Description:A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELF-POWERED, NON-INTRUSIVE STATUS MONITORING OF OUTDOOR LED LIGHTS
FIELD OF INVENTION:
The invention generally relates to the technical field of a status monitoring system, method and device for outdoor LED lights. More precisely, the invention relates to a system, method and device that is a truly self-powered, non-intrusive, clamp-on accessory for outdoor LED lights, designed to monitor their status without requiring any electrical wiring with the LED Lights.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Outdoor lights in public spaces such as streets, highway and parks etc., are essential in enhancing the safety and usability of those spaces by assisting road users, drivers and pedestrians at night. They also extend available outdoor lighting hours, thereby supporting productivity beyond daylight. A well-illuminated environment reduces crime rates and minimizes accidents, fostering a sense of safety within communities, especially in residential areas.
To capitalize on these benefits, many countries are transitioning to automated, smart outdoor lighting systems by integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. These systems aim primarily to enable autonomous operation and simplify light management and maintenance. Additionally, smart systems aid in improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, often achieved by pairing the system with LED lighting. Typical smart outdoor lighting architectures employ an IoT device with a microcontroller and a communication module for data handling and coordination between the lights and a central control unit through wired or wireless networks. Sensors are deployed to assess ambient conditions, allowing the system to adjust lighting levels or switch lights on or off. The control center offers a graphical user interface (GUI) for easy monitoring and management.
Generally, there is a strong transition to LED lighting for the advantages and efficiency it offers. LED lights are fastly replacing the gaseous discharge and filament lights. Currently, numerous IoT systems exist for wirelessly monitoring and controlling these LED outdoor lights, offering functionalities such as switching ON, switching OFF, DIMming, and FAULT detection. These systems primarily determine the status of the lamp whether it is ON, OFF, DIM or FAULT by analyzing the voltage and current flowing through it. To measure the voltage and current, the sensing mechanisms of the IoT device must be interfaced with the lamp’s electrical circuit. This is typically achieved by either incorporating the IoT device with the driver circuit or utilizing specific interfaces such as ANSI C136.10 [1] or ZHAGA Book 18 [2]. These interfaces not only power the IoT device but also facilitate voltage and current measurements.
While this intrusive interface approach is suitable for systems that both control the light (switch ON/OFF/DIM) and monitor its status, it is not the effective solution where just monitoring the status of the lamp alone is sufficient. The critical information for effective outdoor light maintenance lies in knowing when and where exactly a failure has occurred. So, in the majority of the instances, monitoring of the lights alone is adequate to meet the objectives of improved maintenance through timely detection and resolution of streetlight issues.
Furthermore, there are other disadvantages to using this intrusive system for outdoor light monitoring. Firstly, these devices share the power that is provided to the lamp. So, in addition to the light, which is the actual load, the power system should supply power to the monitoring devices as well. Secondly, these types of devices are difficult to retrofit to outdoor lights that do not have the necessary interface (ANSI C136.10 or ZHAGA Book 18) and this can hinder the widespread adoption of monitoring solutions for existing installations. Moreover it does not make much economical sense to add these electrical interfaces to monitor the lights of lower wattages (say less than 60W) since the cost of the monitoring system becomes greater than the cost of the light itself. However in the actual scenario, the majority of the lights installed are below this capacity.
A number of solutions have been introduced in order to solve the abovementioned problems. In one of the relevant arts, WO2012145099A1 discloses the system for non - intrusive load monitoring includes an output device, a data storage device including program instructions stored therein, a sensing device operably connected to a common source for a plurality of electrical devices, and an estimator operably connected to the output device, the data storage device, and the sensing device, the estimator configured to execute the program instructions to obtain data associated with a sensed state of the common source from the sensing device, obtain at least one model of each of the plurality of electrical devices, solve a Mixed Integer Programming problem for the at least one model over a fixed time horizon using the obtained data to determine a combination of operational stages of the plurality of electrical devices, and store operational data based on the solved Mixed Integer Programming problem.
Another relevant art ‘Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Approaches for Disaggregated Energy Sensing: A Survey by Ahmed Zoha, Alexander Gluhak, Muhammad Ali, Imran and Sutharshan Rajasegarar, Sensors 2012, 12(12), 16838-16866 discloses a comprehensive overview of Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) system and its associated methods and techniques used for disaggregated energy sensing, review the state-of-the art load signatures and disaggregation algorithms used for appliance recognition and highlight challenges and future research directions.
Another relevant art ‘G. W. Hart, 'Nonintrusive appliance load monitoring", Proceedings of the IEEE, 80(12): 1870- 1891, 1992, describes a method for utilizing normalized real and reactive power ("P" and "Q", respectively) measurements from a main electrical feed of a residential building in NILM. In the disclosed approach, steady state power metrics (i.e., disregarding any transient, non-stable state) are used to describe in a distinct way the power draw of a number of home appliances. In other words, when an individual appliance changes state, for example from "off to "on", a unique change in the total P and Q of the house occurs. Hart referred to these changes as the appliance's "signature", and described methods for correcting possible overlaps in the signature space by making use of appliance state transition models (e.g., an appliance cannot go from "off to "on" and then again to "on").
Another relevant art CN105517294A discloses an intelligent street lamp system based on Internet of Things. The system comprises a server, an intelligent energy management device, street lamp integrated controllers, single-lamp control boxes, lamp poles and lamps. Wherein the intelligent energy management device, the street lamp integrated controllers and the single-lamp control boxes are wirelessly connected through Internet of Things by the server. The server and the intelligent energy management device are installed at a monitoring center, the street lamp integrated controllers are installed in street lamp electric appliance boxes at the street corner of each road section, the single-lamp control boxes are arranged on the two sides of the street, and the server is controlled by a computer or mobile phone. Control over switching on and off, dimming, detection and management of a single lamp or multiple lamps can be achieved remotely by means of a mobile phone or computer, so that efficient operation, cost reduction, energy consumption reduction and user-friendly management are realized.
The prior arts described above indicate that studies have been carried out to develop systems, methods and apparatuses for non - intrusive load monitoring. Moreover, the prior arts does not disclose a new kind of system, method and an IoT device for self-powered, non-intrusive, clamp-on accessory for outdoor LED lights, designed to monitor their status without requiring any electrical wiring with the LED Lights.
In light of the discussion above, there is a need for a system, method and an IoT device which is self-powered, self-sustaining and that could be installed like a clamp-on accessory over the lamp that is capable of detecting the status changes of the lamp non-intrusively thereby aiding the monitoring of outdoor lamps.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION:
With reference to the above background explanation, the present invention of a system, method, and device for a clamp-on accessory, self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of outdoor LED lights has the following objectives to solve the limitations of the conventional systems, devices, and methods.
The principal objective of the invention is to provide a novel method to detect the status of the LED lights independently and non-intrusively.
For independent self-powered operation, the proposed system uses a combination of solar energy harvesting during the day and thermoelectric energy generation utilizing the unwanted heat energy on the surface of the streetlight whenever it is ON. The combinational energy supply with the Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) ensures the objective of uninterrupted continuous operation of the proposed monitoring device even at places with low sunlight conditions making it highly reliable.
The proposed system detects lamp status changes (ON/OFF/DIM/FAULT) non-intrusively by detecting the changes in the electromagnetic emissions of the LED light without altering or disturbing the electrical installation or wiring of the light. The system employs specialized sensors to detect the changes in the electric and electromagnetic fields emitted by the outdoor LED light during its operation. By analyzing these fields, the device is capable of inferring the status of the streetlight (ON, OFF, DIM, FAULT) non-intrusively without direct electrical contact.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a precise geographical position of the outdoor light that it is attached to. A Real Time Location Sensing (RTLS) module or any positioning module similar but not limited to GNSS is integrated into the proposed system to achieve this. This feature aids in the efficient management and maintenance of outdoor lighting assets (say for example street lighting or any public space lighting) by accurately mapping their locations.
Another objective of the present invention is to relay the status change events of the LED streetlight wirelessly to a server in real-time. The proposed system consists of a low-power wireless communication module to achieve this. The proposed system does not limit itself to any particular technology. Rather, any of the latest wireless communication technologies that meet the power requirement could be utilized. The objective is to provide reliable and robust communication of the status of the outdoor lights in near real time thereby enabling timely detection and resolution of the light related issues without the need for frequent maintenance or battery replacement for the monitoring device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
Disclosed are a device, system, and method for self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of outdoor public space LED lights.
