CONTROLLING SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A POWER/DATA-COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20170311419A1
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Lighting BV (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: WENDT, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 10,045,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

The invention relates to a controlling system (4) for controlling loads (2), especially lighting units, of a power/data-communication system like a PoE system, wherein a command is provided, which defines desired power levels of loads of the power/data-communication system. An overall power change amount is determined, which will be caused by the provided command, and the loads are controlled such that the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads, when being set to the desired power levels, is reduced, if the determined overall power change amount is larger than a predefined power change threshold. Thus, if the provided command may lead to an overall power change amount causing problems like blown fuses, the loads are controlled such that the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads, when being set to the desired power levels, and hence the likelihood of, for instance, blown fuses is reduced.

Claims

1. A controlling system for controlling loads of a power/data-communication system, wherein the controlling system comprises:

a command providing unit for providing a command defining desired power levels of loads of the power/data-communication system,

an overall power change determination unit for determining the overall power change amount, which will be caused by the provided command, based on the provided command,

a control unit for controlling the loads such that the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads, when being set to the desired power levels, is reduced, if the determined overall power change amount is larger than a predefined power change threshold.

2. The controlling system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to subdivide an individual power change amount, which is needed for a respective load for reaching the respective desired power level, into individual power change sub-amounts and to control the respective individual load such that its power level is changed in accordance with the respective individual power change sub-amounts at different times.

3. The controlling system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the power levels of the loads in accordance with the command such that different loads are set to their desired power levels at different times.

4. The controlling system as defined in claim 3, wherein the control unit is adapted to randomly control at which times the respective loads are set to their respective desired power levels.

5. The controlling system as defined in claim 3, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the power levels of the loads in accordance with the command such that different loads are set to their desired power levels at different times within a predefined time interval.

6. The controlling system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the loads such that the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads will be larger, if the determined overall power change amount is smaller, and that the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads will be smaller, if the determined overall power change amount is larger.

7. The controlling system as defined in claim 6, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the power levels of the loads in accordance with the command such that different loads are set to their desired power levels at different power level setting times within a predefined time interval, wherein the predefined time interval is smaller, if the determined overall power change amount is smaller, and the predefined time interval is larger, if the determined overall power change amount is larger.

8. The controlling system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to receive the command, to modify the command, if the determined overall power change amount is larger than the predefined power change threshold, and to send the modified command to the loads wherein the command is modified such that the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads, when being set to the desired power levels, is reduced.

9. The controlling system as defined in claim 1, wherein the controlling system comprises a slope reduction rules providing unit for providing slope reduction rules defining the control of the loads such that the slope of the overall power consumption, when the loads are set to the desired power levels, is reduced, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the loads in accordance with slope reduction rules, if the determined overall power change amount is larger than the predefined power change threshold.

10. The controlling system as defined in claim 9, wherein the controlling system comprises a power consumption measuring unit for measuring the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads, when the loads are controlled in accordance with the slope reduction rules, wherein the slope reduction rules providing unit is adapted to modify the slope reduction rules depending on the measured slope of the overall power consumption.

11. The controlling system as defined in claim 1, wherein the controlling system comprises a power consumption measuring unit for measuring the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the loads such that the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads is reduced, if the measured slope of the overall power consumption is larger than a predefined slope threshold.

12. A power/data-communication system comprising several loads and a controlling system for controlling the loads as defined in claim 1.

13. The power/data-communication as defined in claim 12, wherein the power/data-communication system is a lighting system and the loads are lighting units.

15. A computer program for controlling loads of a power/data-communication system, the computer program comprising program code means for causing the controlling system as defined in claim 1 to carry out the steps of the controlling method, when the computer program is run on the controlling system.

14. A controlling method for controlling loads of a power/data-communication system, wherein the controlling method comprises:

providing a command defining desired power levels of the loads by a command providing unit,

determining the overall power change amount, which will be caused by the provided command, based on the provided command by an overall power change determination unit,

controlling the loads such that the slope of the overall power consumption of the loads when being set to the desired power levels is reduced, if the determined overall power change amount is larger than a predefined power change threshold, by a control unit.