Light control communication system, light control communication method and program

• US 10,462,883 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2017
• 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: Gotoh, Shigeo, Hashimoto, Tomomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, Dedei K
• Application Number:
  US16/220,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20190191530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/30 Driver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

Light control communication system includes first conversion unit, controller-side communication unit, device-side communication unit, and second conversion unit. First conversion unit converts an input signal in conformity with a first protocol used for controlling lighting device into a communication signal in conformity with a second protocol. Controller-side communication unit transmits the communication signal to device-side communication unit. Second conversion unit converts the communication signal into a control signal in conformity with the first protocol output to lighting device. First conversion unit extracts only data of a predetermined channel from channels of the input signal and converts the extracted data into the communication signal. Second conversion unit interpolates predetermined data in the communication signal to convert into the control signal.

Claims

1. A light control communication system comprising:

a first conversion unit configured to convert an input signal in conformity with a first protocol used for controlling a lighting device into a communication signal in conformity with a second protocol;

a controller-side communication unit configured to transmit the communication signal;

a device-side communication unit configured to receive the communication signal from the controller-side communication unit; and

a second conversion unit configured to convert the communication signal received by the device-side communication unit into a control signal in conformity with the first protocol, wherein

each of the input signal and the control signal includes a first number of channels,

the first number of channels include a second number of predetermined channels including data for controlling the lighting device, the second number being smaller than the first number,

the first conversion unit extracts only data included in the second number of predetermined channels from the first number of channels in the input signal as data included in the communication signal, and

the second conversion unit generates the control signal by adding predetermined data to the data included in the communication signal to fill the first number of channels.

2. The light control communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second conversion unit adds the predetermined data in a channel of the control signal corresponding to a channel of the input signal having no data extracted by the first conversion unit.

3. The light control communication system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the input signal and the control signal includes a plurality of packets arranged in time series at regular communication intervals, and

the second conversion unit adds a packet to the control signal to make communication intervals of packets in the control signal match communication intervals of packets in the input signal when the communication intervals of the packets in the control signal converted from the communication signal are larger than the communication intervals of the packets in the input signal.

4. The light control communication system according to claim 3, wherein

the second conversion unit adds the packet between the packets in the control signal having communication intervals larger than the communication intervals of the packets in the input signal, and

the packet added has data that makes values of data vary proportionally between data of packets before and after in the communication intervals of the packets in the control signal.

5. The light control communication system according to claim 3, wherein

the second conversion unit adds the packet between the packets in the control signal having communication intervals larger than the communication intervals of the packets in the input signal, and

the packet added has data that maintains a value of data of a packet immediately before in the communication intervals in the control signal for the communication intervals of the packets in the control signal.

6. The light control communication system according to claim 3, wherein

the second conversion unit adds the packet between the packets in the control signal having the communication intervals larger than the communication intervals of the packets in the input signal, and

the packet added has data that makes a value of data vary proportionally from data of a packet immediately before in the communication intervals in the control signal and data of a packet two packets before in the communication intervals in the control signal.

7. The light control communication system according to claim 1, wherein the controller-side communication unit transmits the communication signal to the device-side communication unit wirelessly or via a power line.

8. The light control communication system according to claim 1, wherein the signal in conformity with the first protocol is a signal in conformity with DMX512 standard.

9. The light control communication system according to claim 1, comprising:

a first converter including the first conversion unit and the controller-side communication unit; and

a second converter including the device-side communication unit and the second conversion unit.

10. A light control communication method comprising:

a first converting step for converting an input signal in conformity with a first protocol used for controlling a lighting device into a communication signal in conformity with a second protocol;

a transmitting step for transmitting the communication signal;

a receiving step for receiving the communication signal transmitted; and

a second converting step for converting the communication signal received in the receiving step into a control signal in conformity with the first protocol, wherein

each of the input signal and the control signal includes a first number of channels,

the first number of channels include a second number of predetermined channels including data for controlling the lighting device, the second number being smaller than the first number,

the first converting step includes extracting only data included in the second number of predetermined channels from the first number of predetermined channels in the input signal as data included in the communication signal, and

the second converting step includes generating the control signal by adding predetermined data to the data included in the communication signal to fill the first number of channels.

11. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a light control communication method, the method comprising:

a first converting step for converting an input signal in conformity with a first protocol used for controlling a lighting device into a communication signal in conformity with a second protocol;

a transmitting step for transmitting the communication signal;

a receiving step for receiving the communication signal transmitted; and

a second converting step for converting the communication signal received in the receiving step into a control signal in conformity with the first protocol, wherein

each of the input signal and the control signal includes a first number of channels,

the first number of channels includes a second number of predetermined channels including data for controlling the lighting device, the second number being smaller than the first number,

the first converting step includes extracting only data included in the second number of predetermined channels from the first number of predetermined channels in the input signal as data included in the communication signal, and

the second converting step includes generating the control signal by adding predetermined data to the data included in the communication signal to fill the first number of channels.