Networked Luminaire Managers for Lighting Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photo-controls for outdoor lighting systems lead to inefficiencies in operation and maintenance, resulting in increased costs and ineffective management of lighting systems, as they often keep lights on unnecessarily and require inefficient manual maintenance processes.
Innovation Solution
A light management system with networked intelligent luminaire managers that monitor and control outdoor lighting units, enabling real-time status reporting, remote control, and predictive maintenance through peer-to-peer communication and a network operation center.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional photo-controls are used to control outdoor lights, then lights automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn, but this results in many lights being on when not needed and significantly increases operating costs
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by having luminaire managers continuously monitor and report status information about their respective luminaires to a network server, enabling real-time control decisions to optimize energy usage while maintaining automatic operation
Solution Approach 2:
The luminaire manager serves multiple functions: it monitors luminaire status, transmits status information to the network server, receives control commands, and manages the lighting unit's operation, replacing multiple separate systems with a single multi-functional device
2Reliability
If manual drive-by visual examination is used to discover faulty fixture operations, then maintenance personnel can identify non-functioning fixtures, but this requires significant costs for qualified personnel and equipment and ties up resources as crews randomly travel to failed lights
Solution Approach 1:
The luminaire manager performs self-service by automatically monitoring and detecting faults in the luminaire, eliminating the need for manual visual inspection and enabling automatic reporting of status information to the network server
Solution Approach 2:
The network server acts as an intermediary between the luminaire managers and maintenance personnel, collecting status information from all luminaires and enabling centralized monitoring and coordination of maintenance activities
3Loss of time
If group maintenance programs are implemented where lights within a given geographical area are maintained on a scheduled basis, then travel time between lights is reduced, but maintenance crews often replace good equipment that has significant additional life remaining
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by continuously monitoring luminaire status and predicting failures before they occur, allowing maintenance to be scheduled based on actual condition rather than arbitrary time schedules, thus preventing premature replacement of functional equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of scheduled maintenance with an information-based system that uses networked sensors and data analysis to determine when maintenance is actually needed, substituting physical inspection schedules with intelligent monitoring
Data Source
AI summary
A network operation center for a light management system having networked intelligent luminaire managers. A plurality of networked luminaire managers, each collocated with a respective luminaire, monitor the status of their respective luminaires. The luminaire managers include transmitters for transmitting status information about their respective luminaires and third-party devices to a network server. The luminaire managers communicate with each other, whereby they form a network.