KR20050042742A - A system for controlling lighting - Google Patents

Abstract

The centralized lighting control system 100 has a computer interface for connecting the relay board 1, the touch panel computer 4, and the relay board 1 to the touch panel computer 4 for opening and closing the circuit of the lighting fixture 8 ( Include 3). The software program installed in the touch panel computer 4 causes the computer 4 to display the house floor plan 12 divided into different compartments 14. Each compartment 14 represents a room of a house and functions as a button that allows a user to turn on and off the associated lighting fixture 8. When any button 14 is in contact, the relay board 1 operates the luminaire 8 and the button 14 changes color to indicate the on / off state of the illumination.

Description

Lighting Control System {A SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING LIGHTING}

The present invention relates, in general, to a system for controlling electrical equipment and apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for centrally controlling lighting fixtures installed in other rooms, parts and / or places in a house, building or other building.

Various systems are available for centrally managing lighting fixtures. Such systems have been used to manage and / or monitor lighting tools in a house, building or other structure from inside or outside the building. FIG. 3 shows a conventional concentrated operation panel 200 in which a plurality of rows of light switches 202 are disposed on a panel surface for turning on and off lighting fixtures installed in other places of a building.

4 shows a conventional intensive lighting control system of a different type from the above, and utilizes a computer system 210 connected to various lighting fixtures installed in a building. Computer system 210 is equipped with a software program that provides a system for centralized control of lighting. When the lighting control program is activated, the control screen 212 is started, and a plurality of rows of fields 214 representing the lighting fixtures that can be controlled by this system are displayed in the building. To turn off or light the luminaire, the user selects the desired field 214 using keyboard 216, mouse 218 or other appropriate input device. This system generally has the advantage of smaller occupied space than the system using the intensive board of FIG. 3.

One drawback of the conventional system using the operation board 200 shown in FIG. 3 is that it is difficult for a user to quickly recognize the destination switch because a number of switches 202 of the same shape are required to control the lighting fixtures in the building. In addition, each switch 202 is normally labeled with the name of the lighting fixture which can be controlled by the switch, and the name of the room in which it is installed. When the label is easy to read on the operation board 200, a large space is required because the operation board 200 becomes large. This is not particularly desirable in houses. In addition, since the wide board surface must be searched to specify the switch 202 desired by the user, it takes extra time to find the switch.

The computer-based system shown in FIG. 4 also has some problems even once the intended purpose of centralized control of illumination is achieved. For example, each field contains a textual description (eg, room name) of a luminaire associated with that field, i.e., controllable through the field, so that the control screen tends to contain a large amount of textual information. . For this reason, like the example of FIG. 3, it becomes difficult for a user to find a desired field on a screen quickly. In addition, since a certain knowledge of computer operation is required, it is difficult to say that this system is easy to use for everyone. In addition, there is usually only one computer in the home environment, and it cannot be said that it is always running. Starting up the computer manually to operate the lighting fixtures is cumbersome and time consuming. For example, even if the computer is in operation, other people may be using it.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a centralized lighting control system for use in a building or a building having a graphic interface with high operability and visibility and easy to operate intuitively.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-operate intensive lighting control system that does not require a computer system or a large-scale operation board that is difficult to operate.

The above-mentioned object and other related objects are realized by the present invention which provides a lighting control system for use in a building. The lighting control system of the building, the relay board (Relay Board) for opening and closing the circuit of a plurality of lighting fixtures installed in the building; An interface connected to communicate with the relay board, the interface allowing the relay board to open and close the circuit; And a computer system connected to communicate with the interface, the computer system having a touch panel that is divided into a plurality of touch-sensitive compartments and capable of displaying at least one floor plan of the building. Each compartment corresponds to a portion of the building in which at least one lighting fixture is installed, so as to sense a user's contact as an input such that the relay board operates the lighting fixture installed in the portion of the building in accordance with the user input. do.

As described above, in the present invention, a section of a floor plan or photograph (a room of the building and another place) is used as a touch panel button for accepting a user input or command for lighting operation in the building. This provides a user with an intuitive graphical interface that can find and manipulate (i.e., turn on and off the desired lighting device) the desired circuit more quickly and easily than with a conventional intensive lighting control system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the touch panel may display a plurality of plan views representing a plurality of areas of the building.

According to another aspect of the invention, the other area represents another floor of the building.

According to another aspect of the present invention, each section of the touch panel is configured to display the operation state of the lighting fixture by changing its color upon sensing a user input. Since the user can identify at a glance that the lighting of the room is lit from the color of the section of the floor plan, the system of the present invention improves the visibility compared to the conventional system which is highly dependent on character or text information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, each section of the touch panel is configured to display the operating state of the luminaire by changing its brightness upon sensing a user input. Since the user can identify at a glance that the lighting of the room is lit from the luminance of the section of the floor plan, the system of the present invention improves the visibility compared to the conventional system which is highly dependent on character or text information.

According to one feature of the invention, each compartment turns on and off the luminaire each time it comes in contact.

According to another feature of the invention, the lighting control system further comprises a plurality of switches installed between the interface and the relay board, the switches are the luminaire independent of the user input through the touch panel the relay board To open and close the circuit.

According to another feature of the invention, each plan view is a digital representation of one of the schematic design and photographs. Each section of the touch panel corresponds to one of a door, an entrance, a hallway, a living room, a drawing room, a bedroom, a study room, a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom, a toilet, a laundry room, a warehouse, a staircase, a front door, and a garage.

In one aspect of the present invention, the computer system is connected to the interface to enable wireless or wired communication.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the touch panel may display a plurality of floor buttons corresponding to the plurality of floors of the building. The computer system is configured to display a top view of the corresponding floor when one of the floor buttons is in contact.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the touch panel may display an overall view of the building. The overall view is functionally divided into a plurality of zones corresponding to a plurality of zones of the building, and the computer system is configured to display a plan view of a corresponding zone of the building when one of the zones is in contact. In one embodiment, the building is selected from the group consisting of houses, office buildings, apartments, and shops.

According to another aspect of the invention, each zone corresponds to a floor of the building, wherein the overall view of the building is one of a front view, a back view, a side view and a perspective view of the building.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the touch panel may display an all-light button for turning on all the lighting fixtures when in contact and an all-light button for turning off all the lighting fixtures when in contact. With this feature, the user can turn on or off all the lighting fixtures in the building just by touching the touch panel once.

In one aspect, the computer system can group the functions of the desired plurality of compartments and assign the functions of the plurality of compartments to a single group button so that the corresponding plurality of lighting fixtures are turned on or off once the group button is touched. have.

The computer system is user programmable so that the user can assign the functions of multiple sections of Article 1 and the multiple sections of Article 2 to a single group button, the multiple sections of Article 1 being lit by a lighting fixture. The plurality of compartments of the second set correspond to the second plurality of portions in the building in which the lighting fixtures are turned off, and the user only touches the group button once to make the first plurality of sections in the building. The part may be turned on and the second plurality of parts may be turned off. Thus, the user can turn on the first plurality of portions and turn off the second plurality of portions by touching the group button once.

The invention also relates to a computer system for controlling a plurality of lighting fixtures in a building. The computer system includes a pressure-sensitive panel capable of displaying to the user a graphical interface representing at least one area of the building. The graphical interface includes a plurality of depressurization buttons, each depressurizing button corresponding to a portion of the building in which at least one lighting fixture is installed. In addition, each button senses a user's contact as an input to operate a luminaire installed in the part of the building.

Other general and specific objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiment of this invention is described with reference to an accompanying drawing.

1 is a block diagram of a centralized lighting control system 100 according to the present invention installed in a house. The centralized lighting control system 100 includes a relay board 1 for opening and closing circuits of a plurality of lighting devices 8 installed in a house. The power line 10 is connected to the relay board 1 to provide electric power to the luminaire 8. The centralized lighting control system 100 is connected to the relay board 1 via the communication line 7 and also includes a plurality of electronic switches 2 for controlling the relay board 1. Each electronic switch 2 is provided with a status indicator, such as a light emitting diode (LED), to indicate to the user the on / off status of the corresponding luminaire 8.

When one of the lighting fixtures 8 is turned on or off, the corresponding electronic switch 2 is operated to transmit an on or off signal to the relay board 1 via the communication line 7, and the relay board 1. Controls (ie, turns on or off) the lighting fixture 8 according to the received signal. Then, when the status signal indicating the state of the lighting fixture 8 operated by the relay board 1 is sent to the electronic switch 2, the LED operates according to the received status signal.

The system 100 also includes a touch panel computer 4 and a computer interface 3 for connecting the relay board 1 and the electronic switch 2 to the touch panel computer 4. In a preferred embodiment, the computer 4 is a panel-shaped computer that can be easily attached to the wall of a house, but as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other types of desktops, such as desktop tops or laptop tops, may be used. Computers can also be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, as shown, the connection between the computer 4 and the interface 3 may be a cable, i.e., a wired connection (by a physical cable or wire 4a) or a wireless connection (wireless data communication devices 3a and 4b). ) Or a connection using both of them.

The touch panel computer 4 is provided with a software program for intensively controlling the luminaire 8. As shown in FIG. 2A, the touch panel computer 4 provides the user with a graphical interface that can be intuitively recognized, and displays the entire front view of the house on the touch panel, that is, the touch-sensitive screen 5. Although the front view is shown in this embodiment, the side view, the back view, the perspective view, or any other appropriate figure of a house can be displayed within the range which does not deviate from the range of this invention.

In the present embodiment, since the entire graphic of the house functions as a floor or a range selection switch, when the user touches a part of the house graphic corresponding to a certain floor, for example, with a finger, the computer 4 displays a plan view of the selected floor, That is, the schematic design 12 is displayed on the touch panel 5. That is, as shown in each of Figs. 2B to 2D, plan views of one layer, two layers, and three layers are displayed by this function. This facilitates the control of lighting fixtures in the house and provides an intuitively understandable graphical user interface. In another embodiment, other types of areas of the house may be selected instead of the floor. For example, you may comprise this system so that a different part of a house may be selected.

The touch panel 5 also displays three floor buttons 20, 21, and 22 corresponding to the first, second and third floors 1F, 2F, and 3F of the house, respectively, along the left side of the screen. Since the first floor button is currently selected or the graphic part corresponding to the first floor is in contact with the user's finger, the touch panel screen 5 displays the floor plan 12 of the first floor. When the user touches another layer button with a finger, another floor plan of that layer is displayed on the screen. Similar to a normal floor plan, this floor plan 12 is a living room, parlor, bedroom, study room, elevator, corridor, toilet, main entrance, porch, kitchen, bathroom, stairs, garage, etc. It is divided into compartments representing. As will be described later, each compartment 14 functions as a light switch button. In addition, instead of using the digital display of such a schematic plan view, you may digitally display the actual photograph of a house on a screen.

According to the present invention, since the computer interface 5 is configured to perform the same operation as that of the electronic switch 2, the relay board 1 is operated by the on / off command input to the touch panel computer 4 as described above. Similarly selected lighting fixtures 8 are turned on or off. As described above, even in this case, the relay board 1 returns a status signal to the electronic switch 2, and operates the LED according to the received status signal.

As described above, each section of the floor plan (showing the room, part, place and range of the house) functions as a button 14 for turning on and off the lighting fixture 8 associated therewith. When a button 14 is touched, an on or off signal is transmitted and the luminaire 8 is operated according to the signal. Therefore, the lighting fixtures 8 associated with the button are alternately turned on and off by each button operation by the user. When this signal is transmitted, the computer 4 is configured to change the color of the button (i.e., section 14) to indicate that the lighting fixture 8 is turned on or off. It is also possible to display the state in other ways within the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of changing the color of the button 14, the button 14 may be darkened when the lighting device 8 is turned off, and the button 14 may be brightened when the lighting device 8 is turned on. Thus, the user can easily and intuitively control any lighting fixture 8 by selecting the section on the floor plan 12, i.e., the button 14 and touching it. In addition, the user can quickly grasp the lighting conditions of the entire house by simply viewing the screen without reading the list of textual descriptions as in the conventional system.

The touch panel 5 also provides the user with other buttons, such as the front light button 15 and the light off button 16, which the user touches the buttons 15, 16 on the touch panel 5 for all illumination. Can be turned on and off. In addition, each plan view 12 (see FIGS. 2B to 2D) includes a layer extinguishing button 24 for extinguishing the light fixture of the current layer at the lower left portion thereof. If the user wants to turn on or off the headlights or to turn off the entire illumination 8 of a floor, they provide a convenient function. In addition, each screen is a table listing the rooms, parts, and places where the "return" button 18 for returning to the whole house of FIG. 2A and the luminaire 8 to be controlled are installed (see FIG. 2E). It also includes a table button 19 for displaying. The display screen of FIG. 2E is similar to the screen of FIG. 4. However, according to the present invention, the user can control the lighting device 8 in the room or place related thereto by contacting the corresponding field without using an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The display screen of FIG. 2E also includes a graphical button 30 for returning to the overall view of FIG. 2A.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, since the computer 4 can be programmed, the computer 4 is grouped so as to intensively manipulate the division 14 (for example, a room) desired by the user, and the group is grouped. Can be assigned to one button on the Therefore, the lighting fixture 8 included in the grouped compartments can be turned on and off at one time only by touching once. Referring to Fig. 2A, the teach panel 5 displays the "going out" button 17 which is one of these group buttons. If properly programmed, this button 17 is a unit for luminaires 8 such as corridors, entrances, porches, stairs, garages, etc. Can be controlled by This is a particularly convenient function when going out at night because the timer (not shown) automatically turns off this lighting fixture 8 after a desired time has elapsed. In the present embodiment, up to three plural compartments 14 can be combined and grouped. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such a number is a design issue and that the number of groups possible in the touch panel computer 4 can be arbitrarily changed to suit a particular application without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In addition, in the computer system of the present invention, a user can assign the functions of multiple sections of Article 1 and the multiple sections of Article 2 to one group button through programming, and the multiple sections of Article 1 can be assigned. It is possible to correspond to the plural parts of the first set (rooms, etc.) in the building where the lighting fixtures should be turned on, while the plural sections of the second set can correspond to the plural parts of the second set (such as other rooms) in the building where the lighting fixtures should be turned off. . As a result, the user can touch the group button only once to turn on a predetermined set of lighting fixtures and turn off another predetermined set of lighting fixtures. This is a particularly convenient function, since it is not necessary to operate the corresponding switch, i.e. the button separately by selecting the illuminating light and the extinguishing light.

Although the present invention describes a lighting control system using a touch panel computer, the same can be applied to other types of computers. In this case, the user may use a mouse, stylus, touch pad or other input device to click or otherwise select a button, compartment, layer or other object displayed on the display. In this way, easy-to-use graphics can be used to intuitively understand the lighting operation, and the user can easily and quickly determine which room, part and / or location of the lighting should be turned on or off. The location can be quickly specified and manipulated.

In addition, while the present invention has been described by applying it to a residential lighting control system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is equally applicable to other types of buildings and structures that require lighting.

As described above, in the present invention, a section and a room of a floor plan or a photograph are used as a touch panel button for accommodating user input or command for lighting operation in a house. This provides a user with an intuitive graphical interface that enables them to find and manipulate (i.e., turn on and off the desired lighting device) the desired circuit more quickly and easily than with a conventional intensive lighting control system. In addition, the user can identify at a glance whether the lighting of the room is lit from the color (or brightness) of the partition / button of the floor plan, so that the system of the present invention is more visible than the conventional system that relies heavily on character or text information. It is improved.

Accordingly, it can be seen that the present invention effectively achieves the above-described object, as found in the above description. It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative and are not in any sense limiting, as other elements may be modified, modified or changed without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. It is intended that the scope or spirit of the invention only be limited by the appended claims.

According to the present invention, it is possible to implement a concentrated lighting control system having a graphic interface with high operability and visibility and easy to operate intuitively.

In addition, it is possible to implement an easy-to-operate intensive lighting control system that does not require a computer system or a large-scale operation board that is difficult to operate.

1 is a block diagram of a centralized lighting control system 100 according to the present invention installed in a house.

2A is an enlarged view of the touch panel computer of FIG. 1 including a touch panel screen showing a front view of a house.

FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the touch panel computer of FIG. 1 including a touch panel screen showing a top view of the first floor of a house.

2C is an enlarged view of the touch panel computer of FIG. 1 including a touch panel screen showing a top view of a second floor of a house.

2D is an enlarged view of the touch panel computer of FIG. 1 including a touch panel screen showing a top view of three floors of a house.

FIG. 2E is a diagram showing a screen in a display format enumerating a room and a place of a house where a lighting device that can be controlled by the lighting control system of FIG.

3 is a view showing a conventional intensive lighting operation panel in which a plurality of rows of light switches are arranged;

4 illustrates another conventional spotlight control system using a computer system.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing>

1: relay board 2: lighting fixtures

3: computer I / F 4: touch panel computer

5: touch panel 7: communication line

8 light fixture 10 power line

15: emergency (light) button 16: power off button

17: Go out button 18: Return button

20: first floor button 21: second floor button

22: 3 layer button

Claims (30)

