Network for remote administration of street lighting inter alia and methods to carry out said administration

• US 7,123,140 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2000
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lempi SA, LSI Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Laboratoire Delectronique Mecanique Pyrotechnique et Informatique Applique
• Inventors: Denes, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US10/009,024
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/538.11, 340/538.15, 340/310.11, 340/310.16, 340/332
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/9453 for screw type coupling devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0005 the elements or equipment being or involving power plugs or sockets
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• 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 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/246 the system involving the remote operation of lamps or lighting equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission

Abstract

A wireless network for remotely controlling at least one lamp includes a first radio transceiver associated with the at least one lamp and a second radio transceiver. The first radio transceiver further includes a circuit for controlling the at least one lamp as a function of a message repeated by a second radio transceiver.

Claims

1. A street lamp comprising:

at least one electric lamp for lighting a street;

a radio transceiver associated with the street lamp and having a control circuit for controlling the street lamp; and

wherein the transceiver repeats to another street lamp at radio frequency, messages received at radio frequency.

2. The street lamp of claim 1 wherein the control circuit controls the switching on of the lamp.

3. The street lamp of claim 1 wherein the control circuit controls the switching off of the lamp.

4. The street lamp of claim 1 wherein the control circuit performs at least one the measurements selected from the group consisting of measuring an electric current consumed by the lamp, measuring an outside temperature, measuring a temperature of the control circuit, measuring an outside brightness, and measuring a phase shift between current and voltage supplied to the street lamp, and wherein the radio transceiver sends the result of the measurement.

5. The street lamp of claim 1 wherein the control circuit measures an electric current consumed by the lamp and reduces an electrical supply to the lamp as a function of the measured current.

6. The street lamp of claim 1 further comprising a chopped electrical supply configured to selectively deliver a first voltage and a second voltage to the lamp wherein the second voltage is less than the first voltage.

7. The street lamp as claimed in claim 6 wherein the control circuit controls the chopped electrical supply.

8. The street lamp of claim 6 wherein the lamp is an electric discharge lamp and wherein the chopped electrical supply starts the lamp by applying the first voltage to the lamp and after the lamp is started, the chopped electrical supply applies the second voltage to the lamp, the second voltage corresponding to a service voltage of the lamp.

9. A wireless network for remotely controlling at least one lamp, the network comprising:

a first radio transceiver associated with a first lamp;

a second radio transceiver associated with a second lamp; and

wherein;

the first radio transceiver includes a first circuit for controlling said first lamp as a function of a message received from and repeated by a second radio transceiver; and

the second radio transceiver including a second circuit for controlling the second lamp.

11. The network according to claim 9, wherein the first circuit for controlling controls the switching on of the first lamp as a function of the message.

12. The network according to claim 9, wherein the first circuit for controlling controls switching off of the first lamp as a function of the message.

16. The network of claim 9, wherein the first circuit for controlling measures at least one physical quantity, the first radio transceiver transmitting the result of the measurement of the at least one physical quantity over the network.

17. A method for initializing a network address of first radio transceiver in the network of claim 9 comprising the steps of:

assigning of a default address to the first radio transceiver;

placing the first radio transceiver in service;

dispatching a message destined for the default address via the network;

dispatching of a response returned by the first radio transceiver;

on receipt of the response, dispatching via the network destined for the default address of a message for assigning a new address to said first radio transceiver as replacement for the default address.

10. A wireless network for remotely controlling at least one street lamp having at least one electric lamp for lighting the street, the network comprising:

a first radio transceiver associated with a first street lamp having a first electric lamp for street lighting;

a second radio transceiver associated with a second street lamp having a second electric lamp for street lighting; and

wherein;

the first radio transceiver includes a first circuit for controlling the first electric lamp as a function of a message received from and repeated by the second radio transceiver; and

the second radio transceiver including a second circuit for controlling the second electric lamp.

13. The network of claim 10, comprising a third radio transceiver arranged in an electrical cabinet supplying electrically the first and the second street lamps, wherein the third radio transceiver controls the electrical supply to the first and the second street lamps by the electrical cabinet.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein the third radio transceiver performs at least one the measurements selected from the group consisting of verifying the presence of a supply voltage in the electrical cabinet, measuring current delivered by the cabinet, measuring leakage currents, measuring induced currents, detecting insulation losses, and measuring corrosion potential, and wherein the second radio transceiver sends the result of the measurements.

15. The network of claim 10, wherein the first and second radio transceiver each define a node among a plurality of nodes of the network, the network further comprising at least one router configured to permit any two nodes of the network to communicate with each other.

18. The network according to claim 10, wherein the first circuit for controlling controls the switching on of the first electric lamp as a function of the message.

19. The network according to claim 10, wherein the first circuit for controlling controls switching off of the first electric lamp as a function of the message.

20. The network according to claim 13, wherein the second radio transceiver receives the message from and repeated by the third radio transceiver.