System and method for operating at least one LED unit of a lighting grid comprising a plurality of LED units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11258511-B2
Application number	US-201816649413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2018
Priority date	Oct 5, 2017
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a system and method for operating at least one LED unit of lighting grid comprising a plurality of LED units, wherein the LED units are configured to transmit a VLC signal including a code word. A plurality of user equipment devices captures the light transmitted by the LED unit and determines parameters related to the light, such as a VLC quality parameter, flicker value, light intensity parameter and light colour parameter. Based on these parameters, a controller determines control parameters for the LED unit. As such, a feedback loop is created wherein the LED unit is controlled based on measurements with the user equipment devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising
a lighting grid comprising
a plurality of LED units which are each adapted to emit light in an area wherein a plurality of user equipment devices are present, wherein the light emitted by each LED unit includes a VLC signal, wherein each LED unit is adapted to transmit data to the plurality of user equipment devices via the VLC signal,
a controller, which comprises
a communication terminal for receiving VLC quality parameters transmitted by the plurality of user equipment devices, wherein each VLC quality parameter corresponds with a LED unit of the plurality of LED units and represents the quality of data transmission via the VLC signal transmitted by that LED unit,
a processing unit, which is configured to determine a VLC control parameter for at least one LED unit for which multiple VLC quality parameters have been received, based on the corresponding multiple VLC quality parameters,
wherein the controller is configured to adjust a VLC signal transmitted by the at least one LED unit based on the corresponding determined VLC control parameters,
wherein the multiple VLC quality parameters are received from multiple equipment devices, and
wherein the multiple VLC quality parameters are received over a period of time.

2. System according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple VLC quality parameters are received during normal use of the lighting grid.

3. System according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to update the VLC control parameter of the at least one LED unit when a further or next VLC quality parameter has been received.

4. System according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive, via the communication terminal, from each user equipment device an operating parameter characterizing the light emitted by a LED unit and wherein the processing unit of the controller further is configured to determine the VLC control parameter such that the operating parameter is within a predetermined range or below a predetermined level, and wherein the operating parameter comprises at least one of a flicker value, an intensity or a colour.

5. System according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to control a modulation depth of the VLC signal based on the VLC control parameter.

6. System according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to minimize the modulation depth of the VLC signal while maintaining the quality of the transmission of data via the VLC signal as represented by the VLC quality parameter above a predetermined level.

7. System according to claim 1 , wherein each LED unit transmits in the data in the VLC signal at least a code word, wherein optionally the particular LED unit can be identified by the code word it transmits, wherein the LED units are configured to transmit the code words repeatedly, and wherein the VLC quality parameter is based on a frequency of successful decoding of the code word.

8. System according to claim 1 , wherein the VLC signal transmitted by each LED unit comprises a modulation depth, and wherein the controller is configured to control said modulation depth by the VLC control parameter.

9. System according to claim 8 , wherein the processing unit of the controller is configured to determine the VLC control parameter such that the modulation depth of the VLC signal is minimized while maintaining the quality of the transmission of data via the VLC signal as represented by the VLC quality parameter above a predetermined level, wherein at the predetermined level a predetermined percentage of user equipment devices is able to decode the code word, wherein the predetermined percentage preferably is at least 90%, more preferably at least 95%.

10. System according to claim 8 , wherein the controller further is configured to receive, via the communication terminal, from each user equipment device a flicker value for the light emitted by a LED unit, and wherein processing unit of the controller further is configured to determine the VLC control parameter such that the flicker value is below a predetermined level that represents the visibility of flicker to a human eye and/or to a camera.

11. System according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller further is configured to receive, via the communication terminal, from each user equipment device for at least one LED unit a light intensity parameter which represents the intensity of the light emitted by said LED unit, and
the processing unit of the controller is configured to
compare the light intensity parameters with an intensity reference value,
determine an intensity control parameter for at least one LED unit for which a light intensity parameter has been received, based on said comparison,
wherein the controller is configured to adjust the intensity of the light emitted the LED unit based on the corresponding intensity control parameters.

12. System according to claim 11 , wherein the intensity reference value is a predetermined value.

13. System according to claim 11 , wherein the processing unit of the controller is configured to determine the intensity reference value based on the light intensity parameters of multiple LED units of the lighting grid.

14. System according to claim 11 , wherein
the controller further is configured to receive, with the communication terminal, from each user equipment device for at least one LED unit a light colour parameter which represents the colour of the light transmitted by said LED unit, and
the processing unit of the controller is configured to
compare the light colour parameters with a colour reference value,
determine an colour control parameter for at least one LED unit for which a light colour parameter has been received, based on said comparison,
wherein the controller is configured to adjust the colour of the light emitted by the LED units based on the corresponding colour control parameters.

15. System according to claim 14 , wherein the colour reference value is a predetermined value.

16. System according to claim 14 , wherein the processing unit of the controller is configured to determine the colour reference value based on the light colour parameters of multiple LED units of the lighting grid.

17. System according to claim 14 , wherein the controller further receives type information, and optionally