From idea to proof of concept for connected lighting in less than two months
Sustainability and efficiency go hand in hand. Increasing efficiency to reduce operational costs typically comes with energy savings, making strides toward improving sustainability.
One example is the move to LEDs in commercial and industrial lighting. Consumers have enjoyed the benefits of LED lighting for many years. Those same benefits are available to businesses and heavy industries, including ones operating in harsh environments like transit networks and construction sites.
The construction industry is a power user when it comes to lighting. For safety and security reasons, construction sites maintain continuous levels of lighting. Moving to LED lighting has helped the industry reduce energy usage significantly, and contractors prefer to specify LED lighting.
But the lighting used on site can be seen as a necessary cost rather than an investment in capital equipment. The lighting systems are generally only expected to be used for the duration of the project. That can often result in conventional bulbs being specified because they are still less expensive than LEDs to buy if not to operate.
These lighting systems are temporary by nature. And because the materials are relatively low cost, wiring, bulbs and fittings are discarded after a construction project completes. It can be viewed as too expensive to retrieve, store and reinstall the lighting systems on the next project. This leads to wastage and unnecessary landfill.
LED lighting for harsh environments
Clear-VU Lighting is a specialist in developing lighting systems for harsh environments and often wins business from its competitors because the projects it takes on come with challenges others feel are too difficult. One example is its clearNET lighting system developed for the transit industry. clearNET uses a proprietary mesh network to connect and control strings of LEDs in rail networks.
Its expertise in this market lead the company to develop the Clear-VU FLEX site lighting system, a modular LED lighting solution optimized for the construction industry. Unlike clearNET, the system is primarily designed for reuse, so it is easy to install with flexible operation. It is one of the first temporary construction lighting solutions designed to be used multiple times.
Unlike conventional site lighting, the capital expenditure of the system can be amortized across multiple projects. That’s only part of the benefit because LEDs offer inherent energy savings. The energy savings are important, as some site lighting is left at full power permanently, even when the light output could be reduced.
The FM2A LED light is part of the FLEX site lighting system for harsh environments, from Clear-VU Lighting. Avnet helped make the FLEX system smarter by adding IoT connectivity and a mesh network.
Adding IoT connectivity to lighting systems
Following the success of its clearNET system, Clear-VU Lighting wanted to further develop the solution by adding mesh networking and internet connectivity for remote control. The main benefit of remotely controlling the lighting system would be simpler adjustment of the power cycle. Remote access would also allow the lighting to be monitored and energy savings recorded.
To help with adding mesh networking and internet connectivity to its system, Clear-VU Lighting turned to Avnet. The solution developed by Avnet’s engineers uses the /IOTCONNECT™ platform connected to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT cloud platform and adds wireless communication modules into the programmable power supplies. The programmable power supplies allow strings of LED lighting to be dimmed in steps, from fully on to fully off.
Connecting to the internet comes with layers of complexity. The AWS IoT cloud platform has many services that need to be configured to create a connected solution. To overcome this complexity, Avnet recommended its /IOTCONNECT platform.
Avnet’s /IOTCONNECT platform was developed to provide abstraction from the complexity of a cloud platform. /IOTCONNECT integrates directly with the AWS IoT portfolio of cloud services. This integration provides a simpler developer experience. Using /IOTCONNECT, customers like Clear-VU Lighting gain easy access to the power of AWS IoT without the steep learning curve involved with adopting a cloud platform.
Remotely controlling LED lighting
Before adding internet connectivity, the existing power supply could only be configured in situ using a control panel. This took time, effort and an operative trained to use the control panel.
Because it required a hardwired connection, configuring the power supply could also be difficult if located in a part of the construction site that is less accessible, such as high up. The result is that often the default settings were left unchanged, or in some cases, the program overridden, meaning the lights were on at full power continuously.
Adding IoT technology makes control simpler, as anyone with internet access and the necessary authorization can now monitor and control the lights from anywhere in the connected world.
The concept sounds simple but developing a proof of concept required a control program running on the cloud platform, adding a secure internet connection to the system, and developing wireless communication modules that understand the commands coming from the AWS IoT cloud platform.
This is where /IOTCONNECT brings real productivity gains. /IOTCONNECT was designed specifically for this application scenario. It provides both a way to configure a cloud platform and develop a cloud application that communicates with connected devices. /IOTCONNECT also provides a user dashboard to control the connected devices.
/IOTCONNECT is an end-to-end platform, meaning it has software elements that operate both in the cloud and in the connected devices. This creates a continuous, secure control path from the AWS IoT cloud platform to the LED’s power supply.
Using /IOTCONNECT, Avnet’s engineers were able to develop a working proof of concept in less than two months. Clear-VU Lighting has been demonstrating this proof of concept at lighting trade shows and attracting significant attention from potential customers.
Conclusion
Connected LED lighting systems provide operational savings and help drive sustainability. Harsh environments, such as construction sites, are a good example of where intelligent lighting can make a positive impact.
As a specialist in developing LED lighting solutions for harsh environments, Clear-VU Lighting has leveraged mesh networking and the functionality of /IOTCONNECT from Avnet to add wireless connectivity and remote internet-based control to an existing modular LED lighting system.
This proof of concept, developed in less than two months, demonstrates how enabling technologies can be brought together fast to deliver significant advantages. The gains include lower energy usage, easier management, and a better customer experience.