Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2016064542A1/en
Timestamp: 2019-06-27 04:26:07
Document Index: 395066421

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No.\n61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No.\n61', 'Application No.\n14', 'Application No.\n61', 'Application No. 62', 'Application No. 62', 'Application No. 62', 'Application No. 62', 'Application No. 62', 'Application No. 62']

WO2016064542A1 - Detection and correction of faulty photo controls in outdoor luminaires - Google Patents
Detection and correction of faulty photo controls in outdoor luminaires Download PDF
WO2016064542A1
WO2016064542A1 PCT/US2015/053000 US2015053000W WO2016064542A1 WO 2016064542 A1 WO2016064542 A1 WO 2016064542A1 US 2015053000 W US2015053000 W US 2015053000W WO 2016064542 A1 WO2016064542 A1 WO 2016064542A1
PCT/US2015/053000
2014-10-24 Priority to US201462068517P priority Critical
2014-10-24 Priority to US62/068,517 priority
2015-06-23 Priority to US201562183505P priority
2015-06-23 Priority to US62/183,505 priority
2016-04-28 Publication of WO2016064542A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016064542A1/en
DETECTION AND CORRECTION OF FAULTY PHOTO CONTROLS
IN OUTDOOR LUMIN AIRES
Energy conservation has become of ever-increasing importance. Efficient use of energy can result in a variety of benefits, including financial benefits such as cost savings and environmental benefits such as preservation of natural resources and reduction in "green house" (e.g., C02) gas emissions.
Use of higher efficiency light sources may, for instance, include replacing incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps or even with solid-state light sources (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs (OLEDs), polymer LEDs (PLEDs)) to increase energy efficiency. In some instances, these higher efficiency light sources may present a number of problems. For example, fluorescent light sources may take a relatively long time after being turned ON to achieve their full rated level of output light or illumination. Such light sources also typically have a high energy consumption during warm-up. Many higher efficiency light sources emit light with a low color rendering index (CRI). For reference, sunlight has a CRI of 100 and represents "ideal light" which contains a continuous spectrum of visible radiation. Low CRI light is less pleasing to the human eye. Surfaces illuminated with low CRI light may not be perceived in their "true" color. Low CRI light makes it more difficult to discern details, often requiring a higher level of output light or illumination to discern details that would otherwise be discemable in high CRI light. Further, higher efficiency light sources may require additional circuitry (e.g., ballasts) and/or thermal management techniques (e.g., passive or active cooling).
The method of operation for a processor-based device to control a plurality of remotely located luminaires, each of the luminaires including a locally installed illumination control system may further include storing a list of a plurality of luminaires identified as having a faulty illumination control system in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium. The method of operation for a processor-based device to control a plurality of remotely located luminaires, each of the luminaires including a locally installed illumination control system may further include: generating, by the at least one central control processor, a route map that includes as destination points each of the plurality of luminaires identified as having a faulty illumination control system; and storing the route map in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium.
An illumination system may be summarized as including: at least one central control system including: at least one central control processor; at least one illumination data source operatively coupled to the at least one central control processor; a central transceiver operatively coupled to the at least one central control processor and a data communications network; and at least one nontransitory processor- readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one central control processor and storing at least one of data or instructions which, when executed by the at least one central control processor, cause the at least one central control processor to: identify at least one luminaire coupled to the power-line distribution system as having a faulty illumination control system; receive illumination data from the at least one illumination data source relating to at least one of ambient illumination or time of day; generate an illumination command based at least in part on the received illumination data; and distribute the illumination command through the data communications network via the central transceiver to the at least one luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system. The illumination system may further include: a plurality of area lighting luminaires, each of the area lighting luminaires including: at least one luminaire control processor; an illumination control system; at least one light source operatively coupled to the luminaire control processor; a luminaire transceiver operatively coupled to the at least one luminaire control processor and the data communications network; and at least one nontransitory processor-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one luminaire control processor and storing at least one of data or instructions which, when executed by the at least one luminaire control processor, cause the at least one luminaire control processor to: receive the illumination command through the data communications network via the luminaire transceiver; and control the operation of the at least one light source based at least in part on the received illumination command when the illumination control system is identified as being faulty.
The data communications network may include a power-line power distribution system, and the luminaire transceiver of each luminaire may receive distributed power from the power- line power distribution system and may separate the illumination command from the distributed power. The at least one central control processor may receive illumination control system fault data from at least one of the plurality of luminaires via the data communications network. The at least one central control processor may verify whether an illumination control signal obtained from a luminaire via the data communications network is within an expected range of values. The at least one central control processor may verify whether an illumination control signal is within a range of values dependent on at least one of a current time and a current date. The at least one central control processor may receive illumination data indicative of an illumination schedule from an external device; and may store the illumination data in the at least one nontransitory processor-readable storage medium. The illumination data source may include a photosensor operatively coupled to the central control processor, and the at least one central control processor may receive photosensor data from the photosensor. The illumination data source may include a clock operatively coupled to the central control processor, and the at least one central control processor may receive time data from the clock. The data communications network may include a power-line power distribution system. The at least one central transceiver may superimpose the illumination command onto a power line of the power- line power distribution system. The illumination data source may be positioned remote from at least some of the plurality of luminaires. The at least one central control processor may receive illumination control system data that identifies at least one of the one or more luminaires previously identified as having a faulty illumination control system as presently having an operational illumination control system; and may cause the at least one of the one or more luminaires identified as presently having an operational illumination control system to control operation of one or more light sources of the at least one of the one or more luminaires using the respective operational illumination control systems.
The at least one central control processor may: identify a first proximate luminaire and a second proximate luminaire as being physically proximate the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system; and receive illumination data from the respective illumination control systems of the first proximate luminaire and the second proximate luminaire. The at least one central control processor may: compare a physical address associated with the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system to respective physical addresses associated with the other luminaires of the plurality of luminaires. The at least one central control processor may: compare an identifier associated with the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system to respective identifiers associated with the other luminaires of the plurality of luminaires. The at least one central control processor may: generate an illumination command which commands the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system to mimic an illumination state of the at least one identified proximate luminaire. The at least one central control processor may: identify a plurality of proximate luminaires as being physically proximate the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system; and receive illumination data from the respective illumination control systems of the plurality of proximate luminaires. The at least one central control processor may: generate an illumination command which commands the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system to mimic an illumination state of at least one of the plurality of identified proximate luminaires. The at least one central control processor may: generate an illumination command which commands the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system to operate based at least in part on an illumination state of at least one of the plurality of identified proximate luminaires. The at least one central control processor may: receive photosensor data from the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system via the data communications channel. The at least one central control processor may: verify whether a photosensor signal obtained from a luminaire via the data communications channel is within an expected range of values. The at least one central control processor may: verify whether a photosensor signal is within a range of values dependent on at least one of a current time and a current date. The at least one central control processor may: receive illumination data indicative of an illumination schedule; and store the illumination data in a nontransitory processor- readable storage medium. The at least one central control processor may: distribute the illumination command to the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system through a wireless communications channel. The at least one central control processor may: distribute the illumination command to the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system through a power-line power distribution system. The at least one central control processor may: superimpose the illumination command onto a power line of the power-line power distribution system. The at least one central control processor may: store a list of a plurality of luminaires identified as having a faulty illumination control system in the at least one nontransitory processor- readable medium. The at least one central control processor may: generate a route map that includes as destination points each of the plurality of luminaires identified as having a faulty illumination control system; and store the route map in the at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium. The at least one central control processor may: receive illumination control system data that identifies the luminaire previously identified as having a faulty illumination control system as presently having an operational illumination control system; and cause the luminaire identified as presently having an operational illumination control system to control operation of one or more light sources thereof using the operational illumination control system.
Figure 1 is a schematic view of an environment in which an illumination system may be implemented, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the illumination system of Figure 1 , according to at least one illustrated implementation.
Figure 3 is a schematic view of an environment in which an illumination system may be implemented, according to at least one illustrated implementation. Figure 4 is a flow diagram showing a method of operation of a processor-based device to control illumination of a plurality of faulty luminaires in an illumination system, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
Figure 5 is a table of information for a plurality of luminaires identified as having a faulty local illumination control system, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
Figure 6A is a map depicting the locations of numerous luminaires identified as having a faulty local illumination control system, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
Figure 6B depicts a vehicle service route overlaid on the map depicting the locations of numerous luminaires identified as having a faulty local illumination control system, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
Figure 6C depicts three vehicle service routes overlaid on the map depicting the locations of numerous luminaires identified as having a faulty local illumination control system, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
Figure 7 is a schematic view of an environment in which an illumination system may be implemented, according to one illustrated implementation.
Figure 8 is a flow diagram of a method of operation of a processor-based device to control illumination of one or more faulty luminaires in an illumination system using illumination data from one or more luminaires proximate the respective one or more faulty luminaires, according to one illustrated implementation.
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed implementations. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that implementations may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with the various implementations have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the implementations. Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word "comprising" is synonymous with "including," and is inclusive or open-ended (i.e., does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method acts).
Reference throughout this specification to "one implementation" or "an implementation" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the implementation is included in at least one implementation. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one implementation" or "in an implementation" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more implementations. Additionally, the terms "lighting," "luminous output" and "illumination" are used herein interchangeably. For instance, the phrases "level of illumination" or "level of light output" have the same meanings. In addition, for instance, the phrases "illumination source" and "light source" have the same meanings.
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an illumination system 100 that includes a power distribution system 102, such as an alternating current (AC) network of a utility that includes one or more AC power sources 103, a central control system 104, and a plurality of area lighting luminaires 106. Three luminaires 106 are shown in Figure 1 but it should be appreciated that the number of luminaires may vary depending on a particular application. For example, for applications wherein the luminaires 106 are part of an illumination system for a city, the number of luminaires may be in the hundreds or even thousands. As discussed further below, control output from the central control system 104 is coupled to the power distribution system 102 so as to supply control signals or commands to the plurality of luminaires 106 via power lines of the power distribution system. In some implementations, such as the one illustrated in Figure 2 and discussed below, the central control system 104 may additionally or alternatively supply control signals or commands to the plurality of luminaires 106 via other types of networks, such as wired and/or wireless communications networks.
Referring to an exemplary luminaire 106 shown in Figure 1 , each luminaire includes one or more light sources 1 10, a power line transceiver 1 12 (or wired/wireless transceiver(s), a power supply 1 14, a local illumination control system (ICS) 1 15, and a luminaire processor 1 16.
The local ICS 1 15 may include a photocontrol that has a photosensitive transducer (photosensor) associated therewith. The ICS 1 15 may be operative to control operation of the light sources 1 10 based on ambient light levels detected by the photosensor. The ICS 1 15 may be coupled to the processor 1 16 and operative to provide illumination data signals to the processor so that the processor may control the light sources 1 10 based on the received illumination data signals. The ICS 1 15 may also be configured as a switch that provides electrical power to the light sources 1 10 only when detected light levels are below a desired level. For example, the local ICS 1 15 of the luminaire 106 may include a photosensor that controls an electro-mechanical relay coupled between a source of electrical power and a control device (e.g. , a magnetic or electronic transformer) within the luminaire. The electro-mechanical relay may be configured to be in an electrically continuous state unless a signal from the photosensor is present to supply power to the luminaire 106. If the photosensor is illuminated with a sufficient amount of light, the photosensor outputs the signal that causes the electro-mechanical relay to switch to an electrically discontinuous state such that no power is supplied to the luminaire 106.
Failure of the ICS 115 used to turn the light sources 110 ON or OFF may result in the light sources remaining in a continuously ON state in the event the automatic control mechanism fails in a "closed" position, permitting current flow to the light sources, or in a continuously OFF state in the event the automatic control mechanism fails in an "open" position, interrupting current flow to the light sources. Either failure mode results in an undesirable mode of operation of the light sources 110.
The power line transceiver 112 and the power supply 114 of the luminaire 106 may each be electrically coupled with the power distribution system 102. The power line transceiver 112 may transmit and receive power line control or data signals over the power distribution system 102, and the power supply 114 may receive a power signal from the power distribution system. The power line transceiver 112 may separate or decode the power line control or data signals from the power signals and may provide the decoded signals to the luminaire processor 116. In turn, the luminaire processor 116 may generate one or more light source control commands that are supplied to the light sources 110 to control the operation thereof. The power line transceiver 112 may also encode power line control or data signals and transmit the signals to the central control system 104 via the power distribution system 102. The power supply 1 14 may receive an AC power signal from the power distribution system 102, generate a DC power output, and supply the generated DC power output to the light sources 1 10 to power the light sources as controlled by the light source control commands from the luminaire processor 1 16.
The central control system 104 is configured to detect the functional status of the ICS 1 15 of each of the luminaires 106 in the illumination system 100. Any method of detection the functional status of the ICSs 1 15 may be used. For example, in some implementations the central control system 104 may interrogate a luminaire 106 (e.g., via the power distribution system 102) during daylight hours and receive signals from the luminaire indicating the luminaire is turned ON, which indicates defective operation. As discussed above, the ICS 1 15 may be configured to "fail on," resulting in the luminaire being in the ON state during daylight hours. As another example, the central control system 104 may interrogate a luminaire 106 during nighttime hours and receive signals from the luminaire indicating the luminaire is turned OFF, which indicates defective operation. In some implementations, the luminaire 106 may be configured to automatically send a notification or alert signal (e.g., via the power distribution system 102) when the local ICS 1 15 is determined to be faulty.
Once a luminaire 106 with a faulty ICS 1 15 has been detected or otherwise identified, the central control system 104 may store identification information in one or more nontransitory computer- or processor-readable media. The identification information may include various information, such as a logical address, a physical address, GPS coordinates, type or model of local ICS, one or more fault codes, luminaire installation information (e.g., height, accessibility, security restrictions), or other information that may be useful for replacing or repairing a faulty local ICS or for coordinating repair or replacement of a faulty ICS. The central control system 104 may remotely control the operation of luminaires 106 determined to have a faulty ICS 1 15. To achieve this functionality, the central control system 104 may be operatively coupled to an illumination data source 108 that provides illumination data to the central control system through a suitable wired and/or wireless interface. In some implementations, the illumination data source 108 may include one or more photosensors operative to sense ambient light which may be used to detect one or more solar events (e.g., dawn event, dusk event). In some implementations, the illumination data source 108 may include one or more clocks or timers, and/or one or more look-up tables or other data structures that indicate dawn events and dusk events for one or more geographical locations at various times during a year. The time of occurrence of various solar events may additionally or alternatively be calculated using geolocation, time, or date data either generated by or stored within the central control system 104 or obtained from one or more external devices via one or more wired or wireless communication interfaces either in or communicably coupled to the central control system.
The central control system 104 receives illumination data from the illumination data source 108. Upon receipt of the illumination data, the central control system 104 may generate an illumination command directed to luminaires 106 identified as having faulty ICSs 1 15 (e.g., faulty photocontrols).
In some implementations, the illumination command from the central control system 104 may be converted into power line control signals that may be superimposed onto wiring of the power distribution system 102 so that the control signals are transmitted or distributed to the luminaires 106 having faulty ICSs 1 15 via the power distribution system. In some implementations, the power line control system signals may be in the form of amplitude modulation signals, frequency modulation signals, frequency shift keyed signals (FSK), differential frequency shift keyed signals (DFSK), differential phase shift keyed signals (DPSK), or other types of signals. The command code format of the control signals may be that of a commercially available controller format or may be that of a custom controller format. An example power line communication system is the TWACS® system available from Aclara Corporation, Hazelwood, Missouri. The central control system 104 may utilize a power line transceiver (see Figure 2) that includes special coupling capacitors to connect transmitters to power- frequency AC conductors of the power distribution system 102. Signals may be impressed on one conductor, on two conductors or on all three conductors of a high- voltage AC transmission line. Filtering devices may be applied at substations of the power distribution system 102 to prevent the carrier frequency current from being bypassed through substation infrastructure. Power line carrier systems may be favored by utilities because they allow utilities to reliably move data over an infrastructure that they control.
In some instances, the power line control signals may be in the form of a broadcast signal or command delivered to each of the luminaires 106 in the illumination system 100. In some instances, the power line control signals may be specifically addressed to an individual luminaire 106, or to one or more groups or subsets of luminaires. For example, in some implementations, the central control system 104 may broadcast an illumination command to all of the luminaires 106 in an illumination system 100, but only luminaires having faulty ICSs 1 15 execute the illumination command. In some implementations, the central control system 104 may transmit illumination commands that are addressed only to those luminaires 106 identified as having faulty ICSs 1 15.
The central control system 104 may continue to detect or receive indications of the functional status of the ICS 1 15 of each of the luminaires 106 in the illumination system 100 while controlling the operation of the luminaires determined to have faulty ICSs. Upon identifying that a faulty ICS has been repaired or replaced with a functional ICS, the central control system 104 may permit the presently functional local ICS to control its respective luminaire. In other words, the central control system 104 may relinquish control of a luminaire once it has been determined that the ICS of the luminaire is once again functional (e.g., after repair or replacement of the ICS or other component).
Figure 2 and the following discussion provide a brief, general description of the components forming the illustrative illumination system 100 including the central control system 104, the power distribution system 102, the illumination data source 108, and the luminaires 106 in which the various illustrated implementations can be implemented. Although not required, some portion of the implementations will be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions or logic, such as program application modules, objects, or macros being executed by a computer. Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the illustrated implementations as well as other implementations can be practiced with other computer system or processor-based device configurations, including handheld devices, for instance Web enabled cellular phones or PDAs, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, personal computers ("PCs"), network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The implementations can be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks or modules are performed by remote processing devices, which are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
The central control system 104 may take the form of a PC, server, or other computing system executing logic or other machine executable instructions which may advantageously improve machine-readable symbol reading, allowing blurred and otherwise unreadable machine-readable symbols to be successfully read and decoded. The central control system 104 includes one or more processors 206, a system memory 208 and a system bus 210 that couples various system components including the system memory 208 to the processor 206. The central control system 104 will at times be referred to in the singular herein, but this is not intended to limit the implementations to a single system, since in certain implementations, there will be more than one central control system 104 or other networked computing device involved. Non-limiting examples of commercially available systems include, but are not limited to, an 80x86 or Pentium series microprocessor from Intel Corporation, U.S.A., a PowerPC microprocessor from IBM, a Sparc microprocessor from Sun Microsystems, Inc., a PA- RISC series microprocessor from Hewlett-Packard Company, or a 68xxx series microprocessor from Motorola Corporation.
The system bus 210 can employ any known bus structures or architectures. The system memory 208 includes read-only memory ("ROM") 212 and random access memory ("RAM") 214. A basic input/output system ("BIOS") 216, which may be incorporated into at least a portion of the ROM 212, contains basic routines that help transfer information between elements within the central control system 104, such as during start-up. Some implementations may employ separate buses for data, instructions and power.
The central control system 104 also may include one or more drives 218 for reading from and writing to one or more nontransitory computer- or processor- readable media 220 (e.g., hard disk, magnetic disk, optical disk). The drive 218 may communicate with the processor 206 via the system bus 210. The drive 218 may include interfaces or controllers (not shown) coupled between such drives and the system bus 210, as is known by those skilled in the art. The drives 218 and their associated nontransitory computer- or processor-readable media 220 provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the central control system 104. Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that other types of computer-readable media may be employed to store data accessible by a computer. Program modules can be stored in the system memory 208, such as an operating system 230, one or more application programs 232, other programs or modules 234, and program data 238.
The application program(s) 232 may include logic capable of providing the luminaire control functionality described herein. For example, applications programs 232 may include programs for controlling luminaires 106 having faulty ICSs 1 15 (Figure 1) based at least in part on data received from the illumination data source 108.
In some implementations, the central control system 104 uses one or more of the logical connections to optionally communicate with one or more luminaires 106, remote computers, servers and/or other devices via one or more communications channels, for example, one or more networks 1 13. These logical connections may facilitate any known method of permitting computers to communicate, such as through one or more LANs and/or WANs. Such networking environments are known in wired and wireless enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, extranets, and the Internet.
In some implementations, a network port or interface 256, communicatively linked to the system bus 210, may be used for establishing and maintaining communications over the communications network 1 13.
The central control system 104 may include a power line transceiver or interface 258 and an AC/DC power supply 260 that are each electrically coupled to the power distribution system 102. The AC/DC power supply 260 converts AC power from the power distribution system 102 into DC power, which may be provided to power the various components of the central control system 104. As discussed above, the power line interface 258 may be operative to superimpose control signals onto one or more conductors of the power distribution system 102 that carries power to the luminaires 106. The power line interface 258 may also be operative to decode and receive communication signals sent over the power distribution system 102 (e.g., from the power line interface 1 12 of a luminaire 106 (Figure 1)).
In some implementations, the central control system 104 may utilize one or more wired and/or wireless communications networks 1 13 to communicate with the luminaires 106 instead of or in addition to communicating through the power distribution system 102.
In the illumination system 100, program modules, application programs, or data, or portions thereof, can be stored in one or more computing systems. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the network connections shown in Figure 2 are only some examples of ways of establishing communications between computers, and other connections may be used, including wireless. In some implementations, program modules, application programs, or data, or portions thereof, can even be stored in other computer systems or other devices (not shown).
For convenience, the processor 206, system memory 208, network port 256 and devices 246, 250 are illustrated as communicatively coupled to each other via the system bus 210, thereby providing connectivity between the above-described components. In alternative implementations, the above-described components may be communicatively coupled in a different manner than illustrated in Figure 2. For example, one or more of the above-described components may be directly coupled to other components, or may be coupled to each other, via intermediary components (not shown). In some implementations, system bus 210 is omitted and the components are coupled directly to each other using suitable connections.
