Patent Application
20230220962
The field of the invention relates to luminaire design retrofitting methods. Particular embodiments relate to a luminaire design retrofitting method, and a computer-controlled method, in order to retrofit with a suitable luminaire design a lighting site.
Methods to compose luminaire designs are readily available and typically comprise the filling out of an extensive list of parameters, optical and geometrical parameters for example, in order to determine the best suited theoretical luminaire design for a given lighting site. The list of parameters is usually provided manually by a user of a computer-implemented method. These parameters reflect the optical considerations and the installation possibilities of the lighting site. The user can then tinker with some parameters to obtain a luminaire design actually corresponding to an existing product. Other parameters can be considered to account for constraints from different origins: optimization, regulation, monetary, product availability, etc. Obtaining such luminaire design is a time consuming operation and the computer-implemented method is typically not user-friendly for the non-initiated user. Also, depending on the user, some information relevant for the luminaire design and/or the lighting site may be easily overlooked.
The object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a luminaire design retrofitting method and a computer-controlled method thereof, allowing for a user-friendly and modulable obtention of a luminaire design.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for retrofitting a lighting site. The lighting site includes at least one pathway. The method comprises:
Extraction methods based on the processing of the at least one visual representation are not described here but are known to the skilled person. The at least one luminaire installation characteristic may correspond to optical characteristics of the environment of the lighting site to be illuminated, and/or to dimensions relevant for the installation of a luminaire. In an embodiment, the extraction of the at least one installation characteristic may be followed by a manual correction or confirmation of the at least one installation characteristic extracted.
The plurality of luminaire designs in the database comprising the plurality of luminaire designs may each be associated to parameters and a light distribution from which the suitability to the extracted optical characteristics of the environment of the lighting site to be illuminated and/or to extracted dimensions relevant for the installation of a luminaire may be deducted. By an elimination process, a list of at least one suitable luminaire design can be obtained. By suitability, it is meant the ability for the luminaire design to satisfy some lighting standards, e.g. a public road lighting standard or recommendations such as EN 13201, IES RP-8, CIE 115, respective to the environment of the lighting site, thereby allowing for an illumination giving a visibility above a predetermined level for users of the lighting site, as well as giving a predetermined illumination safety, e.g. illumination intensity below a blinding intensity, light emitted within a certain arc to avoid glaring angles.
More than one visual representation of the lighting site may be obtained and used for completeness. Since the filling out of the at least one luminaire installation characteristic is processed from the at least one visual representation, instead of manually as usually done in the prior art, the method is more user-friendly.
According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one luminaire installation characteristic is at least one of: a pathway width, an interval distance between two neighboring luminaire base supports, a pathway surface material, a pathway surface optical properties, a height of a luminaire head of the at least one luminaire, a number of lanes of the pathway, one or more circulation directions of the pathway, a lateral distance between the pathway and the at least one luminaire base support, a lateral dimension of a hard shoulder of the pathway, an arrangement pattern of a group of luminaires including the at least one luminaire, a bracket length of the luminaire head of the at least one luminaire, an inclination of the luminaire head of the at least one luminaire, a location of the at least one luminaire base support respective to the one or more circulation directions, a proximity with a neighboring building, characteristics of the neighboring building, a number of luminaire heads per base support, a presence of a conflict area in the lighting site, a type of the pathway. Preferably, a plurality of installation characteristics are extracted and the at least one installation characteristic is at least two of the above, more preferably at least three of the above.
The conflict area may be defined (see also the CIE 115-2010 standard) as an area where there is an increased potential for collision between road users, e.g. entry or exit lanes to the highway, crossroads, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, etc.
