Management system, lighting device, and wireless tag

Abstract

To provide a management system, a lighting device, and a wireless tag that can reduce a wireless signal.SOLUTION: A management system A1 includes a controller Ct, a plurality of lighting devices L each having unique identification information, and a plurality of wireless tags Wt, and the controller Ct and the plurality of lighting devices L communicate with each other through first wireless communication using a first wireless wave, and the wireless tag Wt transmits unique wireless tag information Ws through second wireless communication using a second wireless wave, the plurality of lighting devices L includes a lighting device L set to a switching mode in which a first state in which the first wireless communication is performed and the second wireless communication is not performed, and a second state in which the second wireless communication is performed but the first wireless communication is not performed are switched.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system, a lighting device, and a wireless tag.

Background Art

[0002] Various management systems for remotely managing a plurality of devices have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a conventional management system. The management system disclosed in this document includes a plurality of lighting fixtures and devices, and detects the positions of the plurality of devices. The plurality of lighting fixtures and devices perform two-way wireless communication using beacons. This enables the detection of the positions of the devices with respect to the plurality of lighting fixtures.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above system, each of the plurality of lighting devices and the devices transmit and receive signals. Therefore, when the number of lighting fixtures and devices increases, interference, congestion, etc. may occur, and the accuracy of position detection may decrease.

[0005] The present invention has been conceived under the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a management system, a lighting device, and a wireless tag capable of reducing wireless signals.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The management system provided by the first aspect of the present invention is a management system including a control device, a plurality of relay units each having unique identification information, and a plurality of wireless tags. The control device and the plurality of relay units communicate with each other by first wireless communication using a first radio wave. The wireless tags transmit unique wireless tag information by second wireless communication using a second radio wave. The plurality of relay units include the relay units set to a switching mode that switches between a first state in which the first wireless communication is performed and the second wireless communication is not performed, and a second state in which the second wireless communication is performed and the first wireless communication is not performed.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control device simultaneously transmits a setting signal including the identification information of the relay units set to the switching mode to the plurality of relay units. Among the plurality of relay units, the relay unit in which the identification information included in the setting signal matches the identification information of its own unit is set to the switching mode.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of relay units include relay units constituted by lighting devices including a light source unit, a lighting device side control unit that controls the light source unit, a first wireless communication unit that performs the first wireless communication, and a second wireless communication unit that performs the second wireless communication. When the relay unit constituted by the lighting device is set to the switching mode, the lighting device side control unit uses the first wireless communication unit of the wireless communication module in the first state and uses the second wireless communication unit of the wireless communication module in the second state. The control device transmits a lighting control signal for controlling the lighting state of the lighting device by the first wireless communication.

[0009] The lighting device provided by the second aspect of the present invention is a lighting device used in the management system provided by the first aspect of the present invention, and further includes a lighting device side storage unit that stores the identification information. The lighting device side control unit creates transfer data including the wireless tag information received from the wireless tag by the second wireless communication and a time stamp, and transmits the transfer data by the first wireless communication from the first wireless communication unit.

[0010] The wireless tag provided by the third aspect of the present invention is a wireless tag used in the management system provided by the first aspect of the present invention, and is incorporated in a portable item carried by a user. It has a wireless communication unit, a wireless tag side control unit, a wireless tag side storage unit, and a power supply unit. The power supply unit has an antenna unit that receives radio waves, and is configured by a self-power generation unit that performs power generation by electromagnetic induction generated by radio wave reception by the antenna unit, or has a light receiving unit having a photoelectric conversion function and performs power generation by light reception of the light receiving unit. Using the power generated by the power supply unit, the wireless tag side control unit transmits the wireless tag information stored in the wireless tag side storage unit from the wireless communication unit by the second wireless communication.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wireless tag side control unit determines whether the power generated by power generation using the light receiving unit of the power supply unit is in a first power range or a second power range that is a lower power range than the first power range. When the power generated by power generation using the light receiving unit is within the second power range, the wireless tag side control unit reduces the transmission frequency of the wireless tag information compared to the case where the power generated by power generation using the light receiving unit is within the first power range.

Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, wireless signals can be reduced.

[0013] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] Terms such as "first", "second", "third", etc. in the present disclosure are used merely for identification and are not intended to assign an order to those objects.

[0017] <First Embodiment> Figs. 1 to 10 show a management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the management system A1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of lighting devices L, a control device Ct, and a plurality of wireless tags Wt. In addition, the management system A1 includes a setting device Md, an external storage device Sd, and a clock unit Ut in addition to these components. Note that the management system A1 may be configured to include all or any of the setting device Md, the external storage device Sd, and the clock unit Ut. The management system A1 is a system that performs management using a plurality of wireless tags Wt.

[0018] 〔Lighting Device L (Relay Unit)〕 The lighting device L is a specific example of the relay unit in the present invention. The specific example of the relay unit is not limited to the lighting device L. For example, a relay unit with a dedicated configuration obtained by removing the light source unit 11 from the lighting device L described hereinafter may be used.

[0019] A plurality of lighting devices L are used, for example, for indoor lighting and are installed at various locations such as on the ceiling, wall surface, floor surface, etc. Also, the lighting device L may be configured for outdoor lighting. The specific form of the lighting device L is not limited at all, and various forms such as straight tube lighting, high ceiling lighting, ceiling light, downlight, base light, spotlight, etc. can be appropriately adopted. In the following description, when describing the general configuration of the lighting device L, it is referred to as the lighting device L, and when distinguishing a plurality of lighting devices L, symbols such as lighting device L1, ··· lighting device Ln may be appropriately used. The plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln in FIG. 1 may have the same configuration for each, or a part of them may be common to each other, or they may have different configurations and different forms. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the case where the plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln have the same configuration will be described as an example.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the lighting device L. The lighting device L includes a light source unit 11, a control unit 12, a storage unit 13, a wireless communication module 14, and a power supply unit 15.

[0021] The light source unit 11 is a part that performs a light-emitting function in the lighting device L. The specific configuration of the light source unit 11 is not limited at all. For example, it consists of a substrate and a plurality of LEDs mounted in a row on the substrate. Also, the lighting device L appropriately has a transparent or translucent cover (not shown) that transmits the light from the light source unit 11.

