Lighting devices and lighting fixtures

Abstract

This disclosure relates to lighting devices and lighting fixtures, and aims to provide lighting devices and lighting fixtures that can easily transmit information, including various types of internal information, to the user by combining lighting patterns. [Solution] The lighting device of this disclosure comprises a lighting circuit for lighting a light source and a control IC for controlling the lighting circuit. The control IC is configured to, when it detects that the on / off switching of the input voltage or the on / off switching of the light source has occurred only a specific number of times, to light the light source with a lighting pattern that transmits internal information before lighting it with a first lighting pattern that lights it with a specific dimming rate. The lighting pattern that transmits internal information includes a second lighting pattern that transmits information other than the cumulative lighting time based on the number of blinks, and a third lighting pattern that transmits the cumulative lighting time based on the time the state is maintained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lighting device and a lighting fixture.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for visually communicating the cumulative lighting time of a lighting fixture by using the blinking of a light source. In this technique, the light source of the lighting fixture blinks in response to a user's switch operation. This blinking communicates information including the cumulative lighting time using bit display. As a result, the user can know the cumulative lighting time of the lighting fixture at an arbitrary timing, improving the maintainability.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A lighting fixture stores various types of internal information in addition to the cumulative lighting time. However, there is a limit to the amount of information that can be expressed by bit display represented by the blinking of a light source. Therefore, there has been a problem that information including various types of internal information cannot be transmitted to the user by the above-described technique.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a lighting device and a lighting fixture that can easily transmit information including various types of internal information to a user by combining lighting patterns, in order to solve the above problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] Preferably, an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a lighting circuit for lighting a light source and a control IC for controlling the lighting circuit, wherein the control IC is configured to, when it detects that the on / off switching of the input voltage or the on / off switching of the light source has occurred only a specific number of times, light the light source with a lighting pattern that transmits internal information before lighting it with a first lighting pattern that lights it with a specific dimming ratio, and the lighting device having a lighting pattern that transmits internal information comprising a second lighting pattern that transmits information other than the cumulative lighting time based on the number of blinks, and a third lighting pattern that transmits the cumulative lighting time based on the time the state is maintained. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the embodiments of this disclosure, by combining lighting patterns, information including various types of internal information can be easily communicated to the user. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a lighting fixture according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This figure shows the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This figure shows the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This figure shows the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] This figure shows the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a lighting fixture according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] This figure shows an overview of the lighting patterns of the light sources according to embodiments 5 and 6 of this disclosure. [Figure 8] This figure shows the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a lighting fixture according to Embodiment 6 of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]This diagram shows the remote control operation according to Embodiment 6 of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] This figure shows the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 6 of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The lighting patterns of the lighting fixtures and light sources relating to this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetition of the description may be omitted.

[0010] Embodiment 1 Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a lighting fixture according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The lighting fixture 200 includes a lighting device 100. The lighting device 100 controls the LED light source unit 90 using power supplied from a commercial power supply 2. The power supply from the commercial power supply 2 can be switched on and off by operating a switch.

[0011] The lighting device 100 includes a rectifier 4 that rectifies the commercial power supply 2. The pulsating voltage, which has been full-wave rectified by the rectifier 4, flows into the boost chopper circuit 40.

[0012] The boost chopper circuit 40 consists of a coil 41, a MOSFET 42, and a diode 43. The boost chopper circuit 40 performs a power factor correction circuit operation to increase the power factor of the output from the commercial power supply 2. The power factor correction circuit operation is an operation in which the switching control of the MOSFET 42 is controlled so that the ON width is constant in the cycle of the commercial power supply 2, thereby controlling the average value of the switching current to be proportional to the phase of the commercial power supply 2.

[0013] Furthermore, the boost chopper circuit 40 needs to maintain a constant ON width for the MOSFET 42 while simultaneously performing feedback control. Therefore, the boost chopper circuit 40 needs to have a feedback period that is slower than the period during which the commercial power supply 2 is full-wave rectified.

[0014] Further, the voltage full-wave rectified by the rectifier 4 is smoothed by the capacitor 14. The smoothed voltage serves as the power supply for the operation of the boost chopper circuit 40. That is, the voltage applied to the capacitor 14 is the voltage full-wave rectified by the operation of the boost chopper circuit 40.

