Telecommunications providers face significant challenges in accommodating ever-increasing data consumption by consumers. Small cell networks have been suggested as a potential way to increase bandwidth; however, small cell networks face their own set of challenges. For example, it can be difficult to make small cell networks cost effective due to the costs of adding additional infrastructure and finding available real estate for said infrastructure in close enough proximity to users. Further, small cell networks face challenges in terms of gaining access to high-throughput backhaul solutions at connecting points, as well as in gaining access to electrical power at connecting points.
Accordingly, there is a need for solutions that provide additional bandwidth while offsetting the costs of purchasing, installing, and maintaining associated infrastructure, simplifying access to suitable real estate and infrastructure on which to deploy small cell systems, accessing high-throughput data pipelines, and providing electrical power to the small cell systems.
In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to devices for deployment on a street light, the device comprising a light controller configured for monitoring and controlling an operation of the street light; an electrical connector for transmitting information regarding the operation of the street light between the light controller and the street light; and one or more transceivers configured for: connecting the light controller to a network, the network having connectivity to a point of connection to a carrier backhaul, and providing a wireless access point for connecting one or more user devices to the network.
The one or more transceivers for connecting the light controller to the network, in various embodiments, may be configured to transmit, from the light controller to the network, information concerning operation of the street light for monitoring at a remote location. The information concerning operation of the street light, in some embodiments, may include at least one of diagnostics, detected faults, and metering of electrical power consumption. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more transceivers for connecting the light controller to the network, in various embodiments, may be configured to transmit, from the network and to the light controller, information associated with controlling operation of the street light. The information concerning operation of the street light, in some embodiments, may include at least one of instructions for power on/off, dimming, time scheduling, and photocontrol settings.
In some embodiments, the one or more transceivers for connecting the light controller to the network may include a backhaul radio, and the one or more transceivers for providing a wireless access point to the network may include an access point radio. In some other embodiments, the one or more transceivers for connecting the light controller to the network may include a media converter, and the one or more transceivers for providing a wireless access point to the network may include an access point radio.
The electrical connector, in some embodiments, may be further configured for receiving electrical power from the street light for powering the device. The one or more user devices, in various embodiments, may include at least one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet, an autonomous vehicle, a non-autonomous vehicle, and a computer.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to systems for deployment on a plurality of street lights, the system comprising a plurality of devices configured for deployment on a plurality of street lights, each comprising a light controller and one or more transceivers; a communications network established by the one or more transceivers of the plurality of devices and providing connectivity between the plurality of devices and a point of connection to a carrier backhaul; and a remote station in communication with the carrier backhaul, the remote station configured to transmit and receive information for monitoring and controlling operation of the plurality of street lights using the plurality of devices.
The one or more transceivers, in various embodiments, may include a backhaul radio for wirelessly connecting with at least one of the other plurality of devices via the communications network. The communications network, in some such embodiments, may include one of a wireless mesh network, a point-to-point network, or a point-to-multipoint network. In some embodiments, the one or more devices may be placed within approximately 30 meters of one another.
The one or more transceivers, in various embodiments, may additionally or alternatively include an access point radio for providing a wireless access point to the communications network through which one or more user devices may connect to the communications network. The one or more user devices, in various embodiments, may include at least one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet, an autonomous vehicle, a non-autonomous vehicle, and a computer.
In some embodiments aspect, the present disclosure is directed to methods for remotely monitoring and controlling operation of a plurality of street lights, the method comprising deploying a plurality of devices on a plurality of street lights, each of the plurality of devices comprising a light controller and one or more transceivers; establishing a communications network between the one or more transceivers of the plurality of devices; providing connectivity between the communications network and a point of connection to a carrier backhaul; and transmitting and receiving, between the plurality of devices and a remote monitoring station in communication with the carrier backhaul, information for monitoring and controlling operation of the plurality of street lights using the plurality of devices.
The one or more transceivers, in various embodiments, may include a backhaul radio for wirelessly connecting with at least one of the other plurality of devices via the communications network.
The one or more transceivers, in various embodiments, may additionally or alternatively include a media converter for providing connectivity between the communications network and the carrier backhaul.
The one or more transceivers, in various embodiments, may additionally or alternatively include an access point radio for providing a wireless access point to the communications network through which one or more user devices may connect to the communications network.
