Search

EP-4736089-A1 - METHOD FOR CALCULATION OF THE RISK OF FAILURE IN A LIGHTING SYSTEM

EP4736089A1EP 4736089 A1EP4736089 A1EP 4736089A1EP-4736089-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method to assist in the management and planning of maintenance operations of a lighting system, with particular reference to a street lighting system. The method provides the use of a predictive model for the calculation of an index representing the probability of the failure risk of a lighting system within a predetermined time interval, which does not require the analysis of data sensed at the devices constituting the lighting system.

Inventors

  • GAMBACORTA, Sergio
  • FERRARA, GIUSEPPE

Assignees

  • Enel X S.r.l.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240627

Claims (6)

  1. 1. A method for predictive calculation of an index (MTTF) which represents the probability of failure risk in a lighting system within a predetermined time interval, wherein said lighting system comprises a plurality of lighting devices, said method being performed using a computer and comprising the following steps: provide the computer with input data including taxonomy data of the lighting system, including the type of lighting technology and/or the age of the system, and/or data relating to the weather conditions of the installation site of the lighting system, wherein said input data is fetched from databases external to the computer by wired or wireless communication means included in the computer, or manually entered by a user into an interface system connected to the computer; apply a statistical analysis model of said input data which provides as output the index (MTTF) which represents the probability of failure risk of a lighting device of the lighting system within a predetermined time interval, wherein said input data does not include data sensed by, or at, said lighting devices.
  2. 2. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein said input data includes historical data of the failures occurred in the lighting system.
  3. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said model is implemented by means of a machine learning classifier trained by one or more computers by processing a plurality of data sets, wherein each set comprises said input data relating to at least one lighting system associated with historical data of failures that occurred in the same at least one lighting system.
  4. 4. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said input data includes one or more of the following: - historical data relating to the meteorological conditions of the installation area of the lighting system; - historical data relating to the risk of vandalism in the area where the lighting system is installed; - topography of the territory; - position of the street lamps; - dimensional characteristics and configuration of lighting devices; - type of bulb included in the lighting devices; - technical sheets of the bulbs; - level of reliability of the maintenance organization; - level and age of historical maintenance work.
  5. 5. Method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said machine learning classifier comprises a neural network.
  6. 6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising one or more of the following steps for pre-processing of input data: - normalization; categorization according to predetermined aggregation criteria, with association to each input data of a variable weight, depending on the category in which the data is aggregated.

Description

METHOD FOR CALCULATION OF THE RISK OF FAILURE IN A LIGHTING SYSTEM Cross-Reference to Related Applications This Patent Application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102023000013404 filed on June 28, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field The present invention relates to a method to assist in the management and planning of maintenance operations of a lighting system, with particular reference to a public street lighting system. The method provides the use of a predictive model to calculate an index representing the probability of failure risk of a lighting system within a predetermined time interval (MTTF index, Mean Time To Failure). The index is calculated by means of geo-informatic analysis of variables connected to open or pre-existing databases characterising the territorial context wherein the system is located (exogenous variables) and the components and technologies the system itself is composed of (endogenous variables). Background of the Invention There are several known methods for the predictive management of maintenance operations of lighting systems, used to try to optimise the planning of these operations so as to reduce the downtime of the system, rather than to reduce the expenses associated with maintenance or repair activities. These methods are often based on the individual devices that make up the system (e.g. lighting body, support or switch board) and on the development and validation of models specifically built for that component through the processing of data sets relating to the structural/functional specifications of the same device/component, which comprise data sensed directly on the spot, by suitably prepared sensors. Such sensors are often included within the lighting devices, or are arranged within holders associated thereto. The need to install sensors placed on board, rather than placed very close to lighting devices, causes an increase in the overall system costs, both for the installation as well as maintenance thereof. The increase is related to the higher cost of the devices and the higher cost of suitably qualified personnel to operate them. In addition, the presence of sensors results in an increase in the complexity of the system. Consequently, the pervasive monitoring of all the components necessary for the public lighting of entire cities is hardly feasible. Summary of the Invention The technical problem set forth and solved by the present invention is therefore to provide an improved method to assist in the prediction and planning of maintenance operations for a lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting devices, which allows to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks with reference to the prior art. The proposed method provides as output a representative index of the probability of failure risk of a lighting system within a predetermined time interval. A definition of such a method is formulated in claim 1 , while preferred features of the invention are provided in the dependent claims. The present invention achieves some significant advantages over the methods of the prior art. One of the main advantages is that the proposed method makes it possible to obtain an indication of the probability of the failure risk in the event of unavailability of data that can be sensed directly by, or at, the lighting system. The method, in fact, can take into analysis open databases for the characterisation of the territory, and/or pre-existing databases for the characterisation of the system (such as, for example, those referring to the census of public lighting, which provides information on the location of lighting points and the relative type of support and lamp). Therefore, there is no need to provide for dedicated sensors to be installed at, or integrated into, lighting devices. Of course, the method also allows to integrate additional data, where available, such as, for example, historical data on failures occurred in the lighting system. Further advantages, features and methods of use of the present disclosure will become evident from the following detailed description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example. Brief Description of the Drawings Reference will be made to the attached Figures 1 to 4, which respectively show an example of a flowchart indicating the process of processing input data by a respective preferred embodiment of a model for calculating the MTTF index according to the present invention. Various embodiments and variants of the invention will be described hereinafter, with reference to the flowcharts in the Figures introduced above. Description of Embodiments of the Invention The present invention provides a method for calculating an index representing the probability of failure risk of a lighting system within a predetermined time interval. This index is of the KPI (Key Performance Indicator) type, and consists of a numerical value that corresponds t