EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME

Abstract

 An emergency lighting system comprises an indoor emergency lighting system (2), an outdoor lighting system (30), and an energy storage (22, 25). The indoor emergency lighting system (2) comprises at least one emergency luminaire (3, 4, 5), an emergency situation determination unit (7) and a controlling device (6). The controlling device (6) controls operation of the at least one emergency luminaire (3, 4, 5), wherein the controlling device (6) is configured to output an emergency situation information signal in response to a determined emergency situation. The outdoor lighting system (30) comprises at least one outdoor luminaire (8 to 13) which is communicatively coupled to the controlling device (6) of the indoor emergency lighting system (2). The energy storage (22, 25) is configured to selectively supply power via power supply wiring to the at least one luminaire (8 to 13) of the outdoor lighting system (30) in response to the emergency situation information signal output by the controlling device (6).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency lighting system covering indoor areas as well as outdoor areas by combining an indoor emergency lighting system with an outdoor lighting system and the respective method for operating the emergency lighting system.

[0002] Emergency lighting systems which are arranged inside a building are state-of-the-art. Specifically in large buildings like for example supermarkets, shopping malls hospitals and the like, escape plans exist, which guide people which are inside a building when an emergency situation occurs, to dedicated emergency exits. Emergency lighting systems which are established inside buildings are governed by standards. However, the need for guiding people to a safe place does not stop at an emergency exit of a building. Once the people that need to be evacuated from the building managed to follow the guided exit routes through hallways, stairwells and corridors, they exit the building and in many cases there is no further guidance which could bring them to a safe place.

[0003] The problem becomes particularly clear if one considers a situation where people safely exiting from the building cannot find their way outside the building because it is night, or weather conditions deteriorate vision for the people that need to be evacuated. Often, dedicated assembly points are defined which are in a safe distance from the building which is evacuated. However, in most cases there is no plan how people exiting from the building may find their way to the assembly point. The situation does not only hamper bringing people to a safe place but additionally also hinder rescue services to do their job without disturbance, for example, extinguish fire in the building.

[0004] This problem is known for a long time. Some attempts have been made to alleviate the problem. For example, a cost efficient solution is to use materials which absorb daylight and which are capable of emitting light when it is dark. Such solutions are particularly useful when for example stairs shall be signalled so that people exiting a building at an emergency exit, which is for example on the second floor of the building, do not stumble which would cause additional problems for the succeeding people. Apart from the fact that such material cannot be used on any kind of ground, it is furthermore problematic that such materials may be used to indicate certain areas on the ground, but they are not suitable for illuminating a larger area in order to enhance vision of the people such that they are even in a position to determine obstacles like parking vehicles on a parking lot on which the assembly point is and where they have to move. Further, depending on the amount of daylight that is absorbed by the material, the duration during which light is emitted by the material might vary. Thus, it is not possible to ensure that, for example, during wintertime guiding the people evacuated from the building is possible all night long.

[0005] As can be gathered easily from the above explained situations, there is a need to improve guidance of people that are evacuated from the building in order to safely reach the assembly point outside the building. The emergency lighting system and the method for operating an emergency lighting system according to the independent claims defining the present invention solve the problem and improve the safety of people in case of an emergency when a safe assembly point lies in a distance from a building to be evacuated.

[0006] Advantageous embodiments and aspects are defined in the dependent claims.

[0007] According to the present invention, the emergency lighting system comprises an indoor emergency lighting system, an outdoor lighting system and an energy storage. The indoor emergency lighting system comprises at least one emergency luminaire, an emergency situation determination unit and the controlling device, which controls operation of the at least one emergency luminaire. The emergency situation determination unit obtains information that allows to determine or directly determines a situation in which the building needs to be evacuated and thereby triggers a commonly known guidance, which is performed by the emergency lighting system arranged in the building. In order to combine the indoor emergency lighting system with the outdoor lighting system, the controlling device which controls the operation of the emergency luminaires inside the building, outputs an emergency situation information signal in response to a determined emergency situation. Thus, when the emergency situation determination unit identifies a situation which is considered to represent a case of emergency, the controlling device outputs a signal which informs the outdoor lighting system that an emergency situation was identified within the building.

[0008] On the other hand, the outdoor lighting system comprises at least one outdoor luminaire which is communicatively coupled to the controlling device and thus in a position to be able to recognise the signal output by the controlling device. Thus, by receiving the information on an emergency situation determined inside the building, the outdoor lighting system is also capable of reacting in response to the determined emergency situation, thereby enhancing the evacuation and guidance to a safe assembly point in a distance from the building. For example, the outdoor lighting system may switch on its outdoor luminaires so that even an outside area of the building can be illuminated. This may even be done selectively by switching on only such luminaires which illuminate a path leading from the emergency exits of the building to the assembly point in a safe distance to the building. Additionally, the energy storage is configured to selectively supply power via power supply wiring to the at least one luminaire of the outdoor lighting system in response to the emergency situation information signal output by the controlling device. Thus, in case that an emergency situation is detected within the building, the power supply of the outdoor lighting system, which comprises usually only luminaires which are connected to a mains power supply by the power supply wiring, is switched to provide energy from an energy storage. Thus, even in case that the mains power supply for the outdoor luminaires is interrupted, it is still possible to operate the outdoor luminaires of the outdoor lighting system thereby enabling that people evacuated from the building find their way to an assembly point.

[0009] One advantage of the present invention is that the guidance of people that need to be evacuated from the building does not stop at an emergency exit of the building. Rather, the information that an emergency situation is determined inside the building is also communicated to the outdoor lighting system and the energy storage such that the luminaires of the outdoor lighting systems may be operated in addition to the emergency luminaires inside the building. Thus, even at the point where the people exit the building, it is easy for them to find their further way to the assembly point. This has the advantage that the people are in a safe distance from a building on the one hand side but also that the evacuated people do not hinder the rescue teams which need to approach the building and even enter it for extinguishing the fire or rescuing other people.

[0010] According to an advantageous aspect, the energy storage is connected to or comprises an inverter for supplying an AC current to the at least one outdoor luminaire of the outdoor lighting system. Thus, outdoor luminaires of the outdoor lighting systems which are only capable of operating on an AC current as it is usually provided by a mains energy supply, can be integrated and used for illuminating an outdoor area with electrical energy supplied by an energy storage like for example a battery. The battery provides a DC current which is converted by an inverter into an AC current such that the internal structure of the luminaires of the outdoor lighting systems does not need to be adapted. This is a great advantage, that existing systems of outdoor lighting systems may be combined to commonly operate as an emergency lighting system together with an indoor lighting system.

[0011] It is further preferred that the system comprises a disconnector for disconnecting the mains power supply from the at least one luminaire when an emergency situation is determined. So even in case that the mains power supply would still operate, a clear switch to operate the luminaires of the outdoor lighting system by electrical energy supplied by the energy storage is achieved.

[0012] Further, the outdoor lighting systems may additionally comprise floor lights, which are, according to a further preferred embodiment, also provided with electrical energy supplied by the energy storage. The energy storage may be the same energy storage which is used for the indoor emergency lighting system but it may also be a dedicated energy storage for the outdoor lighting system, which may be charged for example using regenerative energy. In particular, the energy storage may be charged using wind of photovoltaic charging. Since the floor lights do not need to be operated in case there is no emergency situation, the floor lights may be connected permanently to the energy storage. Switching of the floor lights may be performed by providing the floor lights with an information on an emergency situation output by the controlling device. In order to receive such an information signal, the floor lights are communicatively coupled to the controlling device of the indoor emergency lighting system.

[0013] According to a further aspect, the outdoor luminaires of the outdoor lighting system and/or the at least one floor light of the outdoor lighting system are configured to be capable to operate in an emergency operation mode. In such an emergency operation mode, the floor lights are simply switched on as explained above. In case that the luminaires of the outdoor lighting systems can be operated in a dedicated emergency operation mode, it might for example be considered to use an increased brightness of the luminaires which are arranged along the path from an emergency exit towards the assembly point. According to another aspect it is also possible that the emergency mode does only specify the outdoor luminaires which are needed in order to guide the people to an assembly point, whereas the other outdoor luminaires are not turned on at all in case that energy needs to be provided by the energy storage.

[0014] Generally, it is possible that the emergency situation determination unit is a unit connected to the controlling device which is capable of receiving information from a remote entity. In such a case, it is even possible to inform the indoor emergency lighting system about an emergency situation without directly sensing such an emergency. However, it is preferred that the emergency situation determination unit is the sensor which is capable of physically sensing a characteristic of the environment which clearly can be associated with an emergency situation,for example, a fire sensor or the like. The sensor is communicatively coupled to the controlling device so that the controlling device can recognise an emergency situation. The sensor may either directly determine that a emergency situation occurred and only provide the controlling device with an information about such occurrence, or the sensor may only forward the results of sensing the characteristic and an analysis in order to determine whether an emergency situation occurred or not is performed within the controlling device. The sensor may in particular be integrated in an emergency luminaire of the indoor emergency lighting system.

[0015] According to a specifically preferred embodiment of the present invention, all participating devices like the emergency luminaire of the indoor emergency lighting system, the outdoor luminaire of the outdoor lighting system and the sensor, or to be more general the emergency situation determination unit, and specifically the control device are communicating in a common network, most preferred a mesh network. In such a case, all the devices which need to cooperate in case of an emergency, can exchange information and control signals over the same network. Thus, reliability of the communication is improved.

[0016] According to another preferred embodiment, it is possible that the out the lighting system comprises a separate controlling device. In such a case, the controlling device of the indoor emergency lighting system and the separate controlling device of the outdoor lighting system can communicate which each other and an identified emergency situation is communicated by means of the emergency situation information signal provided by the controlling means and received by the separate controlling means. Control of the outdoor luminaires of the outdoor lighting system (and may be additionally the floor lights) is then performed by the separate controlling means with which the luminaires of the outdoor lighting system communicate in a dedicated and separate network. In this situation, the indoor emergency lighting system establishes a first network, preferably a mesh network, and the outdoor lighting system establishes a second network, also preferably a mesh network. The two separate networks communicate with each other. In particular, the control device of the first network provides the generated emergency situation information signal to the separate control device of the second network thereby conveying information on a determined emergency situation inside the building. The operation of the indoor emergency lighting system, specifically the emergency luminaires, and operation of the outdoor lighting system, is performed independent from each other. Thus, both networks are configured such that they can be operated in an emergency mode in which a predefined operation of the emergency lights inside the building guiding the people to the exit and the outdoor luminaires of the outdoor lighting system illuminating an area outside the building enabling people to find their way to an assembly point.

[0017] According to another advantageous aspect, the communication is performed wirelessly. This has the great advantage that existing systems, in which the luminaires of an outdoor lighting system are often equipped with a wireless communication module, can be configured to be operated in combination with an existing indoor emergency lighting system. Both existing systems have the capability to communicate wirelessly and, thus, it is in a cost-effective way possible to significantly improve the overall emergency lighting system by enhancing existing technology.

[0018] The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. Further aspects and advantages will become clear from a detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the figures in which

Figure 1

shows the major composition of the emergency lighting system according to the present invention;

Figure 2

shows the structure of an emergency lighting system according to the present invention combining all devices in a single network;

Figure 3

shows the structure of an emergency lighting system according to the present invention using a dedicated network for the Indo emergency lighting system and a dedicated network for the outdoor lighting system; and

Figure 4

a simplified flowchart explaining the major steps for operating the emergency lighting system according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 1 shows an overview over the entire emergency lighting system 1. The emergency lighting system 1 comprises as major portions thereof an indoor emergency lighting system 2 and an outdoor lighting system 30. In order to enable an energy supply which is independent from mains which could fail in case of an emergency situation, the emergency lighting systems further comprises an energy storage. The energy storage may be an outdoor energy storage 22 or an indoor energy storage 25. The energy storage is a rechargeable battery which may be charged preferably using regenerative charging as it will be described later in greater detail.

[0020] The core of the invention lies in the combination of outdoor lighting system 300 and indoor emergency lighting systems so that in case of an emergency, people will be guided to an assembly point 20 outside the building in safe distance to the building. Conventionally, people will be guided in case of an emergency by the indoor emergency lighting system to an emergency exit of the building indicated by an emergency luminaire. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of emergency luminaires 3, 4 and 5 are arranged inside the building. Such a plurality of emergency luminaire's 3 to 5 are known to be controlled in case of emergency. Controlling of the operation of the emergency luminaires 3 to 5 is performed by a controlling device 6 which is communicatively coupled to the emergency luminaires 3 to 5. In the illustrated embodiment, communication between the emergency luminaire has 3 to 5 and the controlling device 6 is performed wirelessly. However, it is also possible to connect the devices with each other using a cable connection.

[0021] In the illustrated embodiment, one of the emergency luminaires, here emergency luminaire 3, is arranged in close neighbourhood to an exit of the building thus indicating an emergency exit. The other emergency luminaires 4, 5 are used in order to guide people in an emergency situation towards the emergency exit.

[0022] Power supply of the emergency luminaires 3 to 5 is provided in a known manner, which means that each of the emergency luminaire 3 to 5 may either comprise a battery unit supplying power in case of mains failure or the emergency luminaires 3 to 5 are connected to a common emergency power supply, like the energy storage 25 arranged inside the building.

[0023] In order to detect an emergency situation, a sensor 7 is provided, which is, in the illustrated embodiment, integrated in emergency luminaire 5. The sensor 7 may for example be a smoke sensor or the like, which is also communicatively coupled to the controlling device 6. In case of fire the smoke sensor 7 will supply irrespective signal containing information that smoke was detected to the controlling device 6. The controlling device 6 then recognises that an emergency situation occurred and will control the emergency luminaires 3 to 5 accordingly. Thus, emergency luminaires 3 to 5 are switched to the emergency mode using control signals which are transmitted via the wireless connection. The sensor 7 may either use the communication means of the emergency luminaire 5 or may comprise individual communication means which enables the sensor 7 to communicate, specifically to transmit the sensed values to the controlling device 6. It is to be noted that instead of providing the sensed values to the controlling device 6, it is also possible that an analysis of the physically sensed characteristics is performed within the sensor seven which then only forwards the result of the analysis, which means in the present case, that the sensor 7 determines that an emergency situation occurred. As a consequence, the sensor 7 only provides the information of the determined emergency situation to the controlling device 6.

[0024] According to the present invention, the emergency situation once detected does not only trigger the Indo emergency lighting system 2 to be switched to the emergency mode but also a reaction of the outdoor lighting system 30.

[0025] The outdoor lighting system 30 comprises at least one, preferably a plurality of outdoor luminaire has 8 to 13. In the illustrated embodiment the plurality of outdoor luminaire is 8 to 13 are used to illuminate a larger area, for example a parking lot. Of course, the outdoor lighting system 30 is not limited to a lighting system for a parking lot but could be any lighting system capable of illuminating an outdoor area which allows to be used as an assembly .24 people evacuated from the building.

[0026] In addition to the out the luminaires 8 to 13, the outdoor lighting system 30 may comprise floor lights 14 to 19, which are buried in the ground and which are specifically useful to guide people coming out of the building at the emergency exit towards the assembly point 20.

[0027] As a disk magically illustrated in the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13, each of the out the luminaires comprises an operating device for providing a dedicated voltage and current to a light source for illuminating the parking lot. Further, the out the luminaires 8 to 13 are provided with a communication means, which, in the present case, is capable of wirelessly communicating. In the preferred embodiment which is shown in figure 1, the communication means of the individual outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 is communicatively coupled to the controlling device 6 which is used for controlling operation of the indoor emergency lighting system 2. However, apart from such direct communication of the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 of the outdoor lighting system 30 with the controlling device 6, it is also possible to use an indirect communication between the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 of the outdoor lighting system 300 with the controlling device 6. Both structures will hereinafter be explained in greater detail with respect to figures 2 and 3.