In one aspect, a system for a clamp-on accessory, self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of outdoor LED lights includes a network based (IoT) device, a power block consisting of energy harvesting mechanisms for both solar energy and for the heat energy emitted by the outdoor LED light during its operation along with a rechargeable battery that serves as an energy storage unit, a power management unit or a module to manage and deliver power to the control block, a control block consisting of multiple sensors, a microcontroller, a positioning module and a low power wireless module are configured to ly monitor the status of an LED light.
The monitoring system for outdoor LED light, when executed by the control block, configured to perform the process steps of detecting the ON, OFF, DIM, FAULT statuses of LED light without any intervention of the electrical installation or wiring of the outdoor lights, non-intrusively monitoring the status of the LED light by sensing the electric field and electromagnetic field radiations or emissions from the LED light, also determines the geographical position or the location of the light through the positioning module, relays the status and the position of the outdoor LED light through a low-power wireless communication module to a server.
In another aspect, a device for self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of outdoor LED lights having a solar panel being mounted facing the sun to extract maximum solar energy. The network based (IoT) device including a wireless communication module and a rechargeable battery is enclosed in a waterproof enclosure. Multiple sensors and a heat extraction unit of a Thermo-electric generator( TEG) are placed at the bottom side of the enclosure that could touch the surface of the lamp. The solar panel and the heat sink of the TEG are positioned on the top of the device enclosure facing the sky. A belt or a strap is provided to wrap or tie the device enclosure in place on top of the LED lamp like a wearable for the lamp. This is arranged or installed so that the arrangement or installation facilitates the sensor and the heat extraction unit of the TEG to be in contact with the top surface of the LED lamp.
The systems, methods and apparatus disclosed herein may be implemented in any means for achieving various aspects. Other features will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may have been referred to by embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. These and other features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following text figure, with like reference numbers referring to like structures across the views, wherein:
Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of the self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring system for outdoor LED lights, with a power block and the controller block, according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing an overview of a typical LED light with functional blocks, according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a pictorial representation showing an overview of the Electric and Magnetic field radiations or emissions around an outdoor LED light when the light is powered up and glowing, in this case an LED streetlight is shown
Figure 4 is a pictorial representation showing an overview of the Electric and Magnetic field radiations or emissions around an outdoor LED light when the light is powered up and not glowing, in this case an LED streetlight is shown
Figure 5 is a pictorial representation showing an overview of the Electric and Magnetic field radiations or emissions around an outdoor LED light when the light is not powered up, in this case an LED streetlight is shown
Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an overview of the Electric and Magnetic Field Sensing mechanisms of the system, according to the present invention.
Figure 7 is a flow diagram showing an overview of one of the methods to determine the Lamp State from the Magnetic field signal, according to the present invention.
Figure 8 is a flow diagram showing an overview of one of the methods to determine the Power State from the Electric field signal, according to the present invention.
Figure 9 is a table showing an overview of the method to derive the Overall Lamp Status (ON / OFF / FAULT / DIM) based on the Lamp State and Power State, according to the present invention.
Figure 10 shows the state flow transitions for the microcontroller with multiple states, according to the present invention.
Figure 11 is a structural view showing one of the methods to mount the clamp-on non-intrusive sensor device for an outdoor LED light, in this case a streetlight, according to the present invention.
Figure 12 is a structural view of the self-powered, non-intrusive clamp-on device for an outdoor LED light, with its components, according to the present invention.
Figure 13 is a structural view of a clamp-on device for outdoor LED light illustrating functional components without Thermo-electric generator (TEG), according to the present invention.
Figure 14 is a structural view of a clamp-on device without Thermo-electric generator (TEG) and its mounting arrangement on a collar of the outdoor LED light, according to the present invention.
Figure 15 is the structural view of a clamp-on device without Thermo-electric generator (TEG) and its mounting arrangement on a wire of the outdoor LED light, according to the present invention.
Figure 16 is the structural view of a clamp-on device without Thermo-electric generator (TEG) and its mounting arrangement on a wire of the outdoor LED light, according to the present invention.
Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
While the present invention is described herein by way of example using embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further, some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim. As used throughout this description, the word "may" be used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense, (i.e., meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" mean "at least one” and the word “plurality” means “one or more” unless otherwise mentioned.
Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein is solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," or "involving," and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited, and is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers, or steps. Likewise, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the terms "including" or "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles, and the like is included in the specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention.
In this disclosure, whenever a composition or an element or a group of elements is preceded with the transitional phrase “comprising”, it is understood that we also contemplate the same composition, element or group of elements with transitional phrases “consisting of”, “consisting”, “selected from the group of consisting of, “including”, or “is” preceding the recitation of the composition, element or group of elements and vice versa.
The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing(s), wherein reference numerals used in the accompanying drawing(s) correspond to the like elements throughout the description. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following detailed description, numeric values and ranges are provided for various aspects of the implementations described. These values and ranges are to be treated as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In addition, a number of materials are identified as suitable for various facets of the implementations. These materials are to be treated as exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of the control block(102) and the power block(104) of the clamp-on, self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring system for outdoor LED lights, according to the present invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:
Control block (102) Power block (104) LED Lamp (106)
Particularly, Figure 1 illustrates the system for clamp-on, self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of outdoor LED lights that includes a network based (IoT) device, a power block(104) consisting of energy harvesting modules, rechargeable battery that serves as an energy storage unit and a power management unit or a module to manage and deliver power to the control block(102) and a control block(102) consisting of multiple sensors, a microcontroller, a positioning module and a low power wireless communication module are configured to monitor the status of an LED light.
In one or more embodiments, the system for monitoring the status of the LED streetlight, when executed by the control block(102), is configured to perform the process steps of detecting the ON, OFF, DIM, FAULT statuses of outdoor LED lights without any intervention of the electrical installation or wiring of the lights, monitoring the status of the outdoor LED lights non-intrusively by sensing the electric field and magnetic field radiations or emissions from the LED light during its operation, also determines the geographical position or the location of the outdoor light and timestamps the status data through a precise timing module or deriving the time from the positioning module, relays the time-stamped status and the geographical position of the lamp through a low-power wireless communication module to a server all the while operating independently by harnessing the combination of solar energy and the heat energy emitted by the LED light through an energy harvesting module and storing the harvested energy in a rechargeable battery(1204).
In one or more embodiments, a method for self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of LED streetlights, comprising the steps of building a power block(104) consisting of a combination of energy harvesting modules including both solar and thermal energy harvesting, a rechargeable battery(1204) that serves as an energy storage unit and a power management unit or a module to manage and deliver a power to the control block(102), building a control block(102) consisting of multiple sensors, a microcontroller, a GNSS or positioning module and a low power wireless communication module is configured to monitoring status of outdoor LED light. Wherein, said monitoring status of the LED light, when executed by the control block(102), configured to perform the process steps of, detecting the status of LED streetlights such as ON, OFF, DIM, FAULT without an intervention of the electrical wiring of the streetlights, monitoring the status of the outdoor LED light by sensing the electric field and electromagnetic field radiation of the LED light by a non-intrusive sensing module through a sensor configuration, determining a geographical position or a location of the outdoor light and time-stamping the status data, relaying status and the geographical position of the outdoor LED light through a low power wireless module to a server.
In one or more embodiments, the primary energy source is a solar panel that captures solar energy, and a secondary energy source is the heat generated by the LED lamp(106) during its operation, i.e. when the lamp is glowing. The solar charge controller is connected to transfer the power from the solar panel(1202) to the rechargeable battery(1204) through the power management module. A thermal energy harvester unit (TEG) or module captures heat from the surface of the light to convert it into electrical energy that is directed to the power management module to charge the battery. The TEG(1212) is properly coupled to the lamp(106) surface to maximize the extraction of the heat energy. The control block(102) monitors the health, status and mode of operation of the power block(104) through the parameters like battery voltage, state of charge, voltage from the solar panel and voltage generated from the TEG(1212). The network device consisting of a microcontroller and a low power wireless communication module is used for collection and/or transmission of the data files to a destination device at a location within a prescribed time interval. The sensors to the LED lamp(106) are provided within the proximity, just touching the surface of the lamp, to measure and detect the status changes of the LED lamp(106) accurately.
