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The present invention relates to a device for a lighting system, a control device for controlling a lighting system comprising multiple devices and a method for determining a position of multiple devices of a lightings system. The term "location" may be used as a synonym for the term "position".
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A lighting system may comprise multiple luminaires and additional devices for assisting control of lighting by the multiple luminaires. An example of such an additional device may be a sensor device for collecting information about the environment of the lighting system, such as ambient light, light intensity of light emitted by one or more luminaires, presence of person(s) etc.
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In order for a central control unit of the lighting system to be able to control lighting within an area, in which the lighting system and, thus, the multiple luminaires are installed, the central control unit preferably knows at which physical location each of the luminaires is being installed. For this a commissioning of the elements of the lighting system, i.e. the luminaires and additional devices of the lighting system, may be carried out. Herein the term position means physical position as long as not otherwise stated.
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Commissioning may be understood as the process of associating a physical position of an installed lighting system member, such as a luminaire or other device of the lighting system, with a logical (e.g. bus or network) address thereof. This allows mapping the luminaires and devices of the lighting system to a digital floor plan of the area, an indoor area such as a room or building, in which the lighting system is being installed.
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It is beneficially when the commissioning may be performed from one or more central points and, thus, a person does not need to go to every single luminaire and device of the lighting system in order to determine the physical position within the area, in which the lighting system is installed.
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Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide means enabling an improved commissioning within a lighting system. It is in particular an object of the present invention to provide means enabling determination of positions of members of a lighting system.
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These and other objects, which become apparent upon reading the following description, are solved by the subject-matter of the independent claim. The dependent claims refer to preferred embodiments of the invention.
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According to a first aspect of the invention, a device for a lighting system is provided. The device comprises a communication unit configured for a wireless communication that is configured for distance measurement. Optionally, the communication unit is configured for wireless ultra wide band (UWB) communication. That is, the wireless communication being configured for distance measurement may be UWB communication. The present invention is not limited to UWB communication and, thus, any other type of wireless communication being configured for distance measurement, such as a type of Bluetooth communication configured for distance measurement, may be used. The device comprises an ambient light sensor for detecting light in an environment. The device is configured to receive a command instructing the device to determine a distance to neighboring devices. Optionally, the device is configured to wirelessly receive the command, e.g. the communication unit of the device may be configured to receive the command. For example, the command may be received from the control device according to a second aspect of the invention, as described below. The device is configured to determine, using the communication unit, the distance to one or more neighboring devices. In other words, the device is configured to determine using the wireless communication, such as UWB communication, the distance to the neighboring device(s). A neighboring device of the device that is determined using the communication unit of the device may be another device arranged within the communication range of the communication unit of the device. The communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit to a control device, such as the control device according to the second aspect of the invention, the determined distance(s) from the device to the one or more neighboring devices of the device. According to a first option, the communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit light detection results of the ambient light sensor to the control device. In addition or alternatively to the first option, according to a second option, the communication unit is configured to wirelessly receive information that a luminaire emits light, the device is configured to determine, using a light intensity detected by the ambient light sensor, a distance to the luminaire, and the communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit, to the control device, the determined distance from the device to the luminaire.
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In other words, the present invention proposes a device for a lighting system that is able to determine a distance to one or more neighboring devices using a wireless communication, such as UWB or any other type of wireless communication configured for distance measurement, and provide the determined distance(s) to a control device. This allows the control device to determine a distance to the one or more neighboring devices when knowing the distance from the control device to the device. In addition, when receiving such information from multiple different devices according to the first aspect this allows determining a position of the multiple devices and, thus, performing a commissioning of the lighting system comprising the multiple devices. Moreover, the first and second options allow the control device to determine a distance to luminaires of the lighting system and, thus, when receiving such information from multiple different devices a position of the luminaires.
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For example, when a luminaire arranged within a detection range of the ambient light sensor of the device emits light (at a preset or certain light level), the light intensity detected by the sensor of the device depends on the distance between the luminaire and the device, wherein the greater the distance the lower the light intensity and vice versa. Thus, when the control device instructs a luminaire arranged within the detection range of the ambient light sensor of the device to emit light and, according to above first option, the communication unit of the device wirelessly transmits the light intensity detected by the sensor of the device to the control device, the control device is able to determine, using the receive light intensity, a distance between the luminaire and the device. This allows the control device to determine a distance from the control device to the luminaire using, the determined distance between the luminaire and the device and the distance between the control device and the device.
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When the control device instructs the luminaire arranged within the detection range of the sensor of the device to emit light and, according to above second option, the communication unit wirelessly receives information that the luminaire emits light, the device is configured to determine, using a light intensity detected by the ambient light sensor, a distance to the luminaire, and the communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit, to the control device, the determined distance from the device to the luminaire. This allows the control device to determine a distance from the control device to the luminaire using, the received distance between the luminaire and the device and the distance between the control device and the device.
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The wireless communication being configured for distance measurement may be a radio communication, i.e. a wireless communication using radio waves. The light detection results may comprise or be the detected light (e.g. detected light intensity) in association with a point of time of the light detection. The term light level may be used as a synonym for the term light intensity. The greater the light intensity of light emitted by a luminaire the greater the light level of the emitted light and vice versa.
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Optionally, the device is a sensor device that is configured to be coupled to a group of luminaires wirelessly and/or wired. Optionally, the device may be a luminaire.
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This allows determining the distance and optionally position of each luminaire of the group of luminaires using the device and, thus, not every single luminaire of the group of luminaires needs to be configured for the wireless communication that is configured for distance measurement, such as UWB communication. This reduces costs, as a communication unit configured for such wireless communication may cost more than a communication unit for a simple wireless communication. The sensor device may be configured to be coupled to the group of luminaires by arranging the sensor device such that each luminaire of the group of luminaires is arranged within a detection range of the sensor device and, thus, of the ambient light sensor of the sensor device. The device being a sensor device may comprise one or more sensors, such as a presence and/or movement sensor, proximity sensor (e.g. passive infrared sensor (IPR) sensor), temperature sensor, gas sensor etc., in addition to the ambient light sensor. The device being a sensor device may be for example a light sensor device for measuring light intensity.
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The device being the sensor device may be configured to control lighting of the group of luminaires based on detection results of the sensor device.
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Optionally, the communication unit is configured to communicate with the control device using the wireless communication, e.g. using UWB communication.
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This allows using the same communication protocol for both distance measurement and information exchange.
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Optionally, the communication unit is configured to wirelessly communicate according to a first protocol for measuring the distance to the one or more neighboring devices. The first protocol may be for example based on UWB. The communication unit may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the control device according to a second protocol that is different to the first protocol. The second protocol may be based for example on Bluetooth or on UWB. Any other known wireless protocol may be used for the first protocol and/or second protocol. The term "communication protocol" may be used for referring to "protocol".
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This allows wireless communication for distance measurement (i.e. the wireless communication according to the first protocol) and wireless communication for information exchange to not disturb each other. For example, the wireless communication according to the first protocol (e.g. being UWB communication) and the wireless communication according to the second protocol (e.g. being Bluetooth communication) allows exchange of control information for controlling lighting, such as lighting on, lighting off, presence detected, light intensity etc., using the wireless communication according to the second protocol and at the same time performing distance measurements using the wireless communication according to the first protocol. The control information may be exchanged in the form of control packages. Using Bluetooth communication as the wireless communication according to the second protocol allows using existing luminaires together with the device according to the first aspect as Bluetooth is widely used for communication in luminaires.
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In order to achieve the device according to the first aspect of the present invention, some or all of the above described optional features may be combined with each other.
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According to a second aspect of the invention, a control device for controlling a lighting system comprising multiple devices is provided. The multiple devices may be multiple devices according to the first aspect of the invention as described above. The control device comprises a communication unit configured for a wireless communication that is configured for distance measurement. Optionally, the communication unit is configured for wireless ultra wide band (UWB) communication. That is, the wireless communication being configured for distance measurement may be UWB communication. The present invention is not limited to UWB communication and, thus, any other type of wireless communication being configured for distance measurement, such as a type of Bluetooth communication configured for distance measurement, may be used. The control device is configured to determine, using the communication unit, a distance to one or more devices of the multiple devices of the lighting system, the one or more devices being in a communication range of the wireless communication of the communication unit. In other words, the control device is configured to determine using the wireless communication, such as UWB communication, the distance to the device(s) of the multiple devices of the lighting system. The communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit a command to the one or more devices to trigger each device of the one or more devices to determine a distance to neighboring devices. The communication unit is configured to wirelessly receive from the one or more devices information on distance(s) from a respective device of the one or more devices to one or more neighboring devices of the respective device. According to a first option, the control device is configured to determine the position of at least one device of the multiple devices of the lighting system using the determined distance(s) to the one or more devices and the received information. In addition or alternatively to the first option, according to a second option, the control device is configured to provide for determining the position of the at least one device of the multiple devices of the lighting system, to a processing unit, the determined distance(s) to the one or more devices and the received information. That is, the control device is configured to provide to the processing unit the determined distance(s) to the one or more devices and the received information in order to allow the processing unit to determine the position of the at least one device of the multiple devices of the lighting system using the provided information. Optionally, the processing unit is a cloud. The term "cloud service" may be used as a synonym for the term "cloud".
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Optionally the control device is a central control unit of the lighting system or a mobile commissioner device.
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The central control unit may be an edge device (e.g. edge lighting controller) or gear device. The terms "light management unit" and "central light management unit" may be used for referring to the "control device" and "central control unit", respectively. The mobile commissioner device may be a hand-held device. For example, the commissioner device may be a user end device, such a smartphone, a tablet, a notebook, a smartwatch, smart glasses etc.
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The control device may be or may comprise at least one of a microprocessor, processor, microcontroller, controller, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and field programmable gate array (FPGA). In addition or alternatively, the control device may be or comprise any other known control means.
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Optionally, the communication unit is configured to communicate with the one or more devices of the multiple devices of the lighting system using the wireless communication, e.g. using UWB communication.
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Optionally, the communication unit is configured to wirelessly communicate according to a first protocol for measuring the distance to the one or more devices of the multiple devices of the lighting system. The first protocol may be for example based on UWB. The communication unit may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the one or more devices of the multiple devices of the lighting system according to a second protocol that is different to the first protocol. The second protocol may be based for example on Bluetooth or on UWB. Any other known wireless protocol may be used for the first protocol and/or second protocol.
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Optionally, the communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit to a group of luminaires a command instructing the group of luminaires to emit light, and wirelessly receive, from a device of the multiple devices of the lighting system, information on light detection results within a time period after having transmitted the command. The control device may be configured to determine, using the received information, that the device of the multiple devices of the lighting system is associated with the group of luminaires and the group of luminaires is arranged within a detection range of the ambient light sensor of the device.
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Optionally, the communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit to one or more luminaires associated with a device of the multiple devices a command instructing the one or more luminaires to emit light, and wirelessly receive, from the device, information on light detection results. The control device may be configured to determine, using the received information, distance(s) from the device to the one or more luminaires.
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Optionally, the communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit to a luminaire associated with a device of the multiple devices a command instructing the luminaire to emit light, wirelessly transmit to the device information on the transmission of the command to the luminaire, and wirelessly receive, from the device, a distance from the device to the luminaire.
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Optionally, the control device is configured to determine, using a distance from the control device to the device and the distance from the device to a luminaire, to which the command has been transmitted, a distance from the control device to the luminaire. In addition or alternatively, the control device may be configured to provide, for determining the distance from the control device to the luminaire, the distance from the control device to the device and the distance from the device to the luminaire to a processing unit. The processing unit is optionally a cloud.
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The control device may be configured to store information (received information and determined information), such as light intensities, distances etc., in a database (e.g. in the form of a look-up table). For this, the control device may comprise a data storage and/or be associated to a data storage, which the control device is configured to access.
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The control device may be configured to link received light intensities to luminaires and/or link luminaires into groups, e.g. logical groups. The control device may be configured to store such information in a database. Luminaires grouped in to groups, e.g. logical groups, may be controlled together or associated together with a device, such as the device of the first aspect.
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In order to achieve the control device according to the second aspect of the present invention, some or all of the above described optional features may be combined with each other.
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The above description with regard to the device according to the first aspect of the present invention may be also valid for the control device of the second aspect of the present invention. The above description with regard to the control device according to the second aspect of the present invention may be also valid for the device of the first aspect of the present invention
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The control device according to the second aspect achieves the same advantages as the device of the first aspect.
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According to a third aspect of the present invention a method for determining a position of multiple devices of a lighting system is provided. Each device being associated with one or more luminaires and configured for a wireless communication that is configured for distance measurement. The multiple devices may be multiple devices according to the first aspect of the invention as described above. Optionally, each device of the multiple devices is configured for wireless ultra wide band (UWB) communication. That is, the wireless communication being configured for distance measurement may be UWB communication. The present invention is not limited to UWB communication and, thus, any other type of wireless communication being configured for distance measurement, such as a type of Bluetooth communication configured for distance measurement, may be used. The method comprises determining, by a control device, using the wireless communication a distance to one or more devices of the multiple devices, the one or more devices being in a communication range of the wireless communication. The control device may be the control device according to the second aspect of the invention as described above. The method comprises wirelessly transmitting, by the control device, a command to the one or more devices to trigger each device of the one or more devices to determine a distance to neighboring devices. The method comprises determining, by each device of the one or more devices, in response to receiving the command distance(s) from the device to one or more neighboring devices of the device using the wireless communication. The method comprises wirelessly transmitting, by each device of the one or more devices, to the control device the determined distance(s) from the device to the one or more neighboring devices of the device.
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Optionally, the method comprises wirelessly transmitting, by the control device, to the one or more luminaires associated with a device of the multiple devices a command instructing the one or more luminaire to emit light, wirelessly receiving, by the control device, information on light detection results from the device, and determining, using the received information, distance(s) from the device to the one or more luminaires.
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Optionally, the method comprises wirelessly transmitting, by the control device, to a luminaire associated with a device of the multiple devices a command instructing the luminaire to emit light, and wirelessly transmitting, by the control device, to the device information on the transmission of the command to the luminaire. The method may comprise determining, by the device, in response to receiving the information a distance from the device to the luminaire using a light intensity detected by an ambient light sensor of the device, and wirelessly transmitting, by the device, to the control device the determined distance from the device to the luminaire.
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In order to achieve the method according to the third aspect of the present invention, some or all of the above described optional features may be combined with each other.
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The above description with regard to the device according to the first aspect and with regard to the control device according to the second aspect of the present invention may be also valid for the method of the third aspect of the present invention. The above description with regard to the method according to the third aspect of the present invention may be also valid for the device according to the first aspect and the control device according to the second aspect of the present invention.
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The method according to the third aspect achieves the same advantages as the device of the first aspect.
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In the light of the above, the present invention allows using a wireless communication configured for distance measurement, such as UWB communication, during a commissioning phase of a lighting system in order to locate luminaires and other devices, such as devices of the first aspect, and map the located physical position(s) to a digital floor plan. The present invention may be used for example in an indoor area, such as an office or industrial indoor area. In such an installation area a device, such as the device according to the first aspect, may be configured to be associated and optionally control a group of multiple luminaires.
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By providing the device of the first aspect and the control device of the second aspect the present invention proposes precisely locating the device using the wireless communication configured for distance measurement, such as UWB communication, and using light emission of a group of luminaires arranged within a detection range of the ambient light sensor of the device for locating the group of luminaires around the sensor and, thus, device. Only one reference point may be used in the lighting system for an absolute and/or relative position of the device. The different light intensities of the luminaires around the ambient light sensor indicate the different distances from the sensor of the device to the luminaires around the sensor. The greater the light intensity the smaller the distance, i.e. the closer the luminaire to the sensor and vice versa. The different light intensities may form a light matrix. The device may be used as a luminaire locating device, i.e. determining a distance to the luminaires within the detection range of the device's light ambient sensor.
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The communication unit of the device and the communication unit of the control device may be configured to work as a radar sensor. Thus, they may be used instead of a standard proximity sensor.
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All steps which are performed by the various entities described in the present application as well as the functionalities described to be performed by the various entities are intended to mean that the respective entity is adapted to or configured to perform the respective steps and functionalities.
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In the following, the invention is described exemplarily with reference to the enclosed figures (FIGs.), in which
- FIG. 1
- shows an example of a device and an example of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2
- shows an example of an implementation form of the control device of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 3
- shows an example of an implementation form of the control device of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 4
- shows an example of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention for determining a position of multiple devices of a lighting system.
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In the FIGs., corresponding elements have the same reference signs. The proportions and dimensions of the elements shown in the FIGs. do not represent the elements to scale, but are merely chosen to describe the structure and function of the elements.
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FIG. 1 shows an example of a device and an example of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device of FIG. 1 is an example of the device according to the first aspect of the invention. Thus, the description of the device of the first aspect of the invention is correspondingly valid for the device of FIG. 1. The control device of FIG. 1 is an example of the control device according to the second aspect of the invention. Thus, the description of the control device of the second aspect of the invention is correspondingly valid for the control device of FIG. 1.
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The device 20 of FIG. 1 is a device for a lighting system. The device 20 comprises a communication unit 21 configured for a wireless communication that is configured for distance measurement. Optionally, the wireless communication being configured for distance measurement may be a ultra wide band (UWB) communication. The present invention is not limited to UWB communication and, thus, any other type of wireless communication being configured for distance measurement, such as a type of Bluetooth communication configured for distance measurement, may be used. The device 20 comprises an ambient light sensor 22 for detecting light in an environment. The present invention is not limited to a specific ambient light sensor and, thus, any ambient light sensor may be used. As shown in FIG. 1, multiple (e.g. four) devices 20 are present, which are labeled with the reference signs 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d. The number of devices 20 shown in FIG. 1 is only by way of example and, thus, may be greater or less. The description with regard to the device 20 is thus valid for each of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d.
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As shown in FIG. 1, each device 20 is associated with a group of luminaires L1, Ln. The number of luminaires to which the devices 20a, 20b, 2c and 20d are associated with may be different to each other and may be different than shown in FIG. 1, according to which two luminaire L1, Ln are associated with each device 20. Optionally, a single luminaire may be associated with a device 20. In the following, it is exemplarily assumed that multiple luminaires are associated with each device 20, wherein the description is correspondingly valid in case of a single luminaire being associated. The luminaires L1, Ln associated with the device 20 are associated with the device 20 such that the luminaires L1, Ln are arranged within a detection range of the ambient light sensor 22 of the device 20. Optionally, the device 20 may be a sensor device that is configured to be coupled wirelessly and/or wired with the luminaire(s) L1, Ln. For example, the wireless coupling may be implemented by any know wireless communication, such as WLAN communication, Bluetooth communication, IP communication etc. The wired coupling may be implemented by any known wired communication, e.g. using a wired bus (such as a DALI bus). Herein, wireless and/or wired communication may be based on DALI. DALI is a known standard in the field of lighting and herein the term "DALI" may refer to DALI Edition 1 and/or DALI Edition 2. The aforementioned may be true in case the device is not a sensor device, but a different type of device. The present invention is not limited to a specific sensor device. The device 20 being a sensor device may comprise one or more sensors, such as a presence and/or movement sensor, proximity sensor (e.g. passive infrared sensor (IPR) sensor), temperature sensor, gas sensor etc., in addition to the ambient light sensor 22. The device 20 being a sensor device may be for example a light sensor device for measuring light intensity. The implementation of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d may be different to each other, as long as they comprise the communication unit 21 and the ambient light sensor 22. The coupling with the luminaires may be different among the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d. The luminaires L1, Ln associated with each device 20 and the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d may form or be part of a lighting system 100.
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The control device 10 is a control device for controlling a lighting system comprising multiple devices, such as the lighting system 100 comprising the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d. The control device 10 comprises a communication unit 11 configured for a wireless communication that is configured for distance measurement. Optionally, the wireless communication being configured for distance measurement may be UWB communication. The present invention is not limited to UWB communication and, thus, any other type of wireless communication being configured for distance measurement, such as a type of Bluetooth communication configured for distance measurement, may be used. The communication unit 21 of the device 20 and the communication unit 11 of the control device 10 may be configured for the same wireless communication configured for distance measurement.
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The control device 10 is configured to determine, using the communication unit 11 and, thus, the wireless communication configured for distance measurement, a distance to one or more devices of the multiple devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d of the lighting system 100, the one or more devices being in a communication range of the wireless communication of the communication unit 11. According to the example of FIG. 1, the devices 20a and 20b of the multiple devices 20a, 20b, 2c and 20d are in a communication range of the wireless communication of the communication unit 11 of the control device 10. Thus, the following description is described with regard to this and is correspondingly valid for a different arrangement of elements of the lighting system 100, e.g. the control device 10, devices 20 and/or luminaires. The communication unit 11 of the control device 10 is configured to wirelessly transmit a command to the devices 20a and 20b to trigger each device of devices 20a and 20b to determine a distance to neighboring devices. In the following, for describing the function of the devices 20 according to the invention, the function of the device 20a is exemplarily described. This description is correspondingly valid for the other devices 20.
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The device 20a is configured to receive a command instructing the device 20a to determine a distance to neighboring devices. The neighboring devices of the device 20a of FIG. 1 are the devices 20c and 20d. The device 20a may be configured to wirelessly receive the command, e.g. the communication unit 21 of the device 20a may be configured to receive the command. In line with above description of the control device 10, the communication unit 21 of the device 20a may be configured to wirelessly receive the command from the control device 10. The device 20a is configured to, in response to receiving the command, determine, using the communication unit 21, the distance to its neighboring devices 20c and 20d. As indicated in FIG. 1, the communication unit 21 of the device 20a may wirelessly transmit to and receive from the communication unit 21 of the neighboring devices 20c and 20d wireless signals according to the wireless communication configured for the distance measurement. The communication unit 21 is configured to wirelessly transmit to the control device 10 the determined distances from the device 20a to the neighboring devices 20c and 20d of the device 20a (i.e. the determined distance between the device 20a and 20c and the determined distance between the device 20a and 20d).
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Thus, the communication unit 11 of the control device 10 is configured to wirelessly receive from the device 20a information on distances from the device 20a to the neighboring devices 20c and 20d of the device 20a. Accordingly, the communication unit 11 of the control device 10 is configured to wirelessly receive from the device 20b information on distance(s) from the device 20b to one or more neighboring devices of the device 20b. According to FIG. 1, the device 20d is a neighboring device of the device 20b. The device may have additional neighboring devices that are not shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the communication unit 11 of the control device 10 is configured to wirelessly receive from the device 20b information on a distance from the device 20b to the device 20d. In the light of the above, the communication unit 11 of the control device 10 may be configured to receive from the devices 20a and 20b information on distance(s) from a respective device (device 20a or 20b) of the devices 20a and 20b to one or more neighboring devices of the respective device (i.e. distances from device 20a to the devices 20c and 20d and a distance from device 20b to device 20d).
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Optionally, the control device 10 is configured to determine the position of at least one device (e.g. the position of the device 20d) of the multiple devices 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d of the lighting system 100 using the determined distances to devices 20a and 20b and the received information (e.g. the information on the distance from the device 20a to the device 20d and the information on the distance from the device 20b to the device 20d). In addition or alternatively, the control device 10 may be configured to provide for determining the position of the at least one device of the multiple devices 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d of the lighting system 100, to a processing unit 30, the determined distances to the devices 20a and 20b and the received information. Optionally, the processing unit 30 is a cloud.
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Optionally, the communication unit 21 of the device 20a is configured to wirelessly transmit light detection results of the ambient light sensor 22 of the device 20a to the control device 10. That is, when the luminaires L1, Ln associated with the device 20a emit light, the ambient light sensor 22 may detect the emitted light and, thus, the light intensity of the different luminaires L1, Ln. The communication unit 21 of the device 20a may then wirelessly transmit the detected different light intensities of the luminaires L1, Ln as ambient light detection results of the ambient light sensor 22 to the control device 10. The closer a luminaire of the luminaires L1, Ln arranged to the device 20a and, thus, its ambient light sensor 22 (i.e. the smaller the distance between the luminaire and the device 20a), the greater the light intensity of light emitted by the luminaire and vice versa. For this it may be assumed that the luminaires L1, Ln emit light with the same light intensity so that different distances between the luminaires L1, Ln may be retrieved from different light intensities detected by the ambient light sensor 22 and are not influenced by different light intensities being initial emitted by the different luminaires L1, Ln.
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For determining the distance between the device 20a comprising the ambient light sensor 22 and an associated luminaire using the light intensity of the light emitted by the associated luminaire and detected by the ambient light sensor 22, either a database or an equation may be used. The database may comprise different light intensities linked to different distances. For example, the database may be in the form of a look-up table. The equation may be based on the relationship that the greater the light intensity the smaller the distance and vice versa. The database and the equation may be generated using different measurements of light intensities and measurements of the actual distances and/or simulations.
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In addition or alternatively, the communication unit 21 of the device 20a may be configured to wirelessly receive information that a luminaire of the associated luminaires L1, Ln emits light. The device 20a is configured to, in response to receiving the aforementioned information, determine, using a light intensity detected by the ambient light sensor 22, a distance to the luminaire. The communication unit 21 of the device 20a is configured to wirelessly transmit, to the control device 10, the determined distance from the device 20a to the luminaire.
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The communication unit 21 of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d and the communication unit 11 of the control device 10 may communicate with each other using the wireless communication configured for distance measurement, e.g. using UWB communication.
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Optionally, the communication unit 21 of the device 20a is configured to wirelessly communicate according to a first protocol for measuring distance(s), and the communication unit 11 of the control device 10 is configured to wirelessly communicate according to the first protocol for measuring distance(s).
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The communication unit 21 of the device 20a may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the control device 10, optionally the communication unit 11 of the control unit 10, according to a second protocol that is different to the first protocol.
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With respect to FIG. 2 different methods of determining a position of luminaires of a lighting system 100 are described. The description of FIG. 1 is correspondingly valid.
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FIG. 2 shows an example of an implementation form of the control device of
FIG. 1. According
FIG. 2, the control device 10 may be a central control unit of the lighting system 100. For example, the control device 10 may be an edge device (e.g. edge lighting controller) or gear device. The following description may be valid in case of the central control unit being a different device. The central control unit 10 of the lighting system 100 may be configured to control lighting provided by the luminaires of the lighting system 100. In
FIG. 2 twenty-three luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a, L4a, L1b, L2b, L3b, L1c, L2c, L3c, L4c, L1d, L2d, L3d, L4d, L1e, L2e, L3e, L4e, L1f, L2f, L3f and L4f are shown. This is only by way of example and, thus, the number of luminaires may be different. According to
FIG. 2, six devices 20 are present, wherein in line with the example of
FIG. 1, the devices 20a and 20b are arranged within the communication range of the communication unit 11 of the central control unit 10, the devices 20c and 20d are neighboring devices of the device 20a, and the device 20d is a neighboring device of the device 20b. According to the example of
FIG. 2, the device 20b is a neighboring device of the device 20a and two additional devices 20e and 20f are provided in the lighting system 100. In the following table, the neighboring devices of the central control unit 10, and each of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f are indicated. Neighboring device(s) of the central control unit 10 or a device 20 may be the device(s) that are arranged within the communication range of the communication unit 11 of the central control unit 10 or the communication unit 21 of the device 20, respectively.
| Element of lighting system 100 | Neighboring device(s) 20 |
| central control unit 10 | devices 20a, 20b |
| device 20a | devices 20b, 20c, 20d |
| device 20b | devices 20a, 20c, 20d |
| device 20c | devices 20a, 20b, 20d, 20e, 20f |
| device 20d | devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20e, 20f |
| device 20e | devices 20c, 20d, 20f |
| device 20f | devices 20c, 20d, 20e |
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Thus, in line with the description of FIG. 1 each of the central control unit 10 and the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f can determine a distance to its respective neighboring devices. The devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f can then communicate the determined distances to the central control unit 10. For this, the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f can use their communication unit 21 and, thus, wirelessly communicate the determined distances to the central control unit 10. The devices 20 that are not arranged within a communication range of the central control unit 10, such as the devices 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f, can wirelessly communicate the determined distances and optionally any other information to the central control unit 10 via one or more other devices 20. For example, the device 20e can wirelessly communicated any information, such as determined distances to its neighboring devices, via the devices 20c and 20a to the central control unit 10. This is exemplarily indicated in FIG. 2 by the dashed arrows pointing from device 20e to the device 20c, from the device 20c to the device 20a and from the device 20a to the central control unit 10. For this, the devices 20a and 20c may be configured to relay, i.e. re-transmit received information. In other words, the device 20 may be configured to wirelessly receive information and wirelessly re-transmit the received information(e.g. in the form of a broadcast). This may be performed by the communication unit 21 of the device 20. The devices 20 (e.g. the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f) may form a communication network (optionally wireless communication network), e.g. being a mesh network. The central control unit 10 may be configured to wirelessly communicate, e.g. via its communication unit 11, with such communication network by wirelessly communicating with the devices 20 of the network being within the wireless communication range of the central control unit 10. The central communication unit 10 may be a part of the communication network (optionally wireless communication network).
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As shown in FIG. 2, the device 20a may be wirelessly or wired coupled with the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a; the device 20b may be wirelessly or wired coupled with the luminaires L1b, L2b, and L3b; the device 20c may be wirelessly or wired coupled with the luminaires L1c, L2c, L3c and L4c; the device 20d may be wirelessly or wired coupled with the luminaires L1d, L2d, L3d and L4d; the device 20e may be wirelessly or wired coupled with the luminaires L1e, L2e, L3e and L4e; and the device 20f may be wirelessly or wired coupled with the luminaires L1f, L2f, L3f and L4f. For example, the device 20 may be a sensor device that is configured to detect parameters, such as presence of a person, temperature, light intensity etc., of the environment within its detection range and provide the information to the central control unit 10 for a central control of the lighting system 100, i.e. of the luminaires of the lighting system 100. In addition or alternatively, the device 20 may be configured to perform a local control of the luminaires coupled to it using the detection results. For example, the device 20a may be configured to perform a local control of the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a. The luminaires coupled to a respective device 20 are arranged within a detection range of the device 20, at least within a detection range of the ambient light sensor 22 of the device 20.
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The device 20 may form a communication network (e.g. wireless communication network), e.g. a star network, with its coupled luminaires. Optionally, the luminaires may be configured to wirelessly communicate. In this case, the luminaires being within the range of the central control unit 10 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the central control unit 10. For example, the wireless communication may be according to any know communication, such as WLAN communication, Bluetooth communication, Infrared communication, IP communication, visible light communication etc. For example, the luminaire L1a is arranged within wireless communication range of the central control unit 10 and, thus, the central control unit 10 may wirelessly communicate with the luminaire L1a. The luminaires being configured to wirelessly communicate may be configured to communicate with entities, such as device(s) 20, other luminaire(s) and/or the central control unit 10 being arranged with its communication range.
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Optionally, the luminaires coupled to a device 20, such as the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a coupled to the device 20a, may be grouped together in a logical group. The luminaires within such group may communicate with each other. The luminaires of a logical group may be configured to communicate with entities outside the group, such as the central control unit 10, via the device 20 coupled to the them. Optionally, the luminaires may be part of the communication network (e.g. wireless communication network) of the devices 20.
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Optionally, the central control unit 10 may be configured to group the luminaires into groups. For this, the central control unit 10 may receive information from outside, e.g. a user. The central control unit 10 may be configured to store the grouping of the luminaires and/or the coupling of luminaires to a device 20 of the devices in a database, e.g. in the form of a look-up table. According to the example of FIG. 2, the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a, L4a are assumed to form a first logical group and are coupled with the device 20a; the luminaires L1b, L2b and L3b are assumed to form a second logical group and are coupled with the device 20b, the luminaires L1c, L2c, L3c and L4c are assumed to form a third logical group and are coupled with the device 20c; the luminaires L1d, L2d, L3d and L4d are assumed to form a fourth logical group and are coupled with the device 20d; the luminaires L1e, L2e, L3e and L4e are assumed to form a fifth logical group and are coupled with the device 20e; and the luminaires L1f, L2f, L3f and L4f are assumed to form a sixth logical group and are coupled with the device 20f.
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The coupling of luminaires to a respective device 20 and/or the forming of logical groups as described and shown exemplarily in Figure 2 is only by way of example and, thus, may be different.
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The solid arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the process of determining, using the wireless communication configured for distance measurement, such as UWB, the distance between the central control unit 10 and devices 20, which are within the range of the communication unit 11 of the central control unit 10, as well as the distance between a device 20 and one or more neighboring device(s). In FIG. 2 not all distance measurement are indicated. The determination of distance(s) using the wireless communication configured for distance measurement is performed as described above with regard to FIG. 1.
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Herein, generally wireless communication between two entities that are not within a direct wireless communication range of each other, such as the central control unit 10 and the luminaire L3a or the central control unit 10 and the luminaire L4f, may be performed via one or more other entities, such as from the central control unit 10 via e.g. the luminaire L1a or the device 20a to the luminaire L3a or from the central control unit 10 via e.g. the devices 20b, 20d and 20f to the luminaire L4f, respectively.
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The following description is done with regard to the device 20a and the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a which are coupled with the device 20a and are e.g. assumed to form the first logical group. This description is accordingly valid for other luminaires and other devices 20 and, thus, for other implementation forms of the lighting system 100.
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Optionally, the communication unit 11 of the central control unit 10 is configured to wirelessly transmit to the first logical group of luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a a command instructing the first logical group of luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a to emit light. Since the first logical group of luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a is associated to the device 20a and, thus, arranged within the detection range of the ambient light sensor 22 of the device 20a, the ambient light sensor 22 of the device 20a may detect the light emission by the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a as light detection results, wherein the communication unit 21 of the device 20a may transmit the light detection results to the central control unit 10. Thus, the communication unit 11 of the central control unit 10 may wirelessly receive, from the device 20a of the multiple devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f of the lighting system 100, information on light detection results within a time period after having transmitted the command. The central control unit 10 may be configured to determine, using the received information, that the device 20a of the multiple devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f of the lighting system 100 is associated with the first logical group of luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a and the group of luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a is arranged within a detection range of the ambient light sensor 22 of the device 20a. The central control unit 10 may be configured to store information (received information and determined information), such as the aforementioned information, light intensities, distances etc., in a database (e.g. in the form of a look-up table). For this, the central control unit 10 may comprise a data storage and/or be associated to a data storage (not shown in FIG. 2), which the central control unit 10 is configured to access. Thus, the central control unit 1 may learn which group of luminaires is associated to which device of the devices 20 of the lighting system 100.
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The communication unit 11 of the central control unit 10 may be configured to wirelessly transmit to the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a associated with the device 20a of the multiple devices 20a, 20b, 20c , 20d, 20e and 20f a command instructing the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a to emit light. The ambient light sensor 22 of the device 20a may detect the light intensities of the light emission by the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a as light detection results, wherein the communication unit 21 of the device 20a may transmit the light detection results to the central control unit 10. The communication unit 11 of the central control unit 10 may wirelessly receive, from the device 20a, information on light detection results. The central control unit 10 may be configured to determine, using the received information, distances from the device 20a to the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a.
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The communication unit 11 of the central control unit 10 may configured to wirelessly transmit to a luminaire, such as the luminaire L1a, associated with the device 20a of the multiple devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f a command instructing the luminaire L1a to emit light, wirelessly transmit to the device 20a information on the transmission of the command to the luminaire 1a, and wirelessly receive, from the device 20a, a distance from the device 20a to the luminaire L1a. The device 20a may determine the distance to the luminaire 1a using the light intensity of the light emission by the luminaire 1a that is detected by the ambient light sensor 22 of the device 20a, as outlined with regard to FIG. 1.
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The central control unit 10 may be configured to determine, using the distance from the central control unit 10 to the device 20a and the distance from the device 20a to a luminaire e.g. L1a of the luminaires L1a, L2a, L3a and L4a, to which the command instructing to emit light has been transmitted, a distance from the central control unit 10 to the luminaire e.g. L1a. In addition or alternatively, the central control unit 10 may be configured to provide, for determining the distance from the central control unit 10 to the luminaire e.g. L1a, the distance from the central control unit 10 to the device 20a and the distance from the device 20 to the luminaire e.g. L1a to a processing unit 30. The processing unit 30 is optionally a cloud.
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Thus, in the light of the above, the central control unit 10 may be configured to obtain the distance to the devices 20, distances to the luminaires, distance between devices 20 and distance between devices and luminaires of the lighting system 100. Using this information the central control unit 10 and/or the processing unit 30 may determine positions, e.g. relative positions, of the devices 20 and luminaires in the area, e.g. room, in which the lighting system 100 is arranged. This allows the central control unit 10 to map the determined positions to a floor plan of the area. Such a floor plane is exemplarily shown in FIG. 2. For further information on the lighting system 100 and the central control unit 10 reference is made to the description of FIG. 1.
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According to an example, the central control unit 10 may measure the distance to the nearby devices 20a and 20b using its communication unit 11 and, thus, the wireless communication configured for distance measurement, such as the UWB communication. Each device of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 2f may measure the distance to its respective neighboring devices using the wireless communication configured for distance measurement. The devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f may wirelessly communicate the information on the measured distance using a separate communication protocol compared to a communication protocol used for the distance measurement. Both protocols may be based on the wireless communication, such as UWB communication, configured for distance measurement. Using the obtained distance information the position of each device 20 in the area may be determined. For this, a respective position algorithm may run on the central control unit 10 or the processing unit 30, e.g. cloud.
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After the position of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f are known by the central control unit 10, the central control unit 10 may start controlling the luminaires (e.g. the logical groups of luminaires) to emit light (e.g. by blinking, i.e. emitting light with a pattern) in random or in a defined order. When the ambient light sensor 22 in a device 20 of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f gets some feed-back, i.e. detects a light emission, the respective device 20 reports this to the central control unit 10. The central control unit 10 may control the luminaires (e.g. the logical groups of luminaires) to emit light (e.g. by blinking, i.e. emitting light with a pattern), e.g. run light emission sequences of luminaires, until all devices 20 have reported sufficient light emission detections for linking luminaires with the devices 20. The linking between a luminaire and a device 20 may be done based on the detection result of the ambient light sensor at a certain point in time versus which luminaire or group of luminaires of the lighting system 100 was controlled to emit light at said point in time.
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FIG. 3 shows an example of an implementation form of the control device of FIG. 1. The example of FIG. 3 differs from the example of FIG. 2 in that the control device is a mobile commissioner device, such as a hand-held device. For example, the commissioner device may be a user end device, such a smartphone, a tablet, a notebook, a smartwatch, smart glasses etc. As indicated in FIG. 3, this allows the control device to move to a different position within the area compared to the position within the area shown in FIG. 2. As a result, the commissioner device may determine the distance to devices 20 depending on the position it is moved to. For further information on the lighting system 100 and the function of the commissioner device 10 reference is made to the description of FIGs. 1 and 2.
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According to an example, the mobile commissioner device 10 may be configured to communicate, e.g. wirelessly communicate, with the luminaires and measure distances using the wireless communication configured for distance measurement, as outlined above. The commissioner device 10 may communicate the distance information to a processing unit 30, e.g. cloud, where an algorithm may determine, using the distance information, the positions of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f. Since, the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f may measure distance to each of its neighbors (e.g. neighbor device(s) 20 and/or luminaire(s)), the commissioner device 10 does not need to be positioned in each part of the area, in which the lighting system 100 is arranged. After the position of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f are known by the commissioner device 10, the commissioner device 10 may start controlling the luminaires (e.g. the logical groups of luminaires) to emit light (e.g. by blinking, i.e. emitting light with a pattern) in random or in a defined order. When the ambient light sensor 22 in a device 20 of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f gets some feed-back, i.e. detects a light emission, the respective device 20 reports this to the commissioner device 10. The commissioner device 10 may control the luminaires (e.g. the logical groups of luminaires) to emit light (e.g. by blinking, i.e. emitting light with a pattern), e.g. run light emission sequences of luminaires, until all devices 20 have reported sufficient light emission detections for linking luminaires with the devices 20. The commissioner device 10 may transmit the received information, i.e. the detection results of the ambient light sensor of the devices 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e and 20f, to the processing unit 30, e.g. cloud, that is configured to determine the position of the devices 20 and linking the luminaires to the devices 20. That is, the processing unit 30 is configured for a device position and luminaire-device linking process.
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FIG. 4 shows an example of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention for determining a position of multiple devices of a lighting system. The method of FIG. 4 is an example of the method according to the third aspect of the invention. Thus, the description of the method of the third aspect of the invention is correspondingly valid for the method of FIG. 4.
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The method of Figure 4 is a method for determining a position of multiple devices 20 of a lighting system 100, wherein each device is associated with one or more luminaires and configured for a wireless communication that is configured for distance measurement, such as UWB communication. The lighting system 100 may be the lighting system of any one of FIGs. 1, 2 and 3 and, thus, for more details on the lighting system reference is made to the description of FIGs. 1, 2 and 3. The method comprises a step S1 of determining, by a control device 10, using the wireless communication a distance to one or more devices (e.g. 20a and 20b) of the multiple devices 20, the one or more devices (e.g. 20a and 20b) being in a communication range of the wireless communication. The method comprises the step S2 of wirelessly transmitting, by the control device 10, a command to the one or more devices (e.g. 20a and 20b) to trigger each device of the one or more devices (e.g. 20a and 20b) to determine a distance to neighboring devices. The method comprises the step S3 of determining, by each device of the one or more devices (e.g. 20a and 20b), in response to receiving the command distance(s) from the device to one or more neighboring devices of the device using the wireless communication. The method comprises the step S4 of wirelessly transmitting, by each device of the one or more devices (e.g. 20a and 20b), to the control device 10 the determined distance(s) from the device to the one or more neighboring devices of the device.
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For further information on the method, e.g. optional features and more details, reference is made to the description of the method of the third aspect of the description as well as the methods performed by the entities of the lighting system 100 of FIGs. 1, 2 and 3. Especially, the control device 10 and the devices 20 of the lighting system 100 of FIGs. 1, 2 and 3 may perform the method of FIG. 4.
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In the claims as well as in the description the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in the mutual different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation.