Smart city concepts allow cities and municipalities to adapt to efficient resource management and improve quality of life for residents. Traffic, energy consumption and waste disposal can all become more sustainable with the help of real-time data collected by sensors. In addition, today’s urban areas are increasingly typified by smart buildings with a power supply that is as autonomous and sustainable as possible.
In order to equip a city with suitable sensors, different requirements need to be taken into account. Sensors that process optical information require light in order to achieve optimum results. The sensors’ power supply must also be guaranteed. In addition, different areas of application also require different types of sensors. Solutions that address these challenges and are therefore suitable for use in cities are available. Tridonic has developed the SensorX, which offers various advantages for use in public spaces and also ensures data is protected.
State-of-the-Art Sensor Technology for Use in the City
SensorX, our AI-based sensor, allows us to optimize street lighting efficiently and sustainably. Our technology saves energy, reduces light emissions and enables precise detection and differentiation of road users, helping us contribute to the smart planning of public spaces and transport systems – always with a focus on data protection and innovation.
Today’s motion sensors detect when something moves within the radius of the sensor, making them very reliable inside buildings. In outdoor areas, however, motion sensors are prone to error. Depending on the setting and surroundings, they can also be triggered by animals, trees or even heavy rain showers or snowfall. This inaccuracy leads to the lighting being incorrectly triggered and thus to avoidable power consumption. The new SensorX, on the other hand, uses image processing (machine vision) to deliver precise results.
“Many machine vision solutions require a lot of computing power and electricity and are therefore not economical or sustainable enough for widespread use”, explains Eduardo Pereira, Product Manager Outdoor Controls at Tridonic. “With the SensorX, we have succeeded in reducing the power and hardware performance requirements of the device itself to a minimum. The magic happens in the interaction between the hardware and software and offers the perfect solution for use in cities, allowing us to save data, costs and electricity.”
For the analysis, the SensorX captures up to five images per second. Images are processed in the sensor itself. They are used exclusively for the analysis, are not saved and cannot be exported. The SensorX has no internal memory and complies with data protection regulations, which means it can be used without hesitation in urban environments.
Access to the sensor for set-up or readjustment is protected; access by third parties is not possible. For this purpose only, images are transmitted to a smartphone or tablet to enable the definition of zones. In this case, the transmission is encrypted. Only the zones that are individually defined during commissioning are analyzed. The sensor then only takes movements in this area into account and recognizes that something is moving in the selected zone. In future, it will also be possible to distinguish between pedestrians and cyclists and even recognize different types of vehicles.
Simple Installation and Retrofitting
The SensorX is installed directly on the Zhaga-D4i interface (Zhaga Book 18 Ed. 3 Connection) of the street lights, making it ready for use immediately after installation and set-up. If local authorities are already using luminaires with a Zhaga D4i interface, the SensorX can be easily retrofitted, transforming the street lights into smart components in just one easy step. Firstly, installing SensorX on the street light has the advantage of ensuring sufficient light is available to the sensor at all times. The sensor is equipped with a light detector that regulates the lighting conditions so that movements can be reliably detected. Secondly, it uses the existing power supply of the luminaire. This type of installation is only possible thanks to the economical consumption of less than one watt, making the SensorX DALI type B-compliant.
Data and information obtained through image processing are transmitted via DALI to lighting control systems for
street and park lighting, city management systems or software for controlling traffic light systems. The data can then be analyzed or used to control the systems directly.
Tridonic’s AI-based SensorX detects activity on roads and pavements so they can be accurately illuminated by street lights consuming minimal power.
Targeted Lighting
Sensor-controlled lighting offers a range of benefits, ensuring greater safety on roads and paths, for instance. The SensorX detects when pedestrians or vehicles are in the vicinity. This information can be used to program adaptive lighting scenarios, for example to dim the lights during low-traffic periods and brighten roads and paths again when the traffic flow increases, allowing people to move around at night with safely illuminated streets and paths without the need for the entire city to be always illuminated. Using SensorX in this way also has another positive side effect: illuminating the paths only when they are being used reduces light emissions, because when there is nobody on the roads, less light is needed. Sensor-based lighting control therefore not only helps improve safety, but also the well-being of the population. In addition, spot lighting and dimming during quiet periods saves electricity and thus reduces municipal energy costs. In a pilot project in which one sensor controlled up to five lights, this led to potential savings of around 50 percent.
Real-time Parking Space Management
Sensor-based occupancy displays are nothing new in car parks and underground car parks. Until now, urban planners have often relied on magnetic sensors embedded in the pavement or flooring. When used outdoors, however, these sensors are often prone to errors, for example during a heavy snowfall. And if the parking area is changed, they also have to be painstakingly dug up and relocated. In the long run, this is not only inconvenient, but also expensive, and leaves little scope for flexibility.
