Electrical device system

Abstract

To provide an electric device system capable of reducing the number of components, and capable of comparatively easily changing an area range.SOLUTION: An electric device system 1 includes: a plurality of electric devices 10 in which inherent addresses are set; an operation device 30A for operating the plurality of electric devices 10; and a first control part 20 connected to the operation device 30A and the plurality of electric devices 10. The first control part 20 executes generating a signal containing information about an address group composed of the addresses of the plurality of electric devices 10 and outputting the signal to the plurality of electric devices 10, and changing the address group contained in the signal on the basis of the operation of the operation device 30A. A microcomputer 22 of the plurality of electric devices 10 determines whether or not its own address is contained in the signal, and, in the case where it is determined that its own address is contained in the signal, it allows the electric device 10 in which the microcomputer itself is contained to execute the operation based on the operation of the operation device 30A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric device system, and more specifically, to an electric device system including electric devices such as electric curtains, blinds, and roll screens.

Background Art

[0002] In houses, buildings, etc., there may be provided an electric device system configured to install a plurality of electric devices such as electric curtains, blinds, and roll screens (hereinafter simply referred to as "electric devices") and collectively operate these plurality of electric devices with an operating device. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses an example of such an electric device system.

[0003] The electric device system described in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of electric blinds as a plurality of electric devices and an operating device capable of collectively operating the plurality of electric blinds. On the surface of the operating device, there are arranged operation buttons for raising, lowering, or stopping the electric blinds, area selection buttons used when collectively operating the plurality of electric blinds, and the like. Each time the area selection button is pressed, it is possible to switch between collectively operating all the electric blinds (first selection operation) and collectively operating a plurality of blinds included in a preset predetermined area (second selection operation). On the other hand, a dip switch is provided on the back surface of the operating device, and by changing the on / off pattern of the dip switch, the range of the above-mentioned predetermined area (hereinafter simply referred to as "area range") is set. Thus, in the electric device system described in Patent Document 1, by operating the dip switch, the area range is changed and the range of the blinds that operate by collective operation is changed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0005] Incidentally, if the partitions on the floor where the electric motor system is installed are changed, it may be necessary to change the above-mentioned area range to accommodate the new partitions. Furthermore, changes to the area range may also be required for other reasons.

[0006] However, as mentioned above, in the electric device system of Patent Document 1, the area range is set by a DIP switch located on the back of the operating device. Therefore, in order to change the area range, the operating device must be removed from the wall or other surface and the DIP switch on the back must be operated again. Thus, changing the area range is time-consuming. In addition, in the electric device system of Patent Document 1, hard switches such as DIP switches and rotary switches are required to set the area range, which can increase the number of parts.

[0007] Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide an electric motor system that can reduce the number of parts and change the area range relatively easily. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the electric motor system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of electric motors, each having a unique address; at least one operating device for operating the plurality of electric motors; and a first control unit connected to the operating device and each of the plurality of electric motors. The first control unit generates a signal containing information of an address group consisting of all or some of the addresses of the plurality of electric motors and outputs the signal to each of the plurality of electric motors, and modifies the address group included in the signal based on the operation of the operating device by the user. Each of the plurality of electric motors includes a second control unit, which determines whether or not its own address is included in the signal, and, if it determines that its own address is included in the signal, causes the electric motor containing itself to perform an operation based on the operation of the operating device by the user.

[0009] Furthermore, each of the multiple electric motors may include an address changing unit capable of changing the unique address.

[0010] Furthermore, the above-described electric motor system may include recognition means for causing the user to recognize the electric motor having the address included in the address group.

[0011] Furthermore, the first control unit may stop changing the address group included in the signal if the user does not complete the operation of the operating device for changing the address group within a predetermined time.

[0012] Furthermore, when the first control unit changes the address group, it may temporarily operate the motor device having the smallest address among the changed address group. Alternatively, when the first control unit changes the address group, it may temporarily operate the motor device having the largest address among the changed address group. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, an electric motor system is provided that can reduce the number of parts and change the area range relatively easily. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This figure conceptually illustrates an example of the overall configuration of an electric motor system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows a portion of the configuration of the electric motor system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a front view showing an example of the operating device. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of the first half of the control process for an electric motor system. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of a control mode for changing the target of operation in an electric motor system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The following examples illustrate embodiments of the electric device system according to the present invention, along with the accompanying drawings. The embodiments illustrated below are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The present invention can be modified or improved from the following embodiments without departing from its spirit. In addition, the dimensions of each component may be exaggerated in the accompanying drawings for the sake of clarity.

[0016] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the electric motor system 1 in an embodiment, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a part of the configuration of the electric motor system 1.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the electric device system 1 is provided on a floor (room) F of a house or a building, and is configured as, for example, a light-shielding system for shielding light inside the floor F. Note that the electric device system 1 is not limited to being for the purpose of light shielding. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electric device system 1 mainly includes a plurality of (ten in this embodiment) electric devices 10, two operation devices 30A and 30B, and a first control unit 20. Each of the plurality of electric devices 10, each of the operation devices 30A and 30B, and the first control unit 20 are connected by a communication line 50. Note that the number of electric devices 10 is not limited to ten as long as it is a plurality, and the number of operation devices may be one, or may be three or more.

[0018] Each of the plurality of electric devices 10 has the same configuration except for the installation position. When it is desired to distinguish the positions of each of the plurality of electric devices 10, for convenience, it may be denoted as the electric device 10A or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, at the edge of the floor F, for example, the electric devices 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, 10G, 10H, 10I, and 10J are arranged clockwise with the electric device 10A as a reference. Note that in FIG. 2, the block diagrams of the electric devices 10C to 10J are omitted.

[0019] In this embodiment, each of the plurality of electric devices 10 is an electric blind. Although detailed illustration is omitted, it includes a plurality of slats provided at predetermined intervals along the vertical direction, a lifting cord that connects and lifts the plurality of slats, and a head box provided at the uppermost part of the electric device 10. Each electric device 10 is provided with a drive unit 15 (see FIG. 2) composed of a plurality of motors and the like. By driving the drive unit 15, the plurality of slats are lifted or lowered, or the tilt angle of the plurality of slats is changed. The drive unit 15 may be provided, for example, in the head box.

[0020] Note that the electric device 10 is not limited to an electric blind, and may be, for example, an electric curtain or an electric roll screen.

[0021] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the plurality of electric devices 10 includes an AC power supply 11, an AC / DC conversion unit 12, a DC / DC conversion unit 13, a communication interface 14, the above-described drive unit 15, a microcomputer 16, an encoder 17, and a hard switch 18 such as a dip switch or a rotary switch.

[0022] The AC power supply 11 supplies power (voltage) to the electric device 10 as an external power supply, for example. The AC / DC conversion unit 12 is connected to the AC power supply 11, the DC / DC conversion unit 13, and the drive unit 15, converts the AC voltage supplied from the AC power supply 11 into a DC voltage, and supplies this DC voltage to the DC / DC conversion unit 13 and the drive unit 15. The DC / DC conversion unit 13 is connected to the communication interface 14, the microcomputer 16, the encoder 17, etc., and converts the DC voltage converted by the AC / DC conversion unit 12 into the DC voltage required by the communication interface 14, the microcomputer 16, the encoder 17, etc., and supplies this DC voltage to the communication interface 14, the microcomputer 16, the encoder 17, etc. The communication interface 14 is connected to the communication line 50 and the microcomputer 16, converts the signal input from the communication line 50 into a predetermined format and outputs it to the microcomputer 16, or converts the signal output from the microcomputer 16 into a predetermined format and outputs it to the communication line 50.

[0023] The microcomputer 16 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs various arithmetic processes, and a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores various programs and addresses uniquely set for each of the electric devices 10A to 10J. The arithmetic process by the CPU of the microcomputer 16 includes an arithmetic process that refers to the information stored in the storage unit of the microcomputer 16 when a control signal is input from the first control unit 20, and the electric device 10 operates based on the operation signal generated by this arithmetic process. Thus, the microcomputer 16 included in each of the electric devices 10A to 10J functions as a second control unit that controls the operation of the electric devices 1OA to 10J in which it is included.

