ELE Times December 2016 Electronics News in India | Online Electronics Mag | Page 24

Cover Story

Home
Automation

Thanik B, Director
Segment Marketing and
Business Development,
Schneider Electric India

Taking Control of Lighting

Current trends in home automation - Construction cost is rising, size of urban flats is becoming smaller and
space optimization is the need of the hour. At the same time, technology is now more affordable, connectivity
for all devices at home and in turn convergence to mobile technology or smart phones is the latest trend. The
Home automation industry is now evolving more to a converged offering with integration of Lighting, Security,
AV and Automation. Advances in the areas of Apps are also changing the user interfaces and it is becoming
much more use r friendly and simple for users to manage, even on their handheld devices.
Know the science behind automation
Taking control of your lights: The concept of “Fine Lighting” has
been popular in the US for years. The trend has lately become
prevalent in the interior design field, where the needs for lighting
control are in both residential and commercial settings. Dimmers
and scene control systems become a necessity for lighting control
and for creating a variety of moods and scenes.
Fine Lighting In Action: In order to achieve optimal Fine Lighting
effects, a choice of light sources and light fittings are used to
create different combination of luminance for the ideal ambience.
To managethe luminosity of various light sources, dimming
systems are an essential part of the design. There are 3 types of
dimming controls in general, while each of them is suitable for
different purpose and needs.
Standalone Dimming: A single dimmer is connected to a single
light source to control its brightness for simple lighting control or
to create simple ambience. The choice of the dimmer depends on
its loading capacity, the type of light source, and its way of wiring.
Incorrect combination results in unstable lighting, blinking or
interference, and can cause damage to the light source and the
dimmer. Therefore, it is important to choose a suitable dimmer to
ensure smooth and effective operation. Dimmer switches
normally come in press or rotary format. Some are equipped with
remote control devices such as the IR Remote Control Dimmer,
using infrared to transmit signals to the switch; and there is also
RF Remote Control Dimmer, using radio frequency to transmit
control signals, consequently getting rid of the need to point the
remote controller in the receiver’s direction.
Collective Dimming: Standalone dimming might not be able to
fulfil the needs of the contemporary homes. Collective dimming
makes use of one or more dimmers to control different light
sources, making it possible to enhance the home environment by

a multitude of lighting effects. However, collective dimming
involves fine-tuning each single dimmer independently to
accomplish the correct effect, which is more time consuming and
complicated to enact.
Scene Control Systems: Scene control systems are used for
controlling different light sources simultaneously, allowing
different combinations of light sources to be switched on or off to
the pre-set brightness. Scene control systems are created for
user- friendliness - you can call for your pre-set “home scene” at
one-touch of a button. Systems that come with RF remote control
function are even more convenient. There are 2 types of scene
control systems: the Retrofit that directly substitutes the existing
2-wire switches, offering scene control without rewiring; and the
Interoperable that suits to situations where the whole-house
rewiring is done, providing more scene options and compatible
with upgrades to home intelligence systems.
Scene Control: Scene control means that you can decide the preset lighting effects with one-touch of a button. The trick lies in
linking up all the light sources to the scene control system to
assemble an integrated dimming network. Scene control can also
be used with a remote control device, on which each button
denotes a pre-programmed scene setting. You can relax in
comfort and all at once bring forth your favourite home lighting
scene, be it a romantic dining, a chirpy partying or a peaceful
bedtime reading, all could easily be done at a touch of the button
on your remote control device. Today we care a lot about home
design, and lighting is becoming a significant issue. Light sources
interacts with space to produce the best chemistry, playing little
tricks to improve our daily lives, creating different environments
and ambiences to fit different lifestyle needs.
Fine lighting is fine living.

ELE Times | 24 | December, 2016