Illumination control system, illumination device, illumination control method, and program

Abstract

This illumination control system (2) is provided with a control unit (222). The temperature of at least one measurement point is periodically acquired. The control unit (222) individually controls current quantities supplied to each of a plurality of light-emitting elements (121) on the basis of the measurement result of the temperature of the at least one measurement point in a light source (12) comprising the plurality of light-emitting elements (121) arranged side by side in an array form.

Description

Lighting control system, lighting device, lighting control method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting control system, a lighting device, a lighting control method, and a program.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is known a device that includes a light source having a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) arranged in an array, and that can cause the plurality of LEDs to emit light in a predetermined light emission pattern (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-95963

[0004] Conventional light sources leave room for improvement.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lighting control system and the like that is improved over conventional systems.

[0006] A lighting control system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a control unit that individually controls the amount of current supplied to each of a plurality of light-emitting elements based on temperature measurement results at one or more measurement points in a light source having a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array.

[0007] A lighting device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises the lighting control system, the light source, a detection unit that detects the temperature of the one or more measurement points on the light source, and a housing that houses the lighting control system and the light source.

[0008] Furthermore, a lighting control method according to one aspect of the present invention includes individually controlling the amount of current supplied to each of a plurality of light-emitting elements based on the results of measuring the temperature at one or more measurement points in a light source having a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array.

[0009] A lighting control system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array, a memory unit that stores light-emitting pattern information for lighting the plurality of light-emitting elements, and a correction unit that corrects the light-emitting pattern information, wherein the control unit determines a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements, the correction unit corrects the light-emitting pattern information based on operating temperature information of the plurality of light-emitting elements, and the control unit determines a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements in accordance with the light-emitting pattern information corrected by the correction unit.

[0010] A lighting control method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a correction unit correcting light emission pattern information for lighting a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array, which is stored in a memory unit; a control unit determining a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements; a correction unit correcting the light emission pattern information based on the operating temperatures of the plurality of light-emitting elements; and a control unit determining a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements according to the light emission pattern information corrected by the correction unit.

[0011] A program according to one aspect of the present invention enables a computer to execute a lighting control method.

[0012] According to the present invention, improvements can be achieved over the prior art.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a lighting device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first housing of the lighting device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting device including a lighting control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of measurement points. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of state transitions in the lighting control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the lighting control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the correlation between a light emission pattern and the temperature of a light source. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an example of light source temperature control by the lighting control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a lighting device according to a first modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a lighting device according to the first modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is an enlarged schematic configuration diagram of a lighting device according to the first modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 12 is an enlarged schematic perspective view of a lighting device according to the first modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lighting device according to the first modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of a lighting device according to a second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view of a lighting device according to a second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lighting device according to the second modified example of the embodiment. Fig. 17 is another schematic cross-sectional view of a lighting device according to a second modified example of an embodiment. Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration including a lighting control system according to an embodiment. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a case where one or more light-emitting elements among a plurality of light-emitting elements are lit. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a case where light emission intensity is reduced when a light-emitting element whose temperature is equal to or higher than a rated temperature is included. Fig. 21A is a flowchart showing an operation example 1 of the lighting device. Fig. 21B is a flowchart showing an operation example 2 of the lighting device.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a specific example of the present invention. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component arrangements and connection forms, steps, step sequences, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in the independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0015] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, for example, the scales and the like do not necessarily match in each figure. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially the same configurations are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0016] Furthermore, in this specification, terms indicating the relationship between elements, terms indicating the shape of elements, and numerical ranges are not expressions that only express a strict meaning, but are expressions that also include a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about a few percent.

[0017] (Embodiment) [Lighting Device] First, the configuration of a lighting device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a lighting device 10 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first housing 111 (described later) of the lighting device 10 according to the embodiment. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lighting device 10 equipped with a lighting control system 2 according to an embodiment.

[0018] 1 to 3, lighting device 10 is configured by housing a light source 12, a drive unit 13, a heat sink 14, a lens barrel 15, a detector 16, and a lighting control system 2 in a housing 11. In the embodiment, housing 11 has a cylindrical first housing 111 that houses light source 12 and drive unit 13, and a rectangular parallelepiped second housing 112 that houses lighting control system 2. Note that housing 11 may also be configured as a single housing.

[0019] The lighting device 10 is, for example, a spotlight, and is attached to a wiring fixture (for example, a wiring duct or a ceiling hook) provided on a ceiling or a wall. Note that the lighting device 10 is not limited to a spotlight, and may be, for example, a downlight or a ceiling light.

[0020] The light source 12 is a light source that emits, for example, white light. The light source 12 has a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 (see FIG. 3 ) arranged in a two-dimensional matrix (in other words, arranged side by side in an array). The plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are regularly arranged side by side in a matrix of M rows and N columns. Here, at least one of M and N is a natural number of 2 or more. M may be equal to N, or M may not be equal to N. The arrangement intervals of the light-emitting elements 121 in the row direction and the column direction may be the same or different. In the embodiment, the outer shape of the area in which the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are arranged is rectangular, but it may be another shape, for example, circular.

[0021] Each light-emitting element 121 includes, for example, a blue light-emitting element and a yellow phosphor. In each light-emitting element 121, the yellow phosphor is disposed on the light-emitting side (front) of the blue light-emitting element. The blue light-emitting element is, for example, an LED. More specifically, the blue light-emitting element is, for example, a minute LED measuring 100 μm×100 μm or less. The yellow phosphor is a phosphor that emits yellow light when excited by blue light. Each light-emitting element 121 emits white light as a mixture of blue light and yellow light. The yellow phosphor is, for example, a YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) phosphor, but is not limited to this.

[0022] The yellow phosphor may be provided so as to cover the plurality of blue light-emitting elements. For example, a yellow phosphor may be disposed so as to entirely cover the plurality of blue light-emitting elements arranged in a two-dimensional matrix.

[0023] The driving unit 13 drives the light source 12. Specifically, the driving unit 13 drives each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 independently (i.e., individually) according to control information received from a control unit 222 of the lighting control system 2 (described later). This allows the on / off, light-emitting intensity, light-emitting period, and other aspects of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to be individually controlled. For example, by individually controlling the on / off of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121, it is possible to emit illumination light with varying brightness in each region. Then, by irradiating the illumination light onto, for example, a wall surface, an illumination pattern corresponding to the brightness can be formed on the wall surface. The illumination pattern may be a pattern representing a still image (i.e., a constant illumination pattern regardless of the passage of time) or a pattern representing a moving image (i.e., an illumination pattern that changes over time).

[0024] As described above, in the embodiment, the driving unit 13 drives each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 independently of one another, so there is no need to provide a liquid crystal device or a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) inside the housing 11 as in a general projector, and this makes it easier to reduce the size of the lighting device 10.

[0025] The driver 13 is realized by, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The driver 13 supplies a current modulated by pulse width modulation (PWM) to each of the plurality of light emitting elements 121. The driver 13 adjusts the pulse width of the current supplied to each light emitting element 121 to change the light emission intensity of each light emitting element 121, thereby achieving a dimming function. Note that the dimming method is not limited to PWM modulation, and may be other modulation methods such as amplitude modulation or phase modulation.

[0026] In the embodiment, the driving unit 13 is mounted on a single substrate (not shown) together with the light source 12. The substrate is, for example, a rigid substrate, but may also be a flexible substrate. The substrate is provided with, for example, pattern wiring for supplying current from the driving unit 13 to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. Note that the substrate on which the driving unit 13 is mounted and the substrate on which the light source 12 is mounted may be separate.

[0027] The heat sink 14 is made of, for example, metal and is provided integrally with the metal housing 11 (here, the first housing 111). A board on which the light source 12 and the drive unit 13 are mounted is fixed to one surface of the heat sink 14 directly or indirectly via an insulating member or the like. This thermally connects the heat sink 14 and the board, and heat generated by the light source 12 and the drive unit 13 is dissipated via the heat sink 14. A fixing member such as an adhesive or a screw is used to fix the heat sink 14 to the board.

[0028] Lens barrel 15 is an optical member including one or more lenses 151. In this embodiment, lens barrel 15 applies a predetermined optical effect to the light emitted from light source 12 and emits the light forward so that an illumination pattern based on the illumination light is imaged on a wall surface located in front of the lens barrel.

[0029] In the embodiment, the lens barrel 15 has a barrel body and one or more lenses 151 (two lenses 151 in this example) fixed to the barrel body. The number, shape, outer diameter, and other factors of the lenses 151 included in the lens barrel 15 are determined as appropriate, for example, depending on the functions required of the lens barrel 15. In the embodiment, the lens barrel 15 is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the light source 12 (its position in the front-rear direction can be adjusted). This allows the position of the lens barrel 15 to be adjusted in accordance with the distance between the lighting device 10 and a wall surface onto which the illumination light is irradiated, so that an illumination pattern based on the illumination light is imaged on the wall surface. In other words, in the embodiment, the lighting device 10 is capable of adjusting the focus of the illumination pattern based on the illumination light.

[0030] The detection unit 16 detects the temperature of the light source 12. The detection unit 16 detects the temperature of a location in the light source 12 where a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are formed. The detection unit 16 may detect the temperature of one location in the light source 12, or may individually detect the temperatures of a plurality of locations corresponding to each of the plurality of regions when the light source 12 is divided into a plurality of regions. The detection unit 16 is composed of one or more temperature sensors. The temperature sensor is, for example, a thermistor, but is not particularly limited to this.

[0031] In the embodiment, the detection unit 16 detects the temperature of one or more measurement points P1 on the light source 12, as shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the measurement points P1. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , multiple (here, 16) measurement points P1 are set to be arranged at equal intervals in both the vertical and horizontal directions of the light source 12. Note that the multiple measurement points P1 do not have to be arranged at equal intervals on the light source 12. For example, a relatively large number of measurement points P1 may be arranged in the center of the light source 12, and a relatively small number of measurement points P1 may be arranged on the periphery of the light source 12. Furthermore, the number of measurement points P1 may be, for example, one, or may be increased or decreased depending on the size of the light source 12.