[0015] The boost chopper circuit 40 charges the capacitor 6 with the pulsating voltage as a predetermined DC high voltage. The voltage charged in the capacitor 6 is input to the P1 terminal 51 of the control IC 50 by the voltage division of the resistors 8 and 10. As a result, a voltage proportional to the voltage of the capacitor 6 is detected. Hereinafter, the DC voltage charged in the capacitor 6 is referred to as V1.

[0016] In order to make the voltage charged in the capacitor 6 a predetermined DC high voltage, the voltage of the P1 terminal 51 in the control IC 50 is feedback-controlled to be a constant voltage. The feedback-controlled voltage is output as a switching signal from the Vg1 terminal 52 of the control IC 50. This switching signal operates the MOSFET 42.

[0017] Here, the control IC 50 is, for example, a microcomputer. When the control IC 50 is a microcomputer, the magnitude of the operating power supply voltage output from the control IC 50 is not sufficient as the magnitude of the voltage for driving the MOSFET. Therefore, the switching signal output from the Vg1 terminal 52 is first input to the MOSFET driver 60. The MOSFET driver 60 stably switches the MOSFET 42 by outputting a voltage higher than the input voltage.

[0018] A resistor 10 is connected to the source terminal of the MOSFET 42. The voltage of the resistor 10 is input to the P2 terminal 53 of the control IC 50. Thus, the current value of the MOSFET 42 can be detected by converting the current flowing when the MOSFET 42 is turned on into a voltage by the resistor 12.

[0019] The capacitor 6 is connected to the LED light source unit 90 via the buck converter circuit 30. The buck converter circuit 30 is a lighting circuit composed of a MOSFET 16, a coil 18, and a diode 20. The buck converter circuit 30 also lights up the LED 92, which is the light source of the LED light source unit 90.

[0020] Furthermore, the buck converter circuit 30 smooths the output high-frequency voltage with a capacitor 22 connected in parallel with the LED light source unit 90. As a result, the buck converter circuit 30 can supply a DC voltage to the LED light source unit 90 and light it up.

[0021] A resistor 12 is connected to the capacitor 22 and the LED light source unit 90. Switching current output by the buck converter circuit 30 flows through the capacitor 22 and the LED light source unit 90. The resistor 12 converts the current into a voltage and inputs it to the P2 terminal 53 of the control IC 50.

[0022] At this time, the current flowing through resistor 12 is the buck converter current, and its average value is equal to the current flowing through the LED light source unit 90. The current flowing through the LED light source unit 90 is called the LED current. The control IC 50 outputs a switching signal from terminal Vg2 54 that operates MOSFET 16 so that the voltage generated across resistor 12 remains constant. As a result, LED 92 lights up with constant current control.

[0023] Furthermore, the switching signal output from the Vg2 terminal 54, similar to the boost chopper circuit 40, stably switches the MOSFET 16 via the MOSFET driver 60.

[0024] The control power supply for the MOSFET driver 60 is obtained by generating a voltage in the control power supply circuit 70 from the charge stored in capacitor 6, and then smoothing it with capacitor 24. This control power supply is denoted as V2. For example, voltage V2 is 15V. Furthermore, voltage V2 is input to the VDD terminal 55 of the control IC 50 via the step-down circuit 80, thereby becoming the control power supply. The voltage input here is, for example, 5V.

[0025] The control power supply circuit 70 may be a step-down converter circuit such as a buck converter circuit, or a step-up / step-down converter such as a flyback circuit.

[0026] Resistors 26 and 28 are connected to both ends of capacitor 14. The midpoint of the voltage division by resistors 26 and 28 is connected to the P3 terminal 56 of control IC 50. As a result, the P3 terminal 56 of control IC 50 can detect the switch operation of the commercial power supply 2 and reflect it in the control.

[0027] Here, the operation of the commercial power supply 2 switch occurs, for example, when a user operates any switch. Any switch is, for example, a wall switch connected to the commercial power supply 2. In other words, the control IC 50 can detect the switch operation by the user.

[0028] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. Hereafter, in Figures 2 to 5 and Figure 7, the upper row shows the input voltage from the commercial power supply 2 in response to the user's switch operation, and the lower row shows the dimming rate of the light source of LED 92.

[0029] When the control IC 50 detects that the on / off switching of the input voltage has occurred only a specific number of times within a specific time, it lights up the LED 92, which is the light source according to this disclosure, in a lighting pattern that transmits internal information of the lighting fixture 200, before lighting it in a first lighting pattern that lights it at a specific dimming rate. In this embodiment, the lighting patterns that indicate internal information are a second lighting pattern that transmits information other than the cumulative lighting time, and a third lighting pattern that transmits the cumulative lighting time.

[0030] The specific number of times may be, for example, a number set in advance by the user, or a number that is initially written to the memory (not shown) of the lighting fixture 200. Hereafter, in the diagrams showing the lighting pattern of the light source relating to this disclosure, the specific number of times will be assumed to be 2.

[0031] Let's explain this in chronological order. First, the user performs a specific switch operation on the lighting fixture 200, which is currently in the off state. In this embodiment, the specific switch operation is, for example, switching the light on and off a specific number of times within a specific time period. The specific time period is, for example, 3 seconds.

[0032] The control IC 50 detects that the on / off switching of the input voltage associated with this specific switch operation occurs only a specific number of times within a specific time period. In this case, the control IC 50 first lights up the LED 92 with a second lighting pattern. The second lighting pattern transmits information other than the cumulative lighting time of the lighting fixture 200 through the number of blinks. This information other than the cumulative lighting time is, for example, model identification information.

[0033] Note that "flashing" refers to the LED92 alternately switching between two different dimming levels. Here, one flashing cycle is defined as the time it takes for the LED92 to switch from a dimming level of 100% to a dimming level of 5%.

[0034] Next, the control IC 50 lights up the LED 92 in the third lighting pattern. The third lighting pattern communicates the cumulative lighting time of the lighting fixture 200 by the amount of time the light remains off. The control IC 50 may communicate the cumulative lighting time of the lighting fixture 200 by, for example, increasing the time the light remains off by 0.1 seconds if it is 10,000 hours or less, 1 second if it is more than 10,000 hours but 20,000 hours or less, 2 seconds if it is more than 20,000 hours but 30,000 hours or less, and by 1 second for every 10,000 hours thereafter.

[0035] Next, the control IC 50 lights up the LED 92 in the first lighting pattern. The first lighting pattern is a lighting pattern that maintains a specific dimming level. The specific dimming level is, for example, a dimming level preset by the user. Here, we show the case where the specific dimming level is 50%.

[0036] As described above, the lighting fixture 200 according to this embodiment can easily transmit information, including various types of internal information, to the user by combining lighting patterns.

[0037] Embodiment 2 Figure 3 shows the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. The lighting pattern according to this embodiment differs from Embodiment 1 in that the dimming rate in the third lighting pattern is less than or equal to the dimming rate of the first lighting pattern.

[0038] In this embodiment, the dimming rate in the first lighting pattern is 50%. Also in this embodiment, the dimming rate in the third lighting pattern is 5%. That is, although the dimming rate of the third lighting pattern is less than or equal to that of the first lighting pattern, it is not completely off.

[0039] If the third lighting pattern is off, meaning the dimming rate in the third lighting pattern is 0%, the user may mistakenly believe that the lighting fixture 200 is malfunctioning. The likelihood of the user mistakenly believing the lighting fixture 200 is malfunctioning increases, especially if the third lighting pattern is maintained for an extended period.

[0040] In this embodiment, the dimming rate in the third lighting pattern is set to be lower than or equal to the dimming rate in the first lighting pattern. As a result, even if the third lighting pattern is maintained for a longer period of time, the likelihood of the user mistakenly believing that the lighting fixture 200 is malfunctioning can be reduced.

[0041] As described above, the lighting fixture 200 according to this embodiment can easily transmit information including various internal information to the user by combining lighting patterns. Furthermore, by setting the dimming rate in the third lighting pattern to a state lower than or equal to the dimming rate in the first lighting pattern, the lighting fixture 200 according to this embodiment can reduce the possibility that the user may mistakenly believe that the lighting fixture 200 is malfunctioning.

