EP4670463A1

EP4670463A1 - METHOD AND DEVICE FOR LOCATING AN UNCONNECTED LIGHT

Info

Publication number: EP4670463A1
Application number: EP24704469.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Manmath Nath RAY; Sanjeev Kumar PUVVADA SATHYANARAYANA; Oliver Schreyer
Original assignee: Signify Holding BV
Current assignee: Signify Holding BV
Priority date: 2023-02-22
Filing date: 2024-02-13
Publication date: 2025-12-31
Also published as: WO2024175416A1; CN120677838A

Abstract

A method and a system for determining the location of one or more luminaires (11-18) in a lighting system (100), the luminaires comprising at least one non-connected luminaire. The method comprises, by a central data processing device (1) obtaining first data (611) indicative of the type and serial number of the one or more luminaires (11-18) and obtaining second data (621) regarding a sale of a plurality of luminaires comprising the one or more luminaires (11-18), the second data (621) comprising location data indicating a location of sale or a ship-to address of the one or more luminaires (11-18), determining the location of the one or more luminaires (11-18) based on the first data (611) and second data (621) and registering the determined location in connection with a data entry for the one or more luminaires (11-18).

Description

Method and device for determining the location of a non-connected luminaire

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method and a device for automatically, by a central data processing device, determining and/or tracking the location of one or more luminaires in a lighting system, wherein the one or more luminaires comprise at least one non-connected luminaire.

As used herein a “non-connected luminaire” is intended to mean a luminaire which is not configured to transmit and/or send data, and which is thus not connected to a data network, a cloud, a data storage device, or the like.

As used herein a “connected luminaire” is intended to mean a luminaire which is configured to transmit and/or send data, and which may thus be connected to a data network, a cloud, a data storage device, or the like in a data transferring relationship, particularly via a wireless connection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Luminaires are sold and installed in different places and locations. It is always useful to know the location of the luminaries so that installation, service, and maintenance as well as planning thereof can be made easier and more efficient. There are various ways luminaires are ordered and sold at different places to different customers.

Various methods for determining the location of connected luminaires are known. For instance, US 2013/0088168 Al discloses a method for commissioning a luminaire. The method includes receiving, by the luminaire, a message from a central controller, where reception of the message puts the luminaire into a known condition, establishing communication between the luminaire and a user, and communicating, by either the luminaire or the user, a location of the user at a time of the established communication, to the central controller, thereby allowing the central controller to record a location of the luminaire.

However, the known method relates to connected luminaires only, and most luminaires are not connected to the cloud. Also, most installers do not register the location in which the luminaries, including non-connected luminaires, are installed. Hence, the location of such non-connected luminaires is unknown and cannot at present be tracked. Maintenance becomes difficult. Thus, there is a desire for providing a method and a device which enables detecting and/or tracking the location of especially non-connected luminaries, and which makes the location registration easier for the installer.

There is furthermore a desire for providing such a method and device which also, in case a location of a non-connected luminaire is not registered by the installer, enables the provision of default automated values for the location of the non-connected luminaire to enable tracking the luminaries.

There is also a desire for providing such a method and device which also enables efficient and simple planning and performance of maintenance and service of especially non-connected luminaries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome this problem, and to provide a method and a device which enables detecting and/or tracking the location of especially non-connected luminaries, and which makes location registration easier for the installer.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a method and device which also, in case a location of a non-connected luminaire is not registered by the installer, enables the provision of default automated values for the location of the nonconnected luminaire to enable tracking the luminaries.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a method and device which also enables efficient and simple planning and performance of maintenance and service of especially non-connected luminaries.

According to a first aspect of the invention, this and other objects are achieved by means of a method for automatically, by a central data processing device, determining the location of one or more luminaires in a lighting system, where the one or more luminaires comprise at least one non-connected luminaire, and where the method comprises obtaining, by the central data processing device, first data indicative of the type and serial number of the one or more luminaires, obtaining, by the central data processing device, second data regarding a sale of a plurality of luminaires comprising the one or more luminaires, where the second data comprises location data indicating a location of sale or a ship-to address of the one or more luminaires, determining, by the central data processing device, the location of one or more luminaires based on the first data and the second data, and registering, by the central data processing device, the determined location in connection with a data entry for the one or more luminaires.

Thereby, and especially by obtaining first and second data stemming from a source being independent of the one or more luminaires, and by determining the location of the one or more luminaires based on such first and second data, a method is provided which enables detecting the location of luminaires without necessitating information obtained from the luminaires themselves. Thereby, a method is provided which enables detecting the location of especially non-connected luminaries.

By further providing that the determined location is registered in connection with a data entry for the luminaire in question, the method also makes the location registration much simpler for the installer. The data entry may be provided in a memory unit of the central data processing device or in an external memory unit, such as on a server or in the cloud.

A further advantage by such a method is that enables the provision of default automated values for the location of the non-connected luminaire to enable determining and registering the location the luminaries, even in the case that a location of a non-connected luminaire is not registered by the installer.

A still further advantage by such a method, and especially by registering the determined locations of the luminaires, is that it enables efficient and simple planning and performance of maintenance and service of especially non-connected luminaries.

The method may further comprise extracting, by the central data processing device, from the second data the type of recipient of the one or more luminaires and the area in which the recipient is active, where the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the extracted type of recipient of the one or more luminaires and area in which the recipient is active.

Thereby, further location data is provided, which in turn may enable detecting the location of especially non-connected luminaries with a higher degree of precision and/or certainty.

The method may further comprise obtaining, by the central data processing device, third data regarding one or more spare part purchases corresponding to the one or more luminaires, and extracting, by the central data processing device, from the third data, location data of the purchase, where the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data extracted from the third data.

Since data regarding one or more spare part purchases may very well comprise location data, such as a shipping address or a billing address, further and potentially more detailed location data is thereby provided, which in turn may enable detecting the location of especially non-connected luminaries with a higher degree of precision and/or certainty.

The method may further comprise obtaining, by the central data processing device, fourth data regarding one or more user manual downloads corresponding to the one or more luminaires, and extracting, by the central data processing device, from the fourth data, location data, where the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data extracted from the fourth data. Since data regarding one or more user manual downloads may very well comprise location data, such as an IP address which might be linked to a physical location, further and potentially more detailed location data is thereby provided, which in turn may enable detecting the location of especially non-connected luminaries with a higher degree of precision and/or certainty.

The method may further comprise obtaining, by the central data processing device, fifth data regarding one or more one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations corresponding to the one or more luminaires, and extracting, by the central data processing device, from the fifth data, location data, where the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data extracted from the fifth data.

Since data regarding one or more one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations may very well comprise location data, such as an address or even a specific location at the address, at which the maintenance operation is to be carried out or the light operation is carried out, further and potentially more detailed location data is thereby provided, which in turn may enable detecting the location of especially non-connected luminaries with a higher degree of precision and/or certainty.

In this connection, the term “maintenance operations” is intended to encompass any feasible type of maintenance operation related to the one or more luminaires, such as for example one or more of driver downloads, driver programming and exchange of a light source.

The term “light operations” is intended to refer to any operation of the luminaire or light source(s) thereof, such as turning light source(s) on and off, changing the intensity of the light emitted by the light source(s) and changing the color temperature of the light emitted by the light source(s).

The method may further comprise obtaining, by the central data processing device, sixth data comprising location data collected from one or more user profiles corresponding to the one or more luminaires, where the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data comprised in the sixth data.

Since data regarding one or more user profiles may very well comprise location data, such as an address at which the user owning the user profile is located, further location data is thereby provided, which in turn may enable detecting the location of especially nonconnected luminaries with a higher degree of precision and/or certainty.

The method may further comprise obtaining, by the central data processing device, seventh data comprising location data collected while tracking a user of one or more applications corresponding to the one or more luminaires, where the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data comprised in the seventh data.

Since data collected while tracking a user of one or more applications corresponding to the one or more luminaires may very well comprise location data, such as GPS-data or an address or a specific or possibly even highly specific location at the address, at which the user is located and tracked, further and potentially more detailed location data is thereby provided, which in turn may enable detecting the location of especially non-connected luminaries with a higher degree of precision and/or certainty.

One or more of the second data, third data, fourth data, fifth data, sixth data and seventh data may be obtained by the central data processing device from an external data source, such as a manufacturer or a wholesaler of the plurality of luminaires including the one or more luminaires.

Alternatively, or additionally, one or more of the second data, third data, fourth data, fifth data, sixth data and seventh data may be collected directly by the central data processing device.

Thereby, several mutually independent data sources may be exploited to retrieve data for determining the location of the one or more luminaires.

When the available location data comprises a plurality of locations, the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires may further comprise determining, by the central data processing device, a granularity of each location of the plurality of locations, where the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is based on the location of the plurality of locations determined to comprise the highest granularity.

Thereby, it becomes possible to select and base the location determination on the location data providing the most precise and detailed location of the one or more luminaires by use of the determined granularity. Thus, a particularly precise location determination is provided for in a simple and effective manner.

The method may further comprise providing, by the central data processing device, the location data extracted from the second data with a first label, providing, by the central data processing device, the location data extracted from the third data, the location data extracted from the fourth data and/or the location data extracted from the fifth data with a second label, and providing, by the central data processing device, the location data extracted from the sixth data and/or the location data extracted from the seventh data with a third label.

Thereby it becomes possible to sort the available location data according to a well-defined hierarchy. This may provide for a more precise location determination.

The determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of one or more luminaires may further comprise employing the available location data in a prioritized order based on the label provided to the available location data, where the prioritized order is first employing location data provided with the first label, next employing location data provided with the second label and finally employing location data provided with the third label.

Thereby, the location determination may in a particularly simple and accurate manner be based primarily or entirely on the data determined to have the largest probability of providing a correct location for the one or more luminaires.

When the available location data provided with a given one of the first, second and third label comprises a plurality of locations, the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires may further comprise determining, by the central data processing device, a granularity of each location of the plurality of locations, where the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is based on the location of the plurality of locations determined to comprise the highest granularity.

Thereby, a particularly precise and simple location determination is provided for.

The granularity of each location of the plurality of locations may be determined based on a geographical indication associated with the location or an indication of a place associated with the location. The geographical indication may be chosen from the group comprising: country, region, city, street, house number, floor number and flat number.

Thereby, the most precise and detailed location of the one or more luminaires may be picked out in a particularly simple and efficient manner. Thus, a particularly precise location determination is provided for in a simple and effective manner.

The invention further relates to a method for tracking the location of one or more luminaires, where the one or more luminaires are or comprise at least one nonconnected luminaire, the method comprising periodically or at a pre-determined time interval performing a method for automatically, by a central data processing device, determining the location of the one or more luminaires in a lighting system according to the invention.

The method may further comprise, following each determination of the location of the one or more luminaires, by the central data processing device, updating the location of the one or more luminaires as registered in connection with a data entry for the one or more luminaires.

Thereby a method is provided with which it further becomes possible to track the location of luminaires, and especially non-connected luminaires, over time. If the registration is further updated with the results of the following determinations of the location of the one or more luminaires, the method further enables keeping the registration updated with the correct location over time. Furthermore, such a method enables simple and efficient planning and performance of maintenance and service of the luminaires at all times. The invention still further relates to a system for determining and/or tracking the location of one or more luminaires, where the one or more luminaires are or comprise at least one non-connected luminaire, the system comprising a central data processing device, the central data processing device comprising a data receiving and transmitting unit, a data processing unit, and a non-transitory data storage unit, the non-transitory data storage unit comprising stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the data processing unit, causes the central data processing device to perform a method according to the invention.

It is noted that the invention relates to all possible combinations of features recited in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing embodiment(s) of the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a system for determining and/or tracking the location of one or more luminaires in a lighting system according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective illustration of a lighting system comprising a plurality of luminaires.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic illustration of data packets and data as obtained and used in a system and a method according to the invention.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a method for automatically, by a central data processing device, determining the location of one or more luminaires in a lighting system according to the invention.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic illustration of another method for automatically, by a central data processing device, determining the location of one or more luminaires in a lighting system according to the invention and comprising additional optional steps.

Figs. 6-10 show schematic illustrations of various additional steps of a method according to the invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the invention to the skilled person. Fig. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a system according to the invention for determining and/or tracking the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 in a lighting system 100 (cf. Fig. 2).

The system generally comprises a central data processing device 1. The central data processing device 1 comprises a data receiving and transmitting unit 2, a data processing unit 3, and a non-transitory data storage unit 4.

The central data processing device 1 may be a commissioning device for commissioning a number of luminaires when the luminaires are added to a lighting system. Such a commissioning device may comprise, and in operation run, a lighting device commissioning app. The central data processing device 1 may alternatively be a central controller. The central data processing device 1 may alternatively be a computer or a server arranged, e.g., at a manufacturer, wholesaler or installer and configured to register and save data regarding various luminaires, e.g., luminaires produced by the manufacturer, luminaires sold by the wholesaler or luminaires installed by the installer. The central data processing device 1 may be any one of a mobile telephone, a tablet computer and a laptop computer.

The data storage unit 4 comprises instructions which, when executed by the data processing unit 3, causes the central data processing device 1 to perform a method according to any embodiment of the invention as described in detail further below. The data storage unit 4 may further comprise a register or database 9 in which the central data processing device 1 may keep track of information related to the one or more luminaires I lls. Alternatively, the central data processing device 1 may keep track of information related to the one or more luminaires 11-18 in an external register or database, such as a register or a database on a server or in the cloud.

The data receiving and transmitting unit 2 enables the central data processing device 1 to communicate with external data sources 5 and to transfer data 6 to and from the external data sources 5. The communication may take place over any suitable network, such as a wireless network, a LAN, a WAN or the like. The network may be any one of a Zigbeebased network, a Thread-based network, a Wi-Fi-based network, a network using Bluetooth mesh technology and a network using Bluetooth Low Energy.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective illustration of an exemplary lighting system 100 comprising a plurality of luminaires 11-18. In the embodiment shown, the lighting system 100 comprises two groups 10 and 20 of luminaires. The lighting system 100 is a nonlimiting example of a lighting system with one or more luminaires for which the system or the method according to the invention is intended for determining the location.

Generally, the lighting system 100 comprises one or more luminaires 11-18, and the one or more luminaires 11-18 comprise at least one non-connected luminaire 15-18. The system or the method according to the invention may be employed to determine the location of one or more luminaires of any such lighting system. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the first group 10 of luminaires comprises four luminaires 11, 12, 13 and 14. Each of these luminaires 11, 12, 13, 14 may further comprise a device 21, 22, 23, 24 configured to store, transmit, receive, broadcast or unicast data. The device 21, 22, 23, 24 may for instance be a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, a broadcasting device, a unicasting device or the like. Thus, the luminaires 11, 12, 13, 14 are connected luminaires. It is noted that the first group 10 of luminaires may comprise any other feasible number of luminaires. The first group 10 of luminaires may in principle also be omitted altogether.

In the example shown in Fig. 2, the second group 20 of luminaires comprises four luminaires 15, 16, 17 and 18. The luminaires 15, 16, 17, 18 are non-connected luminaires. It is noted that the second group 20 of luminaires may comprise any other feasible number of luminaires. Generally, the number of luminaires of the second group 20 is one or more.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic illustration of eight different data packets 61-67 and 62a containing data 611-671 and 621a, respectively, as obtained and used in a system and a method according to the invention. The use of the data packets 61-67 and 62a and the data 611-671 and 621a therein will be described in detail further below with reference to figs. 4- 10.

The first data packet 61 comprises first data 611. The first data 611 is indicative of the type Tl, T2, T3, ... TN of the one or more luminaires and the serial number SI, S2, S3, . . . SN of the one or more luminaires 11-18.

The second data packet 62 comprises second data 621. The second data 621 is data regarding a sale of the one or more luminaires 11-18. The second data 621 comprises location data LI, L2, L3, ... LN indicating a location of sale or a ship-to address of the one or more luminaires 11-18. Optionally, the second data 621 may also comprise the type of recipient R of the one or more luminaires 11-18 and/or the area A in which the recipient is active. The second data 621, or at least the location data LI, L2, L3, ... LN extracted from the second data 621, may be provided with a first label 81. The first label 81 may be provided as a part of the second data packet 62, or it may be provided to the second data 621, or at least the location data LI, L2, L3, ... LN extracted from the second data 621, by the central data processing device 1 after receipt of the second data packet 62.

The third data packet 63 comprises third data 631. The third data 631 is data regarding one or more spare part purchases Pl, P2, P3, ... PN. The one or more spare part purchases Pl, P2, P3, . . . PN may be performed by a customer at a location matching the determined location of the one or more luminaires 11-18. The one or more spare part purchases Pl, P2, P3, . . . PN are related to the one or more luminaires 11-18. The third data 631 comprises location data. The third data 631, or at least the location data of the third data 631, may be provided with a second label 82. The second label 82 may be provided as a part of the third data packet 63, or it may be provided to the third data 631, or at least the location data of the third data 631, by the central data processing device 1 after receipt of the third data packet 63.

The fourth data packet 64 comprises fourth data 641. The fourth data 641 is data regarding one or more user manual downloads Ul, U2, U3, ... UN. The one or more user manual downloads Ul, U2, U3, ... UN may be made by a customer at a location matching the determined location of the one or more luminaires 11-18. The one or more user manual downloads Ul, U2, U3, ... UN are related to the one or more luminaires 11-18. The fourth data 641 comprises location data. The fourth data 641, or at least the location data of the fourth data 641, may be provided with a second label 82. The second label 82 may be provided as a part of the fourth data packet 64, or it may be provided to the fourth data 641, or at least the location data of the fourth data 641, by the central data processing device 1 after receipt of the fourth data packet 64.

The fifth data packet 65 comprises fifth data 651. The fifth data 651 is data regarding one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations DI, D2, D3, . . . DN. The one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations DI, D2, D3, ... DN may be performed by a customer at a location matching the determined location of the one or more luminaires 11-18. The one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations DI, D2, D3, ... DN are related to the one or more luminaires I lls. The fifth data 651comprises location data. The fifth data 651, or at least the location data of the fifth data 651, may be provided with a second label 82. The second label 82 may be provided as a part of the fifth data packet 65, or it may be provided to the fifth data 651, or at least the location data of the fifth data 651, by the central data processing device 1 after receipt of the fifth data packet 65.

The sixth data packet 66 comprises sixth data 661. The sixth data 661 comprises location data LC1, LC2, LC3, . . . LCN collected from one or more user profiles. The one or more user profiles may be matching a customer at a location matching the determined location of the one or more luminaires 11-18. The sixth data 661, or at least the location data LC1, LC2, LC3, . . . LCN of the sixth data 661, may be provided with a third label 83. The third label 83 may be provided as a part of the sixth data packet 66, or it may be provided to the sixth data 661, or at least the location data LC1, LC2, LC3, . . . LCN of the sixth data 661, by the central data processing device 1 after receipt of the sixth data packet 66.

The seventh data packet 67 comprises seventh data 671. The seventh data 671 comprises location data LAI, LA2, LA3, . . . LAN collected while tracking a user of one or more applications. The user may be matching a customer at a location matching the determined location of the one or more luminaires 11-18. The seventh data 671, or at least the location data LAI, LA2, LA3, . . . LAN of the seventh data 671, may be provided with a third label 83. The third label 83 may be provided as a part of the seventh data packet 67, or it may be provided to the seventh data 671, or at least the location data LAI, LA2, LA3, . . . LAN of the seventh data 671, by the central data processing device 1 after receipt of the seventh data packet 67.

Finally, a variant of the second data packet 62 described above is also feasible. This variant of the second data packet 62 is illustrated at the bottom of Fig. 3 and is denoted 62a. The data packet 62a comprises data 621a. The data 621a comprises the second data 621 described above, which is data regarding a sale of the one or more luminaires 11-18. The data 621a further also comprises data 7 regarding other luminaires.

The data 6 (Fig. 1) obtained by the central data processing device 1 generally comprises the first data packet 61 and the second data packet 62, and thus the first data 611 and the second data 621. Alternatively, the data 6 (Fig. 1) obtained by the central data processing device 1 may comprise the first data packet 61 and the variant 62a of the second data packet 62, and thus the first data 611 and the data 621a comprising the second data 621 and the additional data 7. The data 6 (Fig. 1) obtained by the central data processing device 1 may further optionally comprise any one or more of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh data packet 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, and thus any one or more of third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh data 631, 641, 651, 661, 671.

As described above, labels 81, 82, 83 may be provided to the data, and especially location data, of the various data packets. The labels 81, 82, 83 are used to define a hierarchy of the location data included in the respective data 621-671 of the respective data packets 62-67. Data, such as the location data of the second data 621, provided with a first label 81 is interpreted as being at a highest level in the defined hierarchy. Data, such as the location data of the sixth and seventh data 661 and 671, provided with a third label 83 is interpreted as being at a lowest level in the defined hierarchy. Data, such as the location data of the third, fourth and fifth data 631, 641, 651, provided with a second label 82 is interpreted as being at a level being between said highest level and said lowest level, i.e., between data provided with a first label 81 and data provided with a third label 83 in the defined hierarchy. It is also possible to define only two such labels and thus levels, or to define more than three such labels and thus levels. It is also possible to define other hierarchies based on the labels provided to the data. A more detailed use of the labels will be described further below.

Turning now to Fig. 4, a schematic illustration of a method according to the invention for automatically, by a central data processing device 1, determining the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 in a lighting system 100 is shown. Generally, and irrespective of the embodiment of the method, the one or more luminaires 11-18 comprise at least one non-connected luminaire 15-18. Generally, and irrespective of the embodiment, the method comprises the following steps. In a first step 401 the central data processing device 1 obtains first data 611 indicative of the type Tl, T2, T3, . . . TN and the serial number SI, S2, S3, ... SN of the one or more luminaires 11-18.

In a next step 402, the central data processing device obtains second data 621 regarding a sale of a plurality of luminaires comprising the one or more luminaires 11-18. The second data 621 comprises location data LI, L2, L3, . . . LN. The location data LI, L2, L3, . . . LN indicates a location of sale or a ship-to address of the one or more luminaires 11-18.

Then, in step 403, the central data processing device 1 determines the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 based on the first data 121 and the second data 621. More particularly, the central data processing device 1 determines the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 based on the first data 611 and the location data LI, L2, L3, ... LN comprised in the second data 621.

Finally, in step 404, the central data processing device 1 registers or stores the determined location in connection with a data entry for the one or more luminaires 11-18. The data entry for the one or more luminaires 11-18 may be provided or created in the data storage 4 of the central data processing device 1, or in an external data storage.

Turning now to Fig. 5, a schematic illustration of another method according to the invention for automatically, by a central data processing device 1, determining the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 in a lighting system 100 is shown. The method according to Fig. 5 differs from the method according to Fig. 4 in comprising one or more additional and optional steps.

The method starts with the central data processing device 1 performing steps 401 and 402 as described above in relation to Fig. 4. In this case, the second data 621 forms part of a data packet of the variant type 62a described above. Thus, the second data 621 described forms part of data 621a also comprising data 7 regarding other luminaires.

Therefore, the method now comprises an additional step 501 in which the central data processing device 1 processes the first data 611 and the data block 621a by matching the first data 611 and the data 621a to retrieve the second data 621 regarding a sale of the one or more luminaires 11-18 from the data block 621a.

Next, the method according to Fig. 5 may proceed (arow 511) to perform steps 403 and 404 as described above in relation to Fig. 4.

Alternatively, the method may comprise a step 502, in which the central data processing device 1 extracts the location data LI, L2, L3, . . . LN from the second data 621. The step 502 may be performed as a separate step after which the method proceeds (arrow 512) to step 403. The step 502 may alternatively be performed as a sub-step of step 403.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the method may further comprise one or more of the following optional steps 503 and 504. Arrows 512, 513, 514 and 515 in Fig. 5 illustrate that one or more of steps 502, 503 and 504 may be bypassed or omitted. Step 503 involves the central data processing device 1 providing the location data LI, L2, L3, ... LN extracted from the second data 621 with a first label 81. When step 503 is included, step 403 may include that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 while further employing the available location data in a prioritized order based on the label or labels provided to the available location data.

The prioritized order may be first employing location data provided with the first label 81, then, if such data is available, employing location data provided with the second label 82 and finally, if such data is available, employing location data provided with the third label 83.

Step 504 involves that the central data processing device 1 from the second data 621 extracts the type of recipient R of the one or more luminaires 11-18 and the area A in which the recipient R is active. When step 504 is included, step 403 includes that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 based further on the extracted type of recipient R and area A in which the recipient R is active.

Figs. 6-10 illustrates further optional steps 601-603, 701-703, 801-803, 901- 902 and 1001-1002 which the method according to the invention may comprise. In either case such steps may be performed before or preferably following step 403 described above.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the method may further comprise a step 601 of the central data processing device 1 obtaining third data 631 regarding one or more spare part purchases Pl, P2, P3, . . . PN. The one or more spare part purchases Pl, P2, P3, . . . PN relates or corresponds to the one or more luminaires 11-18. The one or more spare part purchases Pl, P2, P3, . . . PN may further optionally be made by a customer at a location matching the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 determined in step 403. The central data processing device 1 may then in step 602 extract, from the third data 631, location data. Steps 601 and 602 may be performed before or after step 403 in Fig. 4 or Fig. 5.

The central data processing device 1 may then repeat or refine the determination of step 403 of the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 based on the location data extracted from the third data 631.

In a still further optional step 603 the central data processing device 1 may provide the location data extracted from the third data 631 with a second label 82. When step 603 is included, the repeated or refined step 403 may include that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 while further employing the available location data in a prioritized order based on the label or labels provided to the available location data.

As illustrated in Fig. 7, the method may further comprise a step 701 of the central data processing device 1 obtaining fourth data 641 regarding one or more user manual downloads Ul, U2, U3, . . . UN. The one or more user manual downloads Ul, U2, U3, . . . UN relate or correspond to the one or more luminaires 11-18. The one or more user manual downloads Ul, U2, U3, ... UN may further optionally be made by a customer at a location matching the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 determined in step 403. The central data processing device 1 may then in step 702 extract, from the fourth data 641, location data. Steps 701 and 702 may be performed before or after step 403 in Fig. 4 or Fig. 5.

The central data processing device 1 may then repeat or refine the determination of step 403 of the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 based on the location data extracted from the fourth data 641.

In a still further optional step 703 the central data processing device 1 may provide the location data extracted from the fourth data 641 with a second label 82. When step 703 is included, the repeated or refined step 403 may include that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 while further employing the available location data in a prioritized order based on the label or labels provided to the available location data.

As illustrated in Fig. 8, the method may further comprise a step 801 of the central data processing device 1 obtaining fifth data 651 regarding one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations DI, D2, D3, . . . DN. The one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations DI, D2, D3, . . . DN relate or correspond to the one or more luminaires 11-18. The one or more one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations DI, D2, D3, . . . DN may further optionally be performed by a customer at a location matching the location of the one or more luminaires I lls determined in step 403. The central data processing device 1 may then in step 802 extract, from the fifth data 651, location data. Steps 801 and 802 may be performed before or after step 403 in Fig. 4 or Fig. 5.

The central data processing device 1 may then repeat or refine the determination of step 403 of the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 based on the location data extracted from the fifth data 651.

In a still further optional step 803 the central data processing device 1 may provide the location data extracted from the fifth data 651 with a second label 82. When step 803 is included, the repeated or refined step 403 may include that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 while further employing the available location data in a prioritized order based on the label or labels provided to the available location data.

As illustrated in Fig. 9, the method may further comprise a step 901 of the central data processing device 1 obtaining sixth data 661 comprising location data LC1, LC2, LC3, . . . LN collected from one or more user profiles related or corresponding to the one or more luminaires 11-18. The one or more user profiles may further optionally be matching a customer at a location matching the determined location of the one or more luminaires 11-18. Step 901 may be performed before or after step 403 in Fig. 4 or Fig. 5. In such a case, the repeated or refined step 403 may include that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 based further on the location data comprised in the sixth data 661.

In a still further optional step 902 the central data processing device 1 may provide the location data extracted from the sixth data 661 with a third label 83. When step 902 is included, the repeated or refined step 403 may include that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 while further employing the available location data in a prioritized order based on the label or labels provided to the available location data.

As illustrated in Fig. 10, the method may further comprise a step 1001 of the central data processing device 1 obtaining seventh data 671 comprising location data LAI, LA2, LA3, . . . LN collected while tracking a user of one or more applications related to or corresponding to the one or more luminaires 11-18. Optionally, the said user may further match a customer at a location matching the determined location of the one or more luminaires 11-18. Step 1001 may be performed before or after step 403 in Fig. 4 or Fig. 5. In such a case, the repeated or refined step 403 may include that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of the one or more luminaires 11-18 based further on the location data comprised in the seventh data 671.

In a still further optional step 1002 the central data processing device 1 may provide the location data extracted from the seventh data 671 with a third label 83. When step 1002 is included, the repeated or refined step 403 may include that the central data processing device 1 determines the location of one or more luminaires 11-18 while further employing the available location data in a prioritized order based on the label or labels provided to the available location data.

As mentioned above, a prioritized order of employing data provided with a label 81, 82 or 83 may be to first employ location data provided with the first label 81, then, if such data is available, employ location data provided with the second label 82 and finally, if such data is available, employ location data provided with the third label 83. It is also possible to provide more than three different labels, thereby providing a more detailed hierarchy and in turn a more detailed prioritized order.

Another way of providing the determination of step 403 with a greater degree of detail is, when the available location data comprises a plurality of locations, to include in step 403 that the central data processing device 1 determines a granularity of each location of the plurality of locations, and that the central data processing device determines the location of the one or more luminaires based on the location of the plurality of locations determined to comprise the highest granularity. The granularity of each location of the plurality of locations may be determined based on a geographical indication associated with the location. The geographical indication may be chosen from the group comprising: country, region, city, street, house number, floor number and flat number.

The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Claims

1. A method for automatically, by a central data processing device (1), determining the location of one or more luminaires (11-18) in a lighting system (100), wherein the one or more luminaires comprise at least one non-connected luminaire (15-18), wherein the non-connected luminaires (15-18) are not configured to transmit and/or send data, and wherein the method comprises:

■ obtaining (401), by the central data processing device, first data (611) indicative of the type and serial number of the one or more luminaires wherein the central data processing device comprises a commissioning device, the method is characterized by:

■ obtaining (402), by the central data processing device, second data (621) regarding a sale of a plurality of luminaires comprising the one or more luminaires, wherein the second data comprises location data indicating a location of sale or a ship-to address of the one or more luminaires, wherein the central processing device comprises a server configured to register the second data,

■ determining (404), by the central data processing device, the location of one or more luminaires based on the first data (611) and the second data (621), and

■ registering (405), by the central data processing device, the determined location in connection with a data entry for the one or more luminaires.

2. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising:

Extracting (504), by the central data processing device, from the second data (621) the type of recipient of the one or more luminaires and the area in which the recipient is active, wherein the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the extracted type of recipient of the one or more luminaires and area in which the recipient is active.

3. A method according to any one of the above claims, and further comprising: obtaining (601), by the central data processing device, third data (631) regarding one or more spare part purchases corresponding to the one or more luminaires, and extracting (602), by the central data processing device, from the third data (631), location data of the purchase, wherein the determination (404), by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data extracted from the third data (631).

4. A method according to any one of the above claims, and further comprising: obtaining (701), by the central data processing device, fourth data (641) regarding one or more user manual downloads corresponding to the one or more luminaires, and extracting (702), by the central data processing device, from the fourth data (641), location data, wherein the determination (404), by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data extracted from the fourth data (641).

5. A method according to any one of the above claims, and further comprising: obtaining (801), by the central data processing device, fifth data (651) regarding one or more maintenance operations and/or one or more light operations corresponding to the one or more luminaires, and extracting (802), by the central data processing device, from the fifth data (651), location data, wherein the determination (631), by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data extracted from the fifth data (651).

6. A method according to any one of the above claims, and further comprising: obtaining (901), by the central data processing device, sixth data (661) comprising location data collected from one or more user profiles corresponding to the one or more luminaires, wherein the determination (404), by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data comprised in the sixth data (661).

7. A method according to any one of the above claims, and further comprising: obtaining (1001), by the central data processing device, seventh data (671) comprising location data collected while tracking a user of one or more applications corresponding to the one or more luminaires, wherein the determination (404), by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires is further based on the location data comprised in the seventh data (671).

8. A method according to any one of the above claims, wherein one or more of the second data (621), third data (631), fourth data (641), fifth data (651), sixth data (661) and seventh data (671) is: obtained by the central data processing device (1) from an external data source, such as a manufacturer or a wholesaler of the plurality of luminaires including the one or more luminaires, and/or collected directly by the central data processing device (1).

9. A method according to any one of the above claims, wherein, when the available location data comprises a plurality of locations, the determination, by the central data processing device (1), of the location of the one or more luminaires further comprises: determining, by the central data processing device (1), a granularity of each location of the plurality of locations, wherein the determination, by the central data processing device (1), of the location of the one or more luminaires is based on the location of the plurality of locations determined to comprise the highest granularity.

10. A method according to any one of the above claims, and further comprising: providing (503), by the central data processing device, the location data extracted from the second data (621) with a first label (81), providing (603; 703; 803), by the central data processing device, the location data extracted from the third data (631), the location data extracted from the fourth data (641) and/or the location data extracted from the fifth data (651) with a second label (82), and providing (902; 1002), by the central data processing device, the location data extracted from the sixth data (661) and/or the location data extracted from the seventh data (671) with a third label (83).

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein determining, by the central data processing device, the location of one or more luminaires further comprises employing the available location data in a prioritized order based on the label (81. 82, 83) provided to the available location data, wherein the prioritized order is first employing location data provided with the first label (81), next employing location data provided with the second label (82) and finally employing location data provided with the third label (83).

12. A method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, when the available location data provided with a given one of the first label (81), second label (82) and third label (83) comprises a plurality of locations, the determination, by the central data processing device, of the location of the one or more luminaires comprises: determining, by the central data processing device (1), a granularity of each location of the plurality of locations, and determining, by the central data processing device (1), the location of the one or more luminaires based on the location of the plurality of locations determined to comprise the highest granularity.

13. A method according to claim 9 or 12, wherein the granularity of each location of the plurality of locations is determined based on a geographical indication associated with the location, wherein the geographical indication is chosen from the group comprising: country, region, city, street, house number, floor number and flat number.

14. A method for tracking the location of one or more luminaires (11-18), where the one or more luminaires comprise at least one non-connected luminaire (15-18), the method comprising periodically or at a pre-determined time interval performing a method according to any one of the above claims.

15. A system for determining and/or tracking the location of one or more luminaires (11-18), where the one or more luminaires comprise at least one non-connected luminaire (15-18), the system comprising a central data processing device (1), the central data processing device comprising: a data receiving and transmitting unit (2), a data processing unit (3), and a non-transitory data storage unit (4), the non-transitory data storage unit (4) comprising stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the data processing unit, causes the central data processing device to perform a method according to any one of the above claims.