Remote control test apparatus

• US 6,710,546 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Bodine Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Crenshaw, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US10/077,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20020140360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 315/86, 315/85, 315/150, 315/151, 315/149, 315/158, 315/159, 315/224, 315/291, 315/360, 315/362, 315/307
• US Class Current: 315/86
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2834 Automated test systems [ATE]; using microprocessors or computers G01R31/317 takes precedence; ATE for detection of defective computer hardware G06F11/2736
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/02 in which an auxiliary distribution system and its associated lamps are brought into service

Abstract

A remote control system for testing the ready status of lighting fixtures such as emergency exit signs and for operating such fixtures as by controlling the off/on status and dimming of the illumination in a high infrared and EMI noise environment. The transmitted control signal is an infrared beam containing a selected pulse-time code which the receiving circuit can reliably receive, recognize and process in an environment of high infrared noise typically produced by fluorescent lighting. Upon recognition and verification of the selected pulse-time code, in the ready status testing, the microcontroller disenables the charging circuit to the battery for supplying power to the exit sign in the emergency mode to cause the emergency circuit to sense an AC power failure whereby the lamp illuminates in the emergency mode for the selected test period. For the lighting fixture control, upon recognition and verification of the selected pulse-time code, the microcontroller outputs a signal to cause the lamp in the fixture to illuminate or go dark, or to change level of illumination. In preferred embodiments the detector for the infrared beam is in a grounded housing which is mounted in the lighting fixture, the cable connecting the detector to the microcontroller are all surrounded with an electrically conductive shielding which is grounded to the microcontroller.

Claims

1. A system for testing the ready status of an emergency exit sign including a lamp, a lamp driver powered by or connected to a power source for providing power the lamp, an emergency driver powered by the power source for charging a battery to supply power to the lamp when normal power is interrupted, wherein the system for testing the ready status of the emergency exit sign is remotely activated by a signal wherein the improvement comprises:

a) a remote transmitter for sending a pulse-time coded infrared signal having a carrier frequency which exhibits a wavelength of about 770 nanometers to about 100 000 nanometers for initiating a test routine;

b) an infrared detector mounted adjacent the emergency exit sign for receiving said pulse-time coded infrared signal; and

c) a remotely controlled test circuit including a microcontroller connected to said infrared detector and to the emergency driver for the lamp, said microcontroller being programmed to initiate said test routine upon recognition of the pulse-time coded infrared signal by providing an output to the emergency driver simulating a failure of normal power;

whereby upon actuation of the remote transmitter, the remotely controlled test circuit causes the emergency driver for the lamp to operate the lamp according to the test routine.

2. The system for testing according to claim 1 wherein said remote transmitter is programmed to transmit and said microcontroller is programmed to provide output responsive only to a repeated selected pulse-time coded infrared signal.

3. The system for testing according to claim 1 wherein said lamp is a cold cathode tube.

4. The system for testing according to claim 1 wherein the carrier frequency is modulated by a sub-carrier frequency of digital pulses in the range of about 30 KHz to about 60 KHz.

5. The system for testing according to claim 1 wherein the lamp is disposed in an exit sign fixture, said infrared detector is mounted in a shielded housing disposed in the lighting fixture and the shielding of said housing is electrically connected to said microcontroller.

6. The system for testing according to claim 1 wherein said infrared detector is electrically connected to said microcontroller by a shielded cable, an said cable shielding is electrically connected to said microcontroller.

7. The system for testing according to claim 6 wherein said shielding of said shielded cable is electrically connected to said shielding of said shielded housing for aid infrared detector.

8. The system for testing according to claim 7 wherein said infrared detector is adapted with a conductive case and said case is electrically connected to said shielding of said housing and said cable shielding.

9. The system for testing according to claim 1 wherein said lamp is a fluorescent lamp, the power source is normal AC power, the lam drive is a fluorescent ballast and the emergency drive is an emergency ballast.

10. The system for testing according to claim 1 wherein said lamp is an incandescent lamp.

11. The system for testing according to claim 1 wherein said lamp is a light emitting diode.