In still another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to another device for deployment on a street light, the device comprising a light controller configured for monitoring and controlling an operation of the street light; an electrical connector for transmitting information regarding the operation of the street light between the light controller and the street light; one of: a media converter configured for providing a direct connection between the light controller and a point of connection to a carrier backhaul, and a radio configured for connecting the light controller to a network, the network having connectivity to a point of connection to a carrier backhaul; and a radio configured for providing a wireless access point for connecting one or more user devices to the media converter or to the network.
The presently disclosed embodiments will be further explained with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like structures are referred to by like numerals throughout the several views. The drawings shown are not necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the presently disclosed embodiments.
While the above-identified drawings set forth presently disclosed embodiments, other embodiments are also contemplated, as noted in the discussion. This disclosure presents illustrative embodiments by way of representation and not limitation. Numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art which fall within the scope and spirit of the principles of the presently disclosed embodiments.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include devices and systems for providing remote monitoring and/or control of the street lights, as well as providing wireless network connectivity in densely-populated areas via small cell technology.
Embodiments of the present disclosure integrate technologies that leverage unique aspects of street light infrastructure to benefit utility companies, telecommunications carriers, the local community, and the environment alike. The ability offered by the devices and systems disclosed herein to monitor and control street light operation may reduce operating costs (e.g., use less electricity) and maintenance costs (e.g., via diagnostics and fault monitoring) for utility companies, while also allowing the utility companies (or other entity that owns the street lights) to generate revenue by helping telecommunications carriers offload traffic from their macro networks, amongst other benefits. Telecommunications carriers may benefit from deployment of the system by reaching more customers, providing increased coverage and capacity over competitors, reducing macro infrastructure costs, and reducing the cost and complexity of infrastructure licensing, as they could deal with a single landlord (e.g., the utility company) for multiple deployments, amongst other potential benefits. The local community may benefit from increased network capacity and coverage and reduced utility fees, amongst other potential benefits, and the environment may benefit from reduced energy consumption, light pollution, and vehicle pollution resulting from inefficient monitoring and maintenance rounds.
The integration of light control and small cell technologies into a street-light-mounted system may allow for deploying everything at once by a single actor, thereby greatly reducing the logistics and associated labor and cost of deploying such technologies piecemeal and via different actors. The modular nature of some embodiments of the technology may further allow for reduced manufacturing and inventory costs, and relatively easy upgrades to already-deployed infrastructure as well. It should be noted, however, that while the devices and systems of the present disclosure are described in connection with street lights to be mounted, for example, on existing street light poles, the present systems may be also be disposed on a different infrastructure, such as buildings, houses, towers, etc. In some embodiments, the present devices and systems include variations where, in addition to or alternatively to light controllers, small cells can be integrated with other systems which include a controller.
Connections within device 100, in various embodiments, may be configured for sharing power and/or data between various components. For example, as shown in
Embodiments of light control module 200 of the present disclosure may generally comprise a light controller 210 for interfacing with and controlling operations of the street light 110, and a power conditioner 220 for conditioning electrical power from the street light 110 for use in powering device 100, as further described in more detail below.
Light controller 210 may include suitable hardware for monitoring and controlling operation of the luminaire. Generally speaking, light controller 210 may contain hardware and sensors suitable for performing the monitoring and control functionality described in the present disclosure. For example, light controller 210 may contain photosensors/photocontrollers used to perform on/off and dimming functions, energy measuring electronics and software to measure energy consumption and savings, communications electronics and software to communicate via PLC or other protocols with other devices (such as solar inverters and other Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices) to perform monitoring and control, processors and memory to store and execute control software, analog and digital interfaces to control functionality of the luminaires, etc. Light controller 210, in some embodiments (not shown), may include its own processor for performing monitoring and/or control functions. In other embodiments (as shown), light controller 210 may share a processor with the small cell module 300.
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In some embodiments, the device connects to the luminary by means of an electrical connector such as a NEMA 7, 5 or 3 pin connector, while in other embodiments, the device may be hardwired to the luminary. In some embodiments, the device is installed inside of the luminary.
