TW201532478A - Digitally addressable illumination interface control system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic control unit (ECG) for use in a Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) system is disclosed. In a broad feature, the ECG is configured to transmit a forward frame to control one or more other ECGs on a DALI network. The forward frame is generated based on a control input provided by a control device not connected to the DALI network. In a particular form, the control input is received by the ECG at a switched active input of the ECG. A DALI system is also disclosed. As disclosed herein, the DALI system includes at least one ECG and discloses a method of controlling other ECGs.

Description

Digitally addressable illumination interface control system and method

The present application relates to a control system for a Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI), and more particularly to communication between an electronic control device and an electronic control device.

Combined reference

The copending patent application described below is incorporated herein by reference: Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2013905070, entitled "Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) Device Grouping System and Method"; Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2013905071, Invention The name is "Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) Electronic Control Device, System and Method"; PCT/AU03/00365, the title of the invention is "Modified Dimmer Circuit Configuration"; PCT/AU03/00366, the invention name is "has a dimmer circuit with improved inductive load"; PCT/AU03/00364, entitled "Dimmer circuit with improved chopping control"; PCT/AU2006/001883, entitled "Dimmer circuit" Current Zero Cross-Detector"; PCT/AU2006/001882, entitled "Load Detector for Dimmers"; PCT/AU2006/001881, invented "General-purpose Dimmer"; PCT/AU2008 /001398, the invention name is "Improved Startup Detector in Dimmer Circuit"; PCT/AU2008/001399, the invention is entitled "Dimmer Circuit with Overcurrent Detection"; PCT/AU2008/001400, entitled "Overcurrent Protection in Dimmer Circuits"; and PCT/AU2007/001697, entitled "Dimmable Light Emitting Diode Load Driver with Bypass Current"; The entire contents of each application in the application are incorporated herein by reference.

The present application claims the following priority: Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2013905074, entitled "Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) Control System and Method"; Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2013905070, entitled "Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface" DALI) System and Method for Device Grouping; and Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2013905071, entitled "Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) Electronic Control Device, System and Method".

The content of these applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Control of components in buildings, such as lighting, heating and cooling, is becoming more and more important as it attempts to use these components in a more energy efficient manner and provides a greater degree of comfort for building occupants and control.

The Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) is a lighting control protocol that allows for individual control and monitoring of each device in the lighting system, as well as groups of such devices (eg, ballast, emergency lighting, etc.). DALI, which evolved from the Digital Signal Interface (DSI), has now become a disclosure standard defined under IEC 60929. This standard defines communication protocols and electrical interfaces for compatible devices and allows for the compatibility of 64 DALI compatible devices in a single loop or network.

The DALI communication interface unit is used on the DALI network (also known as loop or The devices of the line communicate and can be connected to a controller or gateway device to allow the DALI network to connect to a computer or other network. The DALI controller can include a clock and provide sequencing for the auto stop timer and provide effect illumination for scheduling that provides a DALI group that has been scheduled to be occupied. The controller provides local intelligence so that it can operate even without a network connection.

Thus, DALI system operation provides a great degree of flexibility and control of the lighting system, which allows for the control and monitoring of individual devices, such as ballasts and emergency accessories, as well as groups of such devices.

In a DALI network, the device is provided as either an electronic control unit (ECD) (which includes devices such as switches, sensors, and other control input devices) or an electronic control unit (ECG) ( It includes a ballast and dimmer circuit and it receives control signals from an ECD to control a load connected to the ECG. The ECD and the ECG are connected via a DALI data bus, which includes two wires to carry data according to the DALI protocol.

Figure 1 shows a typical prior art DALI system 500 configuration. The device includes a DALI bus 510 that connects a plurality of electronic control devices (ECG) 100, 100', 100"', 100"" to the electronic control device 100n' and a plurality of electronic control devices (ECD) ) 200 and 200'. Each of the ECG and the ECD is coupled to the DALI bus 510 via an individual connector line 511. In some configurations, the DALI controller 520 is provided to provide additional control functions and to allow programming of various devices once various devices are installed.

A typical DALI system can also include a power supply 300 that powers each device via a power supply line 310.

Each ECG 100 is connected to an individual load 600, which in one instance is negative Load 600 is a light-emitting diode (LED) light controlled by the ECG.

The ECD 200 allows the user to control the load. In one embodiment, the ECD 200 is a simple ON/OFF switch. In another embodiment, the ECD 200 is a dimmer switch that allows the user to selectively adjust the load.

For example, if the user turns on the switch of the ECD 200 from the closed position to the open position, the signal is transferred to the DALI bus 510 on the connector line 511 via a forward frame, the forward message. A box is provided to all ECGs 100 that are related to the group associated with the ECD 200. This would cause these ECGs 100 to transition their individual loads 600 from the OFF state to the ON state.

In some cases, an ECD 200 will query an ECG 100 to determine its current status. This inquiry is accomplished by the ECD 200 generating a forward frame containing the appropriate material and broadcasting to the associated ECG 100. In response, the interrogated ECG 100 will respond with a shorter, backward frame containing the appropriate data.

One of the features of the DALI system is that the devices can be grouped together such that a control input (e.g., an ON/OFF switch) applied to an ECD 200 causes all of the ECGs 100 grouped in the same group as the ECD 200 to perform the Function (for example, on or off). Up to 16 groups can be assigned to various devices within the network.

2 shows the configuration of FIG. 1 illustrating devices associated with a particular DALI group. In this figure, the shaded DALI devices are associated with the same group. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this association is accomplished via programming of each device (once installed).

One of the complications of building a DALI network is that each device (ECD or ECG), once installed, must be programmed to allow the network to operate as required.

According to a first feature, an electronic control unit (ECG) is provided for use in a digitally addressable illuminated interface (DALI) system, the control device comprising: a switched active input for connection from the The switching active input and the control device in use receive a control signal such that the ECG performs a function; a DALI output for outputting data; and a microprocessor configured to switch according to the The control signal received by the active input generates the data and outputs it.

According to a second feature, a digital addressable light emitting interface (DALI) system is provided, comprising: at least one first electronic control unit (ECG) assigned to a first DALI group; and a second electronic control unit (ECG) Assigning to the first DALI group; wherein the first ECG is in use connected to a control device via a switched active input of the first ECG to receive a control signal from the control device such that The first ECG performs a function, and wherein the first ECG outputs data in response to the control signal received at the switched active input such that the second ECG also performs the function.

According to a third feature, there is provided a digital addressable light emitting interface (DALI) system comprising a first electronic control unit (ECG) and a second electronic control unit (ECG), the first ECG being via the first ECG A switched active input is coupled to a control device, and the first ECG and the second ECG are assigned to the same DALI group, a method of controlling the second ECG, the method comprising: the at the first ECG Receiving, by the switching active input, the control signal from the control device; generating data according to the control signal received at the switched active input; and outputting the generated data according to the generated data to control the second ECG .

According to a fourth feature, there is provided an illumination control system comprising: a digital addressable illumination interface (DALI) system according to a second feature; and the control device.

According to a fifth feature, an electronic control unit (ECG) is provided for use in the DALI system, wherein the ECG is configured to transmit a forward frame.

100, 100', 100", ..., 100 ^n' ‧‧‧ electronic control unit

110, 110', 110", ..., 110 ^n' ‧‧‧Switching active input

120‧‧‧output

130‧‧‧Microcontroller or microprocessor

140‧‧‧ Receiver

200, 200'‧‧‧ electronic control unit

300‧‧‧Power supply

310‧‧‧Power supply line

400, 400', 400" ‧ ‧ control devices

500‧‧‧DALI system

510‧‧‧DALI bus

511‧‧‧Connector line

520‧‧‧DALI controller

530‧‧ Wi-Fi gateway

540‧‧‧Wi-Fi device

550‧‧‧personal mobile device

600, 600', 600", ..., 600 ^n' ‧ ‧ load

800‧‧‧ steps

810‧‧‧Steps

820‧‧‧Steps

900‧‧‧Steps

910‧‧ steps

920‧‧‧Steps

1000‧‧‧Lighting control system

The various features of the embodiments described herein will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which: FIG. 1 shows a general DALI system configuration according to the prior art; FIG. 2 shows the configuration of FIG. DALI group related; FIG. 3A shows a general DALI system according to one embodiment described herein; FIG. 3B shows a general DALI system using a DALI bus according to the embodiment of FIG. 3A; FIG. 4A shows A typical DALI system of another embodiment is depicted; FIG. 4B shows a general DALI system using a DALI bus according to the embodiment of FIG. 4A; FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a DALI system in accordance with one feature described herein; 6A shows a general illumination control system in accordance with one embodiment described herein; Figure 6B shows a general illumination control system using a DALI busbar in accordance with the embodiment of Figure 6A; Figure 7A shows a general illumination control system in accordance with another embodiment described herein; Figure 7B shows the implementation in accordance with Figure 7A Example of a general illumination control system using a DALI busbar; Figure 8 shows an embodiment of an illumination control system in accordance with one feature described herein; Figure 9 shows in the configuration of Figure 9, the control device, the first Information flow between the ECG and the second ECG; FIG. 10 shows the flow of information between the control device, the first ECG, and a plurality of other ECGs in the configuration of FIG. 9; A more detailed view of the first ECG; Figure 12 shows an example of a data frame transmitted by the first ECG that causes other ECGs of the same group to perform functions controlled by the control device; Figure 13 shows A flow chart describing a method of controlling an ECG; FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram showing a path between a switched active input of the ECG and the input connected to the microcontroller; FIG. 15 shows when the controller is started In the An example of a burst signal in an ECG; Figure 16 shows an example of a forward frame output by the ECG; Figure 17 shows a general block diagram of an ECG according to another feature, wherein The control signal is received by the ECG via a component instead of the switched active input; FIG. 18 shows the ECG of FIG. 18 having a wireless control device; FIG. 19 shows the extensive control of the ECG in the DALI network. Method; FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of a DALI system having an ECG having a control device coupled to the switched active input; and FIG. 21 showing another embodiment of a DALI system having an ECG The DALI system has a control device coupled to the switched active input, and the DALI system has an ECG that is wirelessly coupled to the control device.

Figure 3A shows a general embodiment of one feature described herein. Shown here is a Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) system 500 that includes at least one first electronic control unit (ECG) 100 and a second electronic control unit (ECG) 100'. Both the ECG 100 and the ECG 100' are assigned to the same DALI group (eg, group 5 in the 16 group).

The first ECG 100 has a switched active input 110. In use, the switched active input 110 receives a control signal from a control device (not shown in the figure), such as a wall switch for turning the light on or off, or a rotary switch To allow dimming of the light. It should be noted that the control device does not need to be connected to the DALI bus.

When the first ECG 100 receives a control signal from the control device to perform a function (eg, on) at the switched active input terminal 110, the first ECG 100 generates data and outputs the second ECG. 100' also performs the same function.

The configuration shown in Figure 3A is a general configuration and it includes a wireless DALI A system in which the DALI devices, such as ECGs, are not connected via hard wires, but communicate wirelessly with each other using radio frequency (RF) signals, infrared (IR) signals, or other wireless medium. The transmission is still based on the DALI agreement.

FIG. 3B shows a particular configuration of the DALI system 500 of FIG. 3A. In this configuration, the first ECG 100 and the second ECG 100' are physically coupled to a DALI bus 510 via a connector line 511. In this configuration, the ECG 100 outputs the data generated in response to the control signals received at the switched active input 110 to the DALI bus. This material is then received by the second ECG 100', which in turn performs the function in accordance with the instructions in the data frame.

4A shows another embodiment of a DALI system 500 that includes the first ECG 100, the second ECG 100', and another ECG 100" having a switched active input 110. In this embodiment All of the three ECGs are assigned to the same DALI group, and therefore, the first ECG 100 generates and outputs data based on the control signals received at the switched active input 110, the second ECG 100' and The additional ECG 100" receives this information and performs the function previously determined by the control device.

Again, this configuration envisions a general configuration that includes a wireless network.

4B shows a particular embodiment of the DALI system 500 configuration of FIG. 4A, in which case the ECG is coupled to the DALI bus 510. In this configuration, the data output by the first ECG 100 is received and applied to the second ECG 100' and the additional ECG 100" because they are assigned to the same as the first ECG 100. DALI group.

It should be understood that the number of additional ECGs can be any number. Although a single DALI network is limited to 64 devices, multiple networks can be connected to provide Almost unlimited number of devices.

5 shows an embodiment of a DALI system 500 including a DALI bus 510 that connects a plurality of electronic control devices (ECGs), including a first ECG 100, a second ECG 100', and an additional ECG 100''',100'''' to 100 ⁿ ', and a plurality of electronic control units (ECD) 200 and 200'. Each of the ECG and the ECD is coupled to the DALI bus 510 via an individual connector line 511. In some configurations, the DALI controller 520 is provided to provide additional control functions and to allow programming of various devices once various devices are installed.

