Outdoor Lighting Network Requirements Automation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current outdoor lighting networks lack an efficient system to capture changing regulatory policies and location-specific user needs, requiring manual specification of lighting requirements by managers, which is impractical due to the large effort involved and failure to account for aspects like safety, security, and traffic needs.

Innovation Solution

A lighting requirements generation system with a central control apparatus that acquires location-based data, defines clusters, associates lighting units with these clusters, and implements lighting requirements, using a processor, memory, and communication module to automate the process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual specification of lighting requirements is used, then lighting managers can control lighting operations, but the effort involved becomes impractically large and location-specific needs cannot be properly accounted for

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelighting requirements specificationVSAvoidmanual effort time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by automatically generating lighting requirements through the requirement generation module (124) that processes location data, regulatory information, and operational parameters without human intervention, allowing the system to serve itself in creating compliant lighting schedules

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical manual process of specifying lighting requirements with an automated computational system that uses the requirement generation module to algorithmically create lighting requirements based on input data, substituting human manual work with automated processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If existing OLN management tools are used, then operators can set up schedules for different areas, but the tools do not automatically ensure compliance with regulations or account for location-specific factors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveschedule configuration flexibilityVSAvoidregulatory compliance assurance
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback through the requirement generation module that continuously monitors and incorporates regulatory updates and location-specific data changes, automatically adjusting lighting requirements to maintain compliance and account for new factors without manual reconfiguration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The requirement generation module serves multiple functions by simultaneously handling regulatory compliance checking, location-specific factor analysis, and lighting schedule generation, making the system universally applicable to various lighting scenarios without requiring separate tools

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2727438B1Lighting requirements generation system and method
Publication Date: 2023.04.19 SIGNIFY HOLDING BV
  • EP2727438B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2727438B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2727438B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

An OLN lighting requirements generation system and method including a lighting requirements generation system for an outdoor lighting network (OLN, 90) having lighting units (82), the system having a central control apparatus (40); a plurality of lighting unit control apparatus (50); and a communication system (60) operably connecting the central control apparatus (40) and the lighting unit control apparatus (50). The central control apparatus (40) is operable to: acquire location-based data; define clusters from the location-based data; define lighting requirements for each of the clusters; associate the lighting units (82) to the clusters from location information for the lighting units; map the lighting units (82) to the lighting requirements; and implement the lighting requirements of the clusters associated with each of the lighting units (82).