Light sensor (photorelay) for street lighting. How the system "in one box" works

As you know, the dipped beam must be turned on when driving a motor vehicle, not only in the evening and at night, but also in the daytime. In a situation where running lights do not work, the traffic police officer has the right to issue a fine to the driver. Of course, this is a small amount, but it creates a headache. In this regard, most motorists are faced with a number of inconveniences due to the fact that many simply forget to turn on the dipped beam when getting into the car, or do not turn off the lights when leaving the car, which is why the battery is completely discharged in the morning.

In order to get rid of such problems, many decide to modify the process of turning on and off the headlights. Thanks to the simplest circuits, the headlights can turn on simultaneously with the ignition or at the moment the engine is started. At the same time, during the daytime, the dipped beam headlights will light up, but not the dimensions, and at night everything will work in the usual mode. Let's consider both options.

Automatic switching on of headlights when ignited

In order to organize such work of lighting elements, it is necessary to connect them to the ignition power source, and as many people know, some devices can be connected at any position of the ignition switch, while others begin to function only when the ignition is already on. Based on this, the most convenient place to connect the headlights is the stove power button (the rightmost switch block).

For this scheme you will need:

• any standard five-pin relay;
• diode;
• wires.

1. Remove the size switch (leftmost switch block).
2. Disconnect the positive wire from the key block responsible for the low beam operation (usually green double wire) and connect it to the relay.
3. In the positive wire that goes to the stove switch, you need to cut an additional wire and also connect it to the relay.
4. Connect a wire to the relay that powers the headlights themselves.
5. Throw the wires to the minus (on the case).

Connections can be soldered, but normal insulated twisting is enough for full-fledged work. As a result, the automatic dipped beam will work as soon as you turn on the ignition.

However, this method is considered not the most economical, since the headlights start working immediately, which is not very important in winter time when the engine needs to be warmed up or when the vehicle is being repaired.

To avoid such inconveniences, you can complicate the circuit a little so that the dipped beam is turned off during parking, regardless of the ignition on or off.

Automatic switching on of headlights after starting the engine

To organize a similar scheme of work, you can go in two directions: connect to an oil pressure sensor or to a handbrake.

Method 1: Connecting to an oil pressure sensor

To make this connection you will need:

• relay;
• transistor (2 pieces);
• wires;
• chip K561TP1.

All parts are placed in a small housing from the relay, after which the device must be connected to an oil pressure sensor. When the pressure in the engine lubrication system returns to normal, that is, when the engine is turned on, the sensor will open, and power from it will be transferred to the capacitor. Ultimately, the voltage to the relay will be supplied through the transistors included in the power supply to the headlights. When the engine is turned off, power from the sensor is supplied to the desired lamp located on dashboard. At this time, the capacitor that enters the headlight control unit begins to discharge and the power supply to the relay stops.

In this case, you can also control the headlights in manual mode if you use a parallel connection. In order to set the time for turning off and on the headlights, it is enough to select the resistance on the board. The higher this parameter is, the longer the headlights will turn on and off after a longer period of time.

True, not everyone likes this method, since such a scheme is much more complicated (you need to pull the wires and make 3-4 connections).

Method 2: Connecting to the handbrake

This method is much simpler, since in this case it is enough to slightly modify the headlight connection scheme during ignition, which we talked about at the very beginning. To do this, just add another relay and a short wire (about 25 cm) to the standard contact of the handbrake button.

Thanks to this method, the headlights will turn off as soon as you pull the handbrake, and light up when you release it.

In custody

All these methods take a minimum of time and money investments, and the result eliminates many troubles. Automating the process of turning on the headlights does not require special skills in electrics, so you can handle this connection yourself without any problems.

It is for these reasons that I only use professional sensors. It should be especially noted that these sensors are commercially available, and their prices are commensurate with household sensors. Professional sensors are reliable, by definition, and the quality of their work is never a problem.

Obviously, a person who is not friendly with electricity will not be able to use this sensor. But with even a little experience with a soldering iron, you can do it. About the practical benefits of the machine, which turns on the light wherever you appear, there is nothing to explain in particular - there is nothing, this is already clear. But positive emotions, which he calls, simply cannot be expressed in words - after installing the first machine, for a whole year I wanted to bow in gratitude, when at the entrance to the hallway, the light suddenly turned on. Now it's been a long time, and the lighting of the tables in the kitchen, the light in the toilet, in the bathroom, in the corridor - turns on by itself. You get sort of a la " smart House”, but, however, without “brains” yet.

Within the framework of this article, we will not go into detail about the very principle of operation of the sensor - a lot has already been written about this. Let it “gurgle” there, somehow there ... Another thing is important for us - to make sure that the sensor turns on the light.

We will slowly move towards the goal, and by the end of the story, it will become clear that now everything is clear.

Let's start with the sensor itself, of course. What it looks like, I will not tell - everyone saw it. Another thing is important - inside, we will find a board with a terminal block with signatures - +\- 12 V and symbols for contacts of a normally closed relay. Two things are immediately clear - you will need a 12-volt power supply (we'll talk about it in more detail later, what it should be, depends on what else you will power it with) ..., and the fact that we cannot immediately use the standard relay contacts. Well - the sensor - it is also in Africa - the sensor, its job is to give out commands. And the contacts of its relay work like this - when there is no movement in front of the sensor, its contacts are closed, and they break only for a few seconds, at the very moment the sensor is triggered (when it "sees" the movement).

Directly turn on and off the light, there will be another block - let's call it -timer. The principle of its operation will become clear if we look at its diagram.

The timer circuit itself is so simple that I never even made a board for it, but mounted all the elements hinged mounting right at the relay terminals. The logic of the timer is very simple.

In the absence of movement, the contacts of the motion sensor relay are closed. Anode potential VD1 zero. Capacitor C1 - discharged (through resistor R2), field effect transistor - closed, relay P1 - off. When the sensor is triggered, the sensor relay contacts briefly open, at the same time, the capacitor C1 is quickly charged along the circuit - + 12V_resistor R1_ diode VD1_ - 12V. In this case, the transistor T1 turns on the relay P1. Then the sensor relay contacts close again, and capacitor C1 starts slowly(about four minutes) be discharged through the resistor R2 (through the closed contacts of the sensor relay, C1 cannot be discharged - this is prevented by the locked diode VD1).

The whole trick is that if during these four minutes, the sensor notices even the slightest movement, the capacitor C1 will again charge to the maximum, and the countdown of the four-minute time period will begin anew. In other words, the light in the room will not go out until the motion sensor “sees” that there is movement in the room. The light will go out only four minutes after everyone left this room. The exposure time can be changed by changing the values ​​​​of C1 or R2, but practice has shown that four minutes is quite enough - of course, you can sit out four minutes without moving, but you have to try hard.

About the principle of work, I hope everything is already clear. It remains to tell about all sorts of nuances of use.

The figure below is a 220 Volt load switching circuit. Explain the purpose of the option "duty light". The practice of using a light switch, for example, in a bathroom, has shown that it is much more comfortable to enter it when in it twilight rather than total darkness. This standby illumination is provided by the constantly on HLds LED (only one LED is enough). It consumes only 180 mW, but significantly increases comfort.

Below is a diagram for switching on a 12-volt LED lamp (I will explain how to make a lamp below).

The timer circuit board might look like this

But it would be desirable to correct it for the relay that you plan to use.

Details about the power supply for 12 volts. It is better to use it ready-made, from some modem, for example. Its power should, as a rule, not be great. Let's figure it out - the motion sensor itself consumes only 20 mA, plus the timer - 50-60 mA, that is, without an LED lamp, a very low-power PSU is enough, designed for a current consumption of 100-200 mA.

If you power the LED lamp itself from the power supply, then the LED lamp itself will consume the main current, in this case, a 12-volt power supply with a maximum current of 1 Ampere should be enough for you. Such a power supply is easier to use ready-made than to assemble it yourself. But what is more convenient for you - decide for yourself.

It is quite easy to make an LED lamp yourself, from pieces of LED strip. I will not tell you in detail how to do this - everything is obvious in the photo below. I use it to light the cutting table in kitchen set.

