KR101631573B1 - Traffic signal control system and traffic signal apparatus for preventing blackout - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a traffic signal lamp control system and a traffic signal lamp device for storing a traffic light control power in a usual traffic light device and lighting a traffic light using stored electric power in a power crisis situation such as a blackout. The traffic signal controller according to an embodiment of the present invention determines whether to use any commercial power or stored power and supplies commercial power or control power to the traffic light device. The traffic light device includes a battery and lights a traffic light using power stored in the battery or power from the traffic signal controller based on the power signal from the traffic signal controller. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of electric power used by a traffic signal when the amount of power used is large, so that the probability of blackout can be reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a traffic signal control system and a traffic signal control apparatus for preventing blackout,

[0001] The present invention relates to a traffic light control system and a traffic signal light control system for preventing blackout, and more particularly, to a traffic light control system for preventing blackout, The present invention relates to a traffic signal light control system and a traffic signal light device that can help prevent blackout and respond to a blackout situation by lighting a traffic signal using electric power.

Conventional traffic signal lamp control system controls the flashing of a traffic light device using commercial power supply (AC 220V) which is always supplied. An example of such a conventional traffic signal light control system is shown in FIG.

The conventional traffic signal light control system includes a traffic signal controller 10 disposed at a place where a plurality of traffic lights are installed such as a range or a crosswalk to control a plurality of traffic light devices, A plurality of traffic signal lamp devices 20 are turned off.

The traffic signal controller 10 includes a signal controller 11 for controlling the signals of the respective traffic light devices, a power source 13 for generating power required for lighting the operation of the apparatus and the traffic signals, And a signal driving unit 12 for driving each traffic light device 20 using commercial power from the power source unit 13 in accordance with the control.

The traffic light device 20 has a form as shown in FIG. 2, for example. 2 (a) shows an appearance of the traffic light device 20, and FIG. 2 (b) shows an example in which four traffic light devices 20 are combined to form a set of traffic signal lights .

Each traffic signal light device 20 includes an LED array 23 composed of a plurality of light emitting diodes of the same color, LED drive means 22 for driving the LEDs of the LED array 23, And power conversion means 21 for converting the commercial power of the AC supplied from the driving unit 12 into DC power required for driving the LEDs. These are housed integrally in the housing as shown in Fig. 2 (a). In FIG. 2 (b), four such housings are assembled to form a set of traffic signal lamps.

Such a conventional traffic signal light control system uses commercial power, so that it does not operate when a power failure occurs. Accordingly, in order to solve such a problem, many techniques have been proposed for providing a backup power source or a battery to the traffic signal controller. For example, in Korean Patent No. 10-0893782 and Korean Patent Publication No. 1995-0015173, yellow light or the like is driven by an alarm light when a power is supplied from a charged battery, but when the main power is temporarily restored Traffic light is activated, traffic lights only act as an emergency light, so traffic can not be controlled only by blinking lights when there are crowded intersections due to heavy traffic. In order to solve such a problem, in Korean Patent No. 10-1169756, when the main power is not supplied, the traffic light is driven by a power source charged in the battery, and the light intensity of the traffic light is adjusted according to traffic volume and current time And controls the signal lamp to blink.

However, these prior arts merely consider how to operate a traffic light in the case of a blackout due to a power outage, and it is not helpful at all to prevent a blackout phenomenon from occurring due to an increase in power consumption Do not.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce power consumption at peak of power consumption by driving a traffic light using electric power stored in a battery, And to provide a traffic light control system and a traffic signal light device capable of providing a traffic light control system. Another object of the present invention is to provide a traffic signal lamp control system and a traffic signal lamp apparatus which can be applied by changing only a part of the traffic signal light device and the traffic signal controller without changing the entire structure of the existing traffic signal light control system.

A traffic signal lamp control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a traffic signal controller for determining whether to use any of a commercial power or stored power to supply commercial power or control power to a plurality of traffic light devices, A plurality of traffic signal lamps for charging a battery with electric power from a traffic signal controller and lighting a traffic light when commercial power is supplied and lighting a traffic light using electric power charged in the battery when control electric power is supplied Respectively.

The traffic signal controller includes: a signal controller for generating a signal lamp control signal for controlling the lighting of a traffic light; a signal driver for supplying power for driving the traffic light to the signal controller in accordance with a signal lamp control signal from the signal controller; And a power switching unit for supplying the signal driving unit with the control power or the commercial power for using the stored power under the control of the power switching control unit.

The traffic light device includes a signal lamp driving means for driving a signal lamp, a signal lamp driving means, a power converting means for converting a power signal from the traffic signal controller into an AC to DC current, a battery, A switching means for connecting one output from the battery or the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means; and a power switching determination means for controlling the switching means based on a power signal from the traffic signal controller Means.

The power switching control unit includes communication means for communication with an external power management system and control for determining whether to use the commercial power or the stored power according to an instruction from the power management system inputted through the communication means Means.

In one embodiment, the power switching unit generates the control power by lowering the voltage by more than a predetermined ratio than the commercial power, and the power switching determination unit connects the battery output to the signal lamp driving unit when the power signal from the traffic signal controller is lower than the reference value The control means controls the switching means.

In another embodiment, the power switching unit converts the frequency of the power signal to a frequency higher than or lower than a certain rate higher than the frequency of the commercial power to generate the control power, and the power switching determination unit determines that the frequency of the power signal from the traffic signal controller And controls the switching means to connect the battery output to the signal lamp driving means.

In another embodiment, the power switching section modulates and inserts a command signal into commercial power to generate the control power, and the power switching determination means modulates a signal that instructs the power signal from the traffic signal controller to use battery power And controls the switching means to connect the battery output to the signal lamp driving means if inserted.

The power switching determination means controls the switching means to connect the output of the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means when there is no power signal from the traffic signal controller. Preferably, the power switching determination means controls the switching means to sense the battery output voltage and always connect the output of the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means when the battery output voltage is lower than the reference voltage.

It is preferable that the signal lamp, the signal lamp driving means, the power conversion means, the charging means, the switching means, and the power switching determination means constituting the traffic light device are integrated and housed in one housing.

According to the present invention, the traffic light control electric power is normally charged in the battery provided in each traffic light device, and when the electric power consumption is increased, the electric power charged in the battery is used Since the traffic light is turned on, it is possible to reduce the power consumption by the traffic signal when the power consumption is large. Since a large number of traffic lights are used nationwide, the possibility of blackout can be greatly reduced by reducing the power consumed by these traffic lights at the peak time of the power use. In addition, even when a temporary power failure occurs, the traffic light can be driven by using the electric power charged in the battery mounted in each traffic light device, thereby avoiding traffic disruption due to temporary power failure. Further, since the apparatus of the present invention can be applied to only a part of the configuration of the traffic signal lamp and the traffic signal controller without changing the overall structure of the existing traffic signal light control system, the time and cost required for applying the present invention can be greatly reduced do. In addition, it is possible to charge the system in the middle of the night when the electricity cost is relatively cheap, and to use the auxiliary power as much as possible during the time when the electricity cost is high.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional traffic signal light control system.
2 is a view showing the appearance of a traffic light device.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a traffic signal lamp control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a traffic signal controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a traffic light device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a waveform diagram showing an internal signal waveform of the traffic light device in the normal operation mode.
7 is a waveform diagram showing an internal signal waveform of the traffic light device in the emergency operation mode.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a traffic signal lamp control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The traffic light control system of the present invention includes a plurality of traffic signal lamps 200 and a traffic signal controller 100 for controlling the traffic lights of the traffic signal lamps 200.

The traffic signal controller 100 includes a signal controller 110 for generating a traffic light control signal for controlling the lighting of a traffic light and a control unit 110 for controlling power for driving the traffic light in accordance with a traffic light control signal from the signal controller 110, A power switching control unit 140 for determining whether to use any of the commercial power and the stored power, a power switching control unit 140 for controlling the commercial power or the control power according to the control of the power switching control unit 140, And a power switching unit 150 for supplying the driving power to the driving unit 120.

The power supply unit 130 may include a connector for receiving commercial power and a protection circuit for protecting the apparatus from lightning or the like. In some embodiments, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) may be included in preparation for a power failure.

