control system

Abstract

This system provides a control system that allows for the coexistence of both a wireless distributed control system and a wireless centralized control system. [Solution] The control system according to the present invention comprises a control device capable of communicating with a plurality of control objects, and the plurality of control objects. The plurality of control objects are controlled by mutually transmitting control signals, and the control device acquires operational information indicating the operating state of each control object, and controls each control object based on the result of comparing the control content for each control object with the operating state indicated by the acquired operational information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a control system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a central control type lighting system, when the connection to or from the controller is disconnected, lighting devices that function by the connection are no longer under automatic control and may not be controllable manually. In view of this, a distributed lighting control system that can be independently controlled or provides a plurality of lighting devices that can be independently controlled has been disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in a network that requires centralized monitoring and control, such as a building network, a centralized lighting control system with a master unit is the mainstream. Therefore, in order to use a distributed lighting control system in a building network, it is necessary to change to a centralized mechanism.

[0005] An object of the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a control system in which a wireless distributed control system and a wireless centralized control system can coexist.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The control system according to this embodiment comprises a control device capable of communicating with a plurality of controlled objects, and the plurality of controlled objects. The plurality of controlled objects are controlled by mutually transmitting control signals, and the control device acquires operational information indicating the operating status of each controlled object, and controls each controlled object based on the result of comparing the control content for each controlled object with the operating status indicated by the acquired operational information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one example of the embodiment, a control system can be provided that allows for the coexistence of a wireless distributed control system and a wireless centralized control system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of a wireless distributed lighting control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a lighting control system in which wireless distributed and wireless centralized types coexist according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of a lighting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of control address information for a lighting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of an operating device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of a control device (gateway) according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of operation in a lighting control system in which wireless distributed and wireless centralized types coexist according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes in detail, with reference to the drawings, the embodiments for implementing the control system according to the present application (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments"). Note that these embodiments do not limit the control system according to the present application. Furthermore, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the following embodiments, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] [1. An example of a wireless distributed control system] First, an example of a wireless distributed control system according to the embodiment will be described using Figure 1. The wireless distributed lighting control system 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, an operating device 20, a sensor 30, and a scheduler 40. Although not shown, the wireless distributed lighting control system 1 may also include equipment such as a wall controller. In the wireless distributed lighting control system 1, the plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the operating device 20, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 can communicate with each other, for example, by a predetermined wireless mesh communication (hereinafter, the predetermined wireless mesh communication may be referred to as communication #1). The wireless communication method may be, for example, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 920MHz, etc. Note that the plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8 in the wireless distributed lighting control system 1 are not limited to the eight units shown, but may be one or more lighting devices. The plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8 may be referred to as lighting device 10 below.

[0011] The multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8 are, for example, LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting devices. Each of the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8 has its own individual control address information and communicates with each other via wireless mesh communication. In addition, the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8 also communicate with the operating device 20, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 via wireless mesh communication.

[0012] The operating device 20 is operated by the user when setting and controlling multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, sensors 30, and scheduler 40. The operating device 20 communicates with the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, sensors 30, and scheduler 40 via wireless mesh communication. In Figure 1, one operating device 20 performs setting and control for multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8.

[0013] The operating device 20 is, for example, a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet used by the user, and is a portable terminal device that can communicate with any information processing device via a predetermined wireless communication network. The operating device 20 also has a screen such as a liquid crystal display, which has touch panel functionality, and accepts various operations on displayed data such as content from the user, such as tap operations, slide operations, and scroll operations using a finger or stylus. The operating device 20 may be a control terminal dedicated to the wireless distributed lighting control system according to the embodiment, or it may be a general-purpose control terminal capable of controlling various devices. Furthermore, the operating device 20 may be a portable terminal device carried by the user, or it may be a terminal device fixed to a wall or the like.

[0014] Sensor 30 includes a motion sensor that detects people (users) present in a predetermined space illuminated by multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8. Specifically, sensor 30 is a sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of people, the number of people, etc., in a predetermined space. Sensor 30 can be an image sensor, but is not limited to this; for example, it may be a motion sensor, infrared sensor, camera, or other type of device. Sensor 30 is just one example of a detection device. For example, sensor 30 captures an image of a preset range (a predetermined space) with a camera, analyzes the captured image to detect the presence or absence of people, the number of people, etc., in the predetermined space, and outputs the detection result to the operating device 20. The method for analyzing the presence or absence of people, the number of people, etc., from the captured image can be any method. Furthermore, although the above example shows sensor 30 detecting the presence or absence of people, the number of people, etc., it is not limited to this; for example, the operating device 20 may be configured to obtain information on the presence or absence of people, the number of people, etc., based on the information detected by sensor 30 (captured image, etc.). The sensor 30 in the wireless distributed lighting control system 1 is not limited to one as shown in the figure; the wireless distributed lighting control system 1 can be equipped with any number of sensors.

[0015] Furthermore, the sensor 30 may include an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance of the lighting device 10 in order to control the brightness of the lighting device to a constant level.

[0016] The scheduler 40 has the function of storing pre-set schedule information and sending a signal to turn on the lighting devices at a predetermined time. The scheduler 40 receives and registers, for example, schedule data and lighting patterns from the operating device 20 in order to control the dimming of each lighting device. The scheduler 40 also sends predetermined lighting patterns to the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8 according to the registered schedule data.

[0017] In a wireless distributed lighting control system 1, for example, it is possible to perform group setting for a plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8 and a sensor 30. In the example of FIG. 1, group setting is performed for C101, C102, and C103.

[0018] [2. An example of a control system in which a wireless distributed type and a wireless centralized type coexist] Next, an example of a control system in which a wireless distributed type and a wireless centralized type coexist according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. A lighting control system 2 in which a wireless distributed type and a wireless centralized type coexist shown in FIG. 2 further includes a gateway (area controller) 50 with respect to the wireless distributed lighting control system 1 shown in FIG. 1. The gateway 50 is an example of a control device. The plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the operation device 20, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 in FIG. 2 have the same functions as the plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the operation device 20, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 in FIG. 1, respectively. The gateway 50 performs wireless communication (communication #1) with any one of the plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8. In FIG. 2, the gateway 50 performs wireless communication with the lighting device 10-1.

[0019] In the lighting control system 2 including the gateway 50, first, the operation device 20 transmits the setting contents (setting information) of each device of the plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 to the gateway 50. The setting contents (setting information) include, for example, dimming level of the lighting device, color temperature information, group information, pattern information, schedule information, detection threshold information of the sensor, etc. The gateway 50 stores the setting contents of each device in its own storage device. The gateway 50 transmits the setting contents of each device to each device via wireless mesh communication. Then, the plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 transmit their operation information to the gateway 50 at a predetermined time interval. The operation information includes, for example, information such as the current lighting state (dimming level, color temperature), failure (abnormality), etc. The gateway 50 monitors the operation states of the plurality of lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40. The gateway 50 transmits the monitoring information to the upper device 60 of the building network via a predetermined communication (hereinafter sometimes referred to as communication #2). Also, the gateway 50 receives control information for the monitoring information from the upper device 60. The communication method may be wired or wireless.

[0020] In a lighting control system 2 equipped with a gateway 50, when the operating device 20 configures multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, a sensor 30, and a scheduler 40, it transmits the configuration details of the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 to the gateway 50 via wireless communication (communication #1). The operating device 20 may transmit the configuration details (configuration information) to the gateway via any of the lighting devices 10, or it may communicate directly with the gateway and transmit the configuration details (configuration information). Then, the gateway 50 transmits the configuration details to each of the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 via communication #1. When the gateway 50 sends configuration settings to each of the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40, it updates the configuration settings of the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 stored in its own memory device.

[0021] When the gateway 50 receives operational information from multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40, it compares this information with the settings for each of the multiple lighting devices 10-1 to 10-8, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 that it has stored in its memory, thereby monitoring for any discrepancies between the operational information and the settings. If a discrepancy exists, the gateway 50 sends predetermined control information to the device that is deviating from the settings. For example, if a group of lighting devices is being controlled to have a dimming level of 70%, but one lighting device is unable to receive the information and is operating at a dimming level of 100%, the gateway 50 will identify the lighting device that is deviating from the operational information of multiple lighting devices 10 that is sent at predetermined time intervals, and will instruct that lighting device to operate at a dimming level of 70%. Furthermore, for example, if a lighting device 10 belonging to a certain group is pre-set to turn on at 70% dimming at a predetermined time according to the schedule, but the lighting device is still operating at 100% dimming at the predetermined time due to a scheduler malfunction or the like, the gateway 50 will determine the discrepancy from the operation information of multiple lighting devices 10 transmitted at predetermined time intervals and will instruct the multiple lighting devices 10 to operate at 70% dimming.

[0022] Furthermore, the gateway 50 transmits monitoring information related to each device, such as the lighting device 10, to a predetermined higher-level device 60 in the building network. When it receives control information for the monitoring information from the higher-level device 60, it compares the operational information of each device with the control information and transmits individual control information to devices that deviate from the control information.

[0023] In this way, a gateway capable of communicating with the building network is added to a wireless distributed lighting control system. Settings for lighting devices and sensors are made from the gateway, the gateway manages the setting information of each device, and each device transmits its operational information to the gateway at predetermined time intervals. The gateway collects this operational information, and if a discrepancy occurs between the setting information and the operational information of each device, the gateway can control that device, enabling centralized monitoring and control. Furthermore, the gateway can centrally monitor and control each device based on control information from higher-level devices in the building network. Therefore, the gateway can control each device based on the comparison result between the control content (setting information and control information) for each device and the operational status indicated by the acquired operational information.

[0024] [3. Example of lighting system configuration] Next, the configuration of the lighting device in the lighting control system 2 equipped with the gateway 50 according to the embodiment will be described using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the lighting device according to the embodiment.

[0025] The lighting device 10 comprises a communication unit (communication #1) 11, a lighting unit 12, a control unit 13, and a storage unit 14. The control unit 13 comprises an acquisition unit 131, a transmission unit 132, and an instruction unit 133.

[0026] The communication unit 11, lighting unit 12, control unit 13, and storage unit 14 are each configured as separate hardware components. However, the communication unit 11, control unit 13, and storage unit 14 may be configured as a single hardware component. In other words, it is sufficient if the control unit 13 and the lighting unit 12 are configured as separate hardware components.

[0027] The communication unit 11 is an interface that communicates wirelessly (communication #1) with other lighting devices 10, operating devices 20, sensors 30, schedulers 40, and gateways 50. By communicating wirelessly with other lighting devices 10, operating devices 20, sensors 30, schedulers 40, and gateways 50, the communication unit 11 sends and receives information between the other lighting devices 10, operating devices 20, sensors 30, schedulers 40, and gateways 50.

[0028] The lighting unit 12 emits illumination light according to instructions from the indicator unit 133.

[0029] The control unit 13 is a controller, and is a control circuit composed of circuit elements such as resistors and capacitors. The control unit 13 includes electronic circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and integrated circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and performs lighting control of the lighting device 10.

[0030] The acquisition unit 131 acquires lighting information from the gateway 50 via the communication unit 11. The lighting information acquired from the gateway 50 includes setting information and instruction information for itself. The acquisition unit 131 stores the acquired setting information and instruction information in the storage unit 14.

[0031] The acquisition unit 131 receives schedule data and lighting patterns from the scheduler 40 via the communication unit 11, and stores the received schedule data and lighting patterns in the storage unit 14.

[0032] The transmitting unit 132 transmits its own operational information to the gateway 50 via the communication unit 11 at predetermined time intervals.

[0033] The instruction unit 133 controls the lighting unit 12. Specifically, the instruction unit 133 instructs the lighting unit 12 on the lighting mode based on the schedule data and lighting patterns stored in the memory unit 14. The instruction unit 133 also instructs the lighting unit 12 on the lighting mode based on the lighting information (setting information and instruction information, etc.) stored in the memory unit 14.

[0034] The memory unit 14 is, for example, an internal memory for storing control data, and is implemented using semiconductor memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and flash memory, and stores schedule data, lighting patterns, lighting information (setting information and instruction information, etc.), control address information, etc.

[0035] Figure 4 shows an example of control address information. The control address information includes, for example, a unique address assigned to each lighting device 10, setting information, instruction information, schedule data / lighting pattern, etc. As shown in Figure 4, the control address information includes items such as "address ID", "address", "lighting ID", "setting information", "instruction information", and "schedule data / lighting pattern".

[0036] "Control Address ID" is identification information that identifies the control address. "Control Address" is address information assigned to each of the lighting devices 10, and is represented, for example, as a string, number, bit sequence, etc. "Lighting ID" is identification information that identifies the lighting. "Configuration Information" and "Instruction Information" are the configuration information and instruction information received from the gateway 50. "Schedule Data / Lighting Pattern" is the schedule data and lighting pattern received from the scheduler 40.

[0037] In the example shown in Figure 4, the address "address#10-n" identified by address ID "ID#10-n" refers to lighting device 10-n identified by lighting ID "lighting#10-n". Lighting device 10-n receives setting information "setting#10-n" and instruction information "instruction#10-n", and receives schedule data / lighting pattern "pattern etc#10-n".

[0038] [4. Example of Operating Device Configuration] Next, the configuration of the operating device in the lighting control system 2 equipped with the gateway 50 according to the embodiment will be described using Figure 5. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the operating device according to the embodiment.

[0039] The operating device 20 is, for example, a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal operated by a user, and is a portable terminal device that can communicate with any information processing device via a predetermined wireless communication network. The operating device 20 comprises a communication unit (communication #1) 21, a storage unit 22, an operation unit 23, a display unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0040] The communication unit 21 is an interface that communicates wirelessly (communication #1) with the lighting device 10, the sensor 30, the scheduler 40, and the gateway 50. The communication unit 21 transmits and receives information between the lighting device 10, the sensor 30, the scheduler 40, and the gateway 50 by communicating wirelessly with them.

[0041] The memory unit 22 is implemented by a memory device such as a semiconductor memory element like RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, and stores information entered by the user.

[0042] The operation unit 23 accepts input and transmission operations from the user. For example, on a screen such as an LCD display that has touch panel functionality, the operation unit 23 accepts various operations on displayed data such as content, such as tap operations, slide operations, and scroll operations from the user using their finger or stylus.

[0043] The display unit 24 displays information from the gateway 50 and information entered by the user. The display unit 24 is, for example, a liquid crystal display with touch panel functionality.

[0044] The control unit 25 controls the entire operating device 20. The control unit 25 includes, for example, electronic circuits such as a CPU and MPU, and integrated circuits such as an ASIC and FPGA. The control unit 25 also has internal memory for storing programs that define various processing procedures and control data, and executes each process using the internal memory. Furthermore, the control unit 25 functions as various processing units as various programs are run.

[0045] [5. Example of gateway configuration] Next, the configuration of the gateway in the lighting control system 2 equipped with the gateway 50 according to the embodiment will be described using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the gateway according to the embodiment.

[0046] The gateway 50 comprises a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a control unit 53. The communication unit 51 can use communication #1 and communication #2. The control unit 53 comprises an acquisition unit 531, a transmission unit 532, and a processing unit 533.

[0047] The communication unit 51 can communicate with the lighting device 10, the operating device 20, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 via wireless mesh communication (communication #1). The communication unit 51 sends and receives information between the lighting device 10, the operating device 20, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 via communication #1.

[0048] Furthermore, the communication unit 51 can communicate with a predetermined higher-level device 60 of the building network via a predetermined communication circuit or NIC (Network Interface Card), etc. (communication #2). The communication unit 51 sends and receives information with the predetermined higher-level device 60 of the building network via communication #2. The communication unit 51 may also communicate with any external device, such as a terminal device used by the administrator of the information processing system.

[0049] The memory unit 52 is implemented by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as RAM or flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or optical disc. The memory unit 52 stores various information related to information processing. The memory unit 52 stores information related to the gateway 50, such as the device ID and installation location. The memory unit 52 also stores the settings of the lighting device 10, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40. Note that the information stored in the memory unit 52 is not limited to the above, and the memory unit 52 may store various types of information depending on the purpose.

[0050] The control unit 53 is implemented, for example, by a CPU or MPU executing various programs stored in internal memory using RAM as a working area. Alternatively, the control unit 53 can be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. The control unit 53 has an acquisition unit 531, a transmission unit 532, and a processing unit 533, and implements or executes the information processing functions and operations described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 53 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 6, and other configurations are also acceptable as long as they perform the information processing described later.

[0051] The acquisition unit 531 acquires various information from the storage unit 52. For example, the acquisition unit 531 acquires setting information for each device, such as the lighting device 10, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40, from the storage unit 52. The acquisition unit 531 also receives various information from a predetermined higher-level device 60 of the building network via the communication unit 51. The acquisition unit 531 also receives operational information from the lighting device 10, etc., via the communication unit 51. The acquisition unit 531 also receives setting information for each device from the operating device 20 via the communication unit 51.

[0052] The transmitting unit 532 transmits various information to a predetermined higher-level device 60 of the building network via the communication unit 51. The transmitting unit 532 also transmits various information to the lighting device 10, the operating device 20, the sensor 30, and the scheduler 40 via the communication unit 51. Specifically, the transmitting unit 532 transmits operational information of the lighting device 10, etc., to a predetermined higher-level device 60 of the building network via the communication unit 51. The transmitting unit 532 also transmits control information related to the deviation to the lighting device 10, etc., if the device is operating out of sync with the settings, based on a determination by the processing unit 533 described later. Furthermore, the transmitting unit 532 transmits control information related to the deviation to the lighting device 10, etc., if the device is operating out of sync with the control information from the predetermined higher-level device 60 of the building network, based on a determination by the processing unit 533 described later. The transmitting unit 532 may also be configured to transmit predetermined information to the operating device 20.

[0053] The processing unit 533 monitors the operating status of equipment such as the lighting device 10, and determines whether there is a discrepancy between the operating information and the settings for the equipment such as the lighting device 10. The processing unit 533 stores this monitoring information and determination information in the storage unit 52.

[0054] Furthermore, the processing unit 533 determines whether there is a discrepancy between the control information received from a predetermined higher-level device 60 of the building network and the operating information of equipment such as the lighting device 10. The processing unit 533 stores this determination information in the storage unit 52.

[0055] As described above, the lighting control system 2 equipped with the gateway according to this embodiment can easily accommodate both a wireless distributed lighting control system and a wireless centralized lighting control system.

[0056] [6. Processing flow of Lighting Control System 2] Next, the processing flow of the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment will be explained using Figure 7. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7, the lighting control system 2 determines whether or not control by the gateway 50 has started (step S101). If control by the gateway 50 has not started (step S101; No), it waits until control by the gateway 50 starts.

[0058] On the other hand, if control by the gateway 50 is initiated (step S101; Yes), the operating device 20 transmits the settings of each device stored in the storage unit 22 to the gateway 50 via the communication unit 21 (step S102).

[0059] Next, the acquisition unit 531 of the gateway 50 receives the settings of each device and stores the settings of each device in its own storage unit 52 (step S103).

[0060] Next, the transmitter 532 of the gateway 50 transmits the settings of each device to each device via the communication unit 51 (step S104).

[0061] Next, each device, having received its configuration information from the gateway in step S104, transmits its own operational information to the gateway 50 at predetermined time intervals (step S105).

[0062] Next, the processing unit 533 of the gateway 50 determines whether there is a discrepancy between the settings and operating information of each device (step S106). If there is a discrepancy between the settings and operating information of each device (step S106; Yes), the transmitting unit 532 of the gateway 50 transmits control information to the device with the discrepancy via the communication unit 51 (step S107).

[0063] Next, the transmission unit 532 of the gateway 50 transmits monitoring information for each device to a predetermined higher-level device 60 of the building network via the communication unit 51 (step S108).

[0064] Next, the higher-level device 60 transmits control information to the gateway 50 (step S109).

[0065] Next, the processing unit 533 of the gateway 50 determines whether there is a discrepancy between the monitoring information of each device and the control information received by the acquisition unit 531 from the higher-level device 60 (step S110). If there is a discrepancy between the monitoring information and the control information (step S110; Yes), the transmitting unit 532 of the gateway 50 transmits the control information to a predetermined device via the communication unit 51 based on the control information from the higher-level device 60 (step S111).

[0066] Next, the lighting control system 2 determines whether or not the control by gateway 50 has ended (step S112). If the control by gateway 50 has ended (step S112; Yes), the process ends. If the control by gateway 50 has not ended (step S112; No), the process returns to step S105 and continues.

[0067] [7. Effects] As described above, the control system according to the present invention comprises a control device capable of communicating with a plurality of controlled objects, and the plurality of controlled objects. The plurality of controlled objects are controlled by mutually transmitting control signals, and the control device acquires operational information indicating the operating status of each controlled object, and controls each controlled object based on the result of comparing the control content for each controlled object with the operating status indicated by the acquired operational information.

[0068] These multiple control targets are controlled by a predetermined wireless communication method.

[0069] The control device communicates wirelessly with one of the multiple controlled objects.

[0070] The multiple controlled objects periodically transmit their operational information to the control device via wireless communication, and the control device acquires the transmitted operational information as monitoring information.

[0071] The control device transmits the monitoring information to a predetermined higher-level device via predetermined communication, and receives control information for the monitoring information from the higher-level device.

[0072] The control device controls the target object via wireless communication based on the control information.

[0073] By using any or a combination of the above-described processes, a control system can be provided that allows for the coexistence of a wireless distributed control system and a wireless centralized control system. Each device may also transmit its own operational information via broadcast at predetermined intervals during distributed control (before the gateway is added), and the gateway may compare this operational information with its settings to perform control.

[0074] While embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 1. Wireless distributed lighting control system 2. Lighting control system in which distributed and centralized wireless systems coexist 10 Lighting devices 11 Communications Department 12 Lighting Section 13 Control Unit 131 Acquisition Department 132 Transmitter 133 Instruction section 14 Storage section 20 Operating device 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Control section 24 Display section 25 Control Unit 50 Gateways 51 Communications Department 52 Storage section 53 Control Unit 531 Acquisition Department 532 Transmitter 533 Processing Unit

Claims

1. A control device capable of communicating with multiple controlled objects; The aforementioned plurality of controlled objects; A control system comprising, The aforementioned multiple control objects are controlled by transmitting control signals to each other. The control device is An acquisition unit that acquires operational information indicating the operating status of each controlled object; Based on the comparison result between the control content for each controlled object and the operating status indicated by the acquired operating information, a control unit controls each controlled object; A control system characterized by having the following features.

2. The plurality of controlled objects are controlled by predetermined wireless communication. The control system according to claim 1, characterized in that it is as described above.

3. The control device communicates wirelessly with one of the plurality of controlled objects. The control system according to claim 2, characterized in that it is as described above.

4. The aforementioned multiple controlled objects periodically transmit their own operational information to the control device via wireless communication. The control device acquires the transmitted operational information as monitoring information. The control system according to claim 3, characterized in that it is as described above.

5. The control device transmits the monitoring information to a predetermined higher-level device via predetermined communication, and receives control information for the monitoring information from the higher-level device. The control system according to feature 4.

6. The control device controls the controlled object via wireless communication based on the control information. The control system according to claim 5, characterized in that it is as described above.

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