Patent ID: 7982659

Claim:
A system for preventing light pollution, comprising: a radar unit configured to monitor a volume surrounding or containing at least one obstruction, the at least one obstruction having one or more obstruction lights; a master radar detection processing unit in communication with the radar unit, the master radar detection processing unit configured (a) to process radar detection information from the radar unit; (b) to determine whether a vehicle is present in the monitored volume; and (c) to generate and transmit one or more control signals based on the processed radar detection information; and a network of obstruction light controller units in communication with the master radar detection processing unit for receiving the one or more control signals, each obstruction light controller unit configured (i) to turn on an obstruction light if at least one of the control signals indicates that the vehicle has entered the monitored volume or a failure condition has occurred and (ii) to turn off the obstruction light if at least one of the control signals indicates that the vehicle has left the monitored volume and the failure condition has not occurred.