JP2000277268A - Network dimming system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To enable easy dimming control by directly specifying an illumination target, and to be able to expand the operable places and device types by using a communication network. One or more lighting fixtures (4) and each lighting fixture (4) are provided.
, A dimming control device 2 for sending a dimming control signal to the dimming device 3, and a terminal connected to the dimming control device 2 via a communication network N 1, the terminal device 1 is a lighting device 4 for dimming control,
When the light intensity is designated, the communication network N
The control signal is transmitted to the dimming control device 2 via the control device, and the dimming control device 2 having received the control signal outputs the dimming control signal to the dimmer 3 so that the brightness of the designated lighting fixture 4 is increased. Control.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network light control system for controlling light control of a lighting fixture via a communication network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In stages and halls, art museums, museums, commercial facilities, and the like, a dimming control system for controlling the brightness of lighting equipment that illuminates an object to be illuminated has been introduced. This dimming control system is operated to control the brightness of each of the plurality of luminaires, and to control the brightness of all the luminaires by connecting one or more dimmers. And an operating console. Signals are transmitted and received between the console and the dimmer by analog I / O or multiplex digital transmission for dimming such as DMX signals.

[0003] In another system configuration, the function of the console is divided into a controller and a controller, and the controller is connected to a dimmer, and the controller is controlled by a unique transmission method. Connect the actuator to. In this case, the operation device can be reduced in size and can be a wall-mounted type. By operating the operating device, the brightness of the lighting fixture can be controlled via the controller and the dimmer.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional dimming control system, the fader of the console or the operating device is
Since it is provided corresponding to each lighting fixture, when setting the brightness of the object or position to be illuminated, the light irradiation direction of the lighting fixture depends on the position and orientation of each lighting fixture. It is necessary to estimate lighting, to select a lighting fixture that irradiates the lighting target, and to adjust the brightness of the selected lighting fixture.

Therefore, the conventional system has the following problems. First, in order to adjust the brightness of the illumination target, the operator needs to consider the position and orientation of each lighting fixture. Second, in the current installation state of the lighting equipment, if it is not possible to adjust the brightness of each lighting object to the desired brightness, it is necessary to adjust the position and orientation of the lighting equipment. The installation was dangerous because of the work. Third, since the console is usually installed in a corner of the room, and the operation device is mounted on the wall of the room, etc., after performing dimming control by these, it is necessary to go to the front of the lighting object. I had to move and check if the brightness was right. Fourth, when a movable lighting device capable of changing the light irradiation direction is used as the lighting device, the pan angle and the tilt angle of the lighting device are controlled, and the brightness at the irradiation target is directly controlled. Light control work took time because it could not be controlled. Fifth, the console can only be operated from its place of installation, and the controller connected to the controller can be operated from a relatively free position. Because of the adoption, the type of device was restricted and lacked expandability.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and enables direct control of dimming by directly specifying an object to be illuminated, and a location that can be operated by using a communication network. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network light control system in which the types of devices and devices can be expanded.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a network dimming system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes one or a plurality of luminaires and a dimmer for controlling the brightness of each luminaire. An optical device, a dimming control device that sends out a dimming control signal to the dimmer, and a terminal device connected to the dimming control device via a communication network.
When a lighting device to be controlled and a light control amount are designated, a control signal is transmitted to the light control device via a communication network.
A dimming control signal is output to the dimmer to control the brightness of the designated lighting fixture.

Here, the communication network includes a LAN,
Various data communication networks such as the Internet, personal computer communication, and combinations thereof are included. In addition, a notebook computer or the like can be used for the terminal device. Claim 2
The network dimming system described in 1), one or more lighting fixtures, a dimmer that controls the brightness of each lighting fixture, a dimming control device that sends a dimming control signal to the dimmer, It is composed of a wireless access device connected to the dimming control device via a communication network, and a terminal device for performing wireless communication with the wireless access device. Is specified, the control signal is transmitted to the dimming control device via the wireless access device and the communication network, and the dimming control device that has received the control signal outputs the dimming control signal to the dimmer. And controlling the brightness of the designated lighting equipment.

Here, it is assumed that a portable notebook personal computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) is used as a terminal device, and wireless communication is performed with a communication network using a portable telephone or a PHS. According to a third aspect, in the network dimming system according to the first or second aspect,
The communication network further includes a video camera device that captures an image in a range where the lighting fixture emits light, and the terminal device includes a display unit that displays an image captured by the video camera device. . This allows the terminal device to perform dimming control of the lighting fixture while viewing the image displayed on the display unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the network dimming system according to the third aspect, the lighting fixture can control the irradiation direction of the light, and the dimming control device calculates the irradiation direction of the lighting fixture. When the terminal device specifies a light irradiation position, the terminal device transmits a control signal to the light control device via the communication network, and the light control device receiving the control signal calculates the irradiation direction. The unit calculates a light irradiation direction of the lighting fixture based on the light irradiation position, outputs a position control signal to the lighting fixture, and controls the light irradiation direction.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the network dimming system according to the third aspect, the dimming control device includes a lighting fixture selecting unit for selecting a lighting fixture to be dimmed from a plurality of lighting fixtures. When the terminal device specifies the light irradiation position, the terminal device transmits a control signal to the dimming control device via the communication network. It is characterized in that a lighting fixture requiring dimming control is selected based on the irradiation position, and a dimming signal is output to the dimmer to control the brightness of the selected lighting fixture.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a network light control system. The system includes one or a plurality of lighting devices 4, a dimmer 3 for controlling the brightness of each lighting device 4, a dimming control device 2 for sending a dimming control signal to the dimmer 3, It is composed of a dimming control device 2 and a terminal 1 connected via a communication network N.

As the communication network N, a general-purpose network such as a LAN, the Internet, personal computer communication, or a combination thereof is used. As an interface (protocol), Ethernet (Ethernet) or TCP / IP is used.
Are used. Here, the terminal 1 and the dimming control device 2 are connected to the Internet via a LAN, and transmission is performed according to Ethernet (and TCP / IP).

When a terminal 1 composed of a portable notebook personal computer or the like designates a lighting device 4 for controlling light control and a light control amount thereof, it sends a control signal to a light control device 2 via a communication network N. The dimming control device 2 that has transmitted and received this control signal outputs a dimming control signal to the dimmer 3, and the dimmer 3 that has received the control signal gives the brightness of the designated lighting fixture 4. Control.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system shown in FIG. The operation device 1 includes a dimming applet 11 (described later) downloaded from the dimming control device 2, a browser 12 that executes the dimming applet 11, an Ethernet interface 13 that controls communication via a LAN and the Internet, and a liquid crystal display. A display device 14 including a display and the like.

The dimming control device 2 includes a WWW server 21 for transmitting the dimming applet 11 to the operation device 1, an Ethernet interface 22, and a dimming server for transmitting a dimming control signal to the dimmer 3. 23 and a DMX interface 24 (DMX51) for transmitting a signal to the dimmer 3
2I / F). Here, DMX is a standard transmission system for dimming control, uses RS485 as a physical layer of communication, and sets a communication speed to 250 Kbps.
This is a transmission method that can send signals of a plurality of dimming levels. According to this method, dimming level data for 512 channels can be transmitted at a period of about 25 milliseconds.

The dimmer 3 controls the phase of the power output to the lighting fixture 4 in accordance with the level value of the dimming control signal received from the dimming controller 2, and the dimmer controller 31 A DMX interface 32 for receiving signals. The lighting device 41 is provided with a lighting unit 41 that is controlled by the dimmer 3. FIG.
2 shows the operation of the operating device 1 in the system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by flowcharts (100 to 105).

First, the operator starts the browser 12 (100), designates and accesses the dimming control device 2 via the communication network N (101), and accesses the WW of the device 2 (101).
The dimming applet 11 is downloaded from the W server 21 (102). Then, the controllable lighting fixture 4 is displayed on the display device 14 by the browser 12 and the dimming applet 11.
Is displayed (103), and thereafter, if a dimming control operation is performed according to this screen (104),
A control signal indicating the luminaire 4 and its light intensity is transmitted via the communication network N (105).

Then, in the dimming control device 2, the dimming control signal is transmitted to the dimmer 3 by the dimming server 23, and the brightness of the lighting fixture 41 is controlled by the dimming unit 31 of the dimmer 3. The transmission of the control signal from the operating device 1 may be automatically performed according to a time schedule, in addition to the operation by the operator. As described above, according to the present invention, if a general-purpose communication network is used, the transmission method is not limited, and the lighting device 4 can be dimmed and controlled by operating the terminal device 1 from a relatively free place.

In the above description, the terminal device 1 downloads the dimming applet 11 for each dimming control device 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of applets may be downloaded from the device 2. The dimming applet 11 can also correspond to a plurality of dimming control devices 2. In FIG.
3 shows an example of a dimming control screen displayed on the display device 14 of the operation device 1. On this screen, it is possible to control 4 channels and 8 scenes. In the figure, reference numeral 14a denotes a fader level adjusting button provided for each channel, which includes an up button and a down button, and 14b denotes each channel. A fader level display area 14a displays a fader level, and a scene reproduction button 14c is operated to control the lighting apparatus 4 for each scene stored in advance.

These can be operated with a pointing device such as a mouse. When the fader level adjustment button 14a is operated, the dimming output level of the control signal changes, and accordingly, the corresponding channel is controlled. The display number (lighting number) of the fader level display area 14b changes. Also, when the scene playback button 14c is operated, the lighting fixture 4 is dimmed to the brightness stored in the scene, and the number of displays in the fader level display area 14b changes.

Next, another configuration of the network light control system is shown in FIG. The system comprises one or more lighting fixtures 4, a dimmer 3 for controlling the brightness of each lighting fixture 4,
A dimming control device 2 that sends a dimming control signal to the dimmer 3
And a wireless access device 5 connected to the dimming control device 2 via the communication network N, and a terminal 1A for performing wireless communication with the wireless access device 5.

Here, as the terminal device 1A, a mobile computer such as a portable notebook personal computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) having a wireless LAN card C and having a battery so as to be portable is used. The terminal 1A performs wireless communication with a wireless access device 5 such as a wireless LAN-HUB and accesses the communication network N. Terminal 1A
Transmits a control signal to the dimming control device 2 via the wireless access device 5 and the communication network N when the lighting device 4 to be dimmed and the dimming amount are designated. The dimming control device 2 that has received the control signal outputs a dimming control signal to the dimmer 3, and the dimming device 3 controls the specified lighting fixture 4.
Control the brightness of the

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system shown in FIG. The operating device 1A includes a dimming applet 11 downloaded from the dimming control device 2, a browser 12 for executing the dimming applet 11, a display device 14 including a liquid crystal display, and a LAN and the Internet. A wireless interface 15 for controlling wireless communication is provided.

The wireless access device 5 has an Ethernet interface 5 for controlling communication with the communication network N side.
1 and a wireless interface 52 that controls wireless communication with the terminal device 1A. Other devices and devices have the same configuration as that of FIG.
Server 2 for transmitting dimming applet 11 to server
1, an Ethernet interface 22, a dimming server 23 for transmitting a dimming control signal to the dimmer 3, and a DMX interface 24 for transmitting a signal to the dimmer 3.
And The dimmer 3 receives a signal from the dimming control device 2 and a dimming unit 31 that performs phase control on the power output to the lighting fixture 4 according to the level value of the dimming control signal received from the dimming control device 2. And a DMX interface 32 for performing the operation. Further, the lighting fixture 4 is provided with a lighting unit 41 whose light control is performed by the light controller 3.

Here, the case where wireless communication is performed between the terminal 1A and the communication network N has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and another part or all of the communication network N may be wirelessly communicated. Communication may be used. When performing wireless communication entirely, a wireless interface may be provided instead of the Ethernet interface 22 of the dimming control device 2.

As described above, when wireless communication is used, in addition to the advantage of using a general-purpose network, the degree of freedom of the operation location of the terminal 1A is further increased, so that the terminal 1A can be operated near the illumination target. Then, after performing the dimming control as in the related art, there is no need to move to the front of the illumination target and check whether the brightness is appropriate.

Next, still another configuration of the network light control system is shown in FIG. In this system, in addition to the configuration of FIG. 5, an image control device 6 that controls a video camera device 7 that captures an image in a range where the lighting fixture 4A emits light is connected to the communication network N. The video camera device 7 shoots a still image or a moving image.
Since the terminal device 1A includes the display device 14 as a display unit for displaying an image captured by the video camera device 7, the terminal device 1A controls the dimming of the lighting fixture 4A while watching the image displayed on the display device 14. Control becomes possible. Here, the case where a part of the communication network N is performed by wireless communication as in FIG. 5 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the entire communication network N is wired as in the system shown in FIG. It may be connected.

