Philips Lighting Holding B.v.

Signify Holding B.v.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Rakeshbabu Panguloori

Priya Ranjan Mishra

Venkata Sriram Pullela

Sagar Goel

Vandana Prabhu

Arup Dalal

A lighting network () and methods therefore are disclosed. The lighting network () a plurality of lighting units () that can operate on AC power and DC back up power if the AC power is removed. A controller () is used to redistribute the DC power between the plurality of lighting units () in the event that DC power is low or exhausted in one of the plurality of lighting units ().

System and method for emergency lighting

A lighting network and methods therefore are disclosed. The lighting network includes a plurality of lighting units that can operate on AC power and DC back up power if the AC power is removed. A controller is used to redistribute the DC power between the plurality of lighting units in the event that DC power is low or exhausted in one of the plurality of lighting units.

A driver circuit has a driver unit () which provides a current for the load () based on an input voltage () comprising first and second terminals (). The driver unit () comprises a linear driver which comprises a current regulating element (Q) between the input and the load, said element having a controllable resistive characteristic. A compensation unit () in series with the driver unit () and the input voltage provides a compensating voltage. This is used to control the voltage across the driver unit in dependence on the input voltage and operating conditions of the load. The compensation unit () comprises a switch mode power converter and a second capacitor (C) as an energy source of the switch mode power converter, with the current regulating element (Q), the load () and the second capacitor (C) in series connection between the first and second terminals (). In this way, the operating range of the driver unit can be reduced to reduce power loss on the driver unit, and the compensating voltage can also be used with an energy harvesting system to increase overall system efficiency.

Driver circuit and method

The invention provides a lighting controller, comprising: a detector adapted to detect a voltage of a power source, said power source is for providing power to a lighting unit via a lighting driver; a controlling unit, coupled to the lighting driver and adapted for controlling the driver to deliver a constant power to the lighting unit regardless of the power source is being consumed, before the detected voltage drops below a first threshold, and controlling the driver to deliver a gradually reduced power to the lighting unit after the detected voltage drops below the first threshold. Wherein the controlling unit is further adapted for switching an up-converter between the power source and the driver to boost the output voltage from the power source to the driver, in a first condition; and bypassing said up-converter, in a second condition, and implementing said step of controlling the driver; wherein said first condition comprises operating in high occupancy periods, and said second condition comprises operating in low occupancy period.

Lighting controller, a lighting system and a method for controlling lighting

The invention provides a lighting controller, comprising: a detector adapted to detect a voltage of a power source, said power source is for providing power to a lighting unit via a lighting driver; a controlling unit, coupled to the lighting driver and adapted for controlling the driver to deliver a constant power to the lighting unit regardless of the power source is being consumed, before the detected voltage drops below a first threshold, and controlling the driver to deliver a gradually reduced power to the lighting unit after the detected voltage drops below the first threshold. Wherein the controlling unit is further adapted for switching an up-converter between the power source and the driver to boost the output voltage from the power source to the driver, in a first condition; and bypassing said up-converter, in a second condition, and implementing said step of controlling the driver; wherein said first condition comprises operating in high occupancy periods, and said second condition comprises operating in low occupancy periods

Devices () convert source power from first sources () that receive solar/wind/water energy into load power destined for loads (). The devices () comprise first converters () for converting first direct-current voltage signals from the first sources () to second direct-current voltage signals destined for the loads (), first arrangements () for controlling the first converters () and regulating the second direct-current voltage signals in response to first control voltage signals, and first circuits () for providing the first control voltage signals. To prevent a collapse of the first direct-current voltage signals when having relatively small amplitudes, the first control voltage signals should have amplitudes equal to/larger than minimum values. The amplitudes of the first control voltage signal may be fixed, firstly fixed and secondly proportional to the amplitude of the first direct-current voltage signal, or inversely proportional/proportional to a square of the amplitude of the first direct-current voltage signal.

Power conversion for solar / wind / water energy

Devices () for controlling gates (-) arranged to control amounts of power to be supplied to loads (-) via cables () may comprise receivers () for receiving requesting signals from the gates (-), analyzers () for analyzing requests defined by the requesting signals in view of available cable power capacities, generators () for in response to analysis results generating instructions for the gates (-) and transmitters for transmitting instructing signals defining the instructions to the gates (-). The analyzers () may analyze the requests in view of load-information comprising steady-state-information/transient-state-information. The devices () may comprise communicators () for communication with auxiliary converters (-) coupled to auxiliary sources (-) such as batteries () and solar panels () and may comprise predictors () for predicting the available cable power capacities. The improved devices () are no longer informed afterwards by the gates (-) but are informed beforehand by the gates (-) and control these gates (-) in response to the analysis results.

Controlling power from cable to load

The present invention relates to a circuit arrangement for mitigating power quality issues. It offers protection to sensitive devices against, for example, voltage sags and swells. The system introduces, for loads connected to an AC power source (e.g. a TV in a home connected to the power grid) a DC power source coupled to a controllable inverter and a controllable switching mechanism. By switching to a series configuration, the DC power source (e.g. a photovoltaic power source) can either draw or supply power in order to mitigate a power quality issue. In normal operation, by switching to a parallel configuration the DC power source can feed the load.

Power quality issue mitigation through hybrid grid

Devices () for coupling sources () to loads () comprise first converters () for converting first input signals from first sources () into first output signals. The first converters () comprise control inputs for receiving control signals. Control values of the control signals define first parameters of the first output signals. Circuits () in the devices () receive the first output signals and receive second output signals originating from second sources () or from second converters () coupled to the second sources () and provide power signals to the loads (). The second sources () comprise solar panels. Controllers () adapt the control values of the control signals in response to detections of changes in second parameters of the first input or output signals. The controllers () may operate independently from the second output signals and from second input signals.

Power management between sources and load

A system, comprising a solar circuit (), a coupling circuit (), a converter circuit (), a source circuit (), and a load circuit (), wherein the coupling circuit () couples in a first, charging mode the solar circuit () to the source circuit () via the converter circuit () and couples in a second, feeding mode the source circuit () to the load circuit () via the converter circuit (). A power flow through the converter circuit () has a same direction in both modes. In the first mode, a charging current is guided from the solar circuit () to the source circuit () via the converter circuit () for charging the source circuit (). In the second mode, a feeding current is guided from the source circuit () to the load circuit () via the converter circuit () for feeding the load circuit (). The coupling circuit () may comprise a first switch () and a second switch () and a control circuit (-) for controlling the first and second switches (). The control circuit (-) may comprise generators (), a comparator (), detectors (), a manager () and a regulator ().

Converter between solar panel, source and load

Devices () for selecting settings for illuminating light loads () connected to a bus () comprise controllers () for running processes and for defining, through controls of power converters () connected to the bus (), in response to process results, direct current voltage signals for the bus () and comprise power detectors () for detecting changes in total power consumptions of the illuminating light loads () and for in response to detections of the changes informing the controllers () to run the processes again. This way, links are created between the total power consumption via the bus () and the direct current voltage signal on the bus (), to save energy. The devices () may further comprise receivers () for receiving definitions of optimal individual voltage signals and/or of optimal individual power consumptions and/or of voltage amplitudes and may further comprise power meters () for measuring the total power consumption of the illuminating light loads () for different direct current voltage signals for the bus ().

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Bengaluru, India

Rakeshbabu Panguloori