[0024] The hard switch 18 is connected to the memory of the microcontroller 16. The hard switch 18 includes multiple physical switches. In this embodiment, the addresses uniquely set for each of the motors 10A to 10J are determined by the on / off patterns of the multiple physical switches of the hard switch 18. These unique addresses are stored in the memory of the microcontroller 16. As will be mentioned again later, in this embodiment, motor 10A is assigned address 1, motor 10B is assigned address 2, motor 10C is assigned address 3, motor 10D is assigned address 4, motor 10E is assigned address 5, motor 10F is assigned address 6, motor 10G is assigned address 7, motor 10H is assigned address 8, motor 10I is assigned address 9, and motor 10J is assigned address 10.

[0025] Furthermore, by changing the on / off patterns of the multiple physical switches of the hard switch 18, it is possible to change the addresses that are uniquely assigned to each of the motors 10A to 10J. For example, motor 10A is assigned address 1, but by changing the on / off pattern of the hard switch, it is possible to change the unique address of motor 10A from address 1 to, for example, address 11. In this way, the hard switch 18 also functions as an address change unit that can change the addresses that are uniquely assigned to each of the motors 10A to 10J.

[0026] The drive unit 15 is connected to the microcontroller 16 and operates based on the aforementioned operation signals output from the microcontroller 16.

[0027] The encoder 17 monitors the rotational speed and phase of the motor of the drive unit 15 and outputs the monitoring results to the CPU of the microcontroller 16. The CPU of the microcontroller 16 controls the operation of the drive unit 15 based on the monitoring results input from the encoder 17.

[0028] Next, we will describe the operating devices 30A and 30B. Since the operating devices 30A and 30B have the same configuration except for their different placement locations on floor F, we will only describe operating device 30A below.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the operating device 30A is connected to the first control unit 20 via a communication line 50. The operating device 30A may also be connected wirelessly to the first control unit 20 and the motor device 10. Figure 3 is a front view showing an example of the operating device 30A. As shown in Figure 3, the front of the operating device 30A is arranged with an open button 31, a stop button 32, a close button 33, an increment button 34, and a decrement button 35 (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as the "button group"). In this embodiment, there are no physical switches or buttons on the back of the operating device 30A.

[0030] In this embodiment, pressing the open button 31 causes the multiple slats of the motorized device 10 to rise toward the headbox, and pressing the close button 33 causes the multiple slats of the motorized device 10 to descend toward the headbox. Pressing the increment button 34 increases the tilt angle of the multiple slats of the motorized device 10, and pressing the decrement button 35 decreases the tilt angle of the multiple slats of the motorized device 10. Pressing the stop button 32 stops the operation of the motorized device 10. Furthermore, in the motorized device system 1 of this embodiment, by pressing the button groups of the operating devices 30A and 30B in various patterns within a predetermined time, it is possible to execute an operation target change mode, which changes the range and number of motorized devices 10A to 10J that are operated by the operation of the operating device 30A, as will be described later. Note that the mode in which slat opening / closing and slat tilt angle changes are performed when not in operation target change mode is sometimes called the normal mode.

[0031] Next, the first control unit 20 will be described.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, the first control unit 20 is connected to the operating devices 30A and 30B via a communication line 50 (or wirelessly), and is also connected to the motor devices 10A to 10J via the communication line 50 (or wirelessly). The first control unit 20 may be included inside the operating device 30A, for example. As shown in Figure 2, the first control unit 20 mainly comprises a contact interface 21, a microcontroller 22, a communication interface 23, and a DC / DC converter 24. The contact interface 21 converts the input signal from the operating device 30A or the operating device 30B into a predetermined format that the microcontroller 22 can receive. The input signals from operating device 30A or operating device 30B include signals input from operating devices 30A and 30B when each of the button groups of operating devices 30A and 30B is pressed individually (i.e., signals in normal mode such as opening and closing the slats of the electric device 10 or increasing or decreasing the tilt angle of the slats), and signals input from operating devices 30A and 30B when the button groups of operating devices 30A and 30B are pressed in various patterns within a predetermined time (i.e., signals when executing the operation target change mode).

[0033] The communication interface 23 is connected to the communication line 50 and the microcontroller 22. It converts the control signals input from the microcontroller 22 into a predetermined format that can be received by the respective communication interfaces 14 of the motors 10A to 10J, and outputs them to the communication line 50. The DC / DC converter 24 is connected to the contact interface 21, the microcontroller 22, the communication interface 23, and the DC / DC converter 13 in at least one of the motors 10A to 10J. In the example in Figure 2, the DC / DC converter 24 is connected to the DC / DC converter 13 of motor 10A. The DC / DC converter 24 converts the voltage supplied from the DC / DC converter 13 of motor 10 into a predetermined voltage and supplies it to the contact interface 21, the microcontroller 22, and the communication interface 23.

[0034] The microcontroller 22 primarily consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs various arithmetic operations, and storage units such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) for storing various programs and data calculated by the microcontroller 22's CPU. The arithmetic operations performed by the microcontroller 22's CPU include switching between normal mode and target change mode based on signals generated by the user's operation of the operating devices 30A and 30B, and identifying the address of the motorized device 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "target device") among the motorized devices 10A to 10J that is actually operated by the operation of the operating devices 30A and 30B, based on signals generated by the user's operation of the operating devices 30A and 30B in target change mode. When the microcontroller 22's CPU identifies the address of a target device, it overwrites the microcontroller 22's storage unit with the address group of the target device described later. In this specification, the term "group" also includes "one". Furthermore, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 disables the operation of the other operating device 30A or 30B if one of the operating devices 30A or 30B is being operated. The microcontroller 22 outputs the control signals processed and generated by the microcontroller 22 to all of the motor devices 10A to 10J via the communication line 50.

[0035] The following describes an example of the operation of the electric motor system 1.

[0036] For example, each of the motor devices 10A to 10J has a unique address set by its respective hard switch 18, as described above: motor device 10A is assigned address 1, motor device 10B is assigned address 2, ... motor device 10I is assigned address 9, and motor device 10J is assigned address 10. In addition, the memory unit of the microcontroller 22 of the first control unit 20 stores addresses 1 to 10 as a group of addresses of the devices to be operated. In this state, if the mode transition operation described later is not performed, that is, in normal mode, for example, if the user operates the close button 33 of the operating device 30A, the signal generated by this user operation is input to the microcontroller 22 of the first control unit 20 via the communication line 50. The CPU of the microcontroller 22 determines that the signal input from the operating device 30A does not indicate a mode transition operation, and then reads the data of the address group of the devices to be operated (addresses 1 to 10) from the memory unit of the microcontroller 22. The microcontroller 22 then generates a control signal that includes a signal indicating that the address group of the device to be operated is addresses 1 to 10, and a signal indicating that the close button 33 of the operating device 30A has been operated. This control signal is then output to each of the motor devices 10A to 10J via the communication line 50.

[0037] When a control signal is input from the first control unit 20, the CPU of each microcontroller 16 of the electric motors 10A to 10J reads its own address data stored in the memory of the microcontroller 16 and determines whether its own address (for example, address 1 in the case of electric motor 10A) is included in the address group of the devices to be operated included in the control signal. In this normal mode example, the address group of the devices to be operated is addresses 1 to 10, so all of the CPUs of each microcontroller 16 of the electric motors 10A to 10J determine that their own address is included in the address group of the devices to be operated. Then, the CPU of the microcontroller 16 controls the operation of the drive unit 15 based on the signal indicating that the close button 33 of the operating device 30A, which is included in the control signal, has been operated, and the signal input from the encoder 17. In this way, in this example, all of the electric motors 10A to 10J operate, and multiple slats descend in all of the electric motors 10A to 10J. Then, when the stop button 32 of the control device 30A is pressed, the descent of multiple slats stops in all of the electric devices 10A to 10J. Thus, in this example, the area in which the electric device 10 operates is the entire floor F.

[0038] Incidentally, due to changes in the usage of floor F where the electric motor system 1 is installed, a partition FP may be installed on floor F, as shown in Figure 1, for example. Now, consider a case where, as a result of the installation of such a partition FP, the area to the left of the partition FP becomes unused, and as a result, it becomes unnecessary to operate electric motors 10A and 10H~10J. In other words, consider a case where the area range is changed from the entire floor F to the area to the right of the partition FP on floor F.

[0039] In such cases, the area range can be changed according to the electric device system 1 as follows.

