Road and path lighting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9679482-B2
Application number	US-201314396706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2013
Priority date	Apr 24, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A road and path lighting system having a lighting apparatus including a projection unit for projecting signals onto a projection area, and a communications module designed to control the projection unit on the basis of incoming input signals. The system also includes a lighting apparatus having a light source, a transmission unit, and a communications module for actuating the light source on the basis of data which is transmitted by the transmission unit, and a wireless data communications unit by which the transmission unit is connected wirelessly to a receiver of the communications module. The transmission unit preferably has an independent energy source. The transmission unit can also be designed as a sensor unit having a sensor, the sensor unit being provided on the lighting apparatus, in particular on the outside thereof. Further disclosed is, a method for outputting signals of the road and path lighting system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A road and path lighting system having:
a lighting apparatus with a light source,
a sensor unit having a sensor, wherein the sensor unit is provided on the lighting apparatus,
a communication module for actuating the light source on the basis of data captured by the sensor, and
a wireless data communication unit that connects the sensor unit to a receiver of the communication module only wirelessly,
wherein the sensor unit has an independent power source and is designed such that the sensor unit transmits signals in the event of radio connection problems between the communication module or the wireless data communication unit and the lighting apparatus.

2. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises light sensors, temperature sensors, motion sensors or smoke sensors, and wherein the communication module is configured to actuate the light source on the basis of one or more light conditions sensed by the light sensor, the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, mobile objects situated in a sensing region of the motion sensor or smoke density sensed by the smoke sensor.

3. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor or the sensor unit is provided on the outside of the lighting apparatus, on the outside of a post that has the lighting apparatus or an upper end of the lighting apparatus has a projection unit arranged on it.

4. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wireless connection is provided by a Bluetoothshort-haul radio.

5. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the power source is a solar module, with one of an energy buffer, or an internal energy store.

6. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the communication module is designed such that the lighting apparatus can also be actuated on the basis of data from an external transmission module, that are transmitted to the communication unit wirelessly.

7. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the communication module is designed to execute or not to execute actuation of the lighting apparatus or parameterization of the communication module on the basis of an authorization of the wireless data communication unit that transmits the data.

8. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lighting apparatus, can be parameterized by data that is transmitted to the communication module wirelessly or by wire.

9. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the communication module also has a radio transmitter that is wirelessly connected to other communication modules of other lighting apparatuses in the system, wherein the communication module is also designed so as to control the lighting apparatus on the basis of the data transmitted from the other communication modules of the other lighting apparatuses.

10. The road and path lighting system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the communication module has a processing unit in which the data captured by the sensor are evaluated and converted into actuation signals,
wherein the processing unit is directly connected either to the sensor unit or to the or to the lighting apparatus, and
wherein a data transmitter of the communication module, located on one of the sensor unit, provides a wireless connection between the sensor unit and a receiver of the communication module.

11. A method for outputting signals by a road and path lighting system having a lighting apparatus with a light source, a sensor unit having a sensor or a transmission unit having a transmitter, wherein the sensor unit or the transmission unit has an independent power source, a communication module, and a wireless data communication unit, wherein the method has the following steps:
wireless transmission of data captured by the sensor or of data transmitted by the transmission unit as input signals to a receiver of the communication module by the data communication unit,
reception of the wirelessly transmitted input signals in the communication module, actuation of the light source by the communication module on the basis of the transmitted data, and
transmission of signals by the sensor unit in the event of radio connection problems between the communication module or the wireless data communication unit and the lighting apparatus.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the light source is a projection unit that projects one or more signals onto one or more projection areas, wherein the signals form visual signals on at least one projection area.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the input signals are transmitted to the communication module as data signals from one of a power line communication, a sensor unit of the system, a surrounding road system, a car-to-car communication network or an external transmission unit.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 , also having the step of:
parameterization of the lighting apparatus, of the communication module, using data transmitted to the communication module wirelessly or by wire,
wherein the parameterization of the communication module is executed or not executed on the basis of an authorization of a transmitter that transmits the data.

Assignees

• Zumtobel Lighting Gmbh

Inventors

• Werner Walter
• Siegel Martin

Classifications

• H05B47/16

  by timing means · CPC title

• H05B47/185

  via power line carrier transmission · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• H05B47/11

  by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light · CPC title

• H05B47/105

  in response to determined parameters · CPC title