The pathway may be a pathway of a lighting site suitable for outdoor luminaires which is used as a path for vehicles and/or pedestrians. By lighting site for outdoor luminaires, it is meant roads, tunnels, industrial plants, stadiums, airports, harbors, rail stations, campuses, parks, cycle paths, pedestrian paths, or pedestrian zones for example, and outdoor luminaires can be used notably for the lighting of an outdoor area, such as roads and residential areas in the public domain, private parking areas and access roads to private building infrastructures, etc. In other embodiments according to the invention, the pathway may be located indoors, such as in a warehouse or an industry hall.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the method further comprises providing an input corresponding to another luminaire installation characteristic; and the obtaining of the list of the at least one luminaire design is further based on the another luminaire installation characteristic.
In this way, additional luminaire installation characteristics may be inputted to complete the at least one luminaire installation characteristic extracted from the at least one visual representation. Luminaire installation characteristics may thus be conveniently inputted from various sources. For example the input provided may be a manual input by a user using an inputting means, e.g. a keyboard. The another luminaire installation characteristic may originate from a database of known luminaire installation characteristics and/or based from on-site measured data.
According to a typical embodiment, the method further comprises providing an input corresponding to a preferential parameter relative to the plurality of luminaire designs; and sorting the list of the at least one luminaire design based on the preferential parameter.
By this approach, one can obtain a more comprehensive view of the list according to one's interests. The preferential parameter may be a cost, a technical option, a management option, an aesthetical consideration, maintenance factors, a brand of a luminaire part of the at least one luminaire design, a protocol such as communication protocol, a number of luminaire parts included in the at least one luminaire design, protectors type (e.g. glass), a certification, a lighting light distribution, a luminaire working temperature, a lighting life time, a luminaire class, a luminaire total cost of ownership, a luminaire installation method, a control system of the luminaire, a maximum number of mounting tools to use, etc. For example, the certification may be related to an ecological label of a manufacturing company and/or of luminaire parts of the luminaire design, an IP-rating of the luminaire design, a resistance rating to shocks and/or vibrations, etc.
According to a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises obtaining, from a regulation database, a lighting regulation associated to the lighting site; and the obtaining of the list of the at least one luminaire design is further based on the obtained lighting regulation.
In this manner, the list may be funneled further to be better suited to the location of the lighting site by taking into account another kind of parameter. This improves the modularity of the method in obtaining suitable luminaire designs for the lighting site. The lighting regulation may correspond to a legal obligation or recommendation based on the class of the identified pathway, the amount of traffic, the type of users of the pathway, etc. The regulation database may be a nation-wide database, a region-wide database, a city-wide database, or a local-wide database. In an embodiment, the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be based on the geo-coordinates of the lighting site. Additionally or alternatively, the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be at least partially based on the extracted installation characteristic, e.g. the number of lanes of the pathway. In an embodiment, the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be followed by a manual correction or confirmation of the lighting regulation associated to the lighting site.
Also, the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be achieved by a manual entry.
Also, the at least one luminaire design may comprise an optical assembly configured for shaping the light distribution from the at least one luminaire design. The optical assembly may comprise: a frame with at least one opening; a plurality of optical modules; a support means; and an assembling means for assembling the plurality of optical modules to the frame, e.g. by ultrasonic welding, heat staking, plastic deformation. At least one optical module of the plurality of optical modules is provided per opening of the at least one opening. The support means is provided to each of the plurality of optical modules and/or to each of the at least one opening, said support means being configured for supporting the optical module at least partially within the opening of the frame. The assembling means may comprise a plurality of portions configured to assemble the plurality of optical modules to the frame preferably such that the plurality of optical modules is locked to the support means. According to an exemplary embodiment the optical assembly is an optical assembly as disclosed in NL 2026155 which is included herein by reference.
There may be one or more optical modules per opening of the frame. For example, an opening may be dimensioned to receive two optical modules, one next to the other. Optionally, at least two optical modules may be assembled together using e.g. interlocking mechanical means, glue, and/or by magnetic force. Also, there may be a plurality of openings in the frame. So, the optical modules may be picked individually to custom design the optical properties of the optical assembly. Therefore, a high flexibility of the optical assembly may be reached in terms of light patterning.
The plurality of optical modules may be the same or different. The plurality of optical modules may be picked from a storage comprising many different optical modules, and this picking may be based on the desired light distribution of the luminaire design in which the resulting optical assembly is to be included. Thus, a highly modular luminaire design is obtained.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the method further comprises obtaining, from a stock database, a list of available luminaire parts; and the obtaining of the list of the at least one luminaire design is further based on the obtained list of available luminaire parts.
In this way, the obtained list of the at least one luminaire design reflects an actual product availability. Indeed the luminaire design may comprise a certain number of parts to be gathered with various parts being essential or interchangeable. The availability of parts may change the overall characteristics of a luminaire design. The stock database may be luminaire parts available in a stock of a local provider, in a stock of a luminaire producer, in a catalogue of products, or in a personal stock. The availability may be further distinguished between available in stocks, discontinued, in production, and/or with a time indication of the availability on the lighting site for installation. The list of available luminaire parts may also comprise a quantity of available luminaire parts, an end-of-life date of available luminaire parts, a manufacturing country of the luminaire parts, an ecological label of the luminaire parts. Such way of refining the list of the at least one luminaire design provides for a more informed choice of a luminaire design based on a reality of the readily available items. In an embodiment, the obtaining of the list of the at least one luminaire design may be based on luminaire designs favoring available luminaire parts whose quantity in stocks is high, which are subject to a special price offer, and/or which are close to the end-of-life date.
Also, in an embodiment, the obtaining of the list may be followed by the provision of a purchase selection interface. The purchase selection interface may allow the user, after selection of the at least one desired luminaire design from the list of the at least one luminaire design, to conclude by ordering the at least one desired luminaire design for retrofitting the lighting site.
According to a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises outputting an altered visual representation of the lighting site with at least one installed luminaire, based on the list of the at least one luminaire design and on the at least one visual representation of the lighting site.
In this manner, one can better visualize the aesthetics of the lighting site with an installed luminaire from the list of the at least one luminaire design. In one embodiment, when presented with the list, a user may pick a luminaire design from the list using a selection interface. Based on the at least one visual representation of the lighting site, a composite altered visual representation of the lighting site may be processed to integrate the picked luminaire design as an installed luminaire on the lighting site. Preferably, the outputted altered visual representation is outputted via an AR (altered reality) device. Such a visualization improves the user-friendliness of the method by allowing another parameter, aesthetics, to be evaluated.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the at least one visual representation is any one, or a combination, of: a photograph of the lighting site, a video of the lighting site, a map of the lighting site, a three-dimensional view of the lighting site, a street-level visualization of the lighting site.
The map of the lighting site may be a technical map of the lighting site, an architectural blueprint of the lighting site, a cadastral map, a topographic map, or an architectural project view of the lighting site.
According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one visual representation comprises a first and a second visual representation of the lighting site, said first visual representation being different from said second visual representation; and the extracting of the at least one luminaire installation characteristic is based on the first and the second visual representations of the lighting site.
In this way, multiple sources may be used in order to improve the precision of the extracted at least one luminaire installation characteristic. In another embodiment, the plurality of visual representations may provide complementary information which, when processed, allows the extraction of the at least one luminaire installation characteristic. Different or similar extraction methods may be used on the first and second visual representations of the lighting site to extract information, and optionally may be further processed. By combining different visual information, one may obtain luminaire installations characteristics not otherwise extractable.
In an exemplary embodiment one or more first visual representations of the lighting site may be used to extract a first luminaire installation characteristic, and one or more second visual representations of the lighting site may be used to extract a second luminaire installation characteristic.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the obtaining of the list of the at least one luminaire design is further based on another at least one luminaire installation characteristic of another lighting site.
In this manner, a certain uniformity between lighting sites may be attained. The at least one luminaire installation characteristic and the another at least luminaire installation characteristic may be of similar or different kinds. In one embodiment, the another lighting site does not need to be retrofitted and the another at least one luminaire installation characteristic allows to improve the likeness in the list of the at least one luminaire design between the lighting site and the another lighting site. In another embodiment, the another lighting site is to be retrofitted and the obtaining of the list of the at least one luminaire design allows optimizing the suitability to multiple lighting sites. It is to be noted that the another at least one luminaire installation characteristic may be provided manually, and/or extracted from an obtained visual representation, and/or originate from a database.
According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one visual representation comprises an indication corresponding to a location of the at least one luminaire base support within the lighting site.
In this way, the extraction of the at least one luminaire installation characteristic may be more accurate due to the visually distinctly identified location of the at least one luminaire base support in its environment.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the lighting site corresponds to the location for installing, for the at least one luminaire, at least one luminaire head, optionally combined with an associated luminaire head bracket, to at least one existing base support of the lighting site, e.g. a luminaire pole.
In this manner, more information is available in the at least one visual representation for the extraction of the at least one luminaire installation characteristic since the at least one base support of the at least one luminaire is visible. The at least one luminaire design of the list may be obtained based on a more restricted framework since the at least one base support may impose constraints and since only a luminaire head, optionally combined with an associated luminaire head bracket, needs to be installed.
The skilled person will understand that the hereinabove described technical considerations and advantages for embodiments of a method for retrofitting a lighting site also apply to the below described corresponding computer program embodiments, mutatis mutandis.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program. The computer program comprises instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method for retrofitting a lighting site as hereinabove described.
The skilled person will understand that the hereinabove described technical considerations and advantages for embodiments of a method for retrofitting a lighting site and for computer program embodiments also apply to the below described corresponding computer controlled system for retrofitting a lighting site embodiments, mutatis mutandis.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer controlled system for retrofitting a lighting site. The lighting site includes at least one pathway. The system includes:
wherein the processor is further configured for:
This and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing a currently preferred embodiment. Like numbers refer to like features throughout the drawings.
The method of the present invention allows to retrofit a lighting site. The lighting site may correspond to any space to be illuminated with a location for installing at least one luminaire. The lighting site typically comprises a pathway that can be taken by vehicles and/or pedestrians. The pathway may be a pathway on a lighting site suitable for outdoor luminaires By lighting site for outdoor luminaires, it is meant roads, tunnels, industrial plants, stadiums, airports, harbors, rail stations, campuses, parks, cycle paths, pedestrian paths, or pedestrian zones for example, and outdoor luminaires can be used notably for the lighting of an outdoor area, such as roads and residential areas in the public domain, private parking areas and access roads to private building infrastructures, etc. In other embodiments according to the invention, the pathway may be located indoors, such as in a warehouse or an industry hall.
Since the method is for retrofitting, it is presupposed that the location of the at least one luminaire to be installed can be identified on the lighting site. In other words, a complete luminaire may already be installed on the lighting site and there is an interest in replacing it or at least replacing part of it, or only part of the luminaire is present on the lighting site, e.g. the base support of the luminaire is already mounted or the location where the base support will be is identifiable.
As can be seen in the embodiment of
A plurality of visual representations of the lighting site may be obtained. In an embodiment, the plurality of visual representations may be of the same kind and represent different viewpoints of the lighting site. In another embodiment, the plurality of visual representations may comprise visual representations of different kinds.
In a computer controlled system implementing the method, the at least one visual representation may be received on a data entry means and stored in a memory for further processing. The data entry means may comprise at least one interface for reading a storage medium onto which the at least one visual representation has been stored. The storage medium may be a local storage medium of the computer controlled system, e.g. a hard drive, a buffer memory, or may be a remote storage medium. The at least one visual representation may be obtained by a processor of the system from the memory. In an embodiment, the at least one visual representation may be obtained or retrieved from the storage medium based on an address inputted by the user, said address being associated to a location of the lighting site and linked to at least one corresponding visual representation of the lighting site.
As can be seen in the embodiment of
In an embodiment, the extraction of the at least one luminaire installation characteristic may be based on a plurality of visual representations. The plurality of visual representations may be used in order to improve the precision of the extracted at least one luminaire installation characteristic. In another embodiment, the plurality of visual representations may provide complementary information which, when processed, allows the extraction of the at least one luminaire installation characteristic. Different extraction methods may be used on the various visual representations of the lighting site to extract information, and optionally may be further processed. By combining different visual information, one may obtain luminaire installations characteristics not otherwise extractable. Additionally or alternatively, the extraction may take into account data stored in a database relevant to the at least one luminaire installation characteristic of the lighting site.
As can be seen in the embodiment of
Similarly as the at least one visual representation, in the computer controlled system, the database of the plurality of luminaire designs may be received by the data entry means and stored in the memory of the system. In an embodiment, the database of the plurality of luminaire designs may be available on a server of a luminaire producer. The list may be obtained by the processor of the system and displayed on a display of the system. Each luminaire design on the list may be associated with a summary of the luminaire design including various information, e.g. spacing, height, average luminance of an emitted light, transversal uniformity of the emitted light, longitudinal uniformity of the emitted light, average enlightenment of the emitted light, glare threshold index of the emitted light, luminaire name, lamp/led type and wattage, brand of luminaire parts, driver type, lighting light distribution, luminaire working temperature, lighting life time, luminaire class, luminaire total cost of ownership, luminaire installation method, etc. More detailed embodiments of views of the list will be described with reference to
To obtain the list of the at least one luminaire design, the at least one installation characteristic may be compared to parameters associated to each of the plurality of luminaire designs in the database of luminaire designs to check for a positive correspondence. The positive correspondence may be an indicator of the suitability of the corresponding luminaire design. The parameters associated to each of the plurality of luminaire designs may be any one of: light distribution, lamp/led type and wattage, protectors type, optical components, flux, photometric accessories, light color temperature, luminaire family, light supply current, etc. By an elimination process, the list of at least one suitable luminaire design can be obtained. In an embodiment, no suitable luminaire design can be obtained and the computer controlled system may display a manual input interface to input at least one installation characteristic manually instead of via the at least one visual representation; or the computer controlled system may suggest at least one installation characteristic to be reset to avoid for the list to be void, or may suggest at least one installation characteristic to be modified.
As can be seen in the embodiment of
In the computer controlled system, the preferential parameter may be selected through an input interface via an inputting means of the system. The inputting means may be any one of: a touch-sensitive interface, a keyboard, a button, a mouse, etc. In an embodiment, the view of the list displayed on the display of the system may comprise an interface to select the preferential parameter among a preset list of preferential parameters.
As can be seen in the embodiment of
In an embodiment of the computer controlled system, a selection interface may be displayed on the display of the system, and a user of the system may input via an inputting means a selected luminaire design part of the list of the at least one luminaire design. After the selection, the system may output an altered visual representation. The list of the at least one luminaire design and the altered visual representation may be outputted via similar or different outputting means, e.g. two different displays included in the system.
As can be seen in the embodiment of
In an embodiment, the step S15 may comprise obtaining, from a regulation database, a lighting regulation associated to the lighting site. The lighting regulation may correspond to a legal obligation or recommendation based on the class of the identified pathway, the amount of traffic, the type of users of the pathway, etc. In an embodiment, the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be based on the geo-coordinates of the lighting site. Additionally or alternatively, the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be at least partially based on the extracted installation characteristic, e.g. the number of lanes of the pathway. In an embodiment, the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be followed by a manual correction or confirmation of the lighting regulation associated to the lighting site. Also, the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be achieved by a manual entry.
The regulation database may be a nation-wide database, a region-wide database, a city-wide database, or a local-wide database. In an embodiment, the regulation database may be stored in the memory of the system and the obtaining of the lighting regulation may be achieved by reading the regulation database in the memory. In another embodiment, the system may further comprise a communication means configured for communication with the regulation database located remotely.