DALI groups can be programmed into each device for DALI installation using conventional programming methods, however, in this feature, other forms assigned to DALI devices for a particular group can be used, including using a group of distribution plugs Or specify a device via a group incorporated within the DALI device. The two features of the latter are the aforementioned copending patent application, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

A typical DALI system can also include a power supply 300 that powers each device via a power supply line 310.

Some or all of the ECG 100 is connected to an individual load 600, which in one example is a light emitting diode (LED) light controlled by the ECG.

The ECD 200 allows the user to control the load. In one embodiment, the ECD 200 is a simple ON/OFF switch. In another embodiment, the ECD 200 is a dimmer switch that allows the user to selectively adjust the load.

For example, if the user opens the switch on the ECD 200 from the closed position to the open position, the signal is transferred to the DALI on the connector line 511 via a forward frame. Bus bar 510, which is provided to all ECGs 100, is associated with the group associated with the ECD 200. This would cause these ECGs 100 to transition their individual loads 600 from the OFF state to the ON state.

In some cases, an ECD 200 will query an ECG 100 to determine its current status. This inquiry is accomplished by the ECD 200 generating a forward frame containing the appropriate material and broadcasting to the associated ECG 100. In response, the interrogated ECG 100 will respond with a shorter, backward frame containing the appropriate data.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the first ECG 100 includes a switched active input terminal 110 for connection to a control device (not shown in this figure), as previously referred to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, and Figure 4B is described. Specifically, when the first ECG 100 receives a control signal at its switching active input terminal 110, the first ECG 100 generates data according to the control signal and outputs it to the DALI bus 510. This material will be received and acted upon by other ECGs and assigned to the same group as the first ECG 100 to perform the same function.

FIG. 6A shows a general embodiment of an illumination control system 1000 in accordance with one feature. In this feature, the illumination control system 1000 includes the DALI system 500 and the control device 400 coupled to the switched active input 110 of the first ECG 100. The control device can be any suitable device including a wall switch for turning the light on or off, a rotary dimmer switch, a sliding dimmer switch or a sensor (eg, occupancy detector).

When actuated, control device 400 generates a control signal that is applied to the switched active input 110 of the first ECG 100, which in one embodiment causes the first ECG to perform functions controlled by the control device 400. The data is generated (eg, turned on) and generated and output such that the second ECG 100' performs this same function. In other embodiments, the first ECG 100 It is not necessary to perform the function itself, but only the data can be generated and outputted so that the second ECG performs the functions controlled by the control device 400.

As such, this configuration is contemplated in a wireless network as previously described with reference to Figures 3A and 4A.

FIG. 6B shows an embodiment of a wire connection of an illumination control system 1000 having an ECG connected to a DALI bus 510.

FIG. 7A shows another general embodiment of an illumination control system 1000 that includes a first ECG 100, a second ECG 100', and an additional ECG 100'. As described with reference to FIG. 4A, in the present embodiment, the first ECG 100 generates data to cause the second ECG 100' and the additional ECG 100" to perform functions controlled by the control device 400. Again, the present embodiment contemplates A wireless illumination control system 1000, while the embodiment of FIG. 7B shows a wire-connected illumination control system having an ECG coupled to the DALI busbar 510.

8 shows another embodiment of an illumination control system 1000 that includes a DALI system 500 and a control device 400 coupled to the switched active input 110 of the first ECG 100, as described with reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B, Figure 6C, and Figure 6D.

The illumination control system of FIG. 8 operates in the same manner as the DALI system described above with reference to FIG. 5, but the control device 400 is coupled to the switched active input 110 of the first ECG 100.

9 shows a particular embodiment of an illumination control system 1000 that includes a DALI system 500 having eight ECGs 100, 100', 100", 100", 100", 100' ''', 100''''', 100'''''', and two ECDs 200, 200'. The control device 400 is connected to the switched active input 110 of the first ECG 100, as before Said. Figure 9 shows by the first The flow of information produced and output by ECG 100. In this embodiment, since only the second ECG 100' is assigned to the same DALI group as the first ECG 100, the material is only received and acted upon by the device, as indicated by the arrows between the two devices.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, there are 8 ECDs in FIG. 9, each of which is assigned to one of the three DALI groups, DALI group 1, 2, or 3. The ECD 200 is assigned to DALI Group 2. In this embodiment, there are two control devices 400 (a wall switch), and 400' (a dimmer switch).

The actuation of the ECD 200' (e.g., switching from the off state to the on state) causes the ECD 200 to generate a forward frame and output it to the DALI bus 510 so that it is assigned to the same DALI group as the ECD 200' (in This situation is turned on for all ECGs of group 2). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ECGs 100', 100"', and 100"''' will be turned on.

Actuation of control device 400 (eg, from a closed state to an open state) will cause control device 400 to generate a control signal (eg, a voltage step) that is applied to the switched active input of ECG 100" 110". Since ECG 100" is assigned to DALI Group 3, ECG 100" will generate data and output it to DALI bus 510, which is received and acted upon by ECG 100 and 100''', ECG 100 and 100''' Each of ' is assigned to DALI Group 3 so that they are all turned on. In this embodiment, the ECG 100" will also be turned on, but in another embodiment it does not need to be turned on.

Control device 400', as a dimmer switch, when actuated (eg, rotating the dimmer switch to 50% dimming), will generate a suitable control signal (eg, a voltage of a particular amplitude) that is applied Switching active input 110''''' to ECG 100''''''. The ECG 100'''''' is assigned to the DALI group 1, and the ECG 100''''' generates data and outputs the bus DALI 510 On top, all other ECGs assigned to DALI Group 1 are dimmed to 50% brightness. In this embodiment, there is only one other ECG (ECG 100'''''').

It will be appreciated that one advantage of this configuration is that it is possible to connect a non-DALI device to the DALI network and still achieve the same control as if the control device were a DALI device.

This will speed up the installation of a DALI system into a non-DALI system. Where the control device 400 is a DALI device, the system allows the control device to be connected to the DALI system without programming the device. The system also allows the number of DALI devices and control devices to exceed the limit of a single DALI network, typically only 64 devices, without having to integrate multiple DALI networks, since the control device 400 does not occupy 64 bits of the DALI network. An address in the address. For example, the number of devices on a single DALI network can be between 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 70, and 80, between 80 and 100, between 100 and 128, between 128 and 200, And more than 200.

Figure 11 shows in more detail an electronic control unit (ECG) 100 in accordance with one feature. In the present embodiment, ECG 100 includes a switched active input terminal 110, an output terminal 120, and a microcontroller or microprocessor 130. In some embodiments, ECG 100 will also include other control circuitry for controlling the load connected to ECG 100 based on control signals received from the DALI bus (not shown) or wireless receiver (not shown) (not display).

It should be understood that the ECG can be any suitable device including a lighting fixture, a dimmer, a relay, or an LED driver.

Embodiments of the dimmer circuit and the LED driver are described in detail in the following cases: PCT/AU03/00365, entitled "Modified Dimmer Circuit Configuration"; PCT/AU03/00366, entitled "Dimmer circuit with improved inductive load"; PCT/AU03/00364, titled "Dimmer circuit with improved chopper control"; PCT/AU2006/001883 The invention name is "current zero-crossing detector in the dimmer circuit"; PCT/AU2006/001882, the invention is entitled "load detector for dimmers"; PCT/AU2006/001881, name of the invention "General-purpose dimmer"; PCT/AU2008/001398, entitled "Improved start-up detector in dimmer circuit"; PCT/AU2008/001399, entitled "Dimming with overcurrent detection" PCT/AU2008/001400, entitled "Overcurrent Protection in Dimmer Circuits"; and PCT/AU2007/001697, entitled "Dimmable Light Emitting Diode Load with Bypass Current" The entire contents of all of the above are incorporated herein by reference.

According to one feature described herein, when receiving a control signal from a control device (not shown) coupled to the switched active input terminal 110, the microcontroller 130 generates a data frame for output to the DALI system, whether for The wireless transmission of the ECG 100's wireless transmitter is either output to the DALI bus that the ECG 100 can connect to. This data frame conforms to the DALI protocol, which will be further described below, and this material enables other ECGs assigned to the same DALI group as ECG 100 to perform the same function commanded by the control signals.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the microprocessor 100 also includes DALI specific data in its memory to allow it to perform certain functions in response to DALI commands contained in the data frame.

Typically, an ECG will receive data in the form of a forward frame from an ECD, which contains 19 bits according to the DALI protocol. In some cases, if an ECD queries an ECG to determine its status, the ECG will respond with a backward frame containing 11 bits. however, According to another feature described herein, the ECG generates and transmits a data frame in the form of a forward frame. The forward frame is then received and processed by other ECGs as if it were a command from an ECD.

Figure 12 shows an exemplary forward frame structure including a start bit "a", an address byte (b (1 bit), c (6 bit), and d (1 bit) )), a data byte (e (8 bits)) that specifies a command and a stop bit (f (2 bits)).

The address bit indicates which device the frame is directed to. Options include "broadcast" where all ECGs will react; "groups (1-16)" where the ECG assigned to a particular group will react; and "address" (1-64) where the address The specific ECG will react.

The command byte determines the actions of the ECG, such as "on", "off", "direct level 50%" (1-100), "increasing", "decreasing", "recovering scene 2" (a total of 16 Scenes), and many other actions.

In some embodiments, groups can be defined using short addresses to allow for a greater number of definitions than 16 groups. In one example, with control device 400 turned on, the DALI command would be [group x] [on], where x is the number of addresses of 1-16. In another embodiment, using short addresses instead of groups, the equivalent DALI command is [address x] [on], where x is the number of addresses (1-64).

Figure 13 shows a flow chart of a method in accordance with one feature described herein. At step 800, a control signal from the control device is received at the switched active input of the ECG. At step 810, the data is generated by the ECG based on the control signal, and at step 820, the generated data is output from the ECG to control the second ECG based on the control signal.

FIG. 14 shows a more detailed view of the ECG 100, and in particular the circuit path between the active input 110 and the microcontroller 130.

When the switch of the control device 400 connected to the active input of the ECG 100 is momentarily pressed, the switched active signal will drive the optocoupler of Figure 14, which in turn drives the transistor Q4. As long as the switch is depressed by the user, a power burst or power supply frequency (eg 50 Hz) signal will be generated, as shown in Figure 15.

Dimming is performed by recognizing long presses and short presses. A short press will switch the light. A long press will dim the light. The transition between long presses changes the direction of dimming.

When the burst signal of Figure 15 is applied to the microcontroller of Figure 11, a forward frame is generated for output to the DALI bus, as previously described. An example pseudo code for converting the input signal to the output control signal by the microcontroller is as follows: program attention input

Detecting the power or power supply frequency on the input port

Measuring burst time

If it is a long press

Transfer the dimming command to the bus

Otherwise, if it is a short press

Transfer switching commands to the bus

otherwise

No action

End

An example of an output forward frame generated by the ECG 100 microcontroller As shown in Figure 16. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the address byte will contain the address of the ECG that generated the previous frame. The data byte will contain an on, off, increasing, or decreasing command depending on the length of the switched active press signal.

In one embodiment, the code for establishing a forward frame from an ECD can be used in an ECG microcontroller as long as the device identifier is appropriately substituted.

According to another broad feature described herein, an electronic control unit (ECG) for use with a DALI system is provided, wherein the ECG is configured to transmit a forward frame. In this feature, it does not matter where the control input is applied. The input provided by the above embodiment is applied to the active input of the ECG. However, in this feature, the control input can be provided to the ECG via wireless communication or transmitted from the wireless control device to the wireless within the ECG. receiver. The control signal is then applied to the input of the microcontroller 130 for processing to produce an output data in the form of a forward frame, as in Figure 16, which uses the same or similar encoding, as previously described. Said.

In other embodiments of the present feature, no specific input is required to cause the ECG to generate a forward frame. For example, in one embodiment, ECG 100 can be programmed to generate a predetermined forward frame at a predetermined time or at predetermined time intervals. An example of executing such a suitable virtual code is as follows: the program generates a forward frame

Incremental clock

If the clock count is equal to the predetermined time

Transfer forward frame

Reset clock count

Back to incremental clock

otherwise

Back to incremental clock

FIG. 17 shows another embodiment of an ECG 100 configured to generate a forward frame. In the present embodiment, no signal is applied to the switched active input terminal 110. In contrast, a control signal is received at receiver 140, which applies a control signal to the appropriate input of the microcontroller or microprocessor 130.

Figure 18 shows the ECG 100 of Figure 17 receiving a signal from a wireless control device 400 in response to which the ECG 100 generates and outputs a forward frame, as described above.

Thus, Figure 19 provides and shows a broad method in which a first electronically controlled device (ECG) and a second electronic control device (ECG) are connected in a digitally addressable illuminated interface (DALI) system. To the DALI bus, the first ECG and the second ECG are assigned to the same DALI group, a method of controlling the second ECG, the method comprising: at step 900, at the first ECG, receiving from no connection a control signal to a control device of the DALI bus; at step 910, generating data according to the control signal received at the first ECG; and at step 920, outputting the generated data according to the generated data Controlling the second ECG.

Figure 20 shows an example of a DALI system using the various features described herein. In particular, the DALI system has n+1 ECGs that are load (in this embodiment, LEDs) 600 to 600 ^n-1 corresponding to n LED drivers 100 to ^100n-1 . Another ECG 100 ^n' (in this case a relay unit) controls the load 600 ^n' , which in this case is a chandelier with a plurality of incandescent lamps.

The ECD 200 is connected to the DALI bus 510 to control the ECG connected to the bus 510.

The control device 400 is connected to the switched active input 110 ^{n-2' of the} ECG 100 ^n-2' , as previously described, and the control device 400' is connected to the switched active input of the relay unit 100 ^n' 110 ^{n' is} simultaneously connected to the switched active input 110'" of the ECG 100'". As previously mentioned, actuation of control devices 400 and 400' will allow the user to control the corresponding ECG on the DALI system by having those ECGs transmit a forward frame, which is controlled to the same group. The other ECGs of the group act as if they were directed by the control device, as previously described.

In the system shown in Fig. 19, instructions can also be issued to the DALI system 500 by a personal mobile device, such as a smart phone or tablet, loaded with an appropriate application. The personal mobile device 550 transmits a wireless signal to the Wi-Fi device 540, which in turn transmits the Wi-Fi signal to the Wi-Fi gateway 530 connected to the DALI system to process the control commands.

Figure 21 shows and Figure 19 the same DALI system configuration, except that it further includes a wireless control apparatus 400 ", the radio control apparatus 400" sends a command to a wireless receiver ECG 100 ⁿ in, so that the The wireless control device 400" outputs a forward frame to the DALI bus as previously described above with reference to Figures 17 and 18. In this embodiment of the ECG, the control device 400" does not necessarily transmit its signal to the ECG. Active input, but will be transmitted to the receiver within the ECG.

Throughout the specification and the following claims, all terms "including" and "comprising" are intended to be construed as meaning Any other integer or integer group.

References to any prior art in this specification are not to be considered as a limitation, and should not be considered as a part of the general knowledge of the prior art.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a wide variety of techniques and methods. For example, materials, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and wafers may be referenced throughout the above description and may be by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields, or magnetic particles, light or light particles, or any of the foregoing. Combined to represent.

Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithms steps described herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software or instructions, or in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein. It is a combination of the above two. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of such hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in terms of their functional features. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and design conditions imposed on the overall system. A person skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but the decision of this implementation should not be construed as a departure from the scope of the various applications and features described herein.

The steps of the methods or algorithms described herein, as well as the disclosed embodiments, can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. For hardware implementations, processing can be implemented in one or more dedicated integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), and on-site A programmed gate array (FPGA), processor, controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, other electronic unit designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination of the above. A software module, also known as a computer program, computer code, or instruction, can contain several source code or object code segments or instructions and can reside on any computer readable medium, such as RAM Memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, registers, hard drive, removable hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Blu-ray Disc, or any other form of computer readable media. In some features, the computer readable medium can include non-volatile computer readable media (eg, tangible media). Moreover, for other features, the computer readable medium can include a transient computer readable medium (eg, a signal). The above combinations should also be included in the context of computer readable media. In another feature, computer readable media can be integrated into the processor. The processor and the computer readable medium can reside in an ASIC or related device. The software code can be stored in a memory unit and the processor can be configured to execute the software code. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case the memory unit can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various components known in the art.

In addition, it should be appreciated that modules and/or other suitable means for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and/or otherwise obtained by a computing device. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of components for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, the various methods described herein may be provided via a storage device (eg, RAM, ROM, physical storage media such as a compact disc (CD), or floppy disk, etc.) such that the computing device is coupling the storage member or Various methods are available when provided to the device. Moreover, any other suitable technique can be used to provide the methods and techniques described herein to a device.

In one form, various features may include a computer program product for performing the methods or operations presented herein. For example, the computer program product can include a computer (or processor) readable medium with instructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For some features, computer program products may include packaging materials.

Any input/output interface may include a network interface and/or communication module for using a predetermined communication protocol (eg, Bluetooth, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.11, TCP/IP, UDP, etc.) with another device The equivalent communication module in the communication.

The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or actions to achieve the described methods. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. In other words, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the patent application.

The term "determining" as used herein encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" can include computing, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (eg, looking up a lookup in a table, a database or another data structure), confirming, or the like. Further, "determining" may include receiving (eg, receiving information), accessing (eg, accessing data in memory), or the like. Further, "determining" may include parsing, selecting, selecting, establishing, or the like.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention does not limit its scope of use to the particular application described. The invention is also not limited to the preferred embodiments of the specific elements and/or features described or described herein. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the one or embodiments disclosed, but that many modifications, modifications and alternatives are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Clarified and defined.

100, 100', 100", ..., 100 ^n' ‧‧‧ electronic control unit

110‧‧‧Switching active input

200, 200'‧‧‧ electronic control unit

300‧‧‧Power supply

310‧‧‧Power supply line

500‧‧‧DALI system

510‧‧‧DALI bus

511‧‧‧Connector line

520‧‧‧DALI controller

600, 600', 600", ..., 600 ^n' ‧ ‧ load

Claims (20)

An electronic control unit (ECG) for use in a Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) system, wherein the ECG is configured to transmit a forward frame. The electronic control device of claim 1, wherein the ECG is configured to transmit the forward frame in response to a control signal received at a switched active input of the ECG. The electronic control device of claim 1, wherein the ECG is configured to transmit the forward frame in response to a control signal received by a wireless receiver within the ECG. An electronic control unit (ECG) for use in a Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) system, the ECG comprising: a switched active input for receiving a control device connected from use to the switched active input a control signal at the end such that the ECG performs a function; a DALI output for outputting data; and a microprocessor configured to receive the control signal at the switched active input Generate this material for output. An electronic control unit (ECG) according to claim 4, wherein the output of the DALI is for connection to a DALI bus, and wherein, in use, the data is output to the DALI bus. An electronic control unit (ECG) according to claim 4, wherein the output is a wireless transmitter for transmitting the data wirelessly. An electronic control unit (ECG) as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein The data is included to include instructions for causing at least one other ECG to perform the function. The electronic control unit (ECG) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the ECG is a ballast. The electronic control unit (ECG) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the ECG is a light emitting diode (LED) driver for controlling an LED. An electronic control unit (ECG) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the ECG is a dimmer circuit. A Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) system comprising: a first electronic control unit (ECG) assigned to a first DALI group; and a second electronic control unit (ECG) assigned to The first DALI group; wherein the first ECG is used to connect to a control device via a switched active input of the first ECG for receiving a control signal from the control device The first ECG is caused to perform a function, and wherein the first ECG system outputs the data such that the second ECG also performs the function in response to the control signal received at the switched active input. The Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) system of claim 11, comprising at least one other ECG assigned to the first DALI group, wherein the data causes the at least one other ECG to also perform the Features. The Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) system of claim 11 or 12, wherein the DALI system further comprises a DALI bus that connects the first ECG and the second ECG, and wherein the first The output of the ECG is connected to the DALI bus for outputting the data to the DALI bus. In a digitally addressable illuminated interface (DALI) system, including a first electronically controlled device And a second electronic control unit (ECG), the first ECG is connected to a control device via a switched active input of the first ECG, and the first ECG and the second ECG are assigned to a The same DALI group, a method for controlling the second ECG, the method comprising: receiving, at the switched active input end of the first ECG, a control signal from the control device; The control signal received at the end generates data; and the generated data is output according to the generated data to control the second ECG. The method of claim 14, wherein the DALI system further comprises a DALI bus that connects the first ECG and the second ECG, and wherein the step of generating the data output comprises: generating the The data is output to the DALI bus. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the DALI system further comprises a plurality of additional ECGs assigned to the same DALI group, and the step of outputting the generated data is further based on the generated data And controlling each of the other plurality of ECGs. A light-emitting control system comprising: a digital addressable light-emitting interface (DALI) system according to any one of claims 11 to 13; and the control device. The illumination control system of claim 17, wherein the control device is coupled to the switched active input of the ECG. In a Digital Addressable Light Emitting Interface (DALI) system, including a first electronic control unit (ECG) coupled to a DALI bus and a second electronic control unit (ECG), the first ECG and the second ECG Assigned to an identical DALI group, one that controls the second ECG The method includes: at the first ECG, receiving a control signal from a control device not connected to the DALI bus; generating data according to the control signal received at the first ECG; and according to the Generating data outputs the generated data to control the second ECG. A single DALI network comprising at least one ECG as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, the single DALI network comprising more than 64 devices.