China Emergency Light Manufacturers – Selecting LED Drivers For Emergency Lighting
Building and fire codes include the National Fire Department, International Fire Code, National Electrical Fire Code and OSHA, and each commercial building requires emergency lighting. Emergency lighting ensures that the exit path illuminates in the event of a power outage so that passengers can safely leave the building in an emergency. Emergency lighting must be automated immediately. In some countries, it must be maintained for 90 minutes after a power outage and provide an initial illumination of no less than an average of 1 foot of candlelight, and at any point, no less than 0.1 foot of candlelight, the exit path is measured at the floor level. Some states in the United States require lighting plans to highlight luminaire specifications and exit paths.
Emergency lighting will automatically turn on when there is a power outage. It automatically illuminates exit corridors, aisles, corridors, stairs, ramps, escalators and access to exits. Due to the reliability requirements of life safety applications, most commercial building projects require emergency lighting systems to use artificial lighting instead of natural daylighting.
Power Options: Centralized and Distributed
Traditionally, emergency lighting and normal lighting are on separate circuits. The backup power source relies on a central backup generator for the entire emergency lighting circuit, or an inverter for the circuit portion. In either case, the fixture is dedicated to emergency lighting and is typically permanently installed throughout the space. If a centralized power source such as a backup generator fails, the entire emergency lighting system will fail.
Distributed (distributed) emergency lighting solutions are included at the fixture level. During the manufacturing process, the battery is integrated into the luminaire along with the emergency LED driver. It is connected to the LED driver to provide a constant charge. One benefit compared to a centralized solution is that each luminaire is independent of the next luminaire. If the battery fails in a luminaire on a distributed system, the fault is limited to that luminaire and there is still a lit path for the passenger to leave the building. The cost of ownership is lower than the centralized power option because the emergency code requires you to provide backup power for both the inverter and the centralized generator.
Lamps supporting normal and emergency modes
Today, luminaires with integrated dual-mode programmable LED drivers can automatically switch luminaires between normal and emergency modes, producing consistent light levels along the exit path even at different ceiling heights or obstacles. The backup battery power source is located inside the luminaire and is directly charged by the drive electronics. When AC power is on, the dual mode LED driver is in normal operating mode and charges the battery pack. When the AC power fails, the drive automatically switches to emergency mode and uses the backup battery. When the AC power is restored, the emergency drive returns to the normal operating mode.
Typically, the exit path includes different types of luminaires. By integrating the same dual-mode programmable driver into all fixtures on the exit path, you can maintain consistent light output and consistent up/down dimming performance. This creates a beautiful, clean light output ceiling.
Self-test options for monthly and annual test requirements
Regardless of the size or type of commercial building, the emergency lighting system must be tested for 30 seconds per month and 90 minutes per year to ensure that the system is working properly. This is not negotiable to meet the code requirements. Depending on the system, traditional emergency lighting can be tested in a variety of ways. You can walk along the entire building and manually press the test button for each emergency fixture and record the results. If you install a self-diagnostic emergency device, the fixture can run a monthly test cycle and a 90-minute test per year.
Today’s self-testing LED emergency drives make monthly and annual test compliance easy. They contain a control/monitoring circuit that automatically performs a 30-second discharge test once a month and a 90-minute complete discharge test every year. The test switch can be seen while walking fast through the building. There is no need to climb a ladder to push the test button to determine the status of the emergency lighting fixture. This time-saving measure helps reduce maintenance costs.
Choosing the right LED driver for emergency lighting
China Emergency Light Manufacturers explained that emergency LED drivers can regulate the power supply of LED lamps like ordinary LED drivers, but they can be powered by batteries instead of directly to the line voltage. As with conventional LED drivers, they affect the performance and longevity of the luminaires because they regulate the amount of current in the LEDs for light output.
The dual mode programmable emergency LED driver is capable of programming and customizing the light output of the luminaire in both normal and emergency modes. Emergency lighting no longer requires the addition of lighting fixtures or equipment along the exit path. During the manufacturing process, the programmable LED driver is designed in the luminaire and is set to the current that the LED will operate in standard mode and emergency mode.
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