Pairing method, lighting device, and lighting system

• US 9,565,746 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2016
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• 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: Nishioka, Shinsuke, Nanahara, Atsuo, Gotoh, Shigeo, Ando, Tamotsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaiser, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US15/091,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20160302289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 315/149, 315/291, 315/292, 315/307, 315/308, 700/90, 700/275, 700/295, 700/296, 700/297
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/17 Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources

Abstract

A pairing method for causing lighting devices to store identification information of a radio remote controller serving as a master device is provided. The method includes: transmitting a pairing command including the identification information of the radio remote controller repeatedly on a temporary basis by the radio remote controller; determining, for each of the lighting devices, whether or not the lighting device is in an initial state in which identification information of a master device is not stored in the lighting device, at power on; storing the identification information included in the pairing command, if the paring command is received when it is determined that the lighting device is in the initial state in the determining; and causing the lighting device in which the identification information of the master device is stored to operate according to a radio command including the identification information of the master device.

Claims

1. A pairing method for use in a lighting system including at least one lighting device serving as a slave device and a radio remote controller serving as a master device to control the slave device, for causing the lighting device to store identification information of the radio remote controller, the method comprising:

transmitting a pairing command repeatedly by the radio remote controller, the pairing command including the identification information of the radio remote controller;

determining, by the lighting device, whether or not the lighting device is in an initial state at power on, the initial state including a condition in which identification information of any master device is not stored in the lighting device;

when it is determined that the lighting device is in the initial state, storing the identification information included in the pairing command as the identification information of the master device in the lighting device when the paring command is received; and

causing the lighting device in which the identification information of the master device is stored to operate according to a radio command including the identification information of the master device.

2. The pairing method according to claim 1, wherein in the determining,

the lighting device emits light in a first illumination mode when the lighting device is determined as being in the initial state, and

the lighting device emits light in a second illumination mode when the lighting device receives the pairing command while the lighting device is determined as being in the initial state.

3. The pairing method according to claim 1, wherein:

the initial state is an electrically factory default state,

in the determining, it is determined whether or not the lighting device is in the electrically factory default state, and whether or not the identification information of the radio remote controller serving as the master device is stored in the lighting device, and

in the storing;

the lighting device stores the identification information immediately upon receiving the pairing command if the lighting device is determined as being in the electrically factory default state in the determining, and

the lighting device suspends storing of the identification information until the lighting device receives a pairing trigger signal from an infrared remote controller after receiving the pairing command from the infrared remote controller, if it is determined that the lighting device is in a state other than the electrically factory default state and that identification information of any master device is not stored in the lighting device in the determining.

4. The pairing method according to claim 1, wherein:

the initial state is a state where no identification information of a master device is stored in the lighting device,

the pairing command is either one of a simple configuration command and a manual configuration command, and

in the storing;

when the pairing command is the simple configuration command, the lighting device determined as being in the initial state immediately stores the identification information, and

when the pairing command is the manual configuration command, the lighting device determined as being in the initial state suspends storing of the identification information until the lighting device receives a pairing trigger signal from an infrared remote controller.

5. The pairing method according to claim 1, wherein

the lighting device emits light in a predetermined illumination mode when the lighting device stores the identification information in the storing.

6. The pairing method according to claim 1, further comprising

invalidating the identification information stored in the lighting device when the lighting device receives an unpairing signal from an infrared remote controller.

7. The pairing method according to claim 6, wherein, in the causing:

when the lighting device in which the identification information of the master device is stored receives an infrared command other than the unpairing signal from the infrared remote controller, the lighting device discards the infrared command, and

when the lighting device in which the identification information of the master device is not stored receives an infrared command from the infrared remote controller, the lighting device operates according to the infrared command.

8. The pairing method according to claim 1, wherein

in the storing, after storing the identification information, the lighting device transmits a response signal including identification information of the lighting device to the radio remote controller.

9. The pairing method according to claim 1, wherein the pairing command is repeatedly transmitted for a predetermine time period.

10. The paring method according to claim 1, wherein the lighting system includes a plurality of lighting devices each being configured to function as the lighting device.

11. A lighting device, comprising:

a transceiver which receives a radio command;

a receiver which receives an infrared command;

a storage for storing identification information of a radio remote controller serving as a master device; and

a controller,

wherein the controller;

determines whether or not the lighting device is in an initial state at power on, the initial state including a condition in which identification information of any master device is not stored in the lighting device;

enters a pairing configuration mode when the controller determines that the lighting device is in the initial state;

when a pairing command including identification information of the radio remote controller serving as the master device is received in the pairing configuration mode, stores the identification information of the radio remote controller serving as the master device as the identification information of the master device to the storage; and

causes the lighting device to operate according to a radio command including the identification information, after storing the identification information of the master device.

12. The lighting device according to claim 11, wherein the controller:

selects either one of a simple configuration mode and a manual configuration mode, as the pairing configuration mode, according to a state of the lighting device;

when the pairing configuration mode is the simple configuration mode, stores the identification information to the storage immediately upon receiving the pairing command; and

when the pairing configuration mode is the manual configuration mode, suspends storing of the identification information until the lighting device receives a pairing trigger signal from an infrared remote controller after receiving the pairing command.

13. The lighting device according to claim 12, wherein the controller:

determines whether or not the lighting device is in an electrically factory default state, and whether or not the identification information of the radio remote controller serving as the master device is stored in the lighting device;

selects the simple configuration mode when the controller determines that the lighting device is in the electrically factory default state; and

selects the manual configuration mode when the controller determines that the lighting device is in a state other than the electrically factory default state and that the identification information of the master device is not stored in the lighting device.

14. The lighting device according to claim 12, wherein,

the controller selects either one of the simple configuration mode and the manual configuration mode, as the pairing configuration mode, according to the pairing command.

15. A lighting system, comprising:

a plurality of lighting devices each being configured to function as the lighting device according to claim 11;

radio remote controller having a pairing configuration mode for transmitting repeatedly on a temporary basis, a pairing command including identification information of the radio remote controller, and a remote control mode for transmitting the radio command; and

an infrared remote controller which transmits the infrared command.