Remote monitoring and control of LED based street lights

• US 8,598,986 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dialight Corporation (Dialight PLC)
• Original Assignee: Dialight Corporation (Dialight PLC)
• Inventors: Ahmad, Rizwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGDORF, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US12/431,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20100271178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 405/57, 315/312, 362/311.02, 362/240, 362/85, 340 101- 1052, 340/310.11, 340/635, 340/815.45, 340906-907, 340/909, 340/915, 340/917, 340/924, 340/944, 340/3.1, 700/17, 700/19
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/44 Testing lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/22 with communication between the lamps and a central unit

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method for remotely monitoring and controlling a light emitting diode. In one embodiment, the method includes establishing a two-way communication path via a communication module to a central office, wherein said communication module is coupled to said LED based street light and sending information related to the LED based street light to the central office via the two-way communication path.

Claims

1. A method for remotely monitoring and controlling a light emitting diode (LED) based street light, comprising:

establishing a two-way communication path via a communication module to a central office, wherein said communication module is coupled to said LED based street light, wherein said LED based street light comprises a plurality of independently controllable groups of LEDs;

sending by said communications module information related to said LED based street light to a meter collector, which then forwards said information to said central office via said two-way communication path, wherein said two-way communication path traverses an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI); and

receiving by said communications module at least one control signal from said central office via said two-way communication path, wherein the at least one control signal turns on only one of the plurality of independently controllable groups of LEDs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one control signal comprises at least one of:

a signal to remotely turn off said LED based street light, a signal to turn on said LED based street light, a signal to adjust a brightness of said LED based street light or a signal to request an on demand health check of said LED based street light.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication module communicates via at least one of:

a 900 megahertz (MHz) spread spectrum band, a ZigBee protocol, a power line communication protocol, a cellular protocol, a satellite communication protocol, a paging communication protocol or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said two-way communication path traverses at least one public network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said information comprises at least one of:

reporting information or diagnostic information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said reporting information comprises at least one of:

a burn time, a fault with a time-stamp, a number of ignitions, an amount of kilo-watt hours (KWH) usage, a number of functioning LEDs within said LED based street light, a light output factor of said LED based street light or a light degradation factor of said LED based street light.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said diagnostic information comprises at least one of:

a fixture malfunction or a photo controller failure.

8. A method for remotely monitoring and controlling at least one light emitting diode (LED) based street light, comprising:

establishing a two-way communication path with said at least one LED based street light via a communication module coupled to said at least one LED based street light, wherein said at least one LED based street light comprises a plurality of independently controllable groups of LEDs;

receiving at a central office information related to said at least one LED based street light via said two-way communication path from a meter collector that received said information from said at least one LED based street light, wherein said two-way communication path traverses an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI);

transmitting from a central office at least one control signal to said at least one LED based street light via said two-way communication path, wherein the at least one control signal turns on only one of the plurality of independently controllable groups of LEDs.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one control signal comprises at least one of:

a signal to remotely turn off said LED based street light, a signal to turn on said LED based street light, a signal to adjust a brightness of said LED based street light or a signal to request an on demand health check of said LED based street light.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said information comprises at least one of:

reporting information or diagnostic information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said reporting information comprises at least one of:

a burn time, a fault with a time-stamp, a number of ignitions, an amount of kilo-watt hours (KWH) usage, a number of functioning LEDs within said LED based street light, a light output factor of said LED based street light or a light degradation factor of said LED based street light.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said diagnostic information comprises at least one of:

a fixture malfunction or a photo controller failure.

13. A method for remotely monitoring and controlling at least one light emitting diode (LED) based street light, comprising:

establishing a two-way communication path with said at least one LED based street light via a communication module coupled to said at least one LED based street light, wherein said at least one LED based street light comprises a plurality of independently controllable groups of LEDs;

establishing a two-way communication path with a central office, wherein said two-way communication path traverses an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI);

collecting information related to said at least one LED based street light via said two-way communication path with said at least one LED based street light;

transmitting said collected information to a meter collector, which then forwards said collected information to said central office via said two-way communication path with said central office;

transmitting from said central office said at least one control signal to said at least one LED based street light to turn on only said one of the plurality of independently controllable groups of LEDs; and

receiving by said at least one LED based street light at least one control signal from said central office, wherein the at least one control signal turns on only one of the plurality of independently controllable groups of LEDs.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least one control signal comprises at least one of:

a signal to remotely turn off said LED based street light, a signal to turn on said LED based street light, a signal to adjust a brightness of said LED based street light or a signal to request an on demand health check of said LED based street light.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said information comprises at least one of:

reporting information or diagnostic information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said reporting information comprises at least one of:

a burn time, a fault with a time-stamp, a number of ignitions, an amount of kilo-watt hours (KWH) usage, a number of functioning LEDs within said LED based street light, a light output factor of said LED based street light or a light degradation factor of said LED based street light.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said diagnostic information comprises at least one of:

a fixture malfunction or a photo controller failure.