JP2024062193A - USER INTERFACE DEVICE, LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM, AND DISPLAY METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a user interface device capable of setting and playing back scenes with a user's energy consumption taken into account.SOLUTION: A user interface device 30 includes a display unit 32, and a control unit 34 that displays a scene setting screen and a scene playback screen on the display unit 32. The control unit 34 is configured to display first information indicating a relative amount of energy consumed when the scene in question is played back by a plurality of lighting fixtures 20, relative to reference energy consumed when the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 emits light in a reference light state in the scene setting screen, for each of the one or more scenes set, and display second information indicating the amount of energy consumed relative to the reference energy consumption when the scene indicated by the scene playback screen is played back by the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 in the scene playback screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a user interface device for use in a lighting control system.

Patent document 1 discloses a lighting control device that can display statistics such as power usage on an illumination simulation screen.

JP 2014-165047 A

Some lighting control systems allow you to pre-register (set) a scene for how multiple lighting fixtures will light up, and then instruct multiple lighting fixtures to play the set scene.

The present invention provides a user interface device etc. that allows the user to set and play scenes while taking into consideration energy consumption.

A user interface device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a display unit, a scene setting screen for a user to set one or more scenes, each of which indicates the light emission state of a plurality of lighting devices, and a control unit that displays on the display unit a scene playback screen that indicates a scene from the one or more set scenes that is being played by the plurality of lighting devices. The control unit displays, on the scene setting screen, first information indicating, for each of the one or more set scenes, a relative amount of energy consumed when the scene is played by the plurality of lighting devices to a standard energy consumption when the plurality of lighting devices are made to emit light in a standard light emission state, and displays, on the scene playback screen, second information indicating a relative amount of energy consumed when the scene indicated on the scene playback screen is played by the plurality of lighting devices to the standard energy consumption.

A lighting control system according to one aspect of the present invention includes the user interface device and the plurality of lighting fixtures.

A display method according to one aspect of the present invention is a display method executed by a computer, and includes the steps of displaying, on a display unit, a scene setting screen for a user to set one or more scenes, each of which indicates the light emission state of a plurality of lighting devices, and a scene playback screen indicating a scene from the one or more set scenes that is being played by the plurality of lighting devices; displaying, on the scene setting screen, first information indicating, for each of the one or more set scenes, a relative amount of energy consumed when the scene is played by the plurality of lighting devices to a reference energy consumption when the plurality of lighting devices are made to emit light in a reference light emission state; and displaying, on the scene playback screen, second information indicating a relative amount of energy consumed when the scene indicated on the scene playback screen is played by the plurality of lighting devices to the reference energy consumption.

The user interface device of the present invention allows the user to set and play scenes while taking into consideration energy consumption.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a lighting control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an example of the operation of the user interface device when a scene is set. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a scene setting screen. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example of the operation of the user interface device when a scene is played back. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a scene playback screen. FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example of the operation of the user interface device when a scene is scheduled. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the schedule setting screen. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the user interface device when displaying a plurality of lighting fixtures on a map. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a map screen showing the arrangement of a plurality of lighting fixtures.

The following describes the embodiments in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim are described as optional components.

Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a precise illustration. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configurations, and duplicate explanations may be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment)
[composition]
First, the configuration of a lighting control system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a lighting control system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, lighting control system 10 includes a plurality of lighting fixtures 20, a user interface device 30, a lighting control terminal 40, and a human presence sensor 50. The number of lighting fixtures 20 included in lighting control system 10 is not particularly limited.

The lighting fixture 20 is a base light or the like that is installed on the ceiling of an indoor space and illuminates the indoor space. The form of the lighting fixture 20 is not particularly limited, and may be a ceiling light, a downlight, a spotlight, or the like. Specifically, the lighting fixture 20 includes a wireless communication unit 21 and a light source 22.

The wireless communication unit 21 is a wireless communication circuit that enables the lighting fixture 20 to perform wireless communication (more specifically, radio wave communication) with the user interface device 30, the lighting control terminal 40, and the human presence sensor 50. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 21 performs wireless communication according to a communication standard such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

The light source 22 emits white light into the indoor space so that the lighting device 20 can illuminate the indoor space. The light source 22 is realized, for example, by an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element, but may also be realized by other light-emitting elements such as a semiconductor laser, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence), or an inorganic EL.

The user interface device 30 is a device operated by a user to control the multiple lighting devices 20. The user interface device 30 is realized, for example, by installing a specific application program on a general-purpose mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Specifically, the user interface device 30 includes an operation reception unit 31, a display unit 32, a wireless communication unit 33, a control unit 34, and a storage unit 35.

The operation reception unit 31 receives user operations. Specifically, the operation reception unit 31 is realized by a touch panel or the like.

The display unit 32 displays images necessary for controlling the multiple lighting devices 20. The display unit 32 is realized by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel.

The wireless communication unit 33 is a wireless communication circuit that enables the user interface device 30 to perform wireless communication (more specifically, radio wave communication) with the multiple lighting fixtures 20, the lighting control terminal 40, and the human presence sensor 50. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 33 performs wireless communication according to a communication standard such as BLE or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

The control unit 34 performs information processing on controlling the multiple lighting devices 20 in response to user operations received by the operation receiving unit 31. Such information processing includes processing for displaying images on the display unit 32. The control unit 34 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor or a dedicated circuit. The functions of the control unit 34 are realized by hardware such as a microcomputer or processor constituting the control unit 34 executing a computer program (software) stored in the memory unit 35.

The memory unit 35 is a storage device that stores information necessary for the above information processing, such as the computer program executed by the control unit 34. The memory unit 35 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory.

The lighting control terminal 40 is a device operated by a user to control the multiple lighting fixtures 20. The lighting control terminal 40 is a separate device from the user interface device 30, and is, for example, a dedicated remote controller for the lighting control system 10 that is installed in an indoor space illuminated by the multiple lighting fixtures 20. The lighting control terminal 40 can wirelessly communicate with the multiple lighting fixtures 20, the user interface device 30, and the human presence sensor 50, and controls the multiple lighting fixtures 20 by wirelessly communicating with the multiple lighting fixtures 20.

The human presence sensor 50 is installed in an indoor space illuminated by multiple lighting fixtures 20, and is a sensor that detects the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space. The human presence sensor 50 is realized, for example, by a pyroelectric sensor that detects infrared rays emitted from the human body. The human presence sensor 50 may also be a sensor that detects the presence or absence of a person through image processing, such as by an image sensor. The human presence sensor 50 can wirelessly communicate with the multiple lighting fixtures 20, the user interface device 30, and the lighting control terminal 40.

The lighting fixtures 20, the user interface device 30, the lighting control terminal 40, and the human presence sensor 50 may form a wireless mesh network. In other words, each of the lighting fixtures 20, the user interface device 30, the lighting control terminal 40, and the human presence sensor 50 may function as a communication node in the wireless mesh network.

[Scene setting screen]
A user of lighting control system 10 can set, as a scene, how multiple lighting devices 20 are to emit light, and then instruct multiple lighting devices 20 to play the set scene. In other words, in this specification, a scene is a concept that indicates the light-emitting state of multiple lighting devices 20.

Operations for setting a scene are performed on the user interface device 30 (operation reception unit 31). Figure 2 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the user interface device 30 when a scene is set.

When the operation reception unit 31 receives an operation intended to set a user's scene, the control unit 34 displays a scene setting screen on the display unit 32 (S11). Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the scene setting screen.

The scene setting screen is a display screen for the user to set a scene, and one or more scenes (one or more) can be set. As shown in FIG. 3, on the scene setting screen, the user performs a setting operation to associate the name of the scene (such as scene 1 in FIG. 3; in other words, scene identification information) with the dimming rate at which the multiple lighting devices 20 are to emit light (corresponding to 80% in FIG. 3), and the operation reception unit 31 accepts such a setting operation (S12). In the example of FIG. 3, the multiple lighting devices 20 are divided into three groups, groups 1 to 3, and the dimming rate can be set for each group. In addition to the dimming rate, a color temperature may be set when setting a scene. That is, a color temperature may be associated with a scene name in addition to a dimming rate.

When the setting operation is accepted, the control unit 34 stores in the memory unit 35 scene setting information that associates the name of the scene with the dimming rate of each of the multiple lighting devices 20 (S13). In this way, setting a scene means creating scene setting information that associates the name of the scene with the dimming rate of each of the multiple lighting devices 20 and storing (registering) it in the memory unit 35.

When the scene setting is completed, the control unit 34 calculates the energy saving rate (hereinafter also simply referred to as the energy saving rate) of the set scene (S14) and displays the calculated energy saving rate on the scene setting screen (S15). In the example of FIG. 3, the energy saving rate is displayed as an icon to the right of the name of the set scene.

The energy saving rate is a parameter that indicates, in percentage, how much energy consumption is reduced compared to the standard light-emitting state when a set scene is played, with the standard light-emitting state being a state in which all of the multiple lighting devices 20 are illuminated with a dimming rate of 100% (in other words, maximum output). If the energy consumption in the standard light-emitting state (hereinafter also referred to as standard energy consumption) is 100%, and the energy consumption when the set scene is played by the multiple lighting devices 20 is a%, then the energy saving rate is 100% - a%. Note that playing a scene by the multiple lighting devices 20 means that the multiple lighting devices 20 emit light at a dimming rate determined in the set scene (scene control information).

The energy saving rate is calculated, for example, based on the dimming rate of each of the multiple lighting fixtures 20 determined for the set scene. When the multiple lighting fixtures 20 are configured with n lighting fixtures (1) to (n) (n is a natural number of 2 or more), and the dimming rate of lighting fixture (1) is expressed as dimming rate (1) [%], the energy saving rate is calculated, for example, based on the following formula 1.

Energy saving rate =
100 - [(dimming rate (1) + dimming rate (2) +... + dimming rate (n)) / n]... Equation 1

In other words, the energy saving rate is calculated based on the average dimming rate of multiple lighting devices 20 when the scene is played.

Note that this formula 1 is a formula for simply calculating the energy saving rate based on the idea that energy consumption (power consumption) and dimming rate are roughly proportional to each other. To improve the accuracy of the energy saving rate, the energy saving rate may be calculated based on the power consumption of multiple lighting devices 20 while a set scene is being played back. If the total power consumption of multiple lighting devices 20 while a scene is being played back is P and the total maximum power consumption of multiple lighting devices 20 (power consumption in a standard light emission state) is Pmax, the energy saving rate is calculated based on the following formula 2.

Energy saving rate = 100 [1 - (P/Pmax)]...Equation 2

In other words, the energy saving rate is calculated by dividing the sum of the power consumption of the multiple lighting devices 20 when the scene is played by the sum of the power consumption of the multiple lighting devices 20 when the multiple lighting devices 20 are emitting light at the maximum dimming rate.

The power consumption here is, for example, a design value (catalog value). For example, if a formula for converting the dimming rate of multiple lighting fixtures 20 into power consumption or table information is stored in the storage unit 35, the control unit 34 can calculate the energy saving rate based on Equation 2 by converting the dimming rate determined in the set scene into power consumption. Since the relationship between the dimming rate and the power consumption differs for each model of lighting fixture 20, when the multiple lighting fixtures 20 are not all the same model (when multiple models are mixed), a more accurate energy saving rate can be calculated using Equation 2. Note that the power consumption may be an actual measurement value.

As described above, the control unit 34 of the user interface device 30 displays, on the scene setting screen, information (energy saving rate) indicating the relative amount of energy consumed when the scene is played back by multiple lighting devices 20, relative to the reference energy consumed when the multiple lighting devices 20 are illuminated in the reference light emission state, for each of one or more set scenes.

This allows the user to set (create) a scene while taking into consideration energy consumption. In other words, the user interface device 30 can assist in setting a scene that takes into consideration energy consumption.

The energy saving rate calculated when a scene is set is, for example, associated with the scene name and saved (stored) as part of the scene setting information. This has the advantage that the process of calculating the energy saving rate can be omitted when displaying the energy saving rate on the scene playback screen and schedule setting screen described below.

[Scene playback screen]
Next, a description will be given of the operation when a set scene is reproduced by a plurality of lighting devices 20. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of the user interface device 30 when a scene is reproduced.

When the operation reception unit 31 receives an operation by the user intending to play a scene, the control unit 34 displays a scene playback screen on the display unit 32 (S21). Figure 5 shows an example of the scene playback screen.

