A lighting control system (not to be confused with “lighting control”) is one which varies the brightness or dimness of many lights depending on the instruction for each light, from a single central computer or smart device. The advance in technology has provided the opportunity to produce lighting with lights that are indirectly triggered due to a change in a physical variable. A light with lighting control is an independent light which brightens or dims depending on a predefined instruction from a microcontroller. A simple example of a Lighting control is an outside light that turns on when it senses motion. The outside light is fitted with a motion sensor which is connected to a microcontroller. The microcontroller has a defined assignment. The assignment states that once the sensor on the light senses any motion, the microcontroller closes the circuit and the light turns on. An example of a lighting control system is a group of outside lights that has been programmed by a single user interface to turn on at 6 p.m. from and turn off at 5 a.m. every morning. A lighting control system can provide advantages such as saving energy, reducing human effort, and providing security.
A dimmer is an example of a manual lighting control that is varied by human effort. It helps to reduce power by lowering the brightness of the bulb but it does not reduce human effort.
There is definitely a market for lighting control systems. Someone with a large house or office building with many lights can see a reduction in their energy bill if they have a system installed. Time for production can be maximized, as there is little or no effort to manually control the lights and the lights will be used only when needed. An office building that automatically turns on the light when an employee that is working after hours enters the room is a great way to maximize production by saving time. When the employee leaves the room, the light turns off automatically and saves power. With the world going green, there is a higher demand for lighting control systems.
An automated lighting control system is one which provides an output on the lighting device depending on a number of factors. Here are a number of factors that can define output:
• Chronological Time – Lights can be pre-set to turn on and off at specified times in a lighting control system. This is the perfect solution for someone that arrives home late in the night but does not want to arrive in darkness. The computer can be set to turn on the outside lights when it reads the time defined by the internal clock. This can also be useful for an office building which turns off the lights in the evening to save electricity.
• Astrological Time – Astrological Time gives commands dependent on the location that the computer has defined. Different locations have specific times for sunset and sunrise. This is a great feature for a location where the sunset and sunrise varies depending on the time of the year.
• Motion Sensors – The light turns on or off when it sense input from a motion sensor. An example is a room light that turns on when it senses that a person enters to give visual assistance.
• Photocells – Photocell lights turn on when it does not receive UV rays or light. These types of lights are great for outdoors as they only turn on when it is dark. It does not depend on chronological time or Astrological time which makes it easy to configure and use.
• Alarms – Lights can be connected to a fire alarm or fire detection system that turns on when it gets a signal. This is a great function for an emergency light configuration for evacuation or lights for additional visual aid.
• A Logic System – A logic system consisting of NAND, OR, NOT, NAND or NOR gates can define a set of rules to link al factors together. A person entering an office at 8 p.m. and the light turns on even though the lights have been set to turn off at 6 p.m. The Logic therefore, is that the light will turn on if the sensor picks up someone in the office OR if the time is between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Lighting control systems provide an organized system to save energy, reduce user effort, and increase security.
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