Emergency light having battery self-diagnosis function and control method thereof

Abstract

An emergency light having a battery self-diagnosis function according to the present invention charges a battery unit provided therein using a commercial power source during normal operation, and powers a lighting unit using the battery unit in an emergency in which the commercial power source is cut off. The emergency light comprises: a primary-side circuit unit which converts an alternating current (AC) power from the commercial power source into a direct current (DC) power; a conversion unit which converts the DC power into charging power required to charge the battery unit; a secondary-side circuit unit which charges the battery unit with the converted charging power and powers the lighting unit by discharging the battery unit when the commercial power source is cut off; and a control unit which is provided in the primary-side circuit unit and performs self-diagnosis of the battery unit at preset self-diagnosis intervals.

Description

Emergency lighting with battery self-check function and control method thereof

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency light having a battery self-inspection function and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an emergency light having a function of self-inspecting the state of a battery that supplies power to the light in an emergency situation where commercial power is cut off, and a control method thereof.

[0002] Emergency lighting is a device that is powered by an emergency power source in the event of a fire or other disaster. It indicates the direction or location of an exit, allowing occupants to evacuate, or provides light for a set period of time. These emergency lighting devices are equipped with batteries to serve as an emergency power source in case of a power outage.

[0003] Meanwhile, since the batteries installed in emergency lights must stably provide emergency lighting for the effective lighting time in the event of a power outage, the battery capacity must be maintained above a certain level to maintain the effective lighting time. However, as the battery capacity naturally decreases over time due to factors such as long-term storage, repeated charging and discharging, and continuous charging, emergency lights that have been installed on-site or beyond the warranty period may not be able to provide emergency lighting for the effective lighting time in the event of a power outage due to the decreased capacity of the built-in battery. Therefore, conventional emergency lights have an inspection switch that can check the status of the emergency light to determine whether the emergency light is functioning and whether the battery is defective. However, as mentioned above, inspection using the inspection switch can only confirm whether the emergency light is functioning and whether the battery is defective, and it is impossible to determine whether the remaining battery capacity is sufficient to provide emergency lighting for the effective lighting time.

[0004] [Prior Art Literature]

[0005] [Patent Document]

[0006] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0739873 (published on July 19, 2007)

[0007] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an emergency light having a self-inspection function as a management method for maintaining the performance of an emergency light above a level that allows emergency lighting during the effective lighting time.

[0008] The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0009] An emergency light having a battery self-inspection function according to one embodiment of the present invention is an emergency light that charges a battery unit provided therein with commercial power in normal times and lights up the lighting unit with the battery unit in an emergency when the commercial power is cut off, the emergency light including a primary circuit unit that converts AC power from the commercial power into DC power, a conversion unit that converts the DC power into charging power required for charging the battery unit, a secondary circuit unit that charges the battery unit with the converted charging power and, when the commercial power is cut off, discharges the battery unit to light up the lighting unit, and a control unit that is provided in the primary circuit unit and performs a self-inspection of the battery unit at every preset self-inspection cycle, and when the self-inspection cycle is reached, determines whether the lighting unit can be maintained for a preset effective lighting time by cutting off the commercial power and discharging the battery unit, and generates an alarm issuance signal according to the determination result.

[0010] At this time, when the self-inspection cycle is reached, the control unit can control to turn off the switch unit connecting the primary circuit unit and the conversion unit, estimate the state of the battery unit during a preset self-inspection time, and then control to turn on the switch unit.

[0011] In addition, the primary circuit unit further includes a detection unit that detects the voltage of the battery unit, and the control unit compares the voltage of the battery unit with a preset reference voltage, and if the voltage of the battery unit is lower than the preset reference voltage, it is estimated that the state of the battery unit is such that it is difficult to maintain lighting for a preset effective lighting time in an emergency, and generates the alarm issuance signal, wherein the reference voltage can be calculated based on the self-inspection time and the design lighting time required for the voltage of the battery unit to reach from the highest voltage to the lowest voltage when the battery unit is discharged.

[0012] In addition, the device further includes a status display unit that outputs light at a constant blinking cycle according to the alarm issuance signal, wherein the blinking cycle can be calculated based on the time required for the voltage of the battery unit to reach the reference voltage after the battery self-inspection is started and the self-inspection time.

[0013] Meanwhile, the emergency light having the battery self-inspection function may further include an insulation unit that maintains electrical insulation between the primary circuit unit and the secondary circuit unit and transmits voltage information of the battery unit to the detection unit.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a control method of an emergency light having a battery self-inspection function is provided, which is an emergency light that charges a battery unit provided therein with a commercial power source in normal times and lights up the lighting unit with the battery unit in an emergency when the commercial power source is cut off, the emergency light comprising a primary circuit unit that converts AC power from the commercial power source into DC power, a conversion unit that converts the DC power into charging power necessary for charging the battery unit, and a secondary circuit unit that charges the battery unit with the converted charging power and, when the commercial power source is cut off, discharges the battery unit to light up the lighting unit, the control method comprising the steps of: cutting off the commercial power source when a preset self-inspection cycle is reached; determining whether the lighting unit can be maintained for a preset effective lighting time by discharging the battery unit; and generating an alarm issuance signal according to the determination result.

[0015] At this time, the control method may further include a step of controlling a switch connecting the primary circuit unit and the conversion unit to turn off when the commercial power is cut off, a step of estimating the state of the battery unit during a preset self-inspection time, and a step of controlling the switch to turn on when the self-inspection is completed.

[0016] In addition, the primary circuit unit further includes a detection unit that detects the voltage of the battery unit, and the step of estimating the state of the battery unit includes a step of comparing the voltage of the battery unit with a preset reference voltage, and a step of estimating that the state of the battery unit is difficult to maintain lighting for a preset effective lighting time in an emergency when the voltage of the battery unit is lower than the preset reference voltage, wherein the reference voltage can be calculated based on the self-inspection time and the design lighting time required for the voltage of the battery unit to reach from the highest voltage to the lowest voltage when the battery unit is discharged.

[0017] In addition, the emergency light further includes a status display unit that outputs light at a constant blinking cycle according to the alarm issuance signal, and the blinking cycle can be calculated based on the time required for the voltage of the battery unit to reach the reference voltage after the battery self-inspection starts and the self-inspection time.

[0018] Meanwhile, the emergency light may further include an insulation unit that maintains electrical insulation between the primary circuit unit and the secondary circuit unit and transmits voltage information of the battery unit to the detection unit.

[0019] The emergency light having a battery self-inspection function of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem and the control method thereof can perform self-inspection at regular intervals so that the emergency light can maintain a level at which emergency lighting is possible during the effective lighting time in an emergency.

[0020] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

[0021] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of an emergency lighting system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the circuit configuration of an insulation part according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] And Figure 3 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of an emergency light according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] The following detailed description of the present invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention, while different from each other, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that the positions or arrangements of individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not intended to be limiting, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled, if properly described. Like reference numerals in the drawings designate the same or similar functionality throughout the several aspects.

[0025] The components according to the present invention are defined by functional distinctions rather than physical distinctions, and can be defined by the functions each component performs. Each component may be implemented as hardware or program code and processing units that perform each function, and the functions of two or more components may be implemented by including them in a single component. Therefore, the names given to the components in the following embodiments are not intended to physically distinguish each component, but rather to suggest the representative functions performed by each component. It should be noted that the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by the names of the components.

[0026] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 1, an emergency light (10) having a battery self-inspection function according to one embodiment of the present invention is an emergency light (10) that charges a battery unit (240) provided inside with a commercial power source in normal times and lights up the lighting unit (210) with the battery unit (240) in an emergency when the commercial power source is cut off, and may include a primary circuit unit (100), a secondary circuit unit (200), a conversion unit (300), and a control unit (120).

[0028] To this end, an emergency light (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be installed and executed with software (application) for performing the control method of the emergency light of the present invention, and the primary circuit unit (100), the secondary circuit unit (200), the conversion unit (300), and the control unit (120) can be controlled by the software (application) for performing the control method of the emergency light.

[0029] At this time, the emergency light (10) may be a separate terminal or a module of a terminal. In addition, the configuration of the primary circuit unit (100), secondary circuit unit (200), conversion unit (300), and control unit (120) may be formed as an integrated module or may be composed of one or more modules. However, conversely, each configuration may be composed of a separate module.

[0030] In addition, the emergency light (10) may be mobile or fixed. The emergency light (10) may be called by other terms such as a device, an apparatus, a terminal, a UE (user equipment), an MS (mobile station), a wireless device, a handheld device, etc. In addition, the emergency light (10) may execute or produce various software based on an operating system (OS), that is, a system. Here, the operating system is a system program for enabling software to use the hardware of the device, and may include all mobile computer operating systems such as Android OS, iOS, Windows Mobile OS, Bada OS, Symbian OS, and Blackberry OS, as well as computer operating systems such as Windows series, Linux series, Unix series, MAC, AIX, and HP-UX.

[0031] The primary circuit unit (100) can convert AC power from a commercial power source into DC power. To this end, the primary circuit unit includes a rectifier (110) that receives AC power from a commercial power source, converts the AC power into DC power, and outputs the converted AC power. The rectifier (110) can be implemented as an AC-DC converter, and can be implemented as a converter of various types including a transformer, multiple diodes, and switches.

[0032] The above-described conversion unit (300) can convert the DC power output from the primary circuit unit (100) into charging power required for charging the battery unit (240). More specifically, the conversion unit (300) can include a DC-DC converter (not shown) that converts the DC power output from the primary circuit unit (100) into DC power required for charging the battery unit (240).

[0033] Meanwhile, the secondary circuit unit (200) may further include a charging / discharging unit (230) that charges and discharges the battery unit (240). At this time, the control unit (120) may control the charging / discharging unit (230) so that the charging / discharging unit (230) charges the battery unit (240) in normal times and discharges the battery unit (240) in times of emergency or self-inspection.

[0034] The secondary circuit unit (200) above can discharge the battery unit (240) and turn on the lighting unit (210) in an emergency when the commercial power supply is cut off.

[0035] In addition, the control unit (120) is provided in the primary circuit unit (100) and can perform self-inspection of the battery unit (240) at preset self-inspection cycles.

[0036] The control unit (120) may, when the self-inspection cycle is reached, cut off the commercial power supply and discharge the battery unit (240) to determine whether the lighting unit (210) can be maintained for a preset effective lighting time, and generate an alarm issuance signal based on the determination result. For example, the self-inspection cycle may be preset to 30 days or 6 months, and the effective lighting time may be preset to 60 minutes or 90 minutes, but is not limited thereto.

[0037] More specifically, when the self-inspection cycle is reached, the control unit (120) turns off the switch unit (400) connecting the primary circuit unit (100) and the converter unit (300) to cut off the commercial power, estimates the state of the battery unit (240) for a preset self-inspection time, and then turns on the switch unit (400) again to restore the commercial power.

[0038] At this time, even if the connection between the primary circuit unit (100) and the conversion unit (300) is broken, the control unit (120) is located on the primary side, so normal operation is possible even in a situation where emergency lighting is performed.

[0039] In addition, the primary circuit unit (100) may further include a detection unit (130) that detects the voltage of the battery unit (240).

[0040] The control unit (120) compares the voltage of the battery unit (240) with a preset reference voltage, and if the voltage of the battery unit (240) is lower than the preset reference voltage, it estimates that the state of the battery unit (240) is such that it is difficult to maintain lighting for a preset effective lighting time in an emergency, and can generate the alarm issuance signal.

[0041] At this time, the reference voltage can be calculated based on the self-inspection time and the design lighting time required for the voltage of the battery unit (240) to reach the lowest voltage from the highest voltage when the battery unit (240) is discharged.

[0042] More specifically, the reference voltage can be calculated by utilizing the characteristic of the discharge voltage of the lithium ion battery decreasing linearly. The highest voltage and the lowest voltage may be voltage values ​​preset by design for each battery. More specifically, the highest voltage may be set to the highest value of the battery voltage at which the voltage of the battery linearly decreases when the emergency light is turned on, and the lowest voltage may be set to the minimum value of the battery voltage at which the emergency light can be reliably turned on in an emergency. In addition, the design lighting time may be set to the time required for the voltage of the fully charged battery to reach the lowest voltage when discharged.

[0043] And the reference voltage according to one embodiment of the present invention can be calculated through the following mathematical expression 1.

[0044] [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0045]

[0046] Here, the safety factor A can be set to a value between 0.5 and 1.5, taking into account the rating of the lighting fixture (voltage, power, brightness, etc.), operating temperature, installation location, etc.

[0047] Meanwhile, the circuit of the detection unit (130) can be configured so that a reference current can flow when the voltage of the battery unit (240) is the reference voltage.

[0048] In addition, the emergency light (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a status display unit (220) that outputs light at a constant blinking cycle according to the alarm issuance signal. The status display unit (220) may include an LED module to output light blinking at the constant cycle, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the status display unit (220) may output sound simultaneously with or instead of light blinking at a constant cycle, and may include a speaker module for this purpose.

[0049] At this time, the blinking cycle can be calculated based on the time required for the voltage of the battery unit (240) to reach the reference voltage after the battery self-inspection starts and the self-inspection time.

[0050] More specifically, the blinking cycle becomes shorter as the voltage of the battery unit (240) becomes lower, and can be calculated using the following mathematical expression 2.

[0051] [Equation 2]

[0052]

[0053] At this time, the minimum and maximum cycles of the above blinking cycle can be set by the user.

