Automatic light switch. Light sensor (photorelay) for street lighting. Infrared motion sensor is the best choice for turning on the light

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 switch-on at dusk 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.

Modern modular equipment allows not only programming for the timely switching on of equipment, but also creating different combinations of light zones (for example, several lawns will be illuminated at one time, a little later - 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 necessary, after dark, light Street lights, 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 beneficial 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 home automation systems( , and so on.) . Modern technologies and will help you create the most comfortable and convenient outdoor lighting control schemes that suit your level of cost and complexity.

All devices listed in the article - photorelay, 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 described in the following articles.

Lighting control with the help of automatic switches has long become a habitual action in the life of every person. This control is easy to install and use.

Often there are situations when someone can forget to turn off the lights on the street or in the house. As a result, energy is wasted and the fire hazard. This is due to the human factor, which is changeable and leads to such consequences. But there is also an automatic shutdown of the light. , which can fully control the power supply when the sensor is connected to the circuit.

Automatic switching on of light in the apartment and house

Depending on the installation location, several principles of operation of these devices can be selected. They may react:

• For cotton palms or just noise.
• For movement people or objects in the room.
• For the degree of illumination .

All of them can be combined with each other and work in one circuit, which allows lighting to be controlled in several ways at once.

To control the lighting in the rooms, two types of sensors will help. For the bathroom, motion sensors are most often used to control light. For example, if someone comes in, the device turns on the power of the lamp, and when you leave after a minute, when there is no movement, the lighting turns off.

Features of the sensors

The motion recorder constantly scans the premises for the presence of infrared rays. As soon as they appear, an instant operation occurs. During a long stay of a person in a room, there is a constant scanning of space by a presence sensor, which is much more sensitive than the sensor movement.

He is able to distinguish the slightest movements that still occur. This helps him a large number of lenses that constantly collect information and feed it to the central optical element.

The smart light switch can also be operated by clapping your hands. To do this, it has a microphone with high selectivity, which is able to distinguish the characteristic sound from the rest. There are also options for automation that analyzes the resulting spectrum with a fragment recorded in it. Such a performance will allow you to control the light with the help of a certain word, sound or other noises.

Smart switches for street lighting

As a rule, an automatic light switch with a photo sensor is used on the street. , which responds to the level of illumination. He is able to turn on the lighting at dusk and when it starts to get light again in the morning, turn it on. It is completely self-contained and requires only one-time installation and configuration.

Sometimes you need to automate the lighting in the hallway or landing. For this purpose, a motion sensor is ideal, which will illuminate the path during the passage of space by a person.

To operate, the light sensor uses a photocell that is sensitive to the ambient light level. It can be configured to certain trigger levels. This may be the onset of complete darkness or a slight blackout. Also, this sensor is successfully used in combination with a motion recorder.

As a result, it turns out that at night, if there is movement near the sensor, the lighting will turn on. In the daytime, a closed light sensor will interfere with operation.

For correct installation The light sensor must be installed in a neutral zone where it will not be exposed to light from the lamp. It is also desirable that it is not in the shade of trees or other objects. Since it must be installed outdoors, its degree of protection must provide a standard of at least IP44.

When controlling several consumers of electricity at once, you need to check the total load that passes through the sensor. If it exceeds the rated power, then special controllers will be required to receive a signal from the sensor, which will regulate the lighting.

Switches for smart home serve to increase the comfortable use of lighting, which is automatically adjusted depending on installed sensors. When several of them are combined in one chain, it turns out flexible system for lighting control.

It is worth noting that in addition to controlling light bulbs, such sensors can successfully turn on the power of ventilation, air conditioning, heating or other devices, depending on the user's requirements.

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 conveyed in words - after installing the first machine, I whole year I wanted to bow as a token of gratitude, when, at the entrance to the hallway, the light suddenly turned on by itself. 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. The anode potential VD1 is 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 be charged to the maximum, and the countdown of the four-minute period of time 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 complete 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 for many years it 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 white light they will be 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

Designation	Type	Denomination	Quantity	Note	Shop	My notepad
VT1	MOSFET transistor	FDD8447L	1	Or 2N7000		To notepad
VD1b VD1	rectifier diode	1N4148	2

Owners of private houses, when landscaping the site, 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 photo relay 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. The next parameter is the 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 site

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 diagram 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 enable/disable powerful flashlight on a pole, in the design of which there is a choke, 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 photocell. 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 dark time days.

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. IN 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, enter GPS coordinates its installation, 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 trading network are worth quite a lot of money. But you can buy in China much cheaper, however, how it will work is a question.

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 the navigation 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 they find the battery 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 comfortable spot for connecting headlights - this is the button for turning on the stove (the rightmost block of switches).

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 dipped beam (usually a 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 bit 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 will be transferred from it 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 desired lamp located on the 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 apply 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.