In this system, the lighting fixture is a movable lighting fixture 4A whose light irradiation direction can be controlled. When the terminal 1A designates the light irradiation position X, the terminal 1A connects to the communication network N. A control signal is transmitted to the dimming control device 2 via the
Calculates the light irradiation direction of the lighting fixture 4A based on the light irradiation position data included in the control signal, outputs a position control signal to the lighting fixture 4A, and controls the light irradiation direction of the lighting fixture 4A. I do.

In FIG. 7, since the dimming control device 2 is connected to the lighting equipment 4A via the dimmer 3, the dimming control can be performed in addition to the control of the irradiation direction. When the lighting fixture 4A has the function of the dimming unit (31), the dimming control device 2 and the lighting fixture 4A can be directly connected, and the lighting fixture 4A is output from the dimming control device 2. Is controlled by the dimming control signal.

FIG. 8 shows a dimming control device 2 and a lighting fixture 4A.
Is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system in the case where is directly connected. The operation device 1A includes a dimming applet 11 downloaded from the dimming control device 2, a browser 12 for executing the dimming applet 11, a display device 14 including a liquid crystal display, and wireless communication with a LAN and the Internet. A wireless interface 15 for controlling
A touch panel 16 for directly specifying an irradiation position on an image displayed on the display device 14 is provided.

The wireless access device 5 has an Ethernet interface 5 for controlling communication with the communication network N side.
1 and a wireless interface 52 for controlling wireless communication with the terminal 1A. The dimming control device 2 includes a WWW server 21 for transmitting the dimming applet 11 to the operation device 1.
An Ethernet interface 22, a dimming server 23 for transmitting a dimming control signal to the dimmer 3, a DMX interface 24 for directly transmitting a signal to the movable lighting fixture 4A, and an irradiation direction of the lighting fixture 4A. And an irradiation direction calculation unit 25 for calculating. The lighting fixture 4 </ b> A includes a movable lighting unit 42 and a DMX interface 43 for receiving a dimming control signal from the dimming control device 2.

The image control device 6 (image server) includes an Ethernet interface 61 for communicating with the communication network N, and an image encoder 62 for converting an image taken by the video camera device 7 into a format that can be transmitted. I have. The image control device 6 and the video camera device 7 are connected in accordance with a transmission signal standard such as the NTSC system.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart (200) showing the operation of the controller 1A in the system shown in FIG. 7 or FIG.
To 205). The operator first sets the browser 1
2 (200), designates and accesses the dimming control device 2 via the communication network N (201), and downloads the dimming applet 11 from the WWW server 21 of the device 2 (202). At this time, the browser 12
The image control device 6 is accessed via the communication network N to receive the image captured by the video camera device 7 and display it on the display device 14 (203). Next, in the image displayed on the display device 14, if the user touches and specifies the irradiation position X of the light (204), the touch panel 1
6 detects this, and the dimming applet 11 transmits to the dimming control device 2 as a control signal indicating the irradiation position X in two-dimensional coordinates (205).

Then, in the dimming control device 2, the irradiation direction calculation unit 25 obtains the irradiation direction of the lighting fixture 4A based on the two-dimensional coordinates, controls the position, and changes the light irradiation direction. Therefore, in such a system, since the brightness of the illumination target can be directly controlled,
The illumination direction of the light of the lighting equipment 4A is estimated from the position and the orientation of the lighting equipment 4A, and the lighting equipment 4A that irradiates the illumination target is selected.
There is no need to adjust the brightness of the camera, and dimming control can be performed easily. In addition, it is safe because there is no need to adjust the position and orientation of the lighting fixture 4A at a high place.

The calculation method of the irradiation direction includes, for example,
There are the following two methods. The first method is to project from 2D coordinates to 3D coordinates and direct light to it,
This is a method of calculating the angle of the irradiation direction of the lighting fixture 4A.
Specifically, first, 3 passes through the center of the video camera device 7.
A straight line in the dimensional space is used as a reference line. When a point on the screen is designated in the terminal 1A, an angle from the reference line is determined based on the positional relationship between the point and the center of the screen, a straight line having the angle is determined, and the straight line intersects the floor surface. Find the dimensional position. And DMX according to the installation state of the lighting fixture 4A
A DMX value for irradiating the obtained three-dimensional position is obtained based on a correspondence table between the values and the irradiation angles.

