Luminaire Controller Metering Circuit for Street Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current street lighting systems lack accurate energy consumption measurement for individual luminaires, leading to significant over- and under-estimations of energy usage, with utility companies determining energy usage only to within 10% accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A metering circuit and luminaire controller system that measures voltage and current parameters, providing accurate energy consumption data for each luminaire, connected via a ZigBee network for remote monitoring and management, allowing for optimized energy usage and reduced waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If simple clock or sensor-based control is used for street lighting systems, then the system can be turned on and off according to ambient light conditions, but accurate energy consumption measurement for individual luminaires cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the lighting system into individual controllable and metered segments (luminaires or groups of luminaires), each with its own controller that can be independently controlled and measured. This segmentation allows precise energy measurement at the individual luminaire level while maintaining simple overall system operation through hierarchical control structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces luminaire controllers as intermediary devices between the simple on/off control system and the energy measurement requirement. These controllers act as mediators that receive simple control commands while simultaneously performing accurate energy measurement and communication, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If utility companies use traditional metering methods, then energy usage can be determined to within 10% accuracy for entire systems, but individual luminaire energy consumption cannot be determined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements segmentation by equipping individual luminaires or controllable groups with separate controllers that independently measure and report energy consumption. This divides the aggregate system measurement into discrete individual measurements, preserving information about each luminaire's energy usage while maintaining overall system measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes feedback loops where individual luminaire controllers continuously measure energy consumption and communicate this data back to the central management system. This feedback mechanism ensures that individual luminaire energy data is captured and reported without compromising the overall system measurement accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If individual luminaire energy measurement is implemented, then accurate energy consumption data can be obtained, but system complexity increases with additional measurement and communication components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the luminaire controllers universal devices that perform multiple functions: simple on/off control, dimming control, accurate energy measurement, and wireless communication. By consolidating these functions into single multi-functional controllers, the patent reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate dedicated components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges control functions and measurement functions into integrated luminaire controllers. This combining of control and measurement capabilities in single devices reduces the total number of components needed in the system, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining individual luminaire measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting system is disclosed having a plurality of luminaires in which the energy usage of each luminaire can individually be metered using a luminaire controller having a metering circuit.