This paper is intended for lighting designers and lighting control specialists, and technical teams responsible for specifying and managing lighting for parking lot applications. Tondo manufactures solutions that enable the optimization of lighting for parking lot applications as outlined in this paper.
The first lighting controls beyond the on/off switch go back to the early 1900s when the Kleig Brothers (the inventors of the Kleig Light most commonly associated with the old style film set lights from early black and white films up to 1927, when the noise from the light couldn’t be used when films with sound became possible) were contracted to produce mechanically dimmable electric lights for the New York Metropolitan Opera House around 1905-1911. These dimmers were hard to operate and unreliable.
The 1930s saw the invention of the photoelectric cell control for turning lights on and off – the first generation street light controller. Even through to the 1960s, some street lights were still turned on and off manually. In 1959, Joel Spira, the founder of the lighting company Lutron, filed his patent for the first solid-state (not mechanical) dimmer we have seen in homes (remember those round push-and-click dimmers?).
For electronic (but still “analog” electrical) street light control, 0-10v dimming standard established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 2011 under IEC 60929:2011. These more modern standards could be considered to be “second generation” street light controls. They used two wires to change the voltage between 0 volts and 10 volts, and voila – you get a dimmable street light. This is probably the most common dimmable street light currently deployed in North America.
“0-10v” dimming is not without its limitations, however. Without diving too deeply into the subject (for now!) we can say that it is more difficult to provide consistent illumination of an area and a perception of consistent brightness using 0-10v dimming technology.
The limitations of analog photoelectric and dimming controls, and the emergence of advanced digital lighting control technology led to early proprietary digital controls from a variety of lighting companies. Without globally recognized digital lighting control standards in place, and the lack of standards for Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, this led to the development of lighting control platforms that locked customers into a single vendor’s solution.
The problem of vendor lock-in has led to the adoption of new digital lighting control standards governed by the global DALI Alliance. The DALI Alliance has established standards that support the attachment and control of Smart City sensors and devices and communications over a variety of networks via their D4i and DALI+ standards.
These recent and emerging standards have, along with those from other standards organizations that include ANSI, NEMA, Zhaga Consortium, IES, IEEE, TALQ, and others have made it possible for Tondo and others to create secure interoperable advanced lighting controls across wireless and wired networks that enable delivery of consistent light levels for all situations.
At Tondo, we understand the complexity of lighting and the complexity of secure, high performance networks and advanced edge computing applications so that our customers don’t have to.
The TLDR:
For more information, reach out to us from the Contact Us button at the top of this page!
We are thrilled to announce that Tondo’s latest innovation, the SC220 smart controller, has been awarded certification for North American deployment (link). With approvals from CSA/UL, FCC, CE, and RoHS, the SC220 is now ready to bring advanced, AI-powered lighting...
Seattle, Washington, September 12, 2024 – Tondo Smart USA Inc., a leader in smart lighting and smart city technologies, is proud to announce the granting of a patent (US Patent 12,098,831) for Tondo’s Edge IQ smart lighting wireless controller. This...
The installation of the Edge IQ controller is designed to be straightforward, ensuring that even those with minimal technical experience can complete it efficiently.
“A report has been received regarding the theft of electrical infrastructure at a railway station in the southern part of the country. Two trenches were discovered from which communication cables buried in the ground were removed, totaling approximately 300 meters. This caused significant damage and has disrupted the signaling and traffic management systems of the railway in the southern region.”
— Israel Railways Spokesperson
“The implementation of Tondo’s smart port solution has revolutionized our operations at Piraeus Port. We now have real-time visibility into all port activities, from ship movements to utility consumption. The system has dramatically reduced our reliance on manual inspections, saving time and improving accuracy.”
— Nelly Tarnara, Public Sector Coordinator, Nea Polis
“The implementation of Tondo’s smart port solution has revolutionized our operations at Piraeus Port. We now have real-time visibility into all port activities, from ship movements to utility consumption. The system has dramatically reduced our reliance on manual inspections, saving time and improving accuracy.”
— Nelly Tarnara, Public Sector Coordinator, Nea Polis
Webster Marsh of the Lighting Controls Podcast speaks with Marissa ...
We are thrilled to announce that Tondo’s latest innovation, the SC220 ...
Seattle, Washington, September 12, 2024 – Tondo ...
