Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
  • H05B47/00—Circuit arrangements for operating light sources in general, i.e. where the type of light source is not relevant
  • H05B47/10—Controlling the light source

Definitions

• the present invention refers to a plant and relative method for the distributed control of lighting, in particular for lighting exterior environments.
• plants With specific reference to lighting exterior environments, it is known for plants to be used provided with at least one management and control ECU and a plurality of lamps distributed within the environment to be lit. Each of the lamps is connected to the ECU by the interposition of respective electronic devices for regulating the intensity of the power supply current, commonly known as "ballast" .
• ballast commonly known as "ballast"
• the activation and deactivation of the lamps is managed by a light sensor connected to the management and control ECU that detects the intensity of the light in the environment to be lit .
• the making of the lighting plant envisages that the installation of ballasts along the power supply lines, uphill of the respective lamps, and the transmission of control signals from the ECUs to the single ballasts, or vice versa, occurs using the so-called conveyed wave technique.
• the transmission of signals is performed along the same electricity supply lines, overlapping the power supply's electric current, direct or alternating at low frequency, a higher frequency modulated signal starting from the information to be transmitted.
• the aim of this invention is to resolve the cited drawbacks of the known art .
• the main aim of the present invention is to devise a plant and relative method for the distributed control of lighting, specifically for the lighting of external environments, which makes it possible to considerably reduce energy consumption.
• Another aim of the present invention is to devise a plant and relative method for the distributed control of lighting, specifically for the lighting of external environments, that is easy to install and guarantees, at the same time, a reliable transmission between the ballasts and the management and control ECU.
• Another aim of this invention is to devise a plant and relative method for the distributed control of lighting, in particular for) lighting external environments, that makes it possible to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks of the known art in a simple, rational solution that is easy and efficacious to use and has a limited cost.
• figure 1 is a general diagram of a first embodiment of the plant according to the invention
• figure 2 is a general diagram of the pilot device of the plant in figure 1;
• figure 3 is a general diagram of the pilot device in accordance with a second embodiment of the plant according to the invention.
• 1 indicates a plant for the distributed control of lighting, in particular for lighting external environments .
• the plant 1 comprises one or more electrical power lines 2, each of which is fitted with a plurality of pilot devices 3 of respective lighting appliances 4, constituted by high pressure sodium lamps (SAP) , containing metal iodides or the like.
• SAP high pressure sodium lamps
• the plant 1 also comprises a management and control ECU 5 of the pilot device 3 placed between the electric power lines 2 and an external supply line 6.
• each of the pilot devices 3 comprises a regulation unit 7 for the electric power current of the lamp 4, and therefore of the lighting intensity released by the lamp itself.
• This regulation unit 7 is of the electric power supply regulation devices type commonly used and known as "ballast" .
• each of the pilot devices 3 is associated with a radiofrequency communication unit 8 suited to transmitting/receiving a radiofrequency signal to/from a receiver/transmitter device 9 on to the management and control ECU 5.
• the communication unit 8 of each of the pilot device 3 is provided with a device for repeating the radiofrequency signal received towards one or more of the communication units 8 of the other pilot devices
• pilot device 3 is also fitted with a processing and control unit 10, of the microcontroller type or similar, placed between the communication unit 8 and the regulation unit 7.
• connection port 11 that can be connected, for example, with an external interface appliance 12.
• the interface appliance 12 can be constituted, for example, by a local computer connected to the connection port 11 by cable or, alternatively, by a remote device such as a cell phone, hand-held computer or the like.
• the connection port 11 can be connected to an auxiliary device 13 for receiving/transmitting a radiofrequency signal, provided with a transmitter and/or a receiver operating in the frequency spectrum with mobile telephony protocols such as GSM, GPRS or the like.
• the management and control ECU 5 is connected to at least one light sensor 14, of the twilight relay type or the like, suited to detecting the intensity of the light within the environment for the management of the activation and deactivation of the lamps 4.
• each of the pilot devices 3, in particular the regulation unit 7, comprises means for verifying the status of the lamp 4. In particular, such means of verification make it possible to detect the aging status of the lamp and any abnormalities such as, for example, failure or exhaustion of the lamp, lamp intermittency or others still.
• the management and control ECU 5 comprises a diagnostic unit and the instant for. the
• the diagnostic and protection unit 15 may comprise a first device for detecting a short circuit on one of the electric supply lines 2 , of the thermomagnetic circuit-breaker type or the like.
• the diagnostic and protection unit 15 may also comprise, a second device for detecting electric dispersion along one of the electric power supply lines
• the diagnostic and protection unit 15 can comprise a third device for detecting an electric overload and a fourth device for detecting a phase interruption on one of the electric power supply lines 2.
• the diagnostic and protection unit 15 may also comprise a fifth device for detecting failure of the light sensor 14.
• the management and control ECU 5 is provided with a storage unit 16, constituted by a non-volatile memory on which it is possible to save all the events concerning the diagnostics of the plant 1.
• the regulation unit 7 for each of the pilot devices 3 reduces the light intensity of the respective lamp 4 starting from a regulation instant that is determined by an algorithmic calculation, so as to reduce electrical energy consumption during the night .
• the management and control ECU 5 comprises means for determining 17 the aforesaid regulation instant, determined according to information such as the geographical coordinates of the plant 1 (or a group of lamps 4) and the light conditions during the specific period of the year. This makes it possible, for example, to start the reduction in light intensity of the lamps always at the same time of night, in any period of the year.
• the light conditions during the specific period of the year can be calculated using an appropriate software algorithm and compared with the variations in light detected by the light sensor 14.
• Other useful parameters for the determination of the regulation instant can be, for example, previous regulation instants or previous work intervals of the lamps 4, intended as time intervals elapsing between the activation and deactivation of the lamps 4.
• the means of determination 17 are constituted by a calculation unit, of the microprocessor or similar type, and the aforesaid information can be organised into appropriate tables and stored inside the storage unit 16. The information thus stored can be consulted and modified by an operator through use of the interface appliance 12.
• the plant 1 may envisage a general control unit, not shown in the aforesaid figures, operatively associated to a plurality of management and control ECUs associated to respective groups of lamps 4.
• the pilot device 3 is connected to a manual setting device 18, of the trimmer type or similar, suited to setting at least one amongst the temporal instant of regulation, a delay interval of the' activation and/or deactivation of said lighting appliance and the work power of said lighting appliance.
• the processing and control unit 10 is therefore positioned between the regulation unit 7 and the manual setting device 18.
• the method according to the finding comprises the activation of one or more lamps 4 inside the environment at a preset switching on time and deactivation of the lamps 4 after a preset work interval.
• the activation and the deactivation of the lamps 4 is controlled by the light sensor 14.
• the method envisages the regulation of the light intensity of the lamps 4, through the regulation unit 7 of the pilot devices 3, during the work interval and starting from a dynamically determined regulation instant .
• the regulation time can be determined by a calculation unit 17 according to the duration of the work interval, and starting from at least one of the pieces of information chosen from the set comprising: one /or more previous regulation instants, one or more previous work intervals, the geographic coordinates of the lamps 4, the light conditions of the environment in the specific time of year, specific time programmes chosen by the user.
• This information is stored on the storage unit 16 ad can be consulted and modified by an operator accessing the plant 1 by means of the interface appliances 12.
• the communication between the management and control ECU 5 and the pilot devices 3 takes place through the reception and transmission of radiofrequency signals and by means of the communication unit 8 and the receiver/transmitter device 9.
• the management and control ECU 5 transmits to the communication unit 8 the management signals of the pilot device 3, which are subsequently transmitted to the regulation unit 7 by the processing and control unit 10.
• the regulation unit 7 transmits any reports on the malfunction of the lamp 4 detected by the means of verification to the processing and control unit 10, reports that are subsequently sent to the management and control ECU 5 through the communication unit 8 and stored on the storage unit 16.
• the diagnostic and protection unit 15 manages any malfunctions detected on the power supply lines 2, subsequently stored on the storage unit 16.
• the method envisages the manual setting of the regulation instant, of a switch on delay interval and of advance of the switching off of the lamps 4, and of the working power of the lamps 4 by means of the manual setting device 18.

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• Circuit Arrangement For Electric Light Sources In General (AREA)

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• 2008
  • 2008-12-24 WO PCT/IT2008/000797 patent/WO2010046940A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2008-12-24 EP EP08874573A patent/EP2206411A1/de not_active Withdrawn

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