4, the power switching control unit 140 includes a communication unit 141 for communication with the power management system 300 and an external power management system 300 that is input through the communication unit 141. [ And control means (142) for determining whether to use the commercial power or the stored power according to the command from the signal controller (110) and / or the information from the signal controller (110). The power management system 300 is, for example, a power management system of a power supply company. When the power management system 300 needs to reduce blackout or power consumption (emergency operation mode) And sends an instruction to use the electric power stored in the traffic light device 200. [ When the control means 142 receives the command through the communication means 141, the control means 142 outputs a signal for controlling the use of the stored power to the power switching means 150. Alternatively, even if there is a control command from the power management system 300, the control means 142 may determine to use the commercial power, for example, when the amount of traffic is large, in accordance with the information from the signal control unit 110. [ Conversely, even when there is no control command from the power management system 300, the control means 142 determines that the traffic is small, for example, in accordance with the information from the signal controller 110 and uses the stored power at a specific time of night It is possible. Or to use stored power when it is necessary to use stored power according to a predefined conversion schedule.

The power switching unit 150 includes a power conversion unit 151 for generating a command signal for using the stored power in addition to the commercial power from the power supply unit 130 (hereinafter, referred to as 'control power') . Examples of a method of adding a command signal to use the stored power include a method of lowering the voltage by a predetermined ratio (for example, 20%) or more than the commercial power, a method of lowering the voltage by more than a certain rate And a method of modulating and inserting a command signal into a commercial power by a method such as PLC (Power Line Communication).

The power switching unit 150 also has a switching unit 152 and outputs one of the commercial power or the control power to the signal driving unit 120 according to a control signal from the power switching control unit 140. The signal driver 120 is provided with a driving circuit allocated to each traffic light device 200 so that the power from the power switching unit 150 is supplied to each traffic light device 200, and has the same configuration as a conventional traffic signal controller. That is, when the signal lamp control signal from the signal controller 110 instructs to turn on the corresponding signal lamp, the respective driving circuits of the signal driver 120 supply the power from the power switching unit 150 to the corresponding traffic signal lamp 200 And when the signal lamp control signal from the signal controller 110 indicates that the corresponding signal lamp is off, the power supply to the corresponding traffic signal lamp 200 is cut off.

The traffic light device 200 has a shape similar to that of the conventional art as shown in FIG. 2, and a battery is mounted inside the traffic signal light device 200 so that a part of the electric power for driving a traffic light from the traffic signal controller 100 in a normal The battery is charged, and when there is a risk of occurrence of blackout (emergency operation mode), the signal lamp is turned on using the electric power charged in the battery.

A detailed internal configuration of the traffic light device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The traffic signal light device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an LED array 230 used as a traffic light, an LED driving means 220 driving the LED array 230, a traffic signal controller 100, (210) for converting the power signal from the AC power supply to the DC power supply. In the present embodiment, the power conversion means 210 converts a voltage required for driving the LED array 230, for example, DC 12 V or DC 24 V, but when a display device other than an LED is used as a traffic light, To a voltage suitable for driving the organic EL element.

The traffic light device 200 of the present invention further includes a charging means 250 having a battery and connected to the output of the power conversion means 210 to charge the battery, Switching means 260 for connecting to the means 220 and power switching determination means 240 for controlling the switching means 260 on the basis of the power signal from the traffic signal controller 100. These components are all preferably housed in one housing of the traffic light device 200 as shown in FIG. That is, all the components of FIG. 5 are accommodated in the red traffic lights, and all the components of FIG. 5 are accommodated in the green traffic lights. The switching means 260 may be composed of, for example, a semiconductor switch.

In one embodiment, the power switching determination means 240 controls the switching means 260 to connect the battery output to the LED driving means 220 when the power signal from the traffic signal controller 100 is lower than the reference value. Alternatively, if the power switching determination means 240 determines that the frequency of the power signal from the traffic signal controller 100 is different from the reference frequency by a predetermined ratio or more, the switching means 260 controls the switching means 260 to connect the battery output to the LED driving means 220 It is possible. In the case where the PLC communication transmission is used, if there is a signal instructing to use the battery power in the power signal from the traffic signal controller 100, the switching means 260 is connected to connect the battery output to the LED driving means 220 Control.

The charging means 250 is preferably configured to charge the battery when the commercial power is input, but not to charge the battery when the control power is input.

The power switching determination means 240 also controls the switching means 260 to connect the output of the power conversion means 210 to the LED driving means 220 when there is no power signal from the traffic signal controller 100 do. That is, when the traffic light is turned on, commercial power or control power is supplied from the traffic signal controller 100. Accordingly, the traffic light is lit by applying battery power or commercial power to the traffic light, and when the traffic light is off, When there is no power signal from the traffic signal controller 100 because there is no output of the power conversion means 210 because the power signal from the power conversion means 100 does not exist (220) to turn off the traffic light.

This will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram showing an internal signal waveform of the traffic light device in the normal operation mode, and FIG. 7 is a waveform diagram showing an internal signal waveform of the traffic signal device in the emergency operation mode. 6 and 7, (i) represents a period during which a traffic light is lit, and (ii) represents a period during which a traffic light is extinguished.

6 (a) and 6 (b) show waveforms of power signals from the traffic signal controller 100. FIG. FIGS. 6 and 7 show the case of the embodiment in which the normal operation mode and the emergency operation mode are separated using the amplitude of the power signal. That is, in the normal operation mode, the power signal from the traffic signal controller 100 has an amplitude that does not deviate by more than a predetermined ratio from the reference amplitude. In the emergency operation mode, the power signal from the traffic signal controller 100 is expressed as a reference amplitude ) Lower than a predetermined ratio.

6 and 7 (b) show the output waveforms of the power conversion means 210. FIG. The power conversion unit 210 rectifies the AC power from the traffic signal controller 100 and converts it into DC power so that the amplitude of the output signal is proportional to the amplitude of the power signal from the traffic signal controller 100 do. Therefore, in the normal operation mode, the output of the power conversion means 210 has an amplitude that does not deviate by more than a predetermined ratio from the reference amplitude. In the emergency operation mode, the output of the power conversion means 210 is set to a constant Or more.

6 and 7 (c) show the output waveforms of the power switching determination means 240. In FIG. The power switching determination means 240 outputs a logic 0 (0V) when the input to the power conversion means 210 or the output of the power conversion means 210 does not deviate by more than a certain ratio from the reference amplitude And controls the switching means 260 to connect the output of the power converting means 210 to the LED driving means 220. Conversely, if the input to the power conversion means 210 or the output of the power conversion means 210 deviates from the reference amplitude by a predetermined ratio or more, the logic 1 (for example, 12V) And controls the switching means 260 to connect the output (battery output) of the LED driving means 220 to the LED driving means 220.

On the other hand, in the case of no power signal from the traffic signal controller 100 (section (ii) of Fig. 6 and Fig. 7) for the signal lamp off, in the normal operation mode and the emergency operation mode And controls the switching means 260 to output the logic 0 (0V) to connect the output of the power conversion means 210 to the LED driving means 220.

On the other hand, in some cases, the battery may not be charged with sufficient power to light a signal lamp. In this case, it is preferable to light the traffic lights using the electric power from the traffic signal controller 100, not the electric power charged in the battery even in the emergency operation mode. To this end, the power switching determination means 240 detects the battery output voltage so that the output of the power conversion means 210 is always connected to the LED driving means 220 regardless of the operation mode when the battery output voltage is lower than the reference voltage. It is preferable to control the means 260.

In the above description, the traffic signal controller 100 determines whether or not to use the power stored in the traffic signal lamp 200 according to commands and / or traffic conditions from the external power control system. However, according to the embodiment, 200 may independently determine whether to use the electric power stored in the traffic light device 200. [ For example, even when the conventional traffic signal controller is used as it is and only the traffic light device is used, even if the power from the traffic signal controller falls below a certain rate, the traffic light device autonomously determines the traffic It is also possible to configure to use the power stored in the traffic light device.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to several examples, the present invention is not limited to the specific examples. Furthermore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, as all the constituent elements constituting the embodiment of the present invention are explained as being combined or operated as a single unit. That is, within the scope of the present invention, all of the components may be selectively coupled to one or more of them.

Furthermore, the terms "comprises", "comprising", or "having" described above mean that a component can be implanted unless otherwise specifically stated, But should be construed as including other elements. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as predefined terms, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meanings of the related art, and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal, unless expressly defined to the contrary.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

100 traffic signal controller,
110 signal control section,
120 signal driver,
130 Power supply,
140 power switching control unit,
150 power switching unit,
200 Traffic light devices,
210 power conversion means,
220 LED driving means,
230 LED arrays,
240 power conversion determination means,
250 charging means,
260 Switching means.

Claims (16)

delete delete delete A traffic signal lamp control system comprising a plurality of traffic signal lamp devices and a traffic signal controller for supplying power to the plurality of traffic signal lamp devices,
The traffic signal controller
A power switching control unit for determining whether to use the commercial power or the stored power according to an instruction from an external power management system and outputting a control signal,
A power switching unit for outputting a commercial power when a control signal for using commercial power is output from the power switching control unit and outputting a control power having a voltage lower than a commercial power by a predetermined value when a control signal for using the stored power is output,
A signal control unit for generating a signal lamp control signal for controlling the lighting of a traffic light,
A signal driver for supplying commercial power or control power output from the power switching unit to the traffic light device in response to a traffic light control signal from the signal control unit,
/ RTI >
The plurality of traffic signal lamp devices
Traffic Light,
A signal lamp driving means for driving the signal lamp,
Power conversion means for converting electric power supplied from the traffic signal controller from AC to DC,
Charging means having a battery and connected to an output of the power conversion means to charge the battery,
Switching means for connecting the output from one of the battery or the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means,
And controls the switching means to connect the battery output to the signal lamp driving means when the voltage of the power supplied from the traffic signal controller is lower than a reference value, and when the voltage of the power supplied from the traffic signal controller is not lower than the reference value, And power switching determination means for controlling the switching means to connect the output of the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means when power is not supplied from the controller
The traffic light control system comprising: A traffic signal lamp control system comprising a plurality of traffic signal lamp devices and a traffic signal controller for supplying power to the plurality of traffic signal lamp devices,
The traffic signal controller
A power switching control unit for determining whether to use the commercial power or the stored power according to an instruction from an external power management system and outputting a control signal,
When a control signal for using commercial power is output from the power switching control unit, a commercial power is outputted. When a control signal for using the stored power is output, a control power converted to a frequency higher than or lower than a certain ratio of the commercial power is output A power switching unit,
A signal control unit for generating a signal lamp control signal for controlling the lighting of a traffic light,
A signal driver for supplying commercial power or control power output from the power switching unit to the traffic light device in response to a traffic light control signal from the signal control unit,
/ RTI >
The plurality of traffic signal lamp devices
Traffic Light,
A signal lamp driving means for driving the signal lamp,
Power conversion means for converting electric power supplied from the traffic signal controller from AC to DC,
Charging means having a battery and connected to an output of the power conversion means to charge the battery,
Switching means for connecting the output from one of the battery or the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means,
The control means controls the switching means to connect the battery output to the signal lamp driving means when the frequency of the power supplied from the traffic signal controller is different from the reference frequency by a predetermined ratio or more, Power switching determination means for controlling the switching means to connect the output of the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means when power is not supplied from the traffic signal controller,
The traffic light control system comprising: delete delete The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Wherein the power switching determination means detects the battery output voltage and controls the switching means to always connect the output of the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means when the battery output voltage is lower than the reference voltage. . The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Wherein the signal lamp, the signal lamp driving means, the power conversion means, the charging means, the switching means, and the power switching determination means are integrated and housed in one housing. delete Traffic Light,
A signal lamp driving means for driving the signal lamp,
Power conversion means for converting electric power supplied from the traffic signal controller from AC to DC,
Charging means having a battery and connected to an output of the power conversion means to charge the battery,
Switching means for connecting the output from one of the battery or the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means,
And controls the switching means to connect the battery output to the traffic light driving means when the voltage of the electric power outputted from the traffic signal controller is lower than the reference value and if the voltage of the electric power supplied from the traffic signal controller is not lower than the reference value, The power switching determination means for controlling the switching means to connect the output of the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means
And a traffic light device. Traffic Light,
A signal lamp driving means for driving the signal lamp,
Power conversion means for converting electric power supplied from the traffic signal controller from AC to DC,
Charging means having a battery and connected to an output of the power conversion means to charge the battery,
Switching means for connecting the output from one of the battery or the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means,
And controls the switching means to connect the battery output to the traffic light driving means if the frequency of the electric power supplied from the traffic signal controller is different from the reference frequency by a certain ratio or more. When the frequency of the electric power supplied from the traffic signal controller exceeds the reference frequency Power switching determination means for controlling the switching means to connect the output of the power conversion means to the signal lamp driving means when power is not supplied from the traffic signal controller,
And a traffic light device. delete delete 13. The power supply apparatus according to claim 11 or 12,
And controls the switching means to always connect the output of the power converting means to the signal lamp driving means when the battery output voltage is below a reference voltage. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12,
Wherein the signal lamp, the signal lamp driving means, the power conversion means, the charging means, the switching means, and the power switching determination means are integrated and housed in one housing.

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