GB2512846A

GB2512846A - Lighting system

Info

Publication number: GB2512846A
Application number: GB1306344.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Batchelour
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-04-08
Filing date: 2013-04-08
Publication date: 2014-10-15
Also published as: GB201306344D0

Abstract

A lighting control system 4 for the interior of a large building such as a warehouse which is illuminated by a plurality of selectively operable lamps 8, the system comprising a processor 6 adapted to receive intermittent location signals from at least one operator indicative of where in the building the or each operator is located and to generate destination instruction signals to the or each operator indicative of one or more destinations within the building to which the or each operator is to go next, wherein the processor is programmed to remotely switch on or off the plurality of lamps so as to illuminate at least the said destination an operator is to go to next and preferably to illuminate the route to the destination and to switch off lamps remote from the or each destination.

Description

Lighting System

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to lighting systems for large buildings, particularly but not exclusively warehouses.

BACKGROUND ART

Warehouses are large, commercial buildings used for storing goods. Warehouse management systems are used to control the storage and retrieval of goods, and either control automated conveyor vehicles or issue instructions to human operators to carry out tasks at certain locations in the warehouse. For cost and security reasons, warehouses are not usually built with many windows, and even if there are windows either the warehouse is so large (they are usually much larger than 1000 square metres in area) or, where the warehouse operates throughout the day and night, there is insufficient natural light and it is necessary to provide artificial lighting so that workers can work and move within the building safely. This lighting consumes a lot of power (particularly given the height of warehouses, typically over 8 m. in height) and represents a significant running cost. Attempts to reduce these costs have been made, such as by putting the lights on time switches, so that they turn off after a predetermined delay, or by monitoring workers' positions in the building, using passive infra-red detectors, for example. Time switches are inefficient because, when there are few workers in the building, unnecessary areas (areas remote from where the workers are or are going) are lit, and when there are many workers in the building the lighting is on almost continuously, even in unnecessary areas. Sensing the position of individual workers does cut down on unnecessary areas being lit, however such systems are usually slow to respond (because the high power lights used in many warehouses, unlike domestic lamps, do not illuminate immediately they are switched on, but take a few seconds to reach full illumination), which leaves workers in the dark. The disadvantages of these systems are such that workers are tempted to try and circumvent them, so as to leave the S lamps on at all times. in addition, sensing workers' locations within the building requires the acquisition, installation and maintenance of additional equipment, which adds to costs.

Individual lamps have finite lives which are largely determined by the length of time they are switched on; when a lamp fails, replacing it can be a difficult task due to the height of the building, and may necessitate closing off a part of the building while the replacement work is carried out, which adds further to running costs.

SIJNIMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a lighting system for the interior of a building which is illuminated by a plurality of selectively operable lamps, the system comprising a processor adapted to receive intermittent location signals from at least one operator indicative of where in the building the or each operator is located and to generate instruction signals to the or each operator indicative of one or more destinations within the building to which the or each operator is to go to, wherein the processor is programmed to switch on or off the plurality of lamps so as to illuminate at least the said destination an operator is to go to next and to switch off lamps remote from the or each destination.

With such a system, the building has a system such as a warehouse management system (WMS) which receives information as to a worker's location (often a warehouse operator communicates with the WMS via a mobile computing device, and tells the WMS that the operator has completed a designated task at one location), and the WMS issues instructions telling the operator where to proceed to next and what task is to be carried out at that destination. Accordingly, the WMS can be adapted to communicate with the processor to turn on those lights which are actually needed by the operator and to turn off those which are not needed; this enables significant power savings. Because in many warehouses goods are constantly moving in and out in response to external requirements (such as customer orders or deliveries received) the WMS often has to re-direct operators' work, and reorganise their task schedule whilst they are inside the warehouse; with the system of this invention, the WMS can also easily prompt the processor to re-organise the lighting of individual lamps accordingly.

The processor may be programmed such that said lamps remote from the or each destination do not include lamps illuminating the said location where the operator is located.

Thus, if an operator is not merely visiting a location in order to deposit or retrieve goods (to check on the status of perishable goods, or to carry out some other maintenance task, for example) the system will keep on the lights which the worker needs for as long as he needs them, and not use energy lighting unnecessary areas.

The processor may be programmed such that said lamps remote from the or each destination do not include lamps illuminating a route from the location where the operator is located to the destination the operator is to go to next. In this way, the operator can be given a simple visual indication not only as to where he is to go to next, but also the route he is to follow, and that route will be safe to travel along because it is illuminated. In a wholly automated warehouse, where the majority of the placing and retrieval of goods is done by automated conveyor vehicles, there are still reasons why human operators may need to enter the building, and this system can provide the necessary lighting for the human operators, while at the same time providing warning as to where the automated vehicles are moving from and to.

The processor may be programmed to switch off lamps once a worker has confirmed to the WMS or other controlling system that they have completed work at one location and are on the move to the next location. The processor may be programmed to switch off lamps illuminating the said location where the operator is located after a predetermined time, and/or it may be programmed to switch off lamps illuminating the said route after a predetermined time or times. This reduces further the energy consumed by the lighting, and the system can be used to ensure that operators move through the building at an appropriate speed thus enhancing safety. The processor may be programmed to switch off lamps illuminating the said route in the order in which the operator is expected to move along said route.

The processor can be adapted to switch on one or more lamps so as to provide a predetermined level of illumination in the building. This is helpful where there may, for example, be a requirement to maintain a certain level of illumination throughout the building (for safety reasons, and/or at night, for example), or where certain areas within the warehouse are illuminated more often than other areas (in many warehouses goods are stacked in aisles which run parallel through the building and terminate at aisle ends which run transverse to the aisles; often there is one way traffic only along the aisles but two-way S traffic along the aisle ends, and also the more frequently accessed goods are located at the aisle ends, so the aisle ends may be illuminated permanently, or at least most of the time, while the aisles are only illuminated when necessary for a worker). The system can be adapted to turn on all the lamps, such as in the event of an emergency such as a fire.

There may be a number of controllers, the or each controller being located near to a lamp and adapted, in response to signals from the processor, to switch the said lamp on or off. With such an arrangement, the controller can turn on or off a lamp in accordance with the signals it receives from the remote processor and it can be located directly adjacent the lamp; this facilitates installing the system in an existing warehouse lighting system. In addition, there can be two or more lamps which the controller may operate together to provide maximum illumination, or singly; the controller may operate the lamps individually and in turn so as to prolong the life of individual lamps and extend maintenance periods.

The lamps may be of different illuminating power so as to vary the extent of illumination provided, and/or the controller may incorporate a dimming function, to enable different light levels to be provided. The controller may incorporate additional functions, such as temperature, humidity or fire sensors, or detectors of people in or moving about the building, and the controller could send sensed information to the remote processor and/or the WMS in addition to receiving signals. Alternatively, the controller could utilise the sensed information -if the sensor measured ambient light levels, for example, the controller could turn on a lamp when the ambient light level went below a threshold value whilst also sending the light level information to the processor. The controller may conveniently be arranged to be failsafe", and to turn on a lamp or operate some other indicator in the event the controller or a lamp becomes inoperative or requires maintenance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures in which; Figure 1 is a schematic view of a warehouse, and Figure 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a lighting system in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the warehouse 2 illustrated in Figure 1, goods are arranged on shelves ito 10 in three aisles A, B and C. Lamps A1-3, B1-3 and C1-3 are provided for illuminating the aisles.

An operator has to travel along aisle B in the direction shown by the arrow, visiting shelves 1, 5 and 8. In this simple example, lamps Bi, B2 and B3 are on (the lamps in aisles A and C are off). The operator, having completed the task at each location (shelves 1, 5 and 8) enters that information in his mobile computing device (not shown) which sends the iO information to the WMS. The WMS replies by confirming the next destination the operator is to move to and the task to be completed there and communicates that information to the remote processor so that, as the operator moves past shelf 5, lamp B1 can safely be turned off.

Figure 2 shows the lighting system 4 in more detail. A server 6 hosting the WMS is in is communication with the processor 14 via line 18 (which is also shown as the line by which the WMS communicates with operators in the building). This communication can be by a direct connection (USB or Serial) or via a wired or wireless network connection. A number of lamps 8 are provided for illuminating the building, on lighting circuit 10. A controller 12 is provided to operate each lamp individually, and is interposed between each lamp 8 and the power circuit 10, so that the controllers 8 can draw any power they need from the circuit 10.

The controllers 8 are in wireless contact with the processor 14, as shown in the drawing by the doffed lines 16; in the simplest arrangement the controllers 8 can simply respond to signals received from the processor 14, however the controllers 8 could be adapted to send information via the processor 14 to the WMS server 6, such as that a particular lamp is no longer working. The controllers 8 may incorporate sensors for gathering this information from the building, and/or they may interact with the operator's mobile device to gain information (such as the operator's location) to send to the processor and/or WMS.

It will of course be understood that many variations may be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the controllers may be located remotely from the lamps they actuate, such as in an existing junction box or the like or with the processor, thus facilitating their installation in an existing building and removing the need for extensive wiring or multiple expensive wireless receivers to be provided. This can make the system more attractive to retro-fit to existing building lighting systems. The controllers 8 may control any number of lamps, not just one, and they may provide a communications relay facility, either for neighbouring S controllers or for operators' hand held devices, which can be advantageous in very large buildings (the largest warehouses often exceed 1 million square metres in area). The controllers can be manufactured so as to be "inline", that is to say the controller is insertable within the existing socket the lamp is to be inserted into, and to provide a further socket for the lamp. Although described in connection with only a single operator, it will be apparent that the system can accommodate any number of operators moving to any number of different locations within the building whilst ensuring that only those lamps which are absolutely necessary are illuminated, thus reducing energy consumption. And although only described in detail with respect to a warehouse, the present invention can be applied in any other building within which movement is controlled and/or directed, such as factories, libraries or buildings where movement is controlled for security reasons. The system can incorporate existing systems, such as passive infra-red sensing and/or time switches, and can act as a safety system, by turning on all the lights in an emergency, or by turning on lamps in the event a controller becomes inoperative or has received no instructions from the processor for a predetermined period of time. Additionally, although described with reference to operators having to input information manually into a mobile computing device, this information could to a large extent be generated automatically -by sensing the operator's location by GPS or the like, and transmitting this information automatically to the WMS, for example. The mobile device can be a hand held device with a keyboard and a display, it could be worn by the worker or it could be voice activated and/or mounted to the vehicle used by the worker in moving around the building.. The controllers may incorporate a battery which is recharged through the main power circuit, to power the controller during power cuts, and/or to operate a visual indicator such as a flashing light so as to indicate when a lamp or the controller requires maintenance; this battery might serve as an auxiliary power source for the lighting, to keep lamps illuminated for a short period as workers exit the building in an emergency for example, to power an alarm, and/or to power sensors incorporated in or located adjacent to the controller and to communicate sensed information to the remote processor (which might be important where the sensor is a fire sensor for example or, if the sensor is a detector which senses human presence or movement, to be able to monitor if there is an intruder or whether or not workers are moving towards an exit during an emergency). The system is described as comprising a processor which is separate from the WMS; those skilled in the art will realise that the processor could easily be embodied as a software module to work with the software package which provides the S WMS, which again enhances the attraction for installing this system to an existing building.

As mentioned above, although the system switches lamps on and off, it may also encompass "dimming", that is to say that "switching on" (or off) a lamp should be interpreted as encompassing changing the illumination of a lamp to any degree between full and no illumination. The processor may be programmed so as to anticipate a worker's movements and control lamps accordingly, and/or the controllers may be adapted, in response to a signal from the remote processor, to actuate a lamp after a predetermined delay; this could helpfully accommodate the expected speed of movement of a worker between locations and only turn lamps on or off when appropriate. In a similar fashion, the processor and/or controllers may be adapted to take account of any delay in lamp illumination (some lamps take time to come to full illumination after being switched on) so that the intended level of illumination corresponds to what is required by the worker(s) at his/their current location(s) in the building. Furthermore, where different variations or alternative arrangements are described above, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may incorporate such variations and/or alternatives in any suitable combination -so, for example, a system for lighting a warehouse in accordance with the invention may comprise a software module which is added to the WMS software package and which controls the lamps via a wireless network of controllers located adjacent the lamps, with each controller adapted to actuate two individual lamps and also incorporating temperature and humidity sensors and means to send sensed temperatures and humidities to the processor/ WMS, some of the controllers having auxiliary batteries arranged to power nearby fire sensors and alarms in the event of a power cut. The system may be provided in kit form, for ease of installation in a building.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A lighting system for a building interior which is illuminated by a plurality of selectively operable lamps, the system comprising a processor adapted to receive intermittent location signals from at least one operator indicative of where in the building the or each operator is located and to generate instruction signals to the or each operator indicative of one or more destinations within the building to which the or each operator is to go to, wherein the processor is programmed to switch on or off the plurality of lamps so as to illuminate at least the said destination an operator is to go to next and to switch off lamps remote from the or each destination.
2. A lighting system according to Claim 1 wherein the processor is programmed such that said lamps remote from the or each destination do not include lamps illuminating the said location where the operator is located.
3. A lighting system according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the processor is programmed such that said lamps remote from the or each destination do not include lamps illuminating a route from the location where the operator is located to the destination the operator is to go to next.
4. A lighting system according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the processor is programmed to switch off lamps illuminating the said location where the operator is located after a predetermined time.
5. A lighting system according to Claim 3 wherein the processor is programmed to switch off lamps illuminating the said route after a predetermined time or times.
6. A lighting system according to Claim 5 wherein the processor is programmed to switch off lamps illuminating the said route in the order in which the operator is expected to move along said route.
7. A lighting system according to any preceding claim wherein the processor is programmed to switch on one or more lamps so as to provide a predetermined level of illumination at at least one part of the building.
8. A lighting system according to Claim 7 wherein the processor is adapted to vary the illumination of individual lamps to any level between fully illuminated and unlit.
9. A lighting system according to any preceding claim comprising a number of controllers, the or each controller being located near to a lamp and adapted, in response to signals from the processor, to switch the said lamp on or off.
10. A lighting system according to Claim 9 wherein the or each controller is adapted to S switch on or off two or more lamps.
11. A lighting system according to Claim 9 or 10 wherein at least one controller includes a sensor for sensing temperature, humidity, motion, ambient light level, fire and/or human presence or movement.
12. A lighting system according to Claim 11 wherein at least one controller is adapted to receive information sensed by another controller, and/or to communicate sensed information to the remote processor.
13. A lighting system according to any of Claims 9 to 12 wherein the or each controller is adapted to be installed in the lighting power supply circuit.
14. A lighting system according to any of Claims 9 to 13 wherein at least one controller comprises an auxiliary power source.
15. A lighting system substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.