Receiver for AF control system using power distribution network - has decoder and converter coping with variable load power

摘要

The receiver has a filter a decoder and a digital circuit for executing the received commands. The digital circuit is connected to a converter that converts part or all of the digital command data into a control voltage. The control voltage may be an analog voltage or a pulse train having an analog average over one or more periods of the mains voltage. The control voltage controls a switch in series between load and mains supply. The command data describing the length of time for which the switch will be closed is sent along with the selection pulses to the decoder. The switch may be a thyristor or triac. The advantage lies in being able to vary the power supplied to the load and not just switch it on and off, e.g. street-light intensity can be matched to background daylight.