Road lamp control method

• US 9,848,473 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2016
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: China Jiliang University
• Original Assignee: China Jiliang University
• Inventors: Jin, Huaizhou, Liu, Kaiyuan, Jin, Shangzhong, Chen, Liang, Yuan, Kun, Cen, Songyuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaiser, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US15/232,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20170354009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 315307, 315224, 315309
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/086 with lighting device attached sideways of the standard, e.g. for roads and highways
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/103 of streets or roads
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0137 for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A road lamp control method is disclosed, comprising steps of determining whether a road lamp lighting condition is satisfied, and controlling the road lamp lighting time period. The method can control ON and OFF and the brightness of the road lamps in real time based on the real traffic flow at night, and thereby ensuring safety of pedestrians and vehicles and saving electrical energy.

Claims

1. A road lamp control method, a system implementing the method comprising a location tracking detection unit, a LED road lamp, a road-lamp control unit, a road-lamp brightness control unit, an information transmitting unit and a road-lamp drive unit;

wherein, the road-lamp control unit is equipped with a location tracking receiver, and after the location tracking receiver detects a location, a moving direction and a moving speed of the location tracking detection unit, the brightness control unit controls ON and OFF and brightness of the LED road lamp via the road-lamp control unit, the information transmitting unit and the road-lamp drive unit;

the method comprising;

determining whether a road lamp lighting condition is satisfied;

if a current location tracking receiver or adjacent location tracking receiver detects the location tracking detection unit, the road lamp is turned on, otherwise the road lamp is turned off and next determination is made; and

controlling a road lamp lighting time period;

if the current location tracking receiver or adjacent location tracking receiver detects no location tracking detection unit, the road lamp is delayed to be turned off,

wherein the location tracking receiver can distinguish between a vehicle model and a pedestrian model on the basis of the moving speed of the location tracking detection unit;

it is the vehicle model if the speed is greater than 15 km/h, and it is the pedestrian model if the speed is less than or equal to 15 km/h.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location tracking detection unit includes at least one of a GPS device and a satellite sensor carried by pedestrians or vehicles, and the location tracking receiver can detect, within 15 meters near it, the location, the moving direction and the speed of the location tracking detection unit, and would not be triggered by any other object to cause a misjudgment.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the road-lamp control unit transmits information acquired by the current location tracking receiver with which the current road lamp is equipped to adjacent road lamps via an information transmitting circuit, and detects brightness information recorded in the road-lamp control units of the adjacent road lamps.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the road-lamp brightness control unit, on the basis of brightness information acquired by the current location tracking receiver and other location tracking receivers of adjacent road lamps, determines the brightness of the current and adjacent road lamps, sends out brightness control information of the current and adjacent road lamps, and thus drives the current and adjacent road lamps to be on or off and adjusts their brightness.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when the location tracking receiver detects a moving object of the pedestrian model, the current road-lamp brightness control unit makes the current road lamp to be completely lighted up via the road-lamp control unit and the road-lamp drive unit.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the location tracking receiver detects a moving object of the pedestrian model, the current road-lamp brightness control unit makes the current road lamp to be completely lighted up via the road-lamp control unit and the road-lamp drive unit.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, if the current location tracking receiver detects the pedestrian model and detects that adjacent location tracking receivers ahead or behind have detected a moving object, the current road lamp is completely lighted up;

and if the current location tracking receiver detects that adjacent location tracking receivers behind have detected no moving object, but detects that the nth location tracking receiver behind has detected a moving object, the brightness of the current road lamp is set to be (100−

(n−

1)q) % of that of the road lamp corresponding to the nth location tracking receiver, wherein q=15-25.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein, if the location tracking receiver detects a moving object of the vehicle model, the current road-lamp brightness control unit makes the current LED road lamp to be completely lighted up via the road-lamp control unit and the road-lamp drive unit.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the location tracking receiver detects a moving object of the vehicle model, the current road-lamp brightness control unit makes the current LED road lamp to be completely lighted up via the road-lamp control unit and the road-lamp drive unit.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, if the current location tracking receiver detects no moving object but detects that adjacent location tracking receivers behind or ahead have detected a moving object, the current road lamp is completely lighted up;

and if the current location tracking receiver detects that adjacent location tracking receivers behind have detected no moving object, but detects that the m^th location tracking receiver behind has detected a moving object, the current road lamp is completely lighted up, otherwise the current road lamp is off, wherein m≦

3.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein if the location tracking receiver detects no moving object, the current road lamp will be off after a delay time t, wherein 30 s≦

t≦

3 min; and

a response time from receiving a control signal to turning on the road lamp is less than 0.001 s, such that a moving distance of the moving object during the period when the brightness of the road lamp is adjusted is less than 5 cm.