EP0319440A1 - Unit for the protection, signalisation and localisation of defects in the operation of lighting units in a lighting network divided into zones - Google Patents

Abstract

Fault signalling and detecting unit for public lighting. …<??>Unit characterised in that it consists of, on the one hand, a transmitter module (21) equipping each lamppost, and preferably housed in its stem, in the vicinity of the connection box, and equipped with a detector of current consumed (23) utilizing the AC network of the supply line as carrier of a detection signal, and on the other hand, a receiver module (22) housed in the cabinet for supplying the same zone, and handled by a microprocessor which transmits, via a telephone line, a fault signal to the control room. …<??>This invention is of interest to manufacturers and installers of hardware, appliances and components for public lighting. …<IMAGE>…

Description

The present invention relates to an assembly for detecting and locating a malfunction of each defective lighting unit in a lighting network divided into zones.

The control of malfunctions of lighting units, in particular street lamps in the field of public lighting, is still poorly resolved.

A purely visual monitoring is combined with measures and controls of electrical consumption.

If these checks can naturally and easily be automated, it proves difficult to identify precisely the faults and precisely locate the faulty lamp in order to program the interventions.

This difficulty also increases considerably with the number of lampposts and areas to be monitored in which they are grouped.

An invention is known for monitoring globally and individually the failure of light sources in a public lighting network and for locating them.

This invention is described in European application No. 0236147 in the name of the French company FORCLUM. It relates to a set of fault detection based on the reception by a photoelectric or optoelectronic detector of the light emitted by the bulb. The operation of this set is based on a detection principle whose exploitation risks leading to false detections and setbacks of all kinds.

Indeed, any stray light is likely to trigger a false alert: car headlights, rotating beacons, moonbeams, urban light in homes and others ...

In addition, the installation of the optoelectronic detector which must be installed near the bulb is not very easy. It is also necessary to provide an electric two-wire connection from the base of the lamppost to the light source to connect the detector to the assembly.

Finally, the prospect of multiple applications seems to be significantly reduced.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the various drawbacks linked to the lack of automation concerning the detection, signaling of operating faults and failures and the location of defective lamps in a public lighting network.

To this end, it relates to a set of detection and signaling of operating faults and the location of the defective lamps of each illuminating unit in a lighting network divided into zones, in particular a public lighting network, characterized in that that it consists on the one hand of a transmitter module equipping each lamp post, preferably housed in its barrel, at the level of the connection box, transmitter module equipped with a consumed current detector using the alternating network of line d power supply as carrier of a detection signal and composed on the other hand of a receiver module housed in the power supply cabinet of the same area, receiver module managed by a microprocessor which transmits by a telephone line a signal of defect in the control room.

Besides the aspect of automation, which is already an important advantage in itself, there are many other advantages such as:
. the dimensions of the transmitter module allow it to be easily accommodated in the barrel of all existing streetlights;
. the assembly and integration of the transmitter module are particularly easy due to the proximity of the bulb supply cables;
. the receiver module fits perfectly into the ar moire of the zone transformer and is perfectly undetectable there;
. the use of the transmission mode in carrier currents, that is to say by the power cables in place, makes it possible to obtain the necessary transmission network without additional electrical connection;
. the cost of installation and assembly is minimal;
. great ability to detect inductive or resistive loads consuming electrical current, other than bulbs, for example electromagnets, relays, motors, heating resistors ...
. absolute security of identification thanks to coding;
. link to any central computer;
. use of the same module over a wide range of power values;
. possibility of managing a large number of zones.

The existence of a digital version makes it possible to get rid of area transformers and therefore to adapt to networks supplied directly from a single general transformer.

This variant opens applications to all remote monitoring solutions on any network supplying elements and devices consuming electrical energy.

It offers of course all the advantages of a digital version: reliability over time, insensitivity to certain parasites, better control of sensitivity to variations in ambient parameters, in particular to variations in humidity and temperature.

• . la figure 1 est une vue schématique générale d'un réseau d'éclairage complet en liaison avec une salle de contrôle ;
• . la figure 2 est le schéma fonctionnel d'un module émetteur ;
• . la figure 3 est le schéma fonctionnel d'un module récepteur.
• . la figure 4 est une vue schématique générale d'un ré­seau d'éclairage public complet à distribution élec­trique sans transformateur de zones en liaison avec une salle de contrôle, réseau sur lequel est appliquée la version numérique ;
• . la figure 5 est le schéma général du module émetteur dans le cas de la version numérique ;
• . la figure 6 est le schéma général du module récepteur dans le cas de la version numérique .

The technical characteristics and other advantages of the invention are recorded in the description which follows, given by way of nonlimiting example on an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• . Figure 1 is a general schematic view of a complete lighting network in connection with a room control ;
• . Figure 2 is the block diagram of a transmitter module;
• . Figure 3 is the block diagram of a receiver module.
• . FIG. 4 is a general schematic view of a complete public lighting network with electrical distribution without zone transformer in connection with a control room, network on which the digital version is applied;
• . FIG. 5 is the general diagram of the transmitter module in the case of the digital version;
• . Figure 6 is the general diagram of the receiver module in the case of the digital version.

In terms of public or collective lighting, the street lamps are supplied in groups from the same transformer located on the floor in an electrical cabinet.

There are also energy distributions from a single general TRAFO transformer distributing energy through an LND line to all electrical cabinets, as shown in Figure 4.

On this type of network, the digital version described below is applied.

This electrical cabinet is common to a zone. The number of zones making up the network is variable but usually located around forty for a medium-sized city.

In general, the invention relates to an arborescent electronic assembly intended to detect, report faults and locate them by name, by locating zones and rows through a telephone link to a central room monitoring computer. of control for each lamppost of a public lighting network among a large number and this without connection and link other than existing ones, namely the power line for the lamp post area and the telephone link connecting each power cabinet to the central computer in the control room.

We will first describe the so-called multi-frequency analog version using a separate oscillator at each lamppost.

More particularly, and with reference to FIG. 1, the assembly according to the invention covers a plurality of zones, for example four zones referenced 1, 2, 3, 4, each supplied by transformation cabinets such as 5, 6, 7, 8, each connected by an internal telephone interface 9, 10, 11 and 12 and by a telephone link 13, 14, 15 and 16 to a central monitoring computer 17 of a control room 18.

Each lamppost such as 19 in each zone comprises an illuminating unit such as 20, for example a bulb and a transmitter module such as 21, housed for example in its base, supplied by the electrical circuit of the lamppost.

The transmitter module is equipped with a current consumption detector which controls an oscillator connected to a frequency of its own. The oscillator only works if the lamp is out of order. This signal, whose frequency is significantly different from that of the AC 50 Hz network, for example between 5 and 100 KHz, is injected through the power line supplying the lamppost to the power supply cabinet in the manner of carrier currents.

The alternative supply network is used as a carrier on which one or more additional frequencies which are different from one another corresponding to the ignition faults of each bulb are superimposed.

As indicated, all the modules in the same zone are each set to a different frequency to differentiate the signals reaching the power cabinet.

According to the invention, a receiver module such as 22 intended for transmitting the detection signal after encoding to the monitoring computer 17 of the control room 18 is provided in each supply cabinet.

This module manages, codes and transmits detection signals to the control room computer, allowing it to locate faults and then report them to the maintenance team.

The receiver and transmitter modules in their particular functions will now be examined below according to a first embodiment in accordance with a so-called analog version shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

With reference to FIG. 2, the transmitter module 21 comprises a detector 23 of consumed current, for example a voltage detection circuit 24, connected to the terminals of a resistor 25 in series with the bulb.

This current detector controls an oscillator 26. The control of the oscillator is such that it is blocked during a current consumption considered as normal and emits a signal in the event of ignition failure, that is to say say in the presence of an abnormal consumed current.

Each floor lamp is assigned a frequency allowing its identification.

This specific frequency signal, significantly different from that of the network, specific to each lamp post, is injected into the supply circuit from the zone to the cabinet by an adaptation interface 27 through a group of capacitors. insulation 28.