In the lighting control system of a building, A relay board for opening and closing circuits of a plurality of lighting fixtures installed in a building; An interface connected to communicate with the relay board, the interface allowing the relay board to open and close the circuit; And A computer system connected to communicate with the interface, the computer system having a touch panel that is divided into a plurality of touch-sensitive compartments and capable of displaying at least one floor plan of the building, Each compartment corresponds to a portion of the building in which at least one lighting fixture is installed, so as to sense a user's contact as an input such that the relay board operates the lighting fixture installed in the portion of the building in accordance with the user input. Lighting control system, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, And the touch panel can display a plurality of plan views representing a plurality of areas of the building. The method of claim 1, And said other area represents another floor of said building. The method of claim 1, And each section of the touch panel is configured to display an operation state of the luminaire by changing its color upon sensing a user input. The method of claim 1, And each section of the touch panel is configured to display an operating state of the lighting fixture by changing its brightness upon sensing a user input. The method of claim 1, And each compartment turns on and off the luminaire every time it comes in contact. The method of claim 1, It further comprises a plurality of switches installed between the interface and the relay board, And said plurality of switches cause said relay board to open and close said circuit of said luminaire independently of user input through said touch panel. The method of claim 1, Each floor plan is a digital representation of one of the schematic drawings and photographs. The method of claim 1, Each compartment of the touch panel corresponds to one of a door, an entrance, a hallway, a living room, a drawing room, a bedroom, a study room, a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom, a toilet, a laundry room, a warehouse, a staircase, a porch, and a garage. . The method of claim 1, And the computer system is connected to the interface to enable wireless or wired communication. The method of claim 1, The touch panel may display a plurality of floor buttons corresponding to the plurality of floors of the building. And the computer system is configured to display a top view of the corresponding floor when one of the floor buttons is in contact. The method of claim 1, The touch panel may display an overall view of the building functionally divided into a plurality of zones corresponding to a plurality of areas of the building. And the computer system is configured to display a plan view of the corresponding area when one of the zones is in contact. The method of claim 1, Each zone corresponds to the floor of the building, The overall view of the building is one of the front view, rear view, side view and perspective view of the building. The method of claim 1, The touch panel may display a lighting button for turning on all the lighting fixtures when contacted and a lighting button for turning off all the lighting fixtures when contacted. The method of claim 1, The computer system groups the desired functions of the plurality of compartments and assigns the functions of the plurality of compartments to a single group button so that the corresponding plurality of lighting fixtures can be turned on or off once the group button is touched. Lighting control system. The method of claim 1, The computer system is user programmable so that the user can assign the functions of multiple sections of Article 1 and the multiple sections of Article 2 to a single group button, the multiple sections of Article 1 being lit by a lighting fixture. The plurality of compartments of the second set correspond to the second plurality of sections in the building where the lighting fixture should be turned off, while the user contacts the group button once when the user touches the first plurality of sections. It is possible to turn on a part and turn off the second plurality of parts. In a computer system for controlling a plurality of lighting fixtures in a building, A pressure-sensitive panel capable of displaying to the user a graphical interface representing at least one area of the building, The graphical interface includes a plurality of decompression buttons, Wherein each depressurization button corresponds to a portion of the building in which at least one lighting fixture is installed, and detects a user's contact as an input for operating a lighting fixture installed in the portion of the building. The method of claim 17, And the pressure reducing panel is capable of displaying a plurality of plan views representing different areas of the building. The method of claim 17, Wherein said area of said building represents a floor of said building. The method of claim 17, And each depressurization button of the depressurization panel is configured to change its color to display an operating state of the luminaire upon sensing a user input. The method of claim 17, And each depressurization button of the depressurization panel is configured to display an operating state of the luminaire by changing its luminance upon sensing a user input. The method of claim 17, Wherein each depressurization button turns on and off the luminaire every time it comes in contact. The method of claim 17, Wherein each floor plan is a digital representation of one of the schematic drawings and photographs. The method of claim 17, Each depressurization button of the decompression panel corresponds to a door, an entrance, a corridor, a living room, a living room, a bedroom, a study room, a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom, a toilet, a laundry room, a warehouse, a staircase, a front door, and a garage. system. The method of claim 17, The decompression panel may display a plurality of floor buttons corresponding to the plurality of floors of the building, And the computer system is configured to display a top view of the corresponding floor when one of the floor buttons is in contact. The method of claim 17, The decompression panel may display an overall view of the building functionally divided into a plurality of zones corresponding to the plurality of areas of the building, And the computer system is configured to display a plan view of a corresponding area when one of the zones is in contact. The method of claim 17, Each zone corresponds to the floor of the building, And the overall view of the building is one of a front view, a rear view, a side view, and a perspective view of the building. The method of claim 17, And wherein the touch panel is capable of displaying an all-light button to turn on all lighting fixtures when in contact and an all-light button to turn off all lighting fixtures when in contact. The method of claim 17, The computer system groups the desired functions of the plurality of buttons and assigns the functions of the plurality of buttons to a single group button so that the corresponding plurality of lighting fixtures are turned on or off once the group button is touched. system. The method of claim 17, The computer system is user programmable so that the user can assign the functions of the multiple buttons of Article 1 and the multiple buttons of Article 2 to a single group button, the multiple buttons of Article 1 being illuminated by a lighting fixture. The plurality of buttons in the second set correspond to the second plurality of parts in the building in which the lighting fixture is to be turned off, while the first plurality of buttons in the building correspond to the first plurality of parts in the building to be turned off. And the second plurality of portions can be turned off.