[0022] The control unit 12 is for controlling each part of the lighting device L based on a control signal from a control device Ct or the like. The control unit 12 corresponds to the lighting device side control unit in the present invention. The specific configuration of the control unit 12 is not particularly limited, and for example, it consists of a CPU. The storage unit 13 is for storing information necessary for the control of the control unit 12 and, for example, consists of a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 13 corresponds to the lighting device side storage unit in the present invention. Note that the storage unit 13 is not limited to being built in the housing (not shown) of the lighting device L and may be detachably provided outside the housing of the lighting device L.

[0023] The wireless communication module 14 is a communication unit for performing wireless communication between the control device Ct, other lighting devices L constituting the communication network, and at least any one of the plurality of wireless tags Wt, and is a module for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. The wireless communication module 14 is connected to the control unit 12, for example, by UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) communication, but is not limited thereto. The wireless communication module 14 of the present embodiment has a first wireless communication unit 141 and a second wireless communication unit 142.

[0024] To exemplify the functions of the wireless communication module 14, it receives data from the control device Ct and transmits a signal (for example, a specified signal) included in the received data to the control unit 12. Also, it transmits an acknowledgment signal indicating that it has received data to the control device Ct. Further, it may transmit a status information signal indicating the operating status of the lighting device L to the control device Ct.

[0025] In the present embodiment, identification information such as the unique lighting device ID possessed by each of the plurality of lighting devices L is stored in the wireless communication module 14. Specific examples of the identification information are not particularly limited, and are, for example, MAC (Media Access Control) addresses and location information. Note that the lighting device ID may be stored in either the first wireless communication unit 141 or the second wireless communication unit 142, or in other components of the wireless communication module 14 other than these, or may be stored in the storage unit 13, for example. When the wireless communication module 14 recognizes that a received signal is a signal for its own lighting device ID (identification information), it transmits the signal to the control unit 12.

[0026] The first wireless communication unit 141 is for performing first wireless communication with the control device Ct and other lighting devices L using first radio waves. The first wireless communication using the first radio waves is not limited in any way, and in the present embodiment, it will be described as wireless communication using a first protocol. The communication frequency of the wireless communication using the first protocol is not limited in any way, and examples include the 920 MHz band, 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, etc. Also, specific examples of the first protocol are not particularly limited, and examples include Bluetooth (registered trademark) including BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), Zigbee (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or a protocol of an original standard. In the present embodiment, a plurality of lighting devices L having the first wireless communication unit 141 and the control device Ct construct a first wireless communication network Cn1, which is a mesh network shown in FIG. 1, by an original protocol using first radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band, for example. Since the first protocol is used for transferring various data between a plurality of lighting devices L as will be described later, a protocol that can ensure the transfer speed and reliability required for those data transfers and can construct a mesh network is selected.

[0027] Note that in this embodiment, the control device Ct is the root node of the first wireless communication network Cn1. Any one of the plurality of lighting devices L may function as a GM (gate module). The gate module is the root node of the cluster and is connected to the control device Ct. At this time, the gate module constructs a mesh network together with other gate modules and communicates with the control device Ct. The gate module constantly evaluates the communication quality with other gate modules and the control device Ct, and automatically connects to the partner with the best communication quality. Similarly, the lighting device L also constantly evaluates the communication quality with other lighting devices L or gate modules, and automatically connects to the partner with the best communication quality. Both the normal lighting device L and the lighting device L that functions as a gate module have the same hardware configuration. The software installed in the lighting device L may be made different, or it may be switched to operate as a normal lighting device L or as a gate module by mode switching.

[0028] The second wireless communication unit 142 is for performing second wireless communication using the wireless tag Wt and the second radio wave. The second radio wave is a radio wave different from the first radio wave, and the frequency band and protocol are different from each other. The second wireless communication using the second radio wave is not limited in any way. In this embodiment, it will be described as wireless communication using the second protocol. The communication frequency of the wireless communication using the second protocol is not limited in any way, and for example, the 920 MHz band, 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz band, etc. are exemplified. Also, the specific example of the second protocol is not particularly limited, and for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) including BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), Zigbee (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or a protocol of an original standard, etc. are exemplified. As the second protocol, for example, when it is intended to perform wireless communication with a wireless tag Wt located at a short distance, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) is selected.

[0029] Further, either or both of the first wireless communication unit 141 and the second wireless communication unit 142 may transmit a beacon signal. The beacon signal is transmitted at predetermined intervals. The transmission interval of the beacon signal is set by, for example, a setting signal from the control device Ct, and is, for example, 100 to 500 ms. By increasing the output interval, power consumption can be suppressed.

[0030] The beacon signal may include identification information (lighting device ID) of the own device of the lighting device L. Further, the beacon signal may include a timestamp. This identification information may be position information directly indicating the position of the lighting device L, or may be a MAC address or the like.

[0031] The power supply unit 15 is for supplying power necessary for operation to the light source unit 11, the control unit 12, the wireless communication module 14, etc. The power supply unit 15 has, for example, a function as an AC / DC converter that converts commercial AC 100V or 200V power into DC power, a voltage conversion function, and the like.

[0032] The relay unit including the lighting device L can be set to a switching mode. The switching mode is a mode for switching between a first state and a second state. The first state is a state in which first wireless communication using the first radio wave is performed and second wireless communication using the second radio wave is not performed. The second state is a state in which second wireless communication using the second radio wave is performed and first wireless communication using the first radio wave is not performed. The switching between the first state and the second state is set by making each alternately valid / invalid on the time axis.

[0033] In the case of the lighting device L of the present embodiment, the first state is realized by the control unit 12 enabling the first wireless communication unit 141 of the wireless communication module 14 and disabling the second wireless communication unit 142. Further, the second state is realized by the control unit 12 enabling the second wireless communication unit 142 of the wireless communication module 14 and disabling the first wireless communication unit 141.

[0034] The plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) that make up the management system A1 may be configured such that all lighting devices L can be set to the switching mode, or only any one of the lighting devices L can be set to the switching mode.

[0035] Furthermore, the lighting device L of the present embodiment can be set to the fixed mode. The fixed mode is a state in which first wireless communication using the first radio wave is performed and second wireless communication using the second radio wave is not performed, that is, a mode fixed to the first state. The lighting device L in the fixed mode functions as a node constituting the first wireless communication network Cn1 because it performs the first wireless communication using the first radio wave, but does not communicate with the wireless tag Wt.

[0036] Among the plurality of lighting devices L that make up the management system A1, when any one of the lighting devices L is in the fixed mode, this lighting device L may be configured such that the switching mode and the fixed mode can be set, and may be set to the fixed mode, or may be configured such that it has no switching mode and can only be set to the fixed mode. That is, the lighting device L that can only be set to the fixed mode may be configured not to have the second wireless communication unit 142 described above.

[0037] 〔Wireless tag Wt〕 The wireless tag Wt is a device to be managed in the management system A1 of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the wireless tag Wt. The wireless tag Wt of this embodiment includes a control unit 42, a storage unit 43, a wireless communication unit 44, and a power supply unit 45. Note that the specific configuration of the wireless tag Wt is not limited in any way, and it may be configured as a chip-shaped dedicated tag device. Alternatively, the wireless tag Wt may be incorporated into a portable item carried by a user. The specific configuration of the portable item is not limited in any way. Examples of the portable item include, for example, a card, a tag, a wearable terminal, etc. Specific examples of the card include, for example, a transportation IC card. Alternatively, it may be built into an ID card owned by an employee or the like, externally attached to a cart in a store or the like, built into an electrical product such as a patrol robot and a cleaner, attached to a chair, a desk, and cleaning tools in a conference room, etc.

[0038] In the following description, when describing the general configuration of the wireless tag Wt, it is referred to as the wireless tag Wt, and when distinguishing a plurality of wireless tags Wt, symbols such as wireless tag Wt1, ···, wireless tag Wtn may be appropriately used. The configurations of the plurality of wireless tags Wt1 to Wtn may be the same, may partially overlap with each other, or may be different from each other. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the case where the plurality of wireless tags Wt1 to Wtn have the same configuration will be described as an example.

[0039] The control unit 42 is for controlling each part of the wireless tag Wt. The control unit 42 corresponds to the wireless tag side control unit in the present invention. The specific configuration of the control unit 42 is not particularly limited, and it may be composed of, for example, a CPU. The storage unit 43 is for storing information such as programs and setting conditions necessary for the control of the control unit 42, and it is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory or the like. The storage unit 43 corresponds to the wireless tag side storage unit in the present invention. In this embodiment, unique wireless tag information for each wireless tag Wt is stored in the storage unit 43. Specific examples of the wireless tag information are not limited in any way, and it may be, for example, a tag ID.

[0040] The wireless communication unit 44 is for performing second wireless communication with the corresponding lighting device L using the second radio wave (second protocol) described above.

[0041] The power supply unit 45 is for supplying power necessary for operation to the control unit 42, the wireless communication unit 44, and the like. The power supply unit 45 is, for example, a dry battery or a rechargeable battery. The charging method of the battery may use a contact charger or a non-contact charger. Further, the power supply unit 45 may have a function as an AC / DC converter that converts commercial AC 100V or 200V power into DC power, a voltage conversion function, and the like.

[0042] In this embodiment, the power supply unit 45 is constituted by a self-power generation unit. This power supply unit 45 has an antenna unit 451, and when receiving radio waves such as the first radio wave and the second radio wave by the antenna unit 451, it performs self-power generation. This self-power generation is executed by converting radio waves into energy. For example, it uses the induced current generated by receiving radio waves. The power of the radio wave for generating the induced electromotive force is preferably 5 dBm or more, and further, by receiving a radio wave of 10 dBm or more, a sufficient induced current for controlling each part of the wireless tag Wt can be generated. The power generated by the self-power generation of the power supply unit 45 is supplied to the control unit 42, the wireless communication unit 44, and the like.

[0043] 〔Control device Ct〕 The control device Ct performs management control using a plurality of relay units (lighting devices L) and a plurality of wireless tags Wt, and lighting control of a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln. In the case of this embodiment, the control device Ct may be installed in the same room as the room where a plurality of relay units (a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln) are installed, or may be installed in another room or another floor of the same building, or may be installed in another building. When the control device Ct and a plurality of relay units (a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln) are separated to a certain extent, the control device Ct and the plurality of relay units (a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln) may be configured to communicate with each other using not only wireless communication but also wired communication and wireless communication. Note that the management system A1 only needs to include at least one control device Ct, and may include a plurality of control devices Ct in other configurations.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control device Ct. In this embodiment, the control device Ct includes a display unit 21, a control unit 22, a storage unit 23, a wireless communication unit 24, and a power supply unit 25.

[0045] The display unit 21 is not necessarily required in the management process of the management system A1 described later, but is used for initial settings, maintenance, etc. of the control device Ct. The display unit 21 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like, and may further have a touch panel function. Alternatively, instead of the display unit 21 functioning as a touch panel, the control device Ct may separately include an operation device such as a keyboard or a mouse.

[0046] The control unit 22 is a main component for performing management control using a plurality of relay units (lighting devices L) and a plurality of wireless tags Wt, and for controlling the lighting of a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln. It is for controlling each part of the control device Ct. For example, the control unit 22 transmits a control signal to the wireless communication unit 24 so as to transmit control data to the target relay unit (lighting device L). The specific configuration of the control unit 22 is not particularly limited, and it may be composed of, for example, a CPU. The storage unit 23 is for storing information such as programs and setting conditions necessary for the control of the control unit 22, and is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, or the like.

[0047] The wireless communication unit 24 is for performing wireless communication with the first wireless communication unit 141 of the wireless communication modules 14 of a plurality of relay units (a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln). The frequency band of the wireless communication unit 24 and the standard of the wireless communication to which it conforms are the first wireless communication using the above-mentioned first protocol. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the control device Ct constitutes a first wireless communication network Cn1 together with a plurality of relay units (a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln). The wireless communication unit 24 transmits, for example, control data from the control unit 22 to a plurality of relay units (a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln) via the first wireless communication network Cn1. Note that the control device Ct may have a wired or wireless communication circuit connected to the Internet in addition to the wireless communication unit 24.

[0048] The power supply unit 25 is for supplying power necessary for operation to the display unit 21, the control unit 22, the wireless communication unit 24, and the like. The power supply unit 25 has, for example, a function as an AC / DC converter that converts commercial AC 100V or 200V power into DC power, and a voltage conversion function.

[0049] The control device Ct holds identification information such as the lighting device ID of a plurality of relay units (a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln) and wireless tag information of a plurality of wireless tags Wt, and these are stored, for example, in the storage unit 23. The identification information held by the control device Ct may be, for example, a MAC address as the lighting device ID held by the lighting device L, or a tag ID or identification address held by the wireless tag Wt.

[0050] 〔Setting device Md〕 The setting device Md is a device for setting the identification addresses and operating conditions of a plurality of relay units in the management system A1. The specific configuration of the setting device Md is not limited in any way. The specific configuration of the setting device Md is not limited at all, and examples include a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, etc.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, the setting device Md of the present embodiment includes a display unit 51, a control unit 52, a storage unit 53, a wireless communication unit 54, a power supply unit 55, and an operation unit 58.

[0052] The display unit 51 is for displaying information and images necessary for operations of the setting device Md. The display unit 51 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

[0053] The wireless communication unit 54 functions to perform wireless communication with a plurality of relay units and the control device Ct. The wireless communication unit 54, for example, transmits an identification signal described later to a plurality of relay units, and also transmits a setting signal described later to the control device Ct. The wireless communication unit 54 is for performing wireless communication using a predetermined protocol. The communication frequency of the wireless communication using a predetermined protocol is not limited in any way, and examples include the 920 MHz band, the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, etc. Also, specific examples of the predetermined protocol are not particularly limited, and examples include Bluetooth (registered trademark) including BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), ZigBee (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc. Note that the protocol used when the wireless communication unit 54 performs wireless communication with a plurality of relay units and the control device Ct is preferably the same as the protocol used in the first wireless communication network Cn1 after the management system A1 is constructed, but different protocols may also be used.

[0054] The control unit 52 is for controlling each part of the setting device Md. The specific configuration of the control unit 52 is not particularly limited and, for example, it consists of a CPU. The storage unit 53 is for storing information such as programs and setting conditions necessary for the control of the control unit 52 and, for example, consists of a semiconductor memory or the like.

[0055] The power supply unit 55 is for supplying the electric power necessary for the operations of the display unit 51, the control unit 52, the wireless communication unit 54, etc. The power supply unit 55 has, for example, the function as an AC / DC converter that converts commercial AC 100V or 200V electric power into DC electric power, a voltage conversion function, etc., or is a rechargeable battery. The charging method of the battery may be one that uses a contact charger or one that uses a non-contact charger.

[0056] The operation unit 58 is for operating the setting device Md. The operation unit 58 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse or the like. When the display unit 51 functions as a touch panel, the setting device Md may not be provided with the operation unit 58.

[0057] The setting device Md holds the unique information of a plurality of relay units, and these are stored, for example, in the storage unit 53. The unique information held by the setting device Md may be, for example, the MAC address held by the lighting device L.

[0058] 〔External storage device Sd〕 The external storage device Sd is installed outside the first wireless communication network Cn1, such as a server, commercial cloud, etc. For the communication between the external storage device Sd and the control device Ct, for example, a commercial Internet line or a dedicated line is used. The external storage device Sd is accessible by external users at any time at a location away from the location where a plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) constituting the management system A1 are installed. The control device Ct may, for example, save the collected measurement data in the external storage device Sd. The external user can use the information stored in the external storage device Sd as it is or after arbitrary processing in various ways. For example, the external user may display these data on an electronic bulletin board such as digital signage, a large screen (both not shown in the figures), or a mobile terminal.

[0059] 〔Clock unit Ut〕 The clock unit Ut has a function of acquiring time information, for example, by receiving FM radio waves, and a function of transmitting the time information to the control device Ct by, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0060] Next, the operation of the management system A1 will be described below.

[0061] FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show an example of the schematic arrangement of the management system A1. In the management system A1 of the illustrated example, a plurality of lighting devices L (lighting devices L1 to L18) are provided as a plurality of relay units. The plurality of lighting devices L1 to L18 are arranged in a matrix pattern, for example, on the ceiling of a room as shown in the figure.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 9, first, the identification addresses of a plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) are determined using the setting device Md (steps S1-1 to S1-3). In step S1-1, information on a building or the like where a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln as a plurality of relay units are installed is acquired. Then, a layout diagram of the store is created using, for example, image processing software executed by the setting device Md.

[0063] Next, in step S1-2, for a plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln as a plurality of relay units, on the layout diagram created on the setting device Md, the placement locations are determined using icons or the like. For example, for the lighting device L1, a group number "A" and an in-group address "01" are assigned, and the identification address is determined as "A-01". Similarly, for a plurality of lighting devices L, group numbers "A, B, C ···" and in-group addresses "01, 02, 03 ···" are appropriately assigned to determine the identification addresses of each relay unit. The method for determining the group number and the in-group address is not limited in any way. For example, based on the layout diagram, the same group number may be assigned to those located within a predetermined radius of each other.

[0064] The setting device Md generates an identification signal including the MAC address and the identification address, which are unique information, for each of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units), and transmits it from the wireless communication unit 54 to each lighting device L (relay unit).

[0065] Next, in step S1-3, in each lighting device L (relay unit), the first wireless communication unit 141 of the wireless communication module 14 receives the identification signal and transfers the identification signal to the control unit 12. The control unit 12 that has received the identification signal stores the identification address in each storage unit 13.

[0066] Next, the modes of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) are determined (step S2). For example, the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) are displayed on the layout diagram (for example, the layout diagrams shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) displayed on the display unit 51 of the setting device Md. Then, considering the arrangement status and the like of each lighting device L (relay unit), the mode is determined. In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 are selected as the lighting devices L to be set to the switching mode (the lighting devices L represented by thick rectangles in the figure). Also, the lighting devices L2 to L10, L12 to L15, L17, and L18 are selected as the lighting devices L to be set to the fixed mode.

[0067] Next, the construction of the first wireless communication network Cn1 and the mode setting of a plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) are performed (Steps S3-1 to S3-3 and Steps S4-1 to S4-4). In Step S3-1, a setting signal including the identification addresses of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) determined in Steps S1-1 to S1-3 and the mode conditions of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) determined in Step S2 is transferred to the control device Ct. The transfer of the setting signal may be performed by wired communication using a USB cable in addition to wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Examples of the data format of the setting signal include the CSV data format.

[0068] Next, in Step S3-2, for example, when the setting signal is transferred by wireless communication, the wireless communication unit 54 of the control device Ct receives the setting signal. The control unit 52 stores the identification address and the mode condition included in the setting signal in the storage unit 53 for each of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units). To distinguish each lighting device L (relay unit), the unique information (MAC address, etc.) of the plurality of relay units included in the setting signal is used.

[0069] Next, in Step S3-3, using the identification addresses of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units), the control device Ct constructs the first wireless communication network Cn1 shown in FIG. 1. The first wireless communication network Cn1 is, for example, a mesh network according to a predetermined protocol. Thereby, the control device Ct and the plurality of relay units (the plurality of lighting devices L1 to Ln) can perform broadcast communication via the first wireless communication network Cn1. Note that, in the first wireless communication network Cn1, in order to suppress signal loss due to radio wave interference, it is preferable to perform transmission using a plurality of frequencies. For example, broadcast communication is sequentially executed at three frequencies of 2.40 GHz, 2.44 GHz, and 2.48 GHz.

[0070] Next, a setting signal including each mode condition is transmitted from the control device Ct to a plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) via the first wireless communication network Cn1 (step S4-1). The control unit 22 of the control device Ct generates a setting signal including the identification addresses and mode conditions of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units). Next, the control unit 22 transmits the setting signal from the wireless communication unit 24 via the first wireless communication network Cn1 by broadcast communication. In order to suppress signal loss due to radio wave interference in broadcast communication, transmission may be performed at a plurality of frequencies. For example, transmission is performed at three frequencies of 2.40 GHz, 2.44 GHz, and 2.48 GHz. Transmission ends after all frequencies have been transmitted.

[0071] The plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) receive the setting signal by the first wireless communication unit 141 of the wireless communication module 14. The control unit 12 compares and collates the identification address included in the setting signal with the identification address of its own unit. When the identification address included in the setting signal is different from the identification address of its own unit, each lighting device L (relay unit) transfers the setting signal to the next lighting device L (relay unit).

[0072] Next, in step S4-2, when the identification address included in the setting signal matches the identification address of its own unit, the control unit 12 stores the mode condition included in the setting signal in the storage unit 13. If a mode condition is already stored in the storage unit 13, the control unit 12 rewrites the mode condition in the storage unit 13 with the mode condition included in the received setting signal.

[0073] The control unit 12 of each lighting device L (relay unit) sets the self-device to the switching mode or the fixed mode according to the mode conditions memorized in step S4-2. In the illustrated example, all the lighting devices L can be set to the switching mode or the fixed mode. In lighting devices L2 to L10, L12 to L15, L17, and L18, they are set to the fixed mode (step S4-3). That is, the control units 12 of lighting devices L2 to L10, L12 to L15, L17, and L18 activate the first wireless communication unit 141 of the wireless communication module 14 and deactivate the second wireless communication unit 142. Also, in lighting devices L1, L11, and L16, they are set to the switching mode (step S4-4).

[0074] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the operation modes of a plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) in time series. The lighting devices L2 to L10, L12 to L15, L17, and L18 set to the fixed mode are maintained in a state corresponding to the first state of the switching mode until the setting of the mode conditions is changed. For this reason, the lighting devices L2 to L10, L12 to L15, L17, and L18 perform the first wireless communication and do not perform the second wireless communication.

[0075] The lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 set to the switching mode are alternately switched between the first state and the second state. In the first state, the first wireless communication is performed and the second wireless communication is not performed. In the second state, the second wireless communication is performed and the first wireless communication is not performed. The switching frequency between the first state and the second state is, for example, 0.1S to 100S. As an example, for instance, the first state is maintained for 60S and the second state is maintained for 0.5S.

[0076] The layout diagram in FIG. 6 shows the case where the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 are switched to the first state. In this case, all the lighting devices L perform the first wireless communication and communicate with each other within the first wireless communication network Cn1 which is a mesh network. The solid arrows in the figure indicate the signal transmission and reception of the first wireless communication of each lighting device L and the control device Ct.

[0077] The layout diagram in FIG. 7 shows the case where the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 are switched to the second state. In this case, the lighting devices L2 to L10, L12 to L15, L17, and L18 perform first wireless communication and communicate with each other within the first wireless communication network Cn1, which is a mesh network. On the other hand, the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 perform second wireless communication. The dotted arrows in the figure indicate the signal transmission and reception of the second wireless communication between the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 and each wireless tag Wt.

[0078] After steps S4-3 and S4-4 shown in FIG. 10, information from the plurality of Wts is sent to the control device Ct via the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) (steps S5-1 to S6-7).

[0079] First, in step S5-1, the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 are switched to the second state. That is, the control unit 12 of the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 disables the first wireless communication unit 141 of the wireless communication module 14 and enables the second wireless communication unit 142. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 7 is obtained. In this case, in step S5-2 of FIG. 10, even if a signal is transmitted from any of the lighting devices L in the fixed mode using the first wireless communication, the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 in the second state do not receive the signal by this first wireless communication. At the same time as or instead of disabling the second wireless communication unit 142, it may be filter-set so as not to receive the signal by the first wireless communication.

[0080] The plurality of wireless tags Wt, for example, generate self-power by the antenna unit 451 of the power supply unit 45 receiving the first radio wave transmitted from the plurality of lighting devices L and the control device Ct. When the control unit 42 of the wireless tag Wt receives power supply from the power supply unit 45, the control unit 42 uses the power from the power supply unit 45 to generate a wireless tag information signal Ws including the wireless tag information included in the storage unit 43. Then, the control unit 42 periodically transmits the wireless tag information signal Ws to any of the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 by the second wireless communication from the wireless communication unit 44 (step S5-4).

[0081] Next, the control units 12 of the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 that have received the wireless tag information signal Ws generate a transfer data signal Ts that includes the wireless tag information contained in the wireless tag information signal Ws and the identification information of their own devices (step S5-5). Note that the control units 12 of the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 may include a time stamp in the transfer data signal Ts. Further, the control units 12 of the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 may include the reception intensity (RSSI) of the wireless tag information signal Ws received by the second wireless communication unit 142 of the wireless communication module 14 in the transfer data signal Ts.

[0082] Next, the control unit 12 of the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 switches its own device to the first state (step S6-1). That is, the control unit 12 enables the first wireless communication unit 141 of the wireless communication module 14 and disables the second wireless communication unit 142. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. Next, the control unit 12 of the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 transmits the transfer data signal Ts from the first wireless communication unit 141 using the first wireless communication, that is, via the first wireless communication network Cn1, to the control device Ct (step S6-2).

[0083] A plurality of lighting devices L that have received the wireless tag Wt from the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 transfer the wireless tag Wt to the control device Ct via the first wireless communication network (step S6-3).

[0084] Next, in step S6-4, the control device Ct sequentially receives the transfer data signal Ts transferred in the first wireless communication network Cn1. As a result, the control unit 22 of the control device Ct acquires the identification information of the lighting device L and the wireless tag information of the wireless tag Wt included in each of the transfer data signals Ts for the plurality of wireless tags Wt. Further, the control unit 22 of the control device Ct acquires the time stamp and RSSI included in the transfer data signal Ts. The control unit 22 stores the acquired identification information, wireless tag information, time stamp, RSSI, etc. in the storage unit 23 (step S6-4).

[0085] Next, the control device Ct performs a predetermined management process based on the acquired information. In the present embodiment, the control device Ct performs position detection of the wireless tag Wt as a predetermined management process (step S6-5). The method for detecting the position of the wireless tag Wt is not limited in any way, and for example, a three-point measurement method is used. For example, the distance between a certain wireless tag Wt and a plurality of lighting devices L (in the present embodiment, the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 set in the switching mode) is estimated from the identification information, wireless tag information, time stamp, RSSI, etc. included in the wireless tag Wt, and the position information of this wireless tag Wt is calculated by the three-point measurement method.

[0086] Note that the calculation of this position information may be performed by an external storage device Sd installed outside the first wireless communication network Cn1. For communication between the external storage device Sd and the control device Ct, for example, a commercial Internet line or a dedicated line is used. Alternatively, the calculation of the position information may be performed on a server or in the cloud installed outside the first wireless communication network Cn1.

[0087] When the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 are in the first state, for example, even if a wireless tag information signal Ws is transmitted from the wireless tag Wt by the second wireless communication (step S6-6), the lighting devices L1, L11, and L16 do not receive this wireless tag information signal Ws.

[0088] Next, the operations of the management system A1, the lighting device L, and the wireless tag Wt will be described.

[0089] According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the lighting device L (relay unit) set in the switching mode can be switched between a first state and a second state. In the first state, the lighting device L (relay unit) performs the first wireless communication and does not perform the second wireless communication. On the other hand, in the second state, the lighting device L (relay unit) performs the second wireless communication and does not perform the first wireless communication. Therefore, for the lighting device L (relay unit) set in the switching mode, the second radio wave for receiving the radio tag information signal Ws from the radio tag Wt and the first radio wave used in the first wireless communication network Cn1 are transmitted and received at different timings. Therefore, it is possible to reduce wireless signals and disperse the traffic between the first radio wave and the second radio wave. This is particularly advantageous when there are many radio tags Wt to be managed.

[0090] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in the present embodiment, based on the setting signal from the control device Ct, each of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) is set to either the fixed mode or the switching mode. Thereby, it is possible to set only the necessary number of lighting devices L (relay units) among the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) to the switching mode, which is advantageous for reducing wireless signals. Also, if the setting device Md determines whether to set the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) to the fixed mode or the switching mode using the layout diagrams as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, appropriate mode setting can be performed according to the layout of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units).

[0091] According to this embodiment, the operation of the wireless tag Wt is performed using the power obtained by the self-power generation of the power supply unit 45. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a battery or the like in the wireless tag Wt. Further, the wireless tag information signal Ws from the wireless tag Wt is transmitted to the lighting device L as a relay unit using the second wireless communication. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated reading device for reading the wireless tag information of the wireless tag Wt. If a plurality of relay units are installed over a wide area, it is possible to transfer the wireless tag information signal Ws of the wireless tags Wt existing over a wider area to the control device Ct. Therefore, it is not necessary for the wireless tag Wt to be equipped with a battery, and the arrangement range of the wireless tag Wt can be expanded. Since the wireless tag Wt exists in an environment where the first radio wave and the second radio wave are transmitted and received, the self-power generation method by receiving the radio wave is preferable for more reliably performing self-power generation.

[0092] The management system A1 of this embodiment includes the lighting device L that constitutes the relay unit. The lighting device L is a device for achieving purposes such as illuminating the interior of a room without omission, and is generally installed evenly over a wide area. Therefore, in a wide area where a plurality of lighting devices L are installed, the wireless tag information signal Ws of the wireless tag Wt can be received.

[0093] When the wireless tag Wt is incorporated into a carried item, the wireless tag Wt can be attached to the user, a mobile device, or the like without any trouble. In addition, the configuration of self-power generation by the power supply unit 45 is suitable for avoiding the carried item incorporating the wireless tag Wt from becoming excessively large or excessively heavy.

[0094] Figs. 11 to 16 show other embodiments of the present invention. In these figures, the same or similar elements as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment.

[0095] <Second Embodiment> FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a management system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The management system A2 of this embodiment has the same device configuration as the above-described management system A1, and the mode setting of a plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) is different from that of the above-described embodiment.

[0096] In this embodiment, in step S7-1, all the lighting devices L are set to the switching mode. This setting may be performed by a setting signal from the control device Ct as shown in steps S4-1 and S4-2 described above, or may be set by individual operations for each lighting device L, for example.

[0097] Next, each lighting device L (relay unit) switches itself to the second state (step S7-2). The timing of switching to the second state may be the same for all the lighting devices L or may be different for each lighting device L.

[0098] Next, the wireless tag Wt periodically transmits a wireless tag information signal Ws by second wireless communication (step S7-3). At the timing when the wireless tag information signal Ws is transmitted, the lighting device L in the second state (in the illustrated example, the lighting device Ln) receives the wireless tag information signal Ws and generates the above-described transfer data signal Ts (step S7-4).

[0099] Next, the lighting device L that has received the wireless tag information signal Ws (in the illustrated example, the lighting device Ln) switches to the first state (step S8-1). This switching, like the switching timing to the first state in step S7-2, may be the same for all the lighting devices L or may be different for each lighting device L. The lighting device Ln transmits the transfer data signal Ts by first wireless communication (step S8-2). This transfer data signal Ts is transferred via other lighting devices L that have switched to the first state (steps S8-3 and S8-4).

[0100] When the control device Ct receives the transfer data signal Ts transferred via the first wireless communication network Cn1, the control unit 22 stores the identification information, wireless tag information, time stamp, RSSI, etc. included in the transfer data signal Ts in the storage unit 23 (step S8-5). Then, in the same manner as in step S6-5 described above, management processing such as calculation of the position information of the wireless tag Wt is performed (step S8-6).

[0101] Also according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the wireless signal and disperse the traffic between the first radio wave and the second radio wave. In addition, since a plurality of lighting devices L are in the switching mode, it is possible to increase the number of relay units capable of performing the second wireless communication while suppressing an increase in radio waves. Note that, in this embodiment, all of the plurality of lighting devices L are in the switching mode, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, in addition to the plurality of lighting devices L set to the switching mode, a lighting device L set to the fixed mode or a lighting device L that performs only the first wireless communication (a lighting device L not provided with the second wireless communication unit 142) may be further installed.

[0102] <Third Embodiment> FIGS. 12 to 16 show a management system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The management system A3 of this embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in the configuration of the power supply unit 45 of the wireless tag Wt. The management system A3 also includes a sensor device Es. Note that, in FIG. 12, for convenience of explanation, one sensor device Es is shown, but a plurality of sensor devices Es may be arranged at various locations of the management system A3.

[0103] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the wireless tag Wt of the present embodiment. The power supply unit 45 of the wireless tag Wt of the present embodiment has a light receiving unit 452. The light receiving unit 452 performs a photoelectric conversion function, and is, for example, a phototransistor, a photodiode, or the like. When the light receiving unit 452 receives light, electric power is generated by the photoelectric conversion function of the light receiving unit 452. The power supply unit 45 supplies this electric power to the control unit 42, the wireless communication unit 44, and the like. The electric power per unit time generated by the power generation of the light receiving unit 452 depends on the illuminance (strength) of the light received by the light receiving unit 452.

[0104] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the sensor device Es. The sensor device Es is a device that measures a physical quantity related to the installed environment and transmits the measurement result by wireless communication. The sensor device Es includes a measurement unit 41, a control unit 42, a storage unit 43, a wireless communication unit 44, and a power supply unit 45. That is, a wireless tag Wt including the control unit 42, the storage unit 43, the wireless communication unit 44, and the power supply unit 45 is incorporated in the sensor device Es. The specific configuration of the sensor device Es is not limited at all.

[0105] The measurement unit 41 functions to measure a physical quantity related to the environment of the sensor device Es. The function of the measurement unit 41 is not particularly limited, and various functions such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, a human presence sensor, an air volume sensor, and a carbon dioxide sensor can be mentioned. Further, the measurement principle of the measurement unit 41 is not limited at all, and various methods can be adopted, such as a non-contact method using an optical method or an electromagnetic method, a contact method, or a method of measuring by monitoring the state of a specific part built in the measurement unit 41.

[0106] The control unit 42 of this modification functions to control the measurement unit 41 in addition to the function as the control unit 42 of the wireless tag Wt described above. The specific configuration of the control unit 42 is not particularly limited, and is, for example, composed of a CPU. The storage unit 43 is for storing information such as a program necessary for the control of the control unit 42 and setting conditions related to the measurement unit 41, and is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory or the like.

[0107] Next, the operation of the management system A3 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

[0108] The mode setting of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) in the management system A3 may be the mode setting in the management system A1 or the mode setting in the management system A2. In the illustrated example, the case where the mode setting of the plurality of lighting devices L is performed in the same manner as the management system A2 will be described as an example.

[0109] In step S9-1, the first state and the second state of the plurality of lighting devices L (relay units) are appropriately switched. The sensor device Es transmits a wireless tag information signal Ws including measurement data by the measurement unit 41 by the second wireless communication (step S9-2). The measurement data is, for example, temperature data, humidity data, illuminance data, presence or absence of a human body, air volume data, carbon dioxide concentration, or the like. When the measurement data is the presence or absence of a human body, for example, the presence or absence of a person in the area where the sensor device Es is provided is detected.

[0110] The wireless tag information signal Ws transmitted from the sensor device Es is received by any one of the lighting devices L in the second state. In the example shown in FIG. 12, for convenience of understanding, the lighting device L11 is switched to the second state, and the lighting device L11 receives the wireless tag information signal Ws from the sensor device Es. The control unit 12 of the lighting device L11 that has received the wireless tag information signal Ws creates a transfer data signal Ts based on the identification information, wireless tag information, time stamp, RSSI, measurement data, etc. included in the wireless tag information signal Ws. The lighting device L11 transmits the transfer data signal Ts by the first wireless communication (step S9-3)

[0111] When the control device Ct receives the transfer data signal Ts transferred from the first wireless communication network Cn1, the control unit 22 of the control device Ct creates an illumination control signal Ls. The illumination control signal Ls is an example of a control signal including the operating conditions of a plurality of relay units, and is a signal for controlling the lighting state of the light source unit 11 of each of the plurality of lighting devices L. The method for setting the lighting state of each lighting device L is not limited in any way. In the present embodiment, when the sensor device Es functions as a human presence sensor, it may be reflected in the criterion for determining whether a human body exists around the sensor device Es. When a human body exists around the sensor device Es, the lighting device L around the sensor device Es is set to a lighting state with bright dimming suitable for work, natural light, and color adjustment such as daylight color. On the other hand, when no human body exists around the sensor device Es, the lighting device L around the sensor device Es is set to a lighting state with dimming such as turning off or dim lighting and color adjustment such as bulb color and warm white color. The control device Ct transmits the illumination control signal Ls to the plurality of lighting devices L via the first wireless communication network (step S9-4).

[0112] When the control unit 12 of the lighting device L that has received the illumination control signal Ls determines that the identification information included in the illumination control signal Ls matches the identification signal of its own device, it controls the light source unit 11 to be set to the lighting state included in the illumination control signal Ls (step S9-5). As a result, the lighting states of the plurality of lighting devices L become the lighting states based on the illumination control signal Ls from the control device Ct. In the case of the setting example of the illumination control signal Ls described above, the lighting device L in the area where a human body exists is set to, for example, a brightness suitable for work, and the lighting device L in the area where no human body exists is set to turn off or dim lighting.

[0113] The light receiving unit 452 of the plurality of wireless tags Wt receives the light from the plurality of lighting devices L whose lighting states have been set. As a result, the power supply unit 45 of each wireless tag Wt performs self-power generation (step S9-6), and sets the transmission frequency of the wireless tag information signal Ws (step S9-7).

[0114] As shown in FIG. 16, the power supply unit 45 performs self-power generation (step S9-6-1), receives the light from the lighting device L by the light receiving unit 452, and performs power generation according to the state of the illumination light from the lighting device L (step S9-6-2). The control unit 42 of the wireless tag Wt determines whether the power generated by the power supply unit 45 is within the first power range or within the second power range (step S9-7-1). The first power range and the second power range are ranges that define the power per unit time by the power supply unit 45. The second power range is a lower power range than the first power range. For example, when the voltage of the power generation by the power supply unit 45 is constant, the magnitude of the power per unit time by the power supply unit 45 is determined by the magnitude of the current. Therefore, the determination of whether the power generated by the power supply unit 45 is within the first power range or within the second power range may be made by determining whether the current generated by the power supply unit 45 is within the first current range corresponding to the first power range or within the second current range corresponding to the second power range.

[0115] When the power by the power supply unit 45 is within the first power range (step S9-7-1: Yes), the wireless communication unit 24 sets the transmission frequency of the wireless tag information signal Ws to the first transmission frequency (step S9-7-2). On the other hand, when the power by the power supply unit 45 is not within the first power range (step S9-7-1: No), the control unit 42 determines whether the power by the power supply unit 45 is within the second power range. When the power by the power supply unit 45 is within the second power range (step S9-7-3), the control unit 42 sets the transmission frequency of the wireless tag information signal Ws to the second transmission frequency (step S9-7-4). The first transmission frequency and the second transmission frequency are different from each other, and the second transmission frequency is lower than the first transmission frequency. For example, when the first transmission frequency is set to a frequency of once every 5S, the second transmission frequency is set to, for example, once every 60S.

[0116] As shown in Fig. 15, each wireless tag Wt transmits a wireless tag information signal Ws at a first transmission frequency or a second transmission frequency, and a lighting device L in the second state (in the illustrated example, lighting device L11) receives the wireless tag information signal Ws. The lighting device L11 creates a transfer data signal Ts based on the wireless tag information signal Ws, and transmits this transfer data signal Ts to the control device Ct via the first wireless communication network Cn1 (S9-8). The control device Ct that has received the transfer data signal Ts stores the information included in the transfer data signal Ts in the storage unit 23 (S9-9), and performs predetermined management processing such as calculation of position information (S9-10).

[0117] Also according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce wireless signals and disperse the traffic between the first radio wave and the second radio wave. Further, since the wireless tag Wt self-generates electricity by receiving light, by determining whether the generated power is within the first power range or the second power range, the control unit 42 of each wireless tag Wt can estimate the brightness of the location where each wireless tag Wt exists. Then, according to this brightness, the transmission frequency of the wireless tag information signal Ws is set to either the first transmission frequency or the second transmission frequency. Therefore, it is possible to reasonably reduce the transmission frequency from the wireless tag Wt present in a relatively dark place, that is, a place where the possibility of a human body existing is low, which is preferable for reducing wireless signals.

[0118] The management system, lighting device, and wireless tag according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments. The specific configuration of each part of the management system, lighting device, and wireless tag according to the present invention can be freely designed in various ways.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0119] A1,A2,A3: Management system L,L1,L10,L11,L12,L13,L14,L15,L16,L17,L18,L2,L3,L4,L5,L6,L7,L8,L9,Ln: Lighting device (relay unit) Wt : Wireless tag 11 : Light source unit 12 : Control unit 13: Memory unit 14: Wireless communication module 15: Power supply unit 21: Display unit 22: Control unit 23: Memory unit 24: Wireless communication unit 25: Power supply unit 41: Measurement unit 42: Control unit 43: Memory unit 44: Wireless communication unit 45: Power supply unit 51: Display unit 52: Control unit 53: Memory unit 54: Wireless communication unit 55: Power supply unit 58: Operation unit 141: First wireless communication unit 142: Second wireless communication unit 451: Antenna unit 452: Light receiving unit Cn1: First wireless communication network Ct: Control device Es: Sensor device Ls: Lighting control signal Md: Setting device Sd: External memory device Ts: Transfer data signal Ut: Clock unit Ws: Wireless tag information signal

Claims

1. A control device, a plurality of relay units each having unique identification information, and a plurality of wireless tags, comprising a management system, wherein the control device and the plurality of relay units communicate with each other by first wireless communication using a first radio wave, the wireless tag transmits unique wireless tag information by second wireless communication using a second radio wave, the plurality of relay units include the relay unit set in a switching mode for switching between a first state in which the first wireless communication is performed and the second wireless communication is not performed, and a second state in which the second wireless communication is performed and the first wireless communication is not performed, the control device transmits a setting signal including the identification information of the relay unit set in the switching mode to the plurality of relay units all at once, among the plurality of relay units, the relay unit in which the identification information included in the setting signal matches the identification information of its own unit is set in the switching mode, a management system.

2. the plurality of relay units include the relay unit constituted by a lighting device including a light source unit, a lighting device side control unit for controlling the light source unit, a first wireless communication unit for performing the first wireless communication, and a wireless communication module including a second wireless communication unit for performing the second wireless communication, when the relay unit constituted by the lighting device is set in the switching mode, the lighting device side control unit uses the first wireless communication unit of the wireless communication module in the first state and uses the second wireless communication unit of the wireless communication module in the second state, the control device transmits a lighting control signal for controlling the lighting state of the lighting device by the first wireless communication, the management system according to Claim 1.

3. A lighting device used in the management system according to Claim 2, further comprising a lighting device side storage unit for storing the identification information, the lighting device side control unit creates transfer data including the wireless tag information received by the second wireless communication from the wireless tag and a time stamp, and transmits the transfer data by the first wireless communication from the first wireless communication unit, a lighting device.

4. A wireless tag used in the management system according to Claim 1 or 2, incorporated in a portable item carried by a user, having a wireless communication unit, a wireless tag side control unit, a wireless tag side storage unit, and a power supply unit, the power supply unit, It has an antenna unit for receiving radio waves, and power generation by electromagnetic induction caused by radio wave reception by the antenna unit, or It has a light receiving unit having a photoelectric conversion function, and power generation by light reception of the light receiving unit, It is composed of a self-power generation unit that performs A wireless tag that uses the power generated by the power generation unit of the power supply unit to transmit the wireless tag information stored in the wireless tag side storage unit from the wireless communication unit by the second wireless communication.

5. The wireless tag side control unit determines whether the power generated by power generation using the light receiving unit of the power supply unit is within a first power range or a second power range that is a lower power range than the first power range, The wireless tag according to claim 4, wherein when the power generated by power generation using the light receiving unit is within the second power range, the wireless tag side control unit reduces the transmission frequency of the wireless tag information compared to when the power generated by power generation using the light receiving unit is within the first power range.

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