[0032] [Lighting Control System] Next, a lighting control system 2 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the lighting control system 2 includes a communication unit 21, a processing unit 22, a storage unit 23, and a power supply unit 24. Note that the lighting control system 2 only needs to include the processing unit 22 (a temperature acquisition unit 223 and a control unit 222, which will be described later), and does not necessarily need to include the communication unit 21, the storage unit 23, or the power supply unit 24.

[0033] The communication unit 21 communicates with an external device to acquire input data related to the light emission patterns of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. The communication unit 21 is realized by a communication interface (communication circuit) for communicating with the external device via a network or the like. The communication may be wireless or wired. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard.

[0034] The processing unit 22 is realized, for example, by an LSI (Large Scale Integration), which is an integrated circuit (IC). The integrated circuit is not limited to an LSI, but may be a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. In the embodiment, the processing unit 22 is a microcontroller. The microcontroller includes, for example, a non-volatile memory in which a program is stored, a volatile memory that is a temporary storage area for executing the program, input / output ports, and a processor that executes the program. The processing unit 22 may also be a programmable FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a reconfigurable processor in which the connections and settings of circuit cells in the LSI can be reconfigured. The functions performed by the processing unit 22 may be realized by software or hardware.

[0035] In the embodiment, the processing unit 22 has a function as an acquisition unit 221, a function as a control unit 222, and a function as a temperature acquisition unit 223. In other words, the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment includes the acquisition unit 221, the control unit 222, and the temperature acquisition unit 223. It is sufficient that the lighting control system 2 includes the control unit 222 and the temperature acquisition unit 223.

[0036] The acquisition unit 221 acquires input data related to the light emission patterns of the plurality of light emitting elements 121. For example, the acquisition unit 221 acquires the input data transmitted from an external device via the communication unit 21. Note that the acquisition unit 221 may acquire the input data stored in the storage unit 23.

[0037] The control unit 222 individually controls the current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 based on the input data acquired by the acquisition unit 221. This controls the on / off and light emission intensity of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 when on, and the light emission pattern of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 is irradiated from the light source 12. Furthermore, the control unit 222 controls the temperature of the light source 12 by adjusting the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 based on the measurement results of the temperature at one or more measurement points P1 acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 223 (described later). Note that in this specification, the amount of current indicates the amount of current per unit time, unless otherwise specified.

[0038] The temperature acquisition unit 223 periodically acquires the temperatures of one or more measurement points P1 on the light source 12. In this embodiment, the temperature acquisition unit 223 periodically acquires the measurement results of the temperatures of the one or more measurement points P1 detected by the detection unit 16 from the detection unit 16. For example, the temperature acquisition unit 223 acquires the measurement results of the temperatures of the one or more measurement points P1 at intervals of several seconds to several tens of seconds.

[0039] Furthermore, the temperature acquisition unit 223 associates the acquired temperature measurement results of the one or more measurement points P1 with information on the time of acquisition and stores them in the storage unit 23. Note that the temperature measurement results of the one or more measurement points P1 stored in the storage unit 23 may be deleted after being used by the control unit 222 to control the temperature of the light source 12.

[0040] [Specific Example of Control] Control by the control unit 222 will be described in detail below. First, control by the control unit 222 to emit a light emission pattern from the light source 12 will be described in detail. The control unit 222 determines the light emission pattern based on input data. Specifically, the control unit 222 identifies two or more light-emitting elements 121 corresponding to two or more pixels that constitute an image indicated by the input data. Furthermore, the control unit 222 determines the luminance of each of the two or more light-emitting elements 121 based on the pixel values ​​of the two or more pixels. Then, the control unit 222 generates control information based on the identified two or more light-emitting elements 121 and the luminance of each of the two or more light-emitting elements 121.

[0041] The control information includes information regarding the on / off and emission intensity of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. For example, the emission intensity can be expressed as an 8-bit numerical value ranging from 0% (off) to 100% (on at the highest emission intensity). The control unit 222 generates, as the control information, array data including data representing the emission intensity of each light-emitting element 121 in 8 bits for each row of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. Here, the control unit 222 generates, as the control information, array data in which the emission intensity of two or more of the light-emitting elements 121 is greater than 0% and the emission intensity of the remaining light-emitting elements 121 is 0%.

[0042] Then, the control unit 222 outputs the generated control information to the drive unit 13. The drive unit 13 individually drives the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the received control information. Here, the drive unit 13 turns on only the two or more light-emitting elements 121 and turns off the remaining light-emitting elements 121. As a result, an emission pattern is irradiated from the light source 12, and the illumination light irradiated from the light source 12 is irradiated onto, for example, a wall surface, thereby forming an image of the emission pattern on the wall surface.

[0043] Next, a specific description will be given of the control of the temperature of the light source 12 by the control unit 222. The control unit 222 determines whether or not the temperature measurement results at one or more measurement points P1 acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 223 satisfy a predetermined condition, and if the measurement results satisfy the predetermined condition, reduces the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121.

[0044] Here, "reducing the amount of current" refers to reducing the total amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 (in other words, the amount of current supplied to the light source 12). The control unit 222 reduces the total amount of current by reducing the amount of current supplied to at least some of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. This makes it possible to suppress a rise in temperature of the light source 12 and improve the thermal reliability of the light source 12.

[0045] The predetermined conditions include a first condition that the measurement results at the same measurement point P1 show a temperature increase multiple times (here, three times) in succession. In this embodiment, the predetermined conditions further include a second condition that the first condition is met at each of the measurement points P1. Here, "showing a temperature increase" means that the temperature at the same measurement point P1 is equal to or greater than a threshold value (hereinafter also referred to as the "first threshold value").

[0046] For example, for each measurement point P1, the control unit 222 compares the most recently acquired temperature (hereinafter also referred to as the "first temperature"), the temperature acquired one temperature before the most recently acquired temperature (hereinafter also referred to as the "second temperature"), and the temperature acquired two temperatures before the most recently acquired temperature (hereinafter also referred to as the "third temperature") with a first threshold value. Then, the control unit 222 determines that the predetermined condition is met if the first temperature, second temperature, and third temperature are all equal to or higher than the first threshold value at all measurement points P1, and determines that the predetermined condition is not met if not.

[0047] In addition, the control unit 222 increases the amount of current supplied to each of the multiple light-emitting elements 121 when the measurement results at the same measurement point P1 show a decrease in temperature multiple times in succession (hereinafter also referred to as the ``decrease condition'') at each of all measurement points P1.

[0048] Here, "increasing the amount of current" refers to increasing the total amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 (in other words, the amount of current supplied to the light source 12). The control unit 222 increases the total amount of current by increasing the amount of current supplied to at least some of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. This prevents the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 from being excessively suppressed, and makes it possible to suppress an excessive reduction in the brightness of the light-emitting pattern.

[0049] Here, "indicating a temperature drop" means that the temperature at the same measurement point P1 falls below a threshold value (hereinafter also referred to as a "second threshold value"), which is a value lower than the first threshold value.

[0050] For example, the control unit 222 determines that the decrease condition is satisfied when the first temperature, the second temperature, and the third temperature are all less than the second threshold value at all measurement points P1.

[0051] Furthermore, when the control unit 222 determines that the measurement result does not satisfy either the predetermined condition or the decreasing condition, it maintains the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. This maintains the brightness of the light-emitting pattern.

[0052] The storage unit 23 is a storage device that stores computer programs and the like executed by the processing unit 22. The storage unit 23 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0053] The power supply unit 24 supplies operating power to the lighting control system 2 and the drive unit 13. The power supply unit 24 has, for example, an AC-DC converter circuit, converts AC power supplied from the commercial power supply 3 into DC power, and supplies the converted DC power to each component of the lighting control system 2 and the drive unit 13.

[0054] [Operation] The operation of the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of state transitions in the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment.

[0055] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , the control unit 222 is in one of eight states: a normal state St0, a first state St1, a second state St2, a third state St3, a fourth state St4, a fifth state St5, a sixth state St6, and a seventh state St7. The normal state St0 is a state in which the first temperature, the second temperature, and the third temperature (hereinafter simply referred to as “temperature T”) at all measurement points P1 are 109°C or less, and there is no limit on the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. The first state St1 to the seventh state St7 are all states in which the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 is limited, with the first state St1 being the state in which the current amount is least limited and the seventh state St7 being the state in which the current amount is most limited. Specifically, in the seventh state St7, the current amount is limited to the minimum value of the amount of current that can be supplied to the light source 12.

[0056] The first threshold and the second threshold are different in the normal state St0 and the first state St1 to the seventh state St7. Specifically, in the normal state St0, the first threshold is 110°C and there is no second threshold. In the first state St1, the first threshold is 115°C and the second threshold is 105°C. In the second state St2, the first threshold is 120°C and the second threshold is 110°C. In the third state St3, the first threshold is 125°C and the second threshold is 115°C. In the fourth state St4, the first threshold is 130°C and the second threshold is 120°C. In the fifth state St5, the first threshold is 135°C and the second threshold is 125°C. In the sixth state St6, the first threshold is 140°C and the second threshold is 130°C. In the seventh state St7, the first threshold does not exist, and the second threshold is 105° C. In this way, the thresholds (first threshold and second threshold) differ depending on the amount of current (state).

[0057] The lighting control system 2 executes the operation shown in Fig. 6. First, the temperature acquisition unit 223 acquires the temperatures of one or more measurement points P1 on the light source 12 (S1). In the embodiment, as already described above, the temperature acquisition unit 223 acquires, from the detection unit 16, the measurement results of the temperatures of the one or more measurement points P1 detected by the detection unit 16.

[0058] Next, the control unit 222 determines whether or not the temperature measurement results at one or more measurement points P1 acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 223 satisfy predetermined conditions (S2). As already described, in this embodiment, the predetermined conditions include a first condition that the measurement results at the same measurement point P1 show a temperature increase multiple times (three times in this case) in succession, and a second condition that the first condition is satisfied at each of the measurement points P1.

