation is performed, a high level signal is transmitted from the voltage detection unit E to the central processing unit H, and when an abnormal state of the lamp La is detected. A low level signal is transmitted from the voltage detection unit E to the central processing unit H. When the central processing unit H receives a low level signal, it transmits a control signal to the ballast C via the signal transmission unit G and the signal line B, but the control signal reduces the power supplied to the lamp La. Control.

In this embodiment, other switching elements may be used instead of the photocouplers PC1 and PC2.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows a concrete circuit example of each component in the third embodiment of the present invention.

The difference from the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is that a variable resistor RL is used as the variable resistor section Z instead of the photocoupler PC2, and the impedance of the variable resistor RL is changed according to the state of the lamp La. The configuration is such that a plurality of types of signals can be transmitted by changing the value, and the same configurations as those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

For example, the value of the variable resistor RL is set as follows: 1) When the load is powered on (when energized), the variable resistor RL is
When the value of R is maximized, the variable resistor RL can be ignored, and the normal state is obtained. 2) When the load is not powered (at the time of power failure), the value of the variable resistor RL is minimized. 3) RL = α when there is no load. 4) RL = β when the dimming ratio is 50%. If the voltage detection unit E detects the voltage Vb determined by the above condition, it is possible to transmit a plurality of types of status signals transmitted from the ballast C to the control unit A by only a pair of signal lines. it can. That is, the value of Vb is detected by changing the value of Vb according to each of a plurality of types of status signals.

In the above first to third embodiments,
Although the DUTY signal is used as the signal transmitted from the ballast C to the control unit A, it is not limited to this.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention.

The difference from the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that instead of the variable resistance unit Z and the resistance control unit F, the power control unit J receives a state signal output from the state detection unit D. An output control unit Q that controls the output and a waveform calculation unit O that calculates and outputs a state signal via the output control unit Q and a control signal from the control unit A are provided, and instead of the voltage detection unit E,
A waveform calculator P, which is a so-called filter that detects only a specific waveform from the calculation output of the waveform calculator O and notifies the state of the lamp La to the central processing unit H, is provided. The same configurations as those in Embodiment 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the operation will be briefly described. State detector D
When the output control unit Q receives the state of the lamp La from, for example, the abnormal state, the output control unit Q sends the high frequency voltage output waveform of the power control unit J as shown in FIG. To send as. The waveform calculator O adds and outputs the status signal and the DUTY signal, which is the control signal from the control unit A, to obtain an output waveform as shown in FIG.
Send to. The waveform calculator P detects the high-frequency voltage added by the waveform calculator O, and the central processing unit H receives the ramp La.
Notify the abnormal state of.

In this embodiment, for example, if a transformer is used for the waveform calculator O and the waveform calculator P and a summing amplifier is used for the output controller Q, it is not necessary to use a special circuit. Further, in the waveform calculator O, the state signal and the control signal are added, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various calculations such as subtraction may be performed. Furthermore, if the output control unit Q performs frequency modulation or the like to switch the frequency to be used depending on the state of the lighting load, the number of states that can be notified can be increased.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the control signal transmitted from the control unit A to the ballast C is the DUTY signal, but the DC voltage level output from the signal transmission unit G is calculated by the signal reception unit I. It is also possible to use a control signal used when reading and controlling the light intensity of the lamp La based on the read value, and to calculate a state signal having a different component from the control signal, for example, a state signal having an AC waveform and a high frequency waveform. .

In all of the above embodiments, the control unit A
2-2, an external communication unit K for receiving an external signal and transmitting it to the central processing unit H instead of the SW panel 1 is provided.
May be provided.

[0038]

According to the inventions of claims 1 to 4, a pair of signal lines for transmitting a control signal from the control section to the ballast without separately providing a signal generating circuit and a signal line. And bidirectional communication between the ballast and the signal line that informs the control unit of the status of the lighting load, enabling simultaneous bidirectional communication with a small number of signal lines and easily monitoring the status of the lighting load. It is possible to provide a lighting device capable of performing the above.

According to the invention of claim 5, a pair of signal lines are connected to each other without providing a signal generating circuit and a signal line separately.
By using the signal line that transmits the control signal from the control unit to the ballast and the signal line that notifies the status of the lighting load from the ballast to the control unit in both directions, bidirectional simultaneous communication is possible with a small number of signal lines. It is possible to provide a lighting device capable of controlling the electric power supplied to the lighting load by easily monitoring the status of the lighting load.

According to the inventions of claims 6 to 10, a pair of signal lines are provided without separately providing a signal generating circuit and a signal line, and a signal line for transmitting a control signal from the control section to the ballast, By using the ballast in both directions with the signal line that notifies the control unit of the lighting load state, it is possible to perform bidirectional simultaneous communication with a small number of signal lines and easily monitor multiple states of the lighting load. It is possible to provide a lighting device capable of performing the above.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a main part according to the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a potential V1 in a normal state according to the above embodiment.
Is the waveform of.

FIG. 5 is a potential V1 in an abnormal state according to the above embodiment.
Is the waveform of.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a third embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a state signal waveform according to the above embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a waveform in which a status signal is superimposed on a control signal according to the above embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A control unit B signal line C ballast La lighting load

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A ballast for controlling electric power supplied to a lighting load, a control unit for controlling the ballast, and a pair of signal lines connecting the control unit and the ballast to each other. In the lighting device that controls the ballast by a control signal transmitted from the section via the signal line, and dimming-controls the lighting load, the ballast detects the state of the lighting load. An illumination device, wherein the obtained status signal is transmitted to the control unit via the signal line. 2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the status signal is transmitted to the control unit by changing the voltage between the signal lines. 3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the status signal is transmitted to the control unit by being superimposed on the control signal. 4. The state signal is for changing the voltage between the signal lines by changing an impedance value between the signal lines. Lighting equipment. 5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the ballast controls electric power supplied to the lighting load according to a change in the state signal. . 6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the control signal and the status signal are signals of different types. 7. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein one of the control signal and the status signal is a DC signal and the other is an AC signal. 8. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein one of the control signal and the status signal is a DC signal and the other is a high frequency signal. 9. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein one of the control signal and the status signal is a DC signal and the other is an AC high frequency signal. . 10. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the control signal and the status signal are signals having different frequency bands from each other.