It is convenient to supply power to such a machine in the place where the light bulb holder was previously connected. This will allow you to use the regular switch. When leaving for work, you, as usual, turn off the light, and the machine is completely de-energized.

Make yourself such a machine, and it long years will provide comfort to you and your loved ones. I assure you, you will be asking yourself the question for a long time to come - and why didn't I do it earlier?

Note

Some of the professional sensors, after power up, perform self-diagnostics, therefore, the first command may appear with a delay of 15-20 seconds. This is normal operation of the sensor and should not be taken as a sign of abnormal operation.

Let me remind you that it is also necessary to choose the right location for the motion sensor itself. He, if possible, should always “see” you, no matter where you are in this room.

And further little advice– if you plan to place two led lamp, it is desirable to make them at the same time, and from the same LED strip. The reason is simple - all LEDs are slightly different in their emission spectrum, and if you make fixtures in different time and from different LED strips, then there is a high risk that the shade of white light they will have is different, which is very striking. And led strip you need to buy with a "margin" so that if individual LEDs fail (which happens once a year), there was something to replace them. Tape for fixtures, preferably used use without p rubber coating. This will greatly facilitate the subsequent repair of fixtures.

Also, just a few words about the VT1 field effect transistor in the timer circuit - my choice indicated in the list may seem strange, but the reason is simple - you can put almost anyone with an N-channel that is at hand and which is not a pity. It is only important that it has a really high source-gate resistance (without built-in resistors and protective zener diodes).

List of radio elements

When landscaping the site, the owners of private houses are concerned about the question of how to automatically turn on the light at dusk and turn it off at dawn. There are two devices for this - a photorelay and an astrotimer. The first device is simpler and cheaper, the second is more complicated and more expensive. Let's talk in more detail about the photocell for street lighting.

Device and principle of operation

This device has many names. The most common is a photorelay, but they are also called a photocell, a light and twilight sensor, a photosensor, a photosensor, a twilight or light-control switch, a light sensor or day-night. In general, there are many names, but the essence of this does not change - the device allows you to automatically turn on the light at dusk and turn it off at dawn.

The operation of the device is based on the ability of some elements to change their parameters under the influence of sunlight. The most commonly used photoresistors, phototransistors and photodiodes. In the evening, when the illumination decreases, the parameters of the photosensitive elements begin to change. When the change reaches a certain value, the relay contacts close, supplying power to the connected load. At dawn, the changes go in the opposite direction, the contacts open, the light goes out.

Characteristics and selection

First of all, choose the voltage with which the light sensor will work: 220 V or 12 V. Next parameter- protection class. Since the device is installed outdoors, it must be at least IP44 (numbers may be higher, lower - undesirable). This means that objects larger than 1 mm cannot get inside the device, and that it is not afraid of water splashes. The second thing to pay attention to is temperature regime operation. Look for options that marginally cover the averages in your region in both positive and negative temperatures.

It is also necessary to select a photorelay model according to the power of the lamps connected to it (output power) and the load current. It, of course, can “pull” the load a little more, but there may be problems. So it is better to take even with some margin. These were the mandatory parameters by which it is necessary to choose a photorelay for street lighting. There are a few more extras.

In some models, it is possible to adjust the response threshold - to make the photosensor more or less sensitive. Decrease the sensitivity when it snows. In this case, the light reflected from the snow can be perceived as dawn. As a result, the light will turn on and off. You won't like this show.

Pay attention to the sensitivity adjustment limits. They can be more or less. For example, for a Belarusian-made AWZ-30 photo relay, this parameter is 2-100 Lx, for a P02 photocell, the adjustment range is 10-100 Lx.

Response delay. What is the delay for? To eliminate false on / off light. For example, at night, the headlights of a passing car hit the photo relay. If the response delay is short, the light will turn off. If it is sufficient - at least 5-10 seconds, then this will not happen.

Selecting an installation location

For the correct operation of the photorelay, it is important to choose its location correctly. Several factors must be taken into account:

As you can see when organizing automatic lighting on the street, choose a place to install a photorelay - not the most simple task. Sometimes you have to move it several times until you find an acceptable position. Often, if a light sensor is used to turn on a lamp on a pole, they try to place a photo relay in the same place. This is completely optional and very inconvenient - you have to clean off dust or snow quite often and climbing a pole every time is not very fun. The photorelay itself can be placed on the wall of the house, for example, and the power cable can be pulled to the lamp. This is the most convenient option.

