摘要 |
PURPOSE: A dimmable fluorescent lighting systems is to provide greater flexibility, improved ergonomic function, energy savings over systems lacking such control, a lower cost of installation, to be installed profitably in retrofit situations, as well as new construction, to calibrate easily. CONSTITUTION: A fluorescent lighting system comprises a distributed network (138) of lighting controls and control power sources. A plurality of controls (84) share a proportional-response control line (58) with a default value, wherein the control requesting the largest deviation from the default value prevails. Certain controls (124) may additionally share a polling line (126), in which the controls must agree on a value, before it can be requested on the proportional-response control line. Interactions between controls on the network provide for a method to control the total illumination on a scene, including both artificial (94) and natural (96) light, down to the light level where only natural light (96) is present. Unidirectional control nodes (86) allow a first network to exert control on a second network, without affecting the control levels in the first network. Thereby, hierarchical network control can be established. In addition, the method provides for network power to energize the control network (63), derived either from the lighting ballasts (52) or from external network-compliant power sources (192) strategically located in the network. A self-energizing contactor (80) switches power to the lighting system (56).
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