Radio-Controlled Photocontrol for Accurate Lighting Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing photocontrols cannot accurately turn off or turn on lighting at specific times without internal clocks, manual resetting issues, or complex network communication, and are prone to inaccuracies due to lack of local time knowledge.
Innovation Solution
A radio-controlled photocontrol that receives accurate time signals from official sources like NIST, synchronizing its internal clock without a manual setting or network access, using amplitude modulated, digitally coded signals to ensure precise timekeeping for compliance with user and regulatory requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a photocontrol uses an internal clock to know local time, then it can turn lighting on and off at specific times, but it requires manual resetting which is expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The photocontrol automatically receives time signals from radio broadcasts and synchronizes its internal clock without human intervention. The device self-updates its time information by tuning to designated radio frequencies that transmit encoded time data, eliminating the need for manual clock setting and resetting by workers.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical clock-setting process is replaced by an electronic radio reception system. The photocontrol uses a radio receiver to automatically obtain time information from broadcast signals, substituting the manual mechanical adjustment with an automated electronic time-synchronization mechanism.
2Measurement precision
If a photocontrol communicates with a network clock, then it can obtain accurate time, but the solution becomes very complicated and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The time-synchronization function is extracted from complex network infrastructure and implemented through simple radio broadcast reception. Instead of requiring network clocks, servers, or communication protocols, the photocontrol directly receives time information from publicly available radio signals, simplifying the system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The radio receiver serves multiple functions: it receives time information from official broadcasts, provides automatic time synchronization, and eliminates the need for separate network infrastructure. This universal approach works across different locations without requiring localized network setup.
3Device complexity
If a photocontrol uses night-length measurement to estimate time, then it avoids internal clocks, but accuracy is poor and susceptible to environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of directly measuring night length through environmental sensing, the photocontrol uses radio broadcast signals as an intermediary to obtain accurate time information. The radio signals serve as a reliable mediator that provides precise time data without being affected by environmental conditions like cloud cover or ambient light.
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
Enables accurate and reliable timing for turning lights on and off at specific times, reducing manual intervention and errors, while adhering to energy-saving and regulatory needs, with widespread signal availability and ease of implementation.
Implementation Method 1
This signal, an amplitude modulated, digitally coded signal, rides a low frequency carrier wave
Data Source
AI summary
A photocontrol controls the activation of lighting based on ambient light and the time of day using a radio-controlled timer. Radio signals from a particular source of correct time, such as the National Institute for Science and Technology's WWVB radio broadcast, carry encoded time information that can be decoded by the photocontrol to ascertain the current time on start up and periodically during operation. The correct date and time information is used to synchronize the photocontrol's internal clock so that it can turn the lighting load off or on at specific times of the day in accordance with the user's needs. Thus area, business signage, and security lighting, for example, can be turned off late at night and then back on early in the morning to reduce energy consumption by the lighting during those hours when the lighting is not needed.