In the second method, the correspondence between some two-dimensional coordinates and the angle of the luminaire 4A is set in advance, and the luminaire 4A is calculated by complementary calculation based on the actually designated two-dimensional coordinates.
Is a method of calculating the angle of the light irradiation direction. Specifically, first, the screen is divided into, for example, an 8 × 8 square area. The direction of light is adjusted so that the center of each of the divided areas is illuminated, and the coordinates of the center of the area on the screen and the DMX level at that time are stored. When a point on the screen is designated, two coordinates at the center of the area near the point are selected, and DM is selected according to the distance.
Perform an X-level supplemental calculation.

Next, still another configuration of the network light control system is shown in FIG. This system is different from the configuration in FIG. 7 only in the connection of the lighting equipment. In addition to connecting the lighting equipment 4 to the dimmer 3, the lighting equipment 4B having the function of the light adjusting unit (31) is provided. , The dimming control device 2. Here, the case where a part of the communication network N is performed by wireless communication has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the entire communication network N is connected by wire as in the system shown in FIG. Good.

When the terminal 1A designates a light irradiation position, the terminal 1A transmits a control signal to the light control device 2 via the communication network N, and the light control device 2 receiving the control signal transmits the control signal to the light control device 2. Based on the irradiation position, the luminaires 4 and 4B that require dimming control are selected, and a dimming signal is output to the dimmer 3 to control the brightness of the selected luminaires 4 and 4B. .

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system shown in FIG. The operating device 1A is similar to FIG.
A light control applet 11, a browser 12, a display device 14, a wireless interface 15, and a touch panel 16 are provided.
The wireless access device 5 includes an Ethernet interface 51 and a wireless interface 52. The image control device 6 includes an Ethernet interface 61 for communicating with the communication network N, and an image encoder 62 for converting an image captured by the video camera device 7 into a format that can be transmitted.

The dimming control device 2 includes a WWW server 21,
Ethernet interface 22 and dimming server 23
, A DMX interface 24, a plurality of lighting devices 4,
A lighting fixture selection unit 26 is provided for selecting the lighting fixtures 4 and 4B for dimming control from 4B. The lighting device 4 connected to the dimmer 3 includes a lighting unit 41 that performs dimming control from the dimmer 3, and one lighting device 4B includes the lighting unit 4.
1 and a DMX interface 43 for receiving a dimming control signal from the dimming control device 2.

The operation of the operating device 1A in this system is the same as that in the flowchart of FIG. That is, the operator activates the browser 12, designates and accesses the dimming control device 2 via the communication network N, and downloads the dimming applet 11 from the WWW server 21 of the device 2. At this time, the browser 12 accesses the image control device 6 via the communication network N, receives the image captured by the video camera device 7, and displays the image on the display device 14.
To be displayed. Next, in the image displayed on the display device 14, if the touch position of the light is specified by touching, the touch panel 16 detects the touch position, and the light control applet 11 is detected.
Transmits to the dimming control device 2 as a control signal indicating the irradiation position in two-dimensional coordinates.

In the dimming control device 2, upon receiving the control signal, the lighting fixture selection unit 26 determines the lighting fixtures 4 and 4B that require dimming control based on the two-dimensional coordinates indicating the light irradiation position. A dimming signal is output to the dimmer 3 for the luminaire 4 having no dimming function, and the dimming control is directly performed for the luminaire 4B having the dimming function. A signal is output to change the brightness of the selected luminaire 4, 4B.

In this system, the brightness of the illuminating object can be directly controlled. Therefore, as in the prior art, the illuminating device 4, 4B is determined from the position and orientation of the illuminating device 4, 4B.
It is not necessary to estimate the irradiation direction of the light and select the lighting fixtures 4 and 4B that are illuminating the illumination target, and it is not necessary to adjust the brightness of the selected lighting fixtures 4 and 4B. . In addition, since it is not necessary to adjust the position and the direction of the lighting fixtures 4 and 4B located at a high place, it is safe.

The control of the lighting equipment 4, 4A, 4B by the terminal equipment 1, 1A has been described above, but the terminal equipment 1, 1A can also monitor the lighting equipment 4, 4A, 4B. In this case, a monitoring signal is transmitted from the terminals 1 and 1A to the dimming control device 2, and the dimming level of the control signal currently output is received and displayed by the display device 14.

[0046]

As can be understood from the above description, in the network dimming system according to the first aspect of the present invention, if a lighting device to be dimmed and a dimming amount thereof are designated from a terminal device. By transmitting a control signal to the dimming control device via the communication network, the brightness of the designated lighting fixture can be controlled via the dimmer. Therefore, if a general-purpose communication network is used, the transmission method is not limited, and the lighting device can be dimmed and controlled by operating the terminal device from a relatively free place.

In the network dimming system according to the second aspect, the terminal device specifies the lighting fixture to be dimmed and the dimming amount thereof to the dimming control device via a communication network by wireless communication. By transmitting a control signal, it is possible to control the brightness of the designated lighting fixture via the dimmer. Since wireless communication is possible, the degree of freedom of the operation place is further increased,
The terminal can be operated near the lighting target. Therefore, it is not necessary to move to the front of the illumination target after performing the dimming control as in the related art and to check whether the brightness is appropriate.

According to the third aspect, since the terminal device displays the image of the illumination target photographed by the video camera device, it is possible to control the dimming of the lighting fixture while watching the image. According to the fourth aspect, when the light irradiation position is designated from the terminal device, the dimming control device can automatically calculate the light irradiation direction of the lighting fixture and control the irradiation direction. Therefore, since the brightness of the lighting target can be directly controlled, the irradiation direction of the light of the lighting device is estimated from the position and the direction in which the lighting device is installed, and the lighting target is irradiated. There is no need to select a lighting fixture and adjust the brightness of the selected lighting fixture, so that dimming control can be easily performed. Also, it is safe because there is no need to adjust the position and orientation of the lighting equipment at a high place.

According to the fifth aspect, when the light irradiation position is designated from the terminal device, the dimming control device automatically selects a lighting device requiring dimming control and controls the brightness of the lighting device. can do. Therefore, since the brightness of the lighting target can be directly controlled, the irradiation direction of the light of the lighting device is estimated from the position and the direction in which the lighting device is installed, and the lighting target is irradiated. There is no need to select a lighting fixture and adjust the brightness of the selected lighting fixture, so that dimming control can be easily performed. Also, it is safe because there is no need to adjust the position and orientation of the lighting equipment at a high place.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a network light control system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the network light control system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a terminal device in the network light control system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of display on a display unit of the terminal device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of another configuration of the network light control system of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the network light control system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of another configuration of the network light control system of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the network light control system of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a terminal device in the network light control system of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of another configuration of the network light control system of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the network light control system of FIG. 10;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1A terminal device 14 display device 15 wireless interface 16 touch panel 2 dimming control device 23 dimming server 25 irradiation direction calculation unit 26 lighting fixture selection unit 3 dimmer 31 dimming unit 4, 4A, 4B lighting fixture 41 lighting unit 42 movable lighting unit 5 wireless access point 52 wireless interface 6 image control device 7 video camera N communication network

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 11, 1999 (1999.6.1
1)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 3

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 4

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 5

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Here, a portable notebook personal computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) is used as a terminal device, and a wireless LAN device, a mobile phone, a P
Wireless communication is performed using HS or the like. According to a third aspect, in the network dimming system according to the first or second aspect, the communication network is further connected to a video camera device that captures an image in a range where the lighting fixture emits light. includes a display unit for displaying an image by the video camera apparatus is taken, it is displayed on the display unit
The position of a control target is directly specified for an image to be controlled . This allows the terminal device to perform dimming control of the lighting fixture while viewing the image displayed on the display unit.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the network dimming system according to the third aspect, the lighting fixture can control the irradiation direction of the light, and the dimming control device calculates the irradiation direction of the lighting fixture. It includes a part, the terminal instrument, the table
When the light irradiation position is directly specified for the image displayed on the display unit, a control signal is transmitted to the light control device via the communication network, and the light control device receiving the control signal transmits the control signal to the light control device. The direction calculation unit calculates a light irradiation direction of the lighting fixture based on the light irradiation position, outputs a position control signal to the lighting fixture, and controls the light irradiation direction.

