Lighting system and remote controller

Abstract

To provide a lighting system performing pairing processing between external equipment and a lighting unit by operating a remote controller.SOLUTION: A lighting system 1 includes: a lighting unit 2 comprising a lighting device 5 and electrical equipment 6; a remote controller 3 operating the lighting unit 2 by transmitting a wireless signal of a first method as an operation signal; and external equipment 4 capable of operating the lighting unit 2 by pairing processing. A lighting operation acceptor 16 provided in the remote controller 3 accepts a pairing command from a user, and transmits a pairing command signal from a first method transmitter 10 to the lighting device 5. Then, a first method acceptor 8 provided in the lighting device 5 accepts the pairing command signal, and a pairing processing execution section 7 of the lighting device 5 executes pairing processing between the lighting unit 2 and the external equipment 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting system and a remote controller. [Background technology]

[0002] Some mobile phones and the like are provided with a communication function (e.g., Bluetooth (registered trademark)). By using the communication function, data can be sent and received between the mobile phone and the like and an electrical appliance, improving convenience.

[0003] Related technology is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses that an audio device and a mobile phone are connected via wireless communication means such as Bluetooth, that the sound of an audio source from the mobile phone is played on the audio device, and that a hands-free function of the mobile phone is controlled via an operating means provided on the audio device to enable a call in hands-free mode.

[0004] Meanwhile, various functions are being built into electrical appliances. In this regard, Patent Document 2 discloses furniture with built-in speakers, in which speakers are built into lighting devices installed on the ceiling. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-124271 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-55331 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The inventors of the present application have considered equipping a lighting unit with a communication function for communicating with external devices outside the lighting unit, such as a mobile phone, which would enable the lighting unit to be operated using the external device, thereby improving convenience.

[0007] However, in order to use the communication function between the lighting unit and an external device, an initial setting process (connection establishment process) called a pairing process may be required. Through the pairing process, a wireless communication device (parent device) included in the lighting unit searches for child devices (external devices) in the vicinity using radio waves. If a child device is present, the parent device recognizes the child device. Thereafter, communication between the parent device and the child device becomes possible. In other words, communication between the lighting unit and the external device becomes possible.

[0008] In order to execute the pairing process, the lighting unit must be operated. However, in cases where the lighting unit is installed in a place that is difficult for the user to reach, such as on a ceiling, operating the lighting unit is a significant burden for the user. In such cases and other cases, there are cases where it is desired to execute pairing without directly operating the lighting unit.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to easily perform pairing between an external device and a lighting unit without directly operating the lighting unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] a lighting unit attached to a ceiling and including a lighting device and an electrical device; a remote controller that operates the lighting unit by transmitting a wireless signal of a first method as an operation signal; A lighting system including an external device that can operate the lighting unit through a pairing process, the lighting unit includes a lighting section having a light emitting function using an LED, a first-system receiving section for receiving the operation signal, and a second-system communication section and a pairing process execution section for performing wireless communication using a second system with an external device located outside the lighting unit; the external device has a transceiver unit for performing wireless communication according to a second system; The lighting unit includes a microcomputer, is communicatively connected to the lighting unit, and is controlled via the microcomputer; the remote controller includes a pairing instruction receiving unit that receives, from a user, a pairing instruction for instructing execution of a pairing process that enables wireless communication between the lighting unit and the external device according to the second method via the second method communication unit, and a first method transmitting unit that generates a pairing instruction signal as the operation signal when the pairing instruction is received and transmits the pairing instruction signal to the lighting unit, The lighting unit is characterized in that, when the first-system receiving section receives the pairing instruction signal, the pairing process executing section executes pairing process between the lighting unit and the external device.

[0011] A lighting system according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises: The pairing instruction receiving section in the remote controller is characterized in that it is configured with a button dedicated to pairing instructions or a button for receiving lighting operations.

[0012] A remote controller according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises: The present invention is characterized in that it is used in the lighting system. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, pairing between an external device and a lighting unit can be easily performed without directly operating the lighting unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a block diagram showing a lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of a remote controller. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for performing a pairing process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a lighting system 1 according to the present embodiment. The lighting system 1 includes a lighting unit 2 and a remote controller 3.

[0016] The lighting unit 2 is installed on the ceiling of a room by, for example, being attached to a hook ceiling or the like. The lighting unit 2 includes a lighting device 5 and a sound device 6.

[0017] The lighting device 5 has a lighting section 9, an IR receiving section 8 (first type receiving section), and a lighting side microcomputer .

[0018] The illumination unit 9 has a function of emitting light, and is realized by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

[0019] The IR receiving unit 8 has a function of receiving an infrared signal (IR signal; a wireless signal of the first system).

[0020] The lighting-side microcomputer 7 has a function of controlling the operation of the lighting unit 9 in response to an IR signal received by the IR receiving unit 8. In addition, the lighting-side microcomputer 7 has a function of communicating with the audio device 6.

[0021] The audio device 6 includes a speaker 13, a BT transmission / reception unit 14 (second method communication unit), and a speaker-side microcomputer 12 (pairing process execution unit).

[0022] The BT transmission / reception unit 14 has a function for the speaker side microcomputer 12 to perform short-distance wireless communication with an external device 4 (external device having a BT transmission / reception unit 15) compatible with the Bluetooth system by using a wireless signal (BT radio wave) of the Bluetooth system (second system). The external device 4 may be a device separate from the lighting unit 2 and outside the lighting unit 2, and in this case is a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer.

[0023] The speaker-side microcomputer 12 has a function of controlling the speaker 13. The speaker-side microcomputer 12 also has a function of communicating with the lighting device 5. In addition, the speaker-side microcomputer 12 has a function of communicating with the external device 4 via the BT transmission / reception unit 14. In particular, the speaker-side microcomputer 12 becomes capable of communicating with the external device 4 after performing pairing processing (initial setting processing that enables wireless communication in the Bluetooth system between the external device 4 and the lighting unit 2 (here, the audio device 6 (speaker-side microcomputer 12))) with the external device 4 as an initial setting via the BT transmission / reception unit 14.

[0024] The remote controller 3 is used to remotely control the lighting unit 2. The remote controller 3 includes a transmission unit 10 (a first method transmission unit), a pairing instruction reception unit 11, and a lighting operation reception unit 16.

[0025] The lighting operation receiving unit 16 is used to receive lighting operation instructions. A user can input a lighting operation instruction by operating the lighting operation receiving unit 16. The pairing instruction receiving unit 11 is used to receive a pairing instruction. A user can input a pairing instruction to the remote controller 3 by operating the pairing instruction receiving unit 11. The pairing instruction is an instruction to execute a pairing process between the external device 4 and the lighting unit 2 (here, the audio device 6 (speaker-side microcomputer 12)).

[0026] The transmission unit 10 has a function of generating an operation signal in response to an instruction received by the lighting operation receiving unit 16 or the pairing instruction receiving unit 11, and transmitting the operation signal to the lighting device 5 as an IR signal.

[0027] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of the remote controller 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the remote controller 3 is provided with buttons marked "brighter" and "darker" as a lighting operation receiving unit 16. The remote controller 3 is also provided with a "pairing button" as a pairing instruction receiving unit 11. When the user presses these buttons, the transmitting unit 10 generates an operation signal indicating an operation corresponding to the pressed button by an IR signal, and transmits the operation signal to the lighting device 5.

[0028] Next, a method of operating the lighting system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0029] A user can control the lighting function of the lighting unit 2 using the remote controller 3. That is, the user inputs a lighting instruction to the remote controller 3 by operating the lighting operation receiving section 16. Then, in the remote controller 3, the transmitting section 10 generates a signal indicating the input lighting instruction as a lighting operation signal, and transmits it to the lighting device 5 by IR signal (see FIG. 1). In the lighting device 5, the IR receiving section 8 receives the lighting operation signal. The received lighting operation signal is sent to the lighting-side microcomputer 7. The lighting-side microcomputer 7 controls the operation of the lighting section 9 in accordance with the acquired lighting operation signal. This allows the user to adjust the illuminance of the lighting unit 9.

[0030] In the lighting system 1 according to the present embodiment, the audio device 6 is provided with a Bluetooth transmission / reception unit 14. This allows the user to operate the lighting unit 2 using the external device 4. For example, the user can send music data stored in the external device 4 to the audio device 6 by Bluetooth (Bluetooth radio waves). In the audio device 6, the speaker-side microcomputer 12 acquires the music data via the Bluetooth transmission / reception unit 14. The speaker-side microcomputer 12 reproduces the acquired music data through the speaker 13. In addition to using the remote controller 3, the user can also operate the external device 4 by using the Bluetooth transmission / reception unit 14. It is also possible to operate the lighting function of the lighting device 5 by transmitting the operation command to the audio device 6 via the BT radio waves by operating the external device 4. In the audio device 6, the speaker-side microcomputer 12 receives the operation command via the BT transmission / reception unit 14 and transmits the received operation command to the lighting-side microcomputer 7. The lighting-side microcomputer 7 controls the operation of the lighting unit 9 based on the received operation command.

[0031] As described above, the speaker-side microcomputer 12 needs to perform pairing processing in order to communicate with the external device 4 via the BT transceiver 14. The operation method of the lighting system 1 during pairing will be described below. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the execution method of the pairing processing.

[0032] Step S1: Accept pairing instruction When a user wishes to perform pairing processing, the user operates the pairing instruction receiving unit 11 of the remote controller 3 to input a pairing instruction.

[0033] Step S2: Send pairing command signal When the pairing instruction is input, the transmitter 10 generates a pairing instruction signal and transmits it to the lighting device 5 as an IR signal.

[0034] Step S3: Receiving pairing instruction signal In the lighting device 5, the IR receiving unit 8 receives the pairing instruction signal. The received pairing instruction signal is sent from the lighting device 5 to the speaker-side microcomputer 12 of the audio device 6. Note that the pairing instruction signal received by the IR receiving unit 8 may be supplied to the speaker-side microcomputer 12 without passing through the lighting-side microcomputer 7 (see FIG. 1), or may be supplied to the speaker-side microcomputer 12 via the lighting-side microcomputer 7.

[0035] Step S4: Execute pairing process When the speaker-side microcomputer 12 acquires the pairing instruction signal, it executes pairing processing (the contents of the pairing processing can be publicly known) via the BT transmission / reception unit 14. That is, the speaker-side microcomputer 12 executes pairing processing via the BT transmission / reception unit 14, and establishes a connection with an external device 4 present in the vicinity (for example, the external device 4 is also in a mode in which pairing can be executed). After that, the BT transmission / reception unit 14 becomes capable of communicating with the external device 4.

[0036] As described above, according to this embodiment, since the pairing instruction receiving unit 11 is provided in the remote controller 3, the user can operate the remote controller 3 to execute pairing processing for the audio device 6 (BT transceiver unit 14) attached to the ceiling that is difficult for the user to reach. The pairing processing can be executed without touching the audio device 6, reducing the workload required by the user. Also, since the pairing instruction receiving unit 11 is a dedicated button for pairing, according to this embodiment, pairing can be started easily.

[0037] In the present embodiment, the case where infrared communication is used as the communication method (first method) between the remote controller 3 and the lighting device 5 has been described. Also, the case where Bluetooth is used as the communication method (second method) between the audio device 6 and the external device 4 has been described. However, the first and second methods are not limited to these communication methods, and other communication methods may also be used. The external device 4 may be a remote controller of a device other than the lighting device 5, a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, or the like.

[0038] In the present embodiment, the lighting unit 2 includes an audio device 6 and an illumination device 5, and the audio device 6 is provided with a BT transmission / reception unit 14. However, the BT transmission / reception unit 14 does not necessarily have to be implemented on the audio device 6 side, and may be implemented on the illumination device 5 side. In this case, the illumination side microcomputer 7 may operate as a pairing process execution unit that executes the pairing process. Furthermore, the lighting unit 2 does not necessarily have to include an audio device 6. The illumination device 5 may be operable by the external device 4 through the pairing process. Furthermore, the audio device 6 may be a video playback device. The second method communication unit and the pairing process execution unit may be mounted on another electrical device such as a ceiling or an air conditioner. The second method communication unit and the pairing process execution unit may be mounted on another electrical device. The lighting unit 2 may be installed somewhere other than on the ceiling. Even in this case, the pairing process can be executed without touching the audio device 6.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the pairing instruction receiving unit 11 is a dedicated button for pairing, but is not limited to this. The pairing instruction may be received by pressing and holding an existing button (for example, the lighting operation receiving unit 16), or by pressing an existing button a predetermined number of times and / or in a predetermined order.

[0040] The present invention has been described above using one embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and also includes modifications of the above embodiment as appropriate.

[0041] (Additional Note) A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0042] (Appendix 1) A lighting unit; a remote controller that operates the lighting unit by transmitting a wireless signal of a first method as an operation signal; the lighting unit includes a first-system receiving unit that receives the operation signal, and a second-system communication unit that performs wireless communication according to a second system with an external device outside the lighting unit, the remote controller includes a pairing instruction receiving unit that receives, from a user, a pairing instruction for instructing execution of a pairing process that enables wireless communication between the lighting unit and the external device according to the second method via the second method communication unit, and a first method transmitting unit that generates a pairing instruction signal as the operation signal when the pairing instruction is received and transmits the pairing instruction signal to the lighting unit, The lighting unit further includes a pairing process execution unit that executes the pairing process with the external device when the first method receiving unit receives the pairing instruction signal. A lighting system comprising:

[0043] (Appendix 2) The lighting unit includes: A lighting device that emits light; An electrical device communicatively connected to the lighting device; 2. The lighting system of claim 1, comprising:

[0044] (Appendix 3) the second-system communication unit and the pairing process execution unit are implemented in the electrical device, the first-system receiving unit is mounted on the lighting device, the lighting device receives the pairing instruction signal by the first method receiving unit, The pairing process execution unit receives the pairing instruction signal via the lighting device. 3. The lighting system according to claim 2,

[0045] (Appendix 4) The pairing instruction receiving unit is configured with a button dedicated to pairing instructions. 4. A lighting system according to claim 1,

[0046] (Appendix 5) The lighting unit is mounted on a ceiling. 5. A lighting system according to claim 1,

[0047] (Appendix 6) A remote controller for use in the lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

[0048] (Appendix 7) A method for operating a lighting system in which wireless communication according to a first system and wireless communication according to a second system are performed, comprising: receiving, from a user, a pairing instruction from a remote controller to execute a pairing process that enables wireless communication between a lighting unit and an external device outside the lighting unit according to the second method; generating a pairing instruction signal by the remote controller using a wireless signal of the first system in response to the pairing instruction, and transmitting the pairing instruction signal to the lighting unit; receiving the pairing instruction signal by the lighting unit; When the pairing instruction signal is received, the lighting unit executes the pairing process; 13. A method of operating a lighting system comprising:

[0049] The present invention is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-044276 filed on Feb. 29, 2012. The entire specification, claims, and drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-044276 are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1. Lighting system 2 Lighting Unit 3 Remote Controller 4 External equipment 5. Lighting equipment 6. Sound equipment (electrical equipment) 7 Lighting microcomputer (pairing process execution unit) 8 IR receiver (first method receiver) 9. Lighting Section 10 Transmission unit (first method transmission unit) 11 Pairing instruction reception section 12 Speaker side microcomputer 13 Speaker 14 BT transceiver unit (second method communication unit) 15 BT transceiver unit (second method communication unit) 16 Lighting operation reception desk

Claims

1. A lighting system including a lighting unit having a lighting device and an electric device, a remote controller, and an external device outside the lighting unit, the lighting device performs wireless communication with the remote controller using infrared signals as a first method, the electrical device performs wireless communication with the external device using a second method different from the first method, the remote controller is capable of transmitting a lighting operation signal and a pairing instruction signal to the lighting unit through wireless communication according to the first method, When the lighting unit receives the lighting operation signal, the lighting unit controls a lighting function of the lighting device, and when the lighting unit receives the pairing instruction signal, the lighting unit executes a pairing process with the external device to enable wireless communication between the electric device and the external device according to the second method. A lighting system comprising:

2. the lighting device is provided with a first-system receiving unit configured to receive a wireless communication signal according to the first system; The electrical device is provided with a second-system communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the external device and a pairing process execution unit that executes a pairing process.

2. The lighting system according to claim 1 .

3. The lighting unit is mounted on a ceiling.

2. The lighting system according to claim 1 .

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