Tag Archives: lighting systems

Lighting the Way to Safety

From wendyfoo | August 17, 2018

Tunnel Lighting Control System

From chwong | June 25, 2018

The need for tunnels is rapidly increasing in major cities around the world. Every day, we might be driving through a tunnel or underpass without actually realizing that we are entering an enclosed area which requires high levels of safety & attention.

One general question from the public is what makes tunnel lights so special? “The lights are only made for lighting up the tunnel, that’s it!”

Well, actually tunnel lights are about more than just lighting up the tunnel. Do you know that tunnel lights are the most critical during day time, when there is the most sunlight? Imagine you are entering a tunnel with no proper lighting control and what you see in front of you is a pitch black hole. This could be very dangerous as you are unable to see if there are any vehicles or objects in front of you.

Apart from that, stage lighting is needed in the tunnel as well. Stage lighting means that the brightness of the lights in the tunnel is being controlled individually or in a group. This process is very important as our human eyes need time to adapt to the change of brightness in the tunnel. Imagine there is no stage lighting and you are entering the tunnel during day time. It is the same effect if you turn on your room lights in a pitch black room conditions. You will be blinded and will not be able to see anything for a few seconds.

How are the lights being controlled? When do the lights know that it is daytime, night time, cloudy, snowy, etc.? The answer is simple – there is a luminance meter outside the tunnel which will measure the luminance and hence determine the condition of the surroundings outside the tunnel. The luminance meter will feedback all the information to a central lighting control unit and it will determine the switching on/off of lights in the tunnel. Conventionally, the lights are being controlled in groups (on/off only) and the brightness of each group of lights is fixed at one level only.

In today’s age of technology, there is a lighting control solution which is able to control the brightness of individual lightings, a “failsafe” mode which engages if there is a breakdown of communications in the tunnel, complete networking, control, monitoring of tunnel lights and many more. Phoenix Contact is able to offer the solutions for BTS (Basic Tunnel System), ATS (Advance Tunnel System) and TCS (Tunnel Control System).

For more information, feel free to contact us!

Case Study: Retail Giant, Aeon, Automates Lighting System With Phoenix Contact Solution

From wendyfoo | May 16, 2017

Summary

Aeon, the biggest shopping center in Johor, Malaysia, needed a solution to centralize their Existing Car Park Area, Extended New Car Park Zone & Shopping Mall Corridors Lighting Monitoring & Control system. Previously, their lighting controls were operated manually by switching the lights via a “ON/OFF” switch.
The client was also searching for an alternative to reduce operational cost without compromising on safety and reliability.
Phoenix Contact’s Malaysia team met their needs by producing a complete solution that reduced cost without substituting on safety and reliability.
By utilizing Phoenix Contact’s solution, the client could now control their lighting centrally using pre-programmed scheduler to automatically switch the lights on or off without the need of additional manpower and monitor the system for lighting breakdowns or power outages.
The client also achieved a decrease in energy consumption, essentially lowering the cost of operations.
Overall, besides reducing their electricity intake and operational time, our solution allowed them to save cost in complex installations, hardware purchases, and future maintenance.

Customer Profile

Image result for aeon

The client, AEON, is the largest retailer in Asia with a retail network comprising around 300 consolidated subsidiaries and 26 equity-method affiliated companies ranging from convenience stores, supermarkets, and shopping malls.

One of their subsidiaries is located in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Officially opened in 2006, the shopping center is the biggest mall in Johor to date. It boasts the biggest hypermart and is located at Johor’s affluent area, making it the most visited mall especially on weekends.

Being a premium shopping center in Johor, they needed to explore options towards electrical efficiency and ensure this undertaking do not dampen the experience of their visitors.

Challenge: Improve energy and system efficiency without disrupting shopper’s experience

The client needed a Lighting Monitoring & Control System to reduce the operational expenditure of running a shopping mall. Since they operate from 10 am to 10 pm (which means that they’ll be switching the lights on at 8 am and will close later than 10 pm), they will have electricity running almost more than 12 hours a day.