The scene playback screen is a display screen for the user to play back scenes, and one or more scenes that have been set (six scenes, scenes 1 to 6, in the example of FIG. 5) are displayed as options. Each of the one or more options includes a scene name and an energy saving rate. The method of displaying the energy saving rate is as described above, and if the scene name and the energy saving rate are associated in the scene setting information stored in the memory unit 35, the control unit 34 can display the energy saving rate by referring to the scene setting information.

When the scene playback screen is displayed, the user performs a scene selection operation, and the operation reception unit 31 accepts such an operation (S22). When the scene selection operation is accepted, the control unit 34 causes the wireless communication unit 33 to transmit a playback command to each of the multiple lighting fixtures 20 (S23). The playback command is a command for causing the multiple lighting fixtures 20 to play the selected scene. The control unit 34 can generate and transmit the playback command by referring to the scene setting information of the selected scene, which is stored in the storage unit 35, and the management information. Note that the management information is information in which the ID, communication address, group, and current dimming rate (current light emission state) of the lighting fixture 20 are associated with each other, and is stored in the storage unit 35 in advance.

The control unit 34 also displays the name of the scene being played and the energy saving rate on the scene playback screen (S24). In the example of FIG. 5, the control unit 34 displays the name of the scene and the energy saving rate at the top of the scene playback screen. Note that it is not essential that the name of the scene being played and the energy saving rate are displayed separately, and for example, the option for the scene being played may be displayed in a manner different from other options (for example, the text "Playing" is superimposed).

As described above, the control unit 34 of the user interface device 30 displays information on the scene playback screen indicating the relative amount of energy consumed when the scene shown on the scene playback screen is played back by multiple lighting devices 20, relative to the reference energy consumption (energy saving rate of the scene being played back).

This allows the user to play back a scene while taking into consideration energy consumption. In other words, the user interface device 30 can support the playback of a scene while taking into consideration energy consumption.

The scene setting information stored in the storage unit 35 of the user interface device 30 is transmitted to the lighting control terminal 40 and stored in the lighting control terminal 40. In other words, the scene setting information is shared by the user interface device 30 and the lighting control terminal 40. This allows the user to play (change) a scene not only by operating the user interface device 30, but also by operating the lighting control terminal 40.

When a scene is changed by an operation on the lighting control terminal 40, the lighting control terminal 40 or the multiple lighting devices 20 notifies the user interface device 30 that the scene has been changed (notification based on wireless communication). When such a notification is received by the wireless communication unit 33, the control unit 34 updates the name of the scene being played and the energy saving rate.

In this way, the control unit 34 can update and display the energy saving rate even if the scene being played by the multiple lighting devices 20 is changed by a device other than the user interface device 30 (e.g., the lighting control terminal 40).

When an option displayed on the scene playback screen is pressed and held, the screen transitions from the scene playback screen to the scene setting screen. In this way, the scene playback screen may be provided with a mechanism for transitioning to the scene setting screen. As another mechanism, the scene playback screen may be provided with an icon that the user operates to transition from the scene playback screen to the scene setting screen.

In this way, the control unit 34 may display a scene setting screen when a predetermined operation is accepted by the operation accepting unit 31 while the scene playback screen is displayed.

[Schedule setting screen]
Next, an operation for scheduling a scene that has already been set will be described below. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the user interface device 30 when a scene is scheduled.

When the operation reception unit 31 receives an operation intended to schedule a user's scene, the control unit 34 displays a schedule setting screen on the display unit 32 (S31). Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the schedule setting screen.

The schedule setting screen is a display screen for the user to schedule scenes. The user performs an operation to specify the start time and end time of a scene that has already been set (hereinafter also referred to as a scheduling operation), and the operation reception unit 31 receives such an operation (S32). This causes the scene to be scheduled.

When the scheduling operation is accepted, the control unit 34 displays the name of the scheduled scene and the energy saving rate on the schedule setting screen (S33). The method of displaying the energy saving rate is as described above, and if the scene name and the energy saving rate are associated in the scene setting information stored in the memory unit 35, the control unit 34 can display the energy saving rate by referring to the scene setting information.

As described above, the control unit 34 displays information (energy saving rate) on the schedule setting screen that indicates the relative amount of energy consumed when a scheduled scene is played by multiple lighting devices 20, relative to the reference energy consumption.

This allows the user to schedule scenes while taking into consideration energy consumption. In other words, the user interface device 30 can support scene scheduling that takes into consideration energy consumption.

[Map screen]
Next, a description will be given of an operation performed when a plurality of lighting fixtures 20 are displayed on a map. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the user interface device 30 when a plurality of lighting fixtures 20 are displayed on a map.

When the operation reception unit 31 receives an operation by the user intending to display multiple lighting fixtures 20 on the map, the control unit 34 displays the multiple lighting fixtures 20 on the map (S41). Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a map screen showing the arrangement of multiple lighting fixtures 20.

The map screen in FIG. 9 is a plan view (floor plan) of an indoor space in which multiple lighting fixtures 20 are arranged, viewed from above. The multiple lighting fixtures 20 are displayed by light bulb icons, and the display positions of the light bulb icons indicate the installation positions of the multiple lighting fixtures 20. For example, if the memory unit 35 stores placement information in which identification information of the multiple lighting fixtures 20 is associated with the installation positions (coordinates) in the indoor space, the control unit 34 can display a map screen such as that in FIG. 9 based on the placement information.

In the map screen of FIG. 9, four groups (four zones) are displayed, and the control unit 34 calculates the energy saving rate for each group (S42) and displays the energy saving rate for each group on the map screen (S43). Since the control unit 34 manages the current light emission state of the multiple lighting devices 20, it can calculate and display the energy saving rate for each group using the above formula 1 or formula 2.

As described above, the control unit 34 displays information (energy saving rate) on the map screen that indicates the relative amount of the current energy consumption of the multiple lighting fixtures 20 to the standard energy consumption. When the multiple lighting fixtures 20 are divided into multiple groups, the control unit 34 displays the energy saving rate for each group on the map screen. For example, when one group corresponds to one room, the user can easily understand the amount of energy consumption in each room.

[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a plurality of lighting devices 20 play one scene and an energy saving rate is displayed for each scene. Here, a case may be considered in which a plurality of other lighting devices are provided in addition to the plurality of lighting devices 20 in an indoor space, and the plurality of lighting devices 20 and the other plurality of lighting devices play different scenes from each other. For example, a case may be considered in which a plurality of lighting devices 20 play scene 1 and the other plurality of lighting devices play scene 2.

In such a case, the control unit 34 may calculate an overall energy saving rate of the multiple lighting fixtures 20 and the multiple other lighting fixtures. In other words, the control unit 34 may display on the display unit 32 information (also referred to as a total energy saving rate) indicating the relative amount of the total energy consumption of the energy consumption when the multiple lighting fixtures 20 are playing scene 1 and the energy consumption when the multiple other lighting fixtures are playing scene 2 relative to the energy consumption when the multiple lighting fixtures 20 and the multiple other lighting fixtures are illuminated in a reference light emission state. The total energy consumption here can be rephrased as the energy consumption when the multiple lighting fixtures 20 and the multiple other lighting fixtures are playing different scenes from each other. The total energy saving rate is displayed on at least one of the scene playback screen, the schedule setting screen, and the map screen, for example.

This allows users to select and schedule scenes while taking into account the total energy saving rate.

[Modification 2]
The lighting devices 20 may play scenes in response to the detection result of the motion sensor 50. For example, the lighting devices 20 may play scenes only for a certain period of time after the motion sensor 50 detects a person, and may stop playing scenes and emit light at a predetermined constant dimming rate during the rest of the time.

In such a case, if the period during which the scene playback is stopped is considered to be longer, the control unit 34 may calculate the energy saving rate using the energy consumption when the scene playback is stopped, and display the calculated energy saving rate on the display unit 32. In other words, when the scene playback state and the scene playback stopped state of the multiple lighting devices 20 are switched in response to the detection result of a sensor such as the human presence sensor 50, the control unit 34 may display information indicating the relative amount of energy consumed when the multiple lighting devices 20 are in the scene playback stopped state to the reference energy consumption rate (also referred to as the energy saving rate when playback is stopped) on the display unit 32. The energy saving rate when playback is stopped is displayed, for example, on at least one of the scene playback screen, the schedule setting screen, and the map screen.

This allows users to select and schedule scenes while taking into consideration the energy saving rate when playback stops.

[Modification 3]
In the above embodiment, when the reference energy consumption is set to 100%, and the energy consumption when a set scene is reproduced by a plurality of lighting devices 20 can be expressed as a%, the energy saving rate is expressed as 100%-a%. However, a% itself may be used as the energy saving rate. In other words, the energy saving rate may be expressed as a percentage when the reference energy consumption is set to 100%.

The above-mentioned reference light emission state is a state in which all of the lighting devices 20 are illuminated with a dimming rate of 100%, and the energy saving rate is a parameter indicating how much lower the energy consumption when a scene is being played is compared to the reference energy consumption. However, the reference light emission state may also be a state in which all of the lighting devices 20 are illuminated with a dimming rate of 50%, and may be determined as appropriate by the designer of the lighting control system 10, etc. The energy saving rate may be information indicating the relative amount of energy consumption when a scene is being played relative to the reference energy consumption.

[Effects, etc.]
Hereinafter, examples of inventions that can be obtained from the disclosure of this specification will be given, and the effects and the like that can be obtained from the inventions will be described.

The invention 1 is a user interface device 30 that includes a display unit 32, a scene setting screen for a user to set one or more scenes, each of which indicates the light emission state of a plurality of lighting devices 20, and a control unit 34 that displays on the display unit 32 a scene playback screen that indicates a scene being played by the plurality of lighting devices 20 among the one or more set scenes. The control unit 34 displays, on the scene setting screen, first information indicating the relative amount of energy consumed when the scene is played by the plurality of lighting devices 20 with respect to the reference energy consumed when the plurality of lighting devices 20 are made to emit light in a reference light emission state, for each of the one or more set scenes, and displays, on the scene playback screen, second information indicating the relative amount of energy consumed when the scene shown on the scene playback screen is played by the plurality of lighting devices 20 with respect to the reference energy consumed. The first information and the second information correspond to the energy saving rate in the above embodiment.

With such a user interface device 30, the user can set and play scenes while taking into consideration energy consumption.

The invention 2 is the user interface device 30 of the invention 1, further comprising an operation receiving unit 31 that receives user operations, and the control unit 34 displays a scene setting screen when a predetermined operation is received by the operation receiving unit 31 while the scene playback screen is displayed.

With such a user interface device 30, the user can display the scene setting screen by performing a predetermined operation while the scene playback screen is displayed.

Invention 3 is a user interface device 30 according to invention 1 or 2, in which the control unit 34 displays on the display unit 32 a schedule setting screen for scheduling one or more set scenes, and displays on the schedule setting screen the amount of energy consumed when the scheduled scene is played by multiple lighting devices 20 relative to a reference energy consumption amount.

With this type of user interface device 30, the user can schedule scenes while taking into consideration energy consumption.

Invention 4 is a user interface device 30 according to any one of Inventions 1 to 3, in which the control unit 34 displays a map screen showing the arrangement of the multiple lighting fixtures 20 on the display unit 32, and displays the current energy consumption of the multiple lighting fixtures 20 relative to the reference energy consumption on the map screen.

With such a user interface device 30, the user can grasp the energy consumption of multiple lighting fixtures 20 on the map screen.

Invention 5, a user interface device 30 according to any one of inventions 1 to 4, in which a space in which a plurality of lighting fixtures 20 are provided includes a plurality of other lighting fixtures in addition to the plurality of lighting fixtures 20, and the control unit 34 displays on the display unit 32 the relative amount of energy consumed when the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 and the other plurality of lighting fixtures are playing different scenes, compared to the amount of energy consumed when the plurality of lighting fixtures 20 and the other plurality of lighting fixtures are illuminated in a reference illumination state.

With such a user interface device 30, the user can grasp the total energy consumption of the multiple lighting fixtures 20 combined with multiple other lighting fixtures.

Invention 6, the control unit 34 is a user interface device 30 according to any one of inventions 1 to 5, in which, when the scene being played by the multiple lighting devices 20 is changed by a device other than the user interface device 30, the control unit 34 updates and displays the second information in response to the change.

When a scene is changed by another device, such a user interface device 30 can display second information corresponding to the changed scene.

Invention 7, the user interface device 30 of any one of inventions 1 to 6 is configured such that the reference light emission state is a state in which the multiple lighting devices 20 are emitting light at the maximum dimming rate, and the first information and the second information are calculated based on the average value of the dimming rates of the multiple lighting devices 20 when the scene is played back.

Such a user interface device 30 can calculate the first information and the second information by managing the dimming rates of multiple lighting devices 20.

Invention 8, the user interface device 30 of any of Inventions 1 to 6 is configured such that the reference light emission state is a state in which the multiple lighting devices 20 are emitting light at the maximum dimming rate, and the first information and the second information are obtained by dividing the sum of the power consumption of the multiple lighting devices 20 when the scene is played back by the sum of the power consumption of the multiple lighting devices 20 when the multiple lighting devices 20 are emitting light at the maximum dimming rate.

Such a user interface device 30 can calculate the first information and the second information by managing the power consumption of multiple lighting devices 20.

Invention 9 is a user interface device 30 according to any one of inventions 1 to 8, in which the control unit 34 displays on the display unit 32 the relative amount of energy consumed when the multiple lighting devices 20 are in a scene playback stop state relative to a reference energy consumption amount when the multiple lighting devices 20 are in a scene playback stop state, when the multiple lighting devices 20 switch between a scene playback state and a scene playback stop state in response to a detection result from a sensor.

With this type of user interface device 30, the user can grasp the energy consumption when scene playback is stopped.

Invention 10 is a user interface device 30 according to any one of inventions 1 to 9, in which, when the standard energy consumption is 100%, if the energy consumption when one or more set scenes are played by multiple lighting devices 20 can be expressed as a%, the first information is expressed as 100% - a%, and, when the standard energy consumption is 100%, if the energy consumption when a scene shown on the scene playback screen is played by multiple lighting devices 20 can be expressed as a%, the second information is expressed as 100% - a%.

Such a user interface device 30 can display the first information and the second information in the format 100%-a%.

Invention 11 is a user interface device 30 according to any one of inventions 1 to 9, in which the first information and the second information are expressed as a percentage with the standard energy consumption being 100%.

Such a user interface device 30 can display the first information and the second information in the form of a percentage with the reference energy consumption being 100%.

Invention 12 is a lighting control system 10 comprising a user interface device 30 according to any one of Inventions 1 to 11 and a plurality of lighting fixtures 20.

With this lighting control system 10, the user can set and play scenes while taking into consideration energy consumption.

The invention 13 is a display method executed by a computer such as a user interface device 30. The display method includes the steps of displaying on the display unit 32 a scene setting screen for a user to set one or more scenes, each of which indicates the light emission state of a plurality of lighting devices 20, and a scene playback screen indicating a scene being played by the plurality of lighting devices 20 among the set one or more scenes, a step of displaying, on the scene setting screen, first information indicating the relative amount of energy consumed when the scene is played by the plurality of lighting devices 20 with respect to the reference energy consumed when the plurality of lighting devices 20 are caused to emit light in a reference light emission state, for each of the set one or more scenes, to the reference energy consumed, and a step of displaying, on the scene playback screen, second information indicating the relative amount of energy consumed when the scene indicated on the scene playback screen is played by the plurality of lighting devices 20, to the reference energy consumed.

This display method allows users to set and play scenes while taking into consideration energy consumption.

(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, the communication method between devices described in the above embodiment is one example. The communication method between devices is not particularly limited. For example, the multiple lighting fixtures, the user interface device, the lighting control terminal, and the human presence sensor may perform wired communication instead of wireless communication. Also, part of the communication path for wireless communication described in the above embodiment may be replaced with a communication path for wired communication.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. Also, the order of multiple processes may be changed, and multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

In addition, in the above embodiment, components such as the control unit 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 or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

In addition, components such as the control unit may be realized by hardware. For example, components such as the control unit may be circuits (or integrated circuits). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. In addition, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

In addition, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, device, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Also, the present invention may be realized as any combination of a system, device, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium. For example, the present invention may be realized as a display method executed by a user interface device. The present invention may be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute such a display method, or as a non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded. Such programs include application programs for causing a general-purpose mobile terminal to function as the user interface device of the above-mentioned embodiment.

In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art may conceive, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Lighting control system 20 Lighting fixture 21 Wireless communication unit 22 Light source 30 User interface device 31 Operation reception unit 32 Display unit 33 Wireless communication unit 34 Control unit 35 Storage unit 40 Lighting control terminal (device other than user interface device)
50 Human presence sensor (sensor)

Claims (13)

A display unit;
a control unit that displays on the display unit a scene setting screen for a user to set one or more scenes, each of which indicates a light emission state of a plurality of lighting devices, and a scene playback screen that indicates a scene being played back by the plurality of lighting devices among the one or more set scenes,
The control unit is
displaying, on the scene setting screen, first information indicating a relative amount of energy consumption when the scene is reproduced by the plurality of lighting devices with respect to a reference energy consumption when the plurality of lighting devices are caused to emit light in a reference light emission state, for each of the one or more set scenes;
and displaying, on the scene playback screen, second information indicating a relative amount of energy consumption when the scene shown on the scene playback screen is played back by the plurality of lighting devices, with respect to the reference energy consumption. Further, an operation receiving unit is provided for receiving an operation from a user,
The user interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit displays the scene setting screen when a predetermined operation is accepted by the operation accepting unit while the scene playback screen is being displayed. The control unit is
displaying a schedule setting screen on the display unit for scheduling the one or more scenes that have been set;
The user interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the schedule setting screen displays a relative amount of energy consumption in a case where the scheduled scene is reproduced by the plurality of lighting devices, relative to the reference energy consumption amount. The control unit is
displaying a map screen showing an arrangement of the plurality of lighting devices on the display unit;
The user interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the map screen displays a relative amount of current energy consumption of the plurality of lighting fixtures with respect to the reference energy consumption. In the space in which the plurality of lighting fixtures are provided, a plurality of other lighting fixtures are provided in addition to the plurality of lighting fixtures,
2. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays on the display unit a relative amount of energy consumed when the plurality of lighting devices and the other plurality of lighting devices are playing different scenes relative to energy consumed when the plurality of lighting devices and the other plurality of lighting devices are illuminated in the reference illumination state. The user interface device according to claim 1 , wherein, when a scene played by the plurality of lighting devices is changed by a device other than the user interface device, the control unit updates and displays the second information in response to the change. the reference light emission state is a state in which the plurality of lighting devices emit light at a maximum dimming rate,
The user interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the first information and the second information are calculated based on an average value of dimming rates of the plurality of lighting devices when the scene is reproduced. the reference light emission state is a state in which the plurality of lighting devices emit light at a maximum dimming rate,
2. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein the first information and the second information are obtained by dividing a sum of power consumption of the plurality of lighting devices when the scene is played back by a sum of power consumption of the plurality of lighting devices when the plurality of lighting devices are emitting light at the maximum dimming rate. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein when the scene playback state and the scene playback stop state of the plurality of lighting devices are switched in accordance with a detection result of a sensor, the control unit displays, on the display unit, a relative amount of energy consumption when the plurality of lighting devices are in the scene playback stop state with respect to the reference energy consumption state. When the reference energy consumption is 100%, the energy consumption when the one or more set scenes are reproduced by the plurality of lighting devices can be expressed as a%, and the first information is expressed as 100%-a%,
When the reference energy consumption is 100%, the energy consumption when the scene shown on the scene playback screen is played back by the plurality of lighting devices can be expressed as a%, and the second information is expressed as 100%-a%.
The user interface device according to claim 1 . The user interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the first information and the second information are expressed as a percentage with the reference energy consumption being 100%. A user interface device according to any one of claims 1 to 11;
A lighting control system comprising the plurality of lighting fixtures. 1. A computer-implemented display method comprising:
displaying on a display unit a scene setting screen for allowing a user to set one or more scenes, each of which indicates a light emission state of a plurality of lighting devices, and a scene playback screen showing a scene being played back by the plurality of lighting devices among the one or more set scenes;
displaying, on the scene setting screen, first information indicating a relative amount of energy consumption when the scene is reproduced by the plurality of lighting devices with respect to a reference energy consumption when the plurality of lighting devices are caused to emit light in a reference light emission state, for each of the one or more set scenes;
and displaying, on the scene playback screen, second information indicating a relative amount of energy consumption when the scene shown on the scene playback screen is played back by the plurality of lighting devices, with respect to the reference energy consumption.

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