Lamp monitoring and control system and method

• US 6,370,489 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2000
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lightronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A L Air Data Incorporated
• Inventors: Williams, Larry, Young, Michael F.
• Primary Examiner(s): ASSOUAD, PATRICK J
• Application Number:
  US09/576,545
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 340/635, 340/641, 340/644, 340/653, 340/657, 340/825.06, 340/825.07, 340/825.16, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 455/66, 455/561, 455/352, 455/353, 702/188, 315/129, 315/149, 315/150, 370/310, 370/916
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/22 with communication between the lamps and a central unit

Abstract

A system and method for remotely monitoring and/or controlling an apparatus and specifically for remotely monitoring and/or controlling street lamps. The lamp monitoring and control system comprises lamp monitoring and control units, each coupled to a respective lamp to monitor and control, and each transmitting monitoring data having at least an ID field and a status field; and at least one base station, coupled to a group of the lamp monitoring and control units, for receiving the monitoring data, wherein each of the base stations includes an ID and status processing unit for processing the ID field of the monitoring data.

Claims

1. A base station for monitoring a plurality of lamps by receiving RF monitoring data having an ID field and a status field, comprising:

an RX antenna system for receiving the RF monitoring data;

a receiving system front end, coupled to said RX antenna system, for receiving the RF monitoring data and outputting received RF monitoring data;

a multi-port splitter, coupled to said receiving system front end, for receiving the received RF monitoring data and outputting split RF monitoring data;

a plurality of RX modems, coupled to said multi-port splitter, each for receiving and demodulating the split RF monitoring data and outputting a received data signal;

a computing system, coupled to said plurality of RX modems, for receiving the received data signal from each of said plurality of RX modems; and

an ID and status processing unit, within said computing system, for processing the ID field of the received data signal.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the ID and status processing unit is software.

3. The base station of claim 1, wherein the ID and status processing unit is coupled to a database for storing the ID field and the status field.

4. The base station of claim 1, wherein the ID and status processing unit decodes the ID field and the status field of the received data.

5. The base station of claim 1, wherein the ID and status processing unit passes the received data to a main station.

6. The base station of claim 1, wherein the ID and status processing unit passes the received data to a further base station.

7. The base station of claim 1, wherein the received data is RS-232 data.

8. The base station of claim 1, wherein said computing system outputs control information to the plurality of lamps.

14. The base station of claim 1, wherein the base station is adapted to receive the monitoring data as a remotely generated spontaneous transmissions.

9. A method of making a base station for monitoring a plurality of lamps by receiving RF monitoring data having an ID field and a status field, comprising the steps of:

providing an RX antenna system for receiving the RF monitoring data and outputting a received RF monitoring data;

coupling a multi-port splitter to said receiving system front end, for receiving the received RF monitoring data and outputting split RF monitoring data;

further coupling a plurality of RX modems to said multi-port splitter, each for receiving and demodulating the split RF monitoring data and outputting a received data signal;

further providing a computing system, coupled to said plurality of RX modems, for receiving the received data signal from each of said plurality of RX modems; and

arranging an ID and status processing unit, within said computing system, for processing the ID field of the received data signal.

15. The base station of claim 9, wherein the base station is adapted to receive the monitoring data as a remotely generated spontaneous transmission.

10. A base station for receiving monitoring data from a plurality of lamps monitored and controlled by a lamp monitoring and control system, the monitoring data having an ID field and a status field, the base station comprising:

a signal receiver, to receive monitoring data;

a multi-port splitter, to split the received monitoring data; and

a processing unit, to process the received monitoring data, wherein the ID field indicates a particular lamp of the plurality of lamps to which the monitoring data corresponds.

11. The base station of claim 10, wherein the processing unit is for processing spontaneously transmitted monitoring data.

12. The base station of claim 11, wherein the spontaneously transmitted monitoring data is transmitted by a transmitter connected to the particular lamp.

13. The base station of claim 10, wherein the signal receiver is an antenna and the monitoring data is RF monitoring data.

16. The base station of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of modems coupled to the multi-port splitter to receive and demodulate a corresponding split RF signal.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of modems is configured to operate at a prescribed frequency different from the other modems, and wherein each frequency corresponds to a frequency of each of a plurality of corresponding transmitters.

18. The base station of claim 17, wherein each one of the plurality of transmitters is coupled to a lamp monitoring and control unit that is configured to monitor a status of a lamp and transmit the status to the base station.

19. The base station of claim 18, wherein the status is transmitted wirelessly to the base station.

20. The base station of claim 19, wherein each transmitter transmits at a frequency different from the frequencies used by the other transmitters in communication with the base station.