[Summary]The company focuses on the Eshan Tunnel of the G50 Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway, detailing the architecture of the highway tunnel lighting control system. It has completed the hardware design of single-lamp controllers and selected centralized controllers, proposing system control methods and strategies. This provides an intelligent solution for highway tunnel lighting.
[Keywords]:Tunnel Lighting; Single Light Intelligent Control; Highways; LED Tunnel Lights
Introduction
Single-light (unit combination) intelligent control technology is a new type of energy-saving control technology. Its working principle is that each lighting fixture in the system has an encoded address, which enables data interaction with the system through this address, allowing for arbitrary grouping, turning on/off lights, dimming, and more. This enables the system to achieve visual and information-based management. Advancing lighting management and energy-saving control to a refined level can bring significant economic, environmental, and social benefits. This article takes the Eshan Tunnel on the G50 Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway as the research subject, based on investigating the current research status at home and abroad, conducting theoretical analysis and experimental research, and embarking on the study of an intelligent tunnel lighting system based on single-light (unit combination) control. The aim is to develop a scientifically sound lighting control strategy to address the lighting challenges in tunnels.
1. System Architecture
The Highway Tunnel Lighting Intelligent Control Management System for Single Lamps is designed to adjust the power and dim the LED tunnel lights based on the changes in tunnel environment and road lighting usage at different times. It implements energy-saving control and remote management. The core technology of the dimming and energy-saving control is the LED power supply regulation and detection technology. Remote management is achieved through the comprehensive use of PLC power line carrier technology, 4G/GPRS/CDMA public network communication technology, and system platform software technology. The single-lamp intelligent control and management system for highway tunnel lighting researched in this project can realize functions such as switch control, brightness adjustment, real-time reading and setting of data from near to far, lighting inspection, single-lamp metering, and safety early warning. The system architecture diagram is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Highway Tunnel Single Light Control System Architecture Diagram
The overall structure of the intelligent control and management system for single-lamp tunnel lighting on expressways adopts a "client (host computer) management operation software + system management platform + centralized controller (Internet of Things data concentrator) + single-lamp controller (terminal controller)" configuration. The client (host computer) management operation software operates remotely from any location (such as WeChat, browsers, client software, etc.). The system management platform is installed on the server at the system's main station (monitoring center). The centralized controller (Internet of Things data concentrator) receives, executes, and forwards instructions from the client (host computer) management operation software. It communicates with the single-lamp controller using PLC power line communication technology to control and exchange data, thereby controlling each single-lamp controller (terminal controller) to achieve on/off and dimming control of each LED tunnel light, thereby achieving energy-saving goals. Additionally, the centralized controller (Internet of Things data concentrator) can control the entire circuit of the LED tunnel lights through built-in output ports within the control cabinet (or transformer substation). The single-lamp controller (terminal controller) is installed within the wiring box of the LED tunnel light and serves as the core executing component of the intelligent control and management system for single-lamp tunnel lighting on expressways.
2. Single-Light Controller Design
The single-light controller design employs the Atmel ATmega6 series microcontroller as the main controller, offering high work efficiency, low power consumption, strong RISC processing capabilities, large memory capacity, and high cost-performance ratio. The chip is equipped with 32 programmable I/O interfaces, 1kB of SRAM, and 8 10-bit ADCs, meeting the control system requirements. The photoelectric sensor uses the EL7900 light intensity sensor, converting light intensity into an electrical signal, which is then converted into a digital signal using the A/D converter. The main control unit calculates the control quantity based on the detected light intensity and system instructions, controlling the tunnel light brightness.
Figure 2 shows the circuit diagram of the single-light controller.
AC220Vs AC22Master Control UnitAC220Y PLC Power
Figure 2: Schematic Diagram of Single-Light Controller
This single light controller features dimming, electrical parameter collection, fault diagnosis, communication, and control functions. It supports remote switching and dimming operations for LED tunnel lights, with a 0-10V infinite dimming capability; it can collect data such as voltage, current, power factor, and electrical energy of LED tunnel lights; it has electrical energy storage functionality with power failure protection; it can determine if LED tunnel lights are experiencing anomalies based on collected information, and actively report fault information when a fault occurs; it can achieve half-duplex power line carrier communication with control terminals, promptly responding to control commands and strategies issued by the master station.
The single-light controller features electrical clearances of ≥1.9mm, creepage distances of ≥3.2mm, ground leakage currents of ≤3.5mA, insulation resistances of ≥5MΩ, temperature adaptability from -40±3℃ to 85±2℃, humidity adaptability from 5% to 90%, rated working voltage AC180~250V, working power consumption from 0.5~15W, networking communication frequency of 330KHz, housing protection level IP65, voltage and current collection accuracy of ≤1%, and safe contact current of ≤0.75mA.
3. Concentrated Controller Options
The centralized controller for the intelligent lighting control management system in the highway tunnel uses the IDGS-1 street lamp IoT data concentrator from Dandong Sanan Technology Development Co., Ltd. The IDGS-1 street lamp IoT data concentrator operates on 220V power supply with an integrated battery. It can collect operating parameters of the lighting distribution cabinet. It utilizes public network GPRS communication and is compatible with wired broadband, CDMA, and other communication methods.
The monitoring terminal features a universal interface, enabling connections with distribution, energy-saving, and anti-theft equipment, achieving a four-in-one integration. The terminal comes with a built-in Chinese LCD local display and buttons, allowing manual operation of functions on-site. This facilitates terminal management, maintenance, and reading and control of the operating parameters of the lighting control cabinet. It is equipped with automatic alarm, setup and viewing, reading, terminal management and maintenance initialization, real-time control, and time synchronization functions.
4. Control Methods and Strategies
The highway tunnel's basic lighting LED lamps operate 24/7. To prevent energy waste caused by excessive lighting and to reduce the LED tunnel light degradation while considering the lifespan of the power supply, the project can utilize vehicle detection instruments to monitor the traffic volume at different times. The brightness of the basic lighting is then automatically adjusted based on the varying traffic volumes.
The on/off timing and brightness adjustment of the enhanced lighting LED lights in the highway tunnel are all handled by a single-light controller. The control system, based on the detection data of brightness inside and outside the tunnel as well as traffic flow data, automatically adjusts the brightness percentage of the LED tunnel lights after calculation and analysis, to achieve optimal lighting effects and eliminate the "black hole" effect of highway tunnels.
Highway tunnel emergency lighting is achieved through basic lighting fixtures. In the event of a sudden power outage in the city, the dimming controller instantly adjusts the power of the basic lighting fixtures to around 50%, ensuring that the emergency lighting's distribution characteristics match the original basic lighting, eliminating the potential for "zebra effect" and effectively preventing traffic accidents in highway tunnels.
5. AnkoRay Intelligent Lighting Control System
5.1 Overview
The ALIBUS intelligent lighting products utilize RS485 bus technology, offering mature, reliable, and secure performance. The switch driver has the capability to operate independently, making it suitable for small to medium-sized projects. The modular design allows for flexible expansion, with预留 I/O ports and Modbus interfaces, enabling data exchange with the AcrelEMS enterprise microgrid management cloud platform.
5.2 Application Scenarios
Ideal for lighting control needs in various smart communities, hospitals, schools, hotels, as well as sports venues, airports, tunnels, stations, and other large public construction projects.
5.3 System Architecture
5.4 System Features
1) Real-time detection and display of the online status of each module, feedback on the switch status of the on-site controlled circuits, and the monitoring interface can be viewed according to the layout of each floor's zones and the circuit list.
2) Fault alarms occur when there is a module offline, a gateway device goes offline, or when the status feedback and control command distribution are inconsistent. Fault alarm information is then recorded and displayed on the interface.
3) Individual circuit controls for lighting can be achieved; each module and floor has corresponding module control switches and floor control switches, allowing for control over a single module or the entire floor.
4) The switch driver supports zero-crossing triggering function, where the load (lighting) operations are only performed when the AC voltage crosses zero. This effectively reduces electromagnetic interference and the impact on the power grid, extending the lifespan of the lighting and control devices.
5) Each lighting circuit can be pre-set to an off-state. In the event of a power outage, the switch driver will automatically switch to the pre-set off-state, ensuring that the lighting's switch status is certain and controllable upon re-powering.
6) The dimming control slider adjusts lighting equipment from 0% to 100%. It allows for dimming control of individual lighting circuits. The master dimming control can dim lighting circuits within a module or across multiple circuits, with the status of on-site switches indicated by the icon's on/off state.
7) Click the scene control to toggle the corresponding scene settings on or off. The software interface displays different scene modes and functions, with icons indicating whether the scene is open or closed by their on/off illumination.
8) Set the timing schedule, confirm the time point, and then configure the action to be executed at that event point. Set the lights to turn on or off at the specified time.
9) The system can automatically calculate daily sunrise and sunset times using pre-set local latitude and longitude information; it controls lighting switches according to an astronomical clock, enabling lights to turn on at sunset and off at sunrise.
All timing control plans can be downloaded and saved to the driver module; in the event of a system failure or module offline on the upper computer system, the driver module can utilize its built-in RTC clock to ensure the normal execution of timing control plans, without affecting the daily lighting control effects.
11) The system structure is a distributed bus architecture; individual components within the system operate independently without reliance on others; the diversity of functions within the system components can be achieved through programmed settings.
预留 BA or third-party integration platform interfaces, utilizing Modbus, OPC, and similar methods.
6. Closing Remarks
The intelligent highway tunnel lighting management system based on single-lamp smart control aims to achieve intelligent energy-saving control for the Eshan Tunnel on the G50 Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway. By integrating wireless communication, sensor information processing, and power line carrier technology, the system has achieved infinitely variable dimming control for LED lights in highway tunnels, which is of great significance for the application and promotion of intelligent lighting control in highway tunnels.
Reference:
Wang Wei. Highway Tunnel Lighting Design and Research [D]. Xi'an: Chang'an University, 2011.
J. Jie, Cui Cui. Wu Huo Jun. Analysis of Tunnel Lighting Source Selection [J]. Building Electrical Engineering, 2017, 36(11): 40-44.
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[4]. Yuanying Ruan, Chen Li, Ye Tao, Zhenglong Gao, Guoyong Ma. Highway Tunnel Lighting Management System Based on Single-Lamp Intelligent Control. Anhui Provincial Transportation Holding Group, Wuhu Highway Management Center, Anhui Wuhu, 241000; 2. Dandong Sanan Technology Development Co., Ltd., Dandong, Liaoning, 118000.
