Lighting performance power monitoring system and method with optional integrated light control
First Claim
1. A compact energy performance monitoring device for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of individual energy sub-loads for lighting, comprising:
- an integrated monitor unit, including;
a multi-circuit monitor module for directly and simultaneously monitoring energy usage as a form of power of the plurality of individual energy sub-loads by generating a plurality of measurements of energy usage of said plurality of energy sub-loads at predetermined intervals; and
wherein the monitor module further comprises a storage module for storing a baseline value of energy usage of said at least one energy load at one or more of said predetermined intervals;
wherein the monitor module further comprises a comparator module for comparing said at least one measurement of energy usage generated by the monitor module that monitors said at least one energy load with the baseline value of energy usage to determine whether a predetermined threshold of a difference between the at least one measurement of energy usage and the baseline has been reached;
said predetermined threshold associated with a power usage when one or more energy loads malfunction or are not operational, anda notification module for providing notification that said at least one energy load has malfunctioned during use or is not operational based on a change in energy usage,at least one program for using said plurality of measurements of energy usage in a first pre-determined manner, said at least one program selected from the group consisting of firmware and software, each said at least one program downloadable via a communications network, each said at least one program locally stored on the device,each said at least one program comprising at least one pre-determined algorithm,each said at least one program comprising at least one member of the group consisting of at least one schedule, at least one setpoint and at least one report parameter; and
said first pre-determined manner including said monitor module selecting and executing said at least one program,a single housing unit for housing the monitor module including the storage module and comparator module within 24 inches of one another, anda local display coupled to the integrated combination monitor/control unit, wherein the communications network is connected to the integrated monitor unit,wherein at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module is configured for further performing processing to accomplish at least one of the group consisting of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting,wherein said at least one of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting are output to at least one of the communication network and the local display.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A light performance monitoring device and optionally integrated controller includes a monitor module that directly monitors energy usage of at least one energy load to generate at least one measurement of energy usage; a storage module stores a series of baseline values of energy usage of the energy load, a comparator module compares energy measurements made at predetermined intervals with the baseline values, and a notification module notifies a designated recipient that there is a deviation from the baseline values consistent with a burned out or non-operational light fixture, including but not limited to light bulbs or ballast devices. A control module optionally integrated with the light performance monitoring device can be operatively coupled to the monitor module to control energy usage by the at least one energy load via a data link in a pre-determined manner that is based on the at least one measurement of energy usage.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A compact energy performance monitoring device for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of individual energy sub-loads for lighting, comprising:
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an integrated monitor unit, including; a multi-circuit monitor module for directly and simultaneously monitoring energy usage as a form of power of the plurality of individual energy sub-loads by generating a plurality of measurements of energy usage of said plurality of energy sub-loads at predetermined intervals; and wherein the monitor module further comprises a storage module for storing a baseline value of energy usage of said at least one energy load at one or more of said predetermined intervals; wherein the monitor module further comprises a comparator module for comparing said at least one measurement of energy usage generated by the monitor module that monitors said at least one energy load with the baseline value of energy usage to determine whether a predetermined threshold of a difference between the at least one measurement of energy usage and the baseline has been reached;
said predetermined threshold associated with a power usage when one or more energy loads malfunction or are not operational, anda notification module for providing notification that said at least one energy load has malfunctioned during use or is not operational based on a change in energy usage, at least one program for using said plurality of measurements of energy usage in a first pre-determined manner, said at least one program selected from the group consisting of firmware and software, each said at least one program downloadable via a communications network, each said at least one program locally stored on the device, each said at least one program comprising at least one pre-determined algorithm, each said at least one program comprising at least one member of the group consisting of at least one schedule, at least one setpoint and at least one report parameter; and said first pre-determined manner including said monitor module selecting and executing said at least one program, a single housing unit for housing the monitor module including the storage module and comparator module within 24 inches of one another, and a local display coupled to the integrated combination monitor/control unit, wherein the communications network is connected to the integrated monitor unit, wherein at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module is configured for further performing processing to accomplish at least one of the group consisting of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting, wherein said at least one of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting are output to at least one of the communication network and the local display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A compact integrated light performance monitoring device and controller for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of individual energy sub-loads of lighting and controlling the plurality of sub-loads, comprising:
