Prototype of a low-cost luxmeter with wide measuring range designed for railway stations dynamic lighting systems

The paper presents the development of a low-cost luxmeter designed for usage in automatic applications for continual (long-term) measurement of illuminance. The measured information is used to adjust the level of lighting systems of artificial lighting on railways (platforms, marshalling yard, tracks etc.). The reason of this measuring device is a requirement for massive deployment of dimmable lighting systems for railways, in order to limit the maximum energy consumption. Due to the requirements for its deployment it is necessary to put particular emphasis on its low cost, reliability and universality, not accuracy. The concept of the device is designed so that it can transmit measured data especially in the FARCOM-ECO system, which is used to control of technological processes on the railways in the Czech Republic.