Smart Street Lighting Control System Using Multi-Sensor Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing public lighting systems are inefficient in controlling street lamp intensity due to reliance on light sensors alone, failing to consider other environmental factors like traffic and pedestrian presence, leading to unnecessary energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
An integrated control system that combines image detection, environmental sensors, and radio wave reception devices to process a wide range of environmental data, adjusting light intensity based on correlated signals from multiple sources, including cameras, light sensors, and presence detection devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If light sensors are used to control street lamp intensity, then the system can automatically turn lamps on and off based on ambient light, but the system cannot efficiently optimize energy use by considering other environmental factors like traffic and pedestrian presence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple detection devices (light sensors, image detection devices, vibration sensors, radio wave reception devices) into a single control system that processes information from all sources to determine optimal lighting intensity, thereby achieving energy efficiency while considering multiple environmental factors simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is designed to perform multiple functions: it not only responds to ambient light levels but also detects traffic presence, pedestrian activity, and other environmental conditions, making the lighting system adaptable to diverse scenarios while optimizing energy consumption
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple detection devices are used to monitor environmental factors, then the system can gather comprehensive data about traffic and pedestrians, but the electronic control units are unable to efficiently process the information from different detection devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the processing functions of multiple detection devices into a single integrated control system that receives and processes information from all sensors in unison, reducing the complexity that would arise from multiple separate processing units while maintaining comprehensive environmental monitoring capability
3Reliability
If the system controls street lamps to emit high intensity light in the middle of the night without considering vehicle presence, then the lighting is always available, but this leads to waste of electrical energy
Solution Approach 1:
The control system implements periodic monitoring of environmental conditions using multiple detection devices and adjusts lighting intensity accordingly, maintaining high intensity only when needed (when vehicles or pedestrians are detected) and reducing intensity during idle periods, thus ensuring reliability while preventing energy waste
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from multiple detection devices to continuously monitor environmental conditions and dynamically adjust street lamp intensity, ensuring lighting availability when required while minimizing energy consumption during periods of low or no activity
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention regards an apparatus and a method for controlling a lighting system, that can be integrated in the scope of the "smart city" technologies. More in detail, the present apparatus comprises: a control device (3) suitable for being connected to at least one corresponding light source (2) in order to control the operation thereof; detection devices (4, 5, 10) connected to the control device (3) in order to send corresponding detection signals to the latter; an electronic processing unit (18) equipped with an integrating block (19), which is suitable for receiving in input the detection signals sent by the detection devices (4, 5, 10), and is suitable for providing in output corresponding control data. The electronic processing unit (18) is also equipped with an actuator block (20), which is suitable for receiving in input the control data from the integrating block (19) and is suitable for sending to the light source (2) corresponding control signals of the supply voltage and/or current of the light source (2) itself.