DIMMING DEVICE AND ILLUMINATION SYSTEM USING SAME

• US 20150264768A1
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2014
• 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: YOSHIMURA, Yuichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/044 continuously H05B39/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/31 Phase-control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps

Abstract

A dimming device includes a control unit, a first setting section and a second setting section. The control unit is configured to receive a control signal transmitted by a multiplexing transmission method and to control a dimming level of an illumination load in response to the control signal. The illumination load includes light-emitting diodes. The first setting section is configured to set a lower limit of the dimming level of the illumination load, the lower limit being adjustable in a first range. The second setting section is configured to set an upper limit of the dimming level of the illumination load, the upper limit being adjustable in a second range. A minimum value in the second range is greater than a maximum value in the first range.

Claims

1. A dimming device, comprising:

a control unit configured to receive a control signal transmitted by a multiplexing transmission method and to control a dimming level of an illumination load in response to the control signal, the illumination load including light-emitting diodes;

a first setting section configured to set a lower limit of the dimming level of the illumination load, the lower limit being adjustable in a first range; and

a second setting section configured to set an upper limit of the dimming level of the illumination load, the upper limit being adjustable in a second range,

wherein a minimum value in the second range is greater than a maximum value in the first range.

2. An illumination system, comprising:

a dimming device electrically connected to a communications line;

an illumination load configured to be controlled by the dimming device, the illumination load including light-emitting diodes; and

a controller electrically connected to the communications line, the controller being configured to control the dimming device by transmitting a control signal to the dimming device in a multiplexing transmission method,

wherein the dimming device includes;

a control unit configured to receive the control signal transmitted by the multiplexing transmission method and to control a dimming level of the illumination load in response to the control signal;

a first setting section configured to set a lower limit of the dimming level of the illumination load, the lower limit being adjustable in a first range; and

a second setting section configured to set an upper limit of the dimming level of the illumination load, the upper limit being adjustable in a second range,

wherein a minimum value in the second range is greater than a maximum value in the first range.

3. The illumination system of claim 2, further comprising:

an operation device configured to allow a user to select a desired value for the dimming level of the illumination load within a third range and transmit the selected desired value to the controller,

wherein the control signal is generated based on the selected desired value.

4. The illumination system of claim 3, wherein a minimum value in the third range is equal to or smaller than a minimum value in the first range, and a maximum value in the third range is equal to or larger than a maximum value in the second range.

5. The illumination system of claim 3, wherein when the desired value is smaller than the set lower limit, the dimming device sets the dimming level of the illumination load to the set lower limit, and when the desired value is larger than the set upper limit, the dimming device sets the dimming level of the illumination load to the set upper limit.