Dutch ports are the cornerstone of the European economy; authorities and companies are well-aware of the need to lead by example. Several ports have adopted high-power LED floodlight illumination as a solution to the many challenges they face. The economy of many European countries is reliant on the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam for the import and export of goods and raw materials. Both companies and authorities operating at these ports are well-aware of the need to provide their services at speed, but without affecting the safety and security of those involved and, preferably, at as low a cost as possible. Aware of these criteria, consultants advised the use of LED floodlights to illuminate the new railway marshalling yard at the latest container terminal extension at the Port of Rotterdam. LED floodlights have a longer life-span than conventional floodlights; this reduces the need for maintenance crews visiting the site. And the entire LED illumination solution that was supplied by AAA-LUX also allows for the lights, illumination levels and maintenance to be adjusted, changed or improved off-site without the need for crews to make a site visit. Tei Ickenroth of consulting company Infra Engineering maintains that as the safety protocol dictates that all operations have to be shut-down when maintenance crews visit the site, the reduced need for maintenance, combined with the fact that most changes can be done remotely, all result in a significant increase in usage of the marshalling yard, reduced down-time and maintenance costs. The company no longer has to keep crews and specialised tools on stand-by.
Wireless communication
AAA-LUX LED floodlights communicate wirelessly with a central processing unit and computer installed at the central control tower. Each LED luminaire is connected to the unique Lighting Control Management System (LCMS) that AAALUX supplied. Derived from the military and aircraft industries, the software – like most essential elements of the LED luminaires – is developed and maintained in-house. This enables the company to provide the quality and durability companies can expect from a firm that continuously pushes the benchmark. The software uses the 2.4Ghz band to communicate with the luminaires. Information transmitted through this band won’t interfere with the controls of any device that operates in the area, while new updates to the software can be uploaded remotely. The innovative AAA-LUX illumination features have been added to a sole-proprietary baselayer protocol called LEDxLINK, which prevents any outside person hacking into the system. As the luminaires make use of a MESH-network, each luminaire is always connected to the communication grid. The LED floodlights communicate individually and spontaneously to relay and distribute information. This guarantees that no data gets lost and that all AAA-LUX LED floodlights will always provide the illumination level required.
