Supply cable, a driver arrangement with wireless control function and a control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10122080-B2
Application number	US-201515518659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Oct 16, 2014
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

The invention provides a connection head ( 40 ) for using with a supply cable for supplying power to a device, which device is within a housing. A first end ( 41 ) of the connection head is for mounting outside the housing of the device. A second end ( 43 ) of the connection head is for mounting inside the housing of the device. A closed loop antenna has at least one coil and a pair of feed lines, wherein the feed lines extend from the first end ( 41 ) to the second end ( 43 ), and the at least one coil is located within the first end ( 41 ). The connection head of the supply cable provides protection for an antenna and enables the antenna to be mounted outside the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A driver arrangement for driving a lighting arrangement, comprising:
a housing ( 10 );
a connection head, comprising:
a first end for mounting outside the housing of the device;
a second end for mounting inside the housing of the device; and
a closed loop antenna having at least one coil and a pair of feed lines, wherein the feed lines extend from the first end to the second end, and the at least one coil is located within the first end;

a supply cable for supplying power, passing from outside the housing to inside the housing through the connection head;
a receiver circuit within the housing, coupled to the antenna via the pair of feed lines for receiving wireless control signals; and
a driver circuit within the housing, for obtaining power from the supply cable and driving the lighting arrangement using the obtained power, wherein the driver circuit is coupled to said receiver circuit and configurable based on the wireless control signals received by the antenna and forwarded by the receiver circuit.

2. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connection head comprises a watertight passage for the supply cable into the housing.

3. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising a powering cable for connection between the driver arrangement and the lighting arrangement for transferring power to the lighting arrangement, which powering cable also has a watertight passage through the housing.

4. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 3 which satisfies the IP65 requirements.

5. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprise an NFC antenna and the receiver circuit comprises an NFC integrated circuit, wherein the NFC integrated circuit is adapted to be powered by the NFC antenna, and the receiver circuit is adapted to be disabled when the driver circuit starts to drive the lighting arrangement.

6. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the driver circuit is configurable to set a current output level and/or set a current dimming level according to the wireless control signals, and
the receiver circuit is further adapted as a transceiver also for transmitting wireless control signal, and the driver circuit is further configurable to transmit wireless control signals via the transceiver circuit and the closed loop antenna.

7. A lighting system comprising:
a driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 ; and
a lighting arrangement driven by the driver arrangement.

8. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connection head further comprising:
an annular recess for engaging with an opening in the housing, wherein the at least one coil of the antenna is encapsulated within the first end of the connection head at an exterior side of the annular recess, and said second end of the connection head is at an interior side of the annular recess, and
wherein said antenna is adapted to communicate with a host device separate from and external to the supply cable and the housing, and
the supply cable is a single and undetachable cable and the connection head is for allowing the cable passing through and into the housing.

9. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one coil is oriented around an elongate axis of the connection head, and the connection head further allowing passing through of power lines, different from said closed loop antenna, for transferring power.

10. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises between 6 and 10 coils each with a diameter of 8 to 12 mm, and wherein the connection head is made of radio non-blocking material.

11. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the closed loop antenna is a near field communications antenna which is further adapted to provide power to a receiver circuit of the device.

12. A driver arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connection head is for enclosing an outer sheath of the supply cable or, the connection head is integral with an outer sheath of the supply cable.

13. A method of controlling a device which is housed within a housing, comprising:
providing wireless control signals;
receiving the wireless control signals using an antenna which is mounted outside the housing of the device and a receiver circuit 444 mounted inside the housing of the device; and
controlling or configuring the device based on the wireless control signals,
wherein the antenna comprises a closed loop antenna having at least one coil and a pair of feed lines, wherein the feed lines extend from within the housing to outside the housing, and wherein the at least one coil is located outside the housing within a connection head for using with a supply cable for supplying power to the device;
wherein the device comprises a receiver circuit for receiving wireless control signals via the closed loop antenna, and the closed loop antenna is a near field communications antenna which is further adapted to provide power to the receiver circuit;
the device further comprises a driver arrangement for driving a lighting arrangement;
controlling the device comprises configuring the driver arrangement based on the wireless control signals.

14. A connection head for using with a supply cable to a device which is within a housing, comprising:
a first end for mounting outside the housing of the device;
a second end for mounting inside the housing of the device;
a closed loop antenna having at least one coil and a pair of feed lines, wherein the feed lines extend from the first end to the second end, and the at least one coil is located within the first end;
wherein said antenna is adapted to communicate with a host device separate from and external to the supply cable and the housing.

15. A connection head according to claim 14 , wherein
an annular recess for engaging with an opening in the housing, wherein the at least one coil of the antenna is encapsulated within the first end of the connection head at an exterior side of the annular recess, and said second end of the connection head is at an interior side of the annular recess, and
the connection head for allowing the supply cable passing through and into the housing.

Assignees

• Philips Lighting Holding Bv

Inventors

• Lai Bing
• Li Yunfeng

Classifications

• H01Q1/46 Primary

  Electric supply lines or communication lines · CPC title

• H01Q7/00

  Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop · CPC title

• H05B47/19

  via wireless transmission · CPC title

• H01Q1/22

  by structural association with other equipment or articles · CPC title

• H01R9/2475

  Means facilitating correct wiring, e.g. marking plates, identification tags · CPC title