The outdoor lighting control systems used in the past were very simple. They were either manual ON/OFF switches or automatic systems that consisted of an astronomical time switch or a photosensor. The automatic system switched the luminaires ON/OFF depending on the time of the day. Typically, the control was exercised at the circuit level. Individual luminaire control was non-existent.
Modern-day LED outdoor luminaires need to be equipped to meet the growing demand for energy savings and a reduction in costs. This means that they should be fitted with intelligent lighting control systems so that energy can be saved by dimming the streetlights during off-peak hours. The streetlights remain bright only during peak traffic hours.
Further, a sophisticated commercial lighting control system should be capable of simplifying the process of maintenance of lighting infrastructure for operators (municipalities) by notifying lamp failures. In addition, they should measure power consumption to improve billing accuracy. These features also contribute to savings in manpower costs.
Energy Efficiency of Lighting Control Systems
Devtech is an organization that focuses on research and uses innovative technology to develop products for improving the energy efficiency of lighting systems. The smart products created by the company are based on open standards and encompass Machine to Machine technology that enables both wired and wireless systems to communicate with other devices. The team of technology specialists at Devtech M2M has a combined R&D experience of more than 400 years.
The company’s commercial outdoor lighting control systems include automatic systems, Bluetooth systems, and RF-based systems. In addition, the company has developed a Street Lighting Timer mobile App for communicating with the timers through Bluetooth. Having said that here is some important information about Devtech’s lighting control products:
Bluetooth Based Lighting Control System
Astro Timer – DAT3301 BLE
The lightweight, innovative astronomical timer comes with a smart time scheduler that is uniquely designed for addressing the energy-saving needs of customers while working along with LED drivers.
Astro Timer – LCG3301 BLE
This is also a lightweight and innovative astronomical timer. It also consists of a smart time scheduler that works with LED drivers and addresses the energy-saving needs of users. In addition to offering the traditional Astro-based ON/OFF action, the device can be used to dim the LED Luminaires. The dimming action is achieved by driving signals in a planned manner for 24 hours in a day. The use of this device allows customers to save energy through Astro switching and achieve dimming action in one go.
Astro Timer – GDT4200 BLE
This is a Group Digital Timer. The astronomical timer can be programmed dynamically for accurately controlling lighting loads. There are many applications for GDT4200 BLE. The device can be incorporated into any of the commercial outdoor lighting control systems. For example, streetlights provided within industrial premises and external areas can be flexibly and effortlessly controlled with the help of this device. All that the users have to do is program the preferred ON/OFF timings or Astro settings.
Automatic Street Light Control System
Central Control and Monitoring System (CCMS)
Group Control and Monitoring System is a GSM/GPRS/2G/3G/4G/Equivalent compatible technology. It is installed in a feeder/switching point to enable controlling and monitoring a group of lights remotely. The automatic light control system allows users to control streetlights throughout the year based on the time of sunrise and sunset in a geographical location. It provides information as regards energy consumption and failure of lights to the central control station at specified time intervals. Instant fault reporting is effected through SMS, specifying fault information and location details. This group controller also comes with a built-in high precision real-time clock to offer the Astro timer feature. It is also provided with short-circuit, overvoltage, overload, and surge protection, and antitheft alert.
RF Based Lighting Control System
LCG6000 and LCG6000E
The smart device LCG6000 helps users to automate the control of their lighting assets and save 30 to 50 percent of energy costs. The device operates in the Sub-GHz Radio Frequency range (433 MHz/860-960 MHz), the ISM bands specified for international markets (USA/Europe/Australia/New Zealand). These agnostic and wireless LCG modules can be fitted to all lighting luminaires that are equipped with Ballast/Driver on homogenous/heterogeneous lighting. LCG6000E is the economy variant.
IOT5103 (Gateway/Data Aggregator)
The high-performance IoT Gateway 5103 is a M2M segment controller and it works on iQRF mesh technology. It serves as a data aggregator/gateway for a group of RF-enabled Lighting Control Gear. Further, it uses WAN communication IP networks such as 2G/3G cellular, GSM/GPRS, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi for remotely monitoring and controlling the operations of lighting assets.