LED lighting fixtures

Abstract

This invention provides an LED lighting fixture that can maintain voltage supply to external devices connected to the USB port, even when the LED light source is dimmed. [Solution] The LED lighting fixture 1 includes an LED light source 2 and a USB port 3 for connecting an external device 30. The LED lighting fixture 1 includes an AC / DC converter 4 that supplies DC voltage to the LED light source 2 and the USB port 3, a wireless receiver 5 that receives a first wireless signal for dimming the LED light source 2, and a dimming control circuit 7 that controls the DC voltage supplied to the LED light source 2 based on the first wireless signal. Regardless of the dimming of the LED light source 2, the DC voltage supplied from the AC / DC converter 4 is maintained at the USB port 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an LED lighting fixture.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the spread of lighting fixtures using LED (Light Emitting Diode) elements (hereinafter referred to as LED lighting fixtures) has been progressing.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-174529 (Patent Document 1) discloses an LED lighting fixture that does not require installation work of a USB port and can improve the degree of freedom in arranging USB-connectable devices. This LED lighting fixture includes an LED lamp having an LED light source and a control circuit that supplies power to the LED light source, and a pair of end caps attached to both ends of the LED lamp. One end cap has a USB port connected to the control circuit, and the other end cap is connected to the control circuit and has an electrode to which AC power is supplied. The USB port is connected to an external device such as a sensor or a surveillance camera.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the case of the LED lighting fixture described in Patent Document 1, the voltage supply from the electrode of the other end cap may be interrupted. For example, when turning off the LED light source, a physical switch on the wall of the room where the LED lighting fixture is installed may be turned OFF. At this time, the voltage supply to the LED light source is interrupted, as is the voltage supply to the USB port (see Figure 4 in Patent Document 1). As a result, external devices connected to the USB port will be turned OFF. Also, when dimming the brightness of the LED light source, reducing the voltage supplied to the LED light source may affect the operation of external devices. If the external device is a sensor or surveillance camera, security may also be affected. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the operation of external devices is not affected even when dimming the LED light source.

[0006] Therefore, the object of this disclosure is to provide an LED lighting fixture that can maintain the supply of voltage to external devices connected to the USB port even when the LED light source is dimmed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The LED lighting fixture according to this disclosure comprises an LED light source and a USB port for connecting external devices, and includes an AC / DC converter that supplies DC voltage to the LED light source and the USB port, a wireless receiver that receives a first wireless signal for dimming the LED light source, and a dimming control circuit that controls the DC voltage supplied to the LED light source based on the first wireless signal. Regardless of the dimming of the LED light source, the DC voltage supplied from the AC / DC converter is maintained at the USB port. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] With this configuration, even when the LED light source is dimmed, the supply of DC voltage to external devices connected to the USB port can be maintained. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an LED lighting fixture according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an LED lighting fixture according to the second embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an LED lighting fixture according to the third embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing a group of LED lighting fixtures according to an embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (Composition 1) The LED lighting fixture according to this embodiment is an LED lighting fixture comprising an LED light source and a USB port for connecting external devices, and includes an AC / DC converter that supplies DC voltage to the LED light source and the USB port, a wireless receiving unit that receives a first wireless signal for dimming the LED light source, and a dimming control circuit that controls the DC voltage supplied to the LED light source based on the first wireless signal. Regardless of the dimming of the LED light source, the DC voltage supplied from the AC / DC converter is maintained at the USB port.

[0011] This allows the supply of DC voltage to external devices connected to the USB port to be maintained even when the LED light source is dimmed.

[0012] (Configuration 2) In the LED lighting fixture of configuration 1, the AC / DC converter may consist of a first AC / DC converter and a second AC / DC converter. The first AC / DC converter may supply a DC voltage to the LED light source via a dimming control circuit. The second AC / DC converter may supply a DC voltage to the USB port. This makes it possible to stabilize the supply of DC voltage to the LED light source and the USB port.

[0013] (Composition 3) In the LED lighting fixture of Configuration 2, the wireless reception unit may receive a second wireless signal for operating an external device connected to the USB port. The second wireless signal may be transmitted to the USB port via a second AC / DC converter. Thereby, the external device connected to the USB port can be operated.

[0014] (Configuration 4) The LED lighting fixture group according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an LED lighting fixture group having a plurality of LED lighting fixtures, and each of the plurality of LED lighting fixtures is any one of the LED lighting fixtures of Configurations 1 to 3. Each wireless reception unit of the plurality of LED lighting fixtures has a transmission function. Each of the wireless reception units forms a mesh communication for transmitting and receiving the wireless signals to and from each other. Thereby, the LED light sources of the plurality of LED lighting fixtures can be operated.

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. For the same and corresponding configurations in the figures, the same reference numerals are given and the same description will not be repeated.

[0016] [LED Lighting Fixture] [First Embodiment] First, the LED lighting fixture 1 of the first embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the LED lighting fixture 1 includes an LED light source 2, a USB port 3, an AC / DC converter 4, a wireless reception unit 5, a wireless control circuit 6, and a dimming control circuit 7. Note that the LED lighting fixture 1 may be, for example, a straight tube type LED lamp, a ceiling light, or the like, as long as it is normally used in a room or an office space in a general household, and its shape and usage method are not particularly limited.

[0018] The LED light source 2 is formed by a plurality of LED elements (not shown). The LED element is, for example, a white light emitting diode.

[0019] The USB port 3 is provided on one of the pair of end caps in, for example, a straight tube type LED lighting fixture 1. However, the position where the USB port 3 is provided is not particularly limited as long as an external device 30 can be connected. The USB port 3 is compatible with the USB2.0 or USB3.0 standard, and either a Type-A connector or a Type-C connector may be adopted. The USB port 123 is electrically connected to the AC / DC converter 4.

[0020] The supply of the DC voltage from the AC / DC converter 4 to the USB port 3 is maintained. As shown in FIG. 1, there is no physical switch provided, for example, on the wall surface of a room, between the power source 10 and the AC / DC converter 4. Therefore, the external device 30 connected to the USB port 3 always has the voltage supply maintained regardless of the dimming of the LED light source 2 described later, without the voltage supply being interrupted by the ON / OFF of a physical switch. Accordingly, the external device 30 maintains its operation regardless of the ON / OFF or brightness intensity of the LED light source 2.

[0021] The USB port 3 is electrically connected to the external device 30 via a connection line. Here, the external device 30 can be composed of IoT devices, such as, for example, sensors, surveillance cameras, or portable terminals such as smartphones.

[0022] The AC / DC converter 4 is connected to the power source 10 and converts the AC voltage (for example, 100V) supplied from the power source 10 into a DC voltage. The converted DC voltage is supplied to the LED light source 2 via the dimming control circuit 7 (for example, 40 - 100V), and is also supplied to the USB port 3 (for example, 5V). Note that a DC / DC converter for adjusting the voltage may be provided between the AC / DC converter 4 and the dimming control circuit 7, and also between the AC / DC converter 4 and the USB port 3 (not shown in the figure).

[0023] The wireless receiver 5 receives wireless signals from an external remote control 20. The wireless signal communication used in this disclosure is, for example, infrared communication, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other short-range wireless communication, or wireless WAN (4G / 5G), etc. Here, the remote control 20 is for dimming the LED light source, for example, for turning the LED light source ON / OFF or adjusting the brightness. Therefore, the wireless signal is a dimming control signal for dimming the LED light source.

[0024] The wireless control circuit 6 converts the wireless signal received from the wireless receiver 5 into an electrical signal.

[0025] The dimming control circuit 7 is electrically connected to the AC / DC converter 4. Based on the electrical signal (dimming control signal) supplied from the wireless control circuit 6, the dimming control circuit 7 supplies the DC voltage converted by the AC / DC converter 4 to the LED light source 2. In other words, based on the dimming control signal, the dimming control circuit 7 applies a predetermined DC voltage to the LED light source 2 to control the dimming of the LED light source 2.

[0026] Thus, with the LED lighting fixture 1 of this disclosure, a DC voltage is supplied from the AC / DC converter 4 to both the LED light source 2 and the USB port 3, and the LED light source 2 is dimmed by a dimming control circuit 7 connected between the AC / DC converter 4 and the LED light source 2, thereby enabling dimming of the LED light source 2 without affecting the operation of the external device 30.

[0027] [Second Embodiment] Next, the LED lighting fixture 1 of the second embodiment will be described in detail using Figure 2. Note that, in principle, only the configurations that differ from the LED lighting fixture 1 of the first embodiment will be described.

[0028] The LED lighting fixture 1 of the second embodiment has AC / DC converters 4a and 4b. AC / DC converters 4a and 4b are each connected to a power supply 10. One AC / DC converter 4a is connected to a dimming control circuit 7. The other AC / DC converter 4b is connected to a USB port 3. In other words, the dimming control circuit 7 and the USB port 3 are each connected to separate AC / DC converters. This makes it possible to stabilize the supply of DC voltage to the USB port 3. As a result, external devices 30 connected to the USB port 3 can be operated stably. Furthermore, compared to the LED lighting fixture 1 of the first embodiment, the decrease in DC voltage supplied to the LED light source 2 can be suppressed. As a result, the light emission of the LED light source 2 can be stabilized.

[0029] [Third Embodiment] Next, the LED lighting fixture 1 of the third embodiment will be described in detail using Figure 3. Note that, in principle, only the configurations that differ from the LED lighting fixture 1 of the first or second embodiment will be described.

[0030] In the third embodiment, the LED lighting fixture 1 transmits an electrical signal from the wireless control circuit 6 to the AC / DC converter 4b. This electrical signal is an external device control signal for operating an external device 30 connected to the USB port 3. In other words, the remote control 20 is for operating the external device 30. For example, if the external device 30 is a surveillance camera, the remote control 20 may operate the angle or zoom in / out of the surveillance camera. The wireless signal transmitted from the remote control 20 is received by the wireless receiver 5, converted into an electrical signal in the wireless control circuit 6, and transmitted to the AC / DC converter 4b.

[0031] The remote control 20 may be a separate remote control from the one used to dim the LED light source 2. Alternatively, the dimming of the LED light source 2 and the operation of the external device 30 may be controlled by a single remote control 20.

[0032] [LED lighting fixtures] Next, the LED lighting fixture group 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 4.

[0033] The LED lighting fixture group 100 is composed of multiple LED lighting fixtures 1. Each LED lighting fixture 1 may be any of the LED lighting fixtures 1 of the first to third embodiments described above. However, as shown in Figure 4, in the LED lighting fixture 1, the wireless receiving unit 5 described above can be replaced with a wireless transmitting / receiving unit 5a. In other words, the wireless receiving unit 5 may have a transmitting function.

[0034] The wireless transceivers 5a in each LED lighting fixture 1 can communicate with each other. Each wireless transceiver 5a can function as a relay for each other, enabling mesh communication. Mesh communication is, for example, mesh Wi-Fi. The wireless transceiver 5a of a predetermined LED lighting fixture 1 that receives a wireless signal from the remote control 20 transmits a wireless signal to the wireless transceiver 5a of another LED lighting fixture 1. The other LED lighting fixture 1 dims the other LED light source 2 based on the wireless signal received by its wireless transceiver 5a. The other wireless transceiver 5a then transmits a wireless signal to the wireless transceiver 5a of yet another LED lighting fixture 1.

[0035] The wireless signal transmitted from the remote control 20 allows for dimming of the LED light sources 2 of multiple LED lighting fixtures 1, including one located some distance from the remote control 20. Mesh communication among the LED lighting fixture group 100 can also be performed in the same manner when operating the external device 30 in the third embodiment described above.

[0036] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 1 LED lighting fixture, 2 LED light source, 3 USB port, 4 AC / DC converter, 4a AC / DC converter, 4b AC / DC converter, 5 Wireless receiver, 5a Wireless transmitter / receiver, 6 Wireless control circuit, 7 Dimming control circuit, 10 Power supply, 20 Remote control, 30 External devices, 100 LED lighting fixture group

Claims

1. An LED lighting fixture comprising an LED light source and a USB port for connecting external devices, An AC / DC converter that supplies a DC voltage to the LED light source and the USB port, A wireless receiving unit that receives a first wireless signal for dimming the LED light source, Includes a dimming control circuit that controls the DC voltage supplied to the LED light source based on the first wireless signal, An LED lighting fixture in which the DC voltage supplied from the AC / DC converter is maintained at the USB port, regardless of the dimming of the LED light source.

2. An LED lighting fixture according to claim 1, The AC / DC converter consists of a first AC / DC converter and a second AC / DC converter. The first AC / DC converter supplies a DC voltage to the LED light source via the dimming control circuit. The second AC / DC converter is an LED lighting fixture that supplies a DC voltage to the USB port.

3. An LED lighting fixture according to claim 2, The wireless receiving unit receives a second wireless signal for operating an external device connected to the USB port. The second wireless signal is transmitted to the USB port via the second AC / DC converter of the LED lighting fixture.

4. A group of LED lighting fixtures having multiple LED lighting fixtures, Each of the plurality of LED lighting fixtures is an LED lighting fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 3, Each of the aforementioned plurality of LED lighting fixtures has a wireless receiving unit that has a transmitting function. A group of LED lighting fixtures, each of the aforementioned wireless receiving units, forms a mesh communication network that transmits and receives wireless signals from each other.

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