[0040] As shown in Figure 4, when it becomes necessary to change the area range, the user switches the electric motor system 1 from normal mode to the target change mode by operating one of the operating devices 30A or 30B, for example, as follows. That is, this mode transition operation may be, for example, pressing the stop button 32 and simultaneously pressing the open button 31 and the close button 33 for 5 seconds or more. The memory of the microcontroller 22 of the first control unit 20 stores information regarding this mode transition operation. When a signal is input from either the operating device 30A or 30B, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 refers to the information on the mode transition operation stored in the memory of the microcontroller 22 and determines whether the input signal indicates a mode transition operation (step SP1). Therefore, when a signal indicating the above-described mode transition operation is input from either the operating device 30A or 30B, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 determines that a mode transition operation has been performed based on the information stored in the memory of the microcontroller. Then, if the CPU of the microcontroller 22 determines that the user has performed a mode transition operation, it switches the electric motor system 1 from normal mode to the target change mode (step SP2). In this embodiment, the microcontroller 22 includes a timer. In this embodiment, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 operates the timer when switching from normal mode to target change mode to set a mode deactivation time for the target change mode. On the other hand, if the CPU of the microcontroller 22 determines that the user has not performed a mode transition operation, it repeats step SP1.

[0041] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the control target change mode in the control of the electric motor system 1. As shown in Figure 5, after switching from the normal mode to the control target change mode, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 of the first control unit 20 first determines whether or not an operation to cancel the control target change mode has been performed. This mode cancellation operation may be, for example, pressing the stop button 32 five times in a row at time intervals of less than or equal to a predetermined time interval. When the CPU of the microcontroller 22 receives a signal indicating a mode cancellation operation from either the operating device 30A or 30B, it cancels the control target change mode and switches back to the normal mode (step SP4). On the other hand, if the CPU of the microcontroller 22 does not receive a signal indicating a mode cancellation operation, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 determines whether or not the mode cancellation time has elapsed based on the information from the timer described above (step SP5). If the mode cancellation time has elapsed, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 cancels the control target change mode and switches back to the normal mode (step SP4). On the other hand, if the mode deactivation time has not elapsed, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 determines whether or not an operation signal to open or close the slats of the electric motor 10 or to increase or decrease the tilt angle of the slats has been input from either the operating device 30A or 30B (step SP6).

[0042] In step SP6, when the above-mentioned operation signal is input, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 of the first control unit 20 reads the address group information of the target device from the memory of the microcontroller 22 and outputs a control signal to the motor devices 10A to 10J that includes a signal indicating the address group of the target device and the operation signal (step SP7). At the stage of step SP6, the address group of the target device has not been changed, and the address group of the target device stored in the memory of the microcontroller 22 remains at addresses 1 to 10. Therefore, in step SP7, similar to the normal mode immediately before switching to the target device change mode, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 outputs a control signal to the motor devices 10A to 10J that includes a signal indicating addresses 1 to 10 as the address group of the target device and the above-mentioned operation signal. The CPU of the microcontroller 22 also overwrites the data of the address group of the target device (addresses 1 to 10) in the memory of the microcontroller 22 with the same data as the previous address group of the target device (step SP12). Then, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 returns control to step SP3, and if it determines that the mode deactivation operation has been performed (step SP3) or that the mode deactivation time has elapsed (step SP5), it cancels the operation target change mode and switches to normal mode (step SP4).

[0043] On the other hand, if the above operation signal is not input in step SP6, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 determines whether or not an address group change operation has been performed on the device to be operated (step SP8). In step SP8, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 changes the address group of the device to be operated if either of the operating devices 30A or 30B performs an address group change operation, for example, as follows. That is, for example, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 increases the starting address of the address group of the device to be operated by one each time the open button 31 is pressed while the stop button 32 is pressed, and then determines to update the starting address if the stop button 32 is pressed three times consecutively at time intervals of less than or equal to a predetermined time interval while the close button 33 is pressed.

[0044] In this embodiment, when the user completes the operation of pressing the open button 31 while pressing the stop button 32 in step SP8, the motor 10 having an address obtained by adding the number of times the open button 31 was pressed to the starting address (address 1) of the previous address group will be temporarily operated (for example, an LED may be provided on the headbox and this LED may light up for a predetermined time). For example, if the user presses the open button 31 twice while pressing the stop button 32, the LED provided on the headbox of the motor 10C having address 3 will be temporarily lit. In other words, in this embodiment, when the first control unit 20 changes the address group, it temporarily operates the motor 10 having the smallest address (start address) among the changed address group. Thus, in this embodiment, since there is a recognition means that allows the user to recognize the motor 10 having an address included in the address group of the device to be operated, the user can easily grasp the motor 10 with the changed starting address (for example, address 3) in step SP8. Then, after the user confirms that the motor 10 for the desired starting address is operating, the user updates the starting address by pressing the stop button 32 three times in a row while holding down the close button 33.

[0045] On the other hand, in step SP8, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 decreases the end address (address 10 in the above example) of the address group of the device being operated by one each time the close button 33 is pressed while the stop button 32 is pressed. Then, if the stop button 32 is pressed three times consecutively with a time interval of less than or equal to a predetermined time interval while the open button 31 is pressed, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 determines that it will update the end address. However, if the end address changed in this way is smaller than the start address changed above, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 invalidates the change to the end address.

[0046] In this embodiment, when the user completes the operation of pressing the stop button 32 and the close button 33 in step SP8, the motor 10 with the address obtained by subtracting the number of times the close button 33 was pressed from the previous end address (address 10) of the address group will be temporarily operated (for example, an LED may be provided on the headbox and this LED may light up for a predetermined time). For example, when the user presses the stop button 32 and the close button 33 twice, the LED provided on the headbox of the motor 10H having address 8 will temporarily light up. In other words, in this embodiment, when the first control unit 20 changes the address group, it temporarily operates the motor 10 having the largest address (end address) among the changed address group. Thus, in this embodiment, since there is a recognition means that allows the user to recognize the motor 10 having an address included in the address group of the device to be operated, the user can easily grasp the motor 10 with the changed end address (for example, address 8) in step SP8. Then, after the user confirms that the motor 10 for the desired end address is operating, the user updates the end address by pressing the open button 31 and the stop button 32 three times in a row.

[0047] The address group change operation is not limited to the above, and may also be performed using, for example, an increment button 34 or a decrement button 35. For example, in step SP8, after completing the operation of pressing the open button 31 while pressing the stop button 32, the motor device 10 having the corresponding address may be temporarily operated by pressing the increment button 34 once. Alternatively, after completing the operation of pressing the close button 33 while pressing the stop button 32, the motor device having the corresponding address may be temporarily operated by pressing the decrement button 35 once. In such modified examples, the increment button 34 or decrement button 35 functions as the recognition means.

[0048] When the CPU of microcontroller 22 detects an address group change operation in step SP8 of the target device change mode, it changes the address group of the previous target device (addresses 1 to 10 in the above example) stored in the memory of microcontroller 22 to the address group of the new target device (step SP9), and stores this new address group of the target device in the memory of microcontroller 22 (step SP12). Thus, in step SP12, after steps SP8 and SP9, the data of the previous target device address group (addresses 1 to 10) stored in the memory of microcontroller 22 is overwritten with the data of the new target device address group. Then, the CPU of microcontroller 22 returns control to step SP3, and if it determines that a mode deactivation operation has been performed (step SP3) or that the mode deactivation time has elapsed (step SP5), it cancels the target device change mode and switches to normal mode (step SP4).

[0049] As shown in Figure 1, if the user wants to change the area range from the entire floor F to the area to the right of partition FP, the motors 10 belonging to the new area range are motors 10B (address 2) to motors 10G (address 7). Therefore, the user can change the starting address of the address group of the device to be operated from address 1 (motorized motor 10A) to address 2 (motorized motor 10B) by, for example, pressing the stop button 32, pressing the open button 31 once, and then pressing the close button 33 and pressing the stop button 32 three times in a row. The user can also change the ending address of the address group of the device to be operated from address 10 (motorized motor 10J) to address 7 (motorized motor 10G) by, for example, pressing the stop button 32, pressing the close button 33 three times, and then pressing the open button 31 and pressing the stop button 32 three times in a row.

