Automatic backup lighting system

• US 8,604,695 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gregory Moreland
• Original Assignee: Gregory Moreland
• Inventors: Moreland, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Tung X
• Application Number:
  US13/242,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 315/85, 315/86, 315/119, 315/177, 307/46, 307/64, 307/66
• US Class Current: 315/86
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/02 in which an auxiliary distribution system and its associated lamps are brought into service
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

An emergency lighting system induces an AC current in a toroidal coil encircling a non-shielded electrical element of a power circuit. The AC current is rectified to DC and delivered to a rechargeable standby battery. The battery provides a first input to a NAND gate, and a proximity transducer provides a second input to the NAND gate. When the power circuit is energized from the power grid, both inputs to the NAND gate are high and the output is low. When no current is sensed by the transducer one of the input NAND gates is low so that the NAND gate output is high thereby delivering an illumination current to an emergency lighting LED either directly or through a boost amplifier.

Claims

1. An emergency lighting system comprising:

a power circuit carrying a utility voltage when a utility power grid is live, wherein a non-shielded electrical element of the power circuit produces an electromagnetic proximity field;

a lighting circuit having electrical components including;

a toroid-shaped coil, a battery, a rectification circuit, a light emitting diode (LED), a proximity transducer, and a not-and (NAND) logic gate;

said coil having windings encircling the electrical element of the power circuit thereby producing an induced voltage in the lighting circuit when the utility voltage is present in the electrical element, and producing a charging current through the rectification circuit into the battery, the battery providing a first voltage level at a first input of the NAND gate; and

the proximity transducer positioned for sensing the charging current and producing a second voltage level at a second input of the NAND gate;

an output of the NAND gate interconnected with the LED for providing an illumination current thereto when the second voltage level at the NAND gate is absent.

2. The emergency lighting system of claim 1 further comprising a current amplifier interconnected with the NAND gate for boosting the illumination current.

3. An emergency lighting circuit comprising:

electrical components including;

a toroid-shaped coil, a battery, a rectification circuit, a light emitting diode (LED), a proximity transducer, and a NAND logic gate;

said coil having windings encircling an electrical element of a power circuit thereby producing an induced alternating voltage in the lighting circuit when an alternating utility voltage is present in the electrical element, and producing a charging current through the rectification circuit into the battery, the battery providing a first voltage level at a first input of the NAND gate; and

the proximity transducer positioned for sensing the charging current and producing a second voltage level at a second input of the NAND gate;

an output of the NAND gate interconnected with the LED for providing an illumination current thereto when the second voltage level at the NAND gate is absent.

4. The emergency lighting circuit of claim 3 further comprising a current amplifier interconnected with the NAND gate for boosting the illumination current.

5. A method of providing emergency lighting using an electrical system having electrical components including:

a toroid-shaped coil, a battery, a rectification circuit, a light emitting diode (LED), a proximity transducer, and a NAND logic gate;

the method comprising;

encircling a non-shielded electrical element of a power circuit with windings of the toroidal coil for producing an induced alternating voltage and a related current in the rectification circuit, and a charging current in a conductor engaged with the battery; and

connecting the battery for producing a first voltage level at a first input of the NAND gate;

positioning the proximity transducer adjacent to the conductor for producing a second voltage level at a second input of the NAND gate;

wherein, when the NAND gate receives the two input voltages no output current is produced and the LED is not illuminated, and when the second voltage level at the second input of the NAND gate is absent due to an absence of the induced alternating voltage, an output current is delivered to the LED enabling illumination thereof.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising boosting the output current from the NAND gate using a current amplifier.