Figure 3 shows a schematic block diagram of an illumination system 300. The illumination system 300 includes a plurality of sets of luminaires 106 positioned at various geographical locations. In the illustrated simplified implementation, the illumination system 300 includes a set 302 of luminaires 106A-D positioned along a particular stretch of a highway 304, a set 306 of luminaires 106E-G positioned at a park 308, and a set 310 of luminaires 106H-J positioned on a bridge 312. The luminaires 106A-J may be similar or identical to the luminaires described above and shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Each of the luminaires 106 is electrically coupled to a power distribution system 314, such as an AC power network provided by an electric utility. A power line interface 316 is operative ly coupled to the power distribution system 314. In this implementation, a central control system 318 is operatively coupled to each of the luminaires 106 through a network 320 operatively coupled to the power line interface 316. The network 320 may include one or more wired or wireless networks such as the Internet, an extranet, an intranet, a LAN and/or a WAN. The central control system 318 may also be operatively coupled to an illumination data source 322, such as a photosensor, one or more look-up tables, one or more clocks or timers, or other data structures that provide information useful to determining when to turn on and turn off the luminaires 106 having a faulty ICS. In some implementations, the illumination data source 322 may be a plurality of illumination data sources. For example, a photosensor may be positioned at each of the highway 304, the park 308 and the bridge 312. In some implementations, the illumination data source 322 may be associated with one or more of the individual luminaires 106. For example, the illumination system 300 may include one photosensor that is a component of a luminaire 106 at the park 308, one photosensor that is a component of a luminaire on the highway 304, and one photosensor that is a component of a luminaire on the bridge 312. In these instances, the respective luminaires 106 including the photosensors may send illumination data to the central control system 318 via the power distribution system 314 so that the central control system can generate appropriate illumination control commands for the luminaires in the illumination system identified as having faulty local ICSs.
Figure 4 shows a method 400 of operating one or more processor-based devices to control the illumination of one or more geographical areas.
The method 400 starts at 402. For example, the method 400 may start in response to commissioning an illumination system, such as the illumination systems 100 and 300 shown in Figures 1 and 3, respectively.
At 412, the luminaires receive the illumination command through the power distribution system. As shown in Figure 1 , each of the luminaires may be equipped with a power line communications transceiver that facilitates reception of the illumination commands from the central control system over the power distribution system.
As discussed above, the central control system may store in a database or other nontransitory processor-readable storage medium information relating to luminaires identified as having faulty illumination control systems (e.g., a defective photocontrol). Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary log or table 500 of luminaires identified as having faulty illumination control systems. The table 500 may be stored in a nontransitory processor-readable data storage communicatively coupled to the central control system. The table 500 may be displayed to a user on an output device (e.g., a monitor, touchscreen) of a computing device operatively coupled to the central control system.
In some implementations, the central control system is operative to generate a map of luminaires having faulty ICSs so that when it is desired to repair or replace them, the central control system may generate a vehicle service route that minimizes service expense. Figure 6A illustrates a map 600 that may be generated by the central control system. The map depicts a service vehicle depot 602 and a plurality of faulty luminaires 604 positioned at various locations throughout a geographical area (e.g., a city). The map 600 may be displayed to a user on an output device (e.g., a monitor, touchscreen) of a computing device operatively coupled to the central control system.
In some implementations, the central control system may generate a vehicle service route that may be used by service technicians when repairing or replacing a plurality of ICSs. Figure 6B illustrates an example service route 606 generated for traveling from the service vehicle depot 602, to each of the faulty luminaires 604, and returning to the depot.
In some implementations, an entity responsible for maintaining an illumination system, such as a public utility, may have a fleet of service vehicles and technicians. In such cases, the central control system may generate multiple vehicle service routes, one for each vehicle that services the faulty luminaires. In the example shown in Figure 6C, the central control system has generated three service routes 608A, 608B, and 608C, one service route for each of three service vehicles used to service the faulty luminaires 604. In some implementations, the central control system may generate routes involving multiple service vehicles and/or multiple service vehicle depots.
Figure 7 shows a schematic block diagram of an illumination system 700 which allows area lighting system luminaires which have a faulty ICS to continue to operate relatively normally, even during local ambient light affecting events (e.g., thunderstorms, eclipses, external light sources, temporary light blocking devices such as construction equipment). The illumination system 700 includes a number N of luminaires 708 I_N (collectively, "luminaires 708") positioned at various geographical locations along a stretch of a highway 702 which are operable to provide area lighting or area illumination. The number N may be a value greater than one (e.g., 2, 50, 5000). In other implementations, the illumination system 700 may additionally or alternatively include sets of luminaires 708 positioned at other locations, such as parks, bridges, parking lots, neighborhood streets, etc., to provide area lighting or area illumination for such areas. The luminaires 708 may be similar or identical to the luminaires described above and shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Each of the luminaires 708 is electrically coupled to one or more networks 706, which may include a power distribution system, such as an AC power network provided by an electric utility. In such cases, a power line interface may be operatively coupled to the power distribution system (see Figure 3). In this illustrated implementation, a central control system 704 is operatively coupled to each of the luminaires 708 through the one or more networks 706. In addition to or instead of the power line interface, the one or more networks 706 may include one or more wired and/or wireless networks such as the Internet, an extranet, an intranet, a LAN and/or a WAN. The central control system 704 detects the functional status of the local illumination control system (ICS) of each of the luminaires 708 in the illumination system 700. Any method of detection the functional status of the ICSs may be used. For example, in some implementations the central control system 704 may interrogate a luminaire 708 via the one or more networks 706 during daylight hours and receive signals from the luminaire indicating the luminaire is turned ON, which indicates defective operation. As discussed above, the ICS of each of the luminaires 708 may be configured to "fail on," resulting in the luminaire being in the ON state during daylight hours. As another example, the central control system 704 may interrogate a luminaire 708 during nighttime hours and receive signals from the luminaire indicating the luminaire is turned OFF, which indicates defective operation. Notably, area lighting systems during normal operation provide illumination during nighttime hours and cease to provide illumination during daylight hours. In some implementations, each of the luminaires 708 may automatically send a notification or alert signal (e.g., via the one or more networks 706) when its local ICS is determined to be faulty.
The central control system 704 may remotely control the operation of luminaires 708 determined to have a faulty ICS. To achieve this functionality, the central control system 704 may receive illumination data from one or more luminaires identified as being physically proximate the luminaire with the faulty ICS through the one or more networks 706. Such luminaires may be referred to herein as "proximate luminaires."
For example, the luminaires 708 along the stretch of highway 702 may be ordered from 1-N, with luminaires having adjacent numbers being physically adjacent each other. In this case, should the ICS of the luminaire 7082 become faulty, the central control system 704 may receive illumination data from one or more of the luminaires proximate the luminaire 7082, such as the luminaires 7081 and/or 7083, since such luminaires are likely to be in similar ambient lighting conditions as the luminaire 7082. Similarly, should the ICS of the luminaire 708io2 become faulty, the central control system 704 may receive illumination data from one or more of the luminaires physically proximate the luminaire 708io2, such as the luminaires 708ioi and/or 708io3.
In some implementations in which the one or more networks 706 includes a power distribution system, the illumination command from the central control system 704 may be converted into power line control signals that may be superimposed onto wiring of the power distribution system so that the control signals are transmitted or distributed to the luminaires 708 having faulty ICSs via the power distribution system. In some implementations, the power line control system signals may be in the form of amplitude modulation signals, frequency modulation signals, frequency shift keyed signals (FSK), differential frequency shift keyed signals (DFSK), differential phase shift keyed signals (DPSK), or other types of signals. The command code format of the control signals may be that of a commercially available controller format or may be that of a custom controller format. An example power line communication system is the TWACS® system available from Aclara Corporation, Hazelwood, Missouri.
The central control system 704 may utilize a power line transceiver (see Figure 2) that includes special coupling capacitors to connect transmitters to power- frequency AC conductors of the power distribution system. Signals may be impressed on one conductor, on two conductors or on all three conductors of a high-voltage AC transmission line. Filtering devices may be applied at substations of the power distribution system to prevent the carrier frequency current from being bypassed through substation infrastructure. Power line carrier systems may be favored by utilities because they allow utilities to reliably move data over an infrastructure that they control.
In some instances, the power line control signals may be in the form of a broadcast signal or command delivered to each of the luminaires 708 in the illumination system 700. In some instances, the power line control signals may be specifically addressed to an individual luminaire 708, or to one or more groups or subsets of luminaires. The central control system 704 may continue to detect or receive indications of the functional status of the ICS of each of the luminaires 708 in the illumination system 700 while controlling the operation of the luminaires determined to have faulty ICSs. Upon identifying that a faulty ICS has been repaired or replaced with a functional ICS, the central control system 704 may permit the presently functional local ICS to control its respective luminaire. In other words, the central control system 704 may relinquish control of a luminaire once it has been determined that the ICS of the luminaire is once again functional (e.g., after repair or replacement of the ICS or other component).
Figure 8 shows a method 800 of operating one or more processor-based devices to control the illumination of one or more geographical areas. The method 800 may start in response to commissioning an illumination system, such as the illumination system 700 shown in Figure 7.
At 802, at least one processor of a central control system may receive illumination control system fault data that signifies a locally installed illumination control system of one of the luminaires is a faulty illumination control system. For example, the at least one processor of the central control system may interrogate a plurality of luminaires via a power line communication system to determine whether any ICSs are not operating normally. Additionally or alternatively, individual luminaires may send a notification to the at least one processor of the central control system upon making a determination that a local ICS is faulty. At 804, the at least one processor of the central control system may identify at least one proximate luminaire of the plurality of luminaires as being physically proximate the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system. For example, the at least one processor of the central control system may compare a physical address associated with the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system to respective physical addresses associated with the other luminaires of the plurality of luminaires. As another example, the central control system may compare an identifier (e.g. , 1 to N) associated with the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system to respective identifiers (e.g., 1 to N) associated with the other luminaires of the plurality of luminaires. As noted above, the central control system may identify a plurality (e.g., 2, 3, 5, 10) of proximate luminaires as being physically proximate the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system.
Thus, luminaires having faulty ICSs may continue to operate relatively normally for an area illumination system (e.g. , on at night, off during the day) using the control commands received from the central control system which control the faulty luminaire to operate based on the operation of operational luminaires physically proximate the faulty luminaire.
The method 800 may be operated substantially continuously for an extended duration (e.g., years) so that the luminaires having defective ICSs are continuously controlled through day and night for an extended period of time until the
ICSs are repaired or replaced. It should be appreciated that one advantage provided by the implementations of the present disclosure is that illumination systems are improved because they may continue to operate automatically even when locally installed illumination control systems are defective.
The various implementations described above can be combined to provide further implementations. To the extent that they are not inconsistent with the specific teachings and definitions herein, all of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, and U.S. patent applications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, including but not limited to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/052,924, filed May 13, 2008; U.S. Patent No. 8,926,138, issued January 6, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/051 ,619, filed May 8, 2008; U.S. Patent No. 8,1 18,456, issued February 21 , 2012; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/088,651, filed August 13, 2008; U.S. Patent No. 8,334,640, issued December 18, 2012; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/115,438, filed November 17, 2008; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/154,619, filed February 23, 2009; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0123403, published May 20, 2010; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/174,913, filed May 1, 2009; U.S. Patent No. 8,926,139, issued January 6, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/180,017, filed May 20, 2009; U.S. Patent No. 8,872,964, issued October 28, 2014; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0015716, published January 15, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/229,435, filed July 29, 2009; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0026264, published February 3, 2011; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/295,519, filed January 15, 2010; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/406,490, filed October 25, 2010; U.S. Patent No. 8,378,563, issued February 19, 2013; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/333,983, filed May 12, 2010; U.S. Patent No. 8,541,950, issued September 24, 2013; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/346,263, filed May 19, 2010; U.S. Patent No. 8,508,137, issued August 13, 2013; U.S. Patent No. 8,810,138, issued August 19, 2014; U.S. Patent No. 8,987,992, issued March 24, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/357,421, filed June 22, 2010; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0310605, published December 22, 2011; U.S. Patent No. 8,901,825, issued December 2, 2014; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0084520, published March 26, 2015; U.S. Patent No. 8,610,358, issued December 17, 2013; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/527,029, filed August 24, 2011; U.S. Patent No. 8,629,621, issued January 14, 2014; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/534,722, filed September 14, 2011; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0062637, published March 14, 2013; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/567,308, filed December 6, 2011; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0163243, published June 27, 2013; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/561,616, filed November 18, 2011; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0141010, published June 6, 2013; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/641,781, filed May 2, 2012; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0293112, published November 7, 2013; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0229518, published September 5, 2013; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/640,963, filed May 1, 2012; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0313982, published November 28, 2013; U.S. Patent Publication No.
2014/0028198, published January 30, 2014; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
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U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/137,666, filed March 24, 2015 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/183,505, filed June 23, 2015 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Aspects of the implementations can be modified, if necessary, to employ systems, circuits and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further implementations.
receiving illumination data indicative of an illumination schedule from an external device; and storing the illumination data in a nontransitory processor-readable storage medium.
generating, by the at least one central control processor, a route map that includes as destination points each of the plurality of luminaires identified as having a faulty illumination control system; and storing the route map in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium.
generate an illumination command based at least in part on the received illumination data; and distribute the illumination command through the data communications network via the central transceiver to the at least one luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system.
stores the illumination data in the at least one nontransitory processor- readable storage medium.
receiving, by the at least one central control processor, illumination data relating to at least one of ambient illumination or time of day; generating, at the at least one central control processor, an illumination command based at least in part on the received illumination data; and
receiving illumination data indicative of an illumination schedule; and storing the illumination data in a nontransitory processor-readable storage medium.
identifies a plurality of proximate luminaires as being physically proximate the luminaire identified as having a faulty illumination control system; and receives illumination data from the respective illumination control systems of the plurality of proximate luminaires.
receives illumination data indicative of an illumination schedule; and stores the illumination data in a nontransitory processor-readable storage medium.
generates a route map that includes as destination points each of the plurality of luminaires identified as having a faulty illumination control system; and stores the route map in the at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium.
PCT/US2015/053000 2014-10-24 2015-09-29 Detection and correction of faulty photo controls in outdoor luminaires WO2016064542A1 (en)
US201462068517P true 2014-10-24 2014-10-24
US62/068,517 2014-10-24
US201562183505P true 2015-06-23 2015-06-23
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