OUTDOOR LIGHTING SYSTEM
First Claim
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1. An outdoor lighting system, comprising:
- at least one Power-Line-Communication (PLC)-enabled outdoor lighting fixture operative to communicate by power line signaling with at least one PLC-enabled utility meter via a PLC outdoor lighting network;
a bridging component providing communications interfacing between the PLC outdoor lighting network and a general purpose network;
a lighting control system operatively coupled with the general purpose network to control or monitor at least one of the PLC-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures and to obtain data from the at least one PLC-enabled utility meter via communications through the general purpose network, the bridging component, and the PLC outdoor lighting network.
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Abstract
An outdoor lighting system and operating methods are presented in which Power-Line-Communication (PLC)-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures form an outdoor lighting network and a lighting control system obtains data from PLC-enabled utility meters by communications through a general purpose network and the outdoor lighting network.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An outdoor lighting system, comprising:
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at least one Power-Line-Communication (PLC)-enabled outdoor lighting fixture operative to communicate by power line signaling with at least one PLC-enabled utility meter via a PLC outdoor lighting network; a bridging component providing communications interfacing between the PLC outdoor lighting network and a general purpose network; a lighting control system operatively coupled with the general purpose network to control or monitor at least one of the PLC-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures and to obtain data from the at least one PLC-enabled utility meter via communications through the general purpose network, the bridging component, and the PLC outdoor lighting network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for operating an outdoor lighting system, the method comprising:
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establishing Power-Line-Communication (PLC) network connections between a plurality of PLC-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures to form a PLC outdoor lighting network; establishing at least one auxiliary communications connection between at least one of the PLC-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures of the PLC outdoor lighting network and at least one PLC-enabled utility meter; providing communications interfacing between the PLC outdoor lighting network and a general purpose network; using a processing element, controlling or monitoring at least one of the PLC-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures via communications through the general purpose network and the PLC outdoor lighting network; and using the processing element, obtaining data from the at least one PLC-enabled utility meter via communications through the general purpose network and the PLC outdoor lighting network. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. An outdoor lighting fixture apparatus, comprising:
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a fixture assembly comprising; a fixture housing, at least one light source supported in the fixture housing, and at least one ballast or driver supported in the fixture housing and electrically coupled to provide power to the light source; and a controller module, comprising a Power-Line-Communication (PLC) transceiver operative to provide powerline communications using a first communications protocol with at least one other outdoor lighting fixture apparatus in a PLC outdoor lighting network, the PLC transceiver operative to provide powerline communications using a second communications protocol with at least one PLC-enabled utility meter. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification