METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING SHED LIGHTING

• US 20100060174A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lely Patent N.V. (Lely)
• Original Assignee: Lely Patent N.V. (Lely)
• Inventors: Hulsen, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,410,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/159
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/00 Housing animals; Equipment therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/00 Other apparatus for animal husbandry
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A method of, and a device for controlling a shed lighting, and a shed provided therewith. To support daylight, lamps are switched on, but only in the case when the measured intensity is too low and, moreover, the time in which the daylight intensity could become sufficient is too short to achieve a desired period of time with a minimum light intensity. This saves energy and service life of lamps.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a shed lighting, wherein the shed lighting comprises daylight, a plurality of additional lighting and at least one lighting intensity sensor, the method comprising:

measuring a light intensity in the shed;

controlling, depending on the measured light intensity, at least a part of the additional lighting, in order to daily provide a light duration with a first length and a minimum light intensity I_light in the shed;

measuring, for a current day, a total time elapsed in which the measured light intensity amounts to at least I_light;

determining an evening twilight point of time at which, using only the daylight, the light intensity can no longer reach the value I_light; and

only switching on at least a part of the additional lighting when a momentary intensity is smaller than I_light and the light duration minus the total time elapsed is longer than the momentary time still to elapse until the evening twilight point of time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shed is configured for keeping dairy animals.

3. The method according to claim 2, where the shed is configured for keeping cows.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the daylight is provided to the shed through a daylight mechanism comprising at least one of a window, a dome, and an at least partially transparent or translucent plate.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising controlling at least a part of the additional lighting in a darkness duration with a second length and a substantially lower maximum light intensity I_dark in the shed.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the maximum light intensity I_dark is less than 75 lx.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein maximum light intensity I_dark is less than 10 lx.

8. The method according to claim 5, comprising applying a darkening mechanism, wherein the darkening mechanism reduces the measured light intensity to below the value I_dark if the total time elapsed exceeds the value of the light duration.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising measuring the intensity at a plurality of places, wherein the additional lighting is controlled in dependence on the light intensity measured at the plurality of places.

10. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

selecting a starting point of time and an ending point of time of the light duration;

determining a morning twilight point of time at which, using only the daylight, the measured light intensity can amount to at least I_light; and

shifting the light duration over time, with the length of the light duration remaining constant, and in such a manner that the overlap between the light duration and the period between morning twilight point of time and evening twilight point of time is increased.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the ending point of time is shifted back to at or before the evening twilight point of time.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the shifting of the light duration over time is configured to be automatic.

13. A shed lighting device, comprising:

a daylight mechanism;

at least one lighting intensity sensor configured for measuring a light intensity;

at least one controllable additional lighting; and

at least one control device controlling the controllable additional lighting on the basis of the measured light intensity, wherein the control device is configured to;

measure a total time elapsed in which the measured light intensity amounts to at least I_light for a current day,

determine an evening twilight point of time at which the light intensity can no longer reach the value I_light, and

switch on only at least a part of the additional lighting when a momentary intensity is smaller than I_light and a momentary time still to elapse until the evening twilight point of time is shorter than a desired light duration minus the total elapsed time.

14. The shed lighting device according to claim 13, wherein the lighting intensity sensor automatically measures light intensity.

15. The shed lighting device according to claim 13, further comprising a darkening mechanism configured for lessening daylight and controllable by the control device.

16. The shed lighting device according to claim 13, wherein the control device is configured for inputting by a user a starting point of time and an ending point of time of the light duration.

17. The shed lighting device according to claim 13, wherein the control device is configured for shifting the light duration over time, with a length of the light duration remaining constant, and in such a manner that an overlap between the light duration and the period between morning twilight point of time and evening twilight point of time is increased.