Lighting systems and vehicles

Abstract

To provide an illumination system capable of communicating with an adjacent railroad vehicle or a tail-end railroad vehicle in wireless communications, a control device, a lighting fixture, and a vehicle.SOLUTION: An illumination system comprises: a first lighting fixture provided in a first vehicle for receiving a signal transmitted from a control device; a first relay provided in the first vehicle for receiving the signal transmitted from the control device or the first lighting fixture; and a second lighting fixture provided in a second vehicle connected to the first vehicle. The first relay transmits the received signal to the second vehicle. Thus, communications with an adjacent railroad vehicle or to a tail-end railroad vehicle in wireless communications can be performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 The present invention relates to a lighting system applicable to lighting devices such as railway vehicles ,oh and vehicles. 【Background Art】 【0002】 Conventionally, among a plurality of lighting fixtures arranged in railway vehicles and the like, there are interior lights for illuminating the vehicle interior and emergency lights used when the interior lights are out, and different dimming rate controls may be required for each of them. 【0003】 For example, in Patent Document 1, lighting control such as dimming of general light sources and emergency light sources arranged on the ceiling side in the passenger compartment of a railway vehicle is executed by various signals output from a control device. These general light sources and emergency light sources are connected to the control device so as to be able to transmit and receive various signals. 【0004】 In this way, the signal transmission and reception between the control device as the master unit and the lighting fixture as the slave unit may be performed by wire. Similarly, the signal transmission and reception between the master unit and the slave unit may be performed wirelessly, and in this case, the following problems may occur. For example, a siding (door) is provided at the connection part where vehicles are connected, and when the door is made of metal, wireless communication may become impossible. 【Prior Art Documents】 【Patent Documents】 【0005】 【Patent Document 1】 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-169499 【Summary of the Invention】 【Problems to be Solved by the Invention】 【0006】 In such a case of wireless communication, for example, if the radio wave intensity is simply increased, there is a possibility that the radio waves of trains on the up line and the down line may be mixed. 【0007】 ​In view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is a lighting system that enables communication with adjacent railway cars and even the last railway car in wireless communication. ,oh The purpose is to provide vehicles. [Means for solving the problem] 【0008】 To achieve the above objective, a lighting system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first luminaire provided on a first vehicle that receives a signal transmitted from a control device; a first repeater provided on the first vehicle that receives the signal transmitted from the control device or the first luminaire; and a second luminaire provided on a second vehicle connected to the first vehicle. The first relay unit transmits the received signal to the second vehicle. The second lighting device receives the signal transmitted into the second vehicle. 【0009】 The lighting system described above comprises a first luminaire installed in a first vehicle that receives a signal transmitted from a control device, a first repeater installed in the first vehicle that receives the signal transmitted from the control device or the first luminaire, and a second luminaire installed in a second vehicle connected to the first vehicle. The first repeater transmits the received signal to the second vehicle. The second luminaire receives the signal transmitted into the second vehicle. This enables communication with adjacent railway vehicles and even the last railway vehicle in wireless communication. 【0010】 The second vehicle may have a second repeater that can communicate with the first repeater. 【0011】 The first repeater may transmit the received signal to the second lighting fixture or the second repeater. 【0012】 Multiple of the first lighting fixtures described above may be provided along the length of the first vehicle. In this case, the first relay may be provided on the first lighting fixture on the second vehicle side. 【0013】 The first vehicle may be connected to the second vehicle via a coupling section including a door. In this case, the door may be made of metal. 【0014】 The radio wave strength of the first repeater and the second repeater may be stronger than the radio wave strength of the control device, the first light fixture, or the second light fixture. In this case, the first repeater may transmit the signal to the second vehicle by passing through the connecting section. 【0015】 The first repeater may transmit the received signal to the second repeater. In this case, the second repeater may transmit the received signal to the second lighting fixture. 【0016】 The second relay mentioned above may be provided on the vehicle side of the first relay. 【0017】 The first vehicle described above may have a third repeater located on the opposite side from the first repeater. 【0018】 To achieve the above objective, a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a control device capable of sending and receiving signals between a plurality of lighting fixtures, The plurality of lighting fixtures described above include a first lighting fixture installed on a first vehicle that receives signals transmitted from the control device, and a second lighting fixture installed on a second vehicle connected to the first vehicle. The control device or the first lighting device transmits the signal to the first relay device installed in the first vehicle. The first relay unit transmits the received signal to the second vehicle. The second lighting device receives the signal transmitted into the second vehicle. 【0019】 To achieve the above objective, a lighting device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a lighting device installed in a first vehicle that receives a signal transmitted from a control device, The control device or the first lighting device transmits the signal to the first relay device installed in the first vehicle. The first repeater transmits the received signal to a second vehicle connected to the first vehicle. 【0020】 In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention is a vehicle including a lighting fixture that receives a signal transmitted from a control device, and a repeater that receives the signal transmitted from the control device or the lighting fixture, The repeater transmits the received signal to another vehicle connected to the vehicle. 【Effects of the Invention】 【0021】 As described above, according to the present invention, communication with adjacent railway vehicles or the last railway vehicle in wireless communication becomes possible. 【Brief Description of the Drawings】 【0022】 [Figure 1] It is a diagram schematically showing a lighting system. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a lighting fixture. <​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​【0026】 As shown in Figure 1, the railway vehicle 10 has a master unit 1 and a lighting fixture 2. For example, the railway vehicle 10 is a commuter train or express train that can run on a track (not shown), and generally has a bogie 11 and a vehicle body 12 supported by the bogie. The vehicle body 12 is configured to form a hexahedron by a frame 13 that forms the floor of the railway vehicle 10, a pair of end bodies 14 (for example, gable bodies) erected at both ends of the frame 13 in the direction of the track to form the connecting parts 5 of the vehicle body 12, a pair of end sides 15 erected at both ends of the frame 13 in the direction of the sleepers to form the side parts of the vehicle body 12, and a roof body 16 that is connected to the upper ends of the pair of end bodies 14 and the upper ends of the pair of end sides 15 to form the roof of the vehicle body 12. 【0027】 The interior of the vehicle body 12 includes passenger compartments and a crew compartment. The vehicle body 12 is equipped with passenger entrances and windows leading to the passenger compartment, and a crew entrance leading to the crew compartment. Handrails (not shown) are fixed to the ceiling of the passenger compartment. In addition, the railway vehicle may have electronic equipment such as in-car information screens that display destinations and news, security cameras, and communication equipment. 【0028】 In this embodiment, the end structure 14 is provided with a door (end panel). For example, passengers can move to the adjacent railway car 20 by opening the door manually or automatically. In this embodiment, the door is made of metal. 【0029】 As shown in Figure 1, railway vehicle 10 is connected to railway vehicle 20 via a coupling section 5. Railway vehicle 20 has a light fixture 22 and a repeater 23. Similarly, the vehicle further connected to railway vehicle 20 via the coupling section 5 also has a light fixture and a repeater. 【0030】 Master unit 1 is a wireless terminal that communicates with slave units (lighting fixtures 2). In this embodiment, master unit 1 uses ZigBee (Registered Trademark), a multi-hop standard. In ZigBee, communication takes place between devices that have a common PAN (Personal Area Network) ID set. For example, when master unit 1 transmits a signal with a specific PANID, lighting fixture 2, which has the same PANID set, receives the signal and transmits the received signal as is. When another lighting fixture with the same PANID receives the signal, it transmits the received signal as is. In this way, signals are sent and received between devices that have the same PANID set, and communication takes place between all devices that have the same PANID set. 【0031】 Furthermore, the communication method between the master unit 1 and the light fixture 2 is not limited to ZigBee; other multi-hop communication methods may be used. For example, a communication method may be used in which wireless nodes using low-power radio in a predetermined frequency band installed in each device search for neighboring nodes, autonomously build a network, and collect data in a bucket brigade fashion. This communication method has the advantage of requiring no communication running costs and being suitable for areas with high housing density. Moreover, the communication method between the master unit 1 and the light fixture 2 may be a communication method other than multi-hop communication. 【0032】 In this embodiment, the master unit 1 also functions as a control device capable of dimming the luminaires 2. That is, a signal from the master unit 1 indicating that dimming control should be performed is received by a nearby luminaire, and the signal is then transmitted and received from that luminaire to the next luminaire. 【0033】 In Figure 1, the master unit 1 is located in the leading car (for example, the driver's cab). For example, when the driver controls the dimming rate of the interior lights, the dimming rate of each light fixture 2 (slave unit) is controlled by operating the control device (master unit 1). Note that the location of the master unit 1 is not limited; it may be located in the leading car, the last car, or in any of the cars coupled between the leading and last cars. 【0034】 Light fixture 2 receives various signals from master unit 1 and transmits signals from master unit 1 to neighboring light fixtures. In this embodiment, light fixture 2 is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 12. In addition to the leading vehicle, light fixture 2 is also similarly arranged in the railway vehicles 20 connected to the leading vehicle, all the way to the last vehicle. 【0035】 In this embodiment, the light fixture 2 closest to the door is referred to as light fixture 2n. Similarly, in the railway vehicle 20, the light fixture 22 closest to the door located in the connecting section 5 that connects to the railway vehicle 10 is referred to as light fixture 22a. In the same manner, a repeater 3 located near light fixture 2n may be referred to as repeater 3n, and a repeater 23 located near light fixture 22a may be referred to as repeater 23a. 【0036】 Furthermore, the sub-units are not limited to lighting fixtures; in-vehicle information screens that display destinations, news, etc., as well as electronic devices such as security cameras and communication equipment, may also be treated as sub-units. In this case, for example, the master unit may be a screen control device that controls the content displayed on the in-vehicle information screen, or a monitoring device that detects abnormalities inside the vehicle from video footage from security cameras. 【0037】 In this embodiment, since the aforementioned door obstructs communication from light fixture 2n to light fixture 22a, the communication is routed through repeater 3. 【0038】 The repeater 3 transmits the signal sent from the light fixture 2 to the light fixture 22 or repeater 23 of the adjacent railway car 20. In this embodiment, the repeater 3 has a higher radio wave strength than the master unit 1 and light fixture 2 in order for the wireless signal to pass through the door. For example, the radio wave strength of the master unit 1 and light fixture 2 is -65 dBm, while the radio wave strength of the repeater 3 is -55 dBm. 【0039】 Furthermore, the repeater 3 is positioned near a door to facilitate communication with the lighting fixture 22 or repeater 23 located in the adjacent railway car 20. 【0040】 Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the lighting fixture 2. Figure 2A is a block diagram showing the transmission and reception of signals for each lighting fixture. Figure 2B is a block diagram showing the transmission and reception of signals between the lighting fixture 2 and the repeater 3. 【0041】 As shown in Figure 2, the lighting fixture 2 includes a power supply 30, a light-emitting unit 31, and a communication module 32. 【0042】 The power supply 30 supplies power to light up the light-emitting unit 31 and to operate the communication module 32. As shown in Figure 2, when power P is supplied from the railway vehicle, the power supply 30 transforms this power P and supplies it to the light-emitting unit 31 and the communication module 32. 【0043】 The light-emitting unit 31 is configured to emit a sufficient amount of light to illuminate the passenger compartment. For example, multiple units may be arranged along the longitudinal direction, or they may be used in any number and arrangement configuration depending on the amount of light emitted from adjacent units, advertisements inside the railway vehicle, the environment outside the railway vehicle, etc. The light-emitting unit 31 mounted on the lamp 2 may be any lighting device such as an LED, light-emitting element, or light-emitting element. 【0044】 The communication module 32 receives a signal output from the master unit 1 and transmits that signal to surrounding slave units. In Figure 2A, the communication module 32 of a nearby light fixture 2 receives the signal S1 from the master unit 1 and transmits the signal S2. This signal S2 is received by the communication module 32 of another light fixture 2b, and this communication module 32 also transmits the signal. In this way, the signal is transmitted from light fixture 2 to other light fixtures within the same railway vehicle 10. 【0045】 Furthermore, the communication module 32n mounted on the light fixture 2n shown in Figure 2B receives signal S3 from other light fixtures and transmits signal S4 to the repeater 3. Here, light fixture 2n is the light fixture located closest to the metal door (adjacent railway vehicle 20) provided in the connecting section 5. 【0046】 In other words, the radio wave strength of the communication module 32n is insufficient to transmit wireless communication to the lighting fixture 22a located in the adjacent railway car 20 after passing through the door; therefore, communication is performed via the repeater 3, which has a stronger radio wave strength. 【0047】 The communication module 3n of the repeater 3 receives signal S4 from the lighting fixture 2n and transmits signal S5 to the repeater 23 located in the adjacent railway car 20. The communication module 32a of the lighting fixture 22a located in the adjacent railway car 20 receives signal S6 transmitted into the vehicle 20 from the communication module 23a of the repeater 23. Similarly, the lighting fixture 22a transmits a signal (not shown) to another lighting fixture (not shown) within the same railway car 20. 【0048】 In this way, the signal S1 from the master unit 1 is transmitted via each light fixture 2 to the light fixture 2n located closest to the adjacent railway car 20, then transmitted via the repeater 3 to the repeater 23 located in the adjacent railway car 20, and finally transmitted from the repeater 23 to the light fixture 22a. Through this exchange of signals, the signal is transmitted to all the light fixtures located in all the railway cars. 【0049】 In this embodiment, repeater 3 corresponds to a first repeater installed in the first vehicle, and repeater 23 corresponds to a second repeater installed in the second vehicle that can communicate with the first repeater. 【0050】 As described above, even when a metal door is placed at the coupling section 5 between railway cars, adding a repeater 3 with enhanced radio wave strength makes it possible to communicate wirelessly with the adjacent railway car 20 and even the last railway car. 【0051】 Furthermore, in this embodiment, the master unit 1 is located in the leading vehicle (railway vehicle 10), but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the master unit may be located in railway vehicle 40, which is connected between the leading vehicle and the last vehicle. Also, in Figure 1, since railway vehicle 10 was the leading vehicle, only one repeater could be provided, but this is not limited to this, and two repeaters may be provided as shown in Figure 3. That is, a repeater 3 may be provided in railway vehicle 20, and a repeater 3b may be provided on the opposite side of repeater 3. In other words, in Figure 3, railway vehicle 40 corresponds to the first vehicle, repeater 3 corresponds to the first repeater, and repeater 3b corresponds to the third repeater provided on the opposite side of the first repeater. 【0052】 In this embodiment, the repeater 3 is provided independently of the lighting fixture 2, but this is not limited to this. For example, the lighting fixture 2n located closest to the adjacent railway vehicle 20 may function as the repeater 3. For example, the radio wave strength of the communication module 32n may be high. Similarly, the two lighting fixtures located at both ends of the railway vehicle 40 (closest to the doors) may function as repeaters. 【0053】 In this embodiment, communication was performed from the repeater 3 to the repeater 23 of the adjacent railway vehicle 20, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 4, communication (e.g., signal S5) may be performed from the repeater 3 to a lighting fixture in the adjacent railway vehicle 20 (e.g., the lighting fixture 22a closest to the door). In this case, the communication module 32a of the lighting fixture 22a receives the signal S5 transmitted from the communication module 3n of the repeater 3 into the railway vehicle 20. 【0054】 Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made, and the configurations of each embodiment and modified example may be combined. For example, although this embodiment describes a lighting system for controlling lighting fixtures installed in a railway vehicle, this lighting system may also be used to control lighting fixtures in booths where objects that obstruct communication, such as metal walls or partitions, are installed at predetermined intervals. [Explanation of symbols] 【0055】 1…Main unit 2, 22…Lighting equipment 3, 23... Repeater 5...Connection part 10, 20… Railway vehicles 100... Lighting systems

Claims

[Claim 1] A lighting system comprising: a first light fixture provided on a first vehicle that receives a signal transmitted from a control device; a first repeater provided inside the first vehicle that receives the signal transmitted from the control device or the first light fixture; and a second light fixture provided on a second vehicle connected to the first vehicle, The first vehicle is connected to the second vehicle via a connecting section including a door. The aforementioned door is made of metal, The radio wave intensity of the first repeater is stronger than the radio wave intensity of the control device or the first light fixture. The first relay transmits the received signal through the metal door to the second light fixture installed in the second vehicle. The second light fixture receives the signal transmitted into the second vehicle. Lighting system. [Claim 2] A lighting system according to claim 1, The second vehicle has a second repeater that can communicate with the first repeater. Lighting system. [Claim 3] The lighting system according to claim 2, The first repeater transmits the received signal to the second light fixture or the second repeater. Lighting system. [Claim 4] A lighting system according to claim 1, Multiple of the first lighting fixtures are provided along the length of the first vehicle. The first relay is installed in the first light fixture on the second vehicle side. Lighting system. [Claim 5] A lighting system according to claim 3, The radio wave intensity of the second repeater is stronger than the radio wave intensity of the control device, the first light fixture, or the second light fixture. The first relay transmits the signal to the second vehicle, passing through the connecting section. Lighting system. [Claim 6] A lighting system according to claim 3, The first repeater transmits the received signal to the second repeater. The second repeater transmits the received signal to the second light fixture. Lighting system. [Claim 7] A lighting system according to claim 3, The second relay is provided on the first vehicle side. Lighting system. [Claim 8] A lighting system according to claim 4, The first vehicle has a third repeater located on the opposite side from the first repeater. Lighting system. [Claim 9] A vehicle comprising a lighting fixture that receives a signal transmitted from a control device, and a relay that receives the signal transmitted from the control device or the lighting fixture, The aforementioned vehicle is connected to other vehicles via a coupling section including a door, The aforementioned door is made of metal, The radio wave intensity of the repeater is stronger than the radio wave intensity of the control device or the lighting fixture. The relay is installed inside the vehicle and transmits the received signal through the metal door to a light fixture installed in another vehicle connected to the vehicle. vehicle.

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