[0059] If the measurement result satisfies the predetermined condition (S2: Yes), the control unit 222 performs a state transition (S3) by reducing the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. For example, if the control unit 222 is in the first state St1, the state transition occurs to the second state St2. Note that if the control unit 222 is in the seventh state St7, the state transition does not occur even if the measurement result satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0060] If the measurement results do not satisfy the predetermined condition (S2: No), the control unit 222 determines whether the temperature measurement results at one or more measurement points P1 acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 223 satisfy a decrease condition (S4). In the embodiment, as already described, the decrease condition is a condition in which the measurement results at the same measurement point P1 indicate a decrease in temperature multiple times in succession at each of all measurement points P1.

[0061] If the measurement result satisfies the descending condition (S4: Yes), the control unit 222 performs a state transition by increasing the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 (S5). For example, if the control unit 222 is in the third state St3, the state transition occurs to the second state St2. Note that if the control unit 222 is in the normal state St0, no state transition occurs even if the measurement result satisfies the descending condition. Also, if the control unit 222 is in the seventh state St7, the state transition occurs to the normal state St0 instead of the sixth state St6.

[0062] If the measurement result does not satisfy the decrease condition (S4: No), the control unit 222 maintains the current state (S6). Note that step S4 may be executed before step S2.

[0063] Thereafter, the above steps S1 to S6 are repeated. When the state is changed, the control unit 222 executes step S1 after a predetermined time (for example, one minute) has elapsed since the state was changed.

[0064] The number of states to which the control unit 222 can belong is not limited to eight as described above, but may be seven or less, or nine or more. The first threshold value and the second threshold value for each state are not limited to the values ​​described above, but may be set as appropriate.

[0065] [Advantages] The advantages of the lighting control system 2 (lighting control method) according to the embodiment will be described below. First, the circumstances that led the inventor to create the present invention will be described. For example, in a light source using a light-emitting element such as an LED, a technique is known that limits the amount of current when the temperature of the light source reaches a threshold in order to prevent the light source from turning off or malfunctioning due to excessive current flow. However, unlike ordinary lighting applications, the light source 12 that is the target of control by the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment can change its emission pattern from moment to moment. Therefore, the following problems arise when the above technique is adopted.

[0066] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the correlation between the light emission pattern and the temperature of the light source 12. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the vertical axis represents the temperature of the light source 12, and the horizontal axis represents time. The "temperature of the light source 12" here refers to the average temperature of all the measurement points P1. As shown in FIG. 7, when the light emission pattern is "concentrated lighting," in which some of the light emitting elements 121 among the plurality of light emitting elements 121 are lit at high brightness, the temperature of the light source 12 is relatively high (approximately 140°C in this case). On the other hand, when the light emission pattern is "distributed lighting," in which all of the plurality of light emitting elements 121 are lit at low brightness, the temperature of the light source 12 is relatively low (approximately 80°C in this case). When the light emission pattern changes from "concentrated lighting" to "distributed lighting," the temperature of the light source 12 drops sharply, and when the light emission pattern changes from "distributed lighting" to "concentrated lighting," the temperature of the light source 12 rises sharply.

[0067] In this way, the temperature of the light source 12 changes in response to changes in the light emission pattern. Therefore, if the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 is limited simply by comparing the temperature of the light source 12 with a threshold value, the brightness of the light emission pattern will also likely change in response to the temperature of the light source 12, causing the light emission pattern to flicker and making the viewer feel uncomfortable.

[0068] In consideration of the above-described problems, a lighting control system 2 (lighting control method) according to an embodiment reduces the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 when predetermined conditions are met, including a first condition that measurement results at the same measurement point P1 indicate a temperature increase multiple times in succession. Therefore, the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment has the advantage that the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 is less likely to be limited in accordance with the temperature of the light source 12, and therefore the luminance of the light-emitting pattern is less likely to change in accordance with the temperature of the light source 12, making it easier to suppress flickering of the light-emitting pattern. Furthermore, the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment has the advantage that the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 is limited when the temperature of the light source 12 increases, thereby suppressing a temperature increase of the light source 12 and easily improving the thermal reliability of the light source 12.

[0069] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an example of temperature control of the light source 12 by the lighting control system 2 according to the embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 8 , the vertical axis represents the temperature of the light source 12, and the horizontal axis represents time. The "temperature of the light source 12" here refers to the average temperature of all measurement points P1. In FIG. 8 , the solid line represents the results when the temperature of the light source 12 is controlled by the lighting control system 2, and the dashed line represents the results when the temperature of the light source 12 is not controlled. As shown in FIG. 8 , when the temperature of the light source 12 is not controlled, the temperature of the light source 12 continues to rise over time, as indicated by the dashed line, and reaches approximately 140°C. On the other hand, when the temperature of the light source 12 is controlled, the temperature rise of the light source 12 over time is suppressed, and the temperature of the light source 12 is suppressed to approximately 120°C, as indicated by the solid line.

[0070] [Other Modifications, etc.] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0071] The configuration of a lighting device 200 according to a first modified example of the embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0072] Fig. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of an illumination device 200 according to a first modified example of the embodiment. Fig. 9(a) is a bottom view of the illumination device 200, Fig. 9(b) is a plan view of the illumination device 200, Fig. 9(c) is a front view of the illumination device 200, and Fig. 9(d) is a rear view of the illumination device 200. Fig. 10 is a schematic side view of the illumination device 200 according to the first modified example of the embodiment. Fig. 10(a) is a left side view of the illumination device 200, and Fig. 10(b) is a right side view of the illumination device 200.

[0073] FIG. 11 is an enlarged schematic configuration diagram of an illumination device 200 according to a first modified example of the embodiment. (a) of FIG. 11 shows an enlarged front view of the illumination device 200, and (b) of FIG. 11 shows an enlarged rear view of the illumination device 200. FIG. 12 is an enlarged schematic perspective view of the illumination device 200 according to the first modified example of the embodiment. (a) of FIG. 12 shows an enlarged front perspective view of the illumination device 200, and (b) of FIG. 12 shows an enlarged rear perspective view of the illumination device 200. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the illumination device 200 according to the first modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the illumination device 200 taken along line A-A in (c) of FIG. 9.

[0074] The lighting device 200 is configured such that a lamp body 206 (corresponding to the first housing 111 in the embodiments) is supported on a support base 202 (corresponding to the second housing 112 in the embodiments) via an arm 201. The support base 202 is formed in a box shape and has a power supply circuit board or a communication board built in. In other words, the lighting control system 2 is built into the support base 202. A plurality of horizontal strips 203 are formed in parallel on each of the four side surfaces of the support base 202. These horizontal strips 203 are designed to allow heat generated in the power supply circuit board and the communication board to be released to the outside.

[0075] The rear end of the light body 206 is supported on a support base 202 via an arm 201. The light body 206 is configured to be able to tilt and rotate in the vertical direction (the up and down direction in FIG. 9C ) with the connection point with the arm 201 as a fulcrum.

[0076] For ease of assembly, the cylinder 204 included in the lamp body 206 is assembled by joining or screwing together a first cylinder 204a at the front and a second cylinder 204b at the rear. Note that, in consideration of cleaning and maintenance of the interior of the cylinder 204, the first cylinder 204a and the second cylinder 204b are configured to be detachable from each other.

[0077] Since heat generated by the light source 12 disposed inside the lamp body 206 needs to be released to the outside, a plurality of air vent holes 207 for letting in outside air are provided on the front surface of the lamp body 206 in the irradiation direction. Here, the plurality of air vent holes 207 are formed below the lens 205 (corresponding to the lens 151 in the embodiment). The air flowing in through these plurality of air vent holes 207 passes through the internal space of the lamp body 206 and is exhausted together with the heated air inside the lamp body 206 from a plurality of outside air vents 208 provided on the back surface of the lamp body 206. In this way, the air vent holes 207 and the outside air vents 208 contribute to releasing the heat generated inside the lamp body 206 to the outside.

[0078] It should be noted that although it is not necessarily the case that the outside air that flows in through the plurality of air vent holes 207 is exhausted directly from the plurality of outside air vent holes 208, a cooling effect can be expected compared to the case where no plurality of air vent holes 207 are provided. The air vent holes 207 may be formed in the shape of a plurality of steps that are parallel to the optical axis of the lens 205, or as another example, may be provided on the outer surface of the front irradiation surface of the lighting device 200 in a radial pattern centered on the optical axis of the lens.

[0079] The shape of the air vent holes 207 is not limited to a straight line, and may be a dot-shaped hole or a wavy line. Furthermore, the air vent holes 207 may have a jagged shape as an alternative to a wavy line. The larger the heat dissipation amount of the various circuit boards built into the lamp body 206, the larger the air vent holes 207 should be opened, but the dimensions and shape may be selected appropriately in consideration of the design, which must be narrow enough to prevent insects, dust, etc. from entering from the outside.

[0080] Next, a configuration of an illumination device 200a according to a second modified example of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0081] FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of an illumination device 200a according to a second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 14(a) shows a front view of the illumination device 200a, and FIG. 14(b) shows an enlarged front view of the illumination device 200a. FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view of the illumination device 200a according to the second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the illumination device 200a according to the second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the illumination device 200a taken along line B-B in FIG. 14(a). FIG. 17 is another schematic cross-sectional view of the illumination device 200a according to the second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the illumination device 200a taken along line CC in FIG. 14(a).

[0082] The lighting device 200a according to the second modified example of the embodiment has the same configuration as the lighting device 200 according to the first modified example of the embodiment, except that the lighting body 206 does not have the plurality of air circulation holes 207. Therefore, a description of the lighting device 200a will be omitted here.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the predetermined conditions used by the control unit 222 to determine whether or not to reduce the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 include the second condition that the first condition is satisfied at each of all measurement points P1, but are not limited to this.

[0084] For example, the predetermined condition may further include, instead of the second condition, a third condition that the number of measurement points P1 that satisfy the first condition is greater than the number of measurement points P1 that do not satisfy the first condition. In this case, there is an advantage that, compared to the case where the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 is reduced when the first condition is satisfied at each of the measurement points P1, it is easier to suppress the temperature rise of the light source 12.

[0085] Furthermore, for example, the predetermined condition may further include a fourth condition, instead of the second condition, that the first condition be satisfied at a specific point among the one or more measurement points P1. The specific point is a location in the light source 12 that is likely to become relatively hot, such as the center of the light source 12. In this case, there is an advantage that satisfying the first condition at each of all measurement points P1 makes it easier to suppress temperature increases at the specific location in the light source 12 compared to reducing the amount of current supplied to the light source 12.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the control unit 222 increases the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 when the decrease condition, that is, the measurement results at the same measurement point P1 show a decrease in temperature multiple times in succession, is satisfied for each of all measurement points P1. However, this is not limiting. For example, the control unit 222 may increase the amount of current when a condition other than the decrease condition is satisfied.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the light source 12 is a light source that emits white light, but this is not limited to this. For example, the light source 12 may be a light source that emits light of a color other than white. Furthermore, the light source 12 is not limited to a light source that emits monochromatic light, but may be a light source 12 that has a color adjustment function that allows it to emit light of various colors by being controlled by the lighting control system 2.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the heat sink 14 is provided integrally with the housing 11, but this is not limiting. For example, the heat sink 14 may be separate from the housing 11 and fixed to the housing 11 by a predetermined means (for example, welding, adhesive bonding, or fastening with bolts). In this case, the housing 11 may be made of, for example, resin.

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit, the order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0090] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lighting control system 2 is realized as one lighting device 10, but this is not limiting. For example, the lighting control system 2 may be realized as a plurality of devices.

[0091] Furthermore, for example, the processes described in the above embodiments may be realized by centralized processing using a single device (system), or may be realized by distributed processing using multiple devices. Furthermore, the processor that executes the program corresponding to the processes described in the above embodiments may be a single processor or multiple processors. In other words, centralized processing or distributed processing may be performed.

[0092] In the above embodiment, all or some of the components such as the processing unit 22 may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or semiconductor memory.

[0093] Furthermore, the components such as the processing unit 22 may be configured with one or more electronic circuits. Each of the one or more electronic circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0094] The one or more electronic circuits may include, for example, a semiconductor device, an IC, or an LSI. The IC or LSI may be integrated on a single chip or on multiple chips. Although the IC or LSI is referred to here as an IC or LSI, the name may vary depending on the degree of integration, and may be called a system LSI, a VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or an ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Also, an FPGA that is programmed after the LSI is manufactured can be used for the same purpose.

[0095] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, or a computer program. Alternatively, the present invention may be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as an optical disk, a HDD, or a semiconductor memory on which the computer program is stored. Alternatively, the present invention may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0096] In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to the above embodiments that a person skilled in the art would think of, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0097] Furthermore, the following configuration is also included in this embodiment: The configuration of a lighting control system 2 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 18 to 20 .

[0098] FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a lighting control system 2 including a lighting device 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a case where one or more of a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are lit. (a1) of FIG. 19 shows a case where the light-emitting elements 121 are lit locally at high brightness, while (c1) of FIG. 19 shows a case where the light-emitting elements 121 are lit in a dispersed manner. (b1) of FIG. 19 shows a case where all of the light-emitting elements 121 are lit. (a2), (b2), and (c2) of FIG. 19 show multiple groups of two or more light-emitting elements 121 obtained by downscaling (a1), (b1), and (c1) of FIG. 19. (a3) ​​of FIG. 19 shows a case where the light-emitting pattern information is corrected and the light-emitting elements 121 are lit according to the corrected light-emitting pattern information. (b3) and (c3) of FIG. 19 show a case where the light-emitting pattern information is not corrected and the light-emitting elements 121 are lit according to the current light-emitting pattern information. Note that the two-dot chain lines in (a1), (b1), and (c1) of FIG. 19 indicate groups of two or more light-emitting elements 121. In FIG. 19, the lighter the hatching of the dots, the higher the brightness, while black without hatching means that the light is off. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a case where the light-emitting intensity is reduced when a light-emitting element 121 is included that is at or above the rated temperature. FIG. 20(a) shows two light objects. FIG. 20(b) shows a light object in which one of the two light objects emits light and the light-emitting intensity of all of the one or more light-emitting elements 121 is reduced when the light-emitting element 121 emitted to form multiple light objects includes light-emitting elements 121 that are at or above the rated temperature. FIG. 20(c) shows a light object in which the light-emitting intensity of all of the two or more light-emitting elements 121 is reduced when the light-emitting element 121 emitted to form multiple light objects includes light-emitting elements 121 that are at or above the rated temperature.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 18 , the lighting control system 2 includes a lighting device 10 and a terminal device 30 .

[0100] The lighting device 10 can emit one or more spot illumination lights onto an illumination object. Therefore, by emitting a plurality of spot illumination lights, the lighting device 10 can simultaneously project a plurality of light objects illuminated onto the illumination object.

[0101] The illumination target may be a wall, floor, ceiling, shelf, stand, or the like illuminated with spot illumination light, or may be a commodity or object of appreciation placed thereon.

[0102] The light object is a light effect pattern projected by spot illumination light projected onto an illumination target. When the light object is projected onto the illumination target, the illumination target is effected by the light object.

[0103] The space illuminated by the lighting device 10 may be an indoor space such as a room, a corridor, a ceiling, a wall, or a floor in a building, or an outdoor space such as an outer wall of a building, the ground, or an installed object.

[0104] The lighting device 10 is, for example, a spotlight, and is attached to a wiring fixture (for example, a wiring duct or a ceiling hook) provided on a ceiling or a wall. Note that the lighting device 10 is not limited to a spotlight, and may be, for example, a downlight or a ceiling light.

[0105] 18 , the lighting device 10 includes a light source 12, a communication unit 21, a temperature acquisition unit 126, a correction unit 124, a control unit 123, a storage unit 125, and a power supply unit (not shown). The communication unit 21 and the control unit 123 constitute the control unit 123. Alternatively, the input interface and the control unit 123 may constitute the control unit 123. The communication unit 21 or the input interface is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0106] The light source 12 emits white light along the optical axis direction, which is the direction in which the main light emitted by the light emitting element 121 is emitted and is perpendicular to the light emitting surface of the light source 12.

[0107] The light source 12 has a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 that emit light, and a light source substrate 122 on which the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are arranged.

[0108] Specifically, the light source 12 has a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 and a wavelength converter arranged two-dimensionally on the surface of the light source substrate 122. In the present embodiment, the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix on the surface of the light source substrate 122. The plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are arranged in an array on the surface of the light source substrate 122. Specifically, the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are regularly arranged side by side in a matrix of M rows and N columns. Here, at least one of M and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2. M and N may be the same value or different values. The arrangement intervals of the light-emitting elements 121 in the row direction and the column direction may be the same or different. In the present embodiment, the outer shape of the area in which the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are arranged is rectangular, but it may be another shape, for example, circular.

[0109] Each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 emits light in response to a current supplied from the drive unit 123a of the control unit 123. Each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 is, for example, a blue light-emitting element that emits blue light. Note that a green light-emitting element that emits green light and / or a red light-emitting element that emits red light may also be used. In each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121, a yellow phosphor is disposed on the light-emitting side of the blue light-emitting element as an example of a wavelength converter. The blue light-emitting element is, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). Specifically, the blue light-emitting element is, for example, a minute LED with a size on the order of several hundred micrometers. The yellow phosphor is a phosphor that is excited by blue light and emits yellow light. Each light-emitting element 121 emits white light as a mixture of blue light and yellow light. The yellow phosphor is, for example, a YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet)-based phosphor, but is not limited thereto.

[0110] The yellow phosphor may be provided so as to cover the plurality of blue light-emitting elements. For example, a yellow phosphor may be disposed so as to entirely cover the plurality of blue light-emitting elements arranged in a two-dimensional matrix.

[0111] Furthermore, the light source 12 can adjust the light intensity and color. For example, the light emission intensity of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 can be changed according to the amount of current supplied from the drive unit 123a of the control unit 123. For example, the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 may include a plurality of types of light-emitting elements 121 that emit white light with different color temperatures. By adjusting the light emission intensities of the plurality of types of light-emitting elements 121, the light source 12 can emit white light with a desired color temperature.

[0112] The plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are mounted on a light source substrate 122. The light source substrate 122 is a rigid substrate, but may be a flexible substrate. The light source substrate 122 is provided with pattern wiring for electrically connecting each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to a drive unit 123 a of the control unit 123.

[0113] The temperature acquisition unit 126 can acquire operating temperature information for each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. For example, the temperature acquisition unit 126 is a measurement unit or sensor that can measure or detect the temperature of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 and acquire the operating temperature information for each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. The temperature acquisition unit 126 can output the acquired operating temperature information for each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to the correction unit 124. The operating temperature information includes information indicating the current operating temperatures of the light-emitting elements 121. The operating temperature information may also include information indicating the operating temperatures of the light-emitting elements 121 that will be estimated in the future based on the light emission patterns. Note that the temperature acquisition unit 126 does not need to be included as a component of the lighting device 10. In this case, the lighting device 10 may acquire the operating temperature information from an external source.

[0114] The correction unit 124 acquires operating temperature information from the temperature acquisition unit 126, and based on the acquired operating temperature information, corrects the light emission pattern information stored in the storage unit 125. The light emission pattern information is data that indicates the shape, light emission intensity, hue, pattern, position, size, etc. of the light object to be irradiated onto the irradiation target.

[0115] When the light-emitting elements 121 are lit based on the light-emitting pattern information, if the operating temperature of the light-emitting elements 121 indicated in the operating temperature information is a high temperature equal to or higher than the rated temperature and there is a high-temperature light-emitting element 121 whose light-emitting intensity is equal to or higher than a threshold, the correction unit 124 identifies the density of the high-temperature light-emitting elements 121. The density of the light-emitting elements 121 is the number of adjacent high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 in a group out of two or more high-temperature light-emitting elements 121. Note that the density may also be the number of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 present per specified area.

[0116] For example, in the above case, the correction unit 124 identifies the number of adjacent high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 among two or more high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 (high-temperature light sources) whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold. At this time, the correction unit 124 can also identify the number of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold, even if the current operating temperature of the light-emitting elements 121 is low, and it is estimated that the operating temperature of the light-emitting elements 121 will become high in the future based on the emission pattern. The correction unit 124 corrects the emission pattern information based on the identified density. In other words, the correction unit 124 corrects the emission pattern information based on the identified number. The correction unit 124 can generate corrected emission pattern information.