The key principle for non-intrusive lamp status detection is that an electric field is a function of the voltage and a magnetic field is a function of current. This principle can be used to detect and determine the status of any electrical appliance. However, the electric field and magnetic field emissions of the appliances are very feeble to detect, typically in the order of 10s of milliGauss (mG). Moreover, in the case of outdoor lighting, ambient electromagnetic interferences from sources such as overhead power supply lines, transformers etc., pose a real challenge for lamp status detection using electric and magnetic fields. Nevertheless, this could be achieved for LED lighting by sensing the relatively higher magnetic field oscillations resulting from their switched mode operation principle. Also by combining this effect with a combination of sensitivity adjustments and sensor proximity, a robust system for non-intrusive status monitoring for outdoor LED lights is possible.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing an overview of a typical LED light with functional blocks, according to the present invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS: LED Driver (202)
Particularly, Figure 2 shows the functional blocks of a typical LED light. The principle behind the operation of an LED driver is that of a switched mode power supply. The input voltage is rectified and fed to a DC-DC converter, which switches a transformer to provide a pulsed DC output which is then converted to a continuous low voltage DC by an output capacitor regulated by a voltage regulator. This output voltage can be varied to keep the output current constant for a string of LEDs. This operation of the DC-DC converter driving the LEDs causes electromagnetic emissions.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the presence of electric and magnetic fields around an outdoor LED light during its operation under different conditions.
Particularly, Figure 3 illustrates a detailed visual exemplification or an overview of the electric field and magnetic field radiations or emissions around an outdoor LED light when the light is powered up and glowing, i.e. the lamp ON condition. In this case the LED streetlight is shown in Figure 3.

Particularly, Figure 4 illustrates a detailed visual exemplification or an overview of the electric and magnetic field radiations or emissions around an outdoor LED light when the light is powered up and not glowing, i.e. the lamp FAULT condition. In this case an LED streetlight is shown in Figure 4.

Particularly, Figure 5 illustrates a detailed visual exemplification or an overview of the electric and magnetic field radiations or emissions around an outdoor LED light when the light is not powered up, i.e., in power OFF condition. In this case an LED streetlight is shown

In one or more embodiments, by detecting both the electric field, an effect of the input voltage to the lamp, and the electromagnetic field, an effect of the current flow in the lamp, it becomes possible to infer the ON, OFF, and FAULTY statuses of the lamp. Analyzing the electromagnetic waveform holistically allows for deduction of the DIM status of the lamp. To achieve reliable sensing, the sensors must be finely tuned to the behavior of the LED light. The LED drivers operate using the switched mode power supply principle with typical switching frequencies ranging between 50kHz to 1MHz. This switching operation is present only when there is active load, i.e. when the LED is glowing. This switching operation generates electromagnetic radiation that corresponds to the switching frequency of the power supply. The sensor circuit is tuned to filter out the background radiation or emissions from other sources and capture only the electromagnetic radiation from the LED light when it is turned ON. For the electric field, the sensor detects the field oscillations corresponding to the input AC voltage waveform to the streetlight, which is typically at 50Hz, amplifies the sensed signal and compares the average signal voltage to a reference voltage.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an overview of the Electric and Magnetic Radiation from the LED light and the sensing mechanisms of the system, according to the present invention.
In one or more embodiments, a multiple of magnetic field sensors picks up the feeble electromagnetic field radiation from the LED light and passes it on to a signal conditioning section. The conditioned signal is fed to the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) port of the microcontroller. This input analog signal forms a replica of the magnetic field oscillations when the LED light is turned ON. Similarly for the electric field sensing, a multitude of pick-up coils pick up the variations in the electric field when the input voltage is applied to the LED light. This signal is filtered, conditioned and then amplified using the amplifier section. This amplified signal is also fed to the microcontroller through a different ADC channel. Though there are multiple methods for sensing the alternating or oscillating electric and magnetic fields around an electrical appliance, only one of the generic methods is shown in this document for illustration. One other sensing mechanism for electric fields can be sensing the changes in the capacitance of a capacitor when subjected to an alternating electric field, i.e., similar to the one used in capacitive touch sensing. Similarly any magnetic field sensor such as a magnetic compass, hall-effect sensor or a simple wound coil etc., can be used for magnetic field sensing. The order of the magnetic field strength emitted by the LED light varies with the wattage of the LED light and also with sensor proximity to the LED driver(202). Typically it is in the range of 10 to 100 mG.
Figures 7 and 8 show the flow of signal processing techniques by the microcontroller to determine the lamp and power states, according to the present invention.
In one or more embodiments, the event detection such as the lamp ‘ON’ event is the switching of the transformer that creates the electromagnetic radiation during its operation. Most of the streetlight LED drivers follow the EMI/EMC regulation limits and this radiated noise can be very feeble that can be sensed using the sensor. The electromagnetic field sensor picks up this radiation and passes this feeble analog signal to the microcontroller. As mentioned earlier, the strength of this signal depends on the strength of the radiation and the proximity of the sensor pickup coil to the driver or the power supply cable.
Particularly, Figure 7 shows one of the flows of signal processing steps employed by the microcontroller to determine the ON, DIM, OFF state of the LED lamp. Firstly, the microcontroller computes the root mean square (RMS) values of this oscillating magnetic field signal (B). In the next step BRMS is compared with a ‘DIM’ and ‘ON’ threshold values to determine the lamp state as ‘ON’, ‘DIM’ and ‘OFF’. The lamp can turn ‘OFF’ when the power to the LED driver is cut, i.e., when there is no input power to the lamp. This shuts down the driver and thereby the electromagnetic radiation around the driver is also cut. The sensor output drops to zero volts and the microcontroller determines this as lamp ‘OFF.’
In one or more embodiments, the event detection such as the dimming of the LED lamp(106) is achieved by reducing the duty cycle of operation of the LEDs, i.e., the LED driver(202) reduces the ‘ON’ duration of the LED and increases the ‘OFF’ duration of its pulsated output. This duty cycle should also be reflected in the electromagnetic radiation around the lamp. This variation can be detected by a decrease in the strength of the magnetic field signal. Though a better method for ‘DIM’ status detection would be through comparing the changes in the signal with that of the signal when the lamp is at full brightness, a simpler method of comparing the signal strength with a fixed threshold saves computation resources in the microcontroller. However, this DIM status detection would definitely require calibration of the magnetic field sensor to record the signal at full brightness.
Particularly, Figure 8 shows one of the flows of signal processing steps employed by the microcontroller to determine the input power ON or OFF state of the LED lamp(106), i.e., whether there is input power to the lamp or not. The signal from the electric field sensor (E) is aggregated and the average of the samples is compared against a fixed threshold value for power ON detection. When the value (EA) is below the threshold, it is determined as POWER OFF and if it is above the threshold, it is determined as POWER ON. As mentioned for the current detection, the sensor reading needs to be calibrated to find the proper threshold values for power state detection.
Figure 9 is a table showing an overview of the method to derive the Overall Lamp Status (ON / OFF / FAULT / DIM) based on the Lamp State and Power State, according to the present invention.
Particularly, Figure 9 shows a truth table which is used by the microcontroller to determine the overall status of the outdoor LED light from the previously determined Lamp and Power States. The lamp is determined as ‘FAULT’ when the input power is available to the lamp, but the lamp does not glow i.e., no current flow resulting in no magnetic field. When there is input voltage available to the lamp, the electric field is present and the electric field sensor captures it and passes it onto the controller. However, there is no current flow, so the output from the magnetic field sensor will be zero. The microcontroller which is able to read both these sensor outputs can determine the status of the lamp to be ‘FAULT.’
The determined or derived overall status of the outdoor LED light is then timestamped with the real-time from the positioning module or a precise timing module. The timestamped status along with the position data is packed and passed on to the wireless communication module to transmit to the server. This process of polling the sensors, timestamping and passing on the events on lamp status changes is continuously performed by the microcontroller.
Figure 10 shows the state flow transitions for the microcontroller. For effective power utilization, the microcontroller could be pushed to sleep or even deep sleep modes between the sensor polling intervals. The polling interval could be optimized for power or quicker event turn-around times.
Figure 11 is a structural view of a clamp-on device and its mounting arrangement for an outdoor LED light, in this case a streetlight is shown, according to the present invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:
LED Lamp (106) Belt or Strap (1102) Self-powered, Non-intrusive Monitoring System (1104)
Particularly, Figure 11 illustrates the clamp-on device for outdoor LED light, in this case a streetlight is shown for example, showing Self-powered, Non-intrusive Monitoring System(1104), the LED lamp(106) and the belt or a strap(1102) being provided to mount or wrap or tie the device enclosure in place on top of the LED lamp(106).
Figure 12 is a structural view of a clamp-on device for outdoor LED light with its functional components along with Thermo-electric generator (TEG). In this case a streetlight is shown, according to the present invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:
Solar Panel (1202)
Rechargeable Battery or Battery (1204)
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (1206)
Magnetic Field Sensor (1208)
Electric Filed Sensor (1210)
Thermo-electric generator (TEG) (1212)
In one or more embodiments, a device for self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of LED streetlights having a solar panel(1202) being mounted facing the sun to extract maximum solar energy. The network based (IoT) device with a rechargeable battery(1204) and a wireless communication module is enclosed within a waterproof enclosure. Multiple sensors(1208, 1210) and a heat extraction unit of Thermo-electric generator (TEG)(1212) are placed on the bottom side of the enclosure, and the solar panel(1202) and the heat sink of the TEG are positioned on the top of the device enclosure facing the sky. The belt or a strap(1102) is provided to mount or wrap or tie the device enclosure in place on top of the LED lamp(106) to facilitate the sensor(1208, 1210) and the heat extraction unit of the TEG(1212) are in contact with the top surface of the LED lamp(106).
Figure 13 is a structural view of a clamp-on device for outdoor LED light illustrating functional components without Thermo-electric generator (TEG), according to the present invention.
In one or more embodiments, a device for self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of LED streetlights having a solar panel(1202) being mounted facing the sun to extract maximum solar energy. The network based (IoT) device with a rechargeable battery(1204) and a wireless communication module is enclosed within a waterproof enclosure. Multiple sensors(1208, 1210) are placed on the bottom side of the enclosure. The solar panel(1202) is positioned on the top of the device enclosure facing the sky. The belt or a strap(1102) is provided to mount or wrap or tie the device enclosure in place on top of the LED lamp(106) to facilitate the sensor(1208, 1210).
Figure 14 is a structural view of a clamp-on device without Thermo-electric generator (TEG) and its mounting arrangement on a collar of the outdoor LED light, according to the present invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:
Self-powered, Non-intrusive Monitoring System without TEG(1402)
Particularly, Figure 14 illustrates the clamp-on device for outdoor LED light. In this case the streetlight is showing Self-powered, Non-intrusive Monitoring System without TEG(1402), the LED lamp(106) and the belt or a strap(1102) being provided to mount or wrap or tie the device enclosure in place on collar of the LED lamp(106).
Figure 15 and 16 are the structural view of a clamp-on device without Thermo-electric generator (TEG) and its mounting arrangement on a wire of the outdoor LED light, according to the present invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:
Self-powered, Non-intrusive Monitoring System without TEG(1502)
Particularly, Figure 15 and 16 illustrates the clamp-on device for outdoor LED light. In this case the streetlight is showing Self-powered, Non-intrusive Monitoring System without TEG (1502) being mounted on the wire of the outdoor LED light along with different positions of LED lamp(106).
Additionally, while the constructional and operational process described above and illustrated in the drawings is shown as a sequence of steps, this was done solely for the sake of illustration. Accordingly, it is contemplated that some constructional and operational steps may be added, some constructional steps may be omitted, the order of the constructional steps may be re-arranged, and/or some constructional steps may be performed simultaneously.
Although embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the system and method described herein. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Many alterations and modifications of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after having read the foregoing description. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. It is to be understood that the description above contains many specifications; these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the personally preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given. , C , Claims:
1. A system for a clamp-on, self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of outdoor LED lights, comprising:
a network based device;
a power block(104) consisting of energy harvesting mechanisms for both solar energy and for the heat energy emitted by the outdoor LED light during an operation along with a rechargeable battery(1204) that serves as an energy storage unit;
a power management unit or a module to manage and deliver power to the control block(102);
a control block(102) consisting of a plurality of sensors(1208, 1210), a microcontroller, a GNSS or any other positioning module and low-power wireless module is configured for status monitoring of the outdoor LED lights;
wherein, said monitoring status of the outdoor LED light, when executed by the control block(102), configured to perform the process steps of:
detecting the status of outdoor LED lights such as ON, OFF, DIM, FAULT without any intervention of the electrical installation or wiring of the lights;
non-intrusively monitoring the status of the outdoor LED light by sensing the electric field and magnetic field radiations or emissions of the LED light by a non-intrusive sensing module through a sensor configuration;
determining a geographical position or a location of the outdoor LED light and timestamping the lamp status data through a GNSS module or a positioning module;
relaying status and the geographical position of the outdoor LED light through a low-power wireless module to a server; and
harnessing energy from a combination of solar energy and the heat emitted by the outdoor LED light through a combinational energy harvesting module having a rechargeable battery for energy storage.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a primary energy source is a solar panel(1202) that captures solar energy and a secondary energy source is a heat generated by a LED lamp(106) during an operation.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a solar charge controller is connected to transfer the power from the solar panel(1202) to the rechargeable battery(1204) through the power management module and an energy harvester unit or a module that captures heat from a surface of the light to convert into an electrical energy or a harvested energy and that is being directed to the power management module to charge the battery(1204).

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control block(102) monitors the health and status of the power block(104) through the power management signals.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network based device for collection and/or transmission of the data files to a destination device at a location within a prescribed time interval.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors to the LED lamp(106) is provided within the proximity of 5 to 10 cm to measure and detect the status changes of the LED lamp(106) accurately and the Thermo-electric generator (TEG)(1212) for harvesting the energy from the lamp’s heat being provided for proper coupling to the surface of the lamp to extract maximum heat.

7. A method for clamp-on, self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of outdoor LED lights, comprising the steps of:
building a power block(104) consisting of a rechargeable battery(1204) that serves as an energy storage unit and a power management unit or a module to manage and deliver a power to the control block(102);
building a control block(102) consisting of a plurality of sensors(1208, 1210), a microcontroller, a GNSS or any positioning module and low power wireless communication module is configured to monitoring status of the outdoor LED light;
wherein, said monitoring status of the outdoor LED light, when executed by the control block(102), configured to perform the process steps of:
detecting the ON, OFF, DIM, FAULT statuses of outdoor LED lights without any intervention of the electrical installation or wiring of the lights;
non-intrusively monitoring the status of the outdoor LED light by sensing the electric field and magnetic field radiations or emissions of the LED light by a non-intrusive sensing module through a sensor configuration;
determining a geographical position or a location of the outdoor LED light and timestamping the lamp status data through a GNSS module or a positioning module or precise timing module;
relaying status and the geographical position of the outdoor LED light through a low-power wireless communication module to a server; and
harnessing energy from a combination of solar energy and the heat emitted by the outdoor LED light through an energy harvesting module having a rechargeable battery(1204) for energy storage.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a solar charge controller is connected to transfer the power from the solar panel to the rechargeable battery(1204) through the power management module and an energy harvester unit or a module that captures heat from a surface of the light to convert into an electrical energy or a harvested energy and that is being directed to the power management module to charge the battery(1204).

9. A clamp-on device for, self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of LED streetlights, comprising:
a solar panel(1202) is mounted by facing a sun to extract a maximum solar energy;
a network based device, a rechargeable battery(1204) and a wireless communication module is enclosed with a waterproof enclosure;
a plurality of sensors(1208, 1210) ) either with a heat extraction unit of Thermo-electric generator (TEG)(1212) or without TEG (1502) are placed on the bottom side of the enclosure; and
a belt or a strap(1102) being provided to wrap or tie the device enclosure in place on top of the LED lamp(106) to facilitate the sensors(1208, 1210) either with TEG(1212) or without TEG(1502) are in contact with the top surface of the LED lamp(106).

10. The clamp-on device for, self-powered, non-intrusive status monitoring of LED streetlights, as claimed in claim 9, wherein the solar panel(1202) and the heat sink of the TEG(1212) are positioned on the top of the device enclosure that facing a sky.