The University of California, Davis and PLC Multipoint, based in Everett, Wash., have signed a licensing agreement to commercialize technology that reduces the cost and increases the reliability of daylight harvesting systems; an approach that reduces energy consumption by automatically adjusting lighting intensity in response to available daylight.
The patented technology offers light detection through customizable angular response, dual-loop detection, and continuous self-calibration that automatically accounts for changes in the space. The system is composed of a microcontroller, two photo sensors, an optional occupancy sensor and optional user controls. These components can be integrated into a single unit, or combined through wired or wireless communications for a variety of products and systems.
The agreement covers three U.S. patents (7781713, 7683301, 7592583) for technologies developed by the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at UC Davis. The work leading to the inventions was supported by the Public Interest Energy Research program of the California Energy Commission. The licensing strategy allows for four co-exclusive licenses, two of which remain available.
“We are excited to partner with PLC Multipoint for the development of commercial photo-sensing approaches that improve reliability and cost effectiveness in daylight harvesting applications,” says Dr. Konstantinos Papamichael, professor in the Department of Design and CLTC Co-Director.
CLTC chose to bring this technology to market with PLC Multipoint, in part due to their leadership in photosensor design and manufacturing.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with UC Davis in bringing to market new sensor technology,” says Joe Briscoe, product manager for PLC Multipoint. “We believe this will continue to improve the cost and efficiency of daylight harvesting.” The company plans to utilize the technology to support the development of a new generation of lighting control sensors.
“CLTC is at the forefront of innovation in sustainable and energy efficient lighting design and technology development,” says Dushyant Pathak, associate vice chancellor of Technology Management & Corporate Relations and executive director of Venture Catalyst at UC Davis. “Its partnership with PLC Multipoint, embodied within the licensing arrangement enabled by the InnovationAccess team, represents one of the ways in which CLTC enables our industry stakeholders for broad societal benefit.”
For more information about the technology and available licenses, please visit InnovationAccess website.