To save energy, the impact-resistant lighting along the platform and access routes in an underground station needs to be lowered to a reduced basic illuminance level during periods with low passenger traffic. The lighting in the sanitary facilities and operating rooms needs to be switched on and off fully automatically via motion sensors. The entire lighting is divided into 3 mains circuits. Switching between these networks must not affect the operating status of the luminaires so that, for example, a luminaire with a lowered illumination level does not suddenly go up to full illuminance when the network is switched or returns. The entire lighting system is controlled and monitored via a central control cabinet. The control components meet industrial standards and are connected to the luminaires via the DALI bus. The entire lighting can be controlled and monitored on site via an integrated display. Light values of the lighting system and the period of time the lights remain at pre-determined levels can be configured via the associated input fields. Status reports are displayed and saved to preserve the record and to help with diagnosing errors.

The underground station’s entire control and lighting system can be accessed from the operations centre. Operating statuses and error messages are reported. This is also the central place from where the lighting can be controlled and where the system’s energy consumption is displayed and documented.

The SURVIVOR luminaire with a matching support profile is used on the platform and access routes. This luminaire system, designed according to protection class II, is particularly characterised by its high impact resistance, protection class, and the wide range of possible applications. All the luminaires in the underground station are configured in DALI and connected to the APCON UNLIMITED lighting control cabinet via the two-wire DALI bus. At the heart of this is the industrial-standard Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) that is responsible
for the entire control of the luminaires as well as communication with the operations centre. This also ensures that the lighting never loses its current operating status despite switching between the 3 mains circuits.

The underground station’s entire lighting system can be controlled via the display that is integrated into the control cabinet. In addition, luminaire data such as operating statuses, energy data, and status reports can be displayed and saved to the records. The light values of the luminaires and the period of time that the lights remain at pre-set levels can be configured via special input fields. The interface that is integrated into the PLC provides the connection to the operations centre. Here, the range of options is sufficiently large to be able to respond to an operator’s individual requirements. As such, it is possible to centrally display and document the operating statuses, error messages, and energy consumption of individual or even several underground stations.

This also allows the lighting to be controlled from one central location, in which case the platform and access routes lighting is lowered via the vandal-proof APCON motion  sensors. If nobody is detected in the detection fields of the sensors, the lighting is automatically dimmed down to a basic illumination level once an adjustable period of time has elapsed. If a sensor’s detection field is entered again, the lighting automatically returns to its full illumination level. The balanced relationship between the periods in which illumination levels are low when the sensors do not detect movement and the train timetable always ensures that the illumination level is only reduced to its basic value during quiet periods. As an alternative to detecting motion with sensors, you can also connect up to a camera system or to determine fixed times at which the illumination level is lower. The lighting of the operating rooms and sanitary facilities is switched on and off fully automatically via the installed APCON motion sensors, which ensures that the lighting is always switched off once the adjustable period of time after the last person has left has elapsed.