Luminaires

Abstract

A system for a luminaire comprising a lighting and a non-lighting module. A controller is provided for controlling the operation of a communication unit and a signalling unit in accordance with environmental parameters sensed by a sensor unit, the sensor unit generating an event signal when the environmental parameters exceed a predetermined threshold and the signalling unit providing an alarm.

Claims

1. A modular luminaire comprising: at least one lighting module including a casing and a light source; at least one controller for controlling said at least one lighting module; at least one non-lighting module including a casing; at least one sensor unit operable for sensing environmental parameters in the locality of the luminaire and for generating at least one event signal in response to the sensing of an abnormal occurrence, each event signal being transmitted to said at least one controller; and a supporting pole configured for supporting said at least one lighting module and said at least one non-lighting module mounted thereon, each lighting module and non-lighting module forming part of the supporting pole when mounted thereon.

2. The modular luminaire according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor unit generates the event signal in response to the sensing of an abnormal occurrence when a sensed environmental parameter is above a predetermined threshold.

3. The modular luminaire according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor unit comprises at least one of: an air quality detector, a smoke detector, a fire detector, an acoustic detector, a seismic detector, radiation detector, and an emergency button.

4. The modular luminaire according to claim 1, wherein said at least one non-lighting module further comprises a signalling unit configured for receiving at least one event control signal from said at least one controller in accordance with the sensed abnormal occurrence and for generating at least one alarm or further comprising a third luminaire module comprising a casing and a signalling unit configured for receiving at least one event control signal from said at least one controller in accordance with a sensed abnormal occurrence and for generating at least one alarm.

5. The modular luminaire according to claim 4, wherein the signalling unit comprises a multi-coloured light-emitting diode ring, the colours of which are controlled in accordance with said at least one event control signal to generate said at least one alarm.

6. The modular luminaire according to claim 4, wherein the signalling unit comprises a loudspeaker which is controlled by said at least one event control signal to generate said at least one alarm.

7. The modular luminaire according to claim 6, wherein the loudspeaker operates to relay a spoken message as the at least one alarm.

8. The modular luminaire according to claim 4, wherein the signalling unit comprises a display which displays information relating to the abnormal occurrence.

9. The modular luminaire according to claim 4, wherein said at least one event control signal from said at least one controller in accordance with a sensed abnormal occurrence is operable for adjusting the operation of said at least one lighting module.

10. The modular luminaire according to claim 1, wherein said at least one non-lighting module comprises at least one communication unit configured for connecting to a local area network and for transmitting signals thereto and receiving signals therefrom.

11. The modular luminaire according to claim 10, wherein said at least one communication unit comprises means for linking to an internet connection.

12. The modular luminaire according to claim 11, wherein said at least one communication unit operates to provide an event control signal to a remote location via the internet connection in response to an event signal generated by said at least one sensor unit.

13. A luminaire network comprising a plurality of modular luminaires according to claim 1.

14. The luminaire network according to claim 13, further comprising a local area network to which said plurality of modular luminaires is connected.

15. The luminaire network according to claim 14, wherein said at least one event signal is operable for providing event control signals for at least other modular luminaires in the network at least over the local area network and/or at least over an internet connection.

16. The luminaire network according to claim 13, the luminaire network further comprising an internet connection to which at least one of said plurality of modular luminaires is connected.

17. The modular luminaire according to claim 1, wherein each module comprises passageways through which cabling can pass to adjacent modules.

18. A modular luminaire comprising: at least one lighting module including a casing and a light source; at least one controller for controlling said at least one lighting module; at least one non-lighting module including a casing and at least one sensor unit operable for generating at least one event signal in response to sensing of an abnormal occurrence; and a supporting pole configured for supporting said at least one lighting module and said at least one non-lighting module mounted thereon, each lighting module and non-lighting module forming part of the supporting pole when mounted thereon.

19. A modular luminaire comprising: at least one lighting module including a casing and a light source; at least one controller for controlling said at least one lighting module; at least one non-lighting module including a casing, at least one sensor unit operable for generating at least one event signal in response to sensing of an abnormal occurrence, and at least one communication unit; and a supporting pole configured for supporting said at least one lighting module and said at least one non-lighting module mounted thereon, each lighting module and non-lighting module forming part of the supporting pole when mounted thereon; wherein the at least one communication unit is operable for providing an event control signal to a remote location in response to an event signal generated by said at least one sensor unit.

20. A modular luminaire comprising: at least one lighting module including a casing and a light source; at least one controller for controlling said at least one lighting module; at least one non-lighting module including a casing and at least one sensor unit operable for generating at least one event signal in response to sensing of an abnormal occurrence; and a supporting pole configured for supporting said at least one lighting module and said at least one non-lighting module mounted thereon, each lighting module and non-lighting module forming part of the supporting pole when mounted thereon; wherein the sensor unit comprises an emergency push button which triggers an alarm locally and/or at a remote location.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a luminaire assembly in accordance with the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a module forming an upper part of the luminaire assembly shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of control elements within the luminaire assembly; and

(5) FIGS. 4 and 5 are similar to FIG. 1 but respectively illustrating different modular luminaire assemblies in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes.

(7) In accordance with the present invention, a luminaire comprising a plurality of modules is described which can be used to monitor environmental parameters in urban environments where luminaires are typically located for providing outdoor and street lighting. Such a luminaire is hereinafter referred to by the term modular luminaire. Preferably, a plurality of modular luminaires is connected to a local area network (LAN) and each modular luminaire can communicate with at least other modular luminaires in the LAN. Each modular luminaire may also communicate with remote locations using an internet or cloud connection. It will be appreciated that the LAN is not limited only to having modular luminaires but other non-modular luminaires may also be present and connected to the same LAN as modular luminaires.

(8) Such environmental parameters may relate to atmospheric or emergency situations and for which alerts need to be provided in accordance with abnormal occurrences determined by the monitoring of such environmental parameters. In effect, by having a plurality of modular luminaires which have the functionality of monitoring such environmental parameters and for providing indication of abnormal occurrences within the environment, it may be possible to create a city dashboard which provides information for city authorities so that necessary actions can be taken in response to such abnormal occurrences, either on a short term or a long term basis depending on the occurrence and the ramifications of such an occurrence.

(9) Additionally, with modular luminaires of the present invention, it is possible to provide people within the vicinity with an immediate message signalling the occurrence of an abnormal or an emergency situation. Such a message may be displayed on a display or screen mounted on at least one luminaire (or on a supporting pole on which the luminaire is mounted) or broadcast over a loudspeaker. Other representations of the message, for example, coloured and/or flashing lights, may be also provided which operate alone or in combination with one another. In addition, signalling may be used to direct people in the vicinity towards safer areas of the neighbourhood or of the city.

(10) By using outdoor luminaires which are already strategically positioned all over the city, such luminaires may become ideal candidates for providing other functionality in addition to providing lighting. The combined functionality may be implemented in modular luminaires where lighting functionality is combined with non-lighting functionality, such as, sensing environmental parameters as will be described in more detail below.

(11) It will be appreciated that the provision of modular luminaires provides a degree of flexibility for future improvements and/or functionality as modules can be added and/or replaced to update the overall functionality of the modular luminaire.

(12) The term flashing as used herein refers to any interruption of normal operation of a lighting unit of a luminaire irrespective of its frequency and/or duty cycle. Flashing can be used as an emergency or alarm signal as will be described in more detail below.

(13) FIG. 1 illustrates a luminaire 100 comprising a supporting pole 110 on which is mounted a plurality of modules 120, each module comprising a casing and effectively forming part of the supporting pole 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of modules comprises a first luminaire module 130, a second luminaire module 140, and a third luminaire module 150 which are connected to one another by module connectors 160, 170 and to the supporting pole 110 by module connector 180. Module connector 160 connects the first module 130 and the second module 140; module connector 170 connects the second module 140 and the third module 150; and module connector 180 connects the third module 150 to the supporting pole 110 as shown. The module connectors 160, 170, 180 provide a simple way of joining adjacent luminaire modules together and to the supporting pole 110 as described in Belgian patent application no. 2015/5217 and will not be described in detail here.

(14) Each luminaire module 130, 140, 150 preferably comprises passageways (not shown) through which cabling can pass to adjacent modules, for example, coaxial cables could be threaded through the passageways luminaire modules with dedicated connections being made for each luminaire module, as it is expensive to form such connections at the level of each luminaire module, and, which may create a loss in signal thereat. In addition, each luminaire module may have one or more electrical connectors for providing electrical connections between modules (not shown).

(15) Module 130 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2. This module forms the uppermost module of the modular luminaire assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1, as it is the lightest. Module 130 is substantially circular in cross-section and comprises a first (or top or upper) portion 130a, a second (or bottom or lower) portion 130b which is connectable to another module using a module connector in accordance with the present invention as will be described in more detail below, and a third (or central) portion 130c between the first and second portions 130a, 130b. The second portion 130b includes a connector portion 130d which is connectable to a corresponding connector portion in another module as will be described in more detail below. The central portion 130c may comprise a casing made of a lightweight transparent polymeric material, for example, polycarbonate, and may include a light-emitting diode (LED) array (not shown) for providing light which can be transmitted through the transparent polymeric casing.

(16) In other embodiments, the polymeric material from which the casing is made may be opaque or transparent, and may also include non-lighting related functions (also not shown), for example, a Wi-Fi transceiver module, a loudspeaker module, one or more camera modules, a video surveillance module, etc. In addition, the material from which the casing is made is not limited to polymeric materials and may comprise any other suitable lightweight and inexpensive material.

(17) In one embodiment, each luminaire module has an external profile which matches the external profile of other luminaire modules so that the luminaire modules, when assembled on top of one another, define a substantially constant external profile for the modular luminaire.

(18) The first portion 130a may include apertures 135a, 135b for antennas in accordance with particular use for each modular luminaire assembly. Such antennas are connected to coaxial cabling extending through passageways provided in the supporting pole 110 and in other luminaire modules as described above.

(19) As described above, the second portion 130b includes a connector portion or interface 130d which engages a complementary connector portion or interface (not shown) provided in module 140 as will be described in more detail below, and which is held together by module connector 160.

(20) Module 140 comprises a casing having a substantially circular cross-section but which is divided into a first part 140a made of a transparent polymeric material, such as polycarbonate, and a second part 140b made of a metallic material, such as aluminium. By having such a division in the casing, light can be directed in a predetermined direction as defined by the angle subtended by the first portion 140a. In this case, the module 140 may include an LED array (not shown) which provides light for transmission by the first part 140b. As mentioned above, the transparent polymeric material is intended to have particular properties.

(21) A module similar to module 140, that is, having a transparent or opaque portion and a solid portion, may also comprise both lighting and non-lighting functionality.

(22) For non-lighting functions, the polymeric material of which the casing is made may be opaque or non-transparent. In addition, the material from which the casing is made is not limited to polymeric materials and may comprise any other suitable lightweight and inexpensive material.

(23) As shown in FIG. 1 (and FIGS. 4 and 5 described below), the casing of each luminaire, when assembled, has an external profile which substantially matches the casing of other luminaire modules and module connectors between adjacent luminaire modules.

(24) Connector portions or interfaces (not shown) are provided at a first (or top or upper) end 140c and at a second (or bottom or lower) end 140d. The complementary connector portions or interfaces are held together by module connector 170. Such module connectors also have the same external profile of the casing of the luminaire modules so as to form a substantially uniform external profile for the modular luminaire.

(25) Module 150 may comprise a casing having a substantially circular cross-section in which one or more LED arrays may be provided. Such LED arrays may comprise a single array having LED elements of only one colour, a single array having LED elements of more than one colour, for example, RGB (red/green/blue), which can be switched in one or more predetermined patterns to provide visual effects or for signalling purposes as will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3. However, it will readily be appreciated that the coloured LED elements are not limited to RGB and other colours may be used either by providing an appropriately coloured LED or by mixing the light from the coloured LED elements. In this case, the casing may comprise a transparent or semi-transparent material polymeric material through which the light from the LED elements can be transmitted.

(26) Module 150 is mounted to the supporting pole 110 by way of a connector portion or an interface formed at a lower end (or bottom end), as shown in FIG. 1, of the module and a complementary connector portion or interface formed at an upper end (or top end) of the supporting pole 110. The complementary connector portions or interfaces are held together by module connector 180.

(27) It will readily be appreciated that a module having non-lighting functionality may simply comprise an empty module forming part of the modular luminaire so that each modular luminaire has substantially the same dimensions. Such an empty module can be replaced, as required, with one of: a lighting module having lighting functionality; a non-lighting module with non-lighting functionality; and a module having a combination of both lighting and non-lighting functionality.

(28) Although three luminaire modules and three module connectors are shown in FIG. 1, it will readily be appreciated that any appropriate number of luminaire modules may be mounted on the supporting pole and connected to one another and to the supporting pole by a corresponding number of module connectors. In addition, each module connector 160, 170, 180 may be interchangeable and may be the same irrespective of the luminaire modules to be connected together.

(29) It is to be noted that each luminaire module may form a support for at least the luminaire module mounted above it on the supporting pole 110.

(30) In accordance with the present invention, at least one luminaire module has a functionality which is unrelated to the provision of lighting or may have a combination of the lighting and non-lighting functionalities as described above. An example of such a functionality is described below with reference to FIG. 3.

(31) FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a system 200 in accordance with the present invention, which is fully integrated with a luminaire controller (not shown) for providing additional non-lighting functionality. The system 200 may be located in one of the luminaire modules as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 or may be distributed over more than one luminaire module in accordance with the non-lighting functionality.

(32) As described above, luminaire module 130 may provide a lighting functionality where light sources are provided for illuminating a street or a building; luminaire module 140 may provide non-lighting functionality, for example, sensing or detection of environmental parameters; and luminaire module 150 may be dedicated to signalling, for example, providing audio and/or visual alarms, in response to abnormal occurrences sensed by components within luminaire module 140.

(33) The system 200 comprises a lighting unit 210, a luminaire power supply 220, a controller 230, a sensor unit 240, a communication unit 250, and a signalling unit 260.

(34) As shown in FIG. 3, the lighting unit 210 is connected to the luminaire power supply 220 and receives control signals 215 therefrom. It will readily be appreciated that the lighting unit 210 and associated luminaire power supply 220 may be located in the luminaire module 130 as described above and may also operate in accordance with convention lighting functionality.

(35) The luminaire power supply 220 is connected to the controller 230 and receives control signals 225 therefrom. The controller 230 is also connected to the sensor unit 240 and receives signals 235 therefrom which are indicative of events sensed by the sensor unit 240. The sensor unit 240 is also connected to the communication unit 250 and provides signals 245 indicative of events sensed thereby. Communication unit 250 is connected to the controller 230 and to the signalling unit 260, and receives control signals 255 from the controller 230 and provides control signals 265 for the signalling unit 260.

(36) In one embodiment, the sensor unit 240 may operate in conjunction with a remote sensor device located outside the luminaire to provide signals indicative of events sensed by one of or both the sensor unit and the remote sensor device.

(37) The controller 230 may be located in a suitable location within the luminaire 100, for example, in any one of the modules 130, 140, 150, as described above.

(38) In another embodiment, the communication unit 250 and the controller 230 may comprise a single unit. In this case, only sensor signals 245 are needed and control signals 255 from the controller are no longer needed as these control signals are effectively internal signals within the communication unit 250. Similarly, control signals 225 would be provided from the communication unit 250 to the luminaire power supply 220 (or from the part of the communication unit designated as the controller).

(39) In a further embodiment, the controller 230 may be integrated with the luminaire power supply 220 to form a single unit with appropriate connections being made to the communication unit 250 for control thereof and with the sensor unit 240 providing signals indicative of events sensed thereby.

(40) The communication unit 250 is preferably connected to other modular luminaires (and also to non-modular luminaires) in the vicinity by either a wired link or a wireless link. In this case, the communication unit 250 may also include one or more antennas 270 and operates to send information indicative of an event to adjacent modular luminaires and to receive information indicative of an event from one or more adjacent modular luminaires. Antennas 270 may also provide connection to the LAN or to the internet for remote control and monitoring. Antennas 270 may be associated with apertures 135a, 135b formed in portion 130a of module 130 as described above with reference to FIG. 2.

(41) Moreover, each communication unit 250 may provide signals for a control room or monitoring station indicating the status of environmental parameters in the vicinity of the luminaire with which it is associated in accordance with sensor information. Such signals may be used to dispatch emergency vehicles if required, and/or may be used to indicate that a live message is required providing appropriate advice for people in the vicinity of the luminaire in accordance with the abnormal occurrence.

(42) In one embodiment, the communication unit 250 is connected to adjacent modular luminaires (or other non-modular luminaires) in a LAN using wireless protocols, for example, Bluetooth, ZigBee and Wi-Fi. [Bluetooth is a trademark of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances. ZigBee is a trademark of the ZigBee alliance and is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Wi-Fi (or WiFi) is a brand name for products using IEEE 802.11 standards.]

(43) It will readily be appreciated that the communication unit may not be limited to one protocol and may be configured to operate using more than one of the protocols described above. In addition, the communication unit may be configured for linking with an internet connection so that event signals can be transferred to remote locations, for example, to a remote monitoring station.

(44) The sensor unit 240 may comprise a plurality of sensor elements (not shown) for sensing and/or detecting occurrences in the vicinity of the luminaire (also not shown) in which the system 200 is located. Each sensor element may be chosen in accordance with particular environmental parameters to be sensed and/or detected. For example, there may be sensor elements which sense air quality, the presence of smoke, the presence of toxic fumes, the presence of fire, the presence of unusual radiation levels etc., and provide appropriate alarm(s) as will be described in more detail below.

(45) Air quality sensor elements may be used to sense air pollution levels and to provide signals indicating that the sensed air pollution level is above a predetermined threshold level as will be described in more detail below. Similarly, smoke detectors or smoke sensor elements may provide signals indicating that a predetermined threshold has been exceeded. It will readily be appreciated that an air quality sensor element may also perform the function of a smoke detector or smoke sensor element. Air quality sensor elements may also be operable for the detection of toxic fumes, for example, from a chemical spill or a chemical fire. Alternatively, separate chemical sensors may be provided in luminaires positioned in areas of high risk.

(46) In addition, there may be one or more acoustic sensor elements which detect abnormal occurrences, such as, gunshots, and, based on the analysis of the detected or sensed sound by the controller 230, generate an alarm at a police station whilst signalling that there is danger in the vicinity.

(47) Seismic sensors may be incorporated in the system 200 for luminaires in areas susceptible to seismic or volcanic activity. Such seismic sensors may generate signals indicating an imminent earthquake or eruption if a predetermined threshold has been exceeded. As described above, the signals so generated are used to trigger alarm(s) indicative of the seismic or volcanic activity thereby providing an early warning so such activity.

(48) Radiation detectors, for example, Geiger counters, dosimeters, or other detectors capable of detecting the presence of ionising radiation, may be incorporated in the system 200 for luminaires in the locality of nuclear reactors.

(49) In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit 240 may comprise a simple Emergency push button which triggers an alarm locally, for example, sending an appropriate signal to the signalling unit 260, and/or at a remote location, such as, a police station, via an internet connection. Signals may also be provided to other luminaires in the vicinity, via the LAN, so that they can also indicate that there is an abnormal occurrence or an emergency.

(50) The signalling unit 260 operates to provide alarm signals to people in the vicinity of a luminaire when an abnormal occurrence or event occurs. The signalling unit 260 may be located in luminaire module 150 as described above, and may comprise a multi-coloured LED ring which, when activated, may display a single colour, the single colour being controlled to flash at one or more frequencies to indicate the occurrence of a particular abnormal event. Changes in colour and flashing frequency may also be used, for example, a change in colour of the LED ring may be used to indicate air quality levels as sensed by an air quality sensor element as described above, and flashing of one or more colours may indicate an emergency situation.

(51) The signalling unit 260 may also comprise a loudspeaker which may operate as a siren or provide a spoken message in response to a control signal from the communication unit 250. The spoken message may be pre-recorded or may be a live message.

(52) It will be appreciated that the system in accordance with the present invention is not limited to having only one method of signalling an emergency or alarm, for example, a combination of a spoken message together with flashing lighting modules and/or changes in colours of the LED ring may be used.

(53) FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate other arrangements of modular luminaires in which the modules are arranged in a different order. In FIG. 4, a modular luminaire assembly 400 is shown which comprises a supporting pole 110, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, on which is mounted a plurality of modules 420. In this embodiment, the plurality of modules comprises three modules 430, 440, 450 connected together and to the supporting pole 110 by respective module connectors 160, 170, 180 as shown. Modules 430 and 450 comprise modules whose functionality has not been previously described, and module 440 is similar to module 140 shown in FIG. 1.

(54) Similarly, in FIG. 5, a modular luminaire assembly 500 is shown which comprises a supporting pole 110, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, on which is mounted a plurality of modules 520. In this embodiment, the plurality of modules comprises two modules 530, 550 connected together and to the supporting pole 110 by module connectors respective module connectors 160, 180. Module 530 and 550 are similar to modules 130 and 150 as shown in FIG. 1.

(55) Naturally, any other suitable assembly of luminaire modules is possible and is not limited to the specific examples described herein.