Fail-safe lighting system with load shedding and dimming
DCFirst Claim
1. A fail-safe uninterruptible lighting system comprising:
- (a) a plurality of lights;
(b) a principal source of power for normally energizing said lights;
(c) a battery for supplying power for continuing to energize selected ones of said lights when said principal source of power is first interrupted;
(d) means for establishing multi-tier priorities for retaining energization of said lights when said principal source of power is interrupted;
(e) means for monitoring the level of charge on said battery; and
(f) control means for ensuring energization of said selected ones of said lights from said battery according to said priorities when said principal source of power is interrupted, said control means including means responsive to reduction of said charge of said battery to predetermined successively lower discrete spaced-apart levels to correspondingly cause disconnection of less than all of said lights from said battery according to said priorities.
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Abstract
A fail-safe lighting system which includes provision for setting priorities or sequences of operation for different lights or sets of lights. When normal power is interrupted, all or a selected number of lights remain lit and/or are dimmed, thus providing a first level of illumination during a predetermined period of time. However, when a selected interval of time has elapsed and the level of charge remaining on the battery or batteries which supply power during the interruption decreases, preselected one or ones of the lights are progressively dimmed or disconnected from the battery acccording to a predetermined schedule. Thus, the time during which one or more extremely critical lights remain lit can be substantially extended without depleting the charge on the battery.
75 Citations
49 Claims
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1. A fail-safe uninterruptible lighting system comprising:
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(a) a plurality of lights; (b) a principal source of power for normally energizing said lights; (c) a battery for supplying power for continuing to energize selected ones of said lights when said principal source of power is first interrupted; (d) means for establishing multi-tier priorities for retaining energization of said lights when said principal source of power is interrupted; (e) means for monitoring the level of charge on said battery; and (f) control means for ensuring energization of said selected ones of said lights from said battery according to said priorities when said principal source of power is interrupted, said control means including means responsive to reduction of said charge of said battery to predetermined successively lower discrete spaced-apart levels to correspondingly cause disconnection of less than all of said lights from said battery according to said priorities. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A fail-safe uninterruptible lighting system comprising:
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(a) a plurality of lights; (b) a principal source of power for normally energizing said lights; (c) a battery for supplying power for continuing to energize selected ones of said lights when said principal source of power is first interrupted; (d) means for establishing multi-tier priorities for retaining energization of said lights when said principal source of power is interrupted; (e) means for monitoring the level of charge on said battery; and (f) control means for ensuring energization of said selected ones of said lights from said battery according to said priorities when said principal source of power is interrupted, said control means including means responsive to reduction of said charge of said battery to predetermined levels to correspondingly cause disconnection of less than all of said lights from said battery according to said priorities;
said control means further including timing means effective when said principal source of power is interrupted for preventing disconnection of selected ones of said lights from said battery until a prescribed period of time has transpired following interruption of said power.
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14. A fail-safe uninterruptible lighting system comprising:
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(a) a plurality of lights; (b) a principal source of power for normally energizing said lights; (c) a battery for supplying power to energize selected ones of said lights when said principal source of power is first interrupted; (d) means for establishing multi-tier priorities for retaining energization of said lights when said principal source of power is interrupted; (e) means for monitoring the level of charge on said battery; and (f) control means for ensuring energization of said selected ones of said lights from said battery according to said priorities when said principal source of power is interrupted, said control means including means responsive to discharge of said battery to predetermined levels to correspondingly cause progressive disconnection of said lights from said battery according to said multi-tier priorities. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method of selectively energizing a plurality of lights from a battery during a power outage comprising:
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(a) establishing priorities of retention for said lights during said power outage; (b) monitoring the level of charge remaining on said battery during said power outage; and (c) progressively disconnecting said lights in accordance with said priorities at different discrete levels of said charge remaining on said battery. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method of selectively energizing a plurality of lights from a battery during a power outage comprising:
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(a) establishing a sequence of retention for said lights during said power outage; (b) monitoring the level of charge remaining on said battery during said power outage; and (c) progressively disconnecting said lights in accordance with said sequence at multi-tiered discrete levels of said charge remaining on said battery. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A programmable fail-safe uninterruptible lighting system comprising:
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(a) a plurality of lights; (b) a principal source of power for normally energizing said lights; (c) a battery for supplying power for continuing to energize selected ones of said lights when said principal source of power is first interrupted; (d) means including a central control station for establishing discrete multi-tier priorities for retaining energization of said lights when said principal source of power is interrupted; (e) means for monitoring the level of charge on said battery; and (f) control means including said central control station for severally selecting said lights in groups and for conditioning said lights for operation in groups according to said priorities when said principal source of power is interrupted, said control means including means responsive to reduction of said charge of said battery to predetermined discrete progressive spaced-apart levels to corresponding cause progressive disconnection of less than all of said lights from said battery according to said priorities. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49)
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Specification