Wireless autonomous solar-powered outdoor lighting and energy and information management network

• US 8,588,830 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Solarone Solutions, Inc. (Reden Solar SAS)
• Original Assignee: Inovus Solar, Inc. (Reden Solar SAS)
• Inventors: Cooperrider, Paul H., Gonzalez, David, Myer, Seth Jamison
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jain, Ankur
• Application Number:
  US12/533,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20100029268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 455/507
• US Class Current: 455/507
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/00 Systems of lighting devices, not provided for in main groups F21S4/00 - F21S10/00 or F21S19/00, e.g. of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/083 of bollard type, i.e. with lighting fixture integrated into the standard or mounted on top of it and having substantially the same diameter
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/085 of high-built type, e.g. street light
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/088 with lighting device mounted on top of the standard, e.g. for pedestrian zones
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 9/035 the solar unit being integrated within the support for the lighting unit, e.g. within or on a pole
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 9/043 driven by wind power, e.g. by wind turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/02 by movement of light sources in vehicle head lamps F21S41/657
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/03 Ceiling bases, e.g. ceiling roses F21V21/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/04 the elements being switches safety devices F21V25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/71 using a combination of separate elements interconnected by heat-conducting means, e.g. with heat pipes or thermally conductive bars between separate heat-sink elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/83 the elements having apertures, ducts or channels, e.g. heat radiation holes
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0521 using a gaseous or a liquid coolant, e.g. air flow ventilation, water circulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/38 Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• 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 20/30 : Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 : Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/72 : in street lighting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 : Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 : Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 : Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 : Electrical device making

Abstract

An array of outdoor lighting operates mainly in independent mode wherein sensing, communication, and control processes take place between the various lights of the array. Additional communication and control may occur between the array and a control station by means of a master/coordinating node that transmits and receives signals to the control station via call phone and/or satellite. The system may be tied to the internet for dissemination of data and/or data analysis gathered by means of the multiple poles/devices of the array. The independent-array and/or the master-to-station network and communications may be adapted for energy-saving processes; power-receiving from or power-providing to the grid, renewable power production and storage by means of solar panels and/or wind turbines and associated batteries or other storage equipment; and/or to Wi-Fi hot-spots, public safety alarms, information, or advertising to the public or information/data-analysis to customers. Preferred members of the array have solar-panel-powered lights, which may charge batteries and optionally supply energy to an electrical grid. In arrays cooperating with the grid, the grid may optionally charge the batteries of the array during off-peak hours. The preferred lights include LED modules that may be aimed to establish desired light patterns.

Claims

1. An outdoor lighting system controlled by a wireless communications system, the outdoor lighting system comprising:

a control station in a first geographic region and having an internet connection;

slave poles installed in a second geographic region, each having an outdoor light;

a master pole in said second geographic region that is adapted to transmit data to said control station;

wherein said slave poles are adapted to wirelessly communicate data to said master pole that is then transmitted by said master pole to the control station;

wherein the outdoor lighting system further comprises flexible solar panels wrapped circumferentially around, and attached to, said slave poles and said master pole, wherein the solar panels attached to said slave poles are adapted to power the outdoor lights and the solar panel attached to the master pole is adapted to power said transmission of data to the control station;

wherein the outdoor lighting system further comprises a grid-tie and is adapted to supply electrical energy to an electrical grid during at least some peak electricity consumption hours and to receive electrical energy from the grid during at least some non-peak electricity consumption hours; and

wherein said data wirelessly communicated from the slave poles to said master pole comprises data on energy production of the solar panels and operation of the outdoor lights, and said data transmitted from the master pole to the control station comprises data on energy supplied by the outdoor lighting system to the grid and data on energy received from the grid by the outdoor lighting system.

2. A system as in claim 1, comprising both a high bandwidth channel and a low bandwidth channel of data transmission between slave poles, wherein said low bandwidth channel is used to conserve energy from both said solar panel and from said grid-tie, until an event occurs that switches at least one of said slave poles to communicate in the high bandwidth channel.

3. A system as in claim 2, wherein at least one of said slave poles comprises a motion sensor and a camera, and said event comprises said motion sensor becoming activated and said high bandwidth channel is used in turning on said camera and communicating data from said camera.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein communication between said master pole and said control station is two-way, and communication between said master pole and said slave poles is also two-way, so that said control station is adapted to transmit data to said master pole, and said master pole is adapted to transmit data to said slave poles, wherein said data transmitted to the master pole from the control station and from the master pole to the slave poles is selected from the group consisting of:

new programming, firmware upgrades, troubleshooting, repair and system reset.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein said slave poles and said master pole further house electrical energy storage systems and the outdoor lighting system is adapted to store energy from said flexible solar panels and from the grid through said grid-tie in said storage systems, and the outdoor lighting system is further adapted to provide power from the storage systems to the grid through said grid-tie during at least some peak electrical consumption periods, and to provide power from the storage systems to said outdoor lights during grid-power-outages.

6. A system as in claim 1, adapted for a light-the-way-mode, wherein the slave poles comprise motion sensors and are adapted to sense movement of an object at or near a first and a second of said slave poles, increase lighting of the outdoor lights on said first and second slave poles from a dimmed or off state, determine speed and direction of travel of the object, and transmit data to a third slave pole in the said direction of travel and ahead of the moving object, to cause said third slave pole to increase lighting of an area around said third slave pole from a dimmed or off state.

7. A system as in claim 6, wherein each slave pole is adapted to transmit data to other of said slave poles in a range of at least two poles away, so that a slave pole two poles away from a data-transmitting slave pole receives the transmitted data even in the event that a slave pole immediately adjacent to a data-transmitting slave pole is malfunctioning.

8. A system as in claim 6, wherein all of said slave poles are adapted for said light-the-way-mode so that motion sensors, sensing movement of an object at or near any of said slave poles, increase lighting of the outdoor lights where the object is moving and also increase lighting in the direction of travel and ahead of the moving object.

9. A system as in claim 6, wherein said slave poles are located in a parking lot.

10. A system as in claim 6, wherein the slave poles are installed along a roadway or walkway comprising an intersection, and the slave poles located at or near said intersection are adapted to sense a vehicle or person traveling at or near the intersection, and to increase lighting of the outdoor lights at or near the intersection from a dimmed or off state until the slave poles at or near said intersection sense the direction the vehicle or person is traveling from the intersection, and to then signal a slave pole on a branch of the roadway or walkway beyond the intersection in the direction the vehicle or person is traveling and ahead of the vehicle or person, to increase lighting of said branch from a dimmed or off state.

11. A system as in claim 1, wherein each slave pole is adapted to transmit data to other of said slave poles in a range of at least two poles away, so that a slave pole two poles away from a data-transmitting slave pole receives the transmitted data even in the event that a slave pole immediately adjacent to a data-transmitting slave pole is malfunctioning.

12. A system as in claim 1, further comprising at least one additional slave pole comprising an electrical device selected from the group consisting of:

an alarm, a security camera, Wi-Fi hotspot equipment, advertising display, information dissemination display, audible announcement equipment, a motion sensor, a luminosity sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, and a wind speed sensor;

wherein said at least one additional slave pole further comprises a flexible solar panel wrapped circumferentially around, and attached to, said at least one additional slave pole and adapted to power said electrical device;

wherein said at least one additional slave pole is adapted to receive electrical energy from the grid through the grid-tie to power said electrical device during at least some non-peak electricity consumption hours, and said additional slave pole is adapted to supply electrical energy to the electrical grid during at least some peak electricity consumption hours.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein said at least one additional slave pole houses an electrical energy storage system, in which is stored energy from the flexible solar panel of said at least one additional slave pole and from the grid through said grid-tie, and which provides power to the grid during at least some peak-consumption hours, and to power said electrical device during grid-power-outages.

14. A system as in claim 1, wherein multiple of the slave poles comprise a security camera and multiple of the slave poles comprise a motion sensor, wherein the system is adapted to determine direction and velocity of a moving vehicle or moving person by means of triangulation of signals from a plurality of the motion sensors, to estimate future direction and location of the moving vehicle or person, and to turn on or wake up at least one security camera ahead of the moving vehicle or person.