Monitoring system and method

• US 9,520,742 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Inventors: Brown, Philip Gregory, Mercer, Alec M., Reid, Jeff T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US14/323,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20160005294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/10 Monitoring of the annunciator circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/00 Circuit arrangements for emergency or stand-by power supply, e.g. for emergency lighting
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/22 with communication between the lamps and a central unit

Abstract

System and method for monitoring electrical devices such as luminaires, including ballast and/or battery powered lighting components, for variety of fault conditions from central location utilize monitoring unit that interfaces with host lighting fixture or luminaire to allow status of host to be remotely monitored. Monitoring unit can interface with host in fully galvanically isolated manner using current transformers allowing host lighting fixture to be monitored in the least intrusive manner. Monitoring unit can be seamlessly fitted to new luminaires or existing luminaires. Current transformer interface has minimal effect on host ballast functionality and operation. Monitoring system may include a plurality of monitoring units multi-dropped on a single field bus network or in a power line communication. Power for monitoring unit can be derived from field bus network or power line. Operating parameters and addressing information of monitoring unit may be configured via interface using laptop or PC.

Claims

1. A lighting fixture monitoring unit comprising:

a housing;

a sensor configured within said housing in a galvanically isolated communication with at least a portion of a wiring of a lighting fixture, said portion of the wiring disposed outside of the housing; and

a microprocessor receiving output information from the sensor and outputting monitoring data indicative of a status of the lighting fixture,

wherein said output information received from the sensor is based at least on said galvanically isolated communication with said portion of said wiring disposed outside of the housing.

2. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claims 1, wherein

the lighting fixture comprises a ballast and a light source,

the wiring comprises ballast wiring, and

the status comprises at least one of mains light source on status, inhibit input status, emergency light source current, and a battery charge current.

3. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claims 1, wherein the microprocessor outputs the monitoring data to a central monitor via one of a field bus network or a power line communication.

4. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claims 1, wherein the microprocessor outputs the monitoring data to a central monitor via a wireless communication.

5. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claims 4, wherein the microprocessor outputs the monitoring data to the central monitor via at least one of a wireless mesh network, a web-based communication, a blue tooth, and a short-range or long-range radio frequency (RF) communication.

6. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claim 3, wherein the microprocessor derives power from one of the field bus network or the power line.

7. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claim 1, further comprising an interface, wherein operating parameters and addressing information enabling communication with the microprocessor are configured via the interface.

8. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises:

an interior compartment having the microprocessor and sensor disposed therein, and

an essentially cylindrical hollow tube projecting through the compartment, the tube having

a first surface within the interior of the compartment, and

a second surface exterior to the housing diametrically opposed to the first surface, and defining a portion of an external surface of the compartment,

the sensor including a current transformer having an essentially toroidal inductor disposed concentrically with respect to the first surface of the tube,

wherein the wiring of the lighting fixture passes through the tube within the second surface exterior to the housing.

9. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claim 2, wherein the wiring comprises return cables for at least one of the light source, a battery cable and an indicator cable of the ballast.

10. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claim 8, wherein the housing further includes an elevated portion and the tube is disposed horizontally through the elevated portion of the housing, whereby the wiring of the fixture is fed through and exterior to the housing via the tube.

11. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claim 1, wherein the output information from the sensor comprises a sensed AC current signal of the wiring in communication with the sensor,

the sensed AC current is converted into a DC voltage for analogue to digital signal conversion and averaging process by the microprocessor, and

the monitoring data indicative of the status output by the microprocessor is derived from the averaging.

12. The lighting fixture monitoring unit of claim 11, wherein the averaging process comprises acquiring samples of the signal at a sampling rate, summing the samples, and yielding the average value from the summing, and

the status output by the microprocessor is based on the average value.

13. A lighting system comprising:

a light source;

a ballast connected to AC mains and providing power to the light source;

a wiring electrically interconnecting the light source, the ballast and the AC mains;

a field bus; and

a monitoring unit comprising a housing, an electrical connection to the field bus, and an interface with at least one of the light source and the ballast,

wherein the monitoring unit is powered by the filed bus via the electrical connection, and detects a status of the at least one of the light source and the ballast via the interface, the interface including a galvanically isolated connection of a sensor configured within said housing with at least a portion of the wiring disposed outside of the housing of the monitoring unit, and the detected status is based at least on said galvanically isolated connection with said portion of the wiring disposed outside of the housing of the monitoring unit.

