System and method for streetlight monitoring diagnostics

• US 8,442,785 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2011
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walters, Jeff, Dorogi, Michael, Zigovski, Szabolcs, Cristian, Voicu, Ticus, Ion
• Primary Examiner(s): KUNDU, SUJOY K
• Application Number:
  US13/301,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 702 57- 60, 702/64, 702/65, 315134-136
• US Class Current: 702/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/44 Testing lamps
• 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

One or more example diagnostics may be implemented as part of an intelligent luminaire manager or other radio frequency (RF) device that is in communication with an equipment or fixture such as a luminaire. Example diagnostics can determine a status such as a fixture malfunction, a cycling condition, a miswiring configuration, or another condition. The determined status can be wirelessly transmitted from the intelligent luminaire manager or other radio frequency device to a network server via a network. The network may be a network of intelligent luminaire managers and/or RF devices.

Claims

1. An intelligent luminaire manager, comprising:

a voltage sensor for measuring a voltage provided to a luminaire;

a current sensor for measuring a current provided to the luminaire;

a controller configured to receive voltage information corresponding to the voltage measured by the voltage sensor and current information corresponding to the current measured by the current sensor;

a luminaire diagnostic program stored in a memory of the controller, wherein the luminaire diagnostic program is operative to;

compute a first average real power based upon the received voltage information and the received current information for a first time period;

compute a second average real power based upon the received voltage information and the received current information for a second time period subsequent to the first time period;

determine whether the second average real power has increased beyond the first average real power by at least a preset amount; and

generate a fixture status indication associated with the luminaire based upon the determination.

2. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 1, wherein the preset amount is a percentage of the computed initial average real power.

3. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 1, wherein the second average real power is determined to not have increased beyond the initial average real power by the preset amount, and wherein the luminaire diagnostic program is further configured to:

determine that the second average real power does not exceed a threshold value, wherein the fixture status indication is set to indicate a bad fixture.

4. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 1, wherein the second average real power is determined to not have increased beyond the initial average real power by the preset amount, and wherein the luminaire diagnostic program is further configured to:

determine that the second average real power exceeds a threshold value, wherein the fixture status indication is set to indicate an installation of a non-HID (high-intensity discharge) lamp.

5. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 1, wherein the first time period begins after a predetermined delay period following a directive from the controller to turn on the luminaire.

6. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 1, wherein the generated fixture status is wirelessly transmitted to a network server via a network of networked intelligent luminaire managers.

7. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 1, wherein the initial average real power or the second average real power value is computed based at least in part upon by averaging a plurality of instantaneous real power values, wherein each instantaneous real power value is determined from a product of a voltage value and a current value, wherein the voltage value is included in the received voltage information and the current value is included in the received current information.

8. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the second average real power has increased beyond the first average real power value by at least the preset amount comprises:

calculating a magnitude of a difference between the second average real power and the first average real power; and

comparing the calculated magnitude to the preset amount.

9. An intelligent luminaire manager, comprising:

a voltage sensor for measuring a voltage provided to a luminaire;

a current sensor for measuring a current provided to the luminaire;

a controller configured to receive voltage information corresponding to the voltage measured by the voltage sensor and current information corresponding to the current measured by the current sensor;

a luminaire diagnostic program stored in a memory of the controller, wherein the luminaire diagnostic program is operative to;

update a reference power value based upon an average real power computed using the received voltage information and the received current information;

compute a current real power based upon the received voltage information and the received current information; and

increment a cycling counter based upon determining, while the luminaire is associated with an ON state, that the current real power is less than a first threshold associated with the reference power value; and

identify a cycling fault based upon the cycling counter exceeding a second threshold.

10. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 9, wherein the first threshold is a predetermined percentage or fraction of the reference power value.

11. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 9, wherein the average real power is computed within a predetermined time period range from the computation of the current real power.

12. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 11, wherein the luminaire diagnostic program is operative to:

update the reference power value when the computed average real power exceeds an existing value of the reference power value.

13. The intelligent luminaire manager of claim 11, wherein an indication of the cycling fault is wirelessly transmitted to a network server via a network of networked intelligent luminaire managers.