[0117] Specifically, when the light-emitting elements 121 are turned on based on the light-emission pattern information, the correction unit 124 determines, based on the operating temperature information, whether or not there are any high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 whose light-emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value (e.g., 2 or greater). When there are any high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 whose light-emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value (e.g., 2 or greater), the correction unit 124 identifies the number of adjacent high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 in a group among the high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 whose light-emission intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold value. In this way, when the light-emitting elements 121 are turned on based on the light-emission pattern information, the correction unit 124 identifies the number of adjacent high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 in a group based on the operating temperature information. (a1) of FIG. 19 illustrates an example in which the number of adjacent high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 in a group is nine, as indicated by the hatched dots.

[0118] The threshold value is a value calculated from various experimental data so that the light emitting element 121 does not exceed its rated temperature.

[0119] The correction unit 124 can correct the light emission pattern information based on the identified number (the number of adjacent light emitting elements 121 with high temperatures in a group).

[0120] Specifically, when there is a high-temperature light-emitting element 121 whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information so as to reduce the emission intensity of a group of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 adjacent to the high-temperature light-emitting element 121. That is, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information by multiplying the current value supplied to the group of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 indicated in the emission pattern information, i.e., the emission intensity of the light-emitting elements 121, by a coefficient less than 1, and generate the corrected emission pattern information. For example, as shown in (a) and (b) in Figure 20, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information so as to reduce the emission intensity of one or more light-emitting elements 121 that project one of two light objects, and generate the corrected emission pattern information.

[0121] Furthermore, when there is a light-emitting element 121 with a high temperature whose emission intensity is equal to or higher than a threshold, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information so that the emission intensities of all the light-emitting elements 121 indicated in the emission pattern information are reduced. That is, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information by multiplying the current values ​​supplied to all the light-emitting elements 121 indicated in the emission pattern information, i.e., the emission intensities of the light-emitting elements 121, by a coefficient less than 1, and generate the emission pattern information after correction. For example, as shown in (a) and (c) in Figure 20, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information so that the emission intensities of all of the two or more light-emitting elements 121 that project two light objects are reduced, and generate the emission pattern information after correction.

[0122] Note that the upper limit of the current supplied to the light-emitting elements 121 may be reduced as the number of adjacent elements (the number of adjacent elements) increases. As an example, the correction unit 124 may correct the light emission pattern information so that when the number of adjacent light-emitting elements 121 is five or less, a current of up to 5 mA is supplied to each light-emitting element 121; when the number of adjacent light-emitting elements 121 is six or less, a current of up to 4 mA is supplied to each light-emitting element 121; and when the number of adjacent light-emitting elements 121 is seven or more, a current of up to 1 mA is supplied to each light-emitting element 121. That is, the correction unit 124 may have a correlation table between the number of adjacent light-emitting elements 121 and the upper limit of the current supplied to one light-emitting element 121. This correlation table may be stored in the storage unit 125. The correction unit 124 can output the corrected light emission pattern information to the control unit 123.

[0123] In this case, the control unit 123 determines the current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 according to the corrected light-emitting pattern information corrected by the correction unit 124 based on the number, and causes the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to emit light at the determined current value.

[0124] Furthermore, if there is no light-emitting element 121 whose light-emitting intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value (for example, equal to or greater than 2), the correction unit 124 does not correct the light-emitting pattern information. Therefore, the control unit 123 determines the current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 based on the light-emitting pattern information stored in the storage unit 125, and causes the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to emit light at the determined current value.

[0125] In another example, when the light-emitting element 121 is turned on based on the light-emitting pattern information, if there is a high-temperature light-emitting element 121 whose light-emitting intensity is equal to or higher than a threshold value (e.g., 2 or higher), the correction unit 124 can downscale the light-emitting pattern information stored in the memory unit 125, correct the light-emitting pattern information after the downscale process, and generate corrected light-emitting pattern information.

[0126] Specifically, after downscaling the light emission intensities of all light-emitting elements 121 indicated by the light emission pattern information stored in the storage unit 125, the correction unit 124 reduces the resolution indicated by the light emission pattern information when the operating temperature of the light-emitting elements 121 indicated by the operating temperature information is a high temperature equal to or higher than the rated temperature and there are light-emitting elements 121 with light emission intensities equal to or higher than a threshold (e.g., two or more). For example, before downscaling, one light-emitting element 121 corresponds to one pixel of the light emission pattern information, but after downscaling, two or more light-emitting elements 121 are grouped together and correspond to one pixel of the light emission pattern information. When downscaling, the correction unit 124 smoothes the two or more light-emitting elements 121 corresponding to one pixel as one group. For example, (a1) and (a2) in FIG. 19 illustrate 9 × 9 light-emitting elements 121. The light emission pattern information before downscaling is 9x9 pixels, but the correction unit 124 generates light emission pattern information that has been downscaled to 3x3 pixels so that 3x3 light emitting elements 121 become one pixel.

[0127] The correction unit 124 determines whether or not there is a high-temperature group whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold among the groups indicated by the downscaled emission pattern information. If the correction unit 124 determines that there is a high-temperature group whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold, it can correct the emission pattern information for that group.

[0128] Specifically, when there is a light-emitting element 121 with a high temperature whose emission intensity is equal to or higher than a threshold, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information by multiplying the emission intensities of all the light-emitting elements 121 in the group included in the emission pattern information by a coefficient less than 1. For example, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information by multiplying the current value to be supplied to the group indicated in the emission pattern information by a coefficient less than 1. For example, as shown in (a) and (b) in Figure 20, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information so that the emission intensity of one or more light-emitting elements 121 that project one of two light objects is reduced, and generate the corrected emission pattern information.

[0129] Furthermore, when there is a light-emitting element 121 with a high temperature whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information by multiplying the emission intensities of all groups indicated by the emission pattern information by a coefficient less than 1. For example, the correction unit 124 can correct the emission pattern information by multiplying the current values ​​supplied to all groups indicated by the emission pattern information by a coefficient less than 1. The correction unit 124 can output the corrected emission pattern information to the control unit 123. For example, as shown in (a) and (c) in Figure 20, the emission pattern information can be corrected so that the emission intensities of all of the two or more light-emitting elements 121 that project two light objects are reduced, thereby generating the corrected emission pattern information.

[0130] In this case, the control unit 123 determines a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the light-emitting pattern information after downscaling and correction by the correction unit 124, and causes the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to emit light at the determined current value. For example, in (a3) ​​of Fig. 19 , the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 emit light based on light-emitting pattern information that has been downscaled to 3 x 3 pixels and corrected so as to reduce the current value to be supplied to the group in question so that the group will be at or below the rated temperature.

[0131] In this way, when a group of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 exists, the control unit 123 adjusts the current supplied to the group of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121, and when downscaling processing is performed, adjusts the current supplied to each light-emitting element 121 indicated in the light emission pattern information. As a result, it is possible to light up as many light-emitting elements 121 as possible brightly while preventing the light-emitting elements 121 from exceeding their rated temperature.

[0132] The control unit 123 is realized, for example, by an LSI (Large Scale Integration), which is an integrated circuit (IC). The integrated circuit is not limited to an LSI, but may be a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. In the embodiment, the control unit 123 is a microcontroller. The microcontroller includes, for example, a non-volatile memory in which a program is stored, a volatile memory that is a temporary storage area for executing the program, input / output ports, and a processor that executes the program. The control unit 123 may also be a programmable FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a reconfigurable processor in which the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI can be reconfigured. The functions performed by the processing unit may be realized by software or hardware.

[0133] The control unit 123 controls the two-dimensionally arranged light-emitting elements 121 by outputting a control signal based on the control instruction to the drive unit 123a. The control unit 123 individually controls the light-emitting elements 121, causing the light source 12 to emit light that becomes a light object. Specifically, the control unit 123 identifies one or more light-emitting elements 121 to be driven based on the control instruction received by the communication unit 21, and determines the light emission intensity of each of the one or more light-emitting elements 121. The control unit 123 generates a control signal based on the light emission intensity for each of the identified one or more light-emitting elements 121. The control unit 123 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 123a for turning on the identified one or more light-emitting elements 121. The drive unit 123a individually drives the multiple light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the received control signal. In other words, the drive unit 123a supplies current to one or more light-emitting elements 121 indicated in the control signal to turn them on, and does not supply current to the remaining light-emitting elements 121 indicated in the control signal to turn them off. The one or more light-emitting elements 121 specified by the control unit 123 are turned on. As a result, light is emitted from the light source 12 via the optical member, and the spot illumination light emitted from the lighting device 10 is irradiated onto the illumination object, thereby forming an image of the light object on the illumination object. In other words, the light object irradiated with the spot illumination light is projected onto the illumination object.

[0134] The control instruction is an instruction input by the user to the input unit in order to project a desired light object on the irradiation target. The control instruction includes, for example, an instruction to project a figure handwritten by the user on the irradiation target, an instruction to select light emission pattern information stored in the storage unit 125 by the user and project the selected light emission pattern information as a light object on the irradiation target, etc.

[0135] The control unit 123 can control the shape, light emission intensity, hue (e.g., color temperature), pattern, position, size, etc. of the light object so that they change periodically. In other words, the control unit 123 can project still image light objects and moving image light objects onto the illumination target. Therefore, the control unit 123 can display the shape, light emission intensity, hue, pattern, position, size, etc. of the light object on the illumination target so that they change dynamically. In other words, in this embodiment, the control unit 123 can produce not only still image-like effects but also moving image-like effects.

[0136] The driving unit 123a supplies a current for driving the light source 12. Specifically, the driving unit 123a supplies a current for driving each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 independently (i.e., individually) according to a control signal based on a control instruction, which is information received by the control unit 123. As a result, the on / off, light-emitting intensity, light-emitting period, etc. of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are individually controlled. For example, by individually controlling the on / off of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121, it is possible to emit spot illumination light with brightness and darkness for each illumination area. Then, by irradiating an illumination target with the spot illumination light, it is possible to form an image of a light object on the illumination target according to the brightness and darkness.

