Method for the relative activation of a luminaire, control unit and lighting system

• US 9,497,835 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tridonic GmbH & Co. KG (Zumtobel Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Tridonic GmbH & Co. KG (Zumtobel Group AG)
• Inventors: Koch, Patrik Yves, Sohm, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Daniel D
• Application Number:
  US14/389,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20160029462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 315/307, 315/136, 315/292
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

For the relative activation of a luminaire, actuation of an actuating element, particularly of a pushbutton, is detected. During actuation of the actuating element, the following steps are performed cyclically: ascertainment of a target control point (P_1, P_2) that corresponds to one of a plurality of sampling points (61, 62) encountered sequentially during the actuation; generation of a control command (71, 72) on the basis of the target control point (P_1, P_2); and issuing of the control command (71, 72) in order to reach a sampling point (61, 62) corresponding to the target control point (P_1, P_2) at a predefined change-over time (68). During continued actuation of the actuating element, a predefined period of time (68) is allowed to pass after a control command (71) is issued before a further control command (72) is issued in order to reach another sampling point (62) that corresponds to a further target control point (P_2).

Claims

1. A method for the relative activation of a luminaire, in which at a start of an actuation, an absolute actuation value that the luminaire is meant to adopt at the end of the actuation is not yet known,

wherein operation of an operating element (3), is sensed and while the operating element (3) is being operated cyclically an actuation command (31-35;

71, 72) is issued and wherein during the operation of an operating element (3), the following steps are cyclically executed;

determining a target actuation value (P_1, P_2) that corresponds to one of a plurality of interpolation points (61, 62) that are sequentially approached during the operation,

generating of the actuation command (31-35;

71, 72) on the basis of the target actuation value (P_1, P_2), and

outputting the actuation command (31-35;

71, 72) in order to approach an interpolation point (61, 62) that corresponds to the target actuation value (P_1, P_2) with a prescribed changeover time (68), in which an operating device (20) of the luminaire, continuously or in multiple stages, varies the target actuation value (P_1, P_2), and wherein the actuation command (31-35;

71, 72) is sent as digital data communication via a bus (5), which has further control devices connected thereto,

wherein while the operating element (3) is continuing to be operated (30) a prescribed period of time (39;

68) is waited after the output of an actuation command (31;

71) before a further actuation command (32;

72) is output in order to approach a further interpolation point (62) that corresponds to a further target actuation value (P_2).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in response to an end of the operation of the operating element (3) a stop command (36;

74) is produced and output in order to terminate a changeover process.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein in response to the end of the operation a final actuation value is determined and a correction actuation command (75) is produced and output on the basis of the final actuation value.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the stop command (36;

74) is output before the prescribed period of time (39;

68) after the output of that actuation command (34;

73) that was produced most recently before the end of the operation has elapsed.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein while the operating element (3) is continuing to be operated (30) a new actuation command (32-35;

71, 72) is periodically produced in each case after the prescribed changeover time (68) has elapsed.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an input signal (51) that indicates a state of the operating element (3) is evaluated at a rate that is greater than the inverse of the prescribed period of time (39;

68).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein for the respective relative actuation process, adjacent interpolation points (61, 62) from the plurality of interpolation points (61, 62) each have the same actuation value difference (69), and wherein the prescribed changeover time (68) has a fixed value.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at the beginning of the operation of the operating element (3) a first actuation command (31;

71) is produced that comprises the prescribed changeover time (68).

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuation command (31-35;

71-73) is transmitted to the operating device (20) for an illuminant (2), and wherein the operating device (20) approaches the target actuation value (P_1, P_2) continuously or in multiple stages with the prescribed changeover time (68) in response to the actuation command (31-35;

71-73).

10. A controller (10) for the relative activation of a luminaire, in which at a start of an actuation, an absolute actuation value that the luminaire is meant to adopt at the end of the actuation is not yet known, the controller (10) comprising:

a signal input (14) for receiving an input signal (51) that indicates a state of an operating element (3);

an interface (13) for outputting commands; and

a control logic unit (11) that is coupled to the signal input (14) and to the interface (13) and is configured to take the input signal (51) as a basis for determining whether the operating element (3) has been operated, and in order, while the operating element (3) is being operated to generate an actuation command (31-35;

71-73),

wherein the control logic unit (11) is configured, while the operating element (3) is being operated;

to determine a target actuation value (P_1, P_2) that corresponds to one of a plurality of interpolation points (61, 62),

to generate the actuation command (31-35;

71-73) on the basis of the target actuation value (P_1, P_2), and

to output the actuation command (31-35;

71-73) via the interface (13) as digital data communication to a bus (5) in order to approach an interpolation point (61, 62) that corresponds to the target actuation value (P_1, P_2) with a prescribed changeover time (68), in which an operating device (20) of the luminaire, continuously or in multiple stages, varies the target actuation value (P_1, P_2), wherein the control logic unit (11) is configured, while the operating element (3) is continuing to be operated (30), to wait a prescribed period of time (39;

68) after the output of the actuation command (31-35;

71, 72) before the output of a further actuation command (32-35;

72) to approach a further interpolation point (62) that corresponds to a further target actuation value (P_2).

11. A lighting system (1), comprising:

an operating element (3),

a controller (10) as claimed in claim 10, the signal input (14) of which is configured to receive an input signal (51) that indicates a state of the operating element (3), and

an operating device (20) for an illuminant (2), wherein the operating device (20) comprises a control device (21) configured to approach the target actuation value (P_1, P_2) with the prescribed changeover time (68) in response to the actuation command (31-35;

71-73).

12. The lighting system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control logic unit (11) of the controller (10) is configured to produce and output a stop command (36;

74) in response to an end of the operation of the operating element (3), and

wherein the control device (21) of the operating device (20) is configured to terminate an approach to an interpolation point (63) that corresponds to a target actuation value (P_3) ascertained most recently before the end of the operation in response to the stop command (36;

74).