Lighting Fixture Sensor Integration for Sensitive Environment Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automated monitoring systems for sensitive environments are not integrated into lighting systems, are visually intrusive, and lack the ability to provide augmented reality visualization of environmental conditions.

Innovation Solution

Integration of sensors and controls into lighting fixtures to monitor environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and contamination, while providing augmented reality visualization on mobile devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If automated monitoring systems are installed separately from lighting systems, then monitoring functionality is provided, but the systems are visually intrusive and take up space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemonitoring functionalityVSAvoidspace occupied by monitoring devices

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines environmental sensors, customer tracking devices, and lighting fixtures into a single integrated unit. This merging eliminates the need for separate monitoring devices that occupy space, while maintaining all monitoring functionalities through the unified integrated fixture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Loss of information

If separate customer tracking devices are placed outside environments, then customer tracking is enabled, but the same point of view as vision sensors inside environments cannot be achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomer interaction dataVSAvoiddata collection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The integrated fixture merges customer tracking functionality with internal vision sensors, allowing the system to capture customer interactions from within the environment. This provides both transaction data and spatial context that external devices cannot obtain alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of manufacture

If manual monitoring is used for sensitive environments, then no specialized equipment is needed, but monitoring efficiency and accuracy are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidmonitoring efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The integrated fixture serves multiple functions simultaneously: lighting, environmental monitoring (temperature, humidity, air quality), customer tracking, and inventory management. This multi-functionality replaces multiple separate systems while maintaining ease of installation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Loss of information

If augmented reality visualization is not implemented, then system complexity is reduced, but actionable insights and management capabilities are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental condition visibilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses augmented reality as an intermediary layer between the physical environment and the user. AR overlays provide real-time visualization of environmental conditions, customer interactions, and product information without requiring physical changes to the monitored environment or complex additional hardware.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12307615B2Integrated management of sensitive controlled environments and items contained therein

Publication Date: 2025.05.20 GE LIGHTING SOLUTIONS LLC

AI summary

A system (100) for monitoring a controlled spatial volume (102) includes a lighting fixture (104) with one or more embedded sensors (106), a communication device (108) to provide monitored sensor data (142) for storage within a data store (140), a server (130) including a data analytic unit (136) in communication with the data store, the data analytic unit accessing the monitored sensor data to analyze the monitored data and provide status information on the spatial volume. The server can include a machine vision unit (138) to analyze the monitored data and create augmented reality renditions (520), which are rendered for display to a user by an augmented reality application (160).