[0137] The control signal includes the on / off, light emission intensity, and light emission period of each of the multiple light-emitting elements 121, and is a signal that the control unit 123 outputs to the drive unit 123a to control the lighting of the light-emitting elements 121.

[0138] The control unit 123 has a drive unit 123a.

[0139] The driver 123a is realized by, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The driver 123a supplies a current modulated by pulse width modulation (PWM) to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. The driver 123a adjusts the pulse width of the current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to change the light emission intensity of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121, thereby achieving a dimming function. Note that the dimming method is not limited to PWM modulation, and may be another modulation method such as amplitude modulation or phase modulation.

[0140] The driving unit 123a drives one or more light-emitting elements 121 identified by the control unit 123 so as to illuminate the irradiation target. Specifically, the driving unit 123a identifies one or more light-emitting elements 121 to be turned on as indicated in the light-emitting pattern information based on the light-emitting pattern information stored in the storage unit 125, and adjusts the current supplied to the identified one or more light-emitting elements 121.

[0141] The communication unit 21 can wirelessly communicate with the terminal device 30. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 21 can wirelessly communicate via an access point. Specifically, when the communication unit 21 wirelessly communicates with the terminal device 30, the communication unit 21 may use short-range wireless communication such as ZigBee (registered trademark) or a wireless local area network (LAN). The wireless communication method (communication standard) may be communication via a wide area communication network such as the Internet. The communication between the communication unit 21 and the terminal device 30 may be wired communication. The wired communication may be communication using power line communication (PLC) or a wired LAN, for example. The communication unit 21 is realized by, for example, an antenna and a wireless processing circuit that processes a signal received by the antenna.

[0142] The storage unit 125 is a storage device that stores computer programs and the like executed by the control unit 123. The storage unit 125 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0143] The storage unit 125 stores light emission pattern information for projecting a light object, for which a light emission pattern has been set, onto an illumination target. The light emission pattern information includes preset data and data set by the user. The storage unit 125 can also store corrected light emission pattern information.

[0144] The power supply unit supplies operating power to the control unit 123 and the light source 12. The power supply unit has, for example, an AC-DC converter circuit, converts AC power supplied from a commercial power source into DC power, and supplies the converted DC power to the control unit 123 and the light source 12.

[0145] The lighting device 10 further includes an optical element. The optical element is a projection lens or the like that projects light emitted by one or more light-emitting elements 121 driven by the drive unit 123a forward. When the optical element is a projection lens, the optical element applies a predetermined optical effect to the light emitted from the light source 12 and projects the light forward so that the light emitted by the one or more light-emitting elements 121 is focused as spot illumination light on an illumination object located in front of the light-emitting element. When the optical element is a projection lens, the lighting device 10 may be provided with a plurality of projection lenses, or may be provided with a single lens.

[0146] Next, a terminal device 30 according to an embodiment that can operate the lighting device 10 will be described.

[0147] The terminal device 30 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. In the embodiment, the terminal device 30 is a tablet terminal. Note that the terminal device 30 may also be, for example, a device fixed to a wall or the like, or a device such as a desktop or laptop personal computer.

[0148] The terminal device 30 allows operation input for controlling the control unit 123 of the lighting device 10. By inputting operation to the terminal device 30, the user can operate a predetermined light object that is irradiated by the lighting device 10.

[0149] The terminal device 30 can accept an operation input for controlling the irradiation pattern. Specifically, the terminal device 30 can accept an operation input for controlling the irradiation pattern of one or more light objects irradiated onto an irradiation target.

[0150] The terminal device 30 can receive and acquire object data of a light object transmitted from an external device. Furthermore, when a user connects a secondary storage device such as a flash memory to the terminal device 30, the terminal device 30 can acquire light emission pattern information from the secondary storage device. Here, the external device may be another mobile terminal, another device fixed to a wall or the like, or another personal computer.

[0151] <Operation Example 1> Next, with reference to FIG. 21A, an operation example 1 performed by the lighting device 10 will be described.

[0152] FIG. 21A is a flowchart showing a first operational example of the lighting device 10.

[0153] 21A , the correction unit 124 first acquires light emission pattern information from the storage unit 125 (S11). That is, the correction unit 124 acquires light emission pattern information for turning on a plurality of light sources that are two-dimensionally arranged and that are stored in the storage unit 125.

[0154] Next, the temperature acquisition unit 126 acquires operating temperature information for each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. The correction unit 124 acquires the operating temperature information for each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 from the temperature acquisition unit 126. The correction unit 124 identifies (counts) the number of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 based on the operating temperature information and the light-emitting pattern information (S12).

[0155] Specifically, when the light-emitting elements 121 are turned on based on the light-emitting pattern information, the correction unit 124 determines whether there are two or more light-emitting elements 121 whose light-emitting intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold, taking into account the operating temperature information. That is, when the light-emitting elements 121 are turned on based on the light-emitting pattern information, the correction unit 124 counts the number of light-emitting elements 121 whose operating temperatures indicated in the operating temperature information are high, equal to or greater than the rated temperature, and whose light-emitting intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold. When the correction unit 124 determines, by counting, that there are two or more high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 whose light-emitting intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold, the correction unit 124 further identifies (counts) the number of adjacent groups of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 among the two or more high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 whose light-emitting intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0156] If the correction unit 124 determines that there are not two or more light-emitting elements 121 whose light emission intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold value as a result of the counting, the correction unit 124 may end the flowchart of FIG. 21A.

[0157] Next, the correction unit 124 corrects the light emission pattern information based on the identified number (the number of adjacent groups of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121). Specifically, the correction unit 124 determines whether the light emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value and whether the number of adjacent groups of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S13).

[0158] When the correction unit 124 determines that the light emission intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold value and that the number of adjacent light emitting elements 121 with high temperatures is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (YES in S13), the correction unit 124 corrects the light emission pattern information by multiplying the light emission intensity of the group of light emitting elements 121 with high temperatures, which is included in the light emission pattern information, by a coefficient less than 1 (S14). The correction unit 124 outputs the corrected light emission pattern information to the control unit 123.

[0159] The control unit 123 lights up the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the light-emitting pattern information corrected by the correction unit 124 based on the number (S15). That is, the control unit 123 determines the current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the light-emitting pattern information corrected, and causes the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to emit light at the determined current value.

[0160] In addition, if the correction unit 124 determines that the number of adjacent high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 in a group is less than a predetermined value (NO in S13), it does not correct the light-emitting pattern information and outputs the uncorrected light-emitting pattern information to the control unit 123.

[0161] The control unit 123 turns on the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the uncorrected light-emitting pattern information (S15). That is, the control unit 123 determines the current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the uncorrected light-emitting pattern information, and causes the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to emit light at the determined current value.

[0162] Then, the lighting device 10 ends the flowchart of FIG. 21A.

[0163] <Operation Example 2> Next, with reference to FIG. 21B, operation example 2 performed by lighting device 10 will be described.

[0164] FIG. 21B is a flowchart showing a second operation example of the lighting device 10.

[0165] 21B , the correction unit 124 first acquires light emission pattern information from the storage unit 125 (S21). That is, the correction unit 124 acquires light emission pattern information for turning on a plurality of light sources that are two-dimensionally arranged and that are stored in the storage unit 125.

[0166] Next, the temperature acquisition unit 126 acquires operating temperature information for each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121. The correction unit 124 acquires the operating temperature information for each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 from the temperature acquisition unit 126. The correction unit 124 downscales the light emission pattern information stored in the storage unit 125 based on the operating temperature information and the light emission intensity (S22). In other words, the correction unit 124 downscales the light emission pattern information to generate light emission pattern information with reduced resolution.

[0167] Next, the correction unit 124 turns on the lights based on the corrected light emission pattern information, and determines whether or not there is a group among the groups whose light emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value (S23).

[0168] Specifically, the correction unit 124 determines whether or not there is a high-temperature group in which the emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value among the groups indicated by the downscaled emission pattern information.

[0169] Next, if the correction unit 124 determines that there is a group whose light emission intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold value (YES in S23), it corrects the light emission pattern information by multiplying the light emission intensity of each light emitting element 121 included in the light emission pattern information by a coefficient less than 1 (S24). The correction unit 124 outputs the corrected light emission pattern information to the control unit 123. For example, as shown by hatching dots in (a2) of FIG. 19 , if the light emission intensity of a group including a high-temperature light emitting element 121 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the correction unit 124 corrects the light emission pattern information by multiplying by a coefficient less than 1 so that the operating temperature of the group is less than the rated temperature. As a result, as shown in (a3) ​​of FIG. 19 , the light emission intensity of the group including a high-temperature light emitting element 121 is lower than that shown in (a1) and (a2) of FIG. 19 .

[0170] Next, the control unit 123 lights up the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 that make up the group in accordance with the light-emitting pattern information corrected by the correction unit 124 (S25). That is, the control unit 123 determines the current value to be supplied to the group including the high-temperature light-emitting element 121 in accordance with the corrected light-emitting pattern information, and causes the group including the high-temperature light-emitting element 121 to emit light at the determined current value.

[0171] Furthermore, if the correction unit 124 determines that there is no group among the groups whose light emission intensity is equal to or greater than the threshold value (NO in S23), it outputs the light emission pattern information to the control unit 123 without correcting the light emission pattern information.

[0172] For example, when the number of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 is zero as shown in (b1) of Figure 19, and there are multiple high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 as shown in (c1) of Figure 19, but they are scattered one by one and the light emission intensity when smoothed on a group basis is less than the threshold, downscaling processing is performed as shown in (b2) and (c2) of Figure 19, but the light emission pattern information is not corrected.

[0173] Next, the control unit 123 lights up the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the light-emitting pattern information that has been downscaled by the correction unit 124 (S25). That is, as shown in (b3) and (c3) of Fig. 19 , the control unit 123 determines the current values ​​to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the light-emitting pattern information that has been downscaled, and causes the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to emit light at the determined current values.

[0174] Then, the lighting device 10 ends the flowchart of FIG. 21A.

[0175] (Summary) For example, in conventional technology, when a plurality of LEDs of a light source are arranged in an array, the light source is likely to be subjected to a thermal load, which tends to reduce the thermal reliability of the device. Furthermore, when a light source having a plurality of LEDs arranged in an array is used to project an emission pattern onto a projection surface, the appearance of the emission pattern is also important, so it is important to suppress flickering of the emission pattern.

