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US 6,285,132 B1Granted
Emergency lighting test system and method
AssigneeIota Engineering Co.
InventorsWilliam H. Conley, III, David G. Light
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AssigneeIota Engineering Co.
InventorsWilliam H. Conley, III, David G. Light
Estimating the term…
An emergency lighting test system and method automatically schedules self tests and uses novel test methods to thoroughly test an emergency lighting system. An emergency lighting system comprises a fluorescent lamp, an inverter circuit and a backup power source (e.g. a battery). A microcontroller controls testing of the system and tracks time of day and date for scheduling tests of the lighting system. After a test is performed, the test reports are stored in memory. Two novel tests are used to evaluate the lighting system. A first test determines backup power source condition. The test samples the high frequency signal generated by the inverter circuit to determine an average peak voltage. The average peak voltage is indicative of backup power source voltage. If the average peak voltage falls below a predetermined lower limit, it indicates a backup power source failure. The lamp is turned off and a failure is flagged. A second test determines lamp and inverter condition. This test measures the frequency of the high frequency signal generated by the inverter circuit. The high frequency signal is filtered and divided down to a convenient frequency suitable for interfacing with the microcontroller. A frequency outside of a predetermined range indicates a failed lamp or failed inverter circuit. The lamp is turned off and a failure is flagged.
An emergency lighting power system for providing power to a lamp, said system comprising:
A failure detection apparatus for detecting failures in an emergency lighting system, said emergency lighting system having an inverter generating a high frequency signal, said inverter connected between a backup power source and a lamp, said detection apparatus comprising:
A method of detecting backup power source failures in an emergency lighting system having a backup power source, a fluorescent lamp, and an inverter connected between said backup power source and said lamp, said method comprising the steps of:
A method of detecting a fluorescent lamp failure in a lighting system having a backup power source, a fluorescent lamp, and an inverter connected between said backup power source and said lamp, said inverter generating a high frequency signal, said method comprising the steps of:
An automated test system for an emergency lighting system having a backup power source, a lamp and coupling circuitry connected between the backup power source and the lamp, said coupling circuitry generating at least one status signal related to the condition of the system, said test system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.