Lighting device

Abstract

To provide a lighting device that enables battery inspection without making people feel uncomfortable.SOLUTION: A lighting device includes a light source 13, a battery 14, a lighting unit 22, and an inspection unit. The lighting unit 22 includes a power conversion unit 33 that converts the power of the battery 14 into lighting power to be supplied to the light source 13 and outputs the power, and supplies the lighting power to the light source 13 to light up the light source 13. The inspection unit converts the power of the battery 14 into lighting power using the power conversion unit 33 and outputs the lighting power, and inspects the battery 14 by cutting off the supply of lighting power to the light source 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a lighting device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in lighting devices for disaster prevention such as emergency lights and induction lights, a battery for lighting a light source during a power outage is provided, and the battery is inspected to check the state of deterioration or abnormality of the battery. In the battery inspection, after the light source is lit by the power of the battery for a predetermined inspection time, the voltage of the battery is checked to determine the deterioration or abnormality of the battery.

[0003] Since the light source is lit during the battery inspection operation, it is fine when there is no one around the lighting device, but when there is someone around the lighting device, there is a risk of giving that person a sense of discomfort that the light source is on.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a lighting device capable of inspecting a battery without giving a sense of discomfort to people.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The lighting device according to the embodiment includes a light source, a battery, a lighting unit, and an inspection unit. The lighting unit has a power conversion unit that converts the power of the battery into lighting power to be supplied to the light source and outputs it, and supplies the lighting power to the light source to light the light source. The inspection unit inspects the battery while converting the power of the battery into lighting power by the power conversion unit and outputting it, and blocking the supply of the lighting power to the light source.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the lighting device of the embodiment, it is expected that the battery inspection can be carried out without giving a sense of discomfort to people.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the lighting device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0010] The lighting device of the present embodiment is applied to, for example, an emergency light that lights up during a power outage, an induction light that lights up and indicates for evacuation guidance on an evacuation route, and other disaster prevention lighting devices.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a lighting device 10. The lighting device 10 includes a housing 11, a power supply unit 12 disposed in the housing 11, a light source 13 as a load, and a battery 14 to be inspected.

[0012] The power supply unit 12 operates by external power when external power, which is AC power from a commercial AC power supply E, is energized, and operates by the power of the battery 14 when the external power is out of power.

[0013] The light source 13 emits visible light. In the case of an emergency lamp, it is used for emergency lighting during a power outage. In the case of an induction lamp, it is used for lighting the induction panel. The light source 13 is configured by connecting a plurality of light-emitting elements, which are semiconductor light-emitting elements such as LEDs or organic ELs, in series. The voltage of the lighting power required to turn on the plurality of light-emitting elements is higher than the voltage of the power discharged from the battery 14. The light source 13 is not limited to light-emitting elements, and other light source types such as lamps may be used.

[0014] As the battery 14, a rechargeable secondary battery such as a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, or a lithium-ion battery is used.

[0015] In addition, the power supply unit 12 includes a power supply unit 16 that lights the light source 13 and charges and discharges the battery 14, an operation unit 17 such as an inspection switch, a display unit 18 such as a monitor lamp, a communication unit 19 that communicates with the outside, a control unit 20 that controls the power supply unit 12, and the like.

[0016] The power supply unit 16 includes a lighting unit 22 that lights the light source 13 and a charging unit 23 that charges the battery 14. When external power is supplied, in the case of an emergency lamp, the lighting unit 22 keeps the light source 13 in an off state. In the case of an induction lamp, the lighting unit 22 converts the external power into lighting power and supplies it to the light source 13 to turn it on. On the other hand, during a power outage, in both the case of an emergency lamp and an induction lamp, the lighting unit 22 converts the power of the battery 14 into lighting power and supplies it to the light source 13 to turn it on. The charging unit 23 charges the battery 14 with external power.

[0017] The operation unit 17 includes an inspection switch that manually instructs an inspection and is arranged at a position where it can be operated from the outside of the housing 11.

[0018] The display unit 18 is a monitor lamp composed of a plurality of, for example, light-emitting elements, and is arranged at a position where it can be visually recognized from the outside of the housing 11. The monitor lamp displays the inspection result of the battery 14 in a lighting color or a lighting form such as off, continuous lighting, or blinking.

[0019] The communication unit 19 includes an optical signal communication unit that transmits and receives optical signals using infrared rays as a medium. Further, the communication unit 19 may include a wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with other lighting devices 10, external terminals 30, etc. The external terminal 30 is a remote control or the like that transmits and receives optical signals using an optical medium such as infrared rays, and includes an operation unit and a display unit. The external terminal 30 can communicate bidirectionally with the communication unit 19, instruct the start of inspection, receive the inspection result, and display the state of the battery 14 on the screen of the display unit.

[0020] Further, the control unit 20 has functions of a timing unit 25, an inspection unit 26 that inspects the battery 14, and a storage unit 27 that stores various types of information.

[0021] The timing unit 25 has a clock function that provides time information including date and time, and a timer function that counts elapsed time information.

[0022] The inspection unit 26 executes an inspection operation of the battery 14 described later based on a set inspection schedule or a manual inspection instruction from the external terminal 30 or the operation unit 17. In the inspection, the power of the battery 14 is discharged for a predetermined inspection time, the voltage of the battery 14 is detected, and by comparing the detected voltage of the battery 14 with a predetermined threshold value, it is determined whether the battery 14 is normal, deteriorated, or abnormal.

[0023] The storage unit 27 may use a non-volatile memory that retains stored content even when power is cut off. The storage unit 27 stores set inspection schedule information.

[0024] Next, FIG. 2 shows a schematic circuit diagram including the lighting unit 22 of the lighting device 10.

[0025] The lighting unit 22 shown in FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram in the case of an emergency light, or a schematic circuit diagram showing only the current path for explaining power failure and inspection in the case of an induction lamp.

[0026] The lighting unit 22 includes a power conversion unit (power conversion circuit) 33 that converts the power discharged from the battery 14 into lighting power to be supplied to the light source 13 and outputs it, and a current control circuit 34 that is also a constant current circuit and a dimming circuit that controls the current of the lighting power flowing from the power conversion unit 33 to the light source 13 so that the light source 13 lights up with a predetermined brightness.

[0027] The power conversion unit 33 is constituted by a boost chopper circuit 35 that boosts the DC voltage from the battery 14 to the voltage required for lighting a plurality of light emitting elements 36 connected in series to the light source 13. The boost chopper circuit 35 includes an inductor L1, a switching element (first switching element) Q1, a diode D1, etc. A series circuit of the inductor L1 and the switching element Q1 is connected between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery 14, and the anode of the diode D1 is connected to the connection point between the inductor L1 and the switching element Q1. And a series circuit of the diode D1, the light source 13, and the current control circuit 34 (switching element Q2) is connected across both ends of the switching element Q1. The switching element Q1 is a field effect transistor such as a MOS-FET, for example, and is turned on and off by a control unit 20 connected to the gate.

[0028] The current control circuit 34 includes a switching element (second switching element) Q2 connected in series to the light source 13. The switching element Q2 is a field effect transistor such as a MOS-FET, for example, and is turned on and off by a control unit 20 connected to the gate.

[0029] Next, the operation of the lighting device 10 will be described.

[0030] When the lighting device 10 is energized with external power, the power supply unit 12 operates by the external power, and the battery 14 is charged by the charging unit 23. When the lighting device 10 is an emergency light, the lighting unit 22 does not operate. Also, in the case of an induction lamp, lighting power obtained by converting the external power by the lighting unit 22 is supplied to the light source 13 to turn it on.

[0031] Also, in the event of a power outage where the supply of external power to the lighting device 10 stops, for both the emergency light and the induction light, the lighting unit 22 converts the power from the battery 14 into lighting power and supplies it to the light source 13 to turn on the light source 13.

[0032] In the lighting unit 22, the boost chopper circuit 35 boosts the DC voltage from the battery 14 to the voltage required for lighting a plurality of light emitting elements 36 connected in series to the light source 13, and controls the current flowing through the light source 13 by turning on and off the switching element Q2 of the current control circuit 34, so as to turn on the light source 13 at a predetermined brightness.

[0033] Also, the inspection unit 26 of the control unit 20 executes an inspection operation of the battery 14 based on the set inspection schedule or a manual inspection instruction from the external terminal 30 or the operation unit 17.

[0034] In the inspection operation of the battery 14 by the inspection unit 26, the switching element Q1 is turned on and off to operate the power conversion unit 33 (boost chopper circuit 35), and in that state, by maintaining the off state of the switching element Q2, the current path through which the lighting power output from the power conversion unit 33 flows to the light source 13 is blocked, and the battery 14 is inspected with the light source 13 in the off state. The off state of the switching element Q2 is maintained throughout the entire predetermined inspection time.

[0035] When inspecting in the off state of the light source 13, the power of the battery 14 is consumed by the operation of the power conversion unit 33. However, the power consumption per unit time (Wh) of the power conversion unit 33 is smaller than when supplying the lighting power output from the power conversion unit 33 to the light source 13 and inspecting in the on state of the light source 13. By setting the lighting time longer, it is possible to achieve the same power consumption as when inspecting in the on state of the light source 13.

[0036] The inspection unit 26 sets the inspection time so that the power consumption of the battery 14 when inspecting in the non-lighting state of the light source 13 is the same as the power consumption of the battery 14 when inspecting in the lighting state of the light source 13. For example, when inspecting in the lighting state of the light source 13, if the power consumption of the battery 14 is 3W and the inspection time is 30 minutes, then when inspecting in the non-lighting state of the light source 13, if the power consumption of the battery 14 is 0.3W, the inspection time is set to 300 minutes.

[0037] In this way, in the lighting device 10, when inspecting the battery 14, the power of the battery 14 is converted into lighting power by the power conversion unit 33 and output, and the battery 14 is inspected in a state where the lighting power supplied to the light source 13 is blocked. Therefore, the battery 14 can be inspected in the non-lighting state of the light source 13, and even in a place where there are people around the lighting device 10 or during a time period when there are people, the battery 14 can be inspected without giving that person a sense of discomfort.

[0038] The inspection unit 26 utilizes the lighting unit 22 having a power conversion unit 33 that converts the power of the battery 14 into lighting power supplied to the light source 13 and outputs it, and a current control circuit 34 that controls the current of the lighting power flowing from the power conversion unit 33 to the light source 13, so that the battery 14 can be inspected in the non-lighting state of the light source 13 without adding special components.

[0039] Next, FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the lighting device 10. FIG. 3 shows a schematic circuit diagram including the lighting unit 22 and the communication unit 19 of the lighting device 10.

[0040] The communication unit 19 is provided with a second light source 40 that transmits an optical signal using infrared rays, which are invisible light, as a medium. A plurality or one light emitting element 41 that emits infrared rays, which are invisible light, is used for the second light source 40.

[0041] In parallel with the series circuit of the light source 13 and the switching element Q2, a series circuit of a second light source 40 and a switching element (third switching element) Q3 is connected. The switching element Q3 is a field effect transistor such as a MOS-FET, for example, and is turned on and off by a control unit 20 connected to the gate.

[0042] Then, when transmitting an optical signal by the communication unit 19 during normal operation when external power is supplied to the lighting device 10, the switching element Q1 is turned on and off to operate the power conversion unit 33, and the switching element Q2 maintains an off state to turn off the light source 13. In this state, the switching element Q3 is turned on and off corresponding to the signal pattern to be transmitted, thereby outputting an optical signal by invisible light from the second light source 40.

[0043] Also, during a power outage when the supply of external power to the lighting device 10 is stopped, the switching element Q1 is turned on and off to operate the power conversion unit 33, and the switching element Q3 maintains an off state to turn off the second light source 40. In this state, the switching element Q2 is turned on and off to control the current flowing from the power conversion unit 33 to the light source 13, and the light source 13 is turned on with a predetermined brightness.

[0044] Also, during inspection of the battery 14 by the inspection unit 26, the switching element Q1 is turned on and off to operate the power conversion unit 33. In this state, the switching element Q2 maintains an off state to turn off the light source 13, and the switching element Q3 is turned on and off or turned on to turn on the second light source 40, thereby inspecting the battery 14 with the light source 13 turned off. When turning the switching element Q3 on and off, it is turned on and off in a pattern different from the signal pattern of the optical signal.

[0045] When inspecting in this way with the light source 13 turned off, in addition to the power of the battery 14 being consumed by the operation of the power conversion unit 33, the power of the battery 14 is consumed by the lighting of the second light source 40. Therefore, the power consumption of the battery 14 increases, and the inspection time required for inspection can be shortened.

[0046] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0047] 10 Lighting device 13 Light source 14 Battery 22 Lighting unit 26 Inspection unit 33 Power conversion unit 40 Second light source

Claims

1. a light source; a battery; a lighting unit having a power conversion unit that converts the power of the battery into lighting power for supplying to the light source and outputs the converted power, and supplies the lighting power to the light source to light the light source; an inspection unit that converts the power of the battery into the lighting power by the power conversion unit and outputs the converted power, and inspects the battery in a state where the supply of the lighting power to the light source is blocked; An illumination device comprising the above.

2. comprising a second light source that emits invisible light when the lighting power is supplied; The inspection unit supplies the lighting power output from the power conversion unit to the second light source to light it. The illumination device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The inspection unit sets the inspection time so that the power consumption of the battery when inspecting in the non-lighting state of the light source is the same as the power consumption when inspecting in the lighting state of the light source by supplying the lighting power output from the power conversion unit to the light source. The illumination device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

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