INTELLIGENT AND COORDINATED LIGHTING OF A LIGHTING DEVICE

• US 20140001961A1
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, Jason L., Boss, Gregory J., Coveyduc, Jeffrey L., Stockt, Stefan A. G. van der
• Granted Patent: US 9,161,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/153
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/22 with communication between the lamps and a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Intelligent lighting is provided to motorists traveling down a stretch of road by sequentially turning on adjacent lighting devices in a lighting segment only when required, such as when vehicles are approaching the lighting devices, and turning off the lighting devices or decreasing a light intensity output of the lighting devices to a predefined minimum lighting intensity output level when no vehicles are present. In addition, which bulb to use in a multi-bulb lighting device is determined, as well as the optimal lighting intensity level of the selected bulb. Further, it is determined which lighting devices in a lighting segment may be turned off or dimmed while maintaining a predefined minimum safe light/brightness level along a pathway associated with the lighting segment.

Claims

1. A method for lighting a lighting device, the method comprising:

responsive to determining, by a data processing system located in the lighting device, that an ambient light level is less than or equal to a predetermined minimum ambient light level threshold value, setting, by the data processing system, a lighting intensity level of a lighting element located in the lighting device to a first lighting intensity level;

receiving, by the data processing system, information regarding an approaching object from a peer lighting device within a plurality of peer lighting devices associated with the lighting device;

determining, by the data processing system, whether the approaching object is within a lighting interval of the lighting device based on the information regarding the approaching object received from the peer lighting device; and

responsive to determining, by the data processing system, that the approaching object is within the lighting interval of the lighting device based on the information regarding the approaching object received from the peer lighting device, setting, by the data processing system, the lighting intensity level of the lighting element to a second lighting intensity level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the data processing system, a location and a sequence position of each peer lighting device in the plurality of peer lighting devices in relation to the lighting device; and

transmitting, by the data processing system, approaching object information to a set of peer lighting devices located in a same direction of travel as the approaching object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the approaching object information is transmitted from the lighting device to the set of peer lighting devices via a peer-to-peer communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the data processing system, the approaching object using a motion sensor associated with the lighting device; and

determining, by the data processing system, a direction of travel, a distance from the lighting device, and a speed of travel of the approaching object using data obtained by the motion sensor.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, by the data processing system, whether a lighting time out associated with the lighting interval has been reached based on the speed of travel of the approaching object; and

responsive to determining, by the data processing system, that a lighting time out associated with the lighting interval has been reached based on the speed of travel of the approaching object, setting, by the data processing system, the lighting intensity level of the lighting element to one of the first lighting intensity level or a third lighting intensity level.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first lighting intensity level of the lighting element is a predefined minimum lighting intensity level, and wherein the second lighting intensity level of the lighting element is a predefined maximum lighting intensity level, and wherein the third lighting intensity level of the lighting element is a zero lighting intensity level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambient light level is a current level of light surrounding the lighting device, and wherein the current level of light includes light produced by objects in an area associated with the lighting device, and wherein the ambient light level is detected by an ambient light level sensor associated with the lighting device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting element is a variable intensity bulb that emits light at a plurality of different lighting intensity levels.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting element is a plurality of different bulbs, and wherein each bulb in the plurality of different bulbs emits light at a different lighting intensity level.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the approaching object is one of a vehicle or a pedestrian.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the approaching object travels along a pathway, and wherein the lighting device and the plurality of peer lighting devices are located adjacent to the pathway.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting interval is a duration of time that the lighting element is set to an increased lighting intensity level based on a calculated speed of travel of the approaching object.

13. A data processing system for lighting a lighting device, the data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device stores computer readable program code; and

a processor connected to the bus system, wherein the processor executes the computer readable program code to set a lighting intensity level of a lighting element located in a lighting device to a first lighting intensity level in response to determining that an ambient light level is less than or equal to a predetermined minimum ambient light level threshold value;

receive information regarding an approaching object from a peer lighting device within a plurality of peer lighting devices associated with the lighting device;

determine whether the approaching object is within a lighting interval of the lighting device based on the information regarding the approaching object received from the peer lighting device; and

set the lighting intensity level of the lighting element to a second lighting intensity level in response to determining that the approaching object is within the lighting interval of the lighting device based on the information regarding the approaching object received from the peer lighting device.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processor further executes the computer readable program code to determine a location and a sequence position of each peer lighting device in the plurality of peer lighting devices in relation to the lighting device;

and transmit approaching object information to a set of peer lighting devices located in a same direction of travel as the approaching object.

15. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied thereon that is executable by a data processing system for lighting a lighting device, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code for setting a lighting intensity level of a lighting element located in a lighting device to a first lighting intensity level in response to determining that an ambient light level is less than or equal to a predetermined minimum ambient light level threshold value;

computer readable program code for receiving information regarding an approaching object from a peer lighting device within a plurality of peer lighting devices associated with the lighting device;

computer readable program code for determining whether the approaching object is within a lighting interval of the lighting device based on the information regarding the approaching object received from the peer lighting device; and

computer readable program code for setting the lighting intensity level of the lighting element to a second lighting intensity level in response to determining that the approaching object is within the lighting interval of the lighting device based on the information regarding the approaching object received from the peer lighting device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer readable program code for determining a location and a sequence position of each peer lighting device in the plurality of peer lighting devices in relation to the lighting device; and

computer readable program code for transmitting approaching object information to a set of peer lighting devices located in a same direction of travel as the approaching object.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the approaching object information is transmitted from the lighting device to the set of peer lighting devices via a peer-to-peer communication protocol.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer readable program code for detecting the approaching object using a motion sensor associated with the lighting device; and

computer readable program code for determining a direction of travel, a distance from the lighting device, and a speed of travel of the approaching object using data obtained by the motion sensor.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

computer readable program code for determining whether a lighting time out associated with the lighting interval has been reached based on the speed of travel of the approaching object; and

computer readable program code for setting the lighting intensity level of the lighting element to one of the first lighting intensity level or a third lighting intensity level in response to determining that a lighting time out associated with the lighting interval has been reached based on the speed of travel of the approaching object.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the first lighting intensity level of the lighting element is a predefined minimum lighting intensity level, and wherein the second lighting intensity level of the lighting element is a predefined maximum lighting intensity level, and wherein the third lighting intensity level of the lighting element is a zero lighting intensity level.