14. The lighting system of claim 13, wherein the monitoring unit outputs information indicative of the status via the field bus.

15. The lighting system of claim 13, wherein the monitoring unit further includes a transceiver for outputting information indicative of the status via at least one of a wired or wireless communication.

16. A lighting system comprising:

a plurality of light sources;

a plurality of ballast connected to AC mains and providing power to the respective light sources;

a plurality of wirings electrically interconnecting each of the light sources and respective ballasts, and the AC mains;

a field bus; and

a plurality of monitoring units each comprising a housing, an electrical connection to the field bus, and an interface with the respective at least one of light sources and the ballasts,

wherein each of the monitoring units is powered by the filed bus via the electrical connection, and detects a status of the respective at least one of the light sources and the ballasts via the interface, the interface including a galvanically isolated connection of a sensor configured within said housing with at least a portion of the wirings interconnecting the respective at least one of the light sources and the ballasts, and the AC mains, said portion of the wirings disposed outside of the housing of the respective monitoring unit, and the detected status is based at least on said galvanically isolated connection with said portion of the wirings disposed outside of the housing of the respective monitoring unit.

17. The lighting system of claim 16, wherein each of the monitoring units outputs information indicative of the status via the field bus.

18. The lighting system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the monitoring units further includes a transceiver for outputting information indicative of the status via at least one of a wired or wireless communication.

19. The lighting system of claim 16, wherein each of at least two of the plurality of the monitoring units further includes a wireless transceiver for outputting information indicative of the status via a wireless communication.

20. The lighting system of claim 19, wherein the wireless communication includes at least one of a wireless mesh network, a web-based communication, a blue tooth, and a short-range or long-range radio frequency (RF) communication.

21. The lighting system of claim 19, wherein the monitoring units including the wireless transceiver for outputting information indicative of the status are configured for communication in a wireless self-healing mesh network.

22. A lighting system comprising:

a light source;

a ballast connected to AC mains and providing power to the light source;

a wiring electrically interconnecting the light source, the ballast and the AC mains;

a power line communication master; and

a monitoring unit comprising a housing, an electrical connection to the power line, and an interface with at least one of the light source and the ballast,

wherein the monitoring unit detects a status of the at least one of the light source and the ballast via the interface, the interface including a sensor configured within said housing in a galvanically isolated connection with at least a portion of the wiring disposed outside of the housing of the monitoring unit, and the detected status is based at least on said galvanically isolated connection with said portion of the wiring disposed outside of the housing of the monitoring unit, and

the monitoring unit communicates the detected status to the power line communication master in response to a polling request from the power line communication master.

23. The lighting system of claim 22, wherein the monitoring unit further comprising an interface, wherein operating parameters and addressing information enabling communication with the monitoring unit are configured via the interface.

24. The lighting system of claim 23, further comprising a user interface in wired or wireless communication with the power line communication master,

wherein the user interface selectively outputs information indicative of the status detected by the monitoring unit transmitted to the power line communication master in reply to the polling request.

25. The lighting system of claim 24, wherein the polling request results in continuous detecting of the status by the monitoring unit.

26. The lighting system of claim 24, wherein the polling request is selectively generated based on input via the user interface.

27. The lighting system of claim 22, wherein the monitoring unit includes a controller and a control circuit for selectively controlling operation of the light source.

28. The lighting system of claim 22, wherein the controller includes a microprocessor and a non-transient computer readable storage medium, and

the microprocessor is programmable to control the operation of the light source based on at least one of

control commands received from the power line communication master, and

the status detected by the monitoring unit.

29. A monitoring method comprising:

disposing a monitoring unit with respect to a wiring of an electrically powered device, said monitoring unit comprising a housing and a sensor configured within said housing of the monitoring unit;

sensing an AC current signal of said wiring of the electrically powered device via a galvanically isolated communication of said sensor with at least a portion of the wiring of the electrically powered device, said portion of the wiring disposed outside of the housing of the monitoring unit;

converting the sensed AC current into a DC voltage for analogue to digital signal conversion and averaging processing, and

deriving from the averaging processing monitoring data indicative of a status of the electrically powered device; and

outputting the monitoring data indicative of the status of the electrically powered device.

30. The monitoring method of claim 29, wherein

the averaging processing comprises acquiring samples of the signal at a sampling rate, summing the samples, and yielding the average value from the summing, and

the monitoring data is based on the average value.