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Device 100, in various embodiments, may utilize small cell module 300 as a transceiver for communication with a remotely-situated monitoring and control station. In particular, in the embodiment shown, small cell module 300 may receive, from the light module 200, information associated with monitoring operation of the street light 110 (e.g., diagnostics, fault monitoring, and status information). Processor 310 may direct radio(s) 320 (and in particular, backhaul radio(s) 324) to transmit said information through the small cell network and ultimately to a monitoring and control station. Similarly, small cell module 300 may receive, via the small cell network, commands from a remote monitoring and control station for controlling and scheduling operation of the street light 110, as shown. In another embodiment (not shown), the system may instead include and utilize dedicated communications technology for remote monitoring and control (e.g., radios not utilized for small cell communication).
Additionally or alternatively, device 100, in various embodiments, may utilize small cell module 300 as a transceiver for connecting with nearby user equipment (e.g., cellular phones, smart phones, tablets, computers of nearby persons, nearby autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles like drones) and backhauling that traffic to/from main carrier networks via the small cell network. In particular, these small cell networks may be configured to provide any one or combination of local wireless data and cellular connectivity to user equipment situated nearby, such as cellular phones, smart phones, tablets, computers, nearby autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles like drones, and other devices requiring network connectivity. Establishing a local network over a small geographic area and backhauling these networks to the carrier network may serve to offload macro-level infrastructure (e.g., cellular towers) of corresponding traffic, thereby increasing spectrum capacity.
To this end, the small cell electronics may include any number and combination of radio types. In the representative embodiment shown, it may include, for example, a first Wi-Fi radio 322 (“Wi-Fi Radio 1) configured at 2.4 GHz for providing connectivity to nearby user equipment. A second Wi-Fi radio 324 (“Wi-Fi Radio 2) may be configured, for example, at 5 GHz and act as a backhaul between the local Wi-Fi network established by Wi-Fi Radio 1 and a carrier network. In some embodiments, the functionality of these two Wi-Fi radios may be combined into one Wi-Fi radio, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill of the art. Additionally or alternatively, one or more cellular radios (e.g., 3G, 4G) may be provided for establishing local cellular networks and/or serving as backhauls. Any one or combination of the radios 320 utilized, in various embodiments, may operate on licensed and/or unlicensed spectrums and on single or multiple frequency bands. The network may optionally use self-organizing network technologies to avoid interference between radios 320 and maximize the coverage and capacity of the network. The radio(s) 320 and antenna(s) 326, in various embodiments, may be integrated within, or mounted on and wired to, the system.
In some embodiments, the radio(s) 320 may support Wi-Fi and/or 3G/4G operation (operating on a single or multiple frequency bands, on licensed or unlicensed spectrum). In some embodiments, backhaul connectivity is provided by a wired connection (e.g., copper or fiber), as shown in
Components of small cell module 300 may be provided in any suitable configuration such as, without limitation, as system-on-chip, an integrated circuit, a chip set, a system in package, package on package or in any other arrangement suitable for providing power and electronic communication between respective components in accordance with the functionality described herein.
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Device 100, in various embodiments, may have a modular architecture. In a representative embodiment, components of light module 200 (e.g., light controller 210 and power conditioner 220) may be packaged or otherwise physically grouped together, and components of small cell module 300 (e.g., processor 310, radio(s) 320, antenna(s) 326, and/or media converter 330) may be packaged or otherwise physically grouped together. Connections may then be provided for electrical power and data flow between the modules. Such a modular approach may allow for easily connecting, for example, the small cell electronics to already-deployed light control hardware. A representative example of such modular architecture is later explained in more detail with reference to
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The compact packaging afforded by the present architecture may shipment and installation, and may further allow for device 100 to be small and aesthetically-pleasing in profile, which can be an important factor in social adoption by local residents.
The present disclosure is further directed to a system 500 including a plurality of the devices 100, which may be densely deployed on existing infrastructure (e.g., street lights 110) in an urban environment to create a continuous blanket of coverage. In various embodiments, one or more of the devices 100 may directly connect to a POC of a carrier backhaul (as shown and described in connection with
While the presently disclosed embodiments have been described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the presently disclosed embodiments. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt to a particular situation, indication, material and composition of matter, process step or steps, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present presently disclosed embodiments. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/364,793, filed Jul. 20, 2016, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62364793 | Jul 2016 | US |