[0176] Therefore, as described above, for example, the lighting control system 2 relating to the first aspect is provided with a control unit 222 that individually controls the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 based on the temperature measurement results of one or more measurement points in the light source 12 having the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 arranged in an array.

[0177] According to such a lighting control system 2, the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 is limited when the temperature of the light source 12 increases, which has the advantage of suppressing the temperature rise of the light source 12 and making it easier to improve the thermal reliability of the light source 12. Therefore, improvements can be made compared to the conventional art.

[0178] Furthermore, for example, a lighting control system 2 according to a second aspect includes a temperature acquisition unit 223 and a control unit 222. The temperature acquisition unit 223 periodically acquires temperatures at one or more measurement points P1 in a light source 12 having a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 arranged in an array. The control unit 222 individually controls the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 based on the temperature measurement results at the one or more measurement points P1 acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 223. The control unit 222 determines whether the measurement results satisfy predetermined conditions, and reduces the amount of current if the measurement results satisfy the predetermined conditions. The predetermined conditions include a first condition that the measurement results at the same measurement point P1 indicate an increase in temperature multiple times in succession.

[0179] Such lighting control system 2 has the advantage that the amount of current supplied to light source 12 is less likely to be limited in accordance with the temperature of light source 12, and therefore the brightness of the light emission pattern is less likely to change in accordance with the temperature of light source 12, making it easier to suppress flickering of the light emission pattern. Furthermore, such lighting control system 2 has the advantage that the amount of current supplied to light source 12 is limited when the temperature of light source 12 increases, making it possible to suppress an increase in the temperature of light source 12 and making it easier to improve the thermal reliability of light source 12.

[0180] Also, for example, in the lighting control system 2 according to the third aspect, in the second aspect, a temperature rise is indicated when the temperature at the same measurement point P1 is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

[0181] According to such a lighting control system 2, whether the temperature is rising is determined based on whether the temperature at measurement point P1 is equal to or higher than a threshold value, which has the advantage of making it easier to reduce the processing load.

[0182] Furthermore, for example, in the lighting control system 2 according to the fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the threshold value differs depending on the amount of current.

[0183] Such a lighting control system 2 has the advantage that it is easier to finely control the temperature of the light source 12 compared to when the threshold value is constant regardless of the amount of current.

[0184] Also, for example, in the lighting control system 2 relating to the fifth aspect, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, the specified condition further includes a second condition that the first condition is satisfied at each of all measurement points P1.

[0185] Such a lighting control system 2 has the advantage that the brightness of the light-emitting pattern is less likely to change in response to the temperature of the light source 12, making it easier to suppress flickering of the light-emitting pattern, compared to when the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 is reduced when the first condition is met at any of the measurement points P1.

[0186] Furthermore, for example, in the lighting control system 2 relating to the sixth aspect, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, the specified condition further includes a third condition that the number of measurement points P1 that satisfy the first condition is greater than the number of measurement points P1 that do not satisfy the first condition.

[0187] Such a lighting control system 2 has the advantage that if the first condition is satisfied at each of all measurement points P1, it is easier to suppress the temperature rise of the light source 12 compared to when the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 is reduced.

[0188] Also, for example, in the lighting control system 2 relating to the seventh aspect, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, the specified condition further includes a fourth condition that the first condition is satisfied at a specific point among one or more measurement points P1.

[0189] Such a lighting control system 2 has the advantage that if the first condition is met at each of all measurement points P1, it is easier to suppress temperature rise at specific locations of the light source 12 compared to when the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 is reduced.

[0190] Also, for example, in the lighting control system 2 relating to the eighth aspect, in any one of the second to seventh aspects, the control unit 222 increases the amount of current when the condition that the measurement results at the same measurement point P1 show a decrease in temperature multiple times in succession is met at each of all measurement points P1.

[0191] Such a lighting control system 2 has the advantage that the amount of current supplied to the light source 12 does not need to be reduced more than necessary when the temperature of the light source 12 is low, making it easier to prevent the brightness of the light-emitting pattern from decreasing more than necessary.

[0192] Furthermore, for example, lighting devices 10, 200, 200a according to a ninth aspect include the lighting control system 2 according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, a light source 12, a detector 16, and a housing 11. The detector 16 detects the temperature of one or more measurement points P1 on the light source 12. The housing 11 houses the lighting control system 2 and the light source 12.

[0193] Such lighting devices 10, 200, and 200a have the advantage that the amount of current supplied to light source 12 is less likely to be limited in accordance with the temperature of light source 12, and therefore the brightness of the light emission pattern is less likely to change in accordance with the temperature of light source 12, making it easier to suppress flickering of the light emission pattern. Furthermore, such lighting devices 10, 200, and 200a have the advantage that the amount of current supplied to light source 12 is limited when the temperature of light source 12 increases, making it possible to suppress a rise in the temperature of light source 12 and making it easier to improve the thermal reliability of light source 12.

[0194] In addition, for example, a lighting control method according to a tenth aspect periodically acquires the temperature at one or more measurement points P1 in a light source 12 having a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 arranged in an array (S1). The lighting control method also individually controls the amount of current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 based on the acquired temperature measurement results at the one or more measurement points P1 (S3, S5, S6). The lighting control method also determines whether the measurement results satisfy predetermined conditions (S2), and if the measurement results satisfy the predetermined conditions, reduces the amount of current (S3). The predetermined conditions include a first condition that the measurement results at the same measurement point P1 indicate a temperature increase multiple times in succession.

[0195] Such a lighting control method has the advantage that the amount of current supplied to light source 12 is less likely to be limited in accordance with the temperature of light source 12, and therefore the luminance of the light emission pattern is less likely to change in accordance with the temperature of light source 12, making it easier to suppress flickering of the light emission pattern. Furthermore, such a lighting control method has the advantage that the amount of current supplied to light source 12 is limited when the temperature of light source 12 increases, making it possible to suppress an increase in the temperature of light source 12 and making it easier to improve the thermal reliability of light source 12.

[0196] In conventional LED modules, the temperature of each LED element varies greatly depending on the light emission pattern. Therefore, simply setting the current value supplied to each LED element can make it impossible to obtain the desired light intensity, or even if the desired light intensity is obtained, the temperature of each LED element may exceed the rated temperature.

[0197] Therefore, for example, the lighting control system 2 according to the eleventh aspect comprises, in the first aspect, a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 arranged in an array, a memory unit 125 that stores light emission pattern information for lighting the plurality of light-emitting elements 121, and a correction unit 124 that corrects the light emission pattern information, wherein the control unit 123 determines a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121, the correction unit 124 corrects the light emission pattern information based on operating temperature information of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121, and the control unit 123 determines a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the light emission pattern information corrected by the correction unit 124.

[0198] According to this, for example, when the operating temperature of the light-emitting element 121 becomes equal to or higher than the rated temperature, the light emission pattern information can be corrected so that the operating temperature of the light-emitting element 121 does not become equal to or higher than the rated temperature. As a result, the control unit 123 can determine the current value to be supplied to the light-emitting element 121 according to the corrected light emission pattern information so that the light-emitting element 121 can be illuminated as brightly as possible while remaining at or below the rated temperature.

[0199] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the operating temperature of each light-emitting element 121 can be acquired, but depending on the light-emitting pattern, the light-emitting element 121 may quickly reach or exceed its rated temperature. In this case, feedback may be performed to control the current supplied to the light-emitting element so as to lower the temperature of the light-emitting element. However, if it is known in advance that the temperature of the light-emitting element 121 will reach or exceed the rated temperature in a specific light-emitting pattern, the light-emitting pattern information may be corrected in advance to lower the temperature of the light-emitting element 121. In other words, since the operating temperature information includes not only current temperature information of the light source but also information about an estimated future temperature, the control unit 123 may also correct the light-emitting pattern information in advance, taking into account the estimated future temperature information.

[0200] Therefore, according to the present disclosure, the light emitting element 121 can be turned on as brightly as possible while adjusting the current supplied to the light emitting element 121 so that the operating temperature is equal to or lower than the rated temperature.

[0201] Furthermore, for example, in the lighting control system 2 relating to the 12th aspect, in the 11th aspect, when a light source (light-emitting element 121) is turned on based on the light emission pattern information, if the operating temperature of the light source (light-emitting element 121) indicated in the operating temperature information is high, equal to or higher than the rated temperature, and there is a high-temperature light source (light-emitting element 121) whose light emission intensity is equal to or higher than a threshold, the correction unit 124 identifies the density of the high-temperature light sources (light-emitting elements 121) and corrects the light emission pattern information based on the identified density, and the control unit 123 determines the current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the corrected light emission pattern information corrected by the correction unit 124 based on the density.

[0202] This allows the light emission pattern information to be corrected in accordance with the density of a group of high-temperature light emitting elements 121. Therefore, the control unit 123 can determine the current value to be supplied to the light emitting elements 121 in accordance with the corrected light emission pattern information so that the light emitting elements 121 can be illuminated as brightly as possible while remaining at or below the rated temperature.

[0203] Also, for example, in the lighting control system 2 relating to the 13th aspect, in the 12th aspect, the density of the light source is the number of adjacent groups of high-temperature light sources (light-emitting elements 121) among two or more high-temperature light sources (light-emitting elements 121).

[0204] This allows the light emission pattern information to be corrected according to the number of high-temperature light emitting elements 121 in a group. Therefore, the control unit 123 can determine the current value to be supplied to the light emitting elements 121 according to the corrected light emission pattern information so that the light emitting elements 121 can be illuminated as brightly as possible while remaining at or below the rated temperature.

[0205] Furthermore, for example, in the lighting control system 2 according to the fourteenth aspect, in any one of the eleventh to thirteenth aspects, when the operating temperature of the light source (light-emitting element 121) indicated in the operating temperature information is high and equal to or higher than the rated temperature, and a light source (light-emitting element 121) with an emission intensity equal to or higher than a threshold value is present, the correction unit 124 downscales the emission pattern information stored in the memory unit 125 and corrects the emission pattern information by taking into account the emission intensities of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 based on the downscaled emission pattern information, and the control unit 123 determines the current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 according to the emission pattern information corrected by the correction unit 124.

[0206] This allows the resolution of the light emission pattern information to be reduced by downscaling the light emission pattern information. Even if only a small portion of the multiple light emitting elements 121 are lit with a locally high light emission intensity, the effect is limited, so the temperature of the group is unlikely to rise. This prevents the internal processing load of the lighting control system 2 from increasing.

[0207] Furthermore, for example, in the lighting control system 2 relating to the 15th aspect, in any one of the 11th to 14th aspects, when a high-temperature light source (light-emitting element 121) whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold is present, the correction unit 124 corrects the emission pattern information so that the emission intensity of surrounding light sources (light-emitting elements 121) adjacent to the high-temperature light source (light-emitting element 121) is reduced.

[0208] According to this, when a high-temperature light-emitting element 121 is present, it is possible to correct the light emission pattern information including that of the surrounding light-emitting elements 121. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operating temperature of the high-temperature light-emitting element 121 and the surrounding light-emitting elements 121 from exceeding the rated temperature.

[0209] Furthermore, for example, in the lighting control system 2 relating to the 16th aspect, in any one of the 11th to 14th aspects, when there is a high-temperature light source (light-emitting element 121) whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold, the correction unit 124 corrects the emission pattern information so that the emission intensity of all light sources (light-emitting elements 121) indicated by the emission pattern information is reduced.

[0210] For example, in the case of light emission pattern information that expresses light shadows such as sunlight filtering through the trees, there is a risk that natural sunlight filtering through the trees cannot be reproduced if the light emission intensities of the multiple light emitting elements 121 are individually corrected. However, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to correct all the light emission intensities indicated by the light emission pattern information, thereby preventing the operating temperature of the light emitting elements 121 from exceeding the rated temperature and reproducing natural sunlight filtering through the trees.

[0211] Also, for example, the lighting control system 2 relating to the 17th aspect, in any one of the 11th to 16th aspects, is provided with a temperature acquisition unit 126 that acquires operating temperature information of the multiple light-emitting elements 121 and outputs the operating temperature information of the multiple light-emitting elements 121 to the correction unit 124.

[0212] This allows the operating temperature information of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 to be acquired, so that the correction unit 124 can more appropriately correct the light-emitting pattern information by taking the operating temperature information into consideration.

[0213] The lighting control systems 2 according to the eleventh to seventeenth aspects can be replaced with the lighting devices 10, 200, and 200a.

[0214] Furthermore, for example, the lighting control method according to the eighteenth aspect includes the steps of: correcting, by the correction unit 124, light emission pattern information for lighting up a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 arranged in an array and stored in the memory unit 125; determining, by the control unit 123, a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121; correcting, by the correction unit 124, the light emission pattern information based on the operating temperatures of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121; and determining, by the control unit 123, a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in accordance with the light emission pattern information corrected by the correction unit 124.

[0215] This lighting control method also provides the same effects as the lighting control system 2 described above.

[0216] Also, for example, a program according to a nineteenth aspect is a program that enables a computer to execute the lighting control method of the eighteenth aspect.

[0217] This program also provides the same effects as the lighting control system 2 described above.

[0218] (Other Modifications) The lighting control system, lighting device, lighting control method, and program according to the present disclosure have been described above based on the above-mentioned embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. As long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications that would occur to those skilled in the art may also be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0219] Furthermore, in the lighting control system, lighting device, lighting control method, and program according to the above-described embodiments, either one of the flowcharts in FIG. 21A and FIG. 21B may be executed, or both may be executed.

[0220] Furthermore, in the lighting control system, lighting device, lighting control method, and program according to the above-described embodiments, whether the correction unit 124 performs correction by multiplying the light emission intensity of a group of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 by a coefficient less than 1 (first pattern) or by multiplying the light emission intensities of all light-emitting elements 121 indicated by the light emission pattern information by a coefficient less than 1 (second pattern) may be appropriately determined depending on the image indicated by the light emission pattern information. For example, if the image indicated by the light emission pattern information is a natural sunbeam filtering through the trees, the correction unit 124 may multiply the light emission intensities of all light-emitting elements 121 indicated by the light emission pattern information by a coefficient less than 1 to achieve an image with overall brightness and darkness that does not appear unnatural. On the other hand, if the image indicated by the light emission pattern information is a graphic (e.g., FIG. 20 ), the correction unit 124 may multiply the light emission intensity of a group of high-temperature light-emitting elements 121 by a coefficient less than 1 to prevent the graphic from appearing unnatural. A processing unit having artificial intelligence may determine whether the image indicated by the light emission pattern information should be corrected using the first pattern or the second pattern. Note that the user may be allowed to select whether to perform correction using the first pattern or the second pattern. In other words, the user may be able to select, via the terminal device, whether to perform correction using the first pattern or the second pattern.

[0221] In addition, in the lighting control system, lighting device, lighting control method, and program of the above-mentioned embodiments, the correction unit 124 may use a machine learning model that has been trained to output whether or not to correct the light emission pattern information.

[0222] In the lighting control system, lighting device, lighting control method, and program according to the above embodiments, the division of functional blocks in the block diagram is merely an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be transferred to other functional blocks. Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in a time-sharing manner by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0223] The order in which the steps in the flowchart are executed is merely an example for specifically explaining the present disclosure, and other orders may be used. Also, some of the steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps.

[0224] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by making various modifications to the above embodiments that a person skilled in the art would think of, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of the embodiments within the scope that does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure.

[0225] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10, 200, 200a Illumination device 11 Housing 12 Light source 121 Light-emitting element 123, 222 Control unit 124 Correction unit 126, 223 Temperature acquisition unit 16 Detection unit 2 Illumination control system 23, 125 Memory unit P1 Measurement point

Claims

1. A lighting control system comprising a control unit that individually controls the amount of current supplied to each of a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array based on the temperature measurement results at one or more measurement points in a light source having the plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array.

2. A lighting control system as described in claim 1, further comprising a temperature acquisition unit that periodically acquires the temperature of the one or more measurement points, wherein the control unit determines whether the measurement results satisfy predetermined conditions, and reduces the amount of current if the measurement results satisfy the predetermined conditions, wherein the predetermined conditions include a first condition that the measurement results at the same measurement point show an increase in temperature multiple times in succession.

3. The lighting control system of claim 2, wherein the indication of the temperature increase is that the temperature at the same measurement point is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

4. The lighting control system according to claim 3, wherein the threshold value varies depending on the amount of current.

5. A lighting control system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the predetermined conditions further include a second condition that the first condition is satisfied at each of all measurement points.

6. A lighting control system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the predetermined conditions further include a third condition that the number of measurement points that satisfy the first condition is greater than the number of measurement points that do not satisfy the first condition.

7. A lighting control system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the predetermined conditions further include a fourth condition that the first condition is satisfied at a specific point among the one or more measurement points.

8. A lighting control system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control unit increases the amount of current when the measurement results at the same measurement point show a temperature drop multiple times in succession at each of all measurement points.

9. A lighting device comprising: the lighting control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4; the light source; a detection unit that detects the temperature of the one or more measurement points on the light source; and a housing that houses the lighting control system and the light source.

10. A lighting control method comprising individually controlling the amount of current supplied to each of a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array based on the results of measuring the temperature at one or more measurement points in a light source having the plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array.

11. A lighting control system as described in claim 1, comprising: a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in an array; a memory unit that stores light emission pattern information for lighting the plurality of light-emitting elements; and a correction unit that corrects the light emission pattern information, wherein the control unit determines a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements; the correction unit corrects the light emission pattern information based on operating temperature information of the plurality of light-emitting elements; and the control unit determines a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements in accordance with the light emission pattern information corrected by the correction unit.

12. The lighting control system described in claim 11, wherein, when the light-emitting elements are turned on based on the light-emitting pattern information, if the operating temperature of the light-emitting elements indicated in the operating temperature information is a high temperature equal to or higher than the rated temperature and there are light-emitting elements with a high temperature such that the light-emitting intensity is equal to or higher than a threshold, the correction unit identifies a density of the high-temperature light-emitting elements and corrects the light-emitting pattern information based on the identified density, and the control unit determines a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements in accordance with the corrected light-emitting pattern information corrected by the correction unit based on the density.

13. The lighting control system according to claim 12, wherein the density of the light-emitting elements is the number of adjacent groups of the high-temperature light-emitting elements among two or more of the high-temperature light-emitting elements.

14. The lighting control system described in claim 11, wherein, when the operating temperature of the light-emitting element indicated in the operating temperature information is a high temperature equal to or higher than the rated temperature and there is a light-emitting element whose emission intensity is equal to or higher than a threshold, the correction unit downscales the emission pattern information stored in the memory unit and corrects the emission pattern information by taking into account the emission intensities of the plurality of light-emitting elements based on the downscaled emission pattern information, and the control unit determines current values ​​to be supplied to the plurality of light-emitting elements in accordance with the corrected emission pattern information downscaled by the correction unit.

15. A lighting control system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein when there is a light-emitting element with a high temperature whose emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold, the correction unit corrects the emission pattern information so that the emission intensity of a group of high-temperature light-emitting elements adjacent to the high-temperature light-emitting element is reduced.

16. A lighting control system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the correction unit corrects the light emission pattern information so that the light emission intensities of all the light emitting elements indicated by the light emission pattern information are reduced when there is a light emitting element with a high temperature such that the light emission intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

17. A lighting control system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, comprising a temperature acquisition unit that acquires the operating temperature information of the plurality of light-emitting elements and outputs the operating temperature information of the plurality of light-emitting elements to the correction unit.

18. A lighting control method comprising: a correction unit correcting light emission pattern information for lighting a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in an array, the light emission pattern information being stored in a memory unit; a control unit determining a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light emitting elements; the correction unit correcting the light emission pattern information based on the operating temperatures of the plurality of light emitting elements; and the control unit determining a current value to be supplied to the plurality of light emitting elements according to the light emission pattern information corrected by the correction unit.

19. A program that enables a computer to execute the lighting control method according to claim 18.