There are 2 types of controller: PWM and MPPT in the market.
All in one solar led street lights adopts MPPT, for, in this case, PWM will waste some energy collected by panels, while MPPT can convert all the solar energy collected into chemical energy
As the main functional component, MPPT solar charge controllers have some basic functions as below
1. Dusk to dawn control
The controller is always monitoring the voltage of the solar panel, which increases or decreases with the intensity of the sunlight. When it is lower than 5v, towards dusk, the control will switch on the LED lights. And when it is towards daybreak and the voltage is larger than 5v, the LED lights will be turned off.
2. Time control
The solar controller can also control the power output according to the time schedule, for instance, you want
70 percent brightness from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm,
100 percent from 8:00pm to 10:00pm,
30 percent from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am.
Commonly, a controller has around 5 time-slots you can use to set according to different requirements of projects.
Time control is often used in conjunction with motion sensor control. For example, from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am, there are few people on the road, so you can set only 30% power during this period, meanwhile, only capitalizing on the motion sensor to raise power to 100% when a passer-by is detected.
By doing this, we can save a lot of energy to boost the duration of off-grid solar street lights and ramp up the days of autonomy.
3. Motion sensor control
A controller can take action when it receives a signal from the motion sensor to increase LED brightness when someone is in sensor area, and then revert to the former level of brightness when it moves out of the area.
4. Preventing overcharge and Low voltage disconnect(LVD)
Either overcharge or over discharge can dramatically reduce the lifespan of batteries, although batteries modules themselves have this sort of protection, solar charge controllers usually have the same function analogous to that of battery modules. But be rest assured, the two are not conflicting with each other, for they function in different dimensions.
Motion sensor, solar charge controller
# Infrared(PIR) Motion sensor
Infrared and microwave motion sensor are two popular types in all in one integrated solar street lights, the infrared motion sensor detects heat source movement, while microwave ones send microwave radar and receive the bounced signals to analyze the changes in bounced signals.
Our all in one solar street lights incorporate infrared types, which have a 120-degree working angle and can detect a squat cone space under the lights.
We do not prefer microwave ones, although they have a larger working angle, they are rather too sensitive and more likely to respond to some wrong movements, such as swaying trees, fluttering birds and flapping flags. Those wrong response could consume lots of gratuitous battery energy, and that’s what we do not expect.
Above is the introduction of the primary components.
However, as integrated solar street lights, all in one solar street lights can also integrate some other functioning modules, such as Bluetooth, CCTV(Closed Circuit TV), or even wireless monitoring system, which enables end-users to monitor the status of each lights or even to control every lights by PC or mobile phone at any places where there are internet services.
Then, How do all these modules work as a complete system?
We will talk about the working process in 2 aspects:
