Remote monitor/control for billboard lighting or standby power system
First Claim
1. A monitor/controller for use with a remote billboard lighting system including plural billboards each having plural display faces with respective associated sets of lights for illuminating said display faces, said monitor/controller comprising:
- a utility power connection for providing utility power to said sets of lights of each billboard of said plural billboards;
plural sensors each coupled to a respective set of lights of said sets of lights for providing plural output signals representing operating status of said sets of lights;
plural relays each coupled to said respective set of lights of said sets of lights;
said monitor/controller communicating with at least one central controller operating in a wireless communications network;
a programmable signal processor coupled to said plural sensors and said relays and in communication with said at least one central controller via said wireless communications network for providing information to said at least one central controller regarding said operating status of said sets of lights, and for receiving and storing lighting operation commands from said at least one central controller and providing output signals to said relays for controlling the operation of each said sets of lights, in accordance with a predetermined schedule and said operating status of said sets of lights;
wherein said programmable signal processor includes a test and calibration program initiated during installation of the monitor/controller and including determination of maximum, minimum and average current in a respective circuit connected to each of said sets of lights after operation of said sets of lights has stabilized, wherein the test and calibration program further includes determining and storing referenced calibration data for said respective circuit connected to said each of said sets of lights after operation of said sets of lights has stabilized;
wherein said programmable signal processor further includes a program for storing a site history record based upon information determined and stored by said test and calibration program for said sets of lights in said each billboard of said plural billboards;
wherein said programmable signal processor determines a reference tolerance curve comprising upper and lower tolerance limits for acceptable current level for said respective circuit connected to said each of said sets of lights in said each billboard of said plural billboards.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A lighting monitor/control system for remote billboards uses a cellular network to provide utility power and light status information to a central controller, which in response provides control signals to individual remote billboard lighting controllers for setting operating parameters such as multiple on/off times, lighting power adjustments for individual billboards, and custom lighting schedules based upon geographic and environmental considerations. Battery back-up is provided in the event of utility power outage with automatic reversion to utility power when restored. Immediate notification of failure of utility power or of individual lamp or ballast failure is provided by SMS messaging formatted so as to minimize the number of messages and reduce communications costs. The monitor/control system is also adapted for use in remote power monitoring applications to automatically switch to standby power (generator) in the absence of primary power and to return to primary power when restored.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A monitor/controller for use with a remote billboard lighting system including plural billboards each having plural display faces with respective associated sets of lights for illuminating said display faces, said monitor/controller comprising:
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a utility power connection for providing utility power to said sets of lights of each billboard of said plural billboards; plural sensors each coupled to a respective set of lights of said sets of lights for providing plural output signals representing operating status of said sets of lights; plural relays each coupled to said respective set of lights of said sets of lights; said monitor/controller communicating with at least one central controller operating in a wireless communications network; a programmable signal processor coupled to said plural sensors and said relays and in communication with said at least one central controller via said wireless communications network for providing information to said at least one central controller regarding said operating status of said sets of lights, and for receiving and storing lighting operation commands from said at least one central controller and providing output signals to said relays for controlling the operation of each said sets of lights, in accordance with a predetermined schedule and said operating status of said sets of lights; wherein said programmable signal processor includes a test and calibration program initiated during installation of the monitor/controller and including determination of maximum, minimum and average current in a respective circuit connected to each of said sets of lights after operation of said sets of lights has stabilized, wherein the test and calibration program further includes determining and storing referenced calibration data for said respective circuit connected to said each of said sets of lights after operation of said sets of lights has stabilized; wherein said programmable signal processor further includes a program for storing a site history record based upon information determined and stored by said test and calibration program for said sets of lights in said each billboard of said plural billboards; wherein said programmable signal processor determines a reference tolerance curve comprising upper and lower tolerance limits for acceptable current level for said respective circuit connected to said each of said sets of lights in said each billboard of said plural billboards. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification