Flicker Detection Algorithm Based on the Whole Voltage Frequency Spectrum for New Generation Lamps - Enhanced VPD Flickermeter Model and Flicker Curve

It is now known that disturbing light flicker originates not only solely from amplitude modulation (AM) of the fundamental amplitude and low-frequency interharmonic components as described in IEC 61000-4-15 standard but also high-frequency interharmonic components around an odd harmonic which have the same effect as low-frequency components causing flicker. Because this effect cannot be detected by the IEC flickermeter, an effective flickermeter is required In this article, a new flickermeter detects both the low- and high-frequency components robustly has been suggested. Quite close responses to those in the IEC model have been obtained in the tests with low-frequency components that have single or multiple amplitudes- and frequencies- interharmonics, and thus a flicker curve with instantaneous flicker sensation value S-max=1 according to the interharmonic-signal model is also proposed. The proposed method employs Voltage Peak Detection (VPD) instead of Root Mean Square (RMS) for flicker computation, taking the advantage of the fact that the new generation lamps such as CFLs and LEDs are insensitive to phase angle shifts in contrast to the incandescent lamps.