System for the monitoring and maintenance of remote autonomously powered lighting installations
First Claim
1. A maintenance monitoring system for monitoring an operating status of electrical loads and operating parameters of a plurality of autonomously powered discrete devices, said discrete devices being disposed as part of an array located at a first geographic region, the system further including a processing device provided in a second geographic region remote from said first region,each discrete device comprising at least one associated electrical load, a generator for generating electricity, a battery for storing electricity produced by said generator and providing electric power to said at least one associated electrical load, a device controller for regulating or controlling a flow of electric power from said generator to said battery and from said battery to said at least one associated electrical load, and a data transmission assembly operable to transmit output data representative of operating parameters of battery storage or discharge performance and the at least one associated electrical load,memory for storing said output data of each said discrete device in said array,the processing device being actuabie to:
- compile said output data stored in said memory to determine a regional operating profile for said array for average battery storage or discharge performance over a selected period of time,compile said output data stored in said memory to determine device operating profiles for a selected one of said discrete devices for device battery storage or discharge performance over said selected period of time,compare at least one said regional operating profile and at least one of said device operating profiles, andoutput a data signal if the compared at least one of said device operating profiles falls outside a predetermined threshold difference from the at least one said regional operating profile, the output data signal being selected to provide a distinction between operation anomalies resulting from environmental conditions and operation anomalies that result from a hardware failure and being indicative of a potential maintenance requirement for said selected discrete device, and said predetermined threshold difference being adjustable on the basis of one or more of a performance history of the maintenance monitoring system, a seasonal performance history of the array, and/or an operating history of the discrete devices, andwherein said processing device is operable to effect transmission of testing signals to said discrete devices so as to cause said discrete devices to perform voltage tests and/or short circuit tests.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system of monitoring and/or maintaining remotely located autonomously powered lights, security systems, parking meters, and the like is operable to receive data signals from a number of the devices, and provide a comparison with other similar devices in the same geographic region to detect a default condition of a particular device, and/or assess whether the defect is environmental or particular to the specific device itself. The system includes memory for storing operating parameters and data, and outputs modified control commands to the devices in response to sensed performance, past performance and/or self-learning algorithms. The system operates to provide for the monitoring and/or control of individual device operating parameters on an individual or regional basis, over preset periods.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A maintenance monitoring system for monitoring an operating status of electrical loads and operating parameters of a plurality of autonomously powered discrete devices, said discrete devices being disposed as part of an array located at a first geographic region, the system further including a processing device provided in a second geographic region remote from said first region,
each discrete device comprising at least one associated electrical load, a generator for generating electricity, a battery for storing electricity produced by said generator and providing electric power to said at least one associated electrical load, a device controller for regulating or controlling a flow of electric power from said generator to said battery and from said battery to said at least one associated electrical load, and a data transmission assembly operable to transmit output data representative of operating parameters of battery storage or discharge performance and the at least one associated electrical load, memory for storing said output data of each said discrete device in said array, the processing device being actuabie to: -
compile said output data stored in said memory to determine a regional operating profile for said array for average battery storage or discharge performance over a selected period of time, compile said output data stored in said memory to determine device operating profiles for a selected one of said discrete devices for device battery storage or discharge performance over said selected period of time, compare at least one said regional operating profile and at least one of said device operating profiles, and output a data signal if the compared at least one of said device operating profiles falls outside a predetermined threshold difference from the at least one said regional operating profile, the output data signal being selected to provide a distinction between operation anomalies resulting from environmental conditions and operation anomalies that result from a hardware failure and being indicative of a potential maintenance requirement for said selected discrete device, and said predetermined threshold difference being adjustable on the basis of one or more of a performance history of the maintenance monitoring system, a seasonal performance history of the array, and/or an operating history of the discrete devices, and wherein said processing device is operable to effect transmission of testing signals to said discrete devices so as to cause said discrete devices to perform voltage tests and/or short circuit tests. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A maintenance monitoring system for a solar light installation, the system comprising:
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a solar light array comprising a plurality of discretely powered solar light poles operationally disposed in a first geographic region, a processing assembly being disposed in a second geographic region remote from said first region, and memory, each solar light pole having a power generator including at least one photovoltaic panel, a light providing an electrical load, a battery for receiving and storing electricity generated by the at least one photovoltaic panel, a pole controller for controlling power charging and discharge of the battery and at least one of operating time and intensity of said light, at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of an anemometer, a photovoltaic sensor, a pollution sensor, a wind vane, an environmental sensor and a battery temperature sensor and a data transmission assembly operable to wirelessly communicate output data both from said at least one sensor and data representative of battery charging and discharge performance, the memory provided for storing the output data for each light pole in the solar light array, the processing assembly being actuable to; compile said output data stored in said memory to determine a regional operating profile for said array for at least one selected from the group consisting of aggregate battery storage and discharge performance over a selected period of time, compile said output data stored in said memory to determine device operating profiles for a selected one of said discrete solar light poles for battery storage or discharge performance over said selected period of time, compare at least one said regional operating profile and at least one of said device operating profiles, and output a data signal if the compared at feast one of said device operating profiles falls outside a predetermined threshold difference from the at least one said regional operating profile, the output data signal being selected to provide a distinction between operation anomalies resulting from environmental conditions and operation anomalies that result from a hardware failure and being indicative of a potential maintenance requirement for said selected discrete solar light pole, wherein said predetermined threshold difference is adjustable on the basis of one or more of a performance history of the maintenance monitoring system, a seasonal performance history of the array, and/or an operating history of the selected discrete solar light pole, and wherein said processing assembly is further operable to effect transmission of testing signals to said discrete solar light poles so as to cause said discrete solar light poles to perform voltage tests and/or short circuit tests. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A system for monitoring an operating status of a plurality of autonomously powered discrete devices, said discrete devices selected from one or more of the group consisting of light poles, security camera installations, parking meters, charging stations, bike rental platforms, display boards, environmental sensors, and telecommunication installations, said discrete devices being disposed in an array located at a first geographic region, the system futher including a processing assembly provided at a second geographic region remote from said first geographic region,
each discrete device comprising a plurality of associated electric loads, a generator for generating electricity, a battery for storing electricity produced by said generator and providing electric power to said plurality of associated electric loads, a device controller for controlling a flow of charging electric power from said generator to said battery and discharge power from said battery to said plurality of associated electric loads, and a data transmission assembly, the data transmission assembly being operable to transmit output data representative of operating parameters of storage or discharge performance of the battery and load status of the plurality of associated electric loads, memory for storing said output data from each said discrete device in said array, and the processing assembly being operable to: -
compile said output data stored in said memory to determine regional operating profiles for aggregate battery storage or discharge performance of said array over a selected period of time, compile said output data stored in said memory to determine device operating profiles for a selected one of said discrete devices for device battery storage or discharge performance for the selected device over said selected period of time, compare at least one of said regional operating profiles and at least one of said device operating profiles, and output a data signal if the compared at least one of said device operating profiles falls outside a predetermined threshold difference from the at least one of said regional operating profiles, the output data signal being selected to provide a distinction between operation anomalies in said discrete device resulting from environmental conditions and operation anomalies that result from hardware failure, said predetermined threshold difference being adjustable on the basis of one or more of a performance history of the system, a seasonal performance history of the array, and/or an operating history of the discrete devices, and wherein said processing assembly further being, operable to effect transmission of testing signals to said discrete devices no as to cause said discrete devices to perform voltage tests and/or short circuit tests. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification