阅读说明：本技术 负载控制系统 (Load control system ) 是由 宫本贤吾 梶原祥吾 于 2019-07-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的目的在于提供可分别控制多个负载的负载控制系统。在本发明的负载控制系统(1)中,多个开闭电路(10)各自具有在多个第2端子(T2)中的对应的一个第2端子(T2)与第1端子(T1)之间电性连接的开关(11)。控制电路(20)藉由控制多个开闭电路(10)各自具有的开关(11),而控制对于与多个开闭电路(10)各自对应的负载(3)的电力供给。电源电路(30)在多个第2端子(T2)与第1端子(T1)之间电性连接,并且经由多个第2端子(T2)中的至少1个第2端子(T2)及第1端子(T1)从电源(2)得到电力,从而产生至少对于控制电路(20)供给的电力。(The invention aims to provide a load control system capable of controlling a plurality of loads respectively. In a load control system (1) of the present invention, each of a plurality of switching circuits (10) has a switch (11) electrically connected between a corresponding one of a plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) (T2) and a1 st terminal (T1). The control circuit (20) controls the switches (11) of the switching circuits (10) to control the power supply to the loads (3) corresponding to the switching circuits (10). The power supply circuit (30) is electrically connected between the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1), and receives electric power from the power supply (2) via at least 1 of the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1) among the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2), thereby generating electric power to be supplied to at least the control circuit (20).)

1. A load control system is provided with:

a1 st terminal, a plurality of 2 nd terminals, a plurality of open/close circuits, a control circuit, and a power supply circuit,

wherein the 1 st terminal is configured to be electrically connected to a power source,

the plurality of 2 nd terminals correspond to the plurality of loads in a one-to-one manner,

each of the plurality of 2 nd terminals is configured to be electrically connected to the power source via a corresponding one of a plurality of loads,

the plurality of open/close circuits correspond to the plurality of 2 nd terminals in a one-to-one manner,

each of the plurality of open/close circuits has a switch electrically connected between a corresponding one of the plurality of 2 nd terminals and the 1 st terminal,

the control circuit is configured to control supply of electric power to the load corresponding to each of the plurality of open-close circuits by controlling the switch provided to each of the plurality of open-close circuits, and

the power circuit is electrically connected between the plurality of 2 nd terminals and the 1 st terminal, and is configured to obtain power from the power source via at least 12 nd terminal of the plurality of 2 nd terminals and the 1 st terminal, thereby generating power supplied at least to the control circuit.

2. The load control system of claim 1,

at least one of the control circuit and the power supply circuit includes 1 common circuit, an

The common circuit is shared by the plurality of switching circuits.

3. The load control system of claim 2,

the control circuit includes: a main control circuit and a plurality of sub-control circuits,

the plurality of sub-control circuits correspond to the plurality of open/close circuits in a one-to-one manner,

the primary control circuit is configured to control the plurality of secondary control circuits,

each of the plurality of sub-control circuits is configured to control the switch of a corresponding one of the plurality of switching circuits,

the power supply circuit includes: a main power supply circuit and a plurality of auxiliary power supply circuits,

the plurality of sub power supply circuits correspond to the plurality of sub control circuits in a one-to-one manner,

the main power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the main control circuit, an

The plurality of sub power supply circuits are each configured to supply electric power to a corresponding one of the plurality of sub control circuits.

4. The load control system of claim 2,

the control circuit includes: a main control circuit and a plurality of sub-control circuits,

the plurality of sub-control circuits correspond to the plurality of open/close circuits in a one-to-one manner,

the main control circuit is configured to control the plurality of sub-control circuits, an

The plurality of sub-control circuits are each configured to control the switch of a corresponding one of the plurality of switching circuits.

5. The load control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

and an insulation circuit for electrically insulating at least one of the control circuit and the power supply circuit from at least a part of the plurality of switching circuits.

6. The load control system of any of claims 1-4,

the plurality of switching circuits are not electrically insulated from the control circuit and the power circuit.

7. The load control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a switch electrically connected between one 2 nd terminal of the plurality of 2 nd terminals and the power circuit,

wherein the control circuit is configured to open the shutter when a2 nd terminal connected to the shutter among the plurality of 2 nd terminals is in a no-load state.

8. The load control system of any of claims 1-7,

the power supply circuit is configured to obtain power from the power supply via any 2 nd terminal among the plurality of 2 nd terminals and the 1 st terminal.

9. The load control system of any of claims 1-8,

the power supply circuit obtains power from the power supply via the 2 nd terminal and the 1 st terminal other than the 2 nd terminal of the part of the plurality of 2 nd terminals when the 2 nd terminal of the part of the plurality of 2 nd terminals is in a no-load state.

10. The load control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a1 st circuit block and a plurality of 2 nd circuit blocks,

wherein each of the 2 nd circuit blocks has a2 nd connecting part, the 2 nd connecting part is electrically connected to the 1 st connecting part of the 1 st circuit block, and the 2 nd circuit blocks are electrically connected to the 1 st circuit block through the 2 nd connecting part,

the 1 st circuit block has a1 st case, the 1 st case accommodates a circuit including at least a part of the control circuit and at least a part of the power supply circuit,

the plurality of 2 nd circuit blocks correspond to the plurality of open/close circuits in a one-to-one manner, an

Each of the 2 nd circuit blocks has a2 nd case, and the 2 nd case houses a corresponding one of the plurality of open/close circuits.

11. The load control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a plurality of operation portions that correspond to the plurality of open-close circuits in a one-to-one manner,

wherein the control circuit controls on/off of the switch provided in the open/close circuit corresponding to one of the operation portions among the plurality of open/close circuits, in accordance with an operation input from the one of the operation portions.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to load control systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a load control system for controlling a load.

Background

Conventionally, a light control device for controlling a lighting load is known (for example, patent document 1).

The light control device described in patent document 1 includes: a pair of terminals; a control circuit section; and a control power supply unit for supplying control power to the control circuit unit.

The control circuit unit and the control power supply unit are connected in parallel between the pair of terminals. Further, a serial circuit of an ac power source and a lighting load is connected between the pair of terminals. The lighting load is provided with: a plurality of LED (light Emitting diode) components; and a power supply circuit for lighting each LED assembly. The power supply circuit includes a smoothing circuit including a diode and an electrolytic capacitor.

The control circuit unit includes: a switch unit for phase-controlling an alternating-current voltage supplied to the lighting load; a switch driving unit that drives the switch unit; and a control unit for controlling the switch driving unit and the power supply unit.

The control power supply part is connected in parallel to the switch part. The control power supply unit converts an alternating voltage of an alternating current power supply into a control power supply. The control power supply unit includes: and an electrolytic capacitor for accumulating the control power source.

The control unit is supplied with control power from a control power supply unit (power supply unit) via an electrolytic capacitor. The control unit executes reverse phase control for cutting off power supply to the lighting load during each half cycle of the alternating-current voltage, based on the dimming level set by the dimming operation unit.

In the light control device (load control system) disclosed in patent document 1, since the ac power source and the lighting load are connected between the pair of terminals, the number of wires can be reduced compared to the case where the ac power source and the lighting load are connected by 2 wires, respectively. However, when an ac power source and a plurality of loads are connected in series between a pair of terminals, it is impossible to control the plurality of loads individually.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2013-

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a load control system capable of controlling a plurality of loads respectively.

A load control system according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a1 st terminal; a plurality of 2 nd terminals; a plurality of open/close circuits; a control circuit; and a power supply circuit. The 1 st terminal is electrically connected to a power source. The 2 nd terminals correspond to a plurality of loads in a one-to-one mode. The 2 nd terminals are electrically connected to the power source through a corresponding one of the loads. The plurality of switching circuits correspond to the plurality of 2 nd terminals in a one-to-one correspondence. Each of the plurality of open/close circuits has a switch electrically connected between a corresponding one of the plurality of 2 nd terminals 2 and the 1 st terminal. The control circuit controls the switches of the plurality of open/close circuits to control the supply of power to the loads corresponding to the plurality of open/close circuits. The power circuit is electrically connected between the plurality of 2 nd terminals and the 1 st terminal, and obtains power from the power source through at least 12 nd terminal and the 1 st terminal of the plurality of 2 nd terminals, thereby generating power supplied at least to the control circuit.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the load control system as above.

Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation when 1 lamp of the load control system is turned on as described above.

Fig. 4 is a waveform diagram of each part of the load control system as above.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation when 2 lamps of the load control system are turned on as described above.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation when 1 lamp is in a no-load state and the other 1 lamp is turned on in the load control system as described above.

Fig. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to variation 1 of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to variation 2 of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to variation 3 of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of the load control system according to modification 3.

Fig. 11 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to a modification 4 of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to variation 5 of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to a modification 6 of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to a modification 7 of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a schematic circuit diagram of a load control system according to a modification 8 of the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

(embodiment mode)

(1) Summary of the invention

As shown in fig. 1, a load control system 1 according to the present embodiment includes: the 1 st terminal T1; a plurality of (e.g., 2) 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22); a plurality of (e.g., 2) open/close circuits 10(101, 102); a control circuit 20; and a power supply circuit 30.

The 1 st terminal T1 is electrically connected to a power source (ac power source 2).

The plurality of 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22) correspond to the plurality of (e.g., 2) loads 3(3A, 3B) in a one-to-one correspondence. Each of the 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22) is electrically connected to a power source (ac power source 2) through a corresponding one of the loads 3(3A, 3B). Note that in the circuit diagrams of fig. 1 and the like, the load is simply referred to as "LD" for the sake of simplicity of illustration.

The plurality of switching circuits 10(101, 102) correspond to the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22) in a one-to-one correspondence. Each of the plurality of open/close circuits 10(101, 102) has a switch 11 electrically connected between a corresponding one of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22) and the 1 st terminal T1.

The control circuit 20 controls the switches 11 of the plurality of open/close circuits 10(101, 102) to control the supply of power to the loads 3(3A, 3B) corresponding to the plurality of open/close circuits 10(101, 102).

The power circuit 30 is electrically connected between the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22) and the 1 st terminal T1. The power supply circuit 30 obtains power from a power supply (the alternating-current power supply 2) via at least 12 nd terminal T2 and 1 st terminal T1 of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22), and then generates power supplied at least to the control circuit 20.

Here, the "1 st terminal" and the "2 nd terminal" may not be a component (terminal) for connecting an electric wire or the like, but may be, for example, a lead wire of an electronic component or a part of a conductor included in a circuit board.

The load control system 1 of the present embodiment is a 2-wire type load control device when viewed from each of the plurality of loads 3(3A, 3B). The plurality of switching circuits 10(101, 102) correspond to the plurality of loads 3(3A, 3B) in a one-to-one correspondence. Each of the plurality of switching circuits 10(101, 102) is electrically connected between the power source (ac power source 2) and the load 3 such that the power source (ac power source 2) and a corresponding one of the plurality of loads 3(3A, 3B) are electrically connected in series.

In other words, in order to electrically connect the load 3A to the switch circuit 101, the electric wire a1 connected to the power source (ac power source 2) is electrically connected to the 1 st terminal T1 of the load control system 1, and the electric wire a21 connected to the load 3A is electrically connected to the 2 nd terminal T21. Then, the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 is electrically connected between the 2 wires a1 and a 21. Therefore, when the control circuit 20 turns on the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101, the ac voltage Vac from the power supply (ac power supply 2) is applied to the load 3A to supply power to the load 3A. When the control circuit 20 sets the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 to the non-conductive state, the ac voltage Vac from the power supply (ac power supply 2) is applied between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and the supply of power to the load 3A is stopped.

In addition, in order to electrically connect the load 3B to the open/close circuit 102, the electric wire a1 connected to the power source (ac power source 2) is electrically connected to the 1 st terminal T1 of the load control system 1, and the electric wire a22 connected to the load 3B is electrically connected to the 2 nd terminal T22. Then, the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 is electrically connected between the 2 wires a1 and a 22. Therefore, when the control circuit 20 turns on the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102, the ac voltage Vac from the ac power supply 2 is applied to the load 3B to supply power to the load 3B. When the control circuit 20 sets the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to the non-conductive state, the ac voltage Vac from the ac power supply 2 is applied between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22, and the supply of power to the load 3B is stopped.

Since the load 3 and the ac power source 2 are connected in series between each of the 2 nd terminal T2 and the 1 st terminal T1, the number of wires for connecting the loads 3 can be reduced compared to a case where the ac power source 2 and the loads 3 are connected by 2 wires.

Further, the control circuit 20 controls the power supply to the loads 3 corresponding to the respective open/close circuits 10 by controlling the switches 11 of the respective open/close circuits 10, so that the power supply to the plurality of loads 3 can be controlled individually.

In addition, since the power supply circuit 30 is electrically connected between the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 and the 1 st terminal T1, electric power can be obtained from the power supply (the ac power supply 2) through any 2 nd terminal T2 and 1 st terminal T1 among the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2. Therefore, even when some of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 are in the no-load state, the power supply circuit 30 can obtain electric power from the power supply (the ac power supply 2) via the 2 nd terminal T2 and the 1 st terminal T1 other than the 2 nd terminal T2 which is in the no-load state among the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2. Therefore, even when some of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 are in a no-load state, the power supply circuit 30 can supply a voltage necessary for operating the control circuit 20, and thus a 2-wire load control system 1 capable of controlling the plurality of loads 3 individually can be provided.

In the present embodiment, a case will be described where the load 3 is an illumination load including a plurality of LED modules and a lighting circuit for lighting the plurality of LED modules, as an example. That is, the dimming device constituted by the load control system 1 adjusts the magnitude of the light output of the load 3 by phase-controlling the voltage supplied to the load 3 constituted by the lighting load by using the switch 11, for example. The lighting circuit of the load 3 reads the dimming level from the waveform of the ac voltage Vac subjected to phase control in the load control system 1, and changes the magnitude of the light output of the LED module. The lighting circuit of the load 3 includes a current securing circuit such as a bleeder circuit as an example. Therefore, even in a period in which the switch 11 of the load control system 1 is brought into a non-conductive state, a current can be caused to flow to the load 3. The ac power supply 2 is, for example, a single-phase 100 [ V ], 60 [ Hz ] commercial power supply. In addition, the load control system 1 is applicable to, for example, a wall switch or the like.

(2) Details of

The load control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to fig. 1 to 6.

As shown in fig. 1, the load control system 1 includes: the 1 st terminal T1 described above; a plurality of (e.g., 2) 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22); a plurality of (e.g., 2) open/close circuits 10(101, 102); a control circuit 20; and a power supply circuit 30. Further, the load control system 1 includes: rectifier circuits DB1, DB 2; an interface section 40; zero-crossing detection units (ZCs) 231, 232, 241, 242; and insulated circuits 251 to 254. In the present embodiment, the control circuit 20 includes: a main control circuit 21 as a common circuit; and a sub-control circuit 22, the power supply circuit 30 includes: a main power supply circuit 31 as a common circuit; and a plurality of sub power supply circuits 321 and 322. That is, in the present embodiment, the control circuit 20 and the power supply circuit 30 each include a common circuit. The common circuit is a circuit shared by a plurality of switching circuits 10. In the present embodiment, since the plurality of switching circuits 10 share the common circuit, the circuit scale of the entire load control system 1 can be reduced. Note that the control circuit 20 and the power supply circuit 30 do not necessarily include a common circuit, only one of the control circuit 20 and the power supply circuit 30 may include a common circuit, and neither the control circuit 20 nor the power supply circuit 30 may include a common circuit. In the circuit diagrams of fig. 1 and the like, for the sake of simplicity of illustration, the main control circuit is referred to as "MCC", the sub-control circuit is referred to as "SCC", the main power supply circuit is referred to as "MPW", the sub-power supply circuit is referred to as "SPW", the interface unit is referred to as "IF", the insulating circuit is referred to as "ISL", and the zero-crossing detection unit is referred to as "ZC".

As described above, each of the plurality of opening and closing circuits 10(101, 102) has the switch 11 electrically connected between the corresponding one 2 nd terminal T2 and the 1 st terminal T1 among the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22).

The switch 11 is composed of, for example, 2 switching elements Q1 and Q2 electrically connected in series between a1 st terminal T1 and a2 nd terminal T2(T21 and T22). For example, each of the switching elements Q1 and Q2 is a Semiconductor switching element formed of a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor).

The switching elements Q1 and Q2 are connected in series between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T2(T21 and T22) in a so-called reverse direction. That is, the sources of the switching elements Q1, Q2 are connected to each other. The drain of the switching element Q1 is connected to the 1 st terminal T1, and the drain of the switching element Q2 is connected to the 2 nd terminal T2. The sources of the switching elements Q1 and Q2 included in the switching circuit 101 are electrically connected to the ground of the sub power supply circuit 321 provided corresponding to the switching circuit 101, and a voltage for driving the gate is supplied from the sub power supply circuit 321 to the switching circuit 101. Further, the sources of the switching elements Q1 and Q2 included in the switching circuit 102 are electrically connected to the ground of the sub power supply circuit 322 provided in correspondence with the switching circuit 102, and a voltage for driving the gate is supplied from the sub power supply circuit 322 to the switching circuit 101.

The switch 11 of each switching circuit 10 is switchable between 4 states by a combination of on and off of the switching elements Q1 and Q2. The switching elements Q1 and Q2 are controlled to be turned on or off by the control circuit 20, respectively. The 4 states include a "bidirectional off state" in which both the switching elements Q1 and Q2 are off, a "bidirectional on state" in which both the switching elements Q1 and Q2 are on, and 2 "unidirectional on states" in which only one of the switching elements Q1 and Q2 is on. In the one-way on state, the parasitic diode serving as the on-side switching element among the switching elements Q1 and Q2 is turned on in one direction between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T2. For example, when the switching element Q1 is turned on and the switching element Q2 is turned off, the current flows from the 1 st terminal T1 to the 2 nd terminal T2 in the "1 st one-way on state". In addition, when the switching element Q2 is turned on and the switching element Q1 is turned off, a current flows from the 2 nd terminal T2 to the 1 st terminal T1 in the "2 nd one-way on state". Therefore, when the ac voltage Vac is applied from the ac power supply 2 between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T2, the 1 st one-way on state becomes the "forward on state" and the 2 nd one-way on state becomes the "reverse on state" when the ac voltage Vac is positive, that is, when the 1 st terminal T1 is in the positive half cycle. When the ac voltage Vac is negative, that is, when the 2 nd terminal T2 is in the positive state for half a cycle, the 2 nd one-way on state becomes the "forward on state", and the 1 st one-way on state becomes the "reverse on state".

Here, the switch 11 is in the "on state" in which current flows to the load 3(3A, 3B) through the switch 11 in both the "bidirectional on state" and the "forward on state". The switch 11 is in a "non-conductive state" in which a current flows to the load 3(3A, 3B) without passing through the switch 11 in both of the "bidirectional off state" and the "reverse direction on state". In the present embodiment, the control circuit 20 controls the switches Q1 and Q2 to be turned on or off in a positive half cycle or a negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, respectively, thereby controlling the switch 11 to be in the "on state" or the "off state".

The zero-cross detectors 231 and 232 detect zero-cross points of the ac voltage Vac applied between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21.

The zero-crossing detection unit 231 compares the voltage at the 1 st terminal T1 with a predetermined threshold value. When the zero-crossing detector 231 detects that the voltage that has made the 1 st terminal T1 positive is in a state of not reaching the threshold value and being equal to or higher than the threshold value, it determines that the ac voltage Vac is at a zero-crossing point when it has moved from a negative half cycle to a positive half cycle, and outputs a detection signal. The detection signal output from the zero-crossing detector 231 is input to the sub-control circuit 22 through an insulating circuit 253 that electrically insulates the zero-crossing detector 231 from the sub-control circuit 22. Note that a circuit for outputting the detection signal of the zero-cross detection unit 231 as a short-pulsed signal may be electrically connected between the zero-cross detection unit 231 and the insulating circuit 253. Note that the insulating circuit 253 electrically insulates between input and output by, for example, an optical transmission element such as an optical coupler, but may also electrically insulate between input and output by an electromagnetic transmission element such as a transformer.

When the zero-cross detection unit 232 detects that the voltage at the positive electrode of the 2 nd terminal T21 has moved from a state of not reaching the threshold value to a state of not less than the threshold value, it determines that the ac voltage Vac has moved from the positive half cycle to the negative half cycle. The zero-cross detection unit 232 outputs a detection signal to the sub-control circuit 22 when detecting a zero-cross point when the ac voltage Vac shifts from a positive half cycle to a negative half cycle. The threshold value is set to a value (absolute value) near 0 [ V ]. For example, the threshold values of the zero-crossing detection units 231 and 232 are about several [ V ]. Therefore, the detection time of the zero-cross point detected by the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232 is delayed by a little time from the strict zero-cross point (0V).

Similarly, the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242 detect a zero-cross point of the ac voltage Vac applied between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22. When zero-cross detection units 241 and 242 detect a zero-cross point, a detection signal is output. Since the ground of the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242 and the ground of the main power supply circuit 31 are shared, the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242 are directly input to the sub-control circuit 22. Note that, between the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242 and the sub-control circuit 22, a circuit that outputs the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242 as a signal that is a short pulse may be electrically connected.

The interface unit (operation unit) 40 inputs input levels defining the brightness for the loads 3A and 3B, respectively. The input level defines the timing at which the switch 11 is in a conductive state or a non-conductive state in a half cycle of the ac voltage Vac. The interface unit 40 may input different input levels for the loads 3A and 3B, or may input the same input level. In the present embodiment, since the load control system 1 is a dimming device, the interface unit 40 receives an operation performed by a user and receives an input of a dimming level as an input level. The interface unit 40 outputs a dimming signal indicating a dimming level to the main control circuit 21. The dimming signal is a numerical value or the like for specifying the magnitude of the light output of the load 3, and may include an "OFF level" for turning OFF the load 3. In the present embodiment, the interface unit 40 has a touch panel 41 (see fig. 2) for receiving a touch operation by a user, for example. The touch panel 41 is held on the surface of the body 90 of the load control system 1, and can accept a touch operation by a user in a state where the body 90 of the load control system 1 is mounted on the construction material 100 of a wall surface or the like. Note that the interface unit 40 may be configured to output a signal indicating an input level (dimming level), and may be, for example, a variable resistor, a rotary switch, an operation button, or the like disposed on the surface of the main body 90. The interface unit 40 may include a plurality of operation units corresponding to the plurality of open/close circuits 10 in a one-to-one manner. The control circuit 20 controls on/off of the switch 11 provided in the open/close circuit 10 corresponding to one operation unit among the plurality of open/close circuits 10, in accordance with an operation input from one operation unit among the plurality of operation units. In the present embodiment, the interface unit 40 is realized by the touch panel 41, and for example, by performing a predetermined operation (such as a right slide or a left slide) by the touch panel 41 to switch the load 3 to be operated, and then performing a predetermined operation (such as an up slide or a down slide) by the touch panel 41 to operate the dimming level of the load 3 to be operated. That is, although the plurality of operation units corresponding to the plurality of open/close circuits 10 in one-to-one correspondence are realized by 1 touch panel 41, the plurality of operation units may be realized by a plurality of operation buttons or the like provided corresponding to the plurality of open/close circuits 10, respectively. In addition, one operation unit corresponding to one open/close circuit 10 may include a set of operation elements (for example, operation buttons or the like) for performing a plurality of operations (for example, switching between on/off, increasing the dimming level, decreasing the dimming level, or the like) related to one open/close circuit 10.

The interface unit 40 further includes a display unit (indicator) for displaying the input brightness (dimming level) of the load 3. The interface unit 40 includes a display unit including a plurality of LED elements, for example, and displays an input level by the number of LED elements turned on.

Next, the control circuit 20 is explained. In the present embodiment, the control circuit 20 includes: a main control circuit 21; and a sub-control circuit 22.

For example, the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 are mainly configured by microcontrollers each having 1 or more processors and 1 or more memories. The functions of the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 are realized by the processor of the microcontroller executing a program recorded in the memory of the microcontroller. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory, may be provided via a telecommunication line such as the internet, or may be recorded in a non-transitory storage medium such as a memory card. Note that, in the present embodiment, the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 are realized by separate microcontrollers, but the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 may be realized by 1 microcontroller.

The main control circuit 21 has a communication function of communicating with the control host 5 in a wireless communication manner. The communication function of the main control circuit 21 is, for example, a communication function conforming to a communication standard of a specific low-power wireless communication, but may be a communication module conforming to a communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). In the circuit diagrams of fig. 1 and the like, the control host is simply referred to as "CTRL" for the sake of simplicity of illustration.

The main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal indicating the dimming level of the load 3(3A, 3B) to be controlled to the sub-control circuit 22 in accordance with the control signal received from the control master 5. The main control circuit 21 has a function of receiving an operation input from the interface unit 40. The main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal indicating the dimming level of the load 3(3A, 3B) to be controlled to the sub-control circuit 22 in accordance with the operation input received from the operation unit 40.

The sub-control circuit 22 outputs a control signal S1 to the switch circuit 101 based on the control signal of the load 3A input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals input from the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232, and then controls on/off of the switch 11 included in the switch circuit 101. In the present embodiment, since the ground of the switching circuit 101 and the ground of the sub-control circuit 22 are not shared, the control signal S1 output from the sub-control circuit 22 is input to the switching circuit 101 via the insulating circuit 251. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the on/off of the switch 11 by controlling the switching elements Q1, Q2 of the switch 11 included in the switching circuit 101, and then phase-controls the ac voltage Vac supplied from the ac power supply 2 to the load 3A by the switch 11 of the switching circuit 101.

The sub-control circuit 22 outputs a control signal S2 to the open/close circuit 102 based on the control signal of the load 3B input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals input from the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242, and then controls on/off of the switch 11 included in the open/close circuit 102. In the present embodiment, since the ground of the switching circuit 102 and the ground of the sub-control circuit 22 are not shared, the control signal S2 output from the sub-control circuit 22 is input to the switching circuit 102 via the insulating circuit 252. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the on/off of the switch 11 by controlling the switching elements Q1, Q2 of the switch 11 included in the switching circuit 102, and then phase-controls the ac voltage Vac supplied from the ac power supply 2 to the load 3B by the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102.

The "phase control" mentioned here is a method of controlling the ac voltage Vac supplied (applied) to the load 3 by changing the phase angle (conduction angle) at which the current starts to be supplied to the load 3 and the phase angle at which the current ends to be supplied to the load 3, respectively, every half cycle of the ac voltage Vac. In the present embodiment, the sub-control circuit 22 performs "reverse phase control" for interrupting the power supply to the loads 3A and 3B during a half-cycle period of the ac voltage Vac.

In the present embodiment, the load control system 1 includes the insulating circuits 251 and 252 that electrically insulate the open/close circuit 10 and the control circuit 20 from each other. The insulation circuits 251, 252 electrically insulate the switch circuit 10 and the control circuit 20, and control signals can be transmitted between the switch circuit 10 and the control circuit 20 having different grounding levels. Note that since the control circuit 20 receives power from the power supply circuit 30, the insulating circuits 251 and 252 can electrically insulate the switching circuit 10 and the power supply circuit 30 by electrically insulating the switching circuit 10 and the control circuit 20 from each other. In the present embodiment, the insulating circuits 251 and 252 electrically insulate all of the open/close circuits 10 and the control circuit 20, but the insulating circuits may electrically insulate some of the open/close circuits 10 and the control circuit 20. The insulating circuit may electrically insulate at least one of the control circuit 20 and the power supply circuit 30 and at least a part of the plurality of open/close circuits 10.

Next, the power supply circuit 30 is explained. The power supply circuit 30 includes a main power supply circuit 31 and a plurality of (for example, 2) sub power supply circuits 321 and 322. In the present embodiment, the rectifier circuits DB1 and DB2 are provided in the front stage of the main power supply circuit 31.

The rectifier circuit DB1 is formed of a diode bridge circuit of diodes D1 to D4. One ends of the diodes D1, D2 as the 1 st input end of the rectifying circuit DB1 are electrically connected to the 1 st terminal T1. One ends of the diodes D3, D4 as the 2 nd input end of the rectifying circuit DB1 are electrically connected to the 2 nd terminal T21. The rectifier circuit DB1 full-wave rectifies the ac voltage Vac input via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21. A dc voltage (pulse current voltage) full-wave rectified by the rectifying circuit DB1 is input to the main power supply circuit 31.

The rectifier circuit DB2 is formed of a diode bridge circuit including diodes D1 and D2 and diodes D5 and D6. One end of the diodes D1 and D2 is electrically connected to the 1 st terminal T1, and one end of the diodes D5 and D6 is electrically connected to the 2 nd terminal T22. The rectifier circuit DB2 full-wave rectifies the ac voltage Vac input via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22. A dc voltage (pulse current voltage) full-wave rectified by the rectifying circuit DB2 is input to the main power supply circuit 31.

The main power supply circuit 31 is electrically connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21 through the rectifier circuit DB 1. The alternating voltage Vac applied between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21 is full-wave rectified by the rectifier circuit DB1, and the rectified voltage is input to the main power supply circuit 31. In addition, the main power circuit 31 is electrically connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22 through the rectifier circuit DB 2. The alternating voltage Vac applied between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22 is full-wave rectified by the rectifier circuit DB2, and the rectified voltage is input to the main power supply circuit 31.

Thus, the main power supply circuit 31 converts the dc voltage input from at least one of the rectifier circuits DB1 and DB2 into a dc voltage having a predetermined voltage value, and supplies the dc voltage to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like. That is, the power circuit 30 obtains power from the ac power source 2 through any 2 nd terminal T2 and 1 st terminal T1 of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2(T21, T22), and the power circuit 30 can obtain power from any 2 nd terminal T2, so that the load control system 1 can continue to operate. Note that, in the example circuit of fig. 1, a diode for backflow prevention is connected between the main power supply circuit 31 and the sub-control circuit 22, but the diode for backflow prevention may not be provided between the main power supply circuit 31 and the sub-control circuit 22.

The main power supply circuit 31 includes: a1 st main power supply circuit that generates a voltage supplied to the control circuit 20 and the like in an on period of the load 3; and a2 nd main power supply circuit that generates a voltage supplied to the control circuit 20 and the like in the off period of the load 3.

The 1 st main power supply circuit generates a voltage in the on period of the load 3, but when the open/close circuit 10 is brought into the on state, the voltage between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T2 is substantially zero. Since the load control system 1 of the present embodiment performs reverse phase control on the load 3, the 1 st main power supply circuit receives power from the ac power supply 2 during a time period from, for example, a zero-cross point of the ac voltage Vac until the on-off circuit 10 is turned on. For example, the 1 st main power supply circuit includes: a charging means (e.g., a capacitor or the like) that is charged by a current input from at least one of the rectifier circuits DB1 and DB2 during a time period from a zero-cross point of the ac voltage Vac until the on-off circuit 10 becomes an on state. The 1 st main power supply circuit supplies a voltage generated between both ends of the charging element to the control circuit 20 and the like. Note that the 1 st main power supply circuit is not limited to a circuit including a charging element, and may be appropriately modified.

The 2 nd main power supply circuit generates a voltage supplied to the control circuit 20 and the like during the off period of the load 3. During the off period of the load 3, the alternating voltage Vac is applied between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T2, and the rectified pulse current voltage is applied to the main power supply circuit 31 from the rectifier circuits DB1, DB 2. The 2 nd main power supply circuit is, for example, a series regulator type step-down transformer power supply, converts the pulse current voltage input from the rectifier circuits DB1 and DB2 into a dc voltage having a predetermined voltage value, and supplies the converted dc voltage to the control circuit 20 and the like. Note that the 2 nd main power supply circuit is not limited to the step-down transformer power supply, and may be appropriately modified.

A plurality of (for example, 2) sub power supply circuits 321 and 322 correspond to a plurality of (for example, 2) switching circuits 101 and 102 in a one-to-one correspondence. The sub power supply circuits 321 and 322 are each configured by a series regulator type voltage reducer power supply. Note that the sub power supply circuits 321 and 322 are not limited to the step-down transformer power supply, and may be appropriately modified.

The sub power supply circuit 321 is electrically connected to the 1 st terminal T1 through a diode D11 for backflow prevention, and is electrically connected to the 2 nd terminal T21 through a diode D12 for backflow prevention. The sub power supply circuit 321 receives power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 or the 2 nd terminal T21, generates a dc voltage having a predetermined voltage value, and supplies the generated dc voltage to the zero-crossing detection units 231 and 232, the insulating circuit 251, and the like.

Similarly, the sub power supply circuit 322 is electrically connected to the 1 st terminal T1 through the diode D21 for backflow prevention, and is electrically connected to the 2 nd terminal T22 through the diode D22 for backflow prevention. The sub power supply circuit 321 receives power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 or the 2 nd terminal T22, generates a dc voltage having a predetermined voltage value, and supplies the generated dc voltage to the zero-crossing detection units 241 and 242, the insulating circuit 252, and the like.

(3) Operation of

Next, the operation of the load control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 6.

(3.1) operation when 2 lamps were extinguished

The operation when the load control system 1 turns off both the loads 3A and 3B in response to a control signal from the control master 5 or an operation input from the interface unit 40 will be described.

When the main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal for turning OFF both the loads 3A and 3B to the sub-control circuit 22, the sub-control circuit 22 outputs a dimming signal having an OFF level to the on-OFF circuits 101 and 102 as the control signals S1 and S2. The open/close circuits 101 and 102 maintain the switch 11 in a non-conduction state and turn off the loads 3A and 3B in response to control signals S1 and S2 input from the sub-control circuit 22 through the insulating circuits 251 and 252.

When the switches 11 of the open/close circuits 101 and 102 are in a non-conductive state, the ac voltage Vac of the ac power supply 2 is applied between both ends of the switches 11 of the open/close circuits 101 and 102, respectively.

At this time, the main power supply circuit 31 can obtain power from the ac power supply 2 via both the 2 nd terminal T21 and the 2 nd terminal T22, and the 1 st terminal T1 (in other words, via the rectifier circuits DB1 and DB2), and then generate power to be supplied to the control circuit 20 and the like.

The voltage generated across the switch 11 of the switching circuit 101 is input to the secondary power supply circuit 321, and then the voltage supplied to the zero cross detection units 231, 232, and the like is generated. Similarly, the voltage generated across the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 is input to the secondary power supply circuit 322, and then the voltage supplied to the zero-cross detection units 241, 242 and the like is generated.

(3.2) operation when 1 Lamp is lighted

The operation when the main control circuit 21 turns off the load 3A and turns on the load 3B in response to a control signal from the control master 5 or an operation input from the interface unit 40 will be described with reference to fig. 3 and 4. Note that Vac in fig. 4 is an ac voltage of the ac power supply 2, VL is a voltage generated between both ends of the load 3B, and V10 is a voltage generated between both ends of the open/close circuit 102.

Before starting the process of lighting the load 3, the sub-control circuit 22 determines whether or not the loads 3A and 3B are connected. For example, when the detection signal is input from the zero-crossing detection unit 232, the sub-control circuit 22 determines that the load 3A is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and outputs the determination result to the main control circuit 21. When the detection signal is input from the zero-cross detection unit 242, for example, the sub-control circuit 22 determines that the load 3B is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22, and outputs the determination result to the main control circuit 21. Hereinafter, the operation of the sub-control circuit 22 when determining that both the loads 3A and 3B are connected will be described.

When the main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal for turning off the load 3A to the sub-control circuit 22 to set the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 to the non-conductive state, the sub-control circuit 22 outputs a control signal S1 for turning on the switch 11 to the non-conductive state. When the control signal S1 from the sub-control circuit 22 is input through the insulating circuit 251, the switch circuit 101 turns off the load 3A by turning off the switch 11 in a non-conductive state.

Since the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 is in a non-conductive state, the ac voltage Vac of the ac power supply 2 is applied between both ends of the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101. Therefore, the main power supply circuit 31 can receive power from the main power supply circuit 31 via the 2 nd terminal T21 and the 1 st terminal T1 (in other words, via the rectifier circuit DB1) to generate power to be supplied to the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22. The sub power supply circuit 321 receives a voltage generated between both ends of the switch 11 of the switching circuit 101, and performs a voltage generating operation. In fig. 3, a dotted line b1 represents a path through which current flows from the ac power supply 2 to the main power supply circuit 31, and a dotted line b2 represents a path through which current flows from the ac power supply 2 to the sub power supply circuit 321.

The main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal indicating the dimming level of the load 3B to the sub-control circuit 22 in order to dim and light the load 3B. The sub-control circuit 22 outputs a control signal S2 for turning the switch 11 into a conductive state or a non-conductive state, based on the control signal input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection sections 241 and 242. The control signal S2 output from the sub-control circuit 22 is input to the open/close circuit 102 via the insulating circuit 252. Accordingly, the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 is turned on in a range of a phase angle corresponding to the dimming level in each half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, so that the load 3B is dimmed at a desired dimming level.

Here, the operation of the load control system 1 for dimming the load 3B in a half cycle in which the ac voltage Vac has a positive polarity is described with reference to fig. 3 and 4. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state at the timing (time t1 in fig. 4) when the 1 st time period TA1 elapses from the zero cross point (time t0 in fig. 4) based on the result that the zero cross detection unit 241 detects the zero cross point of the ac voltage Vac in the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac. The 1 st period TA1 is a period required for the sub power supply circuit 322 to generate a required voltage, and is a period elapsed before the output voltage V322 of the sub power supply circuit 322 exceeds a prescribed lower limit voltage. The sub-control circuit 22 receives information of the output voltage V322 from the sub-power supply circuit 322 via the insulation circuit, and if the output voltage V322 exceeds the lower limit voltage, the sub-control circuit 22 determines that the 1 st period TA1 has elapsed from the zero crossing point of the ac voltage Vac.

Here, in the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 is in the non-conductive state during the 1 st period TA1 from the zero-cross point (time t0) to the time t1 of the ac voltage Vac, and the sub power supply circuit 322 is capable of receiving the supply of electric power from the ac power supply 2 to perform the operation of generating the voltage supplied to the insulating circuit 252 and the like.

After that, the sub-control circuit 22 outputs the control signal S2 for controlling the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to the non-conductive state at the timing when the on period T10 corresponding to the dimming level has elapsed from the time T1 (time T2 in fig. 4). Accordingly, in the on period T10 from the time point T1 to the time point T2, the power is supplied from the ac power supply 2 to the load 3B via the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102, and therefore the load 3B is lit at the predetermined dimming level.

Thereafter, if the absolute value of the voltage value of the ac voltage Vac is lower than the predetermined reference voltage (time t3 in fig. 4), the sub power supply circuit 322 performs the voltage generating operation. The reference voltage is set to a voltage lower than the voltage value at which the load 3B can operate. If the absolute value of the voltage value of the ac voltage Vac is equal to or less than the reference voltage, the load 3B does not light up even if the sub power supply circuit 322 performs the voltage generation operation. Thereby, the sub power supply circuit 322 can receive the supply of electric power from the ac power supply 2 even in the 2 nd period TA2 from the time t3 to the zero cross point of the ac voltage Vac (time t4 in fig. 4). Therefore, the sub power supply circuit 322 can receive the supply of electric power from the ac power supply 2 and perform the voltage generating operation even in the 2 nd period TA 2.

Next, the operation of the load control system 1 in the negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac will be described. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state at the timing (time t5 in fig. 4) when the 1 st period TA1 elapses from the zero cross point (time t4 in fig. 4) as a result of the zero cross detection unit 242 detecting the zero cross point of the ac voltage Vac in the negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac.

In the negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 is in the non-conductive state during the 1 st period TA1 from the zero-crossing point (time t4) to the time t5 of the ac voltage Vac, and the sub power supply circuit 322 is supplied with power from the ac power supply 2 to perform the voltage generating operation.

After that, the sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to the non-conductive state at the timing when the on period T10 corresponding to the dimming level has elapsed from the time T5 (time T6 in fig. 4). Accordingly, in the on period T10 from the time point T5 to the time point T6, the power is supplied from the ac power supply 2 to the load 3B via the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102, and therefore the load 3B is lit at the predetermined dimming level.

Thereafter, if the absolute value of the voltage value of the ac voltage Vac is lower than the predetermined reference voltage (time t7 in fig. 4), the sub power supply circuit 322 performs the voltage generating operation. Thereby, the sub power supply circuit 322 can receive the supply of electric power from the ac power supply 2 even in the 2 nd period TA2 from the time point t7 to the zero cross point of the ac voltage Vac (time point t8 in fig. 4). Therefore, the sub power supply circuit 322 can receive the supply of electric power from the ac power supply 2 even in the 2 nd period TA2, and generate electric power for supply to the sub control circuit 22 and the like.

The load control system 1 alternately repeats the operation of the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac and the operation of the negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, thereby dimming and lighting the load 3B and turning off the load 3A.

Note that since the operation when the load control system 1 turns off the load 3B and simultaneously turns on the load 3A with dimming is the same as the operation when the load 3A is turned off and simultaneously turns on the load 3B with dimming, a description of the operation in this case will be omitted.

(3.3) operation when 2 lamps are lit

The operation when the main control circuit 21 lights the loads 3A and 3B in response to a control signal from the control host 5 or an operation input from the interface unit 40 will be described with reference to fig. 5.

The sub-control circuit 22 determines whether or not the loads 3A and 3B are connected before starting the process of lighting the load 3, and the operation when the sub-control circuit 22 determines that both the loads 3A and 3B are connected will be described below.

The main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal indicating the dimming level of the loads 3A and 3B to the sub-control circuit 22.

When the control signal is input from the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22 controls the on/off of the switches 11 of the switching circuits 101 and 102 at a phase angle corresponding to the dimming level of the loads 3A and 3B to dim and light the loads 3A and 3B.

When both the loads 3A and 3B are turned on, the sub-control circuit 22 determines the timing of turning on the switch 11 of the switching circuit 101 every half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, based on the output voltage V31 of the main power supply circuit 31 and the output voltage V321 of the sub-power supply circuit 321. The sub-control circuit 22 determines the timing of turning on the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 every half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, based on the output voltage V322 of the sub-power supply circuit 322.

First, the operation of the sub-control circuit 22 for controlling the on/off of the switch 11 of the switching circuit 101 in the half cycle in which the ac voltage Vac has a positive polarity will be described. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 to be in the on state at the timing when the 1 st time period TA1 has elapsed from the zero-crossing point, based on the result that the zero-crossing detection unit 231 detects the zero-crossing point of the ac voltage Vac in the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac.

During the time period from the zero-crossing point of the ac voltage Vac until the switch 11 of the on-off circuit 101 is controlled to be in the on state, the main power supply circuit 31 and the sub-power supply circuit 321 are supplied with the ac voltage Vac generated between both ends of the on-off circuit 101, and thus the voltage generation operation is performed. A dotted line b11 in fig. 5 indicates a path of current flowing from the ac power supply 2 to the main power supply circuit 31, and a dotted line b12 indicates a path of current flowing from the ac power supply 2 to the sub power supply circuit 321. The sub-control circuit 22 determines the time width of the 1 st period TA1 based on the voltage value of the output voltage V31 of the main power supply circuit 31 and the voltage value of the output voltage V321 of the sub-power supply circuit 321. The sub-control circuit 22 receives information on the voltage value of the output voltage V31 from the main power supply circuit 31, and receives information on the voltage value of the output voltage V321 from the sub-power supply circuit 321 via an insulating circuit. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 to be in an on state at a timing when both the output voltage V31 of the main power supply circuit 31 and the output voltage V321 of the sub-power supply circuit 321 exceed the respective lower limit voltages. Thus, the sub-control circuit 22 can control the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 to be in the on state after the main power supply circuit 31 and the sub-power supply circuit 322 generate the necessary voltages.

Then, the sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 to be in the non-conductive state at the timing when the on-period T10 corresponding to the dimming level has elapsed from the timing when the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 is set to be in the conductive state. Accordingly, since power is supplied from the ac power supply 2 to the load 3A via the switch 11 of the on/off circuit 101, the load 3A is lit at a predetermined dimming level.

Next, the operation of the sub-control circuit 22 controlling the on/off of the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 in the half cycle in which the ac voltage Vac has the positive polarity will be described. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state at the timing when the 1 st time period TA1 has elapsed from the zero crossing point, based on the result that the zero crossing detection unit 241 detects the zero crossing point of the ac voltage Vac in the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac.

The sub power supply circuit 322 is supplied with the ac voltage Vac generated between both ends of the switching circuit 102 during a period from the zero cross point of the ac voltage Vac until the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 is controlled to be in the on state, and thus performs the voltage generating operation. A dotted line b13 in fig. 5 represents a path along which current flows from the ac power supply 2 to the secondary power supply circuit 322. The sub-control circuit 22 determines the time width of the 1 st time period TA1 according to the voltage value of the output voltage V322 of the sub-power supply circuit 322. The sub-control circuit 22 receives information on the voltage value of the output voltage V322 from the sub-power supply circuit 322 via the isolation circuit. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in an on state at a timing when the output voltage of the sub-power supply circuit 322 exceeds the lower limit voltage of the sub-power supply circuit 322. Therefore, the sub-control circuit 22 can control the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state after the sub-power supply circuit 322 generates the required voltage.

Then, the sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the non-conductive state at the timing when the on-period T10 corresponding to the dimming level has elapsed from the timing when the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 is set to be in the conductive state. Accordingly, since power is supplied from the ac power supply 2 to the load 3B via the switch 11 of the on/off circuit 102, the load 3B is lit at a predetermined dimming level.

The load control system 1 performs the same control as the positive half cycle even in the half cycle in which the ac voltage Vac has the negative polarity. Then, the load control system 1 alternately repeats the operation of the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac and the operation of the negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, thereby dimming and lighting the loads 3A and 3B.

(3.4) Lighting operation in Single-sided No-load State

The operation of lighting the load 3B of one of the loads 3A and 3B when the load 3A is in a no-load state due to a failure or the like will be described with reference to fig. 6.

The sub-control circuit 22 determines whether or not the loads 3A and 3B are connected before starting the process of lighting the load 3, and the operation when it is determined that the load 3A is in the no-load state will be described below.

When the load 3A is in a no-load state, the main power supply circuit 31 obtains electric power from a voltage generated between both ends of the on-off circuit 102 corresponding to the load 3B. Therefore, the sub-control circuit 22 determines the timing of turning on the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 based on the output voltage V31 of the main power supply circuit 31 and the output voltage V322 of the sub-power supply circuit 322.

The operation of the sub-control circuit 22 for controlling the on/off of the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 in the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac will be described. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state at the timing when the 1 st time period TA1 has elapsed from the zero crossing point, based on the result that the zero crossing detection unit 241 detects the zero crossing point of the ac voltage Vac in the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac.

During the time period from the zero-cross point of the ac voltage Vac until the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 is controlled to be in the on state, the main power supply circuit 31 and the sub power supply circuit 322 are supplied with the ac voltage Vac generated between both ends of the switching circuit 102, and thus the voltage generation operation is performed. A dotted line b21 in fig. 6 indicates a path of current flowing from the ac power supply 2 to the main power supply circuit 31, and a dotted line b22 indicates a path of current flowing from the ac power supply 2 to the sub power supply circuit 322. The sub-control circuit 22 determines the time width of the 1 st period TA1 based on the voltage value of the output voltage V31 of the main power supply circuit 31 and the voltage value of the output voltage V322 of the sub-power supply circuit 322. That is, the sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state at the timing when both the output voltage V31 of the main power supply circuit 31 and the output voltage V322 of the sub-power supply circuit 322 exceed the respective lower limit voltages. Therefore, the sub-control circuit 22 can control the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state after the main power supply circuit 31 and the sub-power supply circuit 322 generate the necessary voltages.

Then, the sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the non-conductive state at the timing when the on-period T10 corresponding to the dimming level has elapsed from the timing when the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 is set to be in the conductive state. Accordingly, since power is supplied from the ac power supply 2 to the load 3B via the switch 11 of the on/off circuit 102, the load 3B is lit at a predetermined dimming level.

The load control system 1 can perform the same control as the positive half cycle even in the negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac. The load control system 1 alternately repeats the operation of the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac and the operation of the negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, thereby dimming and lighting the loads 3A and 3B.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the 2 nd terminal T2 of the part of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 is in the no-load state, the power supply circuit 30 obtains electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 2 nd terminal T2 and the 1 st terminal T1 other than the 2 nd terminal T2 of the part of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2. Therefore, even when some of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 are in the no-load state, the power supply circuit 30 can obtain power through the other 2 nd terminal T2, and the load control system 1 can continue to operate.

(4) Modification example

The above embodiment is only one of various embodiments of the present invention. The above-described embodiment can be modified in various ways according to design and the like, as long as the object of the present invention is achieved.

Modifications of the above embodiment will be described below. The modifications described below can be applied in combination as appropriate.

The load control system 1 of the present invention includes a computer system. The main components of a computer system are a processor and a memory as hardware. The functions of the load control system 1 according to the present invention are realized by executing programs recorded in a memory of the computer system by a processor. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory of the computer system, may be provided via a telecommunication line, or may be recorded in a non-transitory storage medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a hard disk drive which is readable by the computer system. The processor of the computer system may be constituted by 1 or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor Integrated Circuit (IC) or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI). Among them, integrated circuits such as ICs and LSIs are called differently depending on the degree of Integration, and include integrated circuits called system LSIs, VLSIs (Large Scale integrated circuits), or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale integrated circuits). Further, as the processor, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) which is Programmable after manufacturing of the LSI, a logic device which allows reconfiguration of a coupling relationship inside the LSI, or reconfiguration of a circuit block inside the LSI may be used. The plurality of electronic circuits may be designed to be collected on 1 chip or may be designed to be dispersed over a plurality of chips. Multiple chips may be designed to be pooled across 1 device or may be designed to be dispersed across multiple devices. Among them, a computer system includes a microcontroller having 1 or more processors and 1 or more memories. Thus, a microcontroller may also be made up of 1 or more electronic circuits including semiconductor integrated circuits or large scale integrated circuits.

Further, it is not essential for the load control system 1 that the plurality of functions of the load control system 1 are collected in 1 casing (main body 90), and the components of the load control system 1 may be designed to be distributed in a plurality of casings. Further, at least a part of the functions of the load control system 1 may be implemented by a cloud (cloud computer) or the like.

In the load control system 1 of the above embodiment, the number of the loads 3 is 2, but 3 or more loads 3 may be controlled individually. That is, the number of the switching circuits 10 connected between the 2 nd terminal T2 and the 1 st terminal T1 may be 3 or more, and 3 or more loads 3 may be controlled, respectively. At this time, the power circuit 30 may be electrically connected to the more than 32 nd terminals T2, and obtain power through a part or all of the more than 32 nd terminals T2 to perform the voltage generating operation.

The load control system 1 of the above embodiment is not limited to the load 3 using the LED module as the light source, and may be applied to a light source on which a capacitor input type circuit is mounted and which can be lit with a small amount of current having a high impedance. As this type of light source, for example, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) module is cited. The load control system 1 is applicable to a load 3 of various light sources such as a discharge lamp.

Further, the load 3 controlled by the load control system 1 is not limited to the lighting load, and may be, for example, a heater or a fan. When the load 3 is a heater, the load control system 1 adjusts the amount of heat generated by the heater by adjusting the average power supplied to the heater. In addition, when the load 3 is a fan, the load control system 1 constitutes a regulator that regulates the rotational speed of the fan.

The switch 11 is not limited to being configured by the switching elements Q1 and Q2 each formed of a MOSFET, and may be configured by, for example, 2 IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar transistors) connected in reverse series. Further, in the switch 11, the rectifying element (diode) for realizing the one-direction on state is not limited to the parasitic diode of the switching elements Q1 and Q2, and may be an externally connected diode. The diodes may be built into the same package as each of the switching components Q1, Q2. The switch 11 may be a semiconductor element of a double-gate (double-gate) structure using a semiconductor material having a wide energy gap such as GaN (gallium nitride). With this configuration, the conduction loss of the switch 11 can be reduced.

In addition, the switch 11 may be controlled to be in a "forward on state" instead of in a "bidirectional on state" or may be controlled to be in a "bidirectional on state" instead of in a "forward on state". In addition, instead of the "two-way off state", the "reverse direction on state" may be controlled, and instead of the "reverse direction on state", the "two-way off state" may be controlled. That is, the state of the switch 11 in the conductive state or the non-conductive state may not be changed.

The control method of the switch 11 is a reverse phase control method, but may be a positive phase control method in which the power supply to the loads 3A and 3B is started in the middle of each half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, and the power supply to the loads 3A and 3B is interrupted at a zero-cross point of the next half cycle of the ac voltage Vac. The control method of the switch 11 may be a general control method that can be applied to either the positive phase control method or the negative phase control method.

In addition, "above" may mean "greater than" in comparison of 2 values such as a voltage value. That is, in the comparison of 2 values, whether or not 2 values are equal is arbitrarily changed depending on the setting of the reference value or the like, and there is no difference in technical point that "above" or "above" is used. Likewise, "below" may mean "below".

(4.1) modification 1

The load control system 1 of modification 1 is different from the above-described embodiment in that it further includes a1 st circuit block B1 and a plurality of (e.g., 2) nd circuit blocks B2(B21, B22), as shown in fig. 7. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

Each of the 2 nd circuit blocks B2 (for example, 2) has a2 nd connection part. Specifically, the 2 nd circuit block B21 has a pair of the 2 nd connection parts 82, and the 2 nd circuit block B22 has a pair of the 2 nd connection parts 83. The 2 nd circuit block B21 has a pair of 2 nd connection portions 82 electrically connected to the 1 st connection portions 81 of the 1 st circuit block B1. The 2 nd circuit block B21 has a pair of 2 nd connections 82 electrically connected to the 2 nd circuit block B22 has a pair of 2 nd connections 83. The 2 nd circuit block B22 has a pair of 2 nd connections 83 electrically connected to the 1 st connections 81 of the 1 st circuit block B1. The 2 nd circuit block B22 has a pair of 2 nd connections 83 electrically connected to the 2 nd circuit block B21 has a pair of 2 nd connections 82. The 2 nd circuit blocks B21, B22 are electrically connected to the 1 st circuit block B1 through the pair of 2 nd connection portions 82, 83 by connecting the pair of 2 nd connection portions 82, 83 to the pair of 1 st connection portions 81. The pair of 1 st connection portions 81 and the pair of 2 nd connection portions 82 and 83 may be formed of an appropriate conductive connection member such as a connector, a jumper wire, or an electric wire.

The 1 st circuit block B1 has: the 1 st case 91 houses a circuit including at least a part of the control circuit 20 (for example, the main control circuit 21) and at least a part of the power supply circuit 30 (for example, the main power supply circuit 31). Note that in the circuit diagrams of fig. 7 and the like, the power supply circuit is simply referred to as "PW" and the rectifier circuit is simply referred to as "RC" for the sake of simplicity of illustration.

In addition, the 2 nd circuit blocks B21, B22 correspond to the plurality of open/close circuits 101, 102 in a one-to-one correspondence, and the 2 nd circuit blocks B21, B22 have: and 2 nd cases 921 and 922 that house the corresponding one of the open/close circuits 101 and 102, respectively, and the open/close circuit 10. That is, the 2 nd circuit block B21 has: a2 nd case 921 that houses the opening/closing circuit 101, the 2 nd circuit block B22 including: and a2 nd case 922 that houses the open/close circuit 102. The 2 nd casings 921 and 922 are detachably attached to the 1 st casing 91, respectively. Note that in the circuit diagrams of fig. 7 and the like, the open-close circuit is simply referred to as "SC" for simplicity of illustration.

The main body 90 of the load control system 1 includes: the 1 st case 91; and 2 nd cases 921, 922, and when the 2 nd cases 921, 922 are attached to the 1 st case 91, the 2 nd connection portions 82, 83 are electrically connected to the 1 st connection portion 81. The 1 st and 2 nd housings 91, 921, 922 are detachable, and the 2 nd circuit block B21, B22 are attached to the 1 st circuit block B1, whereby the load control system 1 can be realized.

(4.2) modification 2

The load control system 1 of modification 2 is different from the above-described embodiment in that a plurality of sub-control circuits 221 and 222 are provided corresponding to the plurality of open/close circuits 101 and 102, respectively, as shown in fig. 8. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

The sub-control circuit 221 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 to be in a conductive state or a non-conductive state based on a control signal input from the main control circuit 21 via the insulating circuit 251 and detection results of the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232.

The sub-control circuit 222 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in a conductive state or a non-conductive state based on a control signal input from the main control circuit 21 via the insulating circuit 252 and detection results of the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242.

Note that since the operation of the load control system 1 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

In modification 2, the control circuit 20 includes: a main control circuit 21; and a plurality of sub-control circuits 221, 222. The plurality of sub control circuits 221 and 222 correspond to the plurality of open/close circuits 101 and 102 in a one-to-one correspondence. The main control circuit 21 controls the plurality of sub-control circuits 221 and 222, and each of the plurality of sub-control circuits 221 and 222 controls the switch 11 of a corresponding one of the plurality of open/close circuits 101 and 102, respectively. Thus, in modification 2, the main control circuit 21 is shared by a plurality of open/close circuits 10. That is, the main control circuit 21, which is a part of the control circuit 20, is a common circuit shared by the plurality of open/close circuits 10, and the circuit scale of the entire load control system 1 can be reduced by sharing the main control circuit 21 by the plurality of open/close circuits 10.

In modification 2, the power supply circuit 30 includes: a main power supply circuit 31; and a plurality of sub power supply circuits 321 and 322. The plurality of sub power supply circuits 321 and 322 correspond to the plurality of sub control circuits 221 and 222 in a one-to-one manner. The main power supply circuit 31 supplies power to the main control circuit 21, and each of the plurality of sub power supply circuits 321 and 322 supplies power to a corresponding one of the plurality of sub control circuits 221 and 222. Thus, in modification 2, the main power supply circuit 31 is shared by a plurality of open/close circuits 10. That is, since the main power supply circuit 31 as a part of the power supply circuit 30 supplies power to the main control circuit 21 shared by the plurality of open/close circuits 10, the main power supply circuit 31 is also shared by the plurality of open/close circuits 10. In modification 2, since the main power supply circuit 31 is shared by a plurality of switching circuits 10, the circuit scale of the entire load control system 1 can be further reduced.

(4.3) modification 3

The load control system 1 of modification 3 is different from the above-described embodiment in that the sub-control circuit 22 and the open/close circuit 101 are not electrically insulated from each other, as shown in fig. 9 and 10. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Note that in fig. 9 and 10, the interface unit 40 and the control host 5 are not illustrated.

In modification 3, the ground of the switch circuit 101 and the ground of the main power supply circuit 31 are shared among the plurality of switch circuits 101 and 102, thereby removing an insulating circuit that electrically insulates between the switch circuit 101 and the sub-control circuit 22. In addition, since the ground of the switching circuit 101 and the ground of the main power supply circuit 31 are shared, an insulating circuit that electrically insulates between the zero cross detection units 231 and 232 and the sub-control circuit 22 is removed. The sub-control circuit 22 outputs a control signal S1 to the open/close circuit 101 based on the control signal input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232, thereby controlling the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 to be in a conductive state or a non-conductive state.

In modification 3, a switch (shutter) SW1 is provided between the ground of the main power supply circuit 31 and the diode D6, and the sub-control circuit 22 controls on/off of the switch SW 1. The switch SW1 is a normally-on contact, and when no control signal is input from the sub-control circuit 22, the switch SW1 is turned on.

When the load 3A is turned on and the load 3B is turned off in a state where the loads 3A and 3B are connected, the sub-control circuit 22 turns off the switch SW 1. At this time, the main power supply circuit 31 receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and generates electric power to be supplied to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like. When the switch SW1 is turned off, the main power supply circuit 31 and the 2 nd terminal T22 are blocked from each other, and external disturbance such as noise is less likely to be input from the 2 nd terminal T22 to the main power supply circuit 31.

When determining that the load 3A is not connected and that only the load 3B is connected, the sub-control circuit 22 turns on the switch SW 1. At this time, the main power supply circuit 31 can obtain electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22, and generate electric power to be supplied to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like.

In modification 3, a sub-control circuit 222 for controlling the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 is provided, and the sub-control circuit 222 operates by receiving electric power from the sub-power supply circuit 322. The sub-control circuit 222 outputs a control signal S4 to the switching circuit 102 based on a control signal S3 input from the main control circuit 21 through the insulating circuit 252 and detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242, thereby controlling the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 to be in a conductive state or a non-conductive state.

Next, the operation of the load control system 1 of modification 3 will be described.

(a) Operation when 2 lamps are off

The operation when the load control system 1 turns off both the loads 3A and 3B in response to a control signal from the control master 5 or an operation input from the interface unit 40 will be described.

The main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 determine whether or not the load 3 is connected before starting the process of turning off the load 3. For example, when the detection signal is input from the zero-cross detection unit 232, the sub-control circuit 22 determines that the load 3A is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and outputs the determination result to the main control circuit 21. Further, if the main control circuit 21 can communicate with the sub-control circuit 222 via the isolation circuit 252, for example, it is determined that the load 3B is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22. The isolation circuit 252 can transmit signals in both directions between the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 222. When the main control circuit 21 can output the survival confirmation signal to the sub-control circuit 222 via the insulating circuit 252 and then receive a response signal corresponding to the survival confirmation signal from the sub-control circuit 222 via the insulating circuit 252, it is determined that the load 3B is connected. When both loads 3A, 3B are connected, the main control circuit 21 turns on the switch SW 1.

When the main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal for turning off both the loads 3A and 3B to the sub-control circuits 22 and 222, the sub-control circuits 22 and 222 output control signals S1 and S4 for turning off the switch 11 to the open/close circuits 101 and 102, respectively.

The open/close circuit 101 maintains the switch 11 in the non-conductive state and sets the load 3A to the off state in accordance with the control signal S1 input from the sub-control circuit 22. The open/close circuit 102 maintains the switch 11 in the non-conductive state and sets the load 3B to the off state in accordance with the control signal S4 input from the sub-control circuit 222.

When the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 is in a non-conductive state, the ac voltage Vac of the ac power supply 2 is applied between both ends of the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101. Therefore, the main power supply circuit 31 can obtain electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and generate electric power to be supplied to the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22.

(b) Operation when only the load 3A is lighted

The operation when the main control circuit 21 turns on the load 3A and turns off the load 3B in response to a control signal from the control master 5 or an operation input from the interface unit 40 will be described.

The main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 determine whether or not the load 3 is connected before starting the process of lighting the load 3. When the load 3A is turned on and the load 3B is turned off in a state where both the loads 3A and 3B are connected, the main control circuit 21 turns off the switch SW 1.

When the switch SW1 is turned off, the main power supply circuit 31 receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and generates electric power to be supplied to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like.

At this time, the sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 based on the control signal input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232, thereby lighting the load 3A at a dimming level corresponding to the dimming level of the control signal.

Since the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 is controlled to be in a non-conduction state, the ac voltage Vac of the ac power supply 2 is applied between both ends of the open/close circuit 102. Therefore, the sub power supply circuit 322 can obtain electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22, and generate electric power to be supplied to the sub control circuit 222.

(c) Operation when only the load 3B is lighted

The operation when the main control circuit 21 turns off the load 3A and turns on the load 3B in response to a control signal from the control master 5 or an operation input from the interface unit 40 will be described.

The main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 determine whether or not the load 3 is connected before starting the process of lighting the load 3. When the load 3A is turned off and the load 3B is turned on in a state where both the loads 3A and 3B are connected, the main control circuit 21 turns off the switch SW 1. Note that the main control circuit 21 may turn on the switch SW 1.

The main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal, which is a dimming signal of an OFF level, to the sub-control circuit 22, and in response, the sub-control circuit 22 outputs a control signal S1, which sets the switch 11 in a non-conductive state, to the open/close circuit 101. At this time, the switching circuit 101 controls the switch 11 to be in the non-conductive state in accordance with the control signal S1 input from the sub-control circuit 22. When the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 is in a non-conductive state, the ac voltage Vac of the ac power supply 2 is applied between both ends of the open/close circuit 101. Thus, the main power supply circuit 31 can obtain electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and generate electric power to be supplied to the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 222.

The main control circuit 21 outputs a control signal S3 to the sub control circuit 222. The control signal S3 output from the main control circuit 21 is input to the sub-control circuit 222 via the insulating circuit 252. The sub-control circuit 222 outputs a control signal S4 for controlling the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to the open/close circuit 102 based on the control signal S3 input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection sections 241 and 242. The switching circuit 102 controls the switch 11 to the on state within the range of the phase angle corresponding to the dimming level in accordance with the control signal S4 input from the sub-control circuit 222, and causes the load 3B to light at the dimming brightness corresponding to the dimming level of the control signal.

(d) Operation with only load 3A connected

The operation of the load control system 1 when the load 3A is electrically connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21 and the load 3B is not electrically connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22 will be described.

The main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 determine whether or not the load 3 is connected before starting the process of lighting the load 3, and if it is determined that the load 3B is not connected, the main control circuit 21 turns off the switch SW 1.

When the switch SW1 is turned off, the main power circuit 31 and the 2 nd terminal T22 are electrically interrupted. At this time, the main power supply circuit 31 receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and generates electric power to be supplied to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like.

The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 based on the control signal input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232, thereby lighting the load 3A at a dimming level corresponding to the dimming level of the control signal.

(e) Operation with only load 3B connected

The operation of the load control system 1 when the load 3B is electrically connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22 and the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21 are in a no-load state due to a failure or disconnection of the load 3A will be described with reference to fig. 10.

Since the switch SW1 is normally turned on, the switch SW1 is turned on when the main power circuit 31 cannot obtain power through the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21. Accordingly, since the ground of the main power supply circuit 31 is connected to the 2 nd terminal T22 via the switch SW1, the main power supply circuit 31 receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22, and supplies electric power to the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22. The main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 determine whether or not the load 3 is connected before starting the process of lighting the load 3, and turn on the switch SW1 if it determines that the load 3A is not connected. Thereby, the switch SW1 is kept in the on state, and the main power supply circuit 31 receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22 and supplies electric power to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like.

At this time, the sub-control circuit 222 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 based on the control signal S3 input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection sections 241 and 242, and the operation thereof will be described below.

The operation in which the sub-control circuit 222 controls the on/off of the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 in the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac will be described. The sub-control circuit 222 controls the switch 11 of the opening/closing circuit 102 to be in the on state at the timing when the 1 st time period TA1 has elapsed from the zero crossing point, based on the result that the zero crossing detection unit 241 detects the zero crossing point of the ac voltage Vac in the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac.

During the time period from the zero-cross point of the ac voltage Vac until the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 is controlled to be in the on state, the main power supply circuit 31 and the sub power supply circuit 322 are supplied with the ac voltage Vac generated between both ends of the switching circuit 102, and thus the voltage generation operation is performed. A dotted line b31 in fig. 10 represents a path along which current flows from the ac power supply 2 to the main power supply circuit 31. The sub-control circuit 222 determines the time width of the 1 st period TA1 based on the voltage value of the output voltage V31 of the main power supply circuit 31 and the voltage value of the output voltage V322 of the sub-power supply circuit 322. The sub-control circuit 222 receives the information of the voltage value of the output voltage V31 from the main power supply circuit 31 via the insulation circuit, and receives the information of the voltage value of the output voltage V322 from the sub-power supply circuit 322. The sub-control circuit 222 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state at a timing when both the output voltage V31 of the main power supply circuit 31 and the output voltage V322 of the sub-power supply circuit 322 exceed the respective lower limit voltages. Thus, the sub-control circuit 222 can control the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 to be in the on state after the main power supply circuit 31 and the sub-power supply circuit 322 generate the necessary voltages.

Then, the sub-control circuit 222 controls the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 to the non-conductive state at the timing when the conduction period T10 corresponding to the dimming level has elapsed from the timing when the switch 11 of the switching circuit 102 is set to the conductive state. Accordingly, since power is supplied from the ac power supply 2 to the load 3B via the switch 11 of the on/off circuit 102, the load 3B is lit at a predetermined dimming level.

The load control system 1 can perform the same control as the positive half cycle even in the half cycle in which the alternating voltage Vac has the negative polarity. Then, the load control system 1 alternately repeats the operation of the positive half cycle of the ac voltage Vac and the operation of the negative half cycle of the ac voltage Vac, thereby dimming and lighting the loads 3A and 3B.

As described above, the load control system 1 according to modification 3 further includes the switch SW1 (shutter) connected between one 2 nd terminal T2 of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 and the power supply circuit 30. The control circuit 20 (the sub-control circuit 22 in the present modification) turns off the switch SW1 when the 2 nd terminal T2 connected to the switch SW1 among the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 is in a no-load state. When the 2 nd terminal T2 connected to the switch SW1 is in the no-load state, the control circuit 20 turns off the switch SW1, so that the possibility of noise flowing into the power supply circuit 30 from the 2 nd terminal T2 in the no-load state can be reduced. Note that the switch SW1 may be an electromagnetic relay or a semiconductor switch.

(4.4) modification 4

The load control system 1 of modification 4 is different from modification 3 in that it includes a sub power supply circuit 321 that obtains electric power from between both ends of the open/close circuit 101 and a sub control circuit 221 that receives electric power from the sub power supply circuit 321 and controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101, as shown in fig. 11. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Note that in fig. 11, the interface unit 40 and the control host 5 are not illustrated.

In modification 4, the sub-control circuits 221 and 222 are provided for the open/close circuits 101 and 102, respectively. The function and operation of the sub-control circuit 222 are the same as those of the modification 3, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

The sub-control circuit 221 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 based on the control signal input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232, thereby dimming and lighting the load 3.

Note that the operation of the load control system 1 is the same as that of modification 3, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

(4.5) modification 5

The load control system 1 of modification 5 is different from the above-described embodiment in that the sub-control circuit 22 and the open/close circuits 101 and 102 are not electrically insulated from each other, as shown in fig. 12. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In modification 5, since the ground of the power supply circuit 30, the ground of the open/close circuit 101, and the ground of the open/close circuit 102 are shared, it is not necessary to electrically insulate the sub-control circuit 22 and the open/close circuits 101 and 102 from each other. Therefore, in modification 5, the plurality of open/close circuits 10 and the control circuit 20 are not electrically insulated from the power supply circuit 30, and the insulated circuit for electrically insulating the sub-control circuit 22 and the open/close circuits 101 and 102 can be removed. In other words, in modification 5, the plurality of switching circuits 10, the control circuit 20, and the power supply circuit 30 are electrically connected to each other.

Note that the operation of the load control system 1 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

(4.6) modification 6

In the load control system 1 of modification 6, as shown in fig. 13, the power supply circuit 30 is different from the above-described embodiment in that it includes a power supply circuit 30A and an insulated power supply circuit 30C provided for the open/close circuits 101 and 102, respectively. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Note that in fig. 13, the interface unit 40 and the control host 5 are not illustrated. In the circuit diagrams of fig. 13 and the like, the insulated power supply circuit is simply referred to as "IPW" for simplicity of illustration.

The rectifier circuit DB1 is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21. The rectifier circuit DB1 rectifies the ac voltage Vac input through the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21. The power supply circuit 30A is connected between the output terminals of the rectifier circuit DB 1. The power supply circuit 30A converts the pulse current voltage input from the rectifier circuit DB1 into a dc voltage having a predetermined voltage value, and supplies the dc voltage to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like. That is, the power supply circuit 30A receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and supplies the electric power to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like.

Further, a rectifier circuit DB2 is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22. The rectifier circuit DB2 rectifies the ac voltage Vac input through the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22. The insulated power supply circuit 30C is connected between the output terminals of the rectifier circuit DB 2. The isolated power supply circuit 30C converts the pulse current voltage input from the rectifier circuit DB2 into a dc voltage having a predetermined voltage value, and supplies the dc voltage to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like. That is, the insulated power supply circuit 30C receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22, and supplies the electric power to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like. Note that the insulated power supply circuit 30C electrically insulates the input side and the output side using an electromagnetic coupling element such as a transformer, and the ground on the input side of the insulated power supply circuit 30C and the ground on the output side of the insulated power supply circuit 30C (that is, the ground of the power supply circuit 30A) are different.

In the present modification, since the ground of the power supply circuit 30A and the ground of the open/close circuit 101 are shared, detection signals of the zero cross detection units 231 and 232 are directly input to the sub-control circuit 22 that receives power supply from the power supply circuit 30A. Since the ground of the power supply circuit 30A and the ground of the open/close circuit 102 (the ground on the input side of the insulated power supply circuit 30C) are different from each other, the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242 are input to the sub-control circuit 22 via the insulated circuit 255.

The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 based on the control signal input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232, thereby dimming and lighting the load 3A. The sub-control circuit 22 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 based on the control signal input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 241 and 242, and dims and lights the load 3B. The operation of the sub-control circuit 22 when dimming and lighting the loads 3A and 3B is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

In the present modification, the power supply circuit 30 includes: a power supply circuit 30A that obtains electric power from an ac power supply 2 via a1 st terminal T1 and a2 nd terminal T21; and an insulated power supply circuit 30C that receives power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22.

Therefore, when the load 3A is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, electric power can be supplied from the power supply circuit 30A to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like.

In a no-load state where the load 3A is not connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, the power supply circuit 30A cannot receive electric power from the ac power supply, but electric power can be supplied from the insulated power supply circuit 30C to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 22, and the like. In this way, when the no-load state is established between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22 can continue to operate and the load 3B can be dimmed because the insulated power supply circuit 30C supplies power to the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 22.

In this way, in the load control system 1 according to modification 6, the power supply circuit 30 includes a plurality of power supply circuits (the power supply circuit 30A and the insulated power supply circuit 30C) corresponding to the plurality of switching circuits 10 in a one-to-one correspondence. When the 2 nd terminal T2 of a part of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 is in a no-load state, the power supply circuit 30 receives power from the ac power supply 2 via the 2 nd terminal T2 and the 1 st terminal T1 other than the 2 nd terminal T2 of a part of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2, and generates power to be supplied to a circuit including the control circuit 20. Therefore, even when a part of the plurality of loads 3 is in a no-load state, the power supply circuit 30 can obtain power through the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T2 connected to the normal load 3 and generate power to be supplied to the circuit including the control circuit 20.

(4.7) modification 7

The load control system 1 of modification 7 is different from modification 6 in that, as shown in fig. 14, it includes power supply circuits 30A and 30B for the switching circuits 101 and 102, sub-control circuits 221 and 222 for the switching circuits 101 and 102, and a backup insulated power supply circuit 30C. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Note that in fig. 14, the interface unit 40 and the control host 5 are not illustrated.

The rectifier circuit DB1 is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21. The rectifier circuit DB1 rectifies the ac voltage Vac input via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21. The power supply circuit 30A is connected between the output terminals of the rectifier circuit DB 1. The power supply circuit 30A converts the pulse current voltage input from the rectifier circuit DB1 into a dc voltage having a predetermined voltage value, and supplies the dc voltage to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 221, and the like. That is, the power supply circuit 30A receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, and supplies the electric power to the main control circuit 21, the sub-control circuit 221, and the like.

Further, a rectifier circuit DB2 is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22. The rectifier circuit DB2 rectifies the ac voltage Vac input via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22. The power supply circuit 30B is connected between the output terminals of the rectifier circuit DB 2. The power supply circuit 30B converts the pulse current voltage input from the rectifier circuit DB2 into a dc voltage having a predetermined voltage value, and supplies the dc voltage to the sub-control circuit 222, the insulated power supply circuit 30C, and the like. That is, the power supply circuit 30B receives electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22, and supplies electric power to the sub-control circuit 222, the insulated power supply circuit 30C, and the like. The insulated power supply circuit 30C receives power supply from the power supply circuit 30B and supplies power to the main control circuit 21. Note that the input side and the output side of the isolated power supply circuit 30C are electrically isolated, and the ground on the input side of the isolated power supply circuit 30C and the ground on the output side of the isolated power supply circuit 30C (i.e., the ground of the main control circuit 21) are different.

In the present modification, since the ground of the power supply circuit 30A and the ground of the open/close circuit 101 are shared, detection signals of the zero cross detection units 231 and 232 are directly input to the sub-control circuit 221 that receives power supply from the power supply circuit 30A. Since the ground of the power supply circuit 30B and the ground of the open/close circuit 102 are shared, detection signals of the zero-cross detection sections 241 and 242 are directly input to the sub-control circuit 222 that receives power supply from the power supply circuit 30B.

The sub-control circuit 221 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 101 based on the control signal input from the main control circuit 21 and the detection signals of the zero-cross detection units 231 and 232, thereby dimming and lighting the load 3A. The sub-control circuit 222 controls the switch 11 of the open/close circuit 102 based on a control signal input from the main control circuit 21 via the insulating circuit 256 and detection signals of the zero-cross detection sections 241 and 242, and dims and lights the load 3B. The operation of the sub-control circuits 221 and 222 when dimming the loads 3A and 3B is the same as in the above-described embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

In the load control system 1 according to modification 7, the power supply circuit 30 includes: a power supply circuit 30A that obtains electric power from an ac power supply 2 via a1 st terminal T1 and a2 nd terminal T21; and a power supply circuit 30B and an insulated power supply circuit 30C which receive electric power from the ac power supply 2 via the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T22.

Therefore, when the load 3A is connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, electric power can be supplied from the power supply circuit 30A to the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 221.

In a no-load state where the load 3A is not connected between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, the power supply circuit 30A cannot receive power from the ac power supply, but power can be supplied from the insulated power supply circuit 30C to the main control circuit 21. In this way, when the no-load state is established between the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T21, the isolated power supply circuit 30C supplies power to the main control circuit 21, so that the main control circuit 21 and the sub-control circuit 222 can continue to operate, and the load 3B can be dimmed.

(4.8) modification 8

The load control system 1 of modification 8 is different from the above-described embodiment in that, as shown in fig. 15, the switching circuits 101 and 102 are provided with the power supply circuits 30A and 30B and the control circuits 20A and 20B, respectively. In the following, the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments are denoted by common reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Note that in fig. 15, the interface unit 40 and the control host 5 are not illustrated.

In the present modification, the open/close circuit 10, the power supply circuit 30, and the control circuit 20 are provided between each of the plurality of 2 nd terminals T2 and the 1 st terminal T1. That is, the switching circuit 10, the power supply circuit 30, and the control circuit 20 are provided independently for each load 3.

Therefore, even when a part of the plurality of loads 3 is in the no-load state, the power supply circuit 30 electrically connected to the 1 st terminal T1 and the 2 nd terminal T2 (connected to the normal load 3) can receive power from the ac power supply 2 and supply power to the control circuit 20. Therefore, the control circuit 20 can control the corresponding open/close circuit 10 to control the power supply to the load 3.

(conclusion)

As described above, the load control system (1) according to aspect 1 includes: a1 st terminal (T1); a plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2); a plurality of switching circuits (10); a control circuit (20); and a power supply circuit (30). The 1 st terminal (T1) is electrically connected to the power source (2). The plurality of No. 2 terminals (T2) correspond to the plurality of loads (3) in a one-to-one correspondence. The plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) are each electrically connected to the power source (2) through a corresponding one of the plurality of loads (3). The plurality of switching circuits (10) correspond to the plurality of No. 2 terminals (T2) in a one-to-one correspondence. Each of the plurality of open/close circuits (10) has a switch (11) electrically connected between a corresponding one of the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1). The control circuit (20) controls the switches (11) of the switching circuits (10) to control the power supply to the loads (3) corresponding to the switching circuits (10). The power supply circuit (30) is electrically connected between the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1), and generates power to be supplied to at least the control circuit (20) by receiving power from the power supply (2) through at least 1 of the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1) among the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2).

According to this aspect, since the plurality of loads (3) are connected between the respective plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1), the number of wires for connecting the plurality of loads (3) can be reduced as compared with a case where the power source (2) and the plurality of loads (3) are connected by 2 wires, respectively. In addition, the control circuit (20) controls the power supply to the loads (3) corresponding to the plurality of open/close circuits (10) by controlling the switches (11) of the open/close circuits (10), so that the power supply to the plurality of loads (3) can be controlled individually.

In the load control system (1) according to the 2 nd aspect that can be realized in combination with the 1 st aspect, at least one of the control circuit (20) and the power supply circuit (30) includes 1 common circuit (21, 31), and the common circuit (21, 31) is shared by the plurality of switching circuits (10).

In this aspect, the circuit scale can be reduced by sharing the common circuits (21, 31) by using a plurality of switching circuits (10).

In a load control system (1) of aspect 3 that may be implemented in combination with aspect 2, a control circuit (20) includes: a main control circuit (21); and a plurality of sub-control circuits (22, 221, 222). The plurality of sub-control circuits (22, 221, 222) correspond to the plurality of switching circuits (10) in a one-to-one correspondence. The main control circuit (21) controls a plurality of sub-control circuits (22, 221, 222). The sub-control circuits (22, 221, 222) each control a switch (11) of a corresponding one of the open/close circuits (10). The power supply circuit (30) includes: a main power supply circuit (31); and a plurality of sub power supply circuits (321, 322). The plurality of sub power supply circuits (321, 322) correspond to the plurality of sub control circuits (22, 221, 222) in a one-to-one manner. A main power supply circuit (31) supplies power to a main control circuit (21). Each of the plurality of sub power supply circuits (321, 322) supplies power to a corresponding one of the plurality of sub control circuits (22, 221, 222).

In this aspect, the main control circuit (21) and the main power supply circuit (31) can be shared by a plurality of switching circuits (10), thereby reducing the circuit scale.

In a load control system (1) of aspect 4 that may be implemented in combination with the aspect 2, a control circuit (20) includes: a main control circuit (21); and a plurality of sub-control circuits (22, 221, 222). The plurality of sub-control circuits (22, 221, 222) correspond to the plurality of switching circuits (10) in a one-to-one correspondence. The main control circuit (21) controls a plurality of sub-control circuits (22, 221, 222). The sub-control circuits (22, 221, 222) each control a switch (11) included in a corresponding one of the open/close circuits (10).

In this way, the main control circuit (21) can be shared by a plurality of switching circuits (10), thereby reducing the circuit scale.

The load control system (1) according to the 5 th aspect, which can be realized in combination with any one of the aspects 1 to 4, further includes insulation circuits (251, 252) that electrically insulate at least one of the control circuit (20) and the power supply circuit (30) and at least a part of the plurality of open/close circuits (10).

In this aspect, the circuit can be normally operated by electrically insulating at least one of the control circuit (20) and the power supply circuit (30) and at least a part of the plurality of switching circuits (10) by the insulating circuits (251, 252).

In the load control system (1) according to the 6 th aspect that can be realized in combination with any one of the aspects 1 to 4, the plurality of switching circuits (10) are not electrically insulated from the control circuit (20) and the power supply circuit (30).

In this aspect, an isolation circuit may not be required.

The load control system (1) according to the 7 th aspect, which can be realized in combination with any one of the 1 st to 6 th aspects, further includes a switch (SW1) electrically connected between one 2 nd terminal (T2) of the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) and the power supply circuit (30). The control circuit (20) turns off the switch (SW1) when a2 nd terminal (T2) connected to the switch (SW1) among the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) is in a no-load state.

In this aspect, the no-load 2 nd terminal (T2) can be electrically separated from the power supply circuit (30) by opening the switch (SW1) in the no-load state.

In the load control system (1) according to the 8 th aspect that can be implemented in combination with any one of the aspects 1 to 7, the power supply circuit (30) obtains electric power from the power supply (2) via any of the 2 nd terminal (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1) among the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2).

According to this aspect, when some of the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) are in the no-load state, the power supply circuit (30) can obtain power from the power supply (2) via the remaining plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1).

In the load control system (1) according to the 9 th aspect that can be realized in combination with any one of the aspects 1 to 8, the power supply circuit (30) obtains power from the power supply (2) via a predetermined terminal and the 1 st terminal (T1) when the 2 nd terminal (T2) that is a part of the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) is in a no-load state. The predetermined terminal is a2 nd terminal (T2) other than the 2 nd terminal (T2) among a part of the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2).

According to this aspect, when some of the plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) are in the no-load state, the power supply circuit (30) can obtain power from the power supply (2) via the remaining plurality of 2 nd terminals (T2) and the 1 st terminal (T1).

The load control system (1) according to aspect 10, which can be implemented in combination with any one of aspects 1 to 9, further includes: a1 st circuit block (B1); and a plurality of 2 nd circuit blocks (B21, B22). The plurality of 2 nd circuit blocks (B21, B22) each have a2 nd connection part (82, 83) electrically connected to the 1 st connection part (81) of the 1 st circuit block (B1), and are electrically connected to the 1 st circuit block (B1) through the 2 nd connection part (82, 83). The 1 st circuit block (B1) has: and a1 st case (91) that houses a circuit including at least a part of the control circuit (20) and at least a part of the power supply circuit (30). A plurality of 2 nd circuit blocks (B21, B22) correspond to a plurality of switching circuits (10) in a one-to-one manner. The plurality of 2 nd circuit blocks (B21, B22) each have: and a2 nd case (921, 922) that houses a corresponding one of the plurality of open/close circuits (10).

According to this aspect, the load control system (1) can be configured by connecting the 1 st circuit block (B1) and the plurality of 2 nd circuit blocks (B21, B22).

The load control system (1) according to the 11 th aspect, which can be realized in combination with any one of the aspects 1 to 10, further includes: and a plurality of operation sections (40) corresponding to the plurality of open/close circuits (10) in a one-to-one manner. The control circuit (20) controls on/off of a switch (11) included in a switching circuit (10) corresponding to one operation unit (40) of the plurality of switching circuits (10) in accordance with an operation input from the one operation unit (40) of the plurality of operation units (40).

In this aspect, the user can operate the operation unit (40) to control the power supply to the desired load (3).

The configurations of the aspects 2 to 11 are not essential to the load control system (1) and may be omitted as appropriate.

[ notation ] to show

1 load control system

2 AC power supply (Power supply)

3(3A, 3B) load

10(101, 102) open/close circuit

11 switch

20 control circuit

21 main control circuit

22. 221, 222 sub-control circuit

30 power supply circuit

31 main power supply circuit

32. 321, 322 secondary power supply circuit

40 interface part (operation part)

81 st connection part

82. 83 nd 2 nd connecting part

91 st housing

251. 252 insulated circuit

921. 922 the 2 nd shell

B1 circuit block 1

B21, B22 2 nd circuit block

SW1 switch (switch)

T1 No. 1 terminal

T2, T21, T22 No. 2 terminal