System and method for monitoring street lighting luminaires

• US 9,420,674 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hartman, Michael James, Hershey, John Erik, Dell'Anno, Michael Joseph, Soro, Stanislava, Barnett, Bruce Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUYET THI
• Application Number:
  US14/484,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20150137684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 315/291, 315307-326, 315/185.S, 315/224, 315/247
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/20 Responsive to malfunctions or to light source life; for protection
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/22 with communication between the lamps and a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/72 in street lighting

Abstract

A system for identifying a fault in a light source is presented. The system includes at least one luminaire that includes the light source configured to emit light. Also, the at least one luminaire includes a monitoring device disposed proximate to the light source. The monitoring device includes a sensing unit configured to measure an amount of light emitted by the light source, and a squawk unit configured to generate a squawk signal based on the amount of light emitted from the light source, where the squawk signal is indicative of the fault in the light source. Further, the system includes a diagnostic unit communicatively coupled to the at least one luminaire and configured to determine the fault in the light source based on the squawk signal, and transmit a termination signal to the squawk unit to decouple an electrical power supply from the light source.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a fault in a light source, the system comprising:

a plurality of luminaires arranged along a street, and wherein each of the luminaires comprises;

the light source coupled to an electrical power supply and configured to emit light based on electrical power received from the electrical power supply;

a monitoring device disposed proximate to the light source and comprising;

a sensing unit configured to measure an amount of light emitted by the light source;

a squawk unit electrically coupled to the sensing unit and configured to generate a squawk signal based on the amount of light emitted from the light source, wherein the squawk signal is indicative of the fault in the light source, and wherein the squawk signal comprises an address associated with a corresponding luminaire;

a diagnostic unit communicatively coupled to the plurality of luminaires and configured to;

determine the fault in the light source of the corresponding luminaire based on the squawk signal, wherein the diagnostic unit identifies the corresponding luminaire among the plurality of luminaires based on the address in the squawk signal; and

transmit a termination signal to the squawk unit to decouple the electrical power supply from the light source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the squawk unit is configured to generate the squawk signal when the amount of light emitted from the light source is below a threshold value.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the squawk unit is configured to emit the squawk signal into air at an ultrasonic frequency.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the squawk unit is configured to communicate the squawk signal over a power cable coupling the light source to the diagnostic unit.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the squawk unit comprises an addressable switch coupled to the power cable and configured to decouple the electrical power supply from the light source based on the termination signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the termination signal comprises an address associated with the at least one luminaire.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the diagnostic unit is configured to communicate the termination signal to the squawk unit coupled to the light source corresponding to the address.

8. A luminaire system, comprising:

a light source coupled to an electrical power supply and configured to emit light based on electrical power received from the electrical power supply;

a sensing unit disposed proximate to the light source and configured to measure an amount of light emitted from the light source;

a squawk unit electrically coupled to the sensing unit and configured to;

generate a squawk signal based on the amount of light emitted from the light source, wherein the squawk signal is indicative of a fault in the light source, and wherein the squawk signal comprises an address associated with the luminaire system;

communicate the squawk signal comprising the address associated with the luminaire system to a diagnostic unit, wherein the diagnostic unit identifies the luminaire system based on the address in the squawk signal; and

decouple the electrical power supply from the light source based on a termination signal received from the diagnostic unit.

9. The luminaire system of claim 8, wherein the squawk unit is configured to generate the squawk signal until the electrical power supply is decoupled from the light source.

10. The luminaire system of claim 8, wherein the squawk signal comprises at least one tone at a determined frequency, and wherein the at least one tone corresponds to the fault in the light source.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the diagnostic unit is configured to communicate a signal indicative of the fault in the light source to an operator device.

12. The luminaire system of claim 8, wherein the termination signal comprises an address associated with the luminaire system.

13. The luminaire system of claim 12, wherein the diagnostic unit is configured to communicate the termination signal to the squawk unit coupled to the light source corresponding to the address.

14. A method for identifying a fault in at least one of a plurality of luminaires, the method comprising:

measuring, by a sensing unit, light emitted from a light source of a corresponding luminaire;

generating, by a squawk unit, a squawk signal when an amount of light emitted from the light source is below a threshold value, wherein the squawk signal is indicative of a fault in the light source, and wherein the squawk signal comprises an address associated with the corresponding luminaire;

communicating, by the squawk unit, the squawk signal comprising the address associated with the corresponding luminaire to a diagnostic unit, wherein the diagnostic unit identifies the corresponding luminaire among the plurality of luminaires based on the address in the squawk signal; and

decoupling an electrical power supply from the light source based on a termination signal received from the diagnostic unit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein communicating the squawk signal comprises transmitting the squawk signal over a power cable coupling the squawk unit to the diagnostic unit.