Lighting apparatus, lighting control system and home electric appliance

• US 20020050799A1
• Filed: 07/27/2001
• Published: 05/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamauchi, Tatsumi, Murabayashi, Fumio, Komatsu, Haruki, Inada, Akio
• Granted Patent: US 6,713,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/307
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A lighting apparatus capable of improving amenity and energy-saving and controlling a lighting load as a user intends to do. The lighting apparatus is connected to a network and controlling the lighting load corresponding to information from the network, and the lighting apparatus further comprises an automatic mode for controlling the lighting load corresponding to the information from the network, a manual mode for controlling the lighting load independently of the information from the network, and a switching means for switching between the automatic mode and the manual mode.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus connected to a network and controlling a lighting load corresponding to information from said network, which comprises:

an automatic mode for controlling the lighting load corresponding to the information from said network;

a manual mode for controlling the lighting load independently of the information from said network; and

a switching means for switching between said automatic mode and said manual mode.

3. A lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein state information inside the lighting apparatus is communicable to said network.

5. A lighting apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises a memory means for storing signals from said network.

6. A lighting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the state is switched from said manual mode to said automatic mode, said lighting load is controlled by reading said signal from said memory means.

7. A lighting apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises

a network interface circuit for performing input and output communication of information to and from said network, wherein

said network interface circuit performs input and output communication to and from said network with appropriate timing when said manual mode is set.

8. A lighting apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises

a network interface circuit for performing input and output communication of information to and from said network, wherein

said network interface circuit comprises a means which switches an operating state of said network interface circuit to a power-saving state when communication to said network does not exist.

9. A lighting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

operating mode of said network interface circuit is switched to the power-saving state by interlocking with an automatic/manual mode switching signal.

10. A lighting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

on-off operation of communication of said network interface circuit is controlled by interlocking with the automatic/manual mode switching signal.

15. A lighting control system, wherein in the lighting apparatus according to claim 1, the lighting apparatus connected to said network controls said lighting load based on time information input from said network during said automatic mode operation.

16. A lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the lighting load in the lighting apparatus is put out irrespective of operation of said automatic mode and said manual mode, a time period until said lighting load is completely put out can be set by time information received from said network.

2. A lighting apparatus which is connected to a network and controls a lighting load corresponding to information from said network, wherein state information inside the lighting apparatus is communicable to said network.

4. A lighting apparatus according to any one of claim 2 and claim 3, wherein said state information inside the lighting apparatus includes at least any one of a detected signal of lighting load lifetime, information on a state of automatic/manual mode and information on an amount of power consumption.

11. A lighting control system for controlling a lighting apparatus based on information from a load connected to a network, said lighting apparatus and at least one load of a sensor and a home electric appliance being connected to said network, wherein

electric power is supplied to said lighting apparatus when an electric power supply signal is input to said lighting apparatus, and said lighting apparatus starts to communicate with said load connected to said network.

12. A lighting control system according to claim 11, which comprises:

an automatic mode to control a lighting load corresponding to information input to said lighting control system through said network; and

a manual mode to control the lighting load independently of said information input to said lighting control system through said network.

13. A lighting control system according to claim 12, wherein

when electric power is supplied to said lighting apparatus by inputting an electric power supply signal to said lighting apparatus from the external, said lighting load is put on for a preset time period irrespective of said automatic mode and said manual mode.

14. A lighting control system according to claim 13, wherein

when electric power is started to be supplied to said lighting apparatus, the lighting load, to which electric power has been supplied for the preset time period, is automatically switched to the automatic mode operation.

19. A lighting control system, wherein in the lighting apparatus according to claim 18, the lighting apparatus comprises a home electric appliance and a sensor connected to said network, and said lighting apparatus is capable of controlling the lighting load contained in the lighting apparatus in linking with said home electric appliance and said sensor to receive information from said home electric appliance and said sensor.

17. A lighting apparatus connected to a network to control a lighting load corresponding to information from said network, which comprises

a memory means, wherein

said lighting load is controlled by invoking lighting load control data stored in said memory means base on information from a communication network.

18. A lighting apparatus connected to a network to control a lighting load corresponding to information from said network, which comprises:

a sound load for outputting sound; and

a sound load control means which controls said sound load based on the information from said network and outputs a voice signal to said sound load.

20. A home electric appliance which is connected to a network and controls a lighting load corresponding to information from said network, which comprises:

an automatic mode to control the load corresponding to the information from said network;

a manual mode to control the load independently of the information from said network; and

a switching means for switching between said automatic mode and said manual mode.

22. A home electric appliance according to claim 20, which comprises a memory means for storing signals from said network.

21. A home electric appliance which is connected to a network and controls a load corresponding to information from said network, wherein state information inside the home electric appliance is communicable to said network.