During office hours for a large office, the sensors in any given section will turn on the lights for the duration of the office period (except for the private offices, meetings rooms, reception rooms).

The other private offices would have wall switches. Each section of a large office would have its own infrared sensor to monitor that section, the sensor would be connected to the LT3384 to control the lighting needs for that section. IS45 digital switches would be installed near the entry area for use during overtime, and also for the “all off” button.

Kitchens, copy rooms, and other special purpose small rooms would have their own infrared sensors to control their lighting.

1. Open offices
   1. During office hours, every section would have its own sensor which will turn on the lights when an occupant is detected.
   2. After office hours and people begin to leave, the sensor would turn the lights off after 10 minutes in its section when it no longer detects any movement in that section.
   3. If there is someone left in the office working overtime, that person can go to the digital switch for their section and press the section button to allow the lights in their section to remain on and disregard the sensor. When the person leaves, they can simply press the button again to turn off all the lights in the office. (Note: the LT3384 should be set to forced-on mode).
2. Small offices, reception rooms, meeting rooms

   These rooms can make use of the K24. When someone enters, they can turn the lights on manually using the classic wall switch. When they leave, they can turn the lights off manually from the same switch, or if they forget, the lights will be automatically turned off after a certain delay.

3. Showroom

   To create the desired atmosphere, the lights would be finely divided into multiple circuits so that the lighting combination can be varied to create the desired effect. The lights are normally set low, but when a customer comes, the appropriate pattern is then activated to highlight the item being viewed to highlight it. Once the viewing is finished, the lights are set back to normal.

4. Kitchenette, copy room, filing room, restrooms

   May make use of the K24 sensor operating in delay mode.

5. Conference Halls

   Before the start of the conference, the lights and air conditioning is set to a basic level from the operator booth to a level comfortable to the audience, during the conference, the lights would then be varied for the different stages of the conference, the assistant would activate the desire scene at the push of a button to match the event. Once the conference has ended, a single button press near the exits would be pressed to turn off all the lights and air conditioning.

6. After office hours

   A button at the entry area is pressed to turn off most of the lights and also the air conditioning.

7. Overtime
8. Last person to leave

   The “all off” button is pressed to turn off all the lights and the air conditioning.

9. Holiday overtime

   Press a button on the IS45 to turn on the lights in the desired section. The last person to leave presses the “all off” button to turn off all the lights.

There are a lot of customers, when they see the label “smart” will immediately associate it with “extravagant and expensive”,  or “it is only for showing off and is not practical”, “computer automation”.

These types of thinking, is based on a misunderstanding the true meaning of smart lighting control.

We believe that the purpose of having a smart lighting control system is the following:

1. Increase the quality of life, and yet operation is simplified.
2. Simple to operate and practical to use.
3. To fulfill the need to save energy especially for public buildings, commercial spaces and factories.
4. User control interface can be done through local controls as well as non-local control.
5. The components can be adjusted according to a given budget: since different spaces will have differing requirements and the budget for each budget will also vary, then the choice of user control interface can match the requirement and budget, from simple classic wall switches, digital switches, touch panels, to mobile devices. But regardless of the user control interface used, the backend controller devices and communication backbone remains the same.

From the perspective of DAE, a smart lighting control system is indispensable for any wide open spaces, and is quite different from the simplistic traditional one-to-one approach to control. Through the use of a digital bus, control becomes flexible, convenient and simple. It is not the crude approach taken for implementing a centralized control by aggregating all the wall switches into one location, or by using a dedicated computer; either of these approaches are not true smart lighting control.

All newly constructed buildings should consider adopting a smart lighting control system at the very start to maximize its benefit and minimize costs, as later retrofits are costly, time consuming and disruptive. A lot of new projects can chose not to use any central computer as host nor a touch panel as they are not essential for a more modest project.

This new approach of using a digital bus in conjunction with digital or classic switches can achieve effects that cannot wherefore be achieved using the traditional approach, such as the following:

1. Multiple access control: The same lights can be controlled from different locations and it is not required that the locations are in close proximity to each other nor to the light itself. It is essential for public spaces such as factory floors, open offices, hallways, libraries, conference halls and other places with large open areas.
2. Scene Recall: In order to create the desired mood or atmosphere for a certain room, multiple lighting circuits need to be used. With the traditional approach of having one lighting circuit to one switch, it becomes cumbersome to operate and get right combination of switches to get the right scene. On the other hand, with a smart lighting control system, a single touch of a button actives the entire scene with no fuss.
3. Task Selection: Each activity can be assigned to its own control button, such as when leaving home, good night, office hours, after offices. A single button press activates the lighting pattern appropriate for any given task.
4. Centralized Control: Having a means to aggregate the controls into a single location is especially advantageous for any public space covering vast areas. There are various options for centralizing control such as with a wall of digital switches, touch panel or having a computer host. Any of which will allow the operator to monitor and control the lights for all areas.
5. Automated Controls: Can be achieved through the use of a timer schedule and sensors, both of which enables the lights to work without the need for user intervention.

A smart lighting control system is not just a centralized control system. More importantly, it is a way to replace the traditional form of lighting control with one that is more flexible and capable of doing those things which would be impractical or impossible to do before. Even with all the capabilities of DAE’s lighting control system, it is ultimately designed to make it simple, easy and convenient to use even for the novice. It doesn’t need any complicated software or specialized device to set up. It is also designed to be designed to be simple to install and maintain.

1. Multiple Access

   Similar to the traditional three way switch, which is having one light controlled from two locations. The same effect can be achieved through smart lighting control through its digital bus.

   1. Smart lighting control is not limited to just 2 locations, it can have as many locations as desired controlling the same lighting circuit.
   2. Distance is not a limitation, it doesn’t matter if the switch is on the same floor as the light or on a floor above or below; if control access is not limited to a physical switch, then control can be achieved from outside the building or even be mobile.
   3. Unlike a traditional three-way switch, the switch needs to be located within line-of-sight of the lights or else the user won’t be able to see if the lights have been turned on or not. With a digital switch, the status of the lights is shown on the digital switch itself, this is something that is not possible with a classic mechanical switch. In addition, with the traditional approach, if additional multi-way switches are needed, the wiring becomes even more complicated.
   4. Traditional multi-way switching depends on the power being wired connected to all the switches. Such an approach is not practical as power cabling is expensive, and is not flexible as rewiring requires major renovation and is complicated and disruptive.
2. Group Control

   Group control allows different lighting circuits to turn on or off at the same time as if they were a single lighting circuit.

   For example: All the public hallways on the same floor can have their lights be turned on or off all at the same time. The lighting for each hallway is on a separate circuit, in a traditional lighting control this is not possible. But in a smart lighting control system, the different circuits can all be assigned to the same group number, and thus, a single button can command all the lights in the same group to turn on or off at the same time.

3. Pattern Control

In the same space, one can exhibit the different combination of lighting effects; that is to say that a single button will activate a pattern consisting of a combination of some lights that are on and some lights that are off, for the purpose of creating a desired atmosphere, mood or to match an event. This in effect is biased towards the artistic side of lighting.

4. Sensor based energy saving control

The most commonly seen is the infrared based motion sensor to control the lights. Other less common ones include the daylight sensor, temperature sensor, carbon monoxide sensor and so on.

5. Dimming Control

Dimming is most commonly used with pattern control, and often it is accompanied by some form of fading effect.
But it can also be be combined with some simple rocker switch for control, but with only a slight change in having some gradual fading effect. Other than this, there is still the need for some knob to control the dimming level. Our system can also support a variable resistor based form of dimming adjustment.

6. Scheduled Timer Control

This is often used in conjunction with group or pattern control. This form of control can cover any of the load controller units on the digital bus. There are multiple tracks to the schedule, one for weekdays, and the other for weekends, then there is also the special days (exceptions and holidays). Modifying the schedule is simple enough that it can be done easily by the administrator to make impromptu changes to accommodate unforeseen events such as a special occasion or a typhoon day.

7. Peak and Off-Peak Control

The same lighting can be controlled different for different times of the day. For example, during business hours, the lights would automatically turned on from a schedule, but in the evening when everyone has left, control reverts to the local sensors.

8. Centralized Control

For large buildings often a control center is established to be able to oversee the lighting for the entire building. The host computer would have a layout diagram for each floor showing the public lighting. The building administrator would then be able to monitor and control everything from one central location instead of having to roam the entire building just to manage the lights.

The most visible public areas are the hallways, elevator lobbies, restrooms, outdoor lighting and the parking areas. In these places, if their lights are not managed then the only alternative is to leave them on all the time, this works against the effort to save on energy. In reality of course, these places can have different periods of activity, there is a period of high activity with lots of people and traffic, and also a period of low activity with few to no people about. If the lights are unmanaged, then there is no quality of service that is in effect. This article seeks to suggest some ways in which a quality of service can be put into place that is both reasonable and effective, which also helps to save energy at the same time.

With the addition of a lighting control system, the following points can be achieved:

1. The time in public areas would be divided as peak, off-peak and no service periods.
   1. During peak periods, in order to get the best quality service, the lights should remain at their optimal operating condition, at this time, the local wall switches would not be allowed to operate. As such, there is no need to worry that the lights would be inadvertently turned off and thus affecting the qualify of service.
   2. During off-peak periods, saving energy is the most important consideration, at this time, there are few people about, and the lights can all be turned off or only some turned off, with the ability for local control, this way some form of energy saving can be attained. With some lights being turned off, only a minimal amount of lighting is retained to maintain some form of illumination. Local control is attained using wall switches or sensors that will automatically turn on the lights in the given space.
   3. During periods of no service, as when offices and business are closed, all the public lighting are off except for the signage and basic lights.
2. The lighting can be varied depending on the time and place. The changes should be easy and safe to do.
   • Offices and commercial spaces can be divided into different time segments based on activity. Work days and holidays, peak and off-peak periods all have differing levels of activity. Even in any given building, different rooms or spaces with different purposes would have different time segments as well. At different times, different lights would need to be lit or dimmed, all of which can be achieved automatically with a scheduled timer control. Such a schedule should be easy to modify to accommodate temporary and extemporaneous changes, ideally it should be possible to do online and through a web interface. The administrator then won’t even need to go to the equipment room, thus the entire process is not only convenient but also safe.
3. During a fire alarm, the lighting mode should automatically change to emergency lighting.
   • During an emergency, such as when a fire alarm occurs, then the lights should become emergency lights and all turn on, regardless of what time or mode it was previously operating at, this way they can be put into its best possible use.
4. The need for centralization: convenience
   • From the point of view of the building management or safety considerations, it should be possible to oversee the lighting for all areas of the building and be able to make changes remotely depending on the situation. This can be achieved by using a bunch of aggregated IS45 digital switches or by using a touch panel.
5. With multiple circuit control, there is no need for the lights to remain on all day long.
   • In reality, in any given space, there are many lighting circuits and rarely is there only one circuit for all the lights. This is because other than the basic lighting, there are also the non-essential lighting used for decorative purposes only to provide the atmosphere. During off-peak periods, the basic lighting can be turned off to save on energy.
6. The local wall switches behave differently during different time periods.
   • During peak periods, the lights would be forced to remain on from the control center, and de-authorize the local wall switches from operating. But during off-peak periods or for certain types of rooms, the local user should be allowed to freely operate the wall switches. Classic wall switches are most often chosen for use as the local switch, since they are durable and reliable; at the same time, the user is already familiar with them and their use is intuitive.
   • Classic switches can be classified by their use into one of three types:
     1. Toggle type: Pressing them changes them from one position to another and vice versa. Such as a private office, the user can freely control the lights.
     2. Push button type: Press once to turn on the lights, the lights will then turn off automatically after a certain delay.
     3. Multiple access switch: Such as those used in a long hallway or a large hall; it is recommended that push button switches be used, they are connected together using two wires, which will allow control of the lights from multiple locations; i.e. turn the lights on from one spot, and conveniently turn the lights off from a different spot.
7. Areas adjacent to natural light, during the day, the lights in these areas would automatically be turned off during the day.
8. Outdoor areas such as parking lots, park lights, building wall flood lights and billboards; at different times of the day, different lights would be turned off. The turn on times would vary with the seasons.

Indoor Parking

Urban areas often have parking that is on the upper floors dedicated to parking and some buildings are even entirely designed for parking. The lighting (including both the electricity bill and luminaire replacement) is often the largest cost, so if this cost can be reduced then that could contribute to a great reduction in the overall expenditure to building maintenance.

1. The entire area should be divided into 3 areas: areas adjacent to natural lighting, those that are are not daylit, and the main lighting.
2. Daylit areas should make use of the K40 monthly adjustable controller unit, the lights would turn on according to scheduled sunset times for each month; the lights would only turn off at off-peak times.
3. Areas that are not daylit should make use of regular timers to control all the lights in this area. Each day the timer would turn the lights on during peak periods and turn them off during off-peak periods.
4. The driveways, entrances, and elevator lobbies of a parking structure should keep the lights on all day long.
5. During off-peak periods, with only a handful of people left working overtime and their cars left in the parking area. For this reason, leaving the lights on just for these few people is not very economical. Thus, most of the lights should be turned off. Instead the lights should be controlled using motion sensors that would detect when a person leaves the elevator lobby and enters the parking area, then turn on the lights in that parking floor, which would then automatically turn off after a ten minute delay.

As such, it would be possible to save as much as 50% of the electricity cost and prolong the lifespan of the luminaries as well. For this, the LT3000 in conjunction with timers could be used, or a portion of the circuits could make use of the LT3504 together with the K40 (monthly adjustable timer) instead. If there is an attendant, then one could even add in the IS45 digital switch for easing the management of the lighting further.

Outdoor Parking

1. The lighting should be divided into the following. Small single lights should be grouped alternately, divided into circuit A and B. If there are instead large lamps, each set should have 2 to 4 lamp posts, and within each post, a K90 should be installed within.
2. The power for all the lights should be combined and controlled by a K40 controller, this way the lights can all be turned on together at the same time, and the turn on times would vary with the month, while the lights would turn off at the same time after business hours.
3. Circuit A and C would have K90 controllers installed to enable them to turn the lights off earlier.
4. Lighting for large shopping center areas that are away from the entrance are designated as D type areas. These areas are practically devoid of parked cars at night. As such, all the lights can be turned off during off-peak hours.
5. If there are attendants, then one could also have IS45s installed at the attendant’s booth to centralize lighting control for the entire area.

The above methods are more suited to making use of night sensors for group on and off.

1. If the practice before is to turn on the lights at dusk, and turned off after business hours.
   It is estimated that 35% energy savings can be attained. At the same time, lamp lifespan can be prolonged, which can reduce not just the need to replace the lamps more often but save on the labor costs for the replacement as well.
2. If the practice before is to turn on the lights at dusk, and to turn off the lights when the sun comes out. Then it is estimated that as much as 60% energy savings can be attained. There is also the additional benefit of prolonging the lamp lifespan which reduces the frequency of replacement, and with it, the savings gained from its associated labor costs.

The most basic premise of a highly practical lighting control system  is in its ability to help save energy, high quality management, labor saving and convenience as its starting point in planning a system.

1. In a public area, the control grouping can be divided according to the time of day and type of space.
   1. As for example, outdoor lighting can be divided into the main lighting, support lighting, ornamental lighting, grounds lighting, path lighting, and with consideration for different times of day to determine the control grouping.
   2. Pathway control group can be divided into daylit hallways, enclosed hallways, and hallways with consideration for the time of day.
   3. Elevator lobbies can have several circuits, there is the main circuit, mood lighting, energy saving lighting. Different lights can be turned on at different times of the day. At night, occupancy sensors can be used with its ability for delayed automatic off.
   4. Common areas can have the basic lights (LED lighting for small areas) the main lights, and the ventilation. During the day, only a portion of the basic lights are turned on. When evening comes, the main lights will come on. Late at night, when there are only a few people around, the main lights are turned off, and will only turn on when the sensors detect that occupants are present.
   5. Parking lot
      1. Outdoor parking: Only a small portion of the lights are turned on during the day. In the evening, the lights may be turned on earlier or later depending on the season. Late at night, when is practically no one around, only a few basic lights and those near the entrances remain on, while the others are controlled using sensors.
      2. Basement parking: During office hours when activity is at its peak, all the lights are turned on. During off-peak hours when few people are around, only a portion are turned on, while the others are controlled using occupancy sensors.
2. Small designated spaces should have local switches. These can be classic push button switches for use by the local user as desired.
3. Public hallways should have multiple push button switches along  its length to facilitate multiple access for the user.
4. An area close to the elevator lobby should be designed as a place to aggregate the digital switches to control the lights in the adjacent areas and even for the entire floor.
5. For large buildings, the lighting control system can be integrated to the central host of the building automation system through the Modbus protocol.
6. For the security desk of a small building, the building controls can be centralized using a bunch of digital switches; while for medium to large buildings with lots of circuits, a touch panel should be used instead.
7. The emergency help button found in public restrooms can also be incorporated into the control center.

How many circuits is needed for a lighting control system to be economically viable? Under what conditions should one consider adopting a smart lighting control system?

The basic premise for DAE’s lighting control system is one in which there is no central processing unit and incorporation of classic switches. As a result, adoption is economical even for an application with the number of circuits in the single digits. So the real consideration is not simply how many circuits there are, but rather the following factors are more relevant:

1. Is there a need to save energy or to create a mood or atmosphere through lighting?
2. Is there a need to control the same lighting circuit from multiple locations?
3. Is there a need to centralize the control for the lights (such as in a control room, or front desk)?
4. Is there a need for a form of automated schedule control or daylight sensing control?
5. Is there a need for remote control through the network or in using a touch panel for control?

If any one of the above conditions is satisfied, then one should consider adopting a lighting control system. In reality, the cost of adoption is quite reasonable and not prohibitively expensive. It should be emphasized that having smart lighting control is not the same as having an extravagantly expensive high class luminaires. But rather it is merely having a very practical and new fangled form of lighting control.

Lighting control can be divided into the following purposes:

1. Spatial mood control
   There are lots of lighting circuits in any large space, some of them are dimmable, while others can simply be turned on or off, but together they are an indispensable aspect of creating the mood and atmosphere of any space. With a lighting control in place, the different scenes can be preset and assigned to individual buttons to allow the desired scenes to be recalled instantly when needed.
2. Multiple points of access
   Any single lighting circuit will often need to be controlled from more than one location, as is often the case in a large room. The user enters from location A and turns on the lights, but they leave at location B and so turns off the lights from that location instead of having to travel back to A. Having multiple access also means that one can centralize all controls at one locations for easy management of the entire facility.
3. Energy saving control
   This applies to different types of spaces. Each type of space has its own characteristic that requires a different approach to energy saving. Often this requires the use of local switches or motion sensors in conjunction with the right type of smart controller or switch to achieve the energy saving effect.
4. Remote control
   The controls can be aggregated into one central location. This way all the lights can be remotely monitored and controlled from this one location for the convenience of the building staff or operator. But in order to achieve such a form of centralized control, the prerequisite requirement is that there must be some form of feedback that will allow the operator to know the real time condition of the lights.
   Remote control need not however be limited to one fixed physical location such as having a touch panel on a wall or PC on the desk, it can also be portable as well, such as in using a mobile phone.
   It should be emphasized that lighting control allows for local control together with remote control at the same time. Which means that both local and remote control would always be synchronized.
5. Scheduled or conditional control
   Automatic control can be achieved through a schedule or using local sensors.
6. Integration with high tech equipment
   Since the system is now digitized, the system can be integrated with other digital devices such as an IR remote control unit, mobile phones, touch panels or linked to the Internet and viewed with a web browser.
7. Forced and Authorized Control from the Control Center
   A public facility sometimes need to be disallowed from being controlled locally, but other times the local user should be free to control the lights as needed.
   As for example, a highly trafficked corridor should have its light always be on during the day, and so local control is disallowed during the day. But in the evening or during holidays, the lights are turned off but local control is allowed so that any local user can turn the lights on as needed.
8. Gradual fade in and out effect
   A touch of elegance can be made even to simple process of turning the lights on or off by making the transition process gradual by fading the lights in or out.

The automated scheduling capability is among the most important feature of a lighting control system. It is very much like an alarm clock; it is not forever fixed but rather needs to be adjusted from time to time.

1. The schedule must be changed to accommodate impromptu events or cancelled workdays such as during typhoons.
2. The schedule must match the seasonal lighting changes
   The building manager must be allowed to freely adjust the schedule settings, and these should be done easily without too much of a hassle such as needing special tools, complicated software or technical knowledge.
   Setting of the schedule can be done directly on the touch screen of the user touch panel device by the administrator themselves, it is clear and intuitive, which is very much unlike that of other traditional full 2-way lighting control system wherein changing the schedule requires hiring a technical specialist with a special setting tool to make changes.
   Most lighting control system vendors would claim that their system would have the best features in their sales and promotions, but it is only when the system is being implemented that one would find out that the reality is that they forgot to mention that the technology is very complicated and the cost to adopt the system is prohibitively high. In contrast, with DAE’s system, the complicated logic and programming have all been built into each controller module so as to simplify the user interface as simple as possible.

One of the most prominent and effective application of the Internet of things in our daily life is its use in smart energy saving for buildings, and within this domain, the part that most exemplifies the interaction between man and object is the lighting control system.

The Internet of Things strives to save energy and convenience in operation through the interaction between object to object and object to man, and the best example of this is a lighting control system and smart meters.

The reason that a lighting control system is able to provide such convenience in operation to user is because of the significant built in support for such a structure through the peer to peer network among the objects themselves. Another way to describe this is the connection between the digital switches, the controller modules, with the bus network and other devices on the system.

1. Various types of LED fluorescent lights
   The LT3704 is the ideal choice for controlling the high starting current needed by LED fluorescent lights to operate. This is because most LED fluorescents have their own internal power supply and has a very high starting current.
2. Metal halide lamps for retail shops
   Metal halide lamps is a type of gas discharge lamp and causes great harm to relays because of its large surge currents. So it is suggested that the LT2504 be used with the external LR02 relay or as an alternative, the LT3100 be used with magnetic contactors.
3. Regular fluorescent lamps
   The L3604 with built-in relays can be used.
4. Outdoor lighting
   Lighting for building facades, billboards, streets, ornamentation, stadiums, ball courts and other outdoor venues which uses high powered LED lights or metal halide lamps should make use of the LT3100 in conjunction with magnetic contactors.
5. Business venues (e.g. shopping centers, showrooms, public buildings) and distant areas.
   Modules with built-in relays is not recommended, instead the modules with the external LR02 relay or the LT3100 with magnetic contactors should be chosen instead for the following reasons:
   1. The load is too large for internal relays, external relays is better able to withstand the surge currents.
   2. There is a backup manual control just in case.
   3. When the external relay or contactor is damaged, it can be replaced more easily.
6. Hallways, elevator lounges, restrooms and basement parking
   Unless LED fluorescents are used, then one can choose to make use of the LT3604 with built-in relays.
7. Fans, air conditioning and ventilation for basement parking.
   The LT3100 controlling the magnetic contactor should be used.
8. Pumps and drainage control
   Most buildings commonly have a control and monitoring system for the lighting, basement parking ventilation fans and drainage pumps.
   For such a system, a full-fledged building automation system is not necessary as all of these elements can be covered through the ACS50 available from DAE.
9. Retrofitting for energy saving
   One can make use of the LT3000 or the LT3384 with built-in relays; with the option to make use of the K15 sensor switch, push button switches or digital switches in order to achieve some form of local energy saving effect.