Faux Solar Clock for Security Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Security and surveillance systems that operate independently of solar time require frequent adjustments to compensate for daily shifts in sunrise and sunset times, leading to synchronization issues with the solar cycle, which can be problematic for applications dependent on daylight or nighttime conditions.
Innovation Solution
A Faux Solar Clock system that uses light/dark sensors and digital clocks to emulate solar time by measuring dusk-to-dawn periods, adjusting output control based on longitudinal position, allowing for four modes of operation and accommodating deviations from major longitudinal lines, thereby coordinating security/safety controls relative to Universal Coordinated Time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a security system operates independently of solar time using fixed UCT timing, then the system maintains operational simplicity and fixed scheduling, but it requires frequent manual adjustments to compensate for daily shifts in sunrise and sunset times
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a light sensor to automatically detect dawn and dusk times, then self-adjusts the timing of security operations without requiring manual intervention. The microprocessor calculates the appropriate delay periods based on detected solar events, enabling the system to adapt automatically to changing seasonal patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The light sensor continuously monitors ambient light levels and provides feedback to the microprocessor about current solar conditions. This feedback loop enables the system to detect dawn and dusk events in real-time and adjust its operation accordingly, eliminating the need for fixed UCT scheduling and manual adjustments.
2Reliability
If a security system is synchronized with solar time by manual adjustment, then it maintains alignment with daylight conditions, but it becomes unreliable and detectable by potential intruders
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a programmable delay period as an intermediary between the detected solar events (dawn/dusk) and the actual security operations. This delay creates a time offset that desynchronizes the system from obvious solar timing patterns, making it harder for intruders to predict operation times while still maintaining reliability through automatic solar event detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its operation timing based on detected solar events rather than following a fixed schedule. The programmable delay period can be configured to create variable offsets from solar time, allowing the system to adapt its timing dynamically while maintaining reliable alignment with daylight conditions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the system uses a programmable delay period to offset from solar events, then it enhances security by confusing potential intruders, but it increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The microprocessor serves multiple functions: detecting solar events through the light sensor, calculating delay periods, controlling output devices, and providing user interface functionality. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate components into a single integrated unit, minimizing the increase in device complexity while enabling the programmable delay feature that enhances security.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively synchronizes security and surveillance systems with solar time, providing a reliable and adaptable solution that confuses potential intruders and maintains operational consistency without precise clock time accuracy, enhancing security and usability across varying solar conditions.
Implementation Method 1
A light sensor is placed in a strategic location; usually inside a premise against the glass of a window... The sensor detects the ambient exterior light, presumably sunlight.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic visible light sensor is employed to detect the presence or lack of sunlight. The simple, digital light/dark data from the sensor is fed to electronic circuits which control security and other devices dependent upon day and night status. These circuits are directed and controlled in turn by associated electronic circuits that gather data which measures the length of the solar night, that is, between dusk and dawn, and by deduction, the length of the day. Given that these time periods vary daily and in a regular fashion, the result will necessarily differ by a few minutes each and every day during the 365 day solar year. The resulting day/night time data is used to estimate, with say, a four to ten minute accuracy, taken against the Universal Coordinated Time System, to establish start/stop times, durations and cycles of security and other devices dependent upon the presence or lack of sunlight relative to UCT designated within the universally accepted twenty-four day. These results are fed to the security control circuitry to define control of data to security and other devices.