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a multi-circuit power monitor module for directly and simultaneously monitoring energy usage as a form of power of the plurality of individual energy sub-loads by generating a plurality of measurements of energy usage of said plurality of individual energy sub-loads at predetermined intervals; and a control module integrated with and operatively coupled to the monitor module for simultaneously controlling overall and individual energy usage by the plurality of energy sub-loads in a first pre-determined manner based on the plurality of measurements of energy usage, said control module for controlling overall and individual energy usage of said plurality of energy subloads via a data link, at least one program for using said plurality of measurements of energy usage, said at least one program selected from the group consisting of firmware and software, each said at least one program downloadable via a communications network, each said at least one program locally stored on the device, each said at least one program comprising at least one pre-determined algorithm, and each said at least one program comprising at least one member of the group consisting of at least one schedule, at least one setpoint and at least one report parameter; said first pre-determined manner including said control module selecting and executing said at least one program, a single housing unit for housing the monitor module and the control module within 24 inches of one another, and a local display coupled to the integrated combination monitor/control unit, wherein the communications network is operatively coupled to at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module, wherein at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module is configured for further performing processing to accomplish at least one of the group consisting of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting, wherein said at least one of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting are output to at least one of the communication network and the local display; a storage module for storing a baseline value of energy usage of said at least one energy load at one or more of said predetermined intervals; a comparator module for comparing said at least one measurement of energy usage of said at least one energy load being generated by the monitor module with a baseline value of energy usage to determine whether a predetermined threshold of a difference between the at least one measurement of energy usage and the baseline has been reached;
said predetermined threshold associated with a power usage when said at least one energy load malfunctions or is not operational, anda notification module for providing notification that said at least one energy load has malfunctioned during use or is not operational based on a change in energy usage; and a control module operatively coupled to the monitor module for controlling energy usage by the at least one energy load according to said at least one measurement of energy usage, wherein said control module controls said at least one energy load via a data link. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for light performance monitoring using a compact power management device for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of individual energy sub-loads and controlling the plurality of sub-loads to control their overall energy consumption, comprising:
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simultaneously monitoring energy usage directly as a form of power of a plurality of individual energy sub-loads for lighting and generating a plurality of measurements of energy usage of said plurality of sub-loads at predetermined intervals; and storing a baseline value of energy usage of said at least one energy load at one or more of said predetermined intervals; comparing a measurement of energy usage with the baseline value and determining whether a predetermined threshold has been reached, wherein said predetermined threshold of a difference between the at least one measurement of energy usage and the baseline is associated with a power usage when said at least one energy load has malfunctioned or is not operational, and providing notification that an energy load has malfunctioned during use or is not operational based on a change in energy usage; operating at least one program for using said plurality of measurements of energy usage, said at least one program selected from the group consisting of firmware and software, each said at least one program downloadable via a communications network, each said at least one program locally stored on the device, each said at least one program comprising at least one pre-determined algorithm, and each said at least one program comprising at least one member of the group consisting of at least one schedule, at least one setpoint and at least one report parameter; said first pre-determined manner including said monitor module selecting and executing said at least one program, housing the monitor module including the storage module and comparator module within 24 inches of one another within a single housing unit, and a local display coupled to the integrated combination monitor/control unit, wherein the communications network is operatively coupled to at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module, wherein at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module is configured for further performing processing to accomplish at least one of the group consisting of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting, wherein said at least one of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting are output to at least one of the communication network and the local display. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for light performance monitoring using a compact power management device for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of individual energy sub-loads and controlling the plurality of sub-loads to control their overall energy consumption, comprising:
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simultaneously monitoring energy usage directly as a form of power of a plurality of individual energy sub-loads for lighting and generating a plurality of measurements of energy usage of said plurality of sub-loads at predetermined intervals; controlling energy usage of said at least one energy load according to said energy measurement using a control module integrated with and operatively coupled to the monitor module for simultaneously controlling overall and individual energy usage by the plurality of energy sub-loads in a first pre-determined manner based on the plurality of measurements of energy usage, said control module controlling overall and individual energy usage of said plurality of energy subloads via a data link, operating at least one program for using said plurality of measurements of energy usage, said at least one program selected from the group consisting of firmware and software, each said at least one program downloadable via a communications network, each said at least one program locally stored on the device, each said at least one program comprising at least one pre-determined algorithm, and each said at least one program comprising at least one member of the group consisting of at least one schedule, at least one setpoint and at least one report parameter; said first pre-determined manner including said control module selecting and executing said at least one program, a single housing unit for housing the monitor module and the control module within 24 inches of one another, and a local display coupled to the integrated combination monitor/control unit, wherein the communications network is operatively coupled to at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module, wherein at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module is configured for further performing processing to accomplish at least one of the group consisting of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting, wherein said at least one of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting are output to at least one of the communication network and the local display; storing a baseline value of energy usage of said at least one energy load at one or more of said predetermined intervals; comparing a measurement of energy usage with the baseline value and determining whether a predetermined threshold has been reached, wherein said predetermined threshold of a difference between the at least one measurement of energy usage and the baseline is associated with a power usage when said at least one energy load has malfunctioned or is not operational, and providing notification that an energy load has malfunctioned during use or is not operational based on a change in energy usage. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification