KR20160079638A - Apparatus and method for confirming dimming status of illuminator - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for confirming a dimming state of a lighting device. The apparatus comprises: a measurement unit measuring a current or power, supplied to the lighting device through a power supply line connected to the lighting device under a dimming control; and a dimming state verification unit determining a dimming value of the lighting device by using a current value or a power value, measured by the measurement unit. According to the present invention, by using the measured current value, a power usage time and an electricity bill may be calculated to be displayed to a user, thereby allowing the user to receive electricity use information to improve user convenience.

Description

[0001] Apparatus and method for confirming dimming status of illuminators [0002]

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for checking the dimming state of an illuminator, which measures a current or power supplied to an illuminator through a power supply line connected to a dimming controlled illuminator, and calculates a dimming value of the illuminator using the measured current value or power value It is possible to confirm the dimming state of the illuminator even in the illuminator subjected to the dimming control in the unidirectional communication and if the measured current value or the power value exceeds the predetermined set value, The user can be notified of the failure of the fixture, and the amount of consumed electric power, the electricity use time and the electric charge are calculated using the measured electric power value and outputted, And more particularly, to a dimming status checking apparatus and method.

Conventionally, incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps were mainly used as illumination devices. However, incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps use about 2.1 trillion kWh of annual power consumption of the world's lighting fixtures, compared to lighting efficiency. This corresponds to 12 to 15% of the total electric power, and it emits 1.7 billion tons of CO2 per year. In addition, since fluorescent lamps are manufactured using mercury and the lamp life is short, they must be frequently replaced. Due to these problems, regulations for the prohibition of the sale of incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps have been recently confirmed in some countries.

Recently, light using an energy-saving and environmentally friendly light-emitting diode is getting popular. This LED light has a long lifetime, high brightness, low power consumption, and energy saving effect. It is well known that replacing 30% of domestic lighting with LED lighting by 2015 has a power saving effect of about 16 billion kWh per year and an effect of reducing about 6.8 million tons of CO ₂ . In addition, LED lighting is regarded as a means for replacing traditional lighting such as incandescent lamps and halogen lamps.

LED lighting can control illumination or dimming according to the supplied current or power. In order to enable dimming control of the LED illumination, a separate configuration for dimming control is added to the existing equipment or a new method is used should. To this end, a technique such as that shown in Figs. 1A to 1D has been developed.

FIGS. 1A to 1D are diagrams schematically showing a dimming control technique of a conventional illuminator.

FIG. 1A shows a dimming control technique in which a dimming device 113 is connected through a wired / wireless communication line 114 in addition to the illuminator 111 and the power switch 112. Here, the power switch 112 may be located on the power supply line or may be provided in the illuminator 111 as shown. In addition, the dimming device 113 may be located outside the illuminator 111 or may be provided in the illuminator 111 as shown. The illuminator 111 may be provided with a communication unit capable of receiving or emitting a signal for communication with the dimming device 113. The communication method through the wired / wireless communication line 114 includes a wired communication method such as DMX512, Ethernet and RS485 communication and a wired communication method such as WiFi, Bluetooth, Infrared Ray (IR), ZigBee The same wireless communication method can be used.

According to the conventional dimming control technique shown in FIG. 1A, the illuminator 111 receives a dimming control command from the dimming device 113 via the wired / wireless communication line 114 and the illuminator 111 adjusts the illuminance according to the dimming control command The dimming device 113 receives the result of the dimming control command through the wired / wireless communication line 114 from the illuminator, and displays the received dimming control command so that the user can know the dimming state of the illuminator as a result of the execution. However, in the conventional art of FIG. 1A, when only the unidirectional communication from the dimming device 113 to the illuminator 111 is possible, the result of the dimming control can not be received, so that the illuminator information related to the dimming state can not be known .

1B shows a dimming control technique in which a separate dimming device 123 is connected to the illuminator 121 and the power switch 122 via a power line 124. [ Here, the power switch 122 may be located on the power supply line or may be provided in the illuminator 121 as shown. In addition, the dimming device 123 may be located outside the illuminator 121 or may be provided in the illuminator 121 as shown. The illuminator 121 may be provided with a communication unit capable of receiving or emitting an additional signal for communication with the dimming device 123.

1B, the illuminator 121 receives a dimming control command from the dimming device 123 via the power line communication line 124 and the illuminator 121 adjusts the illuminance according to the dimming control command And the dimming device 123 receives the result of the dimming control command from the illuminator through the power line 124 and displays it, so that the user can know the dimming state of the illuminator as a result of the operation. However, in the prior art of FIG. 1B, when the power line communication line 124 is only capable of one-way communication from the dimming device 113 to the illuminator 111, the result of the dimming control can not be received. Therefore, Is not known.

1C shows only the illuminator 131 and the power switch 132 without adding a separate dimming device and the illuminator 131 receives the ON / OFF related signal of the power switch 132, And a dimming control technique in which the illuminator 131 performs dimming control. Here, the power switch 132 may be located on the power supply line or may be provided in the illuminator 131, as shown. The illuminator 131 may include a communication unit that can receive or transmit data for communication, and may communicate with the dimming unit 133.

According to the conventional dimming control technique shown in FIG. 1C, the illuminator 131 receives a signal related to the ON / OFF times and ON / OFF time intervals of the power switch 132 and the illuminator 131 is turned on And the illuminance is controlled according to the number of off times and the on / off time interval. However, since the conventional technique of FIG. 1C only makes unidirectional communication with the illuminator 131, it is impossible to receive the result of the dimming control from the illuminator 131, so that the illuminator information related to the dimming state can not be known .

FIG. 1D shows a dimming control technique in which a separate power supply waveform adjusting device 143 is added in addition to the illuminator 141 and the power supply switch 142. Here, the power switch 142 may be located on the power supply line or may be provided in the illuminator 141 as shown. In addition, the power supply waveform adjuster 143 may be located on the power supply line of the illuminator 141 or may be provided in the illuminator 141 as shown in the figure.

According to the conventional dimming control technique shown in Fig. 1D, the illuminator 141 receives the current or voltage of the power source whose waveform has been deformed by the power source waveform adjusting device 143, and the illuminator 141 changes the current or voltage of the power source The illuminance is controlled according to the deformed waveform. However, since the conventional technique of FIG. 1d only has a unidirectional communication with the illuminator 141, it is impossible to receive the result of the dimming control from the illuminator 141, so that the illuminator information related to the dimming state can not be known .

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1D, the dimming control technology of the conventional illuminator can not receive the result of dimming control from the illuminator when unidirectional communication is used. Therefore, it is necessary to check the dimming state of the illuminator, There is a problem that it can not be confirmed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for dimming control in a single direction communication by measuring a current or power supplied to an illuminator through a power supply line connected to a dimming controlled illuminator and determining a dimming value of the illuminator using the measured current value or power value It is possible to confirm the dimming state of the illuminator even in the receiving illuminator and if the measured current value or the power value exceeds the predetermined set value, it is determined that the illuminator is faulty and is output, And provides a device and method for checking the dimming status of a fixture, which can provide convenience for the user to obtain power usage information by outputting the consumed power amount, electricity usage time, and electricity rate by using the measured power value .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for checking a dimming status of a fixture includes a measuring unit for measuring a current or power supplied to the illuminator through a power supply line connected to an illuminator controlled by dimming; And a dimming status verifying unit for determining a dimming value of the illuminator using the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit.

The current value may be one of an effective value, a maximum value, and an average value of the current measured by the measuring unit.

The power value may be one of an effective value, a maximum value, and an average value of the power measured by the measurement unit.

Wherein the dimming state checking unit stores a lookup table defining a dimming value corresponding to a current value or a power value and, when the current value or the power value is measured in the measuring unit, The dimming value can be determined.

The dimming state checking unit may store the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit according to the dimming control of the illuminator and store the dimming value corresponding to the current value or the power value to set the lookup table.

The dimming state checking unit may determine a dimming value of the fixture using linear interpolation if the current value or power value measured by the measuring unit is a value not stored in the lookup table.

The dimming state checking unit sets the dimming value of the illuminator at a predetermined time point as a reference value and compares the current value or the power value at the time point with the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit, Value can be determined.

The dimming state checking unit may directly receive the dimming control command of the fixture to determine a dimming control value included in the dimming control command as a dimming value of the fixture.

The dimming state checking device of the illuminator may further include an output unit for outputting a dimming value of the illuminator determined by the dimming state checking unit.

The dimming state checking device of the illuminator may further include a malfunction determining unit that determines that the fixture malfunctions if the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit exceeds a predetermined set value. At this time, the output unit may output a failure of the fixture when it is determined by the failure determination unit that the fixture has failed.

The dimming state checking device of the illuminator calculates the amount of consumed electric power by using the power value measured by the measuring part, measures the electricity use time of the illuminator, and calculates the amount of electricity consumed by the fixture And a power calculation unit for calculating an electricity rate of the battery. At this time, the output unit can output the consumed power amount of the fixture, the electricity use time, and the electricity rate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a dimming status checking method of a fixture includes the steps of: measuring a current or power supplied to the illuminator through a power supply line connected to a dimmer-controlled illuminator; And a step of determining a dimming value of the illuminator using the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit.

The current value may be one of an effective value, a maximum value, and an average value of the current measured by the measuring unit.

The power value may be one of an effective value, a maximum value, and an average value of the power measured by the measurement unit.

The dimming status checking method of the illuminator may further include storing a lookup table in which the dimming status confirmation unit defines a dimming value corresponding to a current value or a power value. The step of determining a dimming value of the illuminator may include determining a dimming value of the illuminator using the lookup table when a current value or a power value is measured by the measuring unit.

The step of storing the lookup table may include storing the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit according to the dimming control of the illuminator and storing the dimming value corresponding to the current value or the power value And setting the lookup table.

Wherein the step of determining a dimming value of the illuminator using the lookup table comprises the steps of: if the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit is a value not stored in the lookup table, And a step of determining the number

The step of determining a dimming value of the illuminator may include setting a dimming value of the illuminator at a predetermined time point as a reference value and comparing a current value or a power value at the time point with a current value or a power value measured by the measuring section thereafter And determining a dimming value of the illuminator.

The step of determining a dimming value of the illuminator may include directly receiving a dimming control command of the illuminator and determining a dimming control value included in the dimming control command as a dimming value of the illuminator.

The dimming status checking method of the illuminator may further include outputting a dimming value of the fixture determined by the dimming status checking unit.

The dimming state checking method of the illuminator may include determining that the fixture is malfunctioning if the malfunction determining unit determines that the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit exceeds a predetermined set value; And outputting that the output unit is a failure of the fixture when it is determined that the fixture is faulty in the failure determination unit.

The dimming state checking method of the illuminator may include calculating a consumed power amount using a power value measured by the measuring unit, Measuring the electricity usage time of the illuminator; Calculating the electricity rate of the fixture using the consumed power amount of the illuminator and the electricity use time; And the output unit may output the consumed power amount, the electricity usage time, and the electricity rate of the illuminator.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the dimming value of the illuminator is determined by measuring the current or power supplied to the illuminator through the power supply line connected to the dimming controlled illuminator and using the measured current value or the power value, The dimming state of the illuminator can be checked even in the illuminator under control, and when the measured current value or the power value exceeds a predetermined set value, it is determined that the illuminator is faulty and is outputted, And a dimming status checking device and method of the illuminator that can calculate the consumed power amount, the electricity use time and the electricity rate by using the measured power value, and output it, Can be provided.

FIGS. 1A to 1D are diagrams schematically showing a dimming control technique of a conventional illuminator.
2 is a view showing an illumination system including a control device of an LED lamp to which the present invention can be applied.
Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a dimming control switch according to a first embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. Fig. 3 (a) is an external view, and Fig. 3 (b) is an internal circuit diagram.
Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a dimming control switch according to a second embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. Fig. 4 (a) is an external view, and Fig. 4 (b) is an internal circuit diagram.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a dimming control switch according to a third embodiment to which the present invention can be applied, wherein (a) is an external view, and (b) is an internal circuit diagram.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a dimming state checking apparatus of a fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7A to 7D are diagrams illustrating examples of application of the measurement unit of the dimming status checking apparatus of the illuminator according to the embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a dimming status checking method of a fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, a repeated description, a known function that may obscure the gist of the present invention, and a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shapes and sizes of the elements in the drawings and the like can be exaggerated for clarity.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

Further, the term "part" in the description means a unit for processing one or more functions or operations, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

2 is a view showing an illumination system including a control device of an LED lamp to which the present invention can be applied.

The applicant of the present invention has filed a patent application for the LED lighting system capable of controlling the ON / OFF and illuminance of the LED lamp as Korean Patent Office 2009-0110113.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the illumination controllable LED lighting system disclosed in Patent Application No. 2009-0110113. The illuminance controllable LED lighting system disclosed in this prior patent application comprises a lighting switch 11, an illumination wiring 12, an LED lamp control device 30 and an LED lamp 24.

The LED lamp control device 30 includes an AC / DC converter 31, on / off detection means for detecting the ON / OFF state of the illumination switch, and on / off state detecting means Dimming control means for controlling the illumination of the LED lamp when the dimming signal is input from the dimming determination means, and a dimming control means for controlling the brightness of the LED lamp when the dimming signal is input from the dimming determination means, (42) for supplying driving power to the LED lamp during a snapping operation, and a controller (42) for receiving the off state information of the light switch from the on / off detecting means, when the off state of the light switch And power-off means for turning off the LED lamp.

The illumination switch 11 is connected in series to the AC power source through the illumination wiring 12 to supply or cut off the AC power to the LED lamp 24. [ When the user turns off the light switch 11 for a while and then turns it on again, that is, when the light switch 11 is turned off for a while after it is turned off for a while (this is referred to as snapping), the LED lamp control device 30 controls the dimming Signal.

The on / off detecting means includes a zero cross detector 32, an undetected counter 33, and a clock 34. The dimming judgment means includes a storage unit 41, a first comparator 39 and a dimming judgment unit 37. [ The power-off means includes a storage section 41, a second comparator 40, and a power-off judgment section 38. The dimming adjusting means includes a dimming step counter 36 and a dimming adjuster 35. Detailed configuration and operation of the LED lamp control device 30 are described in the filed specification of the prior patent application No. 2009-0110113.

In the illuminance controllable LED illumination system disclosed in the prior patent application No. 2009-0110113, when the user turns on the illumination switch 11, the LED lamp 24 is turned on at the maximum brightness. In this state, when the illumination switch 11 is turned off (turned on) for a while (dimming critical time) while the LED lamp 24 is turned on, the illuminance of the LED lamp is adjusted to be lowered by one level. When the user stops operating at the desired brightness, the state is maintained. If a certain time has elapsed after the user turns off the illumination switch, all operations are reset and the LED lamp is turned off.

That is, the illuminance controllable LED lighting system disclosed in the prior patent application No. 2009-0110113 has to turn off the lighting switch 11 for a while to dim the user in one step. At this time, the off time must be longer than the dimming threshold time, and should be shorter than the power off determination time. If the off time is shorter than the dimming threshold time, the dimming control is not performed. If the off time is longer than the power off judgment time, the LED lamp is turned off very much.

It is difficult to use the dimming function because the dimming control of the LED lamp using the illumination switch 11 is longer than the dimming threshold time and needs to be performed for a shorter time than the power-off determination time.

3 to 5, a dimming control switch to which the present invention can be applied will be described.

The applicant of the present invention has filed a patent for the illuminance controllable LED illumination system as the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) No. 2010-0027413.

Patent Application No. 2010-0027413 is an improvement technique of the prior patent application No. 2009-0110113, which discloses a dimming control signal that is longer than the dimming threshold time and shorter than the power-off determination time in the LED lamp controller 30 by a single operation of the user And further comprises a dimming control switch. That is, in the prior patent application, when the user manually snaps the lighting switch 11, the LED lamp control device 30 recognizes this and adjusts the illuminance of the LED lamp 24. However, in the patent application No. 2010-0027413 According to the present invention, the same effect as that of snapping the illumination switch 11 can be obtained by operating the dimming control switch while the existing illumination switch 11 is turned on, so that the user can easily control the dimming of the LED lamp .

Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a dimming control switch according to a first embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. Fig. 3 (a) is an external view, and Fig. 3 (b) is an internal circuit diagram.

The dimming control switch according to the first embodiment of the invention is implemented by a rotary switch 50. [ The rotary switch 50 is arranged at unit angular intervals around the first contact 51 connected to the illumination switch 11 and around the circle centered on the first contact 51 and electrically connected to each other, A plurality of second contacts 52 connected to the on / off detection means of the first contact 30 and a plurality of second contacts 52 connected at one end to the first contact 51 and the other end rotated around the circle, And a rotor (53).

When the user rotates the rotary switch 50 once (rotates) while the rotor 53 is in contact with any one second contact point 52, the rotor 53 rotates by a unit angle, 2 contact 52, as shown in Fig. That is, power is applied to the LED lamp control device 30 while the rotor 53 is in contact with the arbitrary second contact 52, and the rotor 53 is energized between any two adjacent second contacts 52 The power to the LED lamp control device 30 is cut off.

According to the invention of Patent Application No. 2010-0027413, as the rotary switch 50 rotates, the rotor 53 moves between any two adjacent second contacts 52, so that when the user rotates the rotary switch 50 The LED lamp control device 30 provides a dimming control signal that is longer than the dimming threshold time and shorter than the power-off determination time, and the LED lamp control device 30 controls the illuminance of the LED lamp in accordance with the input dimming control signal .

Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a dimming control switch according to a second embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. Fig. 4 (a) is an external view, and Fig. 4 (b) is an internal circuit diagram.

The dimming control switch according to the second embodiment of the invention is implemented by a push-button switch 60. FIG. The push button switch 60 includes a first contact 61 connected to the illumination switch 11, a second contact 62 connected to the on / off detection means of the LED lamp control device 30, (63) contacting the first contact (61) and the second contact (62), respectively, and a pressing member for pressing the connector (63) away from the first contact (61) or the second contact And a restoring unit (not shown) for causing the connector 63 to contact the first contact 61 and the second contact 62 after the push button 64 is operated and a predetermined time has elapsed Time).

When the user does not press the push button 64, the first contact 61, the connector 63 and the second contact 62 are electrically connected to each other so that when the lighting switch 11 is turned on, (30). On the other hand, when the user pushes the push button 64, the pusher 64 moves the connector 63 to disconnect the first contact 61, the connector 63, and the second contact 62 After the predetermined time has elapsed, the first contact 61 and the connector 63 and the second contact 62 are electrically connected again by the restoring means.

Thus, when the push button 64 is operated by the user once, the push-button switch 60 itself is turned on after the power is turned off, so that the LED lamp control device 30 is provided with the dimming threshold time longer than the power- A dimming control signal is provided, and the LED lamp controller 30 controls the illuminance of the LED lamp according to an input dimming control signal. When the user releases the operation of the push button 64 and then operates the push button 64 once more, a dimming control signal is further provided so that the illuminance of the LED lamp is further controlled in accordance with the dimming control signal.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a dimming control switch according to a third embodiment to which the present invention can be applied, wherein (a) is an external view, and (b) is an internal circuit diagram.

The dimming control switch according to the third embodiment of the invention is implemented by the electronic switch device 70. [ The electronic switch device 70 includes a lighting switch 11, a dimming control switch 71, and a display 72.

The electronic switch device 70 further includes a control unit 73 for detecting the operation state of the dimming control switch 71 and outputting a dimming control signal and a control unit 73 for controlling the input power source and the LED An electronic switch 74 for switching between the ON / OFF detection means of the lamp control device 30 and the dimming signal to the LED lamp control device 30; And a power supply unit 75 for generating a driving power source and supplying the generated power to the internal components of the electronic switching device 70. The control unit 73 displays the current on / off state of the LED lamp and the dimming level on the display unit 72. [ The electronic switch device can be implemented by a three-wire switch or a two-wire clock switch.

When the user operates the dimming control switch 71, the control unit 73 recognizes the dimming control switch 71 and outputs a dimming control signal to the electronic switch 74 so that the electronic switch 74 is turned on, And then connect them. Then, the LED lamp controller 30 recognizes it as a dimming control signal and controls the illuminance of the LED lamp.

The control unit 73 performs a predetermined macro function (a function of performing the predetermined sequential plural operations). For example, the dimming control switch 71 may further include a macro selecting function (e.g., a sleeping mode selecting function). When the user operates the sleeping mode selecting function, the control unit controls the dimming control signal And turns off the power. Then, the LED lamp controller 30 controls the illuminance of the LED lamp to gradually increase, and turns off the LED lamp after a predetermined time.

The electronic switch 74 may be configured as a relay or a triac. The dimming control switch 71 may be implemented as a remote control receiver (not shown) to control the degree of dimming of the LED lamp using a remote controller or may include a remote control receiver (not shown) So that the degree of dimming of the LED lamp can be adjusted.

According to the present invention, since the dimming control is performed by using the unidirectional communication, the result of the dimming control is returned from the illuminator (LED lamp) There is a problem that it is impossible to check the dimming state of the illuminator or to check whether the illuminator is faulty or not. In order to solve the above problem, the present invention measures a current or power supplied to an illuminator through a power supply line connected to a dimming controlled illuminator and determines a dimming value of the illuminator using the measured current value or power value, It is possible to check the dimming state of the illuminator.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a dimming state checking apparatus of a fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a dimming state checking apparatus 1100 of a illuminator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a measuring unit 1110, a dimming state checking unit 1120, an output unit 1130, a failure determining unit 1140, And a power amount calculating unit 1150. [ The dimming status confirmation device 1100 of the illuminator shown in Fig. 6 is according to one embodiment, and the constituent elements thereof are not limited to the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, and some elements may be added, Can be deleted.

The dimming status confirmation device 1100 of the illuminator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention measures the current or power supplied to the illuminator 200 to be dimmed and controls the dimming of the illuminator 200 using the measured current value or the power value. Value can be determined.

The measurement unit 1110 measures a current or power supplied to the illuminator 200 through a power supply line connected to the illuminator 200 to be dimmed.

Measuring the current means measuring the intensity of the current. The normal current can be measured by converting to the drive torque of the indicating electric meter. In general, the direct current can be measured using an electrode action, a rectifying action in alternating current, a resonant action of a mechanical oscillator, a resonance phenomenon of a circuit, an interaction between a magnetic field and a current induced thereby, and the like. In addition, current induction, magnetic induction, thermoelectric power, and the attraction and repulsion of static electricity can be used for all kinds of teaching. There is a method of measuring a very small current by using a galvanometer, and a method of measuring a large current by using a classifier, optoelectronics or Faraday effect .

Measuring power is measuring electrical energy that is supplied to an electrical device for a unit of time or converted to another type of energy. Generally, the magnitude of the power can be approximated by multiplying the displayed number by the ammeter and the voltmeter. In the case of AC, the magnitude of the power can be found again by calculating the power factor. In the measurement by the power meter, a representative current power meter, an induction power meter used in a watt-hour meter, a thermoelectric power meter used for measuring a low-voltage and low-power power or a high-frequency power, and a hall effect meter are used

FIGS. 3A to 3D are views showing examples of application of the measuring unit of the dimming status checking apparatus of the illuminator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3D, the measuring unit 1110 is applicable to the dimming control technique of the conventional illuminator described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1D. In particular, when the dimming status checking apparatus 1100 of the illuminator according to the embodiment of the present invention is used in the unidirectional communication in the dimming control technology of the illuminator, the illuminators 111, 121, 131, and 141 The dimming state of the illuminator can be confirmed by measuring the current or power of the illuminator.

3A to 3D, the measuring unit 1110 is disposed on a power supply line connected to the dimmer-controlled illuminator 200 to measure a current or power supplied to the illuminators 111, 121, 131, and 141 . The dimming status confirmation unit 1120 determines the dimming values of the illuminators 111, 121, 131, and 141 by transmitting the measured current values or power values to the dimming status confirmation unit 1120, 131, and 141, respectively.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a dimming value of the illuminator 200 is determined using the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit 1110. Here, the current value used to determine the dimming value may be one of the rms value, the maximum value, or the average value of the current measured by the measuring unit 1110. [ Alternatively, the power value used to determine the dimming value may be one of the rms value, the maximum value, or the average value of the power measured by the measuring unit 1110. [

In one embodiment, the dimming state checking unit 1120 stores a lookup table defining a dimming value corresponding to a current value or a power value, and when a current value or a power value is measured in the measuring unit 1110, The dimming value of the illuminator 200 may be determined using the lookup table. For example, the dimming status checking unit 1120 may configure a look-up table as shown in Table 1 below to set and store the relationship between the current value or the power value and the dimming value in advance.

Dimming value (%) Current value (unit: A) Power value (Unit: W) 100 1.7 374 75 1.28 281 50 0.85 187 25 0.43 95

In one embodiment, the dimming status checking unit 1120 stores a current value or a power value measured by the measuring unit 1110 according to the dimming control of the illuminator 200, and calculates a dimming value And the lookup table can be set. According to this, the dimming status confirmation unit 1120 can reset the table dynamically according to the lighting when installing or exchanging a new illuminator, or when reconfiguring the illuminator is required, so that the type and specification of the illuminator 200 to be installed There is an advantage in that it is not necessary to set the lookup table every time.

For example, when the dimming status check unit 1100 or the reset button provided on the illuminator 200 is pressed, the dimming status check unit 1120 sets the dimming value of the illuminator 200 to 100% And the dimming status check unit 1120 sets the dimming value of the illuminator 200 to 75% and measures the amount of current at this time, and the dimming status check unit 1120 also sets the dimming value of the illuminator 200 to And the dimming state check unit 1120 sets the dimming value of the illuminator 200 to 25%, and at this time, the current amount is measured to update the value in the entire lookup table .

The lookup table set up as described above can be continuously used until the dimming status confirmation unit 1120 stores it and the resetting is performed in the future.

The dimming state checking unit 1120 may determine the dimming value of the fixture 200 using linear interpolation if the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit 1110 is a value not stored in the lookup table You can decide. Since the current value or power value measured by the measuring unit 1110 is a continuous value, it is highly likely that the current value or the power value is not stored in the lookup table. Accordingly, when the current value or the power value that is not stored in the lookup table is measured by the measuring unit 1110, the dimming state checking unit 1120 determines the dimming value of the illuminator 200 using linear interpolation using linear interpolation Can be determined. For example, using the look-up table according to the example of Table 1, if the measured current amount is 1.0 A, the corresponding current value will be between 0.85 and 1.28, and the dimming value will be between 50 and 75 Will be. In this regard, the dimming value of the illuminator 200 can be determined using Equation 1 using the following linear interpolation method.

In another embodiment, the dimming state checking unit 1120 sets the dimming value of the illuminator 200 at a predetermined time point as a reference value, and outputs a current value or a power value at that point of time and a current value or a power value measured by the measuring unit 1110 The dimming value of the illuminator 200 can be determined by comparing the current value or the power value. In this embodiment, the dimming status confirmation unit 1120 can determine the dimming value of the illuminator 200 by setting a reference value immediately at a predetermined time point without the lookup table. In this case, the dimming state checking unit 1120 does not require a separate memory for the look-up table. The predetermined point in time may be set according to a user's desire to set a reference value for the user of the fixture 200. For example, when the fixture 200 is turned on for the first time, Button, and so on.

For example, the dimming state checking unit 1120 sets the dimming value of the illuminator 200 at the time when the user turns on the illuminator 200 for the first time, and sets the dimming value of the illuminator 200 to 100% The current value or the power value measured by the current measuring unit 1110 can be compared. In this case, if the ratio of the current value or the power value at the time when the user first turns on the illuminator 200 and the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit 1110 is 1: 0.75, then the dimming value of the illuminator 200 is 75% If the ratio of the current value or the power value at the time when the user first turns on the illuminator 200 and the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit 1110 is 1: 0.5, the dimming value of the illuminator 200 is 50 %.

In another embodiment, the dimming status verifier 1120 can directly receive the dimming control command of the illuminator 200 and determine the dimming control value included in the dimming control command as the dimming value of the illuminator 200. [ However, in this case, it is not possible to confirm how the actual dimming is performed. However, since the dimming value can be directly determined through the dimming control command, it is possible to quickly determine the dimming value.

The output unit 1130 outputs the dimming value of the fixture 200 determined by the dimming status confirmation unit 1120. [ In one embodiment, the output 1130 may be visually displayed in the form of a graphical user interface or audibly in the form of sound so that the dimming value of the illuminator 200 can be verified by the user . For example, the output unit 1130 may be a display device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display, or a sound output device such as a speaker.

The failure determination unit 1140 determines that the fixture 200 is out of order if the current value or the power value measured by the measurement unit 1110 exceeds a predetermined set value. Since the illuminator 200 always uses a constant current or power during normal operation, a measured value outside the illuminator 200 can be determined as a failure of the illuminator 200. In particular, if the illuminator 200 is an LED illuminator, the input current of the illuminator 200 may increase or decrease depending on the type of thermal or electrical problem, It can be judged as a failure. The predetermined set value is a value that can be determined as a failure when the set value is exceeded, and may be set to an initial value or may be set by receiving a user's input.

In one embodiment, when the failure determination unit 1140 determines that the fixture 200 has failed, the output unit 1130 may output a failure of the fixture 200. For example, the output unit 1130 may display a failure of the illuminator 200 on a display device or output a warning sound or voice through a speaker so that the user can confirm that the illuminator 200 is malfunctioning.

The power calculation unit 1150 calculates the consumed power using the power measured by the measurement unit 1110, measures the electricity use time of the illuminator 200, and calculates the consumed power amount and the electricity usage time of the illuminator 200 The electric bill of the illuminator 200 can be calculated. And in one embodiment, the output 1130 may output the amount of power consumed by the fixture 200, the electricity usage time, and the electricity bill. Accordingly, the user can obtain the power usage information according to the use of the illuminator 200, which is convenient.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a dimming status checking method of a fixture according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the dimming status checking method of the illuminator according to an embodiment of the present invention starts, the dimming status confirmation unit stores a lookup table defining a dimming value corresponding to a current value or a power value (S1001). Then, the measurement unit measures the current or power supplied to the illuminator through the power supply line connected to the dimmer-controlled illuminator (S1002).

Then, the failure judging unit judges whether the current value or the power value measured in the step S1002 exceeds a predetermined set value (S1003). If the current value or the power value exceeds the predetermined set value, (S1004).

If the current value or the power value measured in step S1003 does not exceed the predetermined set value, the dimming status confirmation unit determines the dimming value of the fixture using the current value or the power value measured in the measurement unit ( S1005). At this time, the dimming status confirmation unit can determine the dimming value of the fixture using the lookup table. If the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit is a value not stored in the lookup table, the dimming state checking unit may determine the dimming value of the fixture using linear interpolation.

If the dimming value of the illuminator is determined (S1005), the output unit outputs the dimming value of the illuminator determined by the dimming status confirming unit (S1006).

Then, the power consumption calculating unit calculates the consumed power using the power measured by the measuring unit (S1007), measures the electricity use time of the illuminator (S1008), and uses the consumed power amount of the illuminator and the electricity use time (S1009), and the output unit outputs the consumed power amount of the illuminator, the electricity use time, and the electricity rate (S1010).

