Lighting Fixture Time Determination with Fallback Sources
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting fixtures and connected devices that rely on a single source for time determination are negatively affected when that source becomes unavailable, leading to operational failures.
Innovation Solution
A lighting fixture equipped with processing circuitry that employs a fallback time determination method, such as obtaining time from a cloud-based service, cellular network, GPS, RTC, external device, or backup clock updated by ambient light sensors, to ensure continuous operation even if primary time sources fail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single source of time determination is used in lighting fixtures, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates when the time source becomes unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The time determination system is segmented into multiple independent time sources (primary time source and secondary time sources), each capable of independently providing time information. This segmentation allows the system to switch between different time sources based on availability, thereby improving reliability without requiring a completely complex unified system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares multiple secondary time sources in advance as backup measures. When the primary time source fails, these pre-prepared secondary sources can immediately take over, cushioning against the impact of failure. This beforehand cushioning approach improves reliability while keeping the overall system structure relatively simple.
2Reliability
If multiple time determination methods are implemented, then the reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects and switches between different time determination methods based on their availability and reliability. The processing circuitry actively monitors the status of time sources and transitions from primary to secondary methods when needed, providing operational continuity while maintaining a manageable complexity through dynamic rather than static multi-method implementation.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing circuitry acts as an intermediary that manages the complexity of multiple time determination methods. It abstracts the complexity away from the overall system by centrally coordinating which time source to use, thereby improving operational continuity without proportionally increasing the visible system complexity.
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 ensures reliable time-based operations for lighting fixtures by providing multiple fallback methods for time determination, thereby minimizing operational disruptions caused by primary time source failures.
Implementation Method 1
an ambient light sensor connected to the processing circuitry and configured to sense a current amount of ambient light
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting fixture comprising a processing circuitry configured to: determine a current time using a fallback time determination method upon one or more preceding time determination methods failings, the fallback time determination method being different than the preceding time determination methods; and perform a time-based operation on one or more light sources of the lighting fixture upon one or more rules that designate times for performing the time-based operation being met by the determined current time.