The above circuits are connected to a power supply 29 from the network.

Referring to Figure 3, the receiver module tor 22 firstly comprises an input circuit comprising a low voltage interface block 30 isolated from the mains voltage by a group of capacitors 31, then a frequency analyzer 32, then a frequency sampler 33 followed by an encoder 34 transmitting the coded information on the telephone line specific to each cabinet through a telephone interface circuit 35.

The receiver module 22 is managed by a microprocessor 36 connected to a withdrawable keyboard 37. This microprocessor 36 controls the sampler 33 and the encoder 34 for the transmission of information by telephone.

The codes are stored once and for all at the microprocessor 36.

As before, a power supply unit 38 supplies the supply current to the various circuits.

The encoder 34 assigns to each recognized frequency? a code made up of two letters and four numbers. The first two letters and the first two digits are reserved for the area they represent and the last two digits for the row of the bulb concerned.

We will now describe the overall operation with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The lighting fault results in an abnormal intensity consumed in the lamp post concerned.

When the power is turned on, the consumption detector only controls the oscillator, which delivers a frequency signal specific to the lamp, only if the bulb does not work.

This frequency is transmitted by carrier current on the line to the receiver module whose frequency analyzer detects the presence.

The sampler, on instruction from the microprocessor 36, will emit a signal which will be coded according to the received frequency making it possible to identify the floor lamp from the code it has in memory.

The coded signal is transmitted by the telephone line to the central computer, which will thus be able to identify the lamp post and direct the intervention and maintenance teams to the zone of the lamp post carrying the defective bulb.

The so-called digital version will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

According to the first embodiment described above, the frequency of the signal from the oscillator of the transmitter module is significantly different from that of the power supply network.

Thus, the oscillator signal is strongly and sufficiently attenuated by the windings of the zone transformer included in a cabinet specific to each zone.

Isolation for fault signals between zones is thus ensured.

It is quite different for lighting networks without area transformers, in which the electrical isolation at frequencies of the detection signals transmitted cannot be provided by the windings of the area transformers because these do not exist, the network being supplied globally by a single transformer.

The difficulty is therefore, in this case, to selectively identify the identical frequency or frequencies emitted by different zones and to allocate them respectively to the zone or zones concerned, whereas all the energy sources of the zones are electrically connected in parallel to the same single unique TRAFO transformer without insulation for said frequencies.

The digital variant described below aims to remedy this drawback by adding a microprocessor to the oscillator of the transmitter module, directly carrying out the encoding according to which then, for each lighting unit in each zone, a first code called row code conveyed by carrier current to the zone cabinet, then completed by a second code called zone code, the full code being transmitted by telephone lines at a central monitoring station.

This modification makes it possible to make the invention independent of the area transformer (s) and thus significantly expand its applications, not only to all types of lighting networks, but also to all electrical energy distribution networks such as traffic signaling and regulation lights and, more generally, the distribution of electrical energy.

With reference to FIG. 4, the assembly to which this variant applies covers a plurality of zones, for example four zones referenced 1, 2, 3 and 4, each supplied through a supply and grouping cabinet, without transformer. They are referenced by extension in the same way as above, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and each connected by an internal telephone interface 9, 10, 11 and 12 known under the name MODEM and by a telephone link 13, 14, 15 and 16 to a central monitoring computer 17 of a control room 18.

The lighting network is electrically supplied in this case by a single TRAFO transformer through a general LND distribution line.

Each lamp post such as 19, in each zone, is equipped with an illuminating unit such as 20, for example a bulb and a transmitter module such as 21, preferably housed in its base, at the connection box, and supplied by the electrical circuit supplying the lamppost on the LAZ zone line.

The transmitter module 21 comprises a detector of the consumed current, which provides, according to this variant, the information of an abnormal consumption state of current to an MP microprocessor responsible for processing this information and directly generating the digital rank code for identification and location, code assigned to each lamp or to each street lamp in this area. The expression of this code is a code word represented by several bits.

The microprocessor MP generates a codeword of rank only if the consumption of the lamp is considered as abnormal corresponding to a faulty lamp, information communicated, as indicated above, by the current detector to the microprocessor MP.

This digital signal is conveyed by the zone line LAZ from the transmitter module 21 to a receiver module 22, by using the technique known as carrier currents along the supply line specific to each zone.

For reasons of technical efficiency and increased range, the digital signal corresponding to the coded word of rank modulates a carrier which is injected on the supply line.

According to this variant, each receiver module 22 of each zone generates a zone code and transmits the complete code to the central surveillance computer 17 of the control room 18 via a telephone line.

This receiver module generates and transmits only the digital signals or coded words to the computer 17 of the control room 18, allowing it to locate the faults then to report them to the maintenance team.

The receiver and transmitter modules in their particular functions will be examined below.

With reference to FIG. 5, the transmitter module 21, housed in the existing connection box at the foot of each lamp post, first comprises a detector 23 of consumed current DCC, for example the voltage detection circuit 24, connected to the terminals of the resistor 25 connected in series with the bulb 20. This transmitter module then comprises the microprocessor MP programmed according to working sequences and connected to a digital coding block of rank CODNR with integrated coding microswitches, microprocessor MP also connected to a connector for reading the row number, i.e. lamp, for the connection of a separable hexadecimal AFF control display. An ADP carrier detector amplifier connected to the LAZ zone supply line completes the input circuits through a transmission / reception switch controlled by the MP microprocessor.

The digital coding blocks of rank CODNR and that of zone are provided for entering once and for all into memory the identification and location code and that of zone designation of the lighting unit.

The output functional blocks specific to this arrangement are limited to a GEP carrier generator with a frequency of the order of 100 KHz and to an EMM emitter-modulator which closes on the line through appropriate low-frequency isolation.

The assembly is supplied from the network by appropriate power supplies 39.

The current detector 23 supplies the microprocessor MP with information on an abnormal current consumption state. This processes it and, depending on the value of this state, generates the code word making it possible to identify and locate the defective lamp.

The identification code specific to each lamp post or row code is used to modulate the carrier by the EMM transmitter-modulator block to inject it on the LAZ supply line from the zone to the grouping cabinet.

The carrier, suitably modulated by the coded word of rank, coming from the computer MP follows the LAZ zone supply line and is received at the end of the line by the corresponding receiver module 22 of the zone considered then demodulated. To the coded word of rank is added an additional zone code then the assembly is transmitted to the monitoring computer 17 by the receiver module and its MODEM.

With reference to FIG. 6, each receiver module 22 consists first of all of a power supply unit 40 which supplies the supply current to the various circuits then of an IREZ zone interface circuit and of a circuit recognition of the carrier REP and of a demodulator block DEM.

The receiver block 22 is managed by a second microprocessor MPC, with EPROM memory, connected to a digital coding block CODNZ for the introduction of the area code and a display 41 for its reading.

This MPC microprocessor recognizes the carrier and rejects all other signals of different frequency. It receives the demodulated coded signal and organizes and manages its transmission to the surveillance computer 17 on the telephone lines 13, 14, 15, 16 through a MODEM telephone modulator-demodulator circuit.

With regard to the rank code, the microprocessor MP generates in the example chosen a seven-bit code to designate the lamp in the area considered. This allows remote monitoring of the operation of one hundred and twenty eight lighting units per zone. We then adopt a twelve-bit area code generated by MPC to designate the area, which authorizes four thousand ninety-six remotely monitored areas, in total a maximum number of five hundred twenty four thousand two hundred and eighty eight lamps monitored in one network.

These limits appear important. They are not, however, the limits of the system. These are linked, in fact, to the management capacity of the central monitoring computer 17, that is to say to purely technological limits.

We will now describe, in general, the overall operation of the basic assembly corresponding to this digital variant, with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

The malfunction of a lighting unit is detected by an abnormal current consumption in the street lamp concerned.

When the lighting unit is switched on, in the case of a defective lamp, the concerned consumed current detector 23 transmits to the microprocessor MP a consumption status signal previously compared, analyzed and considered to be abnormal. say reflecting a malfunction. The microprocessor MP, after checking the absence of a carrier on the line, possible carrier coming from a transmitter module near the area, generates the code word of rank proper to the defective lamp, that is to say corresponding to its identification and location in the area.

The carrier is modulated by this code word of rank and injected on the LAZ line.

The receiver module of the zone cabinet receives this modulated carrier and, after suitable demodulation and addition of the zone code by the microprocessor MPC, the latter sends by the telephone line concerned the complete coded word through the MODEM block to the computer. surveillance 17.

By coded word is meant the word comprising the lamp number which the computer MP communicates, to which is added the zone number allocated by MPC.

After reception and decoding, the computer 17 signals to the maintenance team the zone and the lamppost concerned.

The replacement of the defective lamp can then be carried out in a minimum time interval due to the practically zero search time.

Claims (14)

1. Set of detection, signaling and localization of operating faults of each illuminating unit in a lighting network divided into zones (1, 2, 3, 4), in particular public lighting network, comprising a line of LAZ zone supply from a cabinet (5, 6, 7, 8) of zones each connected in addition to a central electrical supply and to a central computer (17) for monitoring a control room (18) characterized in what it consists of for each zone, on the one hand, a transmitter module (21) equipping each lamppost, housed in its barrel, at the level of the connection box, module equipped with a current consumption detector (23) using the zone power supply lines as a support vehicle for the detection signal and on the other hand a receiver module (22) housed in each power supply cabinet in the same zone, receiver module managed by a microprocessor which transmits by the telephone line connecting each zone cabinet to a n monitoring computer (17) a coded fault signal to a control room (18) for intervention by the maintenance team. 2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the signal from the consumed current detector (23) drives a frequency oscillator specific to each lighting unit in the same area, frequency sent over the supply line up to l 'zone cabinet. 3. Assembly according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the receiver module (22) provided in the zone supply cabinet (32) comprises an analyzer and a frequency sampler (33) followed by an encoder ( 34) for the transmission by the telephone line (s) of coded information corresponding to the signaling of faults and their location at the computer (17) of the control room (18), the reception assembly being controlled by a microprocessor (36). 4. Detection assembly according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the detector (23) of consumed current of the transmitter module (21) is a voltage detection circuit (24) connected across a series resistor (25) with the bulb of the lighting unit. 5. Detection assembly according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the signal of said detector (23) of consumed current controls the default voltage oscillator across the resistor (25). 6. Detection assembly according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the frequency analyzer (33) of the receiver module (22) detects the presence of one or more frequencies emitted by the transmitter module (s) (21) of the zone concerned and in that the encoder (34) assigns to each recognized frequency a code. 7. Detection assembly according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the code is composed of two letters and four digits, the first two letters and the first two digits being reserved for the area which it represents, and the last two digits the row of the bulb concerned, corresponding to the frequency detected. 8. Detection assembly according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiver module (22) is managed by a microprocessor (36) connected to a withdrawable keyboard (37), said microprocessor controlling the sampler (33) and the encoder (34) for the transmission of information by telephone. 9. Detection assembly according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the frequency of signal of the transmitter module (21) is significantly different from that of the power supply network. 10. The assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the transmitter module (21) comprises a microprocessor MP directly generating a rank code for identification and location to the receiver module (22) when the state of the detector (23 ) communicates to the microprocessor an operating failure of the lighting unit (20), this code being modulated by a carrier and conveyed by the LAZ power supply lines of each zone and in that the receiver module (22) comprises an interface IREZ, a DEM demodulator block managed by a second microprocessor MPC which completes by assigning a zone code in order to transmit by a MODEM on a telephone line a complete coded word to the monitoring computer. 11. An assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that the identification and location code of the lamp is introduced once and for all into the microprocessor MP. 12. Assembly according to claims 10 and 11, characterized in that the zone identification code is introduced once and for all into the microprocessor MPC. 13. An assembly according to claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the transmitter module (21) comprises an amplifier-detector circuit ADP carrier. 14. An assembly according to claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the interface comprises a circuit for recognizing the carrier REP.

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