Lighting system with VLC data transfer and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10873397-B2
Application number	US-201916595508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2019
Priority date	Oct 8, 2018
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

In various embodiments, a lighting system is provided. The lighting system includes at least two visual light communication units (VLC units), and at least one effect luminaire, at which one of the VLC units is provided. The further VLC unit is arrangeable at an object. At least one item of state information of at least one of the object or the effect luminaire is transferable between the VLC units by at least one light signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lighting system, comprising:
at least two visual light communication units (VLC units);
at least one effect luminaire, at which one of the VLC units is provided,
wherein a further VLC unit is arrangeable at an object,
wherein at least one item of state information of at least one of the object or the effect luminaire is transferable between the VLC units by at least one light signal,
wherein the state information is at least one of a position data of the object or an operating state of a controllable element of the object or a position data of the effect luminaire or an orientation of the effect luminaire in space or an operating state of one or more controllable light sources; and
an evaluation unit configured to correlate a detected position data of the object detected by one of at least two sensor units with a detected position data of the object detected by another of the at least two sensor units.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 ,
wherein the VLC unit comprises at least one of a VLC transmitting unit or a VLC receiving unit.

3. The lighting system of claim 2 ,
wherein the VLC transmitting unit comprises at least one of:
at least one sensor unit configured to detect the state information;
at least one controller configured to encode or to modulate the at least one light signal; or
at least one energy store or at least one illuminant.

4. The lighting system of claim 2 ,
wherein the VLC receiving unit comprises at least one of:
at least one optical sensor configured to receive the at least one light signal;
the evaluation unit further configured to decode the at least one light signal for evaluating the at least one light signal; or
at least one energy store.

5. The lighting system of claim 4 ,
wherein an illuminant of the VLC transmitting unit and the optical sensor are aligned such that they are aligned in an optimized manner with regard to the transfer.

6. The lighting system of claim 1 ,
wherein a respective VLC unit is assignable to at least one of a plurality of objects or a plurality of effect luminaires;
wherein the state information is assignable in each case to exactly one VLC unit as a result of an encoding of the at least one light signal.

7. The lighting system of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one light signal has a frequency of at least 60 Hz.

8. The lighting system of claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of a principal optical axis of the effect luminaire is pivotable in a plurality of or all spatial directions or the effect luminaire is arranged in a linearly movable manner on a rail and/or comprises at least one controllable light source.

9. The lighting system of claim 1 ,
at least one of:
the object is movable in space;
the object is movable on an area; or
the object has at least one controllable element.

10. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the correlation by the evaluation unit of the detected position data of the object detected by the one of the at least two sensor units with the detected position data of the object detected by the other of the at least two sensor units provides the position data of the object.

11. A method for transferring or for exchanging at least one item of state information from at least one of at least one object or at least one effect luminaire of a lighting system, the lighting system comprising:
at least two visual light communication units (VLC units);
at least one effect luminaire, at which one of the VLC units is provided,
wherein the further VLC unit is arrangeable at an object, wherein at least one item of state information of at least one of the object or the effect luminaire is transferable between the VLC units by at least one light signal, wherein the state information is at least one of a position data of the object or an operating state of a controllable element of the object or a position data of the effect luminaire or an orientation of the effect luminaire in space or an operating state of one or more controllable light sources; and
an evaluation unit configured to correlate a detected position data of the object detected by one of at least two sensor units with a detected position data of the object detected by another of the at least two sensor units,

the method comprising:
detecting the state information of at least one of the object or of the effect luminaire;
at least one of modulating or encoding the items of state information into a light signal;
transmitting or emitting the light signal by a first VLC unit;
receiving the light signal by a second VLC unit; and
at least one of decoding or processing the state information.

12. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein the method comprises, after the at least one of decoding or processing the state information, transmitting the state information to at least one of the second VLC unit or at least one further VLC unit.

13. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein the method comprises, at least one of
after the at least one of decoding or processing the state information, or transmitting the state information to the second VLC unit or a further VLC unit, controlling at least one of the effect luminaire or the controllable element of the object or the effect luminaire depending on the state information.

Assignees

• Osram Gmbh

Inventors

• Haas Norbert
• Magg Norbert

Classifications

• H04B10/1143

  Bidirectional transmission · CPC title

• H04B10/116 Primary

  Visible light communication · CPC title

• H04B10/40

  Transceivers · CPC title