TWI463916B - Control device for controlling brightness of a light source - Google Patents

Description

Control device for regulating light source

The present invention relates to a control device for adjusting a light source, and more particularly to a control device that can adjust the brightness of an adjustable light source in combination with a conventionally laid power line and a conventional standard switch.

As people pay more attention to the comfort and convenience of home life, more and more information appliances and automation furniture are introduced into the residential environment. As far as indoor lighting is concerned, with the development of various new types of luminaires, the emphasis is not only on functional lighting appeals, but also on comfort and even artistic requirements. In other words, in addition to being the main source of light at night or an important supplement in the daytime indoor light, in order to form a bright environment indoors to meet the needs of people's visual work, a new generation of lighting fixtures must meet the aesthetic and artistic requirements. According to the current needs of consumers, different levels of light are provided to create a variety of different atmospheres.

Adjustable light sources have undoubtedly become the main choice for a new generation of indoor lighting in terms of providing various levels of light. Compared with the traditional indoor lighting fixtures, most of them can only provide a fixed intensity of light, so they are too tedious in use. The adjustable light source can adjust the luminous intensity arbitrarily according to the needs of the user. For example, when a user wants to create a romantic atmosphere or does not need too much light, the luminous intensity of the light source can be reduced. When the user needs brighter light to facilitate work or reading, the luminous intensity of the light source can be increased. In this way, in addition to making the use of the light source more efficient and saving energy, the service life of the lamp can be extended.

Although the adjustable light source has the above advantages, it is still quite inconvenient in terms of the adjustable light source currently on the market. Generally speaking, most of the adjustable light sources currently on the market, from the operation panel, power lines, and even the lamps themselves, are often designed and developed according to various manufacturers. Specifications to produce.

Therefore, when consumers purchase an adjustable light source to replace the existing lighting fixtures in the room, the traditional three-way/four-way switch originally mounted on the wall needs to be removed and replaced with the operation panel provided by the manufacturer. What's more, when the purchased adjustable light source needs to be connected by a specific power line, the consumer may need to spend an additional decoration renovation cost to replace the traditional power line originally laid in the wall with the manufacturer's offer. The specific specifications of the power line.

In other words, when consumers want to change existing indoor lighting fixtures into adjustable light sources, in addition to the lamps that need to purchase adjustable light sources, it is often accompanied by installation work with different degrees of difficulty.

The invention provides an adjustable light source control device which can be combined with a residential power line and a conventional standard switch, and allows adjustment of the brightness of the adjustable light source through a conventional standard switch.

The invention provides a control device for regulating a light source, one end of which is connected to an existing standard switch via a power line which is laid in a room, and the other end is connected to an adjustable light source, and allows a switching pair of the through-type switch The light source can be adjusted for regulation. The control device includes a memory and a microcontroller. The memory is used to store at least one set of preset control programs. As for the microcontroller, it is used to judge the number of times the system switch is switched and the last state, and adjust the brightness of the adjustable light source according to the control program. The switching of the standard switch causes the power line to appear to be a path or an open circuit.

Further understanding of the control device of the present invention can be obtained from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.

The invention provides a control device for regulating a light source, which can directly combine the existing power line and the standard switch in the house, and allows the user to directly control the adjustable light source through the old conventional standard switch. Work. A detailed description of the present invention is as follows.

Please refer to the first figure, which shows the manner in which the control device 1 of the present invention is installed. As described above, since the control device 1 can directly integrate the existing power line and the standard switch in the house, at the time of installation, one end of the control device 1 is directly connected to a power line 2 that is laid in the room, and passes through the strip. The power line 2 is connected to an existing conventional standard switch 3. As for the other end of the control device 1, it can be connected to an adjustable light source 5 via another power line 4.

In one embodiment, the power line 2, which is originally laid indoors, represents a conventional strong wire that has been buried in an indoor wall. As for the conventional conventional switch 3, it represents a conventional three-way switch or four-way switch that is mounted on an indoor wall. In other words, the power line 2 connected between the control device 1 and the standard switch 3 in the present case represents a strong electric wire carrying a voltage of approximately 110 volts to 220 volts.

As for the above-mentioned power line 4 connected between the control device 1 and the adjustable light source 5, in a preferred embodiment, the representative is also conventionally laid in an indoor wall with a voltage of between about 110 volts and 220 volts. Strong wire. Of course, the power line 4 herein is not limited to a strong electric wire. As the size of the adjustable light source 5 is required, the power line 4 may also be a weak electric wire having a voltage of 0 to 10 volts.

Please refer to the second figure, which shows the internal structure and expansion application of the control device 1 provided by the present invention. In an embodiment, the control device 1 includes at least one memory 10 and a microcontroller 11.

Since the standard switch 3 here represents a conventional three-way or four-way switch, when the standard switch 3 is directly connected to the adjustable light source 5, the switching of the standard switch 3 can only control the adjustable light source 5 to be turned on or off. However, the luminous intensity of the adjustable light source 5 cannot be controlled. On the contrary, when the standard switch 3 is connected to the adjustable light source 5 via a control device 1 through the mode of the present invention, the function of the standard switch 3 is no longer used to make the circuit of the power line 2 and the adjustable light source 5 The state of the path or the open circuit is detected by the control device 1 to detect the number of times of switching of the standard switch 3, and to adjust the luminous intensity of the adjustable light source 5.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of regulating the illuminating intensity, the memory 10 stores at least one set of preset control programs. The control program here is used to display the number of times the standard switch 3 is switched, the last switch state, and the illuminating intensity of the adjustable light source 5 corresponding thereto. As for the microcontroller 11, it can be used to detect and judge the number of times the system switch 3 is switched and the last state, and adjust the brightness of the adjustable light source 5 according to the control program stored in the memory 10.

In addition to the memory 10 and the microcontroller 11, the control device 1 has a first connection interface 12 and a second connection interface 13. Wherein, when the power line 2 is connected to the first connection interface 12, the standard switch 3 can be used as a primary circuit switch. By continuously switching the standard switch 3, the brightness of the light of the adjustable light source 5 is sequentially increased or decreased.

That is, when the microcontroller 11 determines that the standard switch 3 and the power line 2 are connected to the first connection interface 12, it can read a suitable control program from the memory 10 as a basis for controlling the adjustable light source 5, and The definition of the standard switch 3 is now used as a loop switch. In an embodiment, the control program herein may determine the number of segments and the brightness value of the light source 5 whose illuminance intensity changes sequentially as the system switch 3 continues to switch. In the preferred embodiment, the microcontroller 11 detects the interval between the two switches before and after the standard switch 3. When the interval time is less than a preset value, the light-emitting brightness of the adjustable light source 5 is sequentially adjusted according to predetermined different brightness values.

On the other hand, when the interval between the two switches before and after the system switch 3 detected by the microcontroller 11 has exceeded the preset value, the microcontroller 11 will control the illumination of the adjustable light source 5 according to the preset control program. brightness. For example, when the set number of change segments is three segments and the corresponding luminous intensity values are 60%, 100%, 20%, the operator switches the standard switch 3 continuously, and the microcontroller 11 determines the standard switch 3 When the interval between the two switching times is less than the preset value, the brightness value of the adjustable light source 5 is controlled to follow the continuous change of 60%→100%→20%→60%. As for when the microcontroller 11 judges that the interval between the two switches before and after the system switch 3 has exceeded the preset value, the adjustable light source 5 is re-controlled to provide 60% of the hair according to the control program. brightness.

As for the power line 2 connected to the second connection interface 13, the system switch 3 can be used as a situation switch. At this time, the number of times of switching between the standard switch 3 and the state of the last switch is judged by the microcontroller 11, and the light-emitting luminance value of the light source 5 can be adjusted based on the control program stored in the memory 10.

In an embodiment, in order to further enhance the application level of the control device 1, the control device 1 further includes a digital output connector 14, a serial port connector 15 and a mesh route connector 16. The digital output connector 14 and the serial port connector 15 can be used to connect other information appliances or automated furniture 150. For example, the control device 1 can be connected to a window through the digital output connector 14, or the control device 1 can be connected to a projector via the serial port connector 15. In this way, when the power line 2 is connected to the second connection interface 13 and the system switch 3 is used as a context switch, the adjustable light source 5 can be adjusted to illuminate at a specific brightness value by switching the standard switch 3 on the one hand. The information appliance or the automated furniture 150 connected to the control device 1 is also controlled to operate. For example, when controlling the luminous intensity of the adjustable light source 5, the curtain is controlled to open or close simultaneously via the digital output connector 14, or the projector is turned on through the serial port connector 15 to start projecting an image.

In a preferred embodiment, the serial port connector 15 can be configured with an RS-232 serial port or an RS-485 serial port.

The network route connector 16 can be connected to a computer 161 via a network connection 160. In this way, the operator can set or update the control program stored in the memory 10 through the computer 161, or directly control the adjustable light source 5, the information appliance or the automatic furniture 150 connected in series to the control device 1. For example, the operator can change the number of segments and the brightness value of the loop switch by the computer 161. For example, the number of segments changed from the original three segments to four segments, and the corresponding luminous intensity values are adjusted to 70%, 100%, 40%, and 10%. Thus, as the operator continuously switches the standard switch 3, the brightness value of the adjustable light source 5 will continue to vary according to a cycle of 70%→100%→40%→10%→70%. Alternatively, the operator can change the control program of the context switch by the computer 161, and change the information appliance or the automation furniture 150 that is synchronously controlled.

In an embodiment, the control device 1 further includes a relay 17. When the control device 1 fails to start, the operation fails, or the power is interrupted, the relay 17 can be automatically switched to directly turn on the power line 2 and the power line 4, even if the power line 2 Connect directly to the adjustable light source 5. At this time, although the brightness of the adjustable light source 5 cannot be adjusted by the control device 1, the operator can directly turn the adjustable light source 5 on or off by switching the system switch 3. In other words, the standard switch 3 at this time will resume its original switching function, and the adjustable light source 5 can be directly turned on or off by the switching of the standard switch 3. More specifically, when the control device 1 cannot smoothly open the program in the memory 10 during the initialization process, or suddenly crashes during the execution and cannot be restarted, or the control device is caused by power failure or mechanical damage. 1 When it is unable to operate normally, the relay 17 will automatically switch, so that the adjustable light source 5 is directly connected to the standard switch 3, and the conventional three-way or four-way switch is returned to its original operation mode, and the direct opening or closing can be directly performed. Adjust the light source 5.

The control device 1 has a light source connection interface 18 for connecting the adjustable light source 5. As described above, the light source connection interface 18 can be coupled to the adjustable light source 5 via an existing power line 4, that is, connected to the adjustable light source 5 through a strong electric wire that is erected in the room. Of course, with the different requirements of the adjustable light source 5, the light source connection interface 18 can also be connected to the adjustable light source 5 through other specific specifications of the power line 4. For example, when it is required that the voltage is between 0 and 10 volts, the power line 4 is composed of a weak wire.

The control device provided by the invention can be directly used in combination with the original power line in the room and the traditional three-way or four-way switch, so that it is no longer necessary to change the traditional standard switch to the specific manufacturer by the manufacturer through additional construction. The specification of the operation panel does not require replacing the existing conventional power lines buried in the wall with the wires of the specific specifications produced by the manufacturer. In other words, for the consumer, once it decides to change the lighting fixture in the home to the adjustable light source, the control device provided by the present invention can be combined with the existing standard switch and power line in the home, and the adjustable light source. The intensity of the illumination is manipulated.

The present invention has been described above by way of preferred examples, but it is not intended to limit the present invention. The spirit and invention of the entity are limited to the above embodiments. Modifications made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

1‧‧‧Control device

2‧‧‧Power line

3‧‧‧System Switch

4‧‧‧Power line

5‧‧‧Adjustable light source

10‧‧‧ memory

11‧‧‧Microcontroller

12‧‧‧First connection interface

13‧‧‧Second connection interface

14‧‧‧Digital output connector

15‧‧‧ tandem 埠 joint

16‧‧‧Net route connector

150‧‧‧Information appliances or automated furniture

160‧‧‧Internet connection

161‧‧‧ computer

17‧‧‧ Relay

18‧‧‧Light source connection interface

The first figure shows the manner in which the control device provided by the present invention is installed; and the second figure shows the internal structure and extended application of the control device provided by the present invention.

1‧‧‧Control device

2‧‧‧Power line

3‧‧‧System Switch

4‧‧‧Power line

5‧‧‧Adjustable light source

Claims (6)

A control device for regulating a light source, one end of which is connected to an existing standard switch via an existing power line in a room, and the other end is connected to an adjustable light source, and is allowed to be adjusted through the switching of the standard switch The light source is regulated, the control device comprises: a memory, storing at least one set of preset control programs; and a microcontroller, determining the number of times and the final state of the switch of the standard switch, and adjusting the according to the control program The light source is adjusted for brightness. A first connection interface is used as a primary circuit switch when the power line is connected to the first connection interface, and the illumination brightness of the adjustable light source is sequentially increased or decreased by continuously switching the standard switch. a second connection interface, a digital output connector, and a serial port connector, wherein the digital output connector and the serial port connector can be connected to the information appliance and the automation furniture, and the second connection interface can be connected to the power line When the power line is connected to the second connection interface, the system switch is used as a situation switch. By switching the standard switch, the adjustable light source can be illuminated with a specific brightness, and the information appliance and the automation furniture are controlled. . The control device of claim 1 further includes a network route connector, which can be connected to a computer via a network connection, and the operator can set or update the stored in the memory through the computer. The control program or direct control of the adjustable light source serially connected to the control device, the information appliance and the automated furniture. The control device of claim 1, further comprising a relay, wherein when the control device fails to start or the power is interrupted, the relay can be automatically switched to directly connect the power line to the adjustable light source, and the The system switch directly turns the adjustable light source on or off. The control device of claim 1, wherein the standard switch is It is a traditional three-way switch or four-way switch. The control device of claim 1, wherein the power line connected between the control device and the standard switch is a strong electric wire. The control device of claim 1, further comprising a light source connection interface connected to the adjustable light source via another power line, wherein the other power line can be a strong wire or a weak wire.