LUMINAIRE ASSOCIATE

• US 20170045626A1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hartman, Michael James, Barnett, Bruce Gordon, Hershey, John Erik, Dell'Anno, Michael Joseph, Soro, Stanislava
• Granted Patent: US 9,945,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/085 of high-built type, e.g. street light
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/00 Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/06 by electronic methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A street lighting fixture and street lamp used in street lighting containing an accelerometer that is used to detect and characterize acceleration events on a street lighting fixture. The accelerometer readings may be combined with GPS technology to determine a relocation of the street lighting fixture.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a luminaire associate relocation position from stored reference geographical position comprising the steps of:

deriving an estimated geographical position for the luminaire associate from a GPS receiver contained within the luminaire associate;

deriving an estimate of lateral displacement by electronically sampling and processing the multi-axis accelerometer data;

combining the estimated geographical position and the estimated lateral displacement using a sensor fusion algorithm to form a single estimate of spatial translation;

comparing the single estimate of spatial translation to a preset threshold of spatial translation;

setting a luminaire associate relocation datum (LARD) if the single estimate of spatial translation exceeds the preset threshold of spatial translation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of broadcasting a signal that the LARD is set.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal conveying a new stored reference geographical position for the luminaire associate;

replacing the stored reference geographical position with the new stored reference geographical position;

resetting the LARD; and

ceasing broadcast of the signal that the LARD is set.

4. A luminaire associate system comprising:

a GPS receiver configured to report estimates of its geographical location, a multiple-axis accelerometer with analog-to-digital electronic converters providing estimates of its spatial translation, and a computer configured to fuse the GPS receiver reporting estimates and the multiple-axis accelerometer spatial translation estimates to detect the relocation of the luminaire associate from its stored reference geographical position.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a transmitter for alerting maintenance crews to the apparent relocation of the luminaire associate.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising a receiver for receiving and storing a new stored reference geographical location.

7. A luminaire associate system comprising a multiple-axis accelerometer with analog-to-digital electronic converters providing measurements of acceleration and a computer using the measurements of acceleration to characterize acceleration events.