[0050] In the normal mode after the address group of the target device has been changed to addresses 2 to 7 via steps SP8, SP9, SP12, and SP3 (or SP5), the microcontroller 22 of the first control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the motors 10A to 10J that includes a signal indicating addresses 2 to 7 as the address group of the target device, and an operation signal. When the control signal from the first control unit 20 is input, the CPU of the microcontroller 16 of each motor 10A to 10J reads the data of its own address stored in the memory of the microcontroller 16 and determines whether its own address is included in the data of the address group of the target device included in the control signal. As a result, the CPU of the microcontroller 16 of each motor 10B (address 2) to motor 10G (address 7) determines that the control signal includes the data of its own address and causes the motor 10 to which it belongs to to perform an operation based on the operation signal included in the control signal. On the other hand, the control signal does not include data for addresses 1 (motor unit 10A), 8 (motor unit 10H) to 10 (motor unit 10J). Therefore, the CPUs of the microcontrollers 16 of motor units 10A, 10H, 10I, and 10J refer to the data for their own addresses stored in the memory of the microcontroller 16 and determine that this control signal is invalid. As a result, motor units 10A, 10H, 10I, and 10J do not operate in normal mode. With the address group of the devices to be operated changed in this way, from then on, only motor units 10B to 10G will operate when either operating device 30A or 30B is operated. In this way, the area range in which motor units 10 operate is changed to the area to the right of partition FP.

[0051] Returning to step SP8, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 of the first control unit 20 determines whether an address group change operation has been performed, or whether an address group update operation has been performed on the target device (step SP10). The update operation for the start address of the target device's address group may be, for example, the operation of pressing the stop button 32 three times in a row at time intervals of less than or equal to a predetermined time interval while the close button 33 is pressed. The update operation for the end address of the target device's address group may be, for example, the operation of pressing the stop button 32 three times in a row at time intervals of less than or equal to a predetermined time interval while the open button 31 is pressed.

[0052] If the CPU of the microcontroller 22 of the first control unit 20 determines in step SP10 that an update operation has been performed on the address group of the device to be operated, it performs an update operation on the address group of the device to be operated (step SP11). In this case, since no address group change operation was performed in step SP8, the address group of the device to be operated remains the same as before, from address 1 to address 10. Therefore, in step SP11, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 keeps the new address group of the device to be operated the same as before (address 1 to address 10). Then, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 overwrites the new address group of the device to be operated (address 1 to address 10) in the memory of the microcontroller 22 (step SP12). After that, the CPU of the microcontroller 22 returns control to step SP3, and if it determines that a mode deactivation operation has been performed (step SP3) or that the mode deactivation time has elapsed (step SP5), it cancels the device change mode and switches to normal mode (step SP4).

[0053] As described above, the electric motor system 1 of this embodiment comprises a plurality of electric motors 10, each having its own unique address 1 to 10; at least one operating device 30A, 30B for operating the plurality of electric motors 10; and a first control unit 20 connected to the operating device 30A, 30B and each of the plurality of electric motors 10. The first control unit 20 generates a signal containing information of an address group consisting of all or some of the addresses of the plurality of electric motors 10 and outputs the above signal to each of the plurality of electric motors 10, and modifies the address group included in the above signal based on the operation of the operating device 30A, 30B by the user. Furthermore, each of the plurality of electric motors 10 includes a second control unit (microcontroller 16), which determines whether its own address is included in the above signal, and if it determines that its own address is included in the above signal, causes the electric motor 10 to which it belongs to to perform an operation based on the operation of the operating device 30A, 30B by the user.

[0054] In this type of electric motor system 1, the first control unit 20 changes the address group of the target device based on the settings of the user's operating device and sends a control signal including the address group to each of the second control units of the multiple electric motors 10. Furthermore, in this electric motor system 1, each of the second control units of the multiple electric motors 10 determines whether or not its own address is included in the control signal input from the first control unit 20, and operates the electric motor containing its address only if its address is included in the control signal. With this configuration, the target device can be changed without providing hard switches such as DIP switches or rotary switches on the operating devices 30A and 30B. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide hard switches on the operating devices to change the target device, and the number of parts can be reduced. In addition, as described above, there is no need to change the settings of hard switches such as DIP switches or rotary switches each time the area is changed, so the area range can be changed relatively easily.

[0055] Furthermore, in the electric motor system 1 of this embodiment, each of the multiple electric motors 10 includes an address change unit (hard switch 18, which is a DIP switch) that can change the unique address set for each electric motor 10. Therefore, by changing the on / off pattern of the DIP switch, the unique address set for the electric motor 10 can be changed. In the example of the above embodiment, electric motors 10A to 10J are arranged clockwise along the edge of the floor F, and addresses 1 to 10 are set for electric motors 10A to 10J in that order. In this situation, let's consider the case where the unique address set for the electric motor 10 can be changed. For example, let's consider the case where address 1 of electric motor 10A is changed to address 11 and address 6 of electric motor 10F is changed to address 12 by changing the on / off pattern of the respective DIP switches of electric motors 10A and 10F. In this case, even if the address group of the device to be operated is addresses 1 to 10, the unique addresses set for the motors 10A and 10F are changed to addresses 11 and 12 respectively. Therefore, the second control units of the motors 10A and 10F do not determine that their own addresses are included in the control signals, and the motors 10A and 10F do not operate. Consequently, in this case, the area range can be divided discontinuously in the circumferential direction of the floor F, that is, the area range can be divided into a first area from motors 10B to 10E and a second area from motors 10G to 10J. Thus, in this embodiment, each of the multiple motors 10 includes an address changing unit that can change the unique address set for each motor 10, making it possible to change the area range more flexibly.

[0056] Furthermore, in the electric device system 1 of this embodiment, the first control unit 20 stops changing the address group if the user does not complete the operation of the operating device for changing the address group within a predetermined time (steps SP5, SP4). With this configuration, the operation target change mode is changed to the normal mode without the user having to perform the above-mentioned mode cancellation operation, thus reducing the user's operational burden.

[0057] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the address group of the target devices before the change was addresses 1 to 10, and the address group of the target devices after the change was addresses 2 to 7. Therefore, both the number and range of the target devices were changed by the address group change operation. However, in another example, for example, the address group of the target devices before the change was addresses 1 to 8, and the address group of the target devices after the change was addresses 2 to 9, only the range of the target devices was changed by the address group change operation. Similarly, in another example, for example, the address group of the target devices before the change was address 5, and the address group of the target devices after the change was address 6, only the range of the target devices was changed by the address group change operation.

[0059] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes an example in which each of the multiple electric motors 10 includes an address changing unit capable of changing its unique address, it is not essential to provide such an address changing unit.

[0060] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes an example in which a recognition means is provided to allow the user to recognize an electric motor 10 having an address included in the address group, it is not essential to provide such a recognition means.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the first control unit 20 executes steps SP4 and SP5 to stop changing the address group included in the signal if the user's operation of the operating device is not completed within a predetermined time. However, executing steps SP4 and SP5 is not essential. In other words, setting the above-mentioned mode release time is not essential.

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when the first control unit 20 changes the address group, an example was described in which the motor device 10 having the smallest address among the changed address group and the motor device 10 having the largest address among the changed address group are temporarily operated. However, such control is not essential.

[0063] Furthermore, the operations on the operating devices 30A and 30B in the operation target change mode described in the above embodiment are illustrative and are not limited to the operations described in the above embodiment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0064] 1...Electric motor system, 10...Electric motor, 16...Microcontroller (second control unit), 18...Hard switch (address change unit), 20...First control unit, 30A, 30B...Operating devices

Claims

1. Multiple electric motors, each with its own unique address, At least one operating device for operating the plurality of electric devices, A first control unit connected to the operating device and each of the plurality of electric motors, Equipped with, The first control unit generates a signal containing information of an address group consisting of all or some of the addresses of the plurality of electric motors and outputs the signal to each of the plurality of electric motors, and modifies the address group included in the signal based on a predetermined combination of operation of a plurality of buttons provided on the operating device, thereby changing the area range of the operating electric motor. Each of the aforementioned multiple electric motors includes a second control unit, The second control unit determines whether its own address is included in the signal, and if it determines that its own address is included in the signal, it causes the motor device in which it is included to perform an operation based on the user's operation of the operating device. An electric motor system characterized by the following features.

2. Each of the aforementioned multiple electric motors includes an address changing unit capable of changing the unique address. The electric motor system according to feature 1.

3. The system includes recognition means for causing the user to recognize the electric motor having the address included in the address group. The electric device system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. The first control unit shall stop changing the address group included in the signal if the user does not complete the operation of the operating device for changing the address group within a predetermined time. The electric motor system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. When the first control unit changes the address group, it temporarily operates the motor device having the smallest address among the changed address group. The electric motor system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. When the first control unit changes the address group, it temporarily operates the motor device having the largest address among the changed address group. The electric motor system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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