Wiring diagrams

The connection scheme for a photorelay for street lighting is simple: a phase and zero are connected to the input of the device, from the output the phase is supplied to the load (lanterns), and zero (minus) to the load comes from the machine or from the bus.

If you do everything according to the rules, the wire connection must be done in the junction box (junction box). Choose a sealed model for outdoor location, mount in an accessible place. How to connect a photorelay to outdoor lighting in this case is in the diagram below.

If you need to turn on / off a powerful lamp on a pole, in the design of which there is a throttle, it is better to add to the circuit. It is designed for frequent on and off, normally tolerates inrush currents.

If the light should be switched on only for the time the person is (in outdoor toilet, near the gate), add to the photo relay. In such a bundle, it is better to first put a light-sensitive switch, and after it - a motion sensor. With this construction, the motion sensor will only work in the dark.

Connection diagram for a photorelay with a motion sensor

As you can see, the schemes are simple, it is quite possible to do it yourself.

Features of connecting wires

The photorelay of any manufacturer has three wires. One is red, another is blue (may be dark green) and the third can be any color but is usually black or brown. When connecting, remember:

• the red wire always goes to the lamps:
• zero (neutral) from the supply cable is connected to blue (green);
• phase is applied to black or brown.

If you look at all the above diagrams, you will see that they are drawn in compliance with these rules. That's it, no more complications. By connecting the wires like this (do not forget that the neutral wire must also be connected to the lamp), you will get a working circuit.

How to set up a photo relay for street lighting

It is necessary to configure the light sensor after installation and connection to the network. There is a small plastic rotary dial in the lower part of the case to adjust the operation limits. Its rotation sets the sensitivity.

Find a similar regulator on the case - it adjusts the sensitivity of the photo relay

A little higher on the case there are arrows that indicate which way to turn to increase and decrease the sensitivity of the photorelay (left - decrease, right - increase).

To begin with, set the lowest sensitivity - drive the regulator to the extreme right position. In the evening, when the illumination is such that you decide that you should already turn on the light, start the adjustment. It is necessary to smoothly turn the knob to the left until the light turns on. On this we can assume that the setting of the photo relay for street lighting is completed.

Astrotimer

An astronomical timer (astrotimer) is another way to automate street lighting. The principle of its operation is different from the photorelay, but it also turns on the light in the evening and turns it off in the morning. Street lighting is controlled by time. AT this device data are laid down about what time it gets dark / dawn in each region in each season / day. When setting up the astrotimer, the GPS coordinates of its installation are entered, the date and current time are set. According to the programmed program, the device works.

Astrotimer - the second way to automate the light in the area

How is it more convenient?

• It does not depend on the weather. In the case of installing a photorelay, there is a high probability of a false alarm - in cloudy weather, the light may turn on in the early evening. When light hits the photo relay, it can turn off the light in the middle of the night.
• You can install the astrotimer in the house, in the shield, anywhere. He doesn't need light.
• It is possible to shift the on / off time by 120-240 minutes (depending on the model) relative to the set time. That is, you yourself can set the time as you like.

Flaw - high price. In any case, the models that are in the distribution network are quite solid money. But you can buy in China much cheaper, however, how it will work is a question.

Rest in a house outside the city becomes comfortable and brings pleasure only when the tasks of maintaining the house and the plot are minimized. Often, the owners are forced to irrigate the plantings, control the provision of ventilation and heating at home, turn on the lighting of the site, etc. Of course, such a "vacation" was standard for our grandparents, but today there are completely different times and standards of life, which increasingly exclude the transformation of staying outside the city into work that takes a lot of time and effort.

This much-needed functionality today can be completely delegated, and not to hired workers, but to modern multifunctional modular electrical equipment that allows you to perform all processes on suburban area in automatic mode, i.e. without human intervention. Its installation is quick and easy in already existing systems power supply and thus eliminates the need for complex repairs.