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0011

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the network dimming system according to the third aspect, the dimming control device includes a lighting fixture selecting unit for selecting a lighting fixture to be dimmed from a plurality of lighting fixtures. , Terminal device is displayed on the display unit
When the position of the illumination target is directly specified with respect to the image , a control signal is transmitted to the dimming control device via the communication network. In addition to selecting a lighting fixture that requires dimming control based on the irradiation position of (1), a dimming signal is output to the dimmer to control the brightness of the selected lighting fixture.

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0048

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to the third aspect, since the terminal device displays the image of the illumination target taken by the video camera device, the user can directly specify the position of the control target while watching the image to perform the dimming control of the lighting equipment. it can. According to claim 4, an image is transmitted from the terminal device.
If the light irradiation position is directly specified for the image , the dimming control device can automatically calculate the light irradiation direction of the lighting fixture and control the irradiation direction. Therefore, since the brightness of the lighting target can be directly controlled, the irradiation direction of the light of the lighting device is estimated from the position and the direction in which the lighting device is installed, and the lighting target is irradiated. There is no need to select a lighting fixture and adjust the brightness of the selected lighting fixture, so that dimming control can be easily performed. Also, it is safe because there is no need to adjust the position and orientation of the lighting equipment at a high place.

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0049

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to the fifth aspect, an image is transmitted from the terminal device to the terminal device .
If the position of the illumination target is directly specified, the dimming control device can automatically select a lighting fixture requiring dimming control and control the brightness of the lighting fixture. Therefore, since the brightness of the lighting target can be directly controlled, the irradiation direction of the light of the lighting device is estimated from the position and the direction in which the lighting device is installed, and the lighting target is irradiated. There is no need to select a lighting fixture and adjust the brightness of the selected lighting fixture, so that dimming control can be easily performed. Also, it is safe because there is no need to adjust the position and orientation of the lighting equipment at a high place.

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Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A dimming controller for controlling brightness of one or more lighting fixtures, a brightness of each lighting fixture, a dimming control signal for sending a dimming control signal to the dimmer, and the dimming control apparatus And a terminal device connected via a communication network, wherein the terminal device specifies a lighting fixture to be controlled for dimming and a dimming amount of the lighting device. A control signal is transmitted to the dimming control device through the dimming control device, and the dimming control device that has received the control signal outputs a dimming control signal to the dimmer to adjust the brightness of the designated lighting fixture. A network dimming system characterized by controlling. 2. A lighting device, a dimmer for controlling the brightness of each lighting device, a dimming control device for sending a dimming control signal to the dimmer, and the dimming control device. And a wireless access device connected via a communication network, and a terminal device that performs wireless communication with the wireless access device. When the dimming light amount is designated, a control signal is transmitted to the dimming control device via the wireless access device and the communication network. A dimming control signal to control the brightness of a designated lighting fixture. 3. The network light control system according to claim 1, further comprising a video camera device connected to the communication network, the video camera device capturing an image in a range where the lighting fixture emits light. A network light control system, wherein the terminal device includes a display unit for displaying an image captured by the video camera device. 4. The network dimming system according to claim 3, wherein the lighting device is capable of controlling a light irradiation direction, and the light control device calculates an irradiation direction of the lighting device. When the terminal device specifies a light irradiation position, the terminal device transmits a control signal to the dimming control device via the communication network, and the dimming control device that has received the control signal The irradiation direction calculation unit calculates a light irradiation direction of the lighting fixture based on a light irradiation position, outputs a position control signal to the lighting fixture, and controls the light irradiation direction. Network dimming system. 5. The network dimming system according to claim 3, wherein the dimming control device includes a lighting fixture selecting unit that selects a lighting fixture to be controlled from among a plurality of lighting fixtures, When the terminal device specifies the light irradiation position, the terminal device transmits a control signal to the dimming control device via the communication network, and the dimming control device having received the control signal sets the lighting fixture selecting unit to: Based on the irradiation position of the light, while selecting a lighting fixture that requires dimming control, outputting a dimming signal to the dimmer to control the brightness of the selected lighting fixture. Network dimming system.