System and method for predicting emergency lighting fixture life expectancy

• US 10,021,757 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2017
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gooee Limited (Gooee Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Gooee Limited (Gooee Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Coombes, Simon, Silverman, Shmuel, Couch, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, THAI N
• Application Number:
  US15/785,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20180042083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/22 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/24 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/58 involving end of life detection of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for automatically managing emergency lighting testing are generally described herein. The automated emergency lighting testing may include scheduling emergency lighting events, verifying that emergency lighting power sources and fixtures are sufficient to maintain requisite light intensity for a requisite amount of time, and calculating life expectancy for emergency power sources and lighting fixtures to predict when components should be replaced to avoid failure. The disclosure reduces the amount of time and manual intervention required for the tests by using, among other things, a system of lighting control drivers, sensors, and processors that monitor, assess, and control the lighting system including emergency lighting components and power.

Claims

1. A system for predicting emergency lighting fixture life expectancy, comprising:

a gateway configured to control illumination of a luminaire including an emergency power source;

a sensor subsystem configured to measure data regarding at least light intensity of the luminaire and transmit the light intensity data to the gateway; and

,

a server configured to communicate data with the gateway,

wherein the gateway is further configured to turn off or otherwise disconnect a main power supply to the luminaire and to initiate illumination of the luminaire via the emergency power source and thereby conduct a test to determine whether the emergency power source is capable of powering the luminaire at a requisite light intensity for a requisite duration during an emergency operation,

the sensor subsystem is further configured to, as part of the test, measure either continuously or at certain intervals a measured light intensity of the luminaire during the test and transmit the data regarding the measured light intensity of the luminaire to the gateway,

the gateway is further configured to transmit the data regarding the measured light intensity of the luminaire from the sensor subsystem to the server, and

the server is configured to determine whether the emergency power source is capable of powering the luminaire at the requisite light intensity for the requisite duration during emergency operation, based at least in part on the data regarding the measured light intensity of the luminaire during the test.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the emergency power source includes rechargeable batteries.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the gateway is further configured to control at least one of a dimming level and dimming control protocol of the luminaire, and

the server is further configured to calculate at least one of the dimming level and the dimming control protocol at which the emergency power source is capable of powering the luminaire at the requisite light intensity for the requisite duration during the emergency operation and instruct the gateway to adjust at least one of the dimming level and the dimming control protocol of the luminaire accordingly.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to compare the data regarding the light intensity of the luminaire at different points in time during the test and calculate a predictive curve for life expectancy of the emergency power source during the emergency operation, based at least in part on the comparison.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein as part of the test the emergency power source is completely discharged and the sensor subsystem is configured to measure, either continuously or at certain intervals, a discharge light intensity of the luminaire during the entire discharge time of the emergency power source.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the sensor subsystem is configured to measure and transmit to the server, via the gateway, data regarding the discharge light intensity of the luminaire during the entire discharge time of the emergency power source for two or more discharge tests of the emergency power source, and the server is further configured to calculate an end of life for the emergency power source based at least in part on a comparison of the data regarding the discharge light intensity of the luminaire during the entire discharge time of the emergency power source in the two or more discharge tests.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor subsystem includes one or more color sensors and one or more environment sensors.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more color sensors includes a Red Green Blue (RGB) sensor configured to measure a color intensity of the luminaire.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the RGB sensor is configured to face the luminaire to measure color intensity of the luminaire.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one environment sensor is configured to face away or in a downward direction from the luminaire and the one or more environment sensors are individually or collectively configured to measure environmental parameter data related to parameters of an environment in which the luminaire is installed, comprising at least one of temperature, humidity, ambient light, motion of light or objects through the environment, and footfall.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the environmental parameter data includes the footfall and the server is configured to determine an emergency lighting fixture test schedule based at least in part on the footfall.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the system is configured to stop the test if one of the at least one environment sensor detects the footfall during the test in the environment in which the luminaire is installed.

13. A method for predicting emergency lighting fixture life expectancy, comprising:

cutting power to a luminaire having an emergency power source, via a gateway configured to control illumination of the luminaire, to initiate illumination of the luminaire via the emergency power source;

conducting a test to determine whether the emergency power source is capable of powering the luminaire at a requisite light intensity and for a requisite duration during an emergency operation;

measuring with a sensor subsystem, either continuously or at certain intervals as part of the test, a measured light intensity of the luminaire during the test;

transmitting data regarding the measured light intensity of the luminaire during the test from the sensor subsystem to a server, wherein the server is configured to communicate the data with the gateway; and

,

determining with the server whether the emergency power source is capable of powering the luminaire at the requisite light intensity for a requisite duration during the emergency operation based at least in part on the data regarding the measured light intensity of the luminaire during the test.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising

calculating, with the server at least one of a dimming level and a dimming control protocol for the luminaire at which the emergency power source is capable of powering the luminaire at the requisite light intensity for the requisite duration during the emergency operation and instructing the gateway to adjust at least one of the dimming level and the dimming control protocol of the luminaire accordingly.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising comparing with the server the data regarding the measured light intensity of the luminaire at different points in time during the test and calculating with the server a predictive curve for life expectancy of the emergency power source during emergency operation, based at least in part on the comparison.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising completely discharging the emergency power source as part of the test and measuring with the sensor subsystem, either continuously or at certain intervals, a light intensity of the luminaire during the entire discharge time of the emergency power source.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensor subsystem includes one or more color sensors and one or more environment sensors.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more color sensors includes a Red Green Blue (RGB) sensor configured to face the luminaire and measure a color intensity of the luminaire.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one or more environment sensors is configured to face away or in a downward direction from the luminaire, the one or more environment sensors are individually or collectively configured to measure data related to parameters of an environment in which the luminaire is installed, including at least a footfall, and the method further comprises determining an emergency lighting fixture test schedule based at least in part on the footfall.

20. A system for predicting emergency lighting fixture life expectancy, comprising:

a gateway configured to control illumination of a luminaire including a light emitting diode (LED);

a dimming control configured to dim the luminaire;

an emergency power source;

a server configured to communicate data with the gateway;

a power meter configured to measure a power consumption by the luminaire during operation using a main power supply and transmit the power measurements from the operation using the main power supply to the server, via the gateway, in real-time; and

a color sensor configured to face the luminaire directly to measure data regarding light intensity of the luminaire during operation using the main power supply and transmit the light intensity data from the operation using the main power supply to the server, via the gateway, wherein

the gateway is further configured to turn off the main power supply to the luminaire and initiate illumination of the luminaire via the emergency power source,

the power meter is further configured to measure data regarding power consumption during operation of the emergency power source and transmit the power consumption from the emergency power source data to the server, via the gateway,

the color sensor is further configured to measure, either continuously or at certain intervals, light intensity of the luminaire during the operation of the emergency power source and transmit data regarding the light intensity from the emergency power source to the server, via the gateway, and

the server is configured to correlate the light intensity data to the power consumption data for each of at least two respective operations of the emergency power source, compare the correlations to each other, and calculate an end of life for at least one of the emergency power source and the LED based at least in part on the comparison.