The method of confirming the dimming status of the illuminator described above has been described with reference to the flowchart shown in the drawings. While the above method has been shown and described as a series of blocks for purposes of simplicity, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the order of the blocks, and that some blocks may be present in different orders and in different orders from that shown and described herein And various other branches, flow paths, and sequences of blocks that achieve the same or similar results may be implemented. Also, not all illustrated blocks may be required for implementation of the methods described herein.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken as limitations. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1110:
1120:
1130: Output section
1140: Fault determination unit
1150:
200: illuminator

Claims (22)

A measuring unit for measuring a current or power supplied to the illuminator through a power supply line connected to a dimming controlled illuminator; And
And a dimming status verifying unit for determining a dimming value of the illuminator using the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit.
The method according to claim 1,
The current value
A maximum value or an average value of the current measured by the measuring unit.
The method according to claim 1,
The power value,
A maximum value or an average value of the power measured by the measuring unit.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the dimming state checking unit comprises:
A lookup table defining a dimming value corresponding to a current value or a power value is stored and a dimming value of the illuminator is determined using the lookup table when a current value or a power value is measured in the measuring unit Characterized by a dimming status checker of the illuminator.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the dimming state checking unit comprises:
Wherein the dimming control unit stores the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit according to dimming control of the illuminator and stores the dimming value corresponding to the current value or the power value to set the lookup table. Identification device.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the dimming state checking unit comprises:
Wherein the controller determines the dimming value of the illuminator by using a linear interpolation method when the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit is a value not stored in the lookup table.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the dimming state checking unit comprises:
And a dimming value of the illuminator is determined by setting a dimming value of the illuminator at a predetermined time point as a reference value and comparing the current value or the power value at the time point with the current value or the power value measured by the measuring section thereafter The dimming status checking device of the illuminator.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the dimming state checking unit comprises:
Wherein the controller directly receives the dimming control command of the illuminator and determines the dimming control value included in the dimming control command as the dimming value of the illuminator.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising an output unit for outputting a dimming value of the illuminator determined by the dimming status checking unit.
10. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising a failure determination unit for determining that the fixture is in failure when the current value or the power value measured by the measurement unit exceeds a predetermined set value,
The output unit includes:
Wherein the failure determining unit outputs a failure of the illuminator when it is determined that the fixture is malfunctioning.
10. The method of claim 9,
An electricity amount calculating unit for calculating an amount of consumed electric power by using the power value measured by the measuring unit, measuring an electricity use time of the illuminator, and calculating an electricity rate of the illuminator by using the consumption power and the electricity use time of the illuminator Further included,
The output unit includes:
And outputs the consumed power amount, the electricity use time, and the electricity rate of the illuminator.
Measuring a current or power supplied to the illuminator through a power supply line connected to the dimmer-controlled illuminator; And
And determining a dimming value of the illuminator based on the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit.
13. The method of claim 12,
The current value
A maximum value or an average value of the current measured by the measuring unit.
13. The method of claim 12,
The power value,
A maximum value or an average value of the power measured by the measuring unit.
13. The method of claim 12,
Further comprising: storing a lookup table in which the dimming status confirmation unit defines a dimming value corresponding to a current value or a power value,
Wherein determining the dimming value of the illuminator comprises:
And determining a dimming value of the fixture using the lookup table when a current value or a power value is measured in the measurement unit.
16. The method of claim 15,
The step of storing the look-
The dimming status confirmation unit stores the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit according to the dimming control of the illuminator and stores the dimming value corresponding to the current value or the power value to set the lookup table The dimming state of the illuminator.
16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the step of determining a dimming value of the illuminator using the look-
And determining a dimming value of the illuminator by using a linear interpolation method if the current value or the power value measured by the measuring unit is a value not stored in the lookup table.
13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein determining the dimming value of the illuminator comprises:
Determining a dimming value of the fixture by setting a dimming value of the fixture at a predetermined point in time as a reference value and comparing a current value or a power value at the point of time with a current value or a power value measured by the measuring unit, The dimming state of the illuminator.
13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein determining the dimming value of the illuminator comprises:
And directly receiving a dimming control command of the illuminator to determine a dimming control value included in the dimming control command as a dimming value of the illuminator.
13. The method of claim 12,
Further comprising the step of the outputting the dimming value of the fixture determined by the dimming status confirmation unit.
21. The method of claim 20,
Determining that the fixture is in failure if the failure determination unit determines that the current value or the power value measured by the measurement unit exceeds a predetermined set value; And
Further comprising the step of, when the failure determination unit determines that the fixture is in failure, outputting the failure of the fixture.
21. The method of claim 20,
Calculating a consumed power amount by using the power value measured by the measuring unit;
Measuring the electricity usage time of the illuminator;
Calculating the electricity rate of the fixture using the consumed power amount of the illuminator and the electricity use time; And
Further comprising the step of the output unit outputting the consumed power amount, the electricity usage time, and the electricity rate of the illuminator.

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