There can be many processes, but in this article we will focus on automatic switching on after dark street lighting.

Although there are many simple ways turning on street lighting, it is difficult to argue with the fact that it is much more convenient when the lighting is turned on and off without human intervention at all, i.e. in automatic mode.

Contemporary modular equipment allows not only programming for the timely inclusion of equipment, but also creating different combinations light zones (say, at one time the illumination of several lawns will turn on, a little later - the lamps on the remaining lawns and near the entrance).

The issue of turning on the lighting in automatic mode becomes especially relevant in the autumn and winter months, when the sun sets very early and the owners of suburban real estate are forced to return home after dark.

There are many devices on the market today that allow you to solve the problem of switching on lighting in automatic mode. So, if it is necessary to light street lamps after dark, it is best to use twilight relays (photorelay). In the evening, if the light level drops below a certain level, the relay will work and the lighting will turn on.

Lamps that are installed for safety purposes near gates, garage doors or the entrance to the house can be connected through Motion Sensor. For these purposes, it is most often used to detect the presence and movement of a person in its area of ​​​​action. When installing motion sensors, you need to choose the correct location for it, taking into account its sensitivity.

To solve the important task of managing street lighting, you can opt for astronomical relay.

To organize lighting at the entrance to the house or the entrance to the site, you can opt for time relay with off-delay function. Such a device is controlled from a push-button switch and turns off through set time load (lamps in the yard or in the garden).

The delay time for switching on the load is set on the front panel of the relay, and can be adjusted depending on the device. In some time relays (timers), it is possible to program not only the time intervals for turning on and off the outdoor lighting, but also to distribute them by day of the week.

Very interesting and useful effects can be obtained by combining Various types lighting control devices. So, for example, a motion sensor can be connected together with a timer. Thanks to this, it is possible to make it so that 2 20 W bulbs turn on automatically according to the timer, and when a person approaches, the motion sensor is triggered and 2 100 W bulbs turn on.

A huge number of possibilities for controlling outdoor lighting can be obtained using equipment for building systems home automation ( , etc.) . Modern technologies and help you create the most comfortable and convenient schemes outdoor lighting control that suits your level of cost and complexity.

All devices listed in the article - photo relays, timers, motion sensors can be integrated into one system that can be controlled using a remote control remote control or fully automatic. More details about the possibilities of controlling street lighting and spotlights using the X10 home automation system will be discussed in the following articles.

Relay for automatic lighting control, in recent times are gaining more and more popularity. After all, they can not only significantly reduce the cost of lighting, but also make your home more comfortable for living. What can we say about centralized lighting control systems that will allow you not to approach the switches at all.

But often the installation of such systems is quite expensive, and not everyone can afford it. At the same time, with minimal knowledge of electrical engineering, you can easily create a centralized control system, which in terms of its functionality will not be inferior to its more progressive counterparts. But its cost will be much lower.

In order to deal with the issue of automatic control, let's first consider what is different centralized system control from the installation of conventional sensors. And what, in fact, sensors can be used for this?

To answer this question, let's take an outdoor lighting control cabinet with a centralized system and see what is connected to it. You will be surprised, but these are ordinary light, motion, presence sensors, timers and door opening limit switches.

The control process itself is carried out only due to these sensors. And the centralized system only ensures their coordination, change of operating modes and a convenient user interface for configuration and management.

• That is, we can easily create such a control system with our own hands, which will just not be so convenient to use.
• But how often do we need to change the settings? Maybe once or twice a year - and even then, only on separate relays.
• This can be done manually, and not through the WEB interface. But the cost of such a system will be many times lower.
• What do we need for this? First of all, the sensors themselves. So let's take a closer look at them.

Automatic lighting control schemes

Connecting the above sensors according to the “and” or “or” scheme allows you to fully automate the lighting control process:

• The so-called “and” logic is when the lighting comes on when two sensors are triggered at once.
• For example, when the illumination decreases, the light sensor is triggered, and the power to the motion sensor drops, when triggered, the light turns on. Thus, triggering one of these sensors will not turn on the light.
• The “or” logic is when the light turns on according to the triggering factor of one of several sensors. For example: the light will turn on either by the fact of a decrease in illumination, or by the factor of the onset of the operation time on the timer.

Wiring diagrams with one sensor

To deal with this issue in more detail, let's look at a variety of sensor connection schemes. Let's start with the most simple circuits with one sensor.

As an example, let's take a light sensor connection scheme, which, when the level of natural light decreases, will give an impulse to turn on artificial lighting. The principle of connecting other sensors is similar.

• To do this, we need directly the light sensor itself. It can be of two types. In the first case, it is a sensor with a switching mechanism inside. Such a device is capable of controlling lighting with currents up to 6, 10 or 16A. Higher currents will burn out the contact part of the relay.

• The second type of relay is a lighting control unit with a remote sensor. The machine and the sensor are connected with a wire. In this case, the sensor only sends a control pulse to the machine, and the circuit is switched directly by the machine. Such devices are able to turn on and off lighting with rated currents up to 32A, and sometimes even higher.
• In our example, we will consider connecting the first type of light sensor, as the more common one. For its operation, we need to connect a phase and neutral wire to it (see).

• To do this, we connect the phase wire from the switch of the lighting network, which we plan to automate. Moreover, we connect it to the contact coming from the junction box or from the group machine. We connect the neutral wire directly in the junction box - or in the lighting control cabinet, as in the video.
• Now the sensor is operational, but so far there is nothing to switch. To do this, we need to connect another wire to the third output of the sensor. It will also be phase, and is connected either to the outgoing contact of the switch, or directly to the nearest lamp. The neutral wire for the lamp is taken separately from switchboard or boxes.

Note! Our instructions do not for nothing make such an emphasis on connecting from the switch. The point is that according to PUE standards, any lighting networks with automatic control must be equipped with a system manual control, which shunts the automation equipment. Simply put, there should be a switch that will turn on the light in addition to the sensor.

Wiring diagrams with two sensors

Now let's consider the issue of connecting several sensors at once. In this case, we will have two options: the first connection according to the “and” logic, and the second according to the “or” logic.

• As an example, let's consider when we want the lights to turn on when it's dark enough and there's a person in a certain area. To do this, we need a light sensor and a motion sensor. Instead of a motion sensor, there may be a presence sensor.

• Now let's look at the connection scheme - it is called serial. First of all, as in the option with connecting one sensor, we mount the light sensor. Only the wire that we went to the lamps is connected as an incoming phase to the motion sensor. And we connect the outgoing phase wire from the motion sensor to the fixtures. At the same time, we connect the neutral wire for the motion sensor to the outdoor lighting control cabinet or junction box. It is possible for one contact with the neutral wire of the light sensor.
• With this scheme, after the level decreases natural light, the light sensor will work. He will supply a phase to the motion sensor, and it will start working. After a person enters the sensor's coverage area, it will work and turn on the lighting.
• Now let's look at the option when we have a long track. We need the light to turn on when a person appears on one or the other side of the path. The coverage area of ​​one motion sensor is insufficient to cover the entire track. Therefore, we need two, or even three sensors.

• The scheme of such a connection is quite simple. All sensors must be connected in parallel. To do this, we take a neutral wire from one point, and connect it to all sensors. We do the same with the phase supply wire. But the phase wires leaving the sensors are interconnected and connected to our lamps.

Note! If we have a 380V lighting control box from which we connect the sensors, then it is extremely important that they are all powered from the same phase wire. Otherwise, this will result in short circuit. Therefore, to avoid errors, it is better to make connections at one point.

With this connection method, when at least one of the sensors is triggered, the light will turn on along the entire track. By combining the above options, the highest degree of automation can be achieved.

But for complex schemes, it becomes quite expensive to mount the power wires from the sensor to the sensor. Therefore, in such cases, all power switching is carried out in the power cabinet. And only power is supplied to the sensors, and control signals come from them.

Conclusion

A lighting control box with a photorelay is no longer the limit of automation. Modern technologies allow you to use several parameters at once to turn on the lighting. And this does not always require the purchase of expensive equipment.

It is quite possible to create quality systems management and independently. To do this, it is enough to have minimal knowledge in electrical engineering, and correctly think over the conditions for turning on and off the light.