EP2744069B1

EP2744069B1 - Assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems

Info

Publication number: EP2744069B1
Application number: EP13197204.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alberto MONTAGUTI; Harsha Nandeeshappa Krishnarajanagar; Manikandan Thirugnanasambandam Saingaravelu; Federico Spinola
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Industrie Italia SpA
Current assignee: Schneider Electric Industrie Italia SpA
Priority date: 2012-12-17
Filing date: 2013-12-13
Publication date: 2015-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 2033-12-13
Also published as: ITBO20120675A1; EP2744069A1

Description

The present invention relates to an assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems.
Currently applicable statutory provisions regarding safety lighting systems provide for a series of procedures to be followed in order to keep the system efficient.
DE 10 2007 018884 A1 is directed to controlling and monitoring emergency lighting systems. WO 01/52478 A2 is directed to building automation.
The operations for controlling and checking the system must in fact occur if possible at times when any blackout does not cause subsequent risk situations; checking of the indicators related to correct supply of power by the power sources is prescribed; the execution on a weekly basis (as prescribed by applicable statutory provisions) of a functional test of the system is required, simulating an ordinary power failure for a time that is sufficient to check that the fixtures are switched on correctly but is in any case no longer than one quarter of the nominal endurance of the system itself; the execution is also provided, at least annually, of an endurance test of the system, simulating an ordinary power failure for a sufficient time; finally, the keeping of a system log, which records the results of the tests conducted and any maintenance interventions, is required.
More specifically, it should be noted that it is necessary to have written reports (in particular printed reports) of the state of the entire emergency lighting system.
To facilitate diagnosis of the maintenance state of the emergency lighting system it is necessary to have tools that allow defining the development over time of said system and recording any maintenance performed. One tool that makes it possible to obtain a log of this information is the printing of the diagnostic report.
Currently the background art provides devices that check the emergency lighting system and manage printed reports on dedicated printers connected to RS-232 ports or embedded in the control unit itself.
Normally, therefore, as mentioned earlier, it is possible to resort to a dedicated printer and/or to a configured printer in a data communications network to which the components of the emergency system are connected, optionally even just temporarily.
It is obvious that having a dedicated component entails an increase in the costs of the system and also a reduced versatility thereof.
It should in fact be considered that the rigid system architecture allows the dedicated printer to operate exclusively under the control of the system itself.
It is also possible to provide for the use of a network printer to print the reports of the functional tests performed on the system.
This opportunity is advantageous, since it does not require the adoption of any dedicated component and generally reduces overall costs but forces configuring a printer to receive the data from the system.
If multiple emergency lighting systems are present, it is convenient for each one to be associated with respective printing elements for printing the reports of the tests.
This entails the possibility that the malfunction and failure may be prolonged in time, causing a disservice of the system.
The aim of the present invention is to solve the problems described above, by proposing an assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems that is suitable for simplifying the circuit architecture and for reducing the required components.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to propose an assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems that highlights faults and malfunctions, facilitating the work of maintenance personnel.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems that has a relatively low cost, is relatively simple to provide in practice and is safe in application.
This aim and these and other objects that will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by an assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems comprising at least two emergency lighting fixtures that are interconnected by means of a specific data transceiving channel, characterized in that it comprises at least one control and management unit provided with at least one RS-485 port for connection to components of the type of printers, display screens, diagnostic devices and the like, at least one port for connection to an LAN network, at least one RS-232 port, for connection to components of the type of printers, modems and other devices, said control and management unit being connected, optionally with the interposition of other devices, to said data transceiving channel for the interconnection of said emergency lighting fixtures, by means of said at least one RS-485 port.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a system provided with an assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems according to the invention;
Figure 2 is an axonometric view of a possible control and management unit of an assembly according to the invention;
Figure 3 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided with an assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems according to the invention, comprising the control and management units of Figure 2.

With particular reference to the figures cited above, the reference numeral 1 generally designates an assembly for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems 2.
The emergency lighting systems 2 for which the assembly 1 is intended comprise at least two emergency lighting fixtures 3, which are interconnected by means of a specific data transceiving channel 4.
The assembly 1 according to the invention comprises at least one control and management unit 5, which is provided with at least one RS-485 port 6 for connection to components of the type of printers, display screens, diagnostic devices 7 and the like.
The assembly 1 comprises furthermore at least one port 8 for connection to an LAN network 9, and at least one RS-232 port 10, for connection to components of the type of printers, modems 11 and other devices.
The control and management unit 5 is connected, optionally with the interposition of other devices, to the data transceiving channel 4 for the interconnection of the emergency lighting fixtures 3 by means of the at least one RS-485 port 6.
According to a constructive solution of particular interest in practice (shown by way of example in Figure 1), the at least one control and management unit 5 can comprise furthermore at least one USB port 12 for connection to personal computers, diagnostic equipment, handheld computers and the like.
In this case, the assembly 1 comprises at least one emergency lighting diagnostic device 7 arranged along a respective data transceiving channel 4 for interconnection; the diagnostic device 7 is interposed between the control and management unit 5 and the emergency lighting fixtures 3 on the respective interconnection channel 4.
In this constructive solution, the diagnostic devices 7 are preset to run the functional tests on the emergency lighting fixtures 3, while the unit to which they are connected acts as an interface with external components in order to provide information on the results of said tests.
According to a further constructive solution, which is particularly interesting in terms of application since it makes it possible to minimize the space occupation of the components of the assembly 1 (illustrated by way of example in Figure 2), the control and management unit 5 comprises at least one power supply port, at least one integrated emergency lighting diagnostic device (in the accompanying figures it is not identified by a numeral since it is fully integrated in the component and therefore cannot be identified from the outside), provided with at least one display 14 and at least one keypad 15.
The control and management unit 5, with particular reference to this last constructive solution of the assembly 1, can therefore be connected directly to the data transceiving channel 4 for interconnection of the emergency lighting fixtures 3, by means of the at least one RS-485 port 6.
All the described constructive solutions, and others that are in any case within the inventive concept of the assembly 1 according to the invention, comprise a transceiving device, such as a modem 11, a telephone dialer, a TCP/IP router, a GSM module and the like, which is connected to the RS-232 port 10 to send and receive data strings.
These data strings can identify efficiently preset information of the diagnostic report: in practice it is possible to send information on tests performed at a distance. In case of malfunction or failure, for example, the maintenance service can be informed directly about the type of problem observed, in order to plan a repair intervention.
Sending this information via the transceiving device can be performed with respect to personal computers 16, cellular telephones, smartphones 17, computers, tablets, operations centers, remote servers 18 and the like.
According to a particular installation architecture, a first control and management unit 5 is connected to respective emergency lighting fixtures 3 by means of the respective data transceiving channel 4 and to at least one control and management unit 5, which controls other fixtures 3, by means of the RS-485 port 6.
This means that multiple units can assume mutually a configuration of the master-slave type, due to the fact that a main (master) unit 5, in addition to collecting and transmitting the data related to the tests of the apparatuses 3 that are directly connected therewith, can also perform a same function with respect to the data that it will receive from other units (slaves), with which other lighting fixtures 3 are associated.
This circuit architecture simplifies the system, making the associated installation and maintenance much easier.
In this case, the first control and management unit 5 (master) can be connected effectively to a modem 11 by means of a port selected from said port 8 for connection to an LAN network and the RS-232 port 10.
Thanks to the modem it is possible to transmit quickly and efficiently the data that arrive from all the fixtures 3, either directly or with the interposition of respective additional units 5 (slaves).
It is very important, in terms of safety and versatility of the assembly 1, that the control and management unit 5, by means of the LAN network 9 to which it is connected by means of the respective port 8, can be connected to at least one device selected from a network printer 19, an operations center, a personal computer 16 or a remote server 18 (optionally of a virtual type).
The invention, regardless of its embodiment (in a dedicated device or within the same component that performs emergency lighting checking), performs the function of:

receiving a configuration to define the rules for printing and sending a remote alert via SMS or email;
providing the reception of the data to be printed via the RS-485 connection 6 or the LAN connection (port 8 connected to the network 9);
managing the sending of the data to be printed to the printer, be it connected via RS-232 (port 10) or on the LAN network (port 8 connected to the network 9 on which the network printer 19 is present); the use of printers connected to the USB port 12 is not excluded.

It is evident that the assembly 1, in order to meet the requirements for which it has been conceived, can also have a plurality of communication ports 8 for connection to one or more LAN networks 9, one or more RS-485 communication ports 6 for connections to printers or other devices, or multiple USB ports 12 for connection to various apparatuses and personal computers, one or more RS-232 connection ports 10 (suitable for connection to modems 11 or to printers or other devices).
Within the same scope, it has been shown that the assembly 1 can manage printing, on a network printer 19, of the diagnostic reports generated by diagnostic devices 7 that are dedicated to the emergency lighting fixtures 3 (or process internally said report and send it in a fully autonomous manner if the diagnostic devices are integrated directly therein).
The assembly 1 is furthermore capable of managing the sending of alert emails and SMS as a consequence of the generation of diagnostic reports generated by units 5.
If the diagnostic devices 7 are integrated directly in the assembly 1, said assembly also comprises a power supply port 13, a display 14 and a keyboard 15.
The power supply port is necessary to allow the assembly 1 to perform the tests on the fixtures 3 that it controls. Information on the state of operation, on the results of the tests and others shall be accessible directly for an operator by analyzing the display 14.
The operator can also select specific display screens of interest to him by using the keypad 15, which might potentially be used also to enter data and/or for an activity for simplified programming of said assembly 1 (for example the selection of preset routines and their placement according to specific chronological orders).
The assembly 1 according to the invention that has the diagnostic devices integrated inside it is therefore suitable for managing simultaneously both control of the emergency lighting (fixtures 3) and the sending of the printing report on the network printer 19; said assembly 1, furthermore, is capable of managing simultaneously also the sending of email and SMS via the LAN network 9 and via the Internet (by means of the modem 11 or by means of apparatuses that are connected to said network 9).
It is stressed again that the present invention makes it therefore possible to print and manage the corresponding reports produced by the dedicated diagnostic apparatuses (for example the devices 7) of emergency lighting systems 2, by using a printer 19 that is already available for other services and is installed on the LAN local network 9.
Moreover, it is specified that the present invention allows the management of test reports within a time interval that is defined by the user or, by means of a counter, until a predefined number of reports has been exceeded.
The printing of the test report can thus be sent equally to one or more printers 19 installed in said LAN network 9.
Another important functionality of the invention is that it makes it possible to record the test reports of the emergency lighting system 2 and to print them according to appropriate configurations.
Moreover, the invention is capable of managing the sending of SMS and the sending of emails as an enhancement of the functionality of completed diagnosis of the emergency lighting system 2, reporting, for example, to operators assigned to monitoring and/or operators assigned to maintenance a particular malfunction of said system 2.
The assembly 1 is also capable of making itself available for configurations by means of browsers upon the opening of web pages to configure the apparatus by setting (for example):

address or addresses of the network printer or printers 19;
email address or addresses to which the message that is the result of diagnosis of the emergency lighting system 2 is to be sent;
telephone numbers to which the SMS message that is the result of the diagnosis of the emergency lighting system 2 is to be sent.

Within the scope of the operation of the present invention, it is specified that the device 7 (or the unit 5, if it includes the diagnostic device) of the emergency lighting system 2 performs the diagnosis of the apparatus constituted by lamps 3 and/or power sources.
At the end of the test or during the test, the unit 5 receives the test report (directly from the integrated diagnostic device and/or from a diagnostic device 7 that is connected thereto by means of the RS-485 port). The unit 5 stores the test reports and, following the defined printing rules, sends the received data to the printer 19.
Subsequently, the data sent to the printer 19 can be printed on letterhead with a logo or other identifiers of the installation.
At the same time, by following the rules defined during initialization, it deals with sending via the modem 11 connected to the RS-232 port 10 an SMS report that diagnosis has occurred.
By following the rules defined during initialization, the unit can also send, via an appropriate mail server, an email report that diagnosis has occurred and/or send, by means of an adapted server, an SMS of the test execution report.
It is specified that if the diagnostic devices are integrated in the control and management unit 5, it is this component directly that can configure the main functionalities, such as:

receiving a configuration to define the rules for printing and sending remote alerts via SMS or email,
acquiring the data to be printed among the data transmitted on the RS-485 port or transmitted on the LAN connection by means of socket protocols,

enabling the possibility for the operator to send immediate printing commands,
managing the print buffer, defining the correct amount of data in order to optimize printing or to make the result immediate,
managing the sending of the data to be printed to the printer, be it connected by means of the RS-232 port 10 or by means of the port 8 for connection to the LAN network 9.

Advantageously, the present invention solves the problems cited earlier, proposing an assembly 1 for the management and printing of diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems 2 that is suitable for simplifying circuit architecture and minimizing the necessary components.
By using exclusively an assembly 1 which controls respective diagnostic devices 7, according to a first constructive solution, or by adopting an assembly 1 that has the devices 7 integrated inside it, it is in fact possible to achieve optimum management of the reports related to operating tests on fixtures with a circuit architecture that is simple and easy to maintain.
Usefully, the assembly 1 makes faults and malfunctions evident, facilitating the work of maintenance operators: the possibility of receiving emails and/or SMS related to the identification of a fault or malfunction (by means of the check performed by a device 7 and summarized in the corresponding report) allows maintenance operators to intervene rapidly, minimizing risks arising from said default and/or malfunction.
Conveniently, the assembly 1 has low costs and is relatively simple to provide in practice and safe in application: the low costs must relate also to the circuit/system in which it is integrated and which, by means of said assembly 1, can be simpler, with particular reference to installation and maintenance.

Claims

An assembly adapted to manage and print diagnostic reports of emergency lighting systems (2), said emergency lighting systems (2) comprising at least two emergency lighting fixtures (3) that are interconnected by means of a specific data transceiving channel (4), said assembly comprising at least one control and management unit (5) provided with at least one RS-485 port (6) adapted to be connected to components of the type of printers, display screens, diagnostic devices (7) and the like, at least one port (8) adapted to be connected to an LAN network (9), at least one RS-232 port (10) adapted to be connected to components of the type of printers, modems (11) and other devices, said at least one control and management unit (5) being connected, optionally with the interposition of other devices, to said data transceiving channel (4) so as to be interconnected with of said emergency lighting fixtures (3) by means of said at least one RS-485 port (6); said at least one control and management unit (5) further comprising at least one USB port (12) adapted to be connected to personal computers, diagnostic equipment, handheld computers and the like; said assembly being characterized in that it further comprises:
at least one emergency lighting diagnostic device (7) adapted to run functional tests on the emergency lighting fixtures (3), to generate diagnostic reports and to send said diagnostic reports to said at least one control and management unit (5), said at least one emergency lighting diagnostic device (7) being arranged along a respective data transceiving channel (4) and being interposed between said at least one control and management unit (5) and said emergency lighting fixtures (3) on the respective data transceiving channel (4); and

a transceiving device, of the type of a modem (11), a telephone dialer, a GSM module and the like, connected to the RS-232 port (10), said transceiving device being further adapted to send and receive data strings that correspond to redefined information of said diagnostic reports, to personal computers (16), cellular telephones, smartphones (17), computers, tablets, operations centers, remote servers (18) and the like.
The assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one control and management unit (5) further comprises at least one power supply port (13), at least one integrated emergency lighting diagnostic device provided with at least one display (14) and at least one keypad (15), said at least one control and management unit (5) being connected directly to said data transceiving channel (4) for the interconnection of said emergency lighting fixtures (3) by means of said at least one RS-485 port (6).
The assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one control and management unit (5) is connected to said emergency lighting fixtures (3) by means of said data transceiving channel (4), and to at least one other control and management unit (5), which controls other respective emergency lighting fixtures (3), by means of said RS-485 port (6).
The assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that said at least one control and management unit (5) is connected to a modem (11) by means of a port selected from said at least one port (8) adapted to be connected to an LAN network (9) and said RS-232 port (10).
The assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one control and management unit (5), by means of said LAN network (9) to which it is connected by means of said at least one port (8), is further connected to at least one device selected from a network printer (19), an operations center, a personal computer (16), a remote server (18).