Light influences the well-being of employees in the workplace as well as their performance and motivation. More and more companies are therefore asking themselves the question of workplace-appropriate and customizable lighting systems that simultaneously enable modern lighting management, energy monitoring, light scene management and system monitoring. In the context of advancing digitalization and the Internet of Things as a network of intelligent objects, the control of luminaires is becoming all the more convenient thanks to modern networking and automation. Using sensors, individual luminaires react autonomously to their surroundings and can be monitored and controlled remotely at the same time. Light scene management makes it possible to automatically switch lights on and off as required and adjust their dimming level. In combination with targeted monitoring, this enables additional energy efficiency and therefore electricity cost savings to be achieved. The logged data from the luminaires provides further information about potential faults and failures, enabling predictive maintenance work to be carried out.

Convenient control

Due to the industry's increasing requirements for location-dependent lighting conditions, automated control of lighting systems is becoming more and more popular. Control takes place via cross-system interfaces, and proprietary systems such as 1 to 10 V lighting control, Dali, DMX, KNX and ZigBee are the most widespread. The ZigBee standard is the only one of these to work wirelessly. The sensors that can be integrated into the network report when and how control is required. Passive infrared sensors (PIR sensors) are the most commonly used sensors in motion detection. A distinction must be made between motion detectors and presence detectors. Motion detectors switch the light on as soon as they detect movement, while presence detectors also switch the light off if there is sufficient daylight despite movement. Twilight switches or light sensors regulate the artificial light to the desired illuminance level in line with the current daylight within an area. This makes it possible to achieve uniform lighting throughout the room.

Intelligent lighting systems such as the DeltaLuxx Smart from the manufacturer Gifas Electric provide the right illumination for large work halls. The DeltaLuxx is smart thanks to the built-in ZigBee radio control. ZigBee works in the 2.4 GHz band without interference alongside existing WLAN and Bluetooth networks. The radio range of the high-bay luminaire is up to 100 meters, extended by a network up to several kilometers are possible. The protocol, which records and transmits all status information, is encrypted with AES-128 and therefore offers a high level of network security.

Based on the ZigBee standard, various automation options are possible, such as presence control via motion sensors, daylight control and setting different dimming levels. An optional gateway can be installed to connect to the internal network, allowing real-time monitoring, control via a browser and data acquisition with visual analysis of service life. The DeltaLuxx Smart also enables progressive energy management. The building is illuminated more efficiently, while resources are conserved at the same time. Existing halls can also be retrofitted easily and cost-effectively. The radio-based lighting system saves on complex wiring and electrical installation and its flexibility allows work areas to be modernized as required.

Dirt-repellent for a long service life

In addition to the selected electrotechnical components, the design principle of the luminaire with regard to the structure and choice of housing materials remains important. Modern high-bay luminaires are designed to counteract any loss of luminous flux due to soiling. The cooling fins integrated into an open ring on the housing serve the purpose of allowing ambient air to flow through the luminaire body in a targeted manner and enabling effective thermal management. This is further enhanced by the use of a dirt-repellent and thin PTFE surface coating. Even in demanding working environments with high levels of dirt and dust, this ensures that all the heat generated is dissipated and guarantees a service life of up to 80,000 hours for the luminaires. The correct optical light distribution and selected light color also prevent undesirable glare effects as well as premature signs of fatigue among employees. The use of illuminance and the uniformity of lighting are standardized in DIN EN 12464-1.

In addition to applications in indoor areas, there is also increasing demand for intelligent lighting control for outdoor areas on factory premises. Sensor-based path and street lighting in particular is becoming increasingly popular in terms of lighting control, supplemented by additional features such as WLAN hotspot or camera technology, for example for traffic flow measurement. Product series such as the StreetLED Smart from the Gifas Electric range are ideal for this purpose. The company also offers its customers comprehensive services such as free lighting calculations and on-site advice.

Kristina Becker, Marketing, Gifas Electric / am