[0028] The further explanation will now assume that all the luminaires and floor lights are community food coupled to the same network, which is the preferred embodiments. Again, it is possible to use a cable connection for communicating with the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 and even the floor lights 14 to 19. However, in most cases, outdoor luminaires are already equipped with communication means that is capable of wirelessly communicating in a network. The preferred type of network is a mesh network in which all the luminaires (emergency luminaire 3 to 5 and outdoor luminaires 8 13 but also floor lights 14 to 19) are communicatively coupled to the controlling device 6.

[0029] The outdoor luminaire is 8 to 13 are configured to operate on an AC mains voltage. However for operating the outdoor lighting system 30 in combination with the indoor emergency lighting system 2, the outdoor lighting system 30 is controlled to operate of the energy storage 22. It is to be noted that, as indicated by the dashed line, the outdoor lighting system 30 may also be provided with electrical energy from the indoor energy storage 25. However for the further explanation of the illustrated embodiment, energy storage 22 will be used for providing electrical energy to the out the luminaires 8 to 13 and floor lights 14 to 19.

[0030] The outdoor energy storage 22 may be charged during regular operation using regenerative energy supplied from photovoltaic panels 23 and/or a wind generator 24. Since the outdoor energy storage 22 provides an AC voltage, an inverted 26 is integrated into the out the energy storage 22. The AC voltage provided by the inverted 26 is then supplied via a disconnector 27 (or switch) to the wiring that usually provides mains AC voltage to the outdoor luminaires April 13. Thus, since the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 are only capable of operating on an AC voltage, the regular power supply wiring for supplying mains voltage to the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 is now used to provide electrical energy from the outdoor energy storage 22 in case of an emergency.

[0031] The transition from the regular operation of the out the lighting systems read to the emergency situation is triggered by the controlling device 6. Upon recognition of an emergency situation (either by an analysis of the sensor output or by receiving a respective information either from the sensor seven or an interface receiving a signal indicating an emergency situation), the controlling device 6 generates an emergency situation information signal and provides this emergency situation information signal to the outdoor lighting system 30. In the present case, a direct communication between the controlling device 6 and the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 and floor lights 14 to 19 is possible.

[0032] The outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 and the floor lights 14 to 19 are configured to be operable in an emergency mode. In the emergency mode, the out the luminaires 8 to 13 are operated using power being supplied from the outdoor it energy storage 22. Thus, the emergency situation information signals also provided to the disconnector 27 which switches the power supply wiring to be connected with the inverted 26 producing an AC voltage suitable for operating the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 and floor lights 14 to 19 from the outdoor energy storage 22.

[0033] It is to be noted, that, as indicated above, the operation of the outdoor lighting system 30 may also be possible on electrical energy supplied by the indoor energy storage 25. In any case, it is necessary to provide an inverter producing an AC voltage from energy stored in the indoor energy storage 25. The structure of the outdoor energy storage 22 and the indoor energy storage 25 and its respective peripheral components (inverter and disconnect) correspond to each other.

[0034] Is it was briefly discussed with respect to the outdoor energy storage 22, is also possible to charge the indoor energy storage 25 using photovoltaic panels 23' or a wind generator 24'. Of course, other power sources may also be used in order to charge the outdoor energy storage 22 or the indoor energy storage 25.

[0035] As it was briefly indicated when explaining the overall structure of the emergency lighting system according to the invention as illustrated in figure 1, two different approaches are possible in order to combine an outdoor lighting system 30 with an indoor emergency lighting system 2. The first is illustrated in figure 2. This structure corresponds to the situation that is illustrated in figure 1. The system comprises an overall amount of intelligent components which are in the present case the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13, floor lights 14 to 19, emergency luminaires 3 to 5 and sensors 7. All these intelligent components are capable of wirelessly communicating in a mesh network. The intelligent components use systems for control and communication which are known in the art. The network comprises a gateway establishing the connection for the transmission of data and information between the intelligent components and the central management system, which forms the controlling device 6 according to the present invention. The central management collects and links the data from all integrated devices, in particular the sensor 7. So in the controlling device 6 (Central management system), control of all the devices either belonging to the Indo emergency lighting system 2 or the outdoor lighting system 30, is realised.

[0036] The entire system additionally comprises a digital platform which enables a user to interact with the data and use it to make decisions. However, the automated transition from regular operation to an emergency situation is performed by the Central management system, in which the controlling device 6 controls the emergency operation of the Indo emergency lighting system 2 and outputs and emergency situation information signal to the outdoor lighting system 30 such that based on this emergency situation information signal, the out the luminaires 8 to 13 and floor lights 14 to 19 are also switched to be operated in an emergency mode. It is for example possible, that such an emergency mode uses a reduced dim level or an increased dim level compared to the regular operation or to define different dim levels for luminaires close to the assembly .20 in order to facilitate people exiting from the building finding their way to the assembly .20.

[0037] Figure 3 shows an alternative structure which, in the end enables the same functionality as the one shown in figure 2. However, the alternative structures shown in figure 3 comprises two separate networks one for the outdoor lighting system 30 and one for the Indo emergency lighting system 2. Generally, both structures correspond to each other. However, the control management system related to the outdoor lighting system 30 forms a separate controlling device which is communicatively coupled to the controlling device 6 forming the control management system of the indoor emergency lighting system 2. Communication between the two distinct networks is performed by providing the separate controlling device of the outdoor lighting system 30 with the emergency situation information signal generated by the controlling device 6. This is indicated by the bidirectional arrow between the respective control management systems. Upon reception of the emergency situation information signal from the controlling device 6, the separate controlling device generates and provides the necessary control signals to the individual devices, namely the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 and the floor lights 14 to 19.

[0038] Figure 4 finally shows a simplified flowchart illustrating the method steps that are necessary in order to combine the operation of the out the lighting system 30 with the Indo emergency lighting system 2 in case of a determine emergency situation.

[0039] First, information on an emergency situation is obtained. In the above given explanations, it is assumed that a sensor 7 physically sensors are characteristic of the environment in order to enable determination of an emergency situation. However, the sensor 7 is only one example for an emergency situation determination unit. In another embodiment, it is also possible that the emergency situation determination unit is realised using an interface which receives information on an emergency situation from external. Thus, the system may even be connected with a remote system which is outside the building and thus the Indo emergency lighting system 2. This may for example be advantageous in case that an evacuation of a larger area, for example an entire industrial zone because of a chemical hazard is needed. In such a situation the emergency situation may not be directly recognised within the building but may be notified from a remote place where discharge of toxic substances could be recognised first.

[0040] In case that the sensor 7 is used the emergency situation may be determined directly by the sensor 7 or by the controlling device 6 based on a measurement signal provided by the sensor 7 to the controlling device 6. In any case, the emergency situation is communicated to the controlling device 6 either indirectly by providing measurement results by the sensor 7 or already providing information on an emergency situation. Once an emergency situation is determined, the indoor emergency lighting system 2 is controlled to operate in an emergency mode. With respect to the emergency mode, the indoor emergency lighting system 2 corresponds to commonly known emergency lighting systems which are arranged inside buildings.

[0041] In addition, an information signal is generated an output by the controlling device 6 based on which the outdoor lighting system 30 is operated to provide additional guidance for people which reached the emergency exit of the building towards the assembly point 20. This is achieved by operating the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 and the floor lights 14 to 19 according to an operation mode which can be configured to be different from the regular operation thereof. In case of the floor lights 14 to 19, it is for example possible that the floor lights 14 to 19 do not have a regular operation mode at all, because their participation in illumination is necessary only in case of an emergency situation. On the other hand, as it was indicated above already, the out the luminaires 8 to 13 may be operated on a different dim level compared to their regular operation. It is also possible that only part of the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 are used in order to illuminate the path from the emergency exit of the building towards the assembly point 20. Reducing the total number of outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 which are used in case of an emergency situation extends the operation time since the energy storage in any case has a limited capacity.

[0042] Switching the outdoor lighting system 30 to energy storage operation includes, in addition to switching the respective operation mode of the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 and floor lights 14 to 19, switching the disconnector 27 such that the inverter 26 of the energy storage 22 is connected to the wiring of the outdoor luminaires 8 to 13 and isolated from the mains power supply. It is to be noted that the respective operation mode of the indoor emergency lighting system 2 and the outdoor lighting system 30 can be adapted with respect to the emergency situation determined. For example, in case of dense smoke inside the building, it is possible to switch to a laser diode loads to improve visibility. On the other hand, the dim level of the outdoor luminaire is 8 to 13 may be adjusted in response to a determined outdoor brightness. Thus, during night time another dim level may be suitable in order to guide the people to the assembly .20 compared to Twilight or a situation where visibility is bad only because of smoke of the burning building.

[0043] In the illustrated embodiment as shown in figure 1, the path from the emergency exit of the building towards the assembly point 20 is indicated by the floor lights 14 to 19. Alternatively or in addition to that, a large pole carrying a sign may be used pointing to the assembly .20 this as indicated in the drawing by the black arrow. Using the floor lights 14 to 19 and/or recognition of the sign helps to guide people exiting from the emergency exit towards the assembly point 20.

Claims

1. Emergency lighting system, comprising

an indoor emergency lighting system (2),

an outdoor lighting system (30), and

an energy storage (22, 25),

the indoor emergency lighting system (2) comprising

at least one emergency luminaire (3, 4, 5),

an emergency situation determination unit (7), and

a controlling device (6) for controlling operation the at least one emergency luminaire (3, 4, 5), the controlling device (6) being configured to output an emergency situation information signal in response to a determined emergency situation,

the outdoor lighting system (30) comprising at least one outdoor luminaire (8 to 13) communicatively coupled to the controlling device (six) of the indoor emergency lighting system (2), and

the energy storage (22, 25) configured to selectively supply power via power supply wiring to the at least one luminaire (8 to 13) of the outdoor lighting system (30) in response to the emergency situation information signal output by the controlling device (6).

2. Emergency lighting system according to claim 1,
wherein the energy storage (22, 25) is connected to an inverter (26) for supplying an AC current to the at least one outdoor luminaire (8 to 13) of the outdoor lighting system (30).

3. Emergency lighting system, according to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the system comprises a disconnector (27) for disconnecting a mains power supply from the power supply wiring of the at least one outdoor luminaire of the outdoor lighting system (30).

4. Emergency lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
wherein the outdoor lighting system (30) comprises at least one floor light (14 to 19) communicatively coupled to the controlling device (6) of the indoor emergency lighting system (2).

5. Emergency lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
wherein the at least one outdoor luminaire (8 to 13) and/or the at least one floor light (14 to 19) of the outdoor lighting system (30) are configured to operate in an emergency operation mode.

6. Emergency lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
wherein the emergency situation determination unit is sensor (7) communicatively coupled to the controlling device (6) of the indoor emergency lighting system (2).

7. Emergency lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
wherein the emergency luminaires (3 to 5) of the indoor emergency lighting system (2), the outdoor luminaires (8 to 13) and the floor lights (14 to 19) of the outdoor lighting system (30) communicate in a common network.

8. Emergency lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
wherein the outdoor lighting system (30) comprises a separate controlling device communicatively coupled to the controlling device (6) of the indoor emergency lighting system (2), wherein the outdoor luminaires (8 to 13) of the outdoor lighting system (30) and the floor lights (14 to 19) are communicatively coupled to the separate controlling device.

9. Emergency lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
wherein the emergency luminaires (3 to 5), the outdoor luminaires (8 to 13) of the outdoor lighting system, and the floor lights (14 to 19) are configured to communicate wirelessly.

10. Method for operating an emergency lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the method comprising the following steps:

- obtaining information on an emergency situation

- communicating the emergency situation to the controlling device (6)

- controlling the Indo emergency lighting system (2) to operate in an emergency mode,

- generating an output an emergency situation information signal by the controlling device (6), and

- switching the outdoor lighting system (30) to operate in an emergency mode.

Drawing