In an embodiment, the step S15 may comprise obtaining, from a stock database, a list of available luminaire parts. In an embodiment, the stock database may be stored in the memory of the system and the obtaining of the list of available luminaire parts may be achieved by reading the stock database in the memory. In another embodiment, the system may further comprise a communication means configured for communication with the stock database located remotely. In this way, the obtained list of the at least one luminaire design in step S12 reflects an actual product availability.
Indeed the luminaire design may comprise a certain number of luminaire parts to be gathered with various parts being essential or interchangeable. The availability of luminaire parts may change the overall characteristics of a luminaire design. The stock database may be luminaire parts available in a stock of a local provider, in a stock of a luminaire producer, in a catalogue of products, or in a personal stock. The availability may be further distinguished between available in stocks, discontinued, in production, and/or with a time indication of the availability on the lighting site for installation. The list of available luminaire parts may also comprise a quantity of available luminaire parts, an end-of-life date of available luminaire parts, a manufacturing country of the luminaire parts, an ecological label of the luminaire parts. In an embodiment, the obtaining of the list of the at least one luminaire design may be based on luminaire designs favoring available luminaire parts whose quantity in stocks is high, which are subject to a special price offer, and/or which are close to the end-of-life date.
In an embodiment, the step S15 may comprise providing an input corresponding to another luminaire installation characteristic via an input interface. Other luminaire installation characteristics may thus be conveniently inputted from various sources. For example the input provided may be a manual input by a user using an inputting means, e.g. a keyboard. Additionally or alternatively, the another luminaire installation characteristic may originate from a database of known luminaire installation characteristics and/or based from on-site measured data.
In an embodiment, the step S15 may comprise obtaining another at least one luminaire installation characteristic of another lighting site. The at least one luminaire installation characteristic and the another at least luminaire installation characteristic may be of similar or different kinds. In one embodiment, the another lighting site does not need to be retrofitted and the another at least one luminaire installation characteristic allows to improve the likeness in the list of the at least one luminaire design obtained in step S12 between the lighting site and the another lighting site. In another embodiment, the another lighting site is to be retrofitted and the obtaining of the list of the at least one luminaire design of step S12 allows optimizing the suitability to multiple lighting sites. It is to be noted that the another at least one luminaire installation characteristic may be provided manually, and/or extracted from an obtained visual representation, and/or originate from a database.
In an embodiment, the step S15 may obtain the another funneling information from the sorted list after step S13, and the reiteration of step S12 may allow to remove from the list at least one of the luminaire design at the bottom of the sorted list.
In an embodiment, the step S15 may obtain the another funneling information via an input from the user of the computer controlled system after a negative appreciation of the outputted altered visual representation of step S14.
In an embodiment, the step S12 may be followed by another step comprising the provision of a purchase selection interface. The purchase selection interface may allow the user, after selection of the at least one desired luminaire design from the list of the at least one luminaire design, to conclude by ordering the at least one desired luminaire design for retrofitting the lighting site.
The typical lighting site depicted in the embodiment of
The lighting site may have at least one luminaire 23 installed to be retrofitted, a plurality of luminaires 23 in the embodiment of
The luminaire 23 may comprise a base support, e.g. a pole, onto which the luminaire head 24 is mounted, optionally in association with a luminaire head bracket. Various dimensions may be identified with respect to the luminaire 23: a height of the base support, an overhang of the luminaire head 24 with respect to the base support, an inclination of the luminaire head 24 with respect to a horizontal direction, a lateral dimension of a hard shoulder of the pathway, an arrangement pattern of a group of luminaires including the at least one luminaire, a location of the at least one luminaire base support respective to the one or more circulation directions. Also an optical characteristic of the surface to be illuminated may be obtained, e.g. the reflective optical characteristics of the surface.
In other embodiments, the sorting in
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
The visual representations of the embodiments of
Whilst the principles of the invention have been set out above in connection with specific embodiments, it is to be understood that this description is merely made by way of example and not as a limitation of the scope of protection which is determined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025720 | Jun 2020 | NL | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/064865 | 6/2/2021 | WO |
