Variable Lighting System for Night Visibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting systems for night visibility, such as roadway lighting, fail to provide sufficient contrast between objects and backgrounds, leading to reduced visibility and increased safety concerns, particularly for drivers, while being energy-intensive and costly.
Innovation Solution
A variable lighting system (VLS) that adjusts the intensity and color of illumination to maximize contrast by varying the luminance of objects and backgrounds, using a synchronizer to coordinate the timing and sequence of lighting elements, ensuring optimal visibility across different locations and environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If fixed roadway lighting is used to improve night visibility, then visibility is improved, but energy consumption increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by cycling the roadway lighting between illuminated and non-illuminated states. The lighting system operates in cycles where lights are turned on for a predetermined period to illuminate objects, then turned off to conserve energy. This periodic operation allows the system to maintain visibility during critical periods while reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous lighting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the lighting system adaptable to changing conditions. The controller adjusts lighting cycles based on detected object characteristics, environmental conditions, and priority levels. The system dynamically transitions between different operational states (illuminated, non-illuminated, warning modes) rather than operating statically, allowing optimization of both visibility and energy usage based on real-time needs.
2Illumination intensity
If lighting intensity is increased to improve object-background contrast, then visibility is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively illuminating only specific areas or objects that require attention rather than uniformly lighting entire roadways. The system identifies objects of interest (such as pedestrians, animals, or obstacles) and directs lighting primarily toward these localized areas, maintaining adequate object-background contrast where needed while leaving other areas in darkness to conserve energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by providing illumination only when and where absolutely necessary for safety. Rather than maintaining constant full-intensity lighting across all areas, the system applies lighting selectively to critical zones or moments, using minimum necessary intensity to achieve adequate contrast for detecting objects of interest, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.
3Illumination intensity
If continuous lighting is used to maintain constant visibility, then visibility is improved, but energy consumption increases and light pollution increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing cyclic lighting patterns where illumination is provided intermittently rather than continuously. The system alternates between illuminated phases (providing visibility) and non-illuminated phases (conserving energy and reducing light pollution). This periodic operation maintains adequate visibility during critical periods while significantly reducing overall energy consumption and light pollution compared to continuous lighting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of darkness into a beneficial signaling opportunity. By strategically using darkness intervals, the system creates natural contrast that enhances the visibility of illuminated objects during lighting phases. The darkness periods serve to reset visual adaptation and make subsequent illuminated objects more noticeable, thereby maintaining effective visibility with less total lighting.
4Measurement precision
If roadway lighting is optimized for small targets, then small object visibility is improved, but overall contrast for all objects remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring lighting characteristics to the specific characteristics of detected objects. When small targets are detected, the system adjusts illumination parameters (intensity, duration, positioning) specifically for those small objects to maximize their visibility. This localized optimization for small targets does not compromise overall system performance because the lighting is strategically directed and timed to enhance contrast for objects of all sizes based on their specific detection requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A variable lighting system (“VLS”) for optimizing object visibility at night by setting a base level of lighting, adding a variable light to that base level of lighting, and a synchronizing the timing and sequence of the base level of lighting and the variable lighting. The VLS varies the illumination by intensity, color, direction, or a combination thereof and optionally includes a detector for detecting motion, noise, and other occurrences. The VLS can be implemented as a fixed lighting source, a movable lighting source, or a vehicle mounted lighting source. The VLS improves visibility at night for viewers or motorists thereby reducing accidents and damage costs, saves energy, and improves the environment and enhances quality of life by reducing light pollution and light trespass.