[0042] Embodiment 3 Figure 4 shows the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. The lighting pattern according to this embodiment differs from Embodiment 2 in that a lighting pattern indicating the completion of each lighting pattern is inserted after the second lighting pattern and after the third lighting pattern.

[0043] In this embodiment, the control IC 50 lights up the LED 92 in a second lighting pattern, and then lights up the LED 92 in a fourth lighting pattern. The fourth lighting pattern indicates that the second lighting pattern has been completed by maintaining the lit state. Here, the case where the dimming rate in the fourth lighting pattern is 100% is shown.

[0044] Next, the control IC 50 according to this embodiment lights up the LED 92 in the third lighting pattern. Furthermore, the control IC 50 according to this embodiment lights up the LED 92 in the fifth lighting pattern. The fifth lighting pattern indicates that the third lighting pattern has been completed by maintaining the lit state. Note that here, the case where the dimming rate in the fifth lighting pattern is 100% is shown. Next, the control IC 50 according to this embodiment lights up the LED 92 in the first lighting pattern.

[0045] When the second and third lighting patterns occur consecutively, the boundary between them can become ambiguous, making it difficult to convey information. In this embodiment, a lighting pattern indicating the completion of each pattern is inserted after the second and third lighting patterns. As a result, the boundary between the second and third lighting patterns becomes clearer, allowing for the transmission of more accurate information to the user.

[0046] As described above, the lighting fixture 200 according to this embodiment can easily transmit information, including various internal information, to the user by combining lighting patterns. Furthermore, the lighting fixture 200 according to this embodiment can transmit more accurate information to the user by inserting lighting patterns after the second and third lighting patterns to indicate that each lighting pattern has been completed.

[0047] Embodiment 4 Figure 5 shows the lighting pattern of a light source according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. The lighting pattern according to this embodiment differs from Embodiment 3 in that a lighting pattern indicating the start of the second lighting pattern is inserted after the switch operation and before the start of the second lighting pattern.

[0048] The control IC 50 according to this embodiment first detects that the on / off switching of the input voltage associated with a specific switch operation occurs only a specific number of times within a specific time. Next, the control IC 50 according to this embodiment lights up the LED 92 in a sixth lighting pattern. The sixth lighting pattern maintains the lit state, indicating that the second lighting pattern is about to begin. Here, the case where the dimming rate in the sixth lighting pattern is 100% is shown.

[0049] When a specific switch operation and a second lighting pattern occur consecutively, the boundary between the change in lighting state associated with the specific switch operation and the second lighting pattern can become ambiguous, making it difficult to convey information. In the lighting pattern according to this embodiment, a lighting pattern indicating the start of the second lighting pattern is inserted after the switch operation and before the start of the second lighting pattern. As a result, the boundary between the change in lighting state associated with the specific switch operation and the second lighting pattern becomes clearer, allowing the user to obtain more accurate information.

[0050] As described above, the lighting fixture 200 according to this embodiment can easily transmit information, including various internal information, to the user by combining lighting patterns. Furthermore, the lighting fixture 200 according to this embodiment can transmit more accurate information to the user by inserting a sixth lighting pattern before the second lighting pattern.

[0051] Embodiment 5 Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of a lighting fixture according to Embodiment 5 of this disclosure. The lighting fixture 200a according to this embodiment differs from lighting fixture 200 in that it always receives power supply from the commercial power supply 2.

[0052] The lighting fixture 200a is equipped with a lighting device 100a. The lighting device 100a controls the LED light source unit 90 using power supplied from the commercial power supply 2. Power is supplied from the commercial power supply 2 at all times.

[0053] The lighting fixture 200a also includes a lighting control controller 95. The lighting control controller 95 transmits a lighting control signal in response to the operation of a connected electronic switch. The lighting control signal is, for example, a signal that instructs the LED 92 to be turned on, turned off, or dimmed.

[0054] The lighting control signal transmitted from the lighting control controller 95 is received by the control IC 50a via the S1 terminal. Based on the received lighting control signal, the control IC 50a controls the lighting circuit to control the LED 92.