[0054] As can be seen from the above mathematical expression 2, it can be seen that the time it takes for the battery unit (240) to discharge and reach the reference voltage during self-inspection acts as an important variable.

[0055] The above safety factor B is intended to enable the highest level of alarm to be issued when the remaining capacity of the battery unit (240) is estimated to be below a certain capacity. For example, by setting the safety factor B to 0.5, the highest level of alarm can be issued when the capacity of the battery unit (240) is estimated to be below 50%.

[0056] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the emergency light (10) having the battery self-inspection function may further include an insulation unit (500) that maintains electrical insulation between the primary circuit unit (100) and the secondary circuit unit (200) and transmits voltage information of the battery unit (240) to the detection unit (130).

[0057] Accordingly, even if the connection between the primary circuit unit (100) and the secondary circuit unit (200) is cut off in an emergency or during self-inspection, the voltage information of the battery unit (240) can be transmitted to the primary detection unit (130).

[0058] An insulation unit (500) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be implemented using a photocoupler (510), as illustrated in FIG. 2. The photocoupler (510) is a device that optically transmits an electric signal while being electrically insulated, and is composed of a light-emitting diode that transmits light and a diode (transistor) that acts as a switch. At this time, the intensity of the light becomes proportional to the input current, and the light receiving unit converts the intensity of the light into a current and outputs it. Accordingly, the photocoupler (510) converts the intensity of the light, which changes according to the voltage of the battery unit (240), into an electric signal and outputs it, thereby transmitting voltage information of the battery unit (240) to the detection unit (130) while the primary circuit unit and the secondary circuit unit are electrically insulated.

[0059] Meanwhile, a control method of an emergency light having a battery self-inspection function according to an embodiment of the present invention is an emergency light that charges a battery unit provided inside with a commercial power source in normal times and lights up the lighting unit with the battery unit in an emergency when the commercial power source is cut off, the emergency light including a primary circuit unit that converts AC power from the commercial power source into DC power, a conversion unit that converts the DC power source into charging power necessary for charging the battery unit, and a secondary circuit unit that charges the battery unit with the converted charging power and, when the commercial power source is cut off, discharges the internal battery unit to light up the lighting unit, the control method may include a step (S100) of cutting off the commercial power source when a preset self-inspection cycle is reached, a step (S200) of determining whether the lighting unit can be maintained for a preset effective lighting time by discharging the battery unit, and a step (S300) of generating an alarm issuance signal according to the determination result.

[0060] At this time, the control method of the emergency lighting may further include a step of controlling a switch unit connecting the primary circuit unit and the conversion unit to turn off when the commercial power is cut off, a step of estimating the state of the battery unit during a preset self-inspection time, and a step of controlling the switch unit to turn on when the self-inspection is completed.

[0061] In addition, the primary circuit part further includes a detection part that detects the voltage of the battery part, and the step of estimating the state of the battery part includes a step of comparing the voltage of the battery part with a preset reference voltage, and a step of estimating that the state of the battery part is difficult to maintain lighting for a preset effective lighting time in an emergency when the voltage of the battery part is lower than the preset reference voltage, wherein the reference voltage can be calculated based on the self-inspection time and the design lighting time required for the voltage of the battery part to reach from the highest voltage to the lowest voltage when the battery part is discharged.

[0062] In addition, the emergency light further includes a status display unit that outputs light at a constant blinking cycle according to the alarm issuance signal, and the blinking cycle can be calculated based on the time required for the voltage of the battery unit to reach the reference voltage after the battery self-inspection starts and the self-inspection time.

[0063] Meanwhile, the emergency light may further include an insulation unit that maintains electrical insulation between the primary circuit unit and the secondary circuit unit and transmits voltage information of the battery unit to the detection unit.

[0064] The storage unit (not shown) records a program for executing the control method of the emergency lighting of the present invention. Furthermore, the storage unit temporarily or permanently stores data processed by the control unit (120) of the present invention, and may include a volatile storage medium or a non-volatile storage medium, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0065] And the storage unit (not shown) stores data accumulated while performing the control method of the emergency lighting of the present invention.

[0066] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Furthermore, such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present invention.

[0067] [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10: Emergency lights

[0069] 100: Primary circuit

[0070] 110: Bus stop

[0071] 120: Control unit

[0072] 130: Detection unit

[0073] 200: Secondary circuit

[0074] 210: Lighting Department

[0075] 220: Status display

[0076] 230: Charge and discharge department

[0077] 240: Battery compartment

[0078] 300: Conversion Unit

[0079] 400: Switch section

[0080] 500: Insulation

Claims

1. An emergency light that charges the battery section provided inside with commercial power in normal times and lights the lighting section with the battery section in an emergency when the commercial power is cut off. A primary circuit section that converts AC power from the commercial power source into DC power; A conversion unit that converts the above DC power into charging power required for charging the battery unit; A secondary circuit section that charges the battery section with the converted charging power and discharges the battery section to turn on the lighting section when the commercial power is cut off; and An emergency lighting device having a battery self-inspection function, comprising: a control unit provided in the primary circuit unit to perform self-inspection of the battery at each preset self-inspection cycle, wherein when the self-inspection cycle is reached, the control unit cuts off the commercial power supply and discharges the battery unit to determine whether the lighting unit can be maintained on for a preset effective lighting time, and generates an alarm issuance signal based on the determination result.

2. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, An emergency light having a battery self-inspection function, characterized in that when the above self-inspection cycle is reached, the switch unit connecting the primary circuit unit and the conversion unit is turned off, the state of the battery unit is estimated for a preset self-inspection time, and the switch unit is turned on.

3. In paragraph 2, The above primary circuit part is, It further includes a detection unit that detects the voltage of the battery unit, The above control unit, The voltage of the battery section is compared with a preset reference voltage, and if the voltage of the battery section is lower than the preset reference voltage, the state of the battery section is estimated to be difficult to maintain lighting for a preset effective lighting time in an emergency, and the alarm issuance signal is generated. The above reference voltage is, An emergency light having a battery self-inspection function, characterized in that the self-inspection time is calculated based on the design lighting time required for the battery section voltage to reach the lowest voltage from the highest voltage when the battery section is discharged.

4. In paragraph 3, Further comprising a status display unit that outputs light at a constant blinking cycle according to the above alarm issuance signal, The above blink cycle is, An emergency light having a battery self-check function, characterized in that the time required for the voltage of the battery section to reach the reference voltage after the battery self-check starts and the self-check time are calculated.

5. In paragraph 3, An emergency light having a battery self-inspection function, further comprising an insulation section that maintains electrical insulation between the primary circuit section and the secondary circuit section and transmits voltage information of the battery section to the detection section.

6. In a control method of an emergency lighting light having a battery self-inspection function, which is an emergency lighting light that charges a battery section provided inside with a commercial power source in normal times and lights up a lighting section with the battery section in an emergency when the commercial power source is cut off, the emergency lighting light including a primary circuit section that converts AC power from the commercial power source into DC power, a conversion section that converts the DC power into charging power required to charge the battery section, and a secondary circuit section that charges the battery section with the converted charging power and, when the commercial power source is cut off, discharges the battery section to light up the lighting section, A step of cutting off the commercial power when a preset self-check cycle is reached; A step of discharging the battery unit to determine whether the lighting unit can be maintained on for a preset effective lighting time; and A method for controlling an emergency light having a battery self-inspection function, comprising: a step of generating an alarm issuance signal according to the above judgment result.

7. In paragraph 6, A step for controlling the turning off of a switch unit connecting the primary circuit unit and the conversion unit when the commercial power supply is cut off; A step of estimating the state of the battery unit during a preset self-inspection time; and A method for controlling an emergency light having a battery self-inspection function, further comprising a step of turning on the switch unit when the self-inspection is completed.

8. In paragraph 7, The above primary circuit part is, It further includes a detection unit that detects the voltage of the battery unit, The step of estimating the state of the above battery unit is: A step of comparing the voltage of the above battery unit with a preset reference voltage; and A step of estimating that the state of the battery part is difficult to maintain lighting for a preset effective lighting time in an emergency, when the voltage of the battery part is lower than a preset reference voltage; including; The above reference voltage is, A control method for an emergency light having a battery self-inspection function, characterized in that the self-inspection time and the design lighting time required for the battery unit voltage to reach the lowest voltage from the highest voltage when the battery unit is discharged are calculated.

9. In paragraph 8, The above emergency lights are, Further comprising a status display unit that outputs light at a constant blinking cycle according to the above alarm issuance signal, The above blink cycle is, A control method for an emergency light having a battery self-check function, characterized in that the time required for the voltage of the battery section to reach the reference voltage after the battery self-check starts and the self-check time are calculated.

10. Following paragraph 8, The above emergency lights are, A control method for an emergency lighting device having a battery self-inspection function, further comprising an insulation unit that maintains electrical insulation between the primary circuit unit and the secondary circuit unit and transmits voltage information of the battery unit to the detection unit.

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