Traditional Building Lighting Retrofit and Upgrade

Solution for Traditional Building Lighting Retrofit and Upgrade

Solution Overview

The traditional lighting management model in buildings suffers from multiple drawbacks, such as severe energy waste, high labor requirements, and the lack of centralized control. Yichuang Intelligent’s power line communication (PLC) lighting retrofit solution enables the transformation of existing lighting systems into a centralized smart lighting control system—without altering the original wiring. This solution offers an efficient, energy-saving, and easy-to-implement upgrade path from traditional to intelligent lighting systems.

System Achievements

1.Replacement of Original Switch Panels with PLC Control Panels

After the upgrade, the original switch panels are replaced with PLC control panels. The new PLC panels require a neutral wire, but only minor modifications are needed for the existing distribution box—mainly to add devices such as a smart lighting gateway, a PLC protocol conversion module, and signal isolators.

2.Combination of Centralized Management and Zonal Panel Control

The system supports both traditional physical button control and centralized management across multiple zones. More importantly, it is flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of different users. All control methods can be equipped with timer settings and remote control functions, with real-time feedback on lighting status.

3.System-Generated Operational Data Reports

By connecting to an RS-485 energy meter, the system can log lighting operation data for asset tracking and report generation. The energy meter also provides power consumption statistics, which can be compiled into daily, monthly, and yearly reports.

System architecture diagram

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This system is a lighting renovation solution tailored for traditional buildings. It integrates stable PLC communication with a robust YC-BUS system bus architecture. An intelligent gateway host is added to the existing distribution box to manage multiple PLC protocol conversion modules. The three-phase PLC protocol module only need to connect to the live wire busbar in the power distribution box, enabling control of lighting circuits on each phase via PLC communication.Each PLC protocol conversion module can manage up to 32 PLC panels. These PLC panels are equipped with relays, allowing both local circuit switching and scene-based control. To upgrade, it only requires replacing the original traditional switch panels with PLC panels and adding a neutral wire.The intelligent control gateway host is equipped with a TCP/IP interface, allowing connection to the local area network (LAN) switch. The entire intelligent lighting control system can be managed through PC-based control software. Additionally, the system provides integration interfaces to facilitate connectivity with other subsystems within the building’s intelligent infrastructure.

Main Products

Smart lighting Gateway

GW.100A: The gateway of the Hotel Public Area Intelligent Lighting Control System, serving as the core processing unit of the entire system.

GW.200A: The gateway of the Hotel Public Area Intelligent Lighting Control System, serving as the core processing unit of the entire system, equipped with logic functions and supporting voice control.

Depending on the project requirements, either gateway can be selected.

The gateway provides a MODBUS-TCP interface for integration with third-party systems (e.g., BA systems).

Three-phase Plc protocol module

PLC.64A: PLC Power Line Carrier Module

Plc panel

PLC.KP.01A: PLC 1 Key Smart Panel (With Relay).

PLC.KP.02A: PLC 2 Key Smart Panel (With Relay).

PLC.KP.03A: PLC 3 Key Smart Panel (With Relay).

System Advantages

The system combines stable PLC communication with a powerful YC-BUS system bus architecture

The PLC protocol conversion modules are connected to the YC-BUS system bus and each module manages up to 32 PLC panels. These panels are equipped with relays, enabling local switch control, as well as remote and scene-based control.This solution allows for upgrading traditional switch-based lighting systems to a PLC-based intelligent lighting control system without altering the existing wiring. It enables centralized control, scheduled operation, and scene management. Overall, it is a simple, efficient, and highly cost-effective solution for lighting renovation and system upgrades.