Luminaire and method for controlling such a luminaire

Abstract

Luminaire (1), in particular safety, emergency exit sign or emergency luminaire, with at least one light source (2) and a control and monitoring module (3), which can be connected to a mains voltage supply (5) or emergency voltage supply (6) via a supply line (4), characterized in that the luminaire (1) is assigned an ambient light sensor (7) connected to the control and monitoring module, by which ambient light and brightness can be measured when the luminaire is switched on and off for the purpose of carrying out a functional test.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a luminaire, in particular a safety or escape sign luminaire, with at least one illuminant and a control and monitoring module which can be connected to a supply line with mains voltage supply or emergency voltage supply.

[0002] Such luminaires are used, for example, in darkened rooms such as cinemas, theaters, and the like. Especially during performances in these darkened rooms and when the general lighting is turned off, such luminaires have a reduced brightness to avoid dazzling attendees during the performance. When the general lighting is turned back on, the brightness of these luminaires must also be increased again, for example, to mark an escape route or emergency exit.

[0003] As a rule, the luminaires have a higher brightness when powered by mains voltage than when powered by emergency voltage.

[0004] To reduce the brightness of the luminaires during a performance, lighting management systems are used for such luminaires, for example, but these require additional wiring and data cables. However, even with such a lighting management system, it is difficult to control the luminaires accordingly, either to dim them or to restore them to full brightness, depending on the ambient lighting conditions. For example, the ambient lighting conditions will change depending on the time of day, whether the general lighting is switched on, or whether some of the general lighting is switched on and some luminaires are damaged.

[0005] From DE 102 30 313 A1 a switching device for switching and controlling a lamp is known.

[0006] EP 0 903 966 A1 discloses a lighting system with a central device and a luminaire. DE 10 2007 047 141 A1 discloses an operating device for operating at least one lamp.

[0007] From EP 0 723 384 A1 a circuit arrangement for monitoring and / or controlling a lighting system is known.

[0008] DE 10 2010 041 227 A1 discloses a system and method for non-linear dimming of a light source.

[0009] The invention is based on the object of influencing the brightness of corresponding luminaires in a simple manner and without great circuit complexity, even under changing ambient light conditions.

[0010] This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claims 1 and 13 respectively.

[0011] The luminaire, in particular a safety, escape sign or emergency luminaire, comprises at least one illuminant and a control and monitoring module which can be connected to the mains voltage supply or emergency voltage supply (6) via a supply line, characterized in that the luminaire is assigned an ambient light sensor which is connected to the control and monitoring module and by means of which ambient light and brightness can be measured when the luminaire is switched on and off in order to carry out a functional test.

[0012] Furthermore, the object is achieved, among other things, by a method for controlling a luminaire. The method for controlling a luminaire, which has at least one light source and a control and monitoring module, is characterized by the following steps: i) measuring the brightness of incident light by means of an ambient light sensor connected to the control and monitoring module; ii) transmitting corresponding brightness measurement data to the control and monitoring module; iii) Adaptive control of the lamp by the control and monitoring module depending on the measured brightness to increase or decrease the radiant power of the lamp, and iv) Measuring the brightness when the luminaire is switched on and off to perform the functional test of the luminaire.

[0013] For this purpose, the luminaire is equipped with an ambient light sensor or brightness sensor. This sensor detects the ambient light, which is influenced, for example, by general lighting or other light sources, and also depends on the time of day.

[0014] According to signals from this ambient light sensor, the brightness of the lamp of the respective light can then be influenced.

[0015] This typically involves measuring the brightness of incident light using the ambient light sensor. The measured brightness is converted into data and transmitted to a control and monitoring module of the luminaire. This module then adaptively controls the corresponding light source, increasing or decreasing its radiant output depending on the measured brightness.

[0016] Although the corresponding ambient light sensor is assigned to the respective luminaire, it does not have to be part of the luminaire itself; it can also be located at a certain distance from it. The corresponding data can be transmitted wirelessly, for example, if the ambient light sensor communicates with the luminaire wirelessly. However, it is also possible for the ambient light sensor to be connected to the control and monitoring module via a connecting cable. In this context, it is also possible for this ambient light sensor to be located directly in a suitable location on the luminaire housing or directly next to the luminaire.

[0017] The corresponding control and monitoring module can include additional features, such as an address setting device, a dimming level setting device, and the like. The corresponding address allows the luminaire to be addressed and monitored by a central device or a central or group battery system.

[0018] The adjustable dimming level is, for example, 30% for mains power supply and 100% for emergency power supply. Furthermore, a corresponding dimming level of 30% can also be set when the general lighting is switched off, for example during a performance in a cinema, theater, or similar venue. Other dimming levels are also possible.

[0019] The control and monitoring module can be designed differently depending on the light source and can be, for example, an electronic converter, a power supply, a control unit, an electronic ballast or the like.

[0020] In addition to a setting device for a dimming level, the control and monitoring module can also have a dimming control which, also adaptively, further changes the dimming depending on the brightness detected by the ambient light sensor.

[0021] It is also possible for the control and monitoring module to have a data communication interface, for example, to receive data from a lighting management system, a central control unit, or a central or group battery system. Data communication can be bidirectional in this context, i.e., also from the control and monitoring module to the corresponding external device.

[0022] By means of data communication, for example, a functional or duration test, an inspection, maintenance, change of operating mode, repair or the like can be carried out.

[0023] If the general lighting is very bright, the brightness of the luminaires, especially in the case of safety, escape sign, or emergency luminaires, will also be relatively high in order to ensure sufficient brightness to meet the relevant standards or national requirements for emergency lighting. This brightness level can be referred to as the base level, which can be adjusted directly on the control and monitoring module, for example, using a potentiometer, a rotary switch, software configuration, or the like. Dimming is then carried out relative to this base level using a dimming control and, if necessary, an output power control of the control and monitoring module to supply the lamp.By dimming the light according to the ambient light, the light intensity of the corresponding lamp is reduced, resulting in less overall power consumption, a longer lamp life, and automatic local lighting control for each luminaire. According to the invention, there is no need for additional lighting management control devices, data cables, or other wiring.

[0024] The start and end of dimming can be controlled directly from the luminaire, for example, by setting a delay for starting dimming, a dimming speed, or similar parameters. Such settings can be made via software directly on the luminaire or externally via a central control system, for example. Such settings can be made once and then permanently, or they can be adjusted again as needed.

[0025] This also applies to a dimming adaptation time after the general lighting is switched on or off. Such a dimming adaptation time determines, for example, at what point in time a specified dimming level is reached after the general lighting is switched on or off, and at what point in time after switching on or off dimming is initiated.

[0026] It is also possible for the control and monitoring module to have an interface for connecting to a lighting management system to enable additional control or modification. This interface can be used to transmit special data sets containing dimming information that can influence the dimming control of the control and monitoring module.

[0027] Furthermore, the lighting management system can, for example, turn each light on and off to perform a functional test using the ambient light sensor. When the light is turned on and off, the ambient light sensor will measure different light levels, allowing the functionality of the light to be checked based on these values ​​and, if applicable, the difference between these light levels.

[0028] With the help of the lighting management system, it is also possible to overwrite the relevant information from the ambient light sensor, so that it is deactivated for dimming the lamp, for example if critical situations arise that require central control of all lights.

[0029] In order to be able to perform all necessary functions using the control and monitoring module, this can have a microcontroller.

[0030] One possible light source for the lamp is an LED, for example, although other light sources can also be used, such as incandescent lamps, low- or high-pressure halogen lamps, fluorescent tubes or the like.

[0031] Such a luminaire can also be designed as a self-contained luminaire. Such a self-contained luminaire has a backup power source within the luminaire. The self-contained luminaire can be centrally monitored and controlled via a communications device. The communications device can include a data line, but can also operate wirelessly.

[0032] The ambient light sensor and the measured brightness also make it possible to detect or define different lighting scenarios. This includes, for example, adjusting the dimming to natural light according to the time of day, adjusting the dimming to the general lighting being switched on or off, or even adjusting to general lighting in which some bulbs have failed.

[0033] All of these lighting scenarios can be implemented by dimming the luminaire accordingly.

[0034] The control and monitoring module can perform additional tasks, such as short-circuit protection, overload or temperature protection, and the like.

[0035] The above-mentioned lighting management system can, for example, be a DALI system or another lighting management system.

[0036] The invention enables simple adaptation between such luminaires and the general lighting without the need for a separate controller, data cable, or other external lighting management solutions. These are not required for adaptive dimming of the luminaires, but can provide additional functionality, see the above explanations.

[0037] In the following, the invention is described and explained in more detail with reference to the drawings attached in the figure.

[0038] It shows: Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit with a lamp 1 according to the invention.

[0039] After Fig. 1, a luminaire 1 comprises at least one illuminant 2 and a control and monitoring module 3. The illuminant 2 is / are, for example, one or more LEDs. Other illuminants can be used, such as incandescent lamps, fluorescent tubes, low- and high-pressure halogen lamps, or the like. A luminaire housing, in which the control and monitoring module 3 and the illuminant 2 can be arranged, is shown in Fig. 1 not shown.

[0040] The luminaire 1 further comprises an ambient light sensor 7 for detecting the ambient brightness. The ambient light sensor 7 can be connected wirelessly to the control and monitoring module 3 or via a connecting cable 8. Such an ambient light sensor 7 can be arranged in or on the corresponding luminaire housing or at a certain distance from it.

[0041] The control and monitoring module 3 has a number of internal devices, such as a microcontroller 14 or an output power control unit 12. This allows the output power supplied to the at least one light source 2 to be adjusted. Furthermore, the control and monitoring module 3 has setting devices 9 for an address and for dimming (see dimming control 10). Using the address setting device 9, the luminaire 1 can be assigned a specific address locally, via which the luminaire can be addressed by a central control device or by a central / group battery system 15.

[0042] The control and monitoring module 3 also has a data communication interface 11 and a further interface 13. Data can be transmitted via a separate data line, for example, via the data communication interface 11. The further interface 13 can be used to connect a lighting management system, for example, based on DALI.

[0043] The luminaire 1 is connected via corresponding supply lines 4 to the central / group battery system and via this to a corresponding mains voltage supply 5 or emergency voltage supply 6. A switching device is arranged in the central / group battery system 15, which switches over to the emergency voltage supply 6 in the event of a failure of the mains voltage supply 5. The mains voltage supply and emergency voltage supply can be alternating voltage, although at least the mains voltage supply is an alternating voltage. The emergency voltage or substitute voltage can also be an alternating voltage, although in emergency operation, such an alternating voltage or also a direct voltage can be present depending on the application. A direct voltage results, for example, from a battery or the like as an emergency voltage supply, although a generator or the like can also be used to generate an alternating voltage for this emergency voltage supply.

[0044] The ambient light sensor 7 measures the brightness of the ambient light of the luminaire 1 and uses this information to adapt the dimming of the corresponding light source 2. For this purpose, corresponding measurement data from the ambient light sensor 7 is transmitted to the control and monitoring module 3 via the connecting cable 8. For example, if the ambient light sensor 7 detects that the general lighting has been switched off, the light can be dimmed to 30% accordingly. While no dimming occurs when the general lighting is switched on, the light source is supplied with a preset maximum output to ensure sufficient brightness compared to the general lighting.

[0045] The dimming level can be adjusted via the dimming control 10, whereby the output power is influenced accordingly by means of the output power control device 12.

[0046] The control and monitoring module 3 can be, for example, an electronic converter, a control unit, a power supply or an electronic ballast.

[0047] The ambient light sensor 7 can also be used during a functional test, in which, for example, the light source 2 is switched on and off. These different light levels are detected by the ambient light sensor 7, and if there is a corresponding and sufficient difference in the light levels, the light source is recognized as functioning. Such a functional test can be performed by the control and monitoring module 3 based on appropriate control by an external unit, for example, the lighting management system, a central monitoring unit, or the central / group battery system 15.

[0048] The ambient light sensor also allows different lighting scenarios to be detected, such as different ambient light levels depending on the time of day, switched-on general lighting, dimmed general lighting, or even general lighting with some light sources failing. For all of these lighting scenarios, the invention allows for adaptive dimming. This is achieved, in particular, without any further external influence on the luminaire via data communication using a data cable or the like.

Claims

[1] Luminaire (1), in particular safety, escape sign or emergency luminaire, with at least one illuminant (2) and a control and monitoring module (3) which can be connected to the mains voltage supply (5) or emergency voltage supply (6) via a supply line (4), characterized by that the lamp (1) is assigned an ambient light sensor (7) connected to the control and monitoring module, by means of which ambient light and brightness can be measured when the lamp is switched on and off in order to carry out a functional test. [2] Luminaire according to claim 1, characterized by that the ambient light sensor (7) is connected to the control and monitoring module (3) via a connecting line (8). [3] Luminaire according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the control and monitoring module (3) has a setting device (9) for addresses and / or dimming levels. [4] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the control and monitoring module (3) is an electronic converter, a power supply, a control unit or a ballast. [5] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the control and monitoring module (3) has a dimming control (10). [6] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the control and monitoring module (3) has a data communication interface (11). [7] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the control and monitoring module (3) has an output power control (12) for supplying the lighting means. [8] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the control and monitoring module (3) has an interface (13) for connection to a lighting management system. [9] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the control and monitoring module (3) has a microcontroller (14). [10] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the light source (2) is an LED. [11] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the control and monitoring module (3) can be connected to a central or group battery system (15). [12] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the luminaire is a self-contained luminaire which can be centrally monitored and controlled, in particular by means of a communication device. [13] Method for controlling a luminaire (1) which has at least one illuminant (2) and a control and monitoring module (3), characterized by the following steps: i) measuring the brightness of incident light by means of an ambient light sensor (7) connected to the control and monitoring module (3); ii) transmitting corresponding brightness measurement data to the control and monitoring module (3); iii) Adaptive control of the illuminant (2) by the control and monitoring module (3) depending on the measured brightness to increase or decrease the radiant power of the illuminant (2), and iv) Measuring the brightness when the luminaire (1) is switched on and off to carry out the functional test of the luminaire. [14] Method according to claim 13, characterized by increasing or decreasing the radiant power to a level at which the lamp is visible relative to the ambient light. [15] Method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized by Increasing the radiant power when setting the lamp to a maximum level and then reducing the radiant power according to the ambient light. [16] Method according to one of claims 13 to 15, characterized bySetting a dimming level on the control and monitoring module (3) with emergency power supply (6). [17] Method according to one of claims 13 to 16, characterized by Setting a delay time and / or dimming speed using the control and monitoring module (3). [18] Method according to one of claims 13 to 17, characterized by Setting a radiant power base value on the luminaire (1) [19] Method according to one of claims 13 to 18, characterized by Specifying a dimming adaptation time for the lamp (2) after switching the general lighting on or off. [20] Method according to one of the preceding claims 13 to 19, characterized by Receiving dimming data from a central controller or a central or group battery system. [21] Method according to one of the preceding claims 13 to 20, characterized byEvaluate the measured brightness to determine or set different lighting scenarios. [22] Method according to one of the preceding claims 13 to 21, characterized by Overwriting data from the ambient light sensor (7) to control the light (1) in emergency situations.

Images