Method and system for reducing light pollution

• US 8,665,138 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terma A/S (Thomas B. Thriges Fond)
• Original Assignee: Laufer Wind Group, LLC
• Inventors: Laufer, Eric David
• Primary Examiner(s): BYTHROW, PETER M
• Application Number:
  US13/159,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20110241926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 342 27- 58, 342/61, 340/332, 340/463, 340/468, 340/641, 340/815.4, 340/815.66, 340/945, 340/947, 340/948, 340952-956, 340/961, 340981-985, 340/962, 315/77, 315149-159, 362/459, 362/470
• US Class Current: 342/61
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/00 Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/10 Arrangements for warning air traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A system for preventing light pollution includes one or more radar units that monitor for vehicles in a volume surrounding or containing one or more obstructions having one or more obstruction lights. A master radar detection processing unit receives sensed radar detection information from the one or more radar units with associated radar signal processing units and determines whether a vehicle is present within the monitored volume. A plurality of obstruction light controller units are interconnected in a network, such as a wireless network. Each obstruction light controller unit turns on an obstruction light when a vehicle enters the monitored volume or a failure condition exists, and turns off the obstruction light when the vehicle has vacated the monitored volume and no failure condition exists. The one or more radar units can transmit sensed radar detection information to a master radar detection processing unit via the network.

Claims

1. An obstruction light controller unit for preventing light pollution, comprising:

a communications unit configured to receive one or more signals from a master radar detection processing unit via a network, the master radar detection processing unit generating the one or more signals based on radar detection information from at least one radar unit, the at least one radar unit monitoring a volume surrounding or containing at least one obstruction having one or more obstruction lights; and

a switching unit configured (i) to turn on the one or more obstruction lights in response to receiving a first signal of the one or more signals indicative of a determination that a vehicle has entered the monitored volume or that a failure condition has occurred and (ii) to turn off the one or more obstruction lights in response to a second signal of the one or more signals indicative of a determination that all vehicles have vacated the monitored volume and the failure condition has not occurred.

2. The obstruction light controller unit of claim 1, wherein the communications unit is a wireless communications unit that includes an antenna.

3. The obstruction light controller unit of claim 1, wherein the switching unit is a normally closed (NC) relay or a single-pole-double-throw (SPDT) relay with normally closed leads.

4. The obstruction light controller unit of claim 1, wherein the switching unit is further configured to monitor, within a regular time interval, for a predetermined signal indicating that elements of a system for preventing light pollution are properly functioning and to turn on the one or more obstruction lights in response to not detecting, within the regular time interval, the predetermined signal.

5. The obstruction light controller unit of claim 1, wherein the communications unit is further configured to relay the first and second signals to a second obstruction light controller unit.

6. The obstruction light controller unit of claim 1 further configured to flash the one or more obstruction lights at an adjustable rate.

7. The obstruction light controller unit of claim 1, wherein the switching unit is further configured to monitor the operational status of the one or more obstruction lights, and the communications unit is configured to send one or more signals indicating the operational status of the one or more obstruction lights to the master radar detection processing unit via the network.

8. A method for preventing light pollution, comprising:

receiving one or more signals from a master radar detection processing unit, the master radar detection processing unit generating the one or more signals based on radar detection information from at least one radar unit, the at least one radar unit monitoring a volume surrounding or containing at least one obstruction;

turning on one or more obstruction lights in response to receiving a first signal of the one or more signals indicative of a determination that a vehicle has entered the monitored volume or that a failure condition has occurred; and

turning off the one or more obstruction lights in response to a second signal of the one or more signals indicative of a determination that all vehicles have vacated the monitored volume and the failure condition has not occurred.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more signals from the master radar detection processing unit are received via a wireless channel.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring, within a regular time interval, for a predetermined signal indicating that elements of a system for preventing light pollution are properly functioning; and

turning on the one or more obstruction lights in response to not detecting, within the regular time interval, the predetermined signal.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising relaying the first and second signals to an obstruction light controller unit.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising relaying the first and second signals to an obstruction light controller unit via a wireless network.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein turning on one or more obstruction lights comprises flashing the one or more obstruction lights at an adjustable rate.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring the operational status of the one or more obstruction lights; and

transmitting one or more signals to the master radar detection processing unit indicating the operational status of the one or more obstruction lights.

15. A computer program product for preventing light pollution, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product including instructions being operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

monitor for vehicles in a volume surrounding or containing at least one obstruction, the at least one obstruction having at least one obstruction light;

determine whether at least one vehicle is present in the monitored volume;

determine whether a failure condition exists; and

turn on at least one obstruction light in response to determining that (i) at least one vehicle is present in the monitored volume or (ii) a failure condition exists; and

turn off the at least one obstruction light in response to determining that (i) no vehicles are present in the monitored volume and (ii) a failure condition does not exist.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions being operable to cause the data processing apparatus to determine whether the failure condition exists include instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to monitor, within a regular time interval, for a predetermined signal indicating whether elements of a system for preventing light pollution are properly functioning.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further including instructions being operable to cause the data processing apparatus to turn on at least one obstruction light in response to not detecting, within the regular time interval, the predetermined signal indicating that elements of the system for preventing light pollution are properly functioning.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further including instructions being operable to cause the data processing apparatus to turn on at least one obstruction light in response to detecting a predetermined signal indicating that elements of a system for preventing light pollution are not properly functioning.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further including instructions being operable to cause the data processing apparatus to determine at least one of a presence of an airborne vehicle, a range of the airborne vehicle, an azimuth of the airborne vehicle, an elevation of the airborne vehicle, or any combination thereof.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further including instructions being operable to cause the data processing apparatus to differentiate between airborne vehicles and ground vehicles.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the at least one obstruction includes a windmill, a wind turbine, a tower, or any combination thereof.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further including instructions being operable to cause the data processing apparatus to differentiate a vehicle from the motion of the wind turbine rotors or the variable yaw orientation of the wind turbine nacelles.

23. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions being operable to cause the data processing apparatus to determine whether the failure condition exists include instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to determine a number of obstruction lights with faults and turn on at least one obstruction light in response to the number of obstruction lights with faults exceeding a pre-determined number.