Lighting system

Abstract

To provide a lighting system capable of reducing time and efforts of a setting worker remarkably in relative to the prior arts when installing a plurality of lighting apparatuses at installation places.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a lighting system 1 comprising a plurality of lighting apparatuses 4 and a lighting control device 6 which wirelessly controls the plurality of lighting apparatuses 4. The lighting control device 6 includes a display unit 65 and is stored in prepared storage means (cloud 3). Apparatus information relating to each lighting apparatus 4 and representing a group to which the same control is performed in the plurality of lighting apparatuses 4 is acquired and in setting for making each lighting apparatus installed at an installation place controllable, apparatus identification information for identifying each lighting apparatus is acquired from each of the plurality of lighting apparatuses 4, and the apparatus information is displayed on the display unit 65. On the basis of a user operation which is performed while referring to the displayed apparatus information, the apparatus information is made correspondent to the apparatus identification information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting system that controls a plurality of lighting fixtures via wireless communication. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, when multiple wirelessly controlled lighting fixtures are installed at the installation site, lighting fixtures of the same model are delivered and installed without being distinguished from one another, so that it is impossible to distinguish between individual lighting fixtures after the settings are complete. For this reason, the IDs are collected from each lighting fixture, and each lighting fixture is turned on one by one by specifying the ID, and the IDs of the lighting fixtures that are turned on are associated with symbols (symbolic images) that resemble turned-on lighting fixtures in a lighting distribution diagram that is shown on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and shows a schematic representation of the installation site, thereby identifying where the lighting fixtures with which IDs are actually located. After that, settings are made for groups to perform the same control for some of the multiple lighting fixtures, settings for scenes to control multiple groups collectively, and settings for controlling groups and scenes based on a schedule. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2014 / 203537 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above-mentioned technology, after associating the ID of a lighting fixture with a symbol on the GUI, further settings related to groups, scenes, and schedules must be made, which poses the problem that it takes a significant amount of time to set up the lighting fixtures when they are installed.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a lighting system that can significantly reduce the effort required of an operator to set up a plurality of lighting fixtures in an installation location, as compared to the conventional art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a lighting system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting fixtures and a lighting control device that wirelessly controls the plurality of lighting fixtures, the lighting control device having a display unit, acquiring device information representing a group of the plurality of lighting fixtures that performs the same control, which is information about each lighting fixture that has been created in advance and stored in a storage means, and in a setting for enabling control of each lighting fixture installed at an installation location, acquiring device identification information that identifies each of the plurality of lighting fixtures, and associating the device identification information selected from the acquired device identification information based on a user operation with the group. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The above-described configuration can significantly reduce the effort required for an operator to make group-related settings after multiple lighting fixtures have been installed in an installation location, compared to the conventional method. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting fixture that constitutes a lighting system, and FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing the configuration of a smartphone 6 that constitutes the lighting system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a lighting arrangement diagram showing the arrangement of groups, rooms, and lighting fixtures. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the contents of room configuration data and group configuration data. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the contents of belonging tool name data. [Figure 6]FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of a device search GUI, FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an example of an association GUI, and FIG. 13C is a diagram showing an example of a GUI for associating lighting fixtures with fixture names. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of association data. [Figure 8] FIG. 4A shows the contents of scene data, and FIG. 4B shows the contents of time table data. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the contents of schedule data. [Figure 10] This is a lighting arrangement diagram with the names of the fixtures written on it. [Figure 11] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a GUI for performing group control, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a GUI for performing scene control. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI for performing schedule control. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a lighting system according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a gateway according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of a room setting GUI according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an example of displaying groups included in a room in a tree structure in the room setting GUI. [Figure 16] FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of a room individual setting GUI according to a third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an example of a screen in the room individual setting GUI that displays communication-enabled lighting fixtures 4 as a device search result; and FIG. 13C is a diagram showing an example of an association GUI that displays a message indicating that the fixture association process is complete. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <1. First embodiment> <1.1. Configuration> Hereinafter, a lighting system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a lighting system 1.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the lighting system 1 includes a data creation device 2, a cloud 3, a plurality of (for example, 20) lighting fixtures 4-n (n is 1 to 20) (hereinafter collectively referred to as "lighting fixtures 4") equipped with wireless communication capabilities, and a smartphone 6 as an example of a lighting control device for controlling the lighting fixtures 4. The cloud 3 is a cloud system as an example of storage means for storing control data, and provides various computing services via a network.

[0012] Here, the lighting fixture 4 and smartphone 6 are placed in a house, which is an example of an installation location, and the data creation device 2 is placed in a location away from the installation location, such as the office of a contractor for the house. A portion of the control data used to control the lighting fixture 4 is created using the data creation device 2 by a contractor or the like (hereinafter, the person who creates the control data will be referred to as the "data creator"), and is transmitted to and stored by the cloud 3. The control data stored in the cloud 3 is downloaded and held by the smartphone 6, and is used when controlling the lighting fixture 4.

[0013] The data creation device 2 is a computer system, and includes a display 25 as an example of a display unit. The data creation device 2 can operate data creation software 26. The data creation software 26 is Microsoft Excel (registered trademark) as an example, but is not limited to this. Any software that allows the data creator to input numerical values, characters, etc. in an orderly and easily understandable manner, such as in a table format, may be used, for example, other spreadsheet software or a text editor.

[0014] Each of the lighting fixtures 4 and the smartphone 6 communicate with each other wirelessly. The wireless communication complies with the BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) standard, for example. The lighting fixtures 4 and the smartphone 6 form a mesh network, and even when they are outside the wireless range or when there is an obstacle preventing wireless communication, they can indirectly communicate with each other through the mesh network within the range of the mesh network.

[0015] Each of the lighting fixtures 4 is equipped with LED (Light Emitting Diode) packages of multiple colors (high color temperature white and low color temperature white as an example), and color adjustment values ​​such as color temperature when the lighting fixture 4 emits light change depending on the balance of the dimming rate of each LED package. Furthermore, the lighting fixture 4 can receive a specified dimming rate from 0% for an off state to 100% for a fully lit state, and control the light emission state to the specified dimming rate. The lighting fixture 4 receives a control signal transmitted by the smartphone 6, and performs operations such as emitting light in accordance with the control signal.

[0016] The smartphone 6 has a GUI for performing installation settings that are performed to enable control of the lighting fixture 4 installed in the installation location, and for instructing the lighting fixture 4 on the dimming rate and chromaticity desired by the user, and controls the operation of the lighting fixture 4 by sending control signals to the lighting fixture 4 in accordance with operational instructions input by the user or a preset schedule.

[0017] <1.1.1. Lighting equipment 4> The configuration of lighting fixture 4 will be described below using lighting fixture 4-1 as an example, but the other lighting fixtures 4-2, 4-3, . . . 4-20 have the same configuration.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the lighting device 4-1 includes a light source section 40, a circuit section 43, and a WM (wireless module) section 44.

[0019] The light source unit 40 includes a light source configured as an LED package and a circuit board on which the light source is arranged. Note that the light source is sufficient as long as it functions as a light source for illumination, and may be configured as a device other than an LED, such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) device. Based on the input control signal, the light source unit 40 performs operations such as turning the light source on and off, changing the dimming rate, and changing the chromaticity (also called "color adjustment").

[0020] The circuit section 43 includes a socket for mounting the WM section 44 , and has a function of supplying a direct current to the light source section 40 in response to a control signal received from the WM section 44 .

[0021] The WM unit 44 is a module that performs wireless communication, and is configured as a removable single device that can be attached to and detached from the socket of the circuit unit 43. The WM unit 44 is capable of wireless communication according to a plurality of communication specifications, but is not limited to this. For example, a dedicated WM unit 44 may be prepared for each different communication specification, and the WM unit 44 corresponding to the communication protocol to be used may be attached to the socket. The WM unit 44 includes a wireless communication unit 44a and a control unit 44b.

[0022] The wireless communication unit 44a has a function of performing wireless communication. The wireless communication unit 44a functions as a transmitting means for transmitting information and a receiving means for receiving information. The wireless communication unit 44a holds a media access control address (hereinafter referred to as a "MAC address") as an example of device identification information for identifying each lighting device 4. The MAC address is also used as an address for wireless communication. When the wireless communication unit 44a receives communication data, if the communication data is addressed to the wireless communication unit 44a, the wireless communication unit 44a notifies the control unit 44b, and if the communication data is addressed to another device, the wireless communication unit 44a transfers the communication data to the other device via the mesh network.

[0023] The control unit 44b includes an integrated circuit (IC) and has a function of controlling the operation of the lighting device 4.

[0024] When the control unit 44b receives a control signal regarding the operation of the light source, such as turning the light source on, off, blinking, increasing the dimming rate, or decreasing the dimming rate, the control unit 44b outputs a control signal to the circuit unit 43 to cause the circuit unit 43 to perform the operation indicated by the received control signal.

[0025] <1.1.2. Smartphone 6> 1, smartphone 6 is a portable information terminal device having a rectangular plate-like appearance and a touch panel 65 embedded on one surface. Smartphone 6 has a function for controlling the light-emitting operation of lighting device 4, and displays on touch panel 65 a GUI for setting the lighting device 4 at the time of installation, controlling the light-emitting operation of lighting device 4, etc.

[0026] The smartphone 6 determines the operational instructions requested by the user based on the contents of the GUI displayed on the touch panel 65 and user input such as touches on the touch panel 65 or gesture inputs made by the user, and transmits a control signal based on the user input to the lighting fixture 4 to be controlled.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2(b), the smartphone 6 includes a control unit 61, a ROM 62, a RAM 63, a wireless communication unit 64, and a touch panel 65.

[0028] The ROM 62 is composed of a flash memory or the like, and holds applications, programs, image data to be displayed as a GUI, control programs, and various other data.

[0029] The RAM 63 is a storage device into which the control programs stored in the ROM 62 are loaded.

[0030] The touch panel 65 is an electronic component that combines a display unit that displays images and information constituting the GUI with an input unit that accepts user instructions, and functions as a user interface means. The display unit is, for example, a liquid crystal panel. The input unit is, for example, a touch pad. The touch panel 65 notifies the control unit 61 of the user input.

[0031] The control unit 61 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Each function of the smartphone 6 is realized by the control unit 61 executing a lighting control program loaded from the ROM 62 and stored in the RAM 63. The control unit 61 identifies the content of a user instruction based on the GUI displayed on the touch panel 65 and a user input notified from the touch panel 65, and executes a process according to the user instruction.

[0032] The wireless communication unit 64 is configured with a device that performs wireless communication. The wireless communication unit 64 performs wireless communication with each of the lighting fixtures 4.

[0033] In the smartphone 6, it is not necessary to store the GUI and the like in the ROM 62 in advance, and an app capable of displaying the GUI may be downloaded from a server and stored in the ROM 62. In other words, by downloading an app to a smartphone distributed in the market, the smartphone can be used as a user interface means.

[0034] <1.2.Settings> <1.2.1. Overview> The lighting fixtures 4 are arranged according to a lighting distribution diagram 100 that shows the arrangement of each lighting fixture in a house. The lighting distribution diagram 100 (see FIG. 3) is created, for example, by a design office that performs architectural design.

[0035] Although the lighting fixtures 4 can be uniquely identified by the fixture identification information, when the lighting fixtures 4 are delivered to the installation location, they are delivered together without being distinguished as to which fixture identification information each lighting fixture 4 is assigned. Then, the lighting fixtures 4 are installed on the ceiling or wall according to the lighting distribution diagram 100 by the installation worker without distinguishing between the individual lighting fixtures 4. For this reason, when the installation work of the lighting fixtures 4 is completed, it is not possible to know in which position the lighting fixture 4 identified by which fixture identification information is installed.

[0036] On the other hand, lighting fixtures 4 are controlled by specifying their fixture identification information. Therefore, in this state, it is difficult to identify and control lighting fixtures 4 placed in desired positions.

[0037] Therefore, in lighting system 1, after lighting fixtures 4 are installed in the house, a process is performed using smartphone 6 to identify which fixture identification information each lighting fixture 4 placed at each installation position has (hereinafter referred to as "fixture association process"). As a result, when attempting to control a lighting fixture 4 installed at a certain installation position, the lighting fixture 4 can be identified by its fixture identification information and controlled by transmitting a control signal or the like.

[0038] Conventionally, after performing this fixture association process, an operator would subsequently perform setting processes (hereinafter referred to as "group setting process"), such as dividing the lighting fixtures 4 into groups for group control, dividing the groups and the lighting fixtures 4 into rooms for room control, and setting control to be performed by time of day for schedule control. However, the burden on an operator to perform this group setting process was very large.

[0039] In contrast, in the lighting system 1, the information generated by the group setting process is created in advance and stored in the cloud 3 before the lighting fixtures 4 are installed, and is downloaded to and held on the smartphone 6 at the time of installation.

[0040] As a result, when the fixture association process is completed, data equivalent to that for which group setting process has already been performed is stored in the smartphone 6. This eliminates the need for the worker to perform group setting process that was previously performed by the worker when installing the lighting fixtures 4, significantly reducing the burden on the worker.

[0041] <1.2.2. Lighting diagram 100> 3 shows a lighting arrangement diagram 100 for a part of a house designed by an architectural firm. The lighting arrangement diagram 100 shows which lighting fixtures are to be arranged at which positions in the house.

[0042] <Room, Group> In the lighting distribution diagram 100, names enclosed in gray rectangles (such as "kitchen" and "pantry") indicate rooms or groups. A group is a collection of lighting fixtures 4 that are controlled in the same way. A room is a collection of one or more groups and / or lighting fixtures 4 that do not belong to any group. Here, rooms include "living room," "kitchen," "pantry," "washroom," "toilet," "children's room," "bedroom," and "corridor." Also, groups include "dining room," "sofa," and "indirect," all of which belong to the room "living room." Here, the groups and rooms are, by way of example, the dining room and living room, respectively, and also represent the range and position in which the lighting fixtures 4 are arranged.

[0043] <symbol> Each of the symbols 101 to 120 represents a lighting fixture. As for the shapes of the symbols 101 to 120, for example, a circle represents a downlight, a square represents a square lighting fixture, and a rectangle represents a long and narrow base light, and so on, but it is not necessary to draw the shapes of the symbols 101 to 120 with distinction.

[0044] The lighting distribution diagram 100 is used by the worker when the fixture association process is executed, and therefore, it is assumed that the worker has obtained the lighting distribution diagram 100 before the fixture association process is executed.

[0045] <1.2.3. Group control, scene control and schedule control> Here, group control, scene control, and schedule control (hereinafter collectively referred to as “group control, etc.”) for collectively controlling a plurality of lighting fixtures 4 in lighting system 1 will be described.

[0046] Group control is collective control of a group, which is a collection of lighting fixtures 4. With group control, the same control is performed on lighting fixtures 4 that belong to the same group. For example, group control may be used to control the dimming rates of lighting fixtures 4 that belong to the same group to be the same, or to control lighting fixtures 4 that belong to the same group to be turned off all at once.

[0047] Scene control is a control performed for each room, which is a collection of groups. In scene control, group control is performed for each of one or more groups belonging to a room. For example, scene control causes all lighting fixtures belonging to a first group to have their dimming rate set to 50%, and all lighting fixtures belonging to a second group to have their dimming rate set to 70%.

[0048] Note that a room may have only one group, in which case scene control is no different from group control. The term "room" does not mean anything other than a collection of multiple groups, and is not intended to be limited to control literally based on a "room" unit.

[0049] Also, if there is no group belonging to a room, the lighting devices 4 belonging to the room will be controlled collectively as a unit, so a room is essentially the same as a group. That is, scene control in this case can be said to be group control in a broad sense.

[0050] Schedule control is control that changes the operation of lighting fixtures, group controls and / or room controls over time.

[0051] For example, in a room including first and second groups, at 10:00, the dimming rate of the lighting fixtures 4 belonging to the first group is controlled to 50%, and the dimming rate of the lighting fixtures 4 belonging to the second group is controlled to 70%. Then, at 13:00, the dimming rate of the lighting fixtures 4 belonging to the first group is controlled to 60%, and the dimming rate of the lighting fixtures 4 belonging to the second group is controlled to 77%.

[0052] <1.2.4. Data creation process> The following describes the settings related to the lighting fixtures and the data for controlling the lighting fixtures (hereinafter collectively referred to as "fixture information") that are created in advance by the data creation device 2 described above prior to the installation of the lighting fixtures 4.

[0053] <1.2.4.1. Data defining room and group configuration> <Room configuration data 400> The room configuration data 400, which is an example of the tool information, is data describing information related to the room, and is, for example, in a table format.

[0054] FIG. 4 shows the configuration of room configuration data 400 and group configuration data 500 created using the data creation software 26.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, each row of the room configuration data 400 is a room configuration data entry corresponding to one room, and each room configuration data entry includes a room ID, a room name, a fade time, a room symbol, and the number of devices.

[0056] The room name indicates the name of the room. The room ID is identification information for identifying the room. The fade time is expressed in seconds and indicates the time until the lighting state is changed to the next state when schedule control is performed.

[0057] The room symbol is a letter or symbol that makes it easy for the user to understand the room and to recognize its contents. For example, in the case of room configuration data entry 420, the room symbol is "L", which represents a living room and is the initial letter of the English word for living room.

[0058] Furthermore, the room symbol need only be expressed in a way that makes it easy for people to recognize its contents; for example, it may be the first two letters of the content when written in English, or the initial letter when written in Japanese (for example, "ri") or the first two letters "ribi."

[0059] The number is the total number of devices to be controlled, such as lighting fixtures and sensors, contained in the room.

[0060] As an example, in the case of the room configuration data entry 420 shown in FIG. 4, the room name is "Living Room", the room ID is 1, the fade time is 5, the room symbol is L, and the number of devices is 7.

[0061] In the case of room configuration data entry 430, the room name is "Kitchen", the room ID is 2, the fade time is 3, the room symbol is K, and the number of machines is 7.

[0062] The room name and room symbol are attributes of each lighting fixture and indicate the room to which the lighting fixture belongs.

[0063] <Group composition data 500> The group configuration data 500, which is an example of tool information, is data that describes information related to groups, and is in a table format, for example.

[0064] 4, each row of the group configuration data 500 is a group configuration data entry representing a group, and includes the room name of the room to which the group represented by the group configuration data entry belongs. The group configuration data entry includes a group ID, a group name, a group symbol, and the number of vehicles.

[0065] The group name is the name of the group indicated by the group configuration data. The group ID is identification information for identifying the group. The fade time is in seconds, and is the time until the lighting state is changed to the next state when schedule control is performed.

[0066] The group symbol is a letter, symbol, etc. that makes it easy for the user to grasp the group and to understand its contents. For example, in the case of group configuration data entry 520, the group symbol is "D" which represents the location of dining, and is the initial letter of dining in English.

[0067] In addition, the group symbol need only be expressed in a way that makes it easy for people to recognize its content; for example, it may be the first two letters of dining when written in English, or the initial letter "da" or the first two letters "dai" when written in Japanese, or it may also represent the location where the lighting fixture is placed, the role or use of the lighting fixture, such as a welcoming light or footlight.

[0068] The number of devices is the total number of devices to be controlled, such as lighting devices and sensors, included in the group.

[0069] As an example, in the case of group configuration data entry 520 shown in FIG. 4, the group name is "dining", the group ID is 1, the group symbol is D, and the number of vehicles is 2.

[0070] In the case of group configuration data entry 530, the group name of the group is "sofa", the group ID is 2, the group symbol is S, and the number of units is 2.

[0071] The group name and group symbol are attributes of each lighting fixture and indicate the group to which the lighting fixture belongs.

[0072] <Instrument name data 600> The data generating device 2 generates the belonging fixture name data 600 by referring to the room configuration data 400 and the group configuration data 500. The belonging fixture name data 600, which is an example of fixture information, is a list of belonging fixture name data entries, each line of which indicates the correspondence between a room name, a group name, and the fixture name of the lighting fixture 4.

[0073] The fixture names included in the belonging fixture name data 600 are associated with the fixture identification information in a fixture association process described later. The fixture names include characters that indicate attributes related to the lighting fixtures, such as the room or group to which each lighting fixture belongs.

[0074] The belonging tool name data is automatically generated by the data generating device 2 in the following procedure, for example.

[0075] (1) The data generating device 2 refers to each room configuration data entry in the room configuration data 400, and generates the same number of belonging instrument name data entries as the number of instruments included in each room configuration data entry. Then, the room name of the referenced room configuration data entry is written in the room name of all the generated belonging instrument name data entries.

[0076] For example, when the data generating device 2 refers to the room configuration data entry 420, it generates seven belonging tool name data entries indicated by the number of tools, and enters "living room", which is the room name of the referred room configuration data entry 420, in the room names of all of the generated seven belonging tool name data entries. The same process is performed for room configuration data entries other than the room configuration data entry 420.

[0077] (2) Next, for each group configuration data, the system refers to the included room name that matches the room name of the belonging tool name data entry.Then, the system writes the group name of the referenced group configuration data in the group name of the belonging tool name data entry with the matching room name for the number of devices written in each group configuration data entry of the referenced group configuration data.

[0078] For example, when referring to the group configuration data entry 520, the room name is "Living Room", which matches the room name of the belonging appliance name data entries (610, 620, etc.) generated in (1). Then, since the group name is "Dining Room" and the number of appliances is "2", "Dining Room" is entered as the group name in two of the belonging appliance name data entries with the room name "Living Room" (as an example, the belonging appliance name data entries 610, 620).

[0079] For group configuration data 500, the same process is performed for group configuration data entries other than group configuration data entry 520.

[0080] Also, when group configuration data other than the group configuration data 500 exists, the same processing as for the group configuration data 500 is performed.

[0081] Through the above process, the room name is associated with the group name in the belonging tool name data 600.

[0082] (3) Next, enter the name of the instrument in the instrument name column of each affiliated instrument name data entry.

[0083] The fixture name is expressed in the format of "room symbol_group symbol_serial number".

[0084] The room symbol in the fixture name is a room symbol corresponding to the room name in the fixture name data entry. The correspondence between the room name and the room symbol is described in the room configuration data (400, etc.), and can be recognized by referring to this.

[0085] For example, in the case of the belonging fixture name data entry 610, since the room name is “Living Room”, the room symbol written in the fixture name is “L” which is associated with the room name “Living Room” in the room configuration data 400.

[0086] In addition, the group symbol in the instrument name is the group symbol corresponding to the group name in the belonging instrument name data entry. The correspondence between the group name and the group symbol is described in the group configuration data (500, etc.), and can be understood by referring to this.

[0087] For example, in the case of the belonging tool name data entry 610, since the group name is "dining", the group symbol written in the tool name is "D" which is associated with the group name "dining".

[0088] The serial numbers written in the names of the instruments are assigned in order using natural numbers, for example, 1, 2, ...

[0089] For the belonging tool name data entry to which a group name is assigned, the serial number will be from "1" to "the number of tools in the group configuration data 500" for those belonging to the same group.

[0090] For example, when belonging to the "dining" group, the "quantity" for the group name "dining" in the group configuration data 500 is 2, so the serial numbers of the fixture names are assigned 1 to 2. Specifically, when the room name is "living room" and the group name is "dining", the fixture names are "L_D_1" and "L_D_2", as shown in the belonging fixture name data entries 610 and 620 in FIG.

[0091] Through the above process, the data generating device 2 generates the belonging tool name data 600 as shown in FIG. 5 as an example.

[0092] (4) The data generating device 2 transmits the room configuration data 400, the group configuration data 500, and the generated belonging instrument name data 600 to the cloud 3 and stores them. The smartphone 6 appropriately acquires the room configuration data 400, the group configuration data 500, and the belonging instrument name data 600 from the cloud 3.

[0093] Here, since the fixture name includes a room symbol and a group symbol, a user can easily understand the room and group to which the lighting fixture belongs by looking at the fixture name.

[0094] <1.2.4.2. Data for schedule control> As data for schedule control, a data creator creates schedule data 1000, time table data 800, and scene data 900 using a data creation device 2. The created schedule data 1000, time table data 800, and scene data 900 are transmitted to the cloud 3 and stored in the cloud 3.

[0095] The schedule data 1000, the timetable data 800, and the scene data 900 stored in the cloud 3 are downloaded by the smartphone 6 as needed.

[0096] In addition, the download authority for each piece of data stored in cloud 3 will be appropriately granted and managed by the data administrator, such as the data creator, and security will be ensured.

[0097] <Schedule Data 1000> The schedule data 1000, which is an example of the tool information, indicates a timetable for each room on each day of the week.

[0098] As shown in Fig. 9, schedule data 1000 includes a schedule for each room (hereinafter referred to as a "room schedule"). Each room schedule is shown in a table format where each row is a schedule data entry indicating the correspondence between a day of the week and the name of a timetable that will be executed on that day. The contents of this timetable with a timetable name are specified by timetable data 800.

[0099] For example, room schedule 1010 specifies the room "Living Room," with schedule data entry 1011 indicating that the "Weekday" timetable is to be executed on Mondays, and schedule data entry 1012 indicating that the "Weekday" timetable is to be executed on Tuesdays.

[0100] Other schedule data entries in the room schedule 1010 indicate that the "weekday" timetable is executed for each of "Wednesday" through "Friday," and the "holiday" timetable is executed for "Saturday" and "Sunday."

[0101] In the example of the schedule data 1000, a schedule is written only for the room "living room", but if necessary, the schedule for rooms "kitchen", "pantry", etc. may be written in the same manner as for the room "living room".

[0102] Although the schedule data 1000 is a table in which days of the week correspond to timetable names, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, days of the week may correspond to timetable IDs.

[0103] Furthermore, the schedule need not necessarily be determined on a daily basis, but the timetable may be changed on a regular basis, such as weekly or monthly.

[0104] <Timetable Data 800> 8(b), timetable data 800, which is an example of device information, specifies a timetable, and the timetable is shown in a table format in which each row is a timetable data entry indicating the correspondence between each time of day and the scene name of the scene to be executed at that time. The contents of the scenes with the scene names are specified by scene data 900.

[0105] For example, in the case of timetable data 800, for a "weekday" timetable 810 having a timetable ID of 1, as shown in timetable data entry 811, the scene "morning" is executed at 6:00, as shown in timetable data entry 812, the scene "afternoon" is executed at 9:00, the scene "evening" is executed at 17:00, the scene "night" is executed at 20:00, and the scene "midnight" is executed at 23:00.

[0106] In addition, for the "Holiday" timetable 820, which has a timetable ID of 2, it indicates that the scene "Morning" is executed at 7:00, the scene "Afternoon" is executed at 9:00, the scene "Evening" is executed at 17:00, the scene "Night" is executed at 20:00, and the scene "Midnight" is executed at 23:00.

[0107] <Scene Data 900> Scene data 900, which is an example of fixture information, defines a scene table (910, 920, etc.) representing scenes, as shown in FIG. 8(a). The scene table is shown in a tabular format, with each row being a scene data entry (911, 912, etc.) indicating the correspondence between a group ID, a dimming rate, and a color adjustment value.

[0108] For example, in the case of scene data 900, for a "morning" scene table 910 with a scene ID of 1, as shown in scene data entry 911, the dimming rate of the lighting fixtures 4 in the group with a group ID of "1" is controlled to be 50% and the color adjustment value to be 6000K, as shown in scene data entry 912, the dimming rate of the lighting fixtures 4 in the group with a group ID of "2" is controlled to be 40% and the color adjustment value to be 6000K, and the group with a group ID of "3" is controlled to be 30% and the color adjustment value to be 6000K.

[0109] In addition, for the "day" scene table 920 with a scene ID of "2", the lighting fixtures 4 in the group with a group ID of "1" are controlled to have a dimming rate of 50% and a color adjustment value of 9000K, the lighting fixtures 4 in the group with a group ID of "2" are controlled to have a dimming rate of 40% and a color adjustment value of 9000K, and the lighting fixtures 4 in the group with a group ID of "3" are controlled to have a dimming rate of 30% and a color adjustment value of 9000K.

[0110] <Schedule control process> As described above, the smartphone 6 can grasp what dimming ratio and color adjustment value should be set for which group at what time by mutually referring to the schedule data 1000, the timetable data 800, and the scene data 900. Also, which lighting fixtures 4 belong to which group can be grasped by referring to the belonging fixture name data 600. Thus, the smartphone 6 can control the schedule by mutually referring to the schedule data 1000, the timetable data 800, the scene data 900, and the belonging fixture name data 600.

[0111] As described above, since the lighting fixtures to be controlled are controlled by specifying the fixture identification information, not the fixture name, it is necessary to associate the fixture name with the fixture identification information. The fixture association process for performing this association will be described below.

[0112] <1.2.5. Instrument Correspondence Processing> The following describes the fixture association process that the worker executes after installing the lighting fixtures 4 in the house. The operation of the smartphone 6 by the worker is referred to as a "user operation." In the fixture association process, the worker uses the smartphone 6 to identify which fixture identification information the lighting fixtures 4 placed at each installation position have. As a specific example, in this process, the above-mentioned "fixture name" is associated with "fixture identification information."

[0113] (1) Specifically, first, a device search is performed. The worker displays a device search GUI 1100 as shown in Fig. 6(a) on the smartphone 6, and touches a search button 1110. This triggers the smartphone 6 to acquire fixture identification information from each of the lighting fixtures 4 that can communicate with the smartphone 6.

[0114] (2) Then, the smartphone 6 displays the association GUI 1200 shown in FIG. 6(b) as an example of the search result on the touch panel 65.

[0115] The GUI 1200 includes association panels 1210, 1220, 1230, etc. corresponding to each piece of acquired device identification information. Each association panel corresponds to a piece of device identification information, i.e., one of the lighting devices 4. There are as many association panels as there are pieces of acquired device identification information, but since the display area of ​​the touch panel 65 is limited, it is possible to display some of the association panels at once and display the remaining association panels when a scroll operation or the like is performed.

[0116] In the following, the association panels will be described taking the association panel 1210 as an example, but the association panels 1220, 1230 and other association panels have the same functions and configurations.

[0117] The association panel 1210 includes a temporary identifier 1211 and a check box 1212 .

[0118] The temporary identification name 1211 is a name given by the smartphone 6 to uniquely identify the lighting fixture 4 in the GUI 1200. The lighting fixture 4 can be uniquely identified by its fixture identification information, but the fixture identification information is, for example, a MAC address, which is 48-bit information, and is a string of alphanumeric characters that is difficult for humans to recognize. Therefore, the association panel 1210 displays the temporary identification name 1211, which is easily recognizable by humans, instead of the fixture identification information.

[0119] The temporary identification name 1211 is "Lamp 1", which is a name that the smartphone 6 has determined to be used for the lighting fixture 4. As shown in Fig. 6(b) , the temporary identification name is expressed in the format of the characters "Lamp" + "serial number", such as the temporary identification name displayed on the association panel 1220 being "Lamp 2", and the temporary identification name displayed on the association panel 1230 being "Lamp 3", but the format is not limited to this and any name that is easily recognizable by humans and can be uniquely identified will suffice.

[0120] The smartphone 6 creates a correspondence table between the temporary identification name 1211 ··· and the acquired device identification information, and stores the correspondence table in the ROM 62.

[0121] The check box 1212 is used to identify a lighting fixture 4 that is to be the target of the fixture association process. Each time the operator touches the check box 1212, the check box 1212 switches between a selected state (a check mark is displayed in the check box 1212 as shown in FIG. 6(b)) and a non-selected state (no check mark is displayed in the check box 1212).

[0122] When the operator touches the import button 1250 while the check box 1212 is selected, the lighting fixture 4 corresponding to the association panel 1210 in which the check box 1212 is selected becomes a target of the fixture association process.

[0123] (3) When an area of ​​association panel 1210 other than the area displaying check box 1212 (hereinafter referred to as the “switch area”) is touched, smartphone 6 transmits a turn-on instruction to lighting device 4 corresponding to association panel 1210. Lighting device 4 that has received the turn-on instruction turns on light source unit 40.

[0124] This allows the worker to know where in the house the lighting fixture 4 corresponding to the correspondence panel 1210 is located, and which of the symbols 101 to 120 shown on the lighting distribution diagram 100 corresponds to which lighting fixture 4 is lit.

[0125] This allows the worker to determine whether or not to subject this lit lighting fixture 4 to association processing.

[0126] For example, if the worker is considering performing matching processing on lighting fixture 4 in the room "living room," and lighting fixture 4 is turned on by touching matching panel 1210 and is actually located in the room "living room," then the worker will determine that this lighting fixture 4 should be the subject of matching processing.

[0127] When the operator decides to perform fixture association processing for a lit lighting fixture 4, the operator selects a check box 1212 in the association panel 1210.

[0128] If the worker touches a switch area on the association panel 1210 but cannot see a lit lighting fixture 4 from the worker's position, the worker can postpone the fixture association process for that lighting fixture 4 until a later time. In this case, the worker can deselect the check box 1212 on the association panel 1210. Even if the worker postpones the process, the worker can find the lighting fixture 4 that corresponds to the association panel 1210 by moving to another location and performing the fixture association process again.

[0129] (4) For corresponding panels other than the corresponding panel 1210, such as the corresponding panels 1220 and 1230, the same process as that described above in (3) is performed.

[0130] In this manner, the worker narrows down the lighting fixtures 4 to be subjected to the fixture association process, and touches the import button 1250.

[0131] Note that the association process can be simplified by selecting check boxes only for the association panels for the lighting fixtures 4 belonging to the same group in the lighting distribution diagram 100 and performing the association process for each group. This is because the lighting fixtures 4 in a group are controlled in the same way, so it does not matter whether each fixture name that should be associated with a lighting fixture 4 in the group is associated with any lighting fixture 4 in the group.

[0132] (5) Next, when the worker touches the Import button 1250, the smartphone 6 displays a correspondence GUI for performing a process of matching the lighting fixture 4 corresponding to the matching panel whose check box is selected with the fixture name, as an example, the GUI 1300 shown in FIG. 6(c).

[0133] The GUI 1300 displays a list of fixture names described in the belonging fixture name data 600 obtained from the cloud 3. As described above, the displayed fixture names are expressed in the format of “room symbol_group symbol_serial number”, so that the worker can know which room and which group the displayed fixture name should be associated with the lighting fixture 4.

[0134] The operator refers to the dividend diagram LD and selects the matching panel that is the subject of matching in (4), more specifically, the tool identification information corresponding to the matching panel, to which tool name to match, and touches the tool name displayed in GUI 1300.

[0135] For example, if the lighting fixture 4 selected by turning it on in steps (3) and (4) above is the lighting fixture 4 in the room "living room" and the group "dining room", which corresponds to symbol 102 in the lighting distribution diagram 100, the worker touches "L_D_1" among the fixture names displayed in GUI 1300. The worker can easily understand that the fixture name "L_D_1" corresponds to a lighting fixture that belongs to the room "living room" and the group "dining room", and therefore can easily make the association.

[0136] After this association process, when controlling the lighting fixture 4 located at the position of the symbol 102, the lighting fixture 4 can be identified by the fixture name "L_D_1."

[0137] In addition, the GUI 1300 has a function to sort the listed fixture names in ascending or descending order based on the room symbol or group symbol in the fixture name, and a function to search for and extract fixture names having a room symbol or group symbol specified by the operator.

[0138] Therefore, the display of tool names in GUI 1300 can be narrowed down to those that the operator is currently matching, for example, those with a specific group symbol, or the group symbols can be sorted in ascending or descending order.

[0139] In the GUI 1300, the names of instruments for which association has been completed may be removed from the list display. This allows only the names of instruments that require association to be displayed, which contributes to shortening the time required for association.

[0140] (6) Similarly, the worker performs similar association for the lighting fixtures 4 corresponding to the symbols 101-120 in the light distribution diagram 100. As a result of this association, for example, the symbols 101-120 are associated with the fixture names 201-220 as shown in Fig. 10. The lighting distribution diagram 200 in Fig. 10 is obtained by adding the fixture names of the lighting fixtures 4 corresponding to each symbol near each symbol in the lighting distribution diagram 100 in Fig. 3.

[0141] As an example of the data, association data 700 shown in FIG. 7 is created.

[0142] The correspondence data 700 indicates, in addition to the belonging tool name data 600, the correspondence between each tool name and tool identification information.

[0143] <1.2.6. Lighting fixture control> <Group Control> The smartphone 6 can recognize that items with the same group symbol are one group by referring to the group name column of the association data 700. Specifically, the smartphone 6 can recognize the fixture identification information of the lighting fixtures 4 that compose each of the groups "dining", "indirect", and "sofa". Specifically, the smartphone 6 recognizes that the group "dining" is composed of two lighting fixtures with fixture identification information of "LF1" and "LF3". Here, the fixture identification information is expressed as "LF1", "LF3", etc., but this is an expression for convenience of explanation, and the contents should be interpreted as appropriate, for example, if the fixture identification information is a MAC address, "LF1" is 48-bit information.

[0144] FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a GUI 2100 as an example of a GUI for group control displayed on the smartphone 6. As shown in FIG.

[0145] The smartphone 6 displays a GUI 2100 on the touch panel 65 .

[0146] The GUI 2100 includes group panels 2110, 2120,... each of which represents a group.

[0147] The group panel 2110 corresponds to the group “dining” and includes a group name display area 2111 , a dimming rate control bar 2112 , and a dimming rate operation area 2113 .

[0148] The group name display area 2111 displays the group name of the group corresponding to the group panel 2110 .

[0149] The dimming ratio control bar 2112 is used by the user to specify the dimming ratio.

[0150] The current dimming ratio is displayed in the dimming ratio operation area 2113. The dimming ratio can be changed by the user inputting a specified dimming ratio into the dimming ratio operation area 2113.

[0151] The current toning value is displayed in the toning value operation area 2114. The user can change the toning value by inputting a specified toning value into the toning value operation area 2114.

[0152] The group panels 2120... have the same functions as the group panel 2110.

[0153] When a dimming ratio is specified by the user for each group using the GUI 2100, the smartphone 6 instructs the lighting devices 4 included in that group to turn on the lighting devices 4 at the specified dimming ratio. The smartphone 6 transmits this instruction by specifying, for example, the device identification information as a destination address.

[0154] <Scene Control> The smartphone 6 performs scene control while referring to the scene data 900, the group configuration data 500, and the association data 700.

[0155] FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a GUI 2200 as an example of a GUI for scene control displayed by the smartphone 6.

[0156] The smartphone 6 displays a GUI 2200 on the touch panel 65. The GUI 2200 is an example of a GUI for performing scene control for the room "living room."

[0157] The GUI 2200 includes scene panels 2210, 2220,... which correspond to scenes.

[0158] The scene panel 2210 corresponds to one scene, "morning." When the scene panel 2210 is touched by the user, the smartphone 6 performs a process for realizing the scene, "morning."

[0159] Specifically, the smartphone 6 refers to the scene "morning" column of the scene data 900 related to the room "living room". The smartphone 6 then refers to the group configuration data 500 and the association data 700, and controls the lighting fixtures 4 included in the group "dining room" having a group ID of "1" to have a dimming rate of 50% and a color adjustment value of 6000K, the lighting fixtures 4 included in the group "sofa" having a group ID of "2" to have a dimming rate of 40% and a color adjustment value of 6000K, and the lighting fixtures 4 included in the group "indirect" having a group ID of "3" to have a dimming rate of 30% and a color adjustment value of 6000K.

[0160] The lighting fixtures 4 included in the group "dining" have the fixture identification information "LF1" and "LF3", the lighting fixtures 4 included in the group "indirect" have the fixture identification information "LF2" and "LF5", and the lighting fixtures 4 included in the group "sofa" have the fixture identification information "LF10" and "LF4".

[0161] <Schedule control> FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a GUI 2300 as an example of a GUI for schedule control.

[0162] The smartphone 6 displays the GUI 2300 on the touch panel 65 .

[0163] The GUI 2300 includes schedule panels 2310, 2320,... each of which corresponds to one schedule.

[0164] The schedule panel 2310 corresponds to the schedule 1. When the schedule panel 2310 is touched by the user, the smartphone 6 refers to the schedule data 1000, the time table data 800, the scene data 900, and the like, and performs processing to realize the schedule 1.

[0165] <2. Second embodiment> In the above embodiment, the data creator uses the data creation device 2 to operate the data creation software 26 to create the tabular room configuration data 400 and group configuration data 500. The data creation device 2 then refers to the room configuration data 400 and the group configuration data 500 to generate, as an example, the belonging tool name data 600 shown in Fig. 5.

[0166] However, the belonging fixture name data 600 may be generated from a lighting arrangement diagram (for example, the lighting arrangement diagram 100) instead of table-format data.

[0167] Specifically, for example, the data creator uses the data creation device 2 to create a lighting distribution diagram 100 shown in Fig. 3. The lighting distribution diagram 100 shows rooms, groups, and lighting fixtures 4 (represented by symbols 101 to 120, respectively). It also shows which groups belong to each zone, and the number of lighting fixtures 4 belonging to each group. The room name of each room and the group name of each group are also shown.

[0168] The data generating device 2 refers to the light distribution diagram 100, and first generates the same number of belonging fixture name data entries as the number of lighting fixtures (the number of symbols) shown in the light distribution diagram 100.

[0169] The room name of the room to which each lighting fixture belongs is described in the room name of each belonging fixture name data entry. The group name of the group to which each lighting fixture belongs is described in the group name of each belonging fixture name data entry.

[0170] The data generating device 2 then refers to the room name and group name of each belonging instrument name data entry to generate an instrument name. Here, the data generating device 2 prestores a conversion table showing the correspondence between room names and room symbols, and a conversion table showing the correspondence between group names and group symbols. Then, for each belonging instrument name data entry, the conversion table is referred to, the written room name is converted to a room symbol, the group name is converted to a group symbol, and an instrument name in the format of "room symbol_group symbol_sequential number" is generated.

[0171] In this way, the data generating device 2 generates the belonging tool name data 600 shown in FIG.

[0172] <3. Third embodiment> In the first embodiment, the position of each lighting fixture 4 is identified and the fixture identification information is associated with the fixture name so that each lighting fixture 4 can be controlled individually. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and lighting fixtures 4 may be controlled on a room basis or a group basis instead of being controlled individually.

[0173] In this case, there is no need for the user to identify each of the lighting fixtures 4 individually, and it is sufficient for each of the lighting fixtures 4 to be associated with a room or a group.

[0174] The following describes an example of the process of associating each of the lighting fixtures 4 with the room "kitchen," but similar processes can be used to associate lighting fixtures 4 with other rooms and groups.

[0175] <Room Settings GUI4100> FIG. 15(a) is a diagram showing, as an example, a room setting GUI 4100 displayed by the smartphone 6 when an instrument association process is instructed by a user operation.

[0176] The room setting GUI 4100 includes room setting panels 4121 to 4125, scroll buttons 4141 and 4142, and a back button 4151, as shown in FIG.

[0177] Each of the room setting panels 4121 to 4125 corresponds to one of the rooms shown in the room configuration data 400.

[0178] The room setting panel 4121 corresponds to the room "living room." When the operator touches the room setting panel 4121, a room individual setting GUI for performing fixture association processing for the room "living room" is displayed. The room setting panels 4122, 4123, 4124, and 4125 are panels having the same function as the room setting panel 4121, and correspond to the room "kitchen," the room "pantry," the room "washroom," and the room "toilet," respectively.

[0179] Here, the rooms indicated in the room configuration data 400 include a room "children's room", a room "bedroom", and a room "corridor" in addition to the above, and room setting panels corresponding to these are also generated. However, since the display area of ​​the touch panel 65 of the smartphone 6 is limited, the room setting panels corresponding to the room "children's room", the room "bedroom", and the room "corridor" are not displayed in the example shown in Fig. 15(a).

[0180] Scroll buttons 4141 and 4142 can be used to display room setting panels that are not currently displayed.

[0181] Scroll button 4141 is a button for scrolling the display upwards, and scroll button 4142 is a button for scrolling the display downwards.

[0182] When the worker touches scroll button 4141, the display scrolls up, the room setting panel that was displayed at the top before the scrolling disappears, and a room setting panel that was not displayed before the scrolling appears at the bottom. When the worker touches scroll button 4142, the display scrolls down, the room setting panel that was displayed at the bottom before the scrolling disappears, and a room setting panel that was not displayed before the scrolling appears at the top.

[0183] Here, the room "living room" includes the groups "dining room", "sofa" and "indirect" as shown in the group configuration data 500. An expand button (4171) is attached to the room setting panel for the room including the groups.

[0184] When the worker touches the expand button 4171, as shown in Fig. 15(b), group setting panels 4221 to 4223 corresponding to the groups included in the room "living room" are displayed using a tree structure display 4175. In this state, when the user touches the tree structure display 4175, the display returns to that shown in Fig. 15(a).

[0185] Each of the group setting panels 4221 to 4223 corresponds to one of the groups shown in the room configuration data 400. More specifically, the group setting panels 4221, 4222, and 4223 correspond to the group "dining", the group "indirect", and the group "sofa", respectively.

[0186] It should be noted that, although the group setting panels 4221, 4222, and 4223 are displayed by touching the expand button, this is not limiting, and it is sufficient if the group setting panels 4221, 4222, and 4223 can be displayed. For example, the group setting panels 4221, 4222, and 4223 may be displayed separately from the display of the room setting panels.

[0187] <Room Individual Settings GUI4111> FIG. 16(a) is a diagram showing a room individual setting GUI 4111 that is displayed when the worker touches the room setting panel 4122 corresponding to the room "Kitchen" while the room setting GUI 4100 is being displayed.

[0188] The room individual setting GUI 4111 is a GUI for specifying the lighting fixtures 4 to be included in the room "kitchen."

[0189] 16(a), the room individual setting GUI 4111 includes a search button 4411. When the worker touches the search button 4411, this triggers the smartphone 6 to acquire fixture identification information from each of the lighting fixtures 4 that can communicate with the smartphone 6.

[0190] Then, the smartphone 6 displays, on the touch panel 65, the association GUI 4112 shown in FIG.

[0191] The GUI 4112 includes association panels 4510, 4520, 4530, etc. corresponding to each piece of acquired device identification information. Each association panel corresponds to a piece of device identification information, i.e., one of the lighting devices 4. There are as many association panels as there are pieces of acquired device identification information, but since the display area of ​​the touch panel 65 is limited, it is possible to display some of the association panels at once and display the remaining association panels when a scroll operation or the like is performed.

[0192] Below, the association panels will be described taking association panel 4510 as an example, but association panels 4520, 4530 and other association panels have the same functions and configurations.

[0193] The association panel 4510 has the same function as the association panel 1210, and includes a temporary identification name 4511 and a check box 4512. The temporary identification name 4511 is the same as the temporary identification name 1211 described above. The smartphone 6 creates a correspondence table between the temporary identification names 4511... and the acquired instrument identification information, and stores the correspondence table in the ROM 62.

[0194] The check box 4512 is the same as the above-mentioned check box 4512. When the operator touches the import button 4550 while the check box 4512 is selected, the lighting fixture 4 corresponding to the association panel 4510 in which the check box 4512 is selected becomes a target for the fixture association process.

[0195] When the worker touches an area of ​​the association panel 4510 other than the area displaying the check box 4512, the smartphone 6 transmits a turn-on instruction to the lighting device 4 corresponding to the association panel 4510. The lighting device 4 that has received the turn-on instruction turns on its light source unit 40.

[0196] This allows the worker to understand where in the house the lighting fixture 4 corresponding to the correspondence panel 4510 is located, which room or group it should belong to, and which of the symbols 101 to 120 shown on the lighting distribution diagram 100 corresponds to which lighting fixture 4 is lit.

[0197] This allows the worker to determine whether or not to subject this lit lighting fixture 4 to association processing.

[0198] For example, if the worker is considering performing matching processing on lighting fixture 4 in the room "kitchen," and lighting fixture 4 is turned on by touching matching panel 4510 and is actually located in the room "kitchen," then the worker will determine that this lighting fixture 4 should be the subject of matching processing.

[0199] When the worker decides to perform fixture association processing for a lit lighting fixture 4, the worker selects a check box 4512 in the association panel 4510.

[0200] The same processing as that performed on the corresponding panel 4510 is also performed on corresponding panels other than the corresponding panel 4510, such as the corresponding panels 4520 and 4530.

[0201] In this manner, the worker specifies the lighting fixture 4 that is to be the target of the fixture association process, and touches the import button 4550.

[0202] When the worker touches the import button 4550, the smartphone 6 stores the lighting fixture 4 corresponding to the matching panel whose check box is selected, more specifically, the fixture identification information of the lighting fixture 4, in association with the room “Kitchen.”

[0203] Then, as shown in FIG. 16(c), an association GUI 4113 is displayed on the touch panel 65, displaying a message indicating that the appliance association process has ended, and the operator is notified that the appliance association process has ended.

[0204] According to the above process, it is possible to associate each lighting fixture 4 with a room without the need for the process of matching the fixture identification information of each lighting fixture 4 with a fixture name, as was done in the first embodiment. Therefore, when individual control of the lighting fixtures 4 is not required, the effort required by the operator to set up can be reduced.

[0205] Similarly to the case of rooms, the appliance association process can be performed for groups as well. Each of the group setting panels 4221 to 4223 shown in Fig. 15(b) corresponds to one of the groups shown in the room configuration data 400. More specifically, the group setting panels 4221, 4222, and 4223 correspond to the group "dining", the group "indirect", and the group "sofa", respectively.

[0206] By touching each of the group setting panels 4221-4223, the lighting fixtures 4 selected by the operator can be associated with a group using the same process and the same GUI as that performed using the above-mentioned room individual setting GUI 4111, association GUI 4112, and association GUI 4113. Then, the lighting fixtures 4 can be controlled on a group-by-group basis.

[0207] <4. Modifications> Although the embodiment of the lighting system according to the present invention has been described above, the description of the above embodiment should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above embodiment. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. The exemplified lighting system can also be modified as follows, and it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the lighting fixture as shown in the above embodiment.

[0208] (1) In the above embodiment, in lighting system 1, multiple lighting fixtures are directly controlled by smartphone 6. However, this is not limited to the above, and some of the functions of smartphone 6 for controlling lighting fixtures 4 may be executable by gateway 5.

[0209] In this way, even if the smartphone 6 is taken away and is not within the communication range of the lighting fixture 4, and therefore cannot directly send a control signal to the lighting fixture 4, the gateway 5 can store a dimming and color adjustment change schedule and send control signals for dimming and adjusting the color to each lighting fixture 4 in accordance with the schedule, thereby dimming and adjusting the color of the lighting fixture 4.

[0210] The gateway 5 may have an exemplary configuration as shown in Fig. 14. The gateway 5 includes a wireless communication unit 51, a wired communication unit 52, a control unit 53, a ROM 54, and a RAM 55.

[0211] The wireless communication unit 51 has a function of performing wireless communication, and holds a MAC address as an example of identification information. The MAC address is used as an address for wireless communication. When the wireless communication unit 51 receives communication data, if the communication data is addressed to the wireless communication unit 51, the wireless communication unit 51 notifies the control unit 53, and if the communication data is addressed to another device, the wireless communication unit 51 transfers the communication data to the other device via the mesh network.

[0212] The wired communication unit 52 has a function of performing data communication via a wired network cable. An example of a wired network is a wired LAN (Local Area Network). For example, when a plurality of gateways 5 operate in cooperation with each other, the plurality of gateways 5 are connected to each other by wires. The wired communication unit 52 exchanges necessary information with other gateways 5 by using wired communication. When wired communication is not performed, the wired communication unit 52 can be omitted.

[0213] The ROM 54 is a non-volatile memory that stores a lighting control program for operating the control unit 53. The RAM 55 is a storage device into which the lighting control program stored in the ROM 54 is loaded.

[0214] The control unit 53 has a function of controlling the operation of the gateway 5. The control unit 53 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Each function of the gateway 5 is realized by the control unit 53 executing a lighting control program loaded from the ROM 54 and stored in the RAM 55.

[0215] (2) In the above embodiment, in the lighting system 1, the smartphone 6 downloads the data created in the data creation device 2 via the cloud 3, but this is not limiting and it is sufficient that the data created in the data creation device 2 can be stored in the smartphone 6, and for example, the smartphone 6 may acquire the data from the data creation device 2 via a communication line such as a network. Furthermore, the data created in the data creation device 2 may be recorded on a recording medium such as a memory card, which is an example of a storage means, and the smartphone 6 may acquire the data by reading the recording medium.

[0216] (3) In the above embodiment, the data creator uses the data creation device 2 to create the room configuration data 400 and the group configuration data 500, and the data creation device 2 uses the room configuration data 400 and the group configuration data 500 to create the associated instrument name data 600. However, this is not limited to the above and it is sufficient if the instrument name can be generated. For example, the data creator may input the instrument name using the data creation device 2.

[0217] (4) In the above embodiment, the data created by the data creation device 2 has been described as room configuration data 400, group configuration data 500, associated fixture name data 600, schedule data 1000, timetable data 800, and scene data 900 as examples. However, the data is not limited to these and any data that can be used to control the lighting fixtures 4 by the smartphone 6 and that can be created prior to installation settings will suffice.

[0218] Furthermore, the contents of the data are not limited to those described above, and tables and information tables necessary for controlling the lighting fixtures 4 may be added, and unnecessary information may be deleted, as appropriate.

[0219] (5) In the above-described embodiment, an LED is used as the light source, but the light source is not limited to this and may be another light source, such as an organic electroluminescence (EL) or organic LED (organic electroluminescence or organic light emitting diode), a field emission display, etc.

[0220] (6) In the above embodiment, the data creation device 2 is a computer system, but examples thereof include a personal computer, a workstation, a tablet terminal, and a smartphone. In addition, the smartphone 6 is given as an example of a lighting control device, but other examples include a portable terminal such as a remote control device or a tablet terminal.

[0221] (7) In the above embodiment, the data created by the data creator using the data creation device 2 is in list format, but this is not limited to the above. Any data format that is easy for humans to input and recognize may be used, for example, CSV (Comma Separated Value) or SSV (Space-Separated Value).

[0222] (8) The above-described embodiments and modifications may be partially combined.

[0223] <5. Extraction of invention> The configuration of a lighting fixture according to one embodiment of the present invention, as well as modifications and effects thereof, will be described below.

[0224] (1) A lighting system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting fixtures and a lighting control device that wirelessly controls the plurality of lighting fixtures, the lighting control device having a display unit, acquiring device information representing a group of the plurality of lighting fixtures that will perform the same control, which is information relating to each lighting fixture that has been created in advance and stored in a storage means, and in a setting for enabling control of each lighting fixture installed at an installation location, acquiring device identification information that identifies each of the plurality of lighting fixtures, and associating the device identification information selected from the acquired device identification information based on a user operation with the group.

[0225] According to the above-described configuration, the effort required for an operator to make group-related settings after installing a plurality of lighting fixtures in an installation location can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional art.

[0226] (2) In addition, in the setting, fixture identification information identifying each of the plurality of lighting fixtures may be obtained, the fixture information may be displayed on the display unit, and the fixture information may be associated with the fixture identification information based on a user operation performed with reference to the displayed fixture information.

[0227] According to the above-described configuration, the user can associate the appliance information with the appliance identification information while checking the group represented by the appliance information.

[0228] (3) Furthermore, the storage means may be a cloud system, and the lighting control device may acquire the device information by receiving the device information from the cloud system via a network.

[0229] According to this configuration, since device information can be created even at a location away from the installation location of the lighting device, it is no longer necessary to create the device information at the installation location of the lighting device, and the workload of workers at the installation location can be significantly reduced.

[0230] (4) The storage means may be a recording medium, the device information may be recorded on the recording medium, and the lighting control device may acquire the device information by reading the device information from the recording medium.

[0231] According to this configuration, fixture information can be created in advance at a location away from the installation location of the lighting fixture, and the fixture information can be transported using a recording medium and read out by the lighting control device. This eliminates the need to create the fixture information at the installation location of the lighting fixture, significantly reducing the workload of workers at the installation location.

[0232] (5) The tool information may be created using a data creation device, and the data creation device may cause the storage means to store the tool information.

[0233] According to this configuration, the fixture information can be created in advance using a data creation device, eliminating the need to create fixture information using a lighting control device at the installation site of the lighting fixture, significantly reducing the workload of workers at the installation site.

[0234] (6) The data creation device may accept input of attributes related to the plurality of lighting fixtures, generate a fixture name including characters representing the attributes, and store the fixture information including the fixture name in the storage means. The lighting control device may receive the fixture identification information from the lighting fixtures with which it can communicate, acquire the fixture information from the storage means, and display a graphical user interface for matching the fixture name included in the fixture information with the fixture identification information.

[0235] According to this configuration, the fixture name and fixture identification information can be associated with each other while referring to the attributes of the lighting fixture, thereby improving the work efficiency when an operator associates the fixture name with the fixture identification information.

[0236] (7) The graphical user interface may also display the instrument names sorted based on the characters.

[0237] According to the above-described configuration, the fixture names of lighting fixtures having the same attribute can be displayed together, thereby improving the work efficiency when an operator associates the fixture name with the fixture identification information.

[0238] (8) The fixture name may include, as the attribute, characters that indicate a group of the plurality of lighting fixtures that are to be controlled in the same manner.

[0239] According to the above-described configuration, the fixture names of lighting fixtures belonging to the same group can be displayed together, thereby improving work efficiency when an operator associates fixture names with fixture identification information.

[0240] (9) The group name may also reflect an arrangement position where each of the plurality of lighting fixtures is installed.

[0241] According to the above-described configuration, the location of a lighting fixture can be recognized from the fixture name, so that setting work can be performed for lighting fixtures that are located in close proximity, thereby improving work efficiency when an operator matches a fixture name with fixture identification information.

[0242] (10) The device information may include schedule data indicative of a schedule control for changing an operation of the lighting device over time.

[0243] According to the above-described configuration, the schedule data is created in advance, and the labor required for an operator to make settings related to groups after installing a plurality of lighting fixtures in their installation locations can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0244] 1. Lighting system 2 Data generation device 3. Cloud 4. Lighting equipment 5. Gateway 6. Smartphones 25 Display 26 Data Creation Software 40 Light source section 43 Circuit section 44 Work Management Department 44a Wireless Communication Section 44b Control section 51 Wireless Communication Department 52 Wired Communications Department 53 Control section 54 ROM 61 Control section 62 ROM 63 RAM 64 Wireless Communication Section 65 Touch Panel 102 Symbols 400 Room Configuration Data 420, 430 Room configuration data entry 500 Group configuration data 520, 530 Group configuration data entry 600 Equipment Name Data 610 Instrument Name Data Entry 610, 620 Equipment name data entry 700 Matching Data 800 Timetable Data 810, 820 Timetable 811, 812 Timetable data entry 900 Scene Data 910, 920 Scene Table 911, 912 Scene Data Entry 1000 Schedule Data 1010 Room Schedule 1011, 1012 Schedule data entry 1110 Search button 1210, 1220, 1230 Panels 1211 Temporary Identifier 1212 Checkbox 1220, 1230 Panel 1250 Import button 2110, 2120 Group Panel 2111 Group name display area 2112 Dimming rate control bar 2113 Dimming rate operation area 2114 Tone value operation area 2210, 2220 Scene Panel 2310, 2320 Schedule Panel 100, 200 Lighting layout

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting fixtures and a lighting control device that wirelessly controls the plurality of lighting fixtures, The lighting control device includes a display unit, acquiring device information including schedule data indicating operations of the plurality of lighting devices that change over time, the schedule data being created in advance in a device other than the lighting control device based on text input by a data creator; Acquiring fixture identification information for identifying each of the plurality of lighting fixtures installed at an installation location, and using the lighting control device, schedule control of the lighting fixtures associated with the fixture identification information. Lighting system.

2. The device information includes scene data for performing scene control to control lighting devices in a room, which is a group of a plurality of lighting devices that are to be controlled in the same manner, and which is created in advance in a device other than the lighting control device based on text input by a data creator.

2. The lighting system of claim 1.

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