Improving the performance of photo-electrically controlled lighting systems

摘要

The ability of a photo-electrically controlled lighting system to maintain a constant total light level on a task surface by responding to changing daylight levels is affected by the control algorithm used to relate the photosensor signal to the supplied electric light level and by the placement and geometry of the photosensor. We describe the major components of a typical control system, discuss the operation of three different control algorithms, and derive expressions for each algorithm that express the total illuminance at the task as a function of the control photosensor signal. Using a specially-designed scale model, we measured the relationship between the signal generated by various ceiling-mounted control photosensors and workplane illuminance for two room geometries under real sky conditions. The measured data were used to determine the performance of systems obeying the three control algorithms under varying daylight conditions. Control systems employing the commonly-used integral reset algorithm supplied less electric light than required, failing to satisfy the control objective regardless of the control photosensor used. Systems employing an alternative, closed-loop proportional control algorithm achieved the control objective under virtually all tested conditions when operated by a ceiling-mounted photosensor shielded from direct window light.