Method and apparatus for automatically controlling a lighting load

Abstract

In a method of automatically controlling a lighting load to which are delivered alternately forced turning on instructions and forced turning off instructions, according to the result of comparing the brightness measured in a given area and particular brightness thresholds, the brightness threshold used to deliver a forced turning on instruction, hereinafter called the comfort threshold, is left for the user to determine. In a normal operation phase, i.e. after an initiation phase, the brightness threshold used for delivering a forced turning off instruction is the sum of this comfort threshold and the brightness difference between the brightness measured before the previous forced turning off instruction and the brightness measured immediately after that forced turning off instruction. Applications include automatic control of fluorescent tubes with a non-electronic ballast.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.