Lighting control system and sensor

Abstract

To provide a lighting control system and sensor capable of reducing the communication load of a wireless mesh network when there are many sensors for lighting fixtures to be controlled.SOLUTION: A disclosed lighting control system includes: multiple lighting fixtures: and multiple wireless devices having a sensor for lighting fixtures as control targets, the multiple wireless devices forming a wireless mesh network by being connected wirelessly. The sensor is configured to perform a series of processing of setting the TTL for the data to be transmitted and then transmitting the data, and a series of processing of reducing the TTL value by 1 each passage via a wireless connection, and when it reaches 0, data relay is stopped. The TTL set for sensor control data is a smaller value than the TTL set for standard data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lighting control system and a sensor.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a system for controlling lighting fixtures through a wireless mesh network.

[0003] The above system can have a sensor for controlling a lighting fixture. Since the sensor intermittently transmits the detected data, it tends to transmit more data compared to the lighting fixture.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above system, all lighting fixtures are connected to the wireless mesh network. Therefore, the transmitted data is sent not only to the lighting fixture that is the target of data transmission but also to all lighting fixtures. And as the number of sensors the system has increases, the data transmitted to the wireless mesh network increases. As described above, in the above system, there is a problem that the communication load in the wireless mesh network increases as the number of sensors belonging to the system increases.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a lighting control system and a sensor that can reduce the communication load of a wireless mesh network when the number of sensors for controlling lighting fixtures increases in order to solve the above problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The first aspect of the present disclosure provides a lighting control system including a lighting fixture and a plurality of wireless devices including a sensor for controlling the lighting fixture. The plurality of wireless devices are connected by a wireless connection to form a wireless mesh network. The sensor is configured to perform a process of setting a TTL for data to be transmitted and then transmitting the data, and a process of decreasing the value of the TTL by 1 each time passing through a wireless connection, and stopping relaying the data when the value becomes 0. The TTL set for the data for sensor control is preferably a value smaller than the TTL set for standard data.

[0008] The second aspect of the present disclosure provides a sensor that forms a wireless mesh network by being connected to a lighting fixture to be controlled by a wireless connection. The sensor is configured to perform a process of setting a TTL for data to be transmitted and then transmitting the data, and a process of decreasing the value of the TTL by 1 each time passing through a wireless connection, and stopping relaying the data when the value becomes 0. The TTL set for the data for sensor control is preferably a value smaller than the TTL set for standard data.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the first and second aspects of the present disclosure, when the number of sensors for controlling the lighting fixture increases, the communication load of the wireless mesh network can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] An illumination control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding components may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description may be omitted.

[0012] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an illumination control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The illumination control system 100 is a system in which a plurality of wireless devices are connected by a wireless connection 50 to form a wireless mesh network. The wireless devices include lighting fixtures, sensors, or setting devices.

[0013] The illumination control system 100 includes lighting fixtures 10a to 10f. The lighting fixtures 10a to 10f have, for example, LEDs and function as light sources. The lighting fixtures 10a to 10f also relay wireless signals received from other wireless devices.

[0014] The illumination control system 100 includes a human presence sensor 20. The human presence sensor 20 is a type of sensor that detects the presence or absence of a person (hereinafter referred to as the presence / absence of a person) in the installed area and transmits data including the detection result to the lighting fixtures 10a to 10f. The human presence sensor 20 also relays wireless signals received from other wireless devices.

[0015] The lighting control system 100 includes an illuminance sensor 30. The illuminance sensor 30 is a type of sensor that detects the brightness in the installed area and transmits data including the detection result to the lighting fixtures 10a to 10f. The illuminance sensor 30 also relays wireless signals received from other wireless devices.

[0016] Here, the human presence sensor 20 transmits data when the presence or absence of a person changes or periodically. Similarly, the illuminance sensor 30 transmits data when the brightness changes or periodically. As described above, since the sensors transmit data intermittently, they tend to transmit more data compared to the lighting fixtures.

[0017] The lighting control system 100 includes a setter 40. The operator connects the setter 40 to any one of the lighting fixtures 10a to 10e, the human presence sensor 20, and the illuminance sensor 30. Thereby, the operator can operate or set all the wireless devices belonging to the wireless mesh network via the setter 40. In FIG. 1, a mode in which the setter 40 is connected to the lighting fixture 10a is shown.

[0018] The lighting fixtures 10a to 10f, the human presence sensor 20, the illuminance sensor 30, and the setter 40 are connected by a wireless connection 50 to form a wireless mesh network. The wireless mesh network is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) mesh using 2.4 GHz wireless communication. In particular, a relay method called Managed Flooding used in Bluetooth mesh transmits data to the destination using a plurality of relay paths, so the reliability is high.

[0019] On the other hand, in Managed Flooding, data is also transmitted to terminals that are not necessary, so there is a problem that the communication load of the wireless mesh network increases. This problem becomes more prominent especially as the number of sensors belonging to the wireless mesh network increases. The present disclosure solves this problem.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lighting fixture according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. Here, the lighting fixture 10a will be described, but the lighting fixtures 10b to 10f also have the same configuration.

[0021] The lighting fixture 10a includes a wireless communication unit 12. The wireless communication unit 12 transmits and receives data via the wireless connection 50. The wireless communication unit 12 also relays wireless signals from the lighting fixtures 10b to 10f, the human presence sensor 20, the illuminance sensor 30, and the setting device 40.

[0022] For example, the wireless communication unit 12 receives data including a dimming instruction from the human presence sensor 20, the illuminance sensor 30, and the setting device 40, and transmits it to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 transmits a control signal for controlling the power supplied to the LED light source unit 14 to the LED control unit 13 according to the received dimming instruction. The LED control unit 13 controls the power supplied to the LED light source unit 14 according to the received control signal. The LED light source unit 14 emits light using the power supplied from the LED control unit 13. The light source is a light-emitting element such as an LED.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the human presence sensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The human presence sensor 20 includes a wireless communication unit 22. The wireless communication unit 22 transmits and receives data via the wireless connection 50. The wireless communication unit 22 also relays wireless signals from the lighting fixtures 10a to 10f, the illuminance sensor 30, and the setting device 40.

[0024] For example, the wireless communication unit 22 receives settings related to the control of the human presence sensor 20 from the setting device 40 and transmits them to the control unit 21. The control unit 21 changes the settings of the human presence sensor 20 based on the received settings.

[0025] The human presence sensor 20 also has a human presence sensor unit 23. The human presence sensor unit 23 detects the presence or absence of a person in the installed area and transmits data including the detection result to the control unit 21. The control unit 21 transmits information on the presence or absence of a person based on the detection result to the lighting fixture to be controlled via the wireless communication unit 22. Note that the control unit 21 may transmit data including a dimming instruction corresponding to the detection result to the lighting fixture to be controlled via the wireless communication unit 22.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a first hardware configuration of the human presence sensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The control unit 21 is a control circuit 21a, the wireless communication unit 22 is an antenna 22a, and the human presence sensor unit 23 is an infrared sensor 23a. The function of the control unit 21 in the human presence sensor 20 may be realized by a control circuit 21a which is dedicated hardware as shown in FIG. 4.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a second hardware configuration of the human presence sensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The function of the control unit 21 in the human presence sensor 20 may be realized by a CPU 25 that executes a program stored in a memory 24 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the illuminance sensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The illuminance sensor 30 has a wireless communication unit 32. The wireless communication unit 32 performs transmission and reception of data via a wireless connection 50. The wireless communication unit 32 also relays wireless signals from the lighting fixtures 10a to 10f, the human presence sensor 20, and the setter 40.

[0029] For example, the wireless communication unit 32 receives settings related to the control of the illuminance sensor 30 from the setter 40 and transmits them to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 changes the settings of the illuminance sensor 30 based on the received settings.

[0030] In addition, the illuminance sensor 30 includes a brightness sensor unit 33. The brightness sensor unit 33 detects the brightness in the installed area and transmits data including the detection result to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 transmits data including a dimming instruction based on the detection result to the lighting fixture to be controlled via the wireless communication unit 32.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a group setting of the lighting control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The group setting is, for example, a setting used for sensor control. Prior to the description of the group setting, the standard data relay in the wireless mesh network will be described. The standard data is data other than the data for sensor control. The standard data includes data for the operator to control the lighting fixtures 10a to 10f via the setting device 40, specifically, data necessary for dimming, color adjustment, operations or confirmation regarding these fade effects of the lighting fixtures 10a to 10f. Further, the standard data includes data necessary for operations or confirmation regarding the settings of the human presence sensor 20 or the illuminance sensor 30 performed by the operator via the setting device 40.

[0032] In the wireless mesh network, in order to reduce unnecessary communication, relaying the same data multiple times is prevented. Specifically, the wireless device stores the ID assigned to the data at the time of relay, and aborts the data relay when receiving data with the same ID again.

[0033] Furthermore, the wireless device sets a TTL (Time To Live) for the data to be transmitted and then performs data transmission. The TTL is the specified number of times of the wireless connection 50 to pass through. And each time passing through the wireless connection 50, the value of the TTL is decreased by 1, and when it becomes 0, the data relay is aborted. By this process, it is prevented that the data relay is repeated more than the specified number of times.

[0034] Note that the TTL is an integer of 0 or more. Also, for the TTL for standard data, it is necessary to set a value that can reach all wireless devices belonging to the wireless mesh network at least once.

[0035] For example, in the lighting control system 100, consider setting the TTL for communication in which the setter 40 sets the lighting fixtures 10a to 10f, the human presence sensor 20, and the illuminance sensor 30. When performing wireless communication from the setter 40, the lighting fixture 10f and the illuminance sensor 30 have the largest number of hops via the wireless connection 50, and the number of hops in the shortest path is 4. Therefore, it is preferable to set a value of 4 or more for the TTL of the setter 40.

[0036] Subsequently, data relaying using group settings will be described. Hereinafter, data relaying using group settings will be described as data relaying for sensor control.

[0037] Group setting means setting a specific wireless device and the wireless devices to be controlled by that wireless device in the same group. The specific wireless device is, for example, a sensor such as the human presence sensor 20 or the illuminance sensor 30.

[0038] For example, the group 60a is set by grouping the human presence sensor 20 and the lighting fixtures to be controlled by it into the same group. The group 60a includes the human presence sensor 20, the lighting fixture 10a, and the lighting fixture 10b.

[0039] In this case, the maximum number of hops via the wireless connection 50 when transmitting data from the human presence sensor 20 to the lighting fixtures to be controlled is 1. Therefore, for the TTL set for the data related to the sensor control of the human presence sensor 20, even considering reliability, setting 2 or 3 is sufficient. That is, there is no need to set a value of 4 or more like standard data.

[0040] The reliability of the TTL will be described more specifically. When the TTL is 1, the path from the human presence sensor 20 to the lighting fixture 10a is only the route of human presence sensor 20 → lighting fixture 10a. This route is taken as the first route. When the reach rate of the first route is 99%, the error rate when the TTL is 1 is 100% - 99% = 1%.

[0041] Also, when the TTL is 2, in addition to the first route, there is also a route from the human presence sensor 20 → lighting fixture 10b → lighting fixture 10a for the path from the human presence sensor 20 to the lighting fixture 10a. Let the latter route be the second route. When the reach rate of the second route is 98%, the error rate when the TTL is 2 is (100% - 99%) × (100% - 98%) = 0.02%.

[0042] The number of paths from the human presence sensor 20 to the lighting fixture 10a increases when the TTL is 3, so the error rate also becomes lower. That is, the higher the TTL, the higher the reliability of the wireless communication.

[0043] On the other hand, as the TTL increases, there arises a problem that the communication load in the wireless mesh network increases. Therefore, it is necessary to set an optimal TTL in consideration of the balance between reliability and communication load.

[0044] However, it is sufficient for the data for sensor control to reach only the wireless devices to be controlled. This is different from the standard data which requires that all wireless devices belonging to the wireless mesh network can be reached at least once. Therefore, for the TTL for sensor control, a smaller number than the TTL for standard data can be set. By this setting, since the communication load related to sensor control can be reduced, it becomes possible to reduce the communication load in the entire wireless mesh network.

[0045] Similarly, for example, the group 60b is set with the illuminance sensor 30 and the lighting fixtures to be controlled by it in one and the same group. The group 60b includes the illuminance sensor 30, the lighting fixtures 10e and 10f.

[0046] In this case, the maximum number of hops of the wireless connection 50 when transmitting data from the illuminance sensor 30 to the lighting fixtures to be controlled is 1. Therefore, for the TTL set for the data related to the sensor control of the illuminance sensor 30, even considering reliability, setting 2 or 3 is sufficient. That is, there is no need to set a value of 4 or more as in the case of standard data.

[0047] As described above, the TTL set for the data for sensor control is a value smaller than the TTL set for standard data. With this setting, for data transmission related to the control of sensors that tend to transmit a large amount of data, the communication load can be reduced, and for data transmission related to other controls, sufficient communication can be performed. That is, when the number of sensors for controlling lighting fixtures increases, the communication load of the wireless mesh network can be reduced.

[0048] Note that the TTL in the standard data and the data for sensor control may be set by the operator via the setter 40, or may be automatically set by the wireless device itself that transmits the data.

[0049] An example of a method in which the TTL in the data for sensor control is automatically set by the wireless device itself is shown. Here, a method in which the human sensor 20 automatically sets the TTL in the group 60a is shown, but the same method may be used when the illuminance sensor 30 automatically sets the TTL in the group 60b.

[0050] First, the human sensor 20 uses the TTL set for standard data to transmit data including dimming instructions to the lighting fixtures 10a and 10b. When the lighting fixtures 10a and 10b receive the data from the human sensor 20, they transmit information on the number of hops of the wireless connection 50 to the human sensor 20.

[0051] The human sensor 20 determines the TTL for sensor control based on the information on the number of hops of the wireless connection 50 obtained from the lighting fixtures 10a and 10b. This TTL is determined to be a value smaller than the TTL set for standard data in consideration of the balance between reliability and communication load. Furthermore, the human sensor 20 can use the determined set value of the TTL for subsequent sensor control by reflecting it as the TTL for sensor control.

[0052] If the responses from the lighting fixtures 10a and 10b disappear for a certain period of time or longer, the TTL for sensor control may be reset by transmitting data using the TTL set for standard data.

[0053] The optimal TTL varies depending on the configuration of the wireless mesh network. Therefore, when an operator sets the TTL for sensor control, the operator has to calculate the optimal TTL each time the configuration is changed, which is time-consuming. Thus, as described above, the labor of the operator can be reduced by automatically setting the TTL for sensor control.

[0054] Note that when automatically setting the TTL for sensor control, the communication load temporarily increases during the setting. However, since the configuration of the wireless mesh network does not change during the operation of the lighting control system, automatic setting is not performed during operation. That is, during operation, the communication load of the wireless mesh network can be reduced.

[0055] Hereinafter, the aspects of the present disclosure will be collectively described as appendices.

[0056] (Appendix 1) A lighting control system including a lighting fixture and a plurality of wireless devices including a sensor for controlling the lighting fixture, wherein the plurality of wireless devices are connected by wireless connection to form a wireless mesh network, the sensor is configured to perform: a process of setting a TTL in data to be transmitted and then transmitting the data; and a process of decreasing the value of the TTL by 1 each time passing through the wireless connection, and stopping relaying the data when the value becomes 0, and the TTL set for the data for sensor control is a value smaller than the TTL set for standard data. Lighting control system. (Appendix 2) The wireless device further includes a setter, and an operator sets the TTL via the setter. ​The lighting control system described in Supplementary Note 1. (Supplementary Note 3) When the lighting fixture receives data from the sensor, it transmits information on the number of hops of the wireless connection to the sensor. The sensor determines the TTL for sensor control based on the information. The lighting control system described in Supplementary Note 1 or Supplementary Note 2. (Supplementary Note 4) A sensor that forms a wireless mesh network by being connected to a lighting fixture to be controlled via a wireless connection, a process of performing data transmission after setting a TTL in the data to be transmitted, a process of decreasing the value of the TTL by 1 each time passing through the wireless connection and aborting data relaying when it becomes 0 is configured to perform, The TTL set for data for sensor control is a value smaller than the TTL set for standard data. Sensor.

Explanation of Signs

[0057] 10a Lighting fixture 10b Lighting fixture 10c Lighting fixture 10d Lighting fixture 10e Lighting fixture 10f Lighting fixture 20 Human presence sensor 30 Illuminance sensor 40 Setter 50 Wireless connection 100 Lighting control system

Claims

1. A lighting control system comprising a lighting fixture and a plurality of wireless devices including a sensor for controlling the lighting fixture, wherein the plurality of wireless devices are connected by wireless connection to form a wireless mesh network, and the sensor is configured to perform a process of setting a TTL for data to be transmitted and then transmitting the data, and perform a process of decreasing the value of the TTL by 1 each time passing through the wireless connection, and stopping relaying the data when the value becomes 0, and a TTL set for data for sensor control is a value smaller than a TTL set for standard data. A lighting control system.

2. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless device further includes a setter, and an operator sets the TTL via the setter.

3. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein when the lighting fixture receives data from the sensor, the lighting fixture transmits information on the number of passages of the wireless connection to the sensor, and the sensor determines the TTL for sensor control based on the information.

4. A sensor that forms a wireless mesh network by being connected to a lighting fixture to be controlled by wireless connection, the sensor being configured to perform a process of setting a TTL for data to be transmitted and then transmitting the data, and perform a process of decreasing the value of the TTL by 1 each time passing through the wireless connection, and stopping relaying the data when the value becomes 0, and a TTL set for data for sensor control is a value smaller than a TTL set for standard data. A sensor. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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