Development of New Radar and Pyroelectric Sensors for Road Safety Increase in Cloud-Based Multi-Agent Control Application

The paper concentrates on the design, architecture, and monitoring of smart LED street lighting control, with focus on traffic safety and safe road infrastructure. The use of a CMAS (Cloud-Based Multi-Agent System) as a possible framework is investigated. The work is based on previous developments by the authors in the production and design of close and long-range hybrid Pyroelectric Infrared (PIR) motion detection sensors. It also introduces the advances in radar-type sensors used in smart SLC (street lighting control) application systems. The proposed sensor solutions can detect the road user (vehicle or pedestrian) and determine its movement direction and approximate speed that can be used for dynamic lighting control algorithms, traffic intensity prediction, and increased safety for both driver and pedestrian traffic. Furthermore, the street lighting system infrastructure can monitor city environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, thus increasing levels of safety and security for smart cities. Utilising other hybrid systems within intelligent street lighting applications represents a new specialisation area in both energy-saving, safety awareness, and intelligent management.

Enabling Year-round Cultivation in the Nordics-Agrivoltaics and Adaptive LED Lighting Control of Daily Light Integral

High efficacy LED lamps combined with adaptive lighting control and greenhouse integrated photovoltaics (PV) could enable the concept of year-round cultivation. This concept can be especially useful for increasing the production in the Nordic countries of crops like herbaceous perennials, forest seedlings, and other potted plants not native of the region, which are grown more than one season in this harsh climate. Meteorological satellite data of this region was analyzed in a parametric study to evaluate the potential of these technologies. The generated maps showed monthly average temperatures fluctuating from −20 °C to 20 °C throughout the year. The natural photoperiod and light intensity also changed drastically, resulting in monthly average daily light integral (DLI) levels ranging from 45–50 mol·m−2·d−1 in summer and contrasting with 0–5 mol·m−2·d−1 during winter. To compensate, growth room cultivation that is independent of outdoor conditions could be used in winter. Depending on the efficacy of the lamps, the electricity required for sole-source lighting at an intensity of 300 µmol·m−2·s−1 for 16 h would be between 1.4 and 2.4 kWh·m−2·d−1. Greenhouses with supplementary lighting could help start the cultivation earlier in spring and extend it further into autumn. The energy required for lighting highly depends on several factors such as the natural light transmittance, the light threshold settings, and the lighting control protocol, resulting in electric demands between 0.6 and 2.4 kWh·m−2·d−1. Integrating PV on the roof or wall structures of the greenhouse could offset some of this electricity, with specific energy yields ranging from 400 to 1120 kWh·kW−1·yr−1 depending on the region and system design.

Development and Implementation of an IoT-Enabled Optimal and Predictive Lighting Control Strategy in Greenhouses

Global population growth has increased food production challenges and pushed agricultural systems to deploy the Internet of Things (IoT) instead of using conventional approaches. Controlling the environmental parameters, including light, in greenhouses increases the crop yield; nonetheless, the electricity cost of supplemental lighting can be high, and hence, the importance of applying cost-effective lighting methods arises. In this research paper, a new optimal supplemental lighting approach was developed and implemented in a research greenhouse by adopting IoT technology. The proposed approach minimizes electricity cost by leveraging a Markov-based sunlight prediction, plant light needs, and a variable electricity price profile. Two experimental studies were conducted inside a greenhouse with “Green Towers” lettuce (Lactuca sativa) during winter and spring in Athens, GA, USA. The experimental results showed that compared to a heuristic method that provides light to reach a predetermined threshold at each time step, our strategy reduced the cost by 4.16% and 33.85% during the winter and spring study, respectively. A paired t-test was performed on the growth parameter measurements; it was determined that the two methods did not have different results in terms of growth. In conclusion, the proposed lighting approach reduced electricity cost while maintaining crop growth.

Development of a light control system using an optical aerial information transmission system

The inefficiency of the use of electric energy for indoor lighting is shown. The necessity of modernization of lighting control systems in the workplace area is justified. The method of automatic control and adjustment of illumination of workplaces and zones where it is necessary is offered. A control system has been developed, which is integrated into the air optical information transmission system (Internet). The simulation of the system operation is carried out, its parameters are calculated. The main characteristics are measured.

Tangible Lighting Controls

<p>'Tangible lighting controls' is used as an umbrella term to describe lighting control systems that are easy to understand and pleasurable to use by end-users. The crucial question posed is, what is the nature of interface designs sought by end-users for maximising interaction with lighting control systems? The manner in which this question is posed implies a fundamental assumption that improved usability and end-user experience are the primary goals. The concept of end-user understanding of lighting control interfaces is proposed as a basis for improving the usability and end-user experience of lighting control interfaces. Usability engineering methods involving survey research, experimental mock-ups and prototyping have been used to enable end-users to design and evaluate lighting control interfaces. The essential difference is to include end-users' point of view about ease of understanding control functions and pleasure of performing control tasks along with a technical point of view about meeting required standards. Manufacturers' claims about the effectiveness of existing lighting control interfaces are challenged, and an entirely different way of thinking about interface design is revealed. Such a change of thinking may be seen as a new framework for improved designs of lighting control interfaces as well as evaluation of their usability and end-user experience.</p>

Tangible Lighting Controls

<p>'Tangible lighting controls' is used as an umbrella term to describe lighting control systems that are easy to understand and pleasurable to use by end-users. The crucial question posed is, what is the nature of interface designs sought by end-users for maximising interaction with lighting control systems? The manner in which this question is posed implies a fundamental assumption that improved usability and end-user experience are the primary goals. The concept of end-user understanding of lighting control interfaces is proposed as a basis for improving the usability and end-user experience of lighting control interfaces. Usability engineering methods involving survey research, experimental mock-ups and prototyping have been used to enable end-users to design and evaluate lighting control interfaces. The essential difference is to include end-users' point of view about ease of understanding control functions and pleasure of performing control tasks along with a technical point of view about meeting required standards. Manufacturers' claims about the effectiveness of existing lighting control interfaces are challenged, and an entirely different way of thinking about interface design is revealed. Such a change of thinking may be seen as a new framework for improved designs of lighting control interfaces as well as evaluation of their usability and end-user experience.</p>

Towards the integration of personal task-lighting in an optimised balance between electric lighting and daylighting: A user-centred study of emotion, visual comfort, interaction and form-factor of task lights

Task-lighting is a well-known strategy to save energy by bringing light where it is most needed, providing adaptable localised light conditions of special interest in the current home-office context. Despite these benefits and in addition to negatively impacting biological rhythms, the generalization of backlit screens has made task lights less demanded, with screen users tending to accept significantly lower amounts of the illuminance standards. In parallel, the advantages of task-lighting may contradict the energy benefits of presence-driven lighting or blinds automation. This pilot experiment aims at evaluating the task light usage patterns and characteristic preferences for both paper and computer work from a user-centered perspective to provide guidelines in terms of luminaires characteristics. Thirteen participants evaluated three different task lights in both paper and computer conditions. Our results emphasize the role of the luminaire’s form factor, interface and lighting control characteristics, providing general recommendations on luminaire design.