[0055] In this embodiment, the user can switch the LED 92 on and off by switching the electronic switch of the lighting control controller 95 on and off. In other words, instead of switching the input voltage of the commercial power supply 2 on and off by operating a switch, the user can achieve the objective of this disclosure by switching the LED 92 on and off.

[0056] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an overview of the lighting patterns of the light source according to Embodiments 5 and 6 of this disclosure. Here, we will explain the contents that are common to Embodiments 5 and 6 of this disclosure. The lighting patterns according to Embodiments 5 and 6 of this disclosure differ from Embodiment 4 in that the trigger for lighting the LED 92 in the first lighting pattern is the switching of the LED 92 on and off.

[0057] If the control IC 50 detects that the on / off switching of LED 92 occurs only a specific number of times within a specific time period, it will light up LED 92 with a lighting pattern that transmits internal information of the lighting fixture before lighting it with the first lighting pattern.

[0058] The explanation will follow a chronological order. As a premise, the lighting fixtures described in Figure 7 are assumed to always be powered by commercial power supply 2.

[0059] First, the user switches the LED92 on and off a specific number of times within a specific time period for a lighting fixture that has been turned off. The specific time period is, for example, 5 seconds. The control IC that implements the lighting pattern in Figure 7 detects that the LED92 has been switched on and off only a specific number of times within the specific time period. In this case, the control IC that implements the lighting pattern in Figure 7 lights up the LED92 using the sixth lighting pattern. Note that here, the case where the dimming rate in the sixth lighting pattern is 100% is shown. Subsequently, the control IC that implements the lighting pattern in Figure 7 lights up the LED92 in the second, fourth, third, fifth, and first patterns in order.

[0060] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the lighting pattern of the light source according to Embodiment 5 of this disclosure. The graph shown in Figure 8, from top to bottom, shows the input voltage from the commercial power supply 2, the switch state of the electronic switch of the lighting control controller 95, the lighting control signal, and the dimming rate of the LED 92. The lighting pattern according to this embodiment differs from Embodiment 6, which will be described later, in that the lighting on / off switching of the LED 92 is performed by the lighting control controller 95.

[0061] Let's explain this in chronological order. First, the user performs a specific switch operation on the lighting fixture 200a, which is currently in the off state. This specific switch operation is achieved by the user operating an electronic switch connected to the lighting control controller 95.

[0062] The specific switch operation will be explained in more detail. First, the user presses the electronic switch once when LED92 is lit at 50% dimming. As a result, the electronic switch changes from the off state to the on state and then back to the off state. The lighting control controller 95 uses this change in switch state as a trigger to change the lighting control signal it transmits from a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signal to a High signal. With this change in lighting control signal, LED92 switches from the lit state to the off state.

[0063] Next, the user presses the electronic switch again. As a result, the electronic switch changes from the off state to the on state, and then back to the off state. The lighting control controller 95 uses this change in switch state as a trigger to change the lighting control signal it transmits from a High signal to a PWM signal. In conjunction with this change in the lighting control signal, the LED 92 switches from the off state to the on state.

[0064] Similarly, the user presses the electronic switch multiple times to ensure that the LED 92 is switched on and off a specific number of times within a specific time period. The control IC 50a detects that the LED 92 has been switched on and off only a specific number of times within a specific time period. In this case, the control IC 50a lights up the LED 92 in the sixth, second, fourth, third, fifth, and first patterns in sequence.

[0065] As described above, the lighting fixture 200a according to this embodiment enables switching the LED 92 on and off using the lighting control controller 95. As a result, even when the lighting fixture 200a according to this embodiment is always receiving power from the commercial power supply 2, it can easily transmit information including various internal information to the user.

[0066] Embodiment 6 Figure 9 shows an example of the configuration of a lighting fixture according to Embodiment 6 of this disclosure. The lighting fixture 200b according to this embodiment differs from the lighting fixture 200a in that it is remotely controllable.

[0067] The lighting fixture 200b includes a lighting device 100b. The lighting device 100b includes a light receiver 96. The light receiver 96 enables remote control of the lighting fixture 200b by receiving a lighting control signal from a remote control 97, which will be described later. The light receiver 96 is, for example, an infrared light receiver. If the light receiver 96 is an infrared light receiver, the lighting control signal from the remote control 97 is an infrared signal.

[0068] The light-on control signal received by the light receiver 96 is transmitted to the control IC 50a via the S1 terminal. Based on the received light-on control signal, the control IC 50a controls the lighting circuit to control the LED 92.

[0069] Figure 10 shows the remote control operation according to Embodiment 6 of this disclosure. The remote control operation shown in Figure 10 is assumed to be performed by a right-handed user with their right hand. Therefore, Figure 10 shows the remote control operation performed by pressing a button with the right thumb.

[0070] The diagram on the left of Figure 10 shows the operation of the remote control when turning on the LED 92. The remote control 97 has an on switch 98 and an off switch 99. The user turns on the LED 92 by pressing the on switch 98 with the thumb of their right hand.

[0071] The diagram on the right of Figure 10 shows the remote control operation when turning off LED 92. The user changes LED 92 back to the on state by pressing the off switch 99 with their right thumb.

[0072] The off switch 99 is positioned slightly to the left of the center on the top surface of the remote control 97. Therefore, the user can easily switch the LED 92 on and off by simply moving their right thumb between the on switch 98 and the off switch 99, without having to switch the remote control 97 between their right and left hands.

[0073] In this embodiment, the user can switch the LED 92 on and off by switching the on / off switch 98 and the off switch 99 of the remote control 97. In other words, instead of switching the input voltage of the commercial power supply 2 on and off by operating a switch, the user can achieve the objective of this disclosure by switching the LED 92 on and off.

[0074] Figure 11 is a diagram showing the lighting pattern of a light source according to Embodiment 6 of this disclosure. The graph shown in Figure 11, from top to bottom, shows the input voltage from the commercial power supply 2, the switch state of the lighting switch 98, the switch state of the off switch 99, the infrared signal, and the dimming rate of the LED 92. The lighting pattern according to this embodiment differs from Embodiment 6, which will be described later, in that the on / off switching of the LED 92 is performed by the remote control 97.

[0075] Let's explain this in chronological order. First, the user performs a specific switch operation on the lighting fixture 200b, which is currently in the off state. This specific switch operation is achieved by the user operating the on switch 98 and the off switch 99 on the remote control 97.

[0076] The specific switch operation will be explained in more detail. First, when the LED 92 is lit at 50% dimming, the user presses the off switch 99 once. As a result, the switch state of the off switch 99 changes from the off state to the on state and then back to the off state. The remote control 97 transmits an infrared signal triggered by this change in switch state. The infrared signal may be transmitted as one frame, or the same signal may be transmitted repeatedly for a specific number of frames.

[0077] The control IC 50a decodes the received infrared signal. This decoding process requires a certain amount of time. Therefore, the control IC 50a switches LED 92 from the on state to the off state after a certain amount of time has elapsed since receiving the infrared signal.

[0078] Next, the user presses the power switch 98. As a result, the power switch 98 changes from the off state to the on state, and then back to the off state. The remote control 97 uses this change in the switch state as a trigger to transmit an infrared signal.

[0079] The control IC 50a decodes the received infrared signal. This decoding process requires a certain amount of time. Therefore, the control IC 50a switches LED 92 from the off state to the on state after a certain amount of time has elapsed since receiving the infrared signal.

[0080] Similarly, the user presses the on switch 98 and the off switch 99 alternately multiple times to ensure that the on / off switching of the LED 92 occurs a specific number of times within a specific time period. The control IC 50a detects that the on / off switching of the LED 92 has occurred only a specific number of times within a specific time period. In this case, the control IC 50a lights up the LED 92 in the sixth, second, fourth, third, fifth, and first patterns in sequence.

[0081] As described above, the lighting fixture 200b according to this embodiment enables switching the LED 92 on and off using the remote control 97. As a result, even when the lighting fixture 200b according to this embodiment is always receiving power from the commercial power supply 2, it can easily transmit information, including various internal information, to the user.

[0082] The LED 92 lighting patterns shown in this disclosure are written to a program stored in a memory (not shown) of the lighting fixture 200. This program is computer-readable and causes the control IC 50 to perform the process of lighting the LED 92 according to each lighting pattern.

[0083] Furthermore, this program can be rewritten externally. If the lighting fixture 200 is connected to a network, the user can also rewrite the program remotely, for example, via the internet.

[0084] As described above, the lighting patterns of the LED92 shown in this disclosure can be modified by external rewriting. Therefore, the lighting fixture 200 shown in this disclosure can transmit various types of information, which can lead to further solution businesses.

[0085] The aspects of this disclosure are summarized below as an appendix.

[0086] (Note 1) It comprises a lighting circuit for turning on a light source and a control IC for controlling the lighting circuit. The aforementioned control IC is If it is detected that the input voltage is switched on and off or the light source is switched on and off only a specific number of times, the light source is configured to be switched on with a lighting pattern that transmits internal information before being switched on with a first lighting pattern that lights up at a specific dimming rate. The lighting pattern that transmits the aforementioned internal information is: A second lighting pattern is used to convey information other than the cumulative lighting time, based on the number of flashes. A third lighting pattern that transmits the cumulative lighting time, depending on the time the state is maintained. has Lighting device. (Note 2) The time for which the aforementioned state is maintained is the time for which the lights are off. The lighting device described in Appendix 1. (Note 3) The time for maintaining the aforementioned state is the time for maintaining the lighting state at or below the specified dimming rate. The lighting device described in Appendix 1. (Note 4) The lighting pattern that transmits the aforementioned internal information is: A fourth lighting pattern is inserted after the second lighting pattern and maintains the lit state to indicate that the second lighting pattern has been completed, A fifth lighting pattern is inserted after the third lighting pattern and maintains the lit state to indicate that the third lighting pattern has been completed, Furthermore, it has A lighting device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 3. (Note 5) The lighting pattern that transmits the aforementioned internal information is: The system further comprises a sixth lighting pattern, which is inserted before the second lighting pattern and maintains a lit state to indicate that the second lighting pattern has started. A lighting device as described in any one of the appendices 1 through 4. (Note 6) A lighting device described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5, and a lighting fixture equipped with the aforementioned light source. (Note 7) Equipped with the lighting fixtures and wall switches described in Appendix 6, The on / off switching of the input voltage is achieved by the user operating the wall switch. Lighting system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0087] 100 Lighting device 200 lighting fixtures

Claims

1. It comprises a lighting circuit for turning on a light source and a control IC for controlling the lighting circuit, The aforementioned control IC is If it is detected that the input voltage is switched on and off or the light source is switched on and off only a specific number of times, the light source is configured to be switched on with a lighting pattern that transmits internal information before being switched on with a first lighting pattern that lights up at a specific dimming rate. The lighting pattern that transmits the aforementioned internal information is: A second lighting pattern is used to convey information other than the cumulative lighting time, based on the number of flashes. A third lighting pattern that transmits the cumulative lighting time, depending on the time the state is maintained. has Lighting device.

2. The time for which the aforementioned state is maintained is the time for which the lights are off. The lighting device according to claim 1.

3. The time for maintaining the aforementioned state is the time for maintaining the lighting state at or below the specified dimming rate. The lighting device according to claim 1.

4. The lighting pattern that transmits the aforementioned internal information is: A fourth lighting pattern is inserted after the second lighting pattern and maintains the lit state to indicate that the second lighting pattern has been completed, A fifth lighting pattern is inserted after the third lighting pattern and maintains the lit state to indicate that the third lighting pattern has been completed, Furthermore, it has The lighting device according to claim 1.

5. The lighting pattern that transmits the aforementioned internal information is: The system further comprises a sixth lighting pattern, which is inserted before the second lighting pattern and maintains a lit state to indicate that the second lighting pattern has started. The lighting device according to claim 1.

6. A lighting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and a lighting fixture comprising the light source.

7. A lighting fixture according to claim 6, and a wall switch, The on / off switching of the input voltage is achieved by the user operating the wall switch. Lighting system.

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