Lighting control device having a corrector integrally with a controller thereof for correcting a dimming prescribed range stored therein

• US 10,390,401 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Gotou, Kiyosi, Miyake, Tomohiro, Niikura, Eiichirou, Miyamoto, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thuy V
• Application Number:
  US15/757,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20190029089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 315291, 315308
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/02 the elements being transformers, impedances or power supply units, e.g. a transformer with a rectifier
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/59 for reducing or suppressing flicker or glow effects
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control

Abstract

A lighting control device includes a bidirectional switch, an inputter, a controller, and a corrector. The bidirectional switch is configured to switch between conduction and non-conduction of a bidirectional current between a pair of input terminals. The inputter is configured to receive a dimming level specifying the magnitude of a light output of a load. The controller is configured to control the bidirectional switch so as to retain the bidirectional switch in an ON state for an on time having a length determined in accordance with the dimming level within a prescribed range in each of half periods of an AC voltage of an AC power supply. The corrector is configured to (i) determine whether or not a target waveform has an anomaly with reference to a prescribed determination condition, and (ii) correct the prescribed range so as to narrow the prescribed range when the target waveform has the anomaly; wherein the target waveform is a waveform of at least one of a voltage and a current input to the pair of input terminals.

Claims

1. A lighting control device, comprising:

a pair of input terminals electrically connected to an illumination load and an AC power supply;

a bidirectional switch configured to switch between conduction and non-conduction of a bidirectional current between the pair of input terminals;

an inputter configured to receive a dimming level specifying a magnitude of a light output of the illumination load;

a controller configured to control the bidirectional switch so as to retain the bidirectional switch in an ON state for an on time having a length determined in accordance with the dimming level within a prescribed range in each of half periods of an AC voltage of the AC power supply; and

a corrector configured

to determine, with reference to a determination condition, whether or not a target waveform which is a waveform of at least one of a voltage and a current input to the pair of input terminals has an anomaly and

to correct the prescribed range so as to narrow the prescribed range when the target waveform has the anomaly.

2. The lighting control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage configured to store the prescribed range, wherein

the storage stores the prescribed range corrected by the corrector.

3. The lighting control device according to claim 2, wherein

the prescribed range is defined by an upper limit value and a lower limit value, and

the corrector is configured to change at least one of the upper limit value and the lower limit value to correct the prescribed range.

4. The lighting control device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a phase detector configured to output a detection signal to the corrector when the phase detector detects a zero crossing point of the AC voltage, wherein

the target waveform is a voltage waveform, and

the determination condition is that the detection signal is regularly input from the phase detector to the corrector, and the corrector is configured to determine that the target waveform has the anomaly when the detection signal is irregularly input to the corrector.

5. The lighting control device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a phase detector configured to output a detection signal to the corrector and the controller when the phase detector detects a zero crossing point of the AC voltage, wherein

the controller is configured

to estimate a zero crossing point of the AC voltage of at least the half period ahead in future based on the detection signal for one time to obtain a virtual zero crossing point and

to generate a virtual signal at the virtual zero crossing point, and

the determination condition is that at least one of the detection signal and the virtual signal is regularly input to the corrector, and the corrector is configured to determine that the target waveform has the anomaly when either one of the detection signal and the virtual signal is irregularly input to the corrector.

6. The lighting control device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a phase detector configured to output a detection signal to the corrector when the phase detector detects a zero crossing point of the AC voltage, wherein

the target waveform is a voltage waveform, and

the determination condition is that the detection signal is regularly input from the phase detector to the corrector, and the corrector is configured to determine that the target waveform has the anomaly when the detection signal is irregularly input to the corrector.

7. The lighting control device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a phase detector configured to output a detection signal to the corrector and the controller when the phase detector detects a zero crossing point of the AC voltage, wherein

the controller is configured

to estimate a zero crossing point of the AC voltage of at least the half period ahead in future based on the detection signal for one time to obtain a virtual zero crossing point and

to generate a virtual signal at the virtual zero crossing point, and

the determination condition is that at least one of the detection signal and the virtual signal is regularly input to the corrector, and the corrector is configured to determine that the target waveform has the anomaly when either one of the detection signal and the virtual signal is irregularly input to the corrector.

8. The lighting control device according to claim 1, wherein

the prescribed range is defined by an upper limit value and a lower limit value, and

the corrector is configured to change at least one of the upper limit value and the lower limit value to correct the prescribed range.

9. The lighting control device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a phase detector configured to output a detection signal to the corrector when the phase detector detects a zero crossing point of the AC voltage, wherein

the target waveform is a voltage waveform, and

the determination condition is that the detection signal is regularly input from the phase detector to the corrector, and the corrector is configured to determine that the target waveform has the anomaly when the detection signal is irregularly input to the corrector.

10. The lighting control device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a phase detector configured to output a detection signal to the corrector and the controller when the phase detector detects a zero crossing point of the AC voltage, wherein

the controller is configured

to estimate a zero crossing point of the AC voltage of at least the half period ahead in future based on the detection signal for one time to obtain a virtual zero crossing point and

to generate a virtual signal at the virtual zero crossing point, and

the determination condition is that at least one of the detection signal and the virtual signal is regularly input to the corrector, and the corrector is configured to determine that the target waveform has the anomaly when either one of the detection signal and the virtual signal is irregularly input to the corrector.

11. The lighting control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a phase detector configured to output a detection signal to the corrector when the phase detector detects a zero crossing point of the AC voltage, wherein

the target waveform is a voltage waveform, and

the determination condition is that the detection signal is regularly input from the phase detector to the corrector, and the corrector is configured to determine that the target waveform has the anomaly when the detection signal is irregularly input to the corrector.

12. The lighting control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a phase detector configured to output a detection signal to the corrector and the controller when the phase detector detects a zero crossing point of the AC voltage, wherein

the controller is configured

to estimate a zero crossing point of the AC voltage of at least the half period ahead in future based on the detection signal for one time to obtain a virtual zero crossing point and

to generate a virtual signal at the virtual zero crossing point, and

the determination condition is that at least one of the detection signal and the virtual signal is regularly input to the corrector, and the corrector is configured to determine that the target waveform has the anomaly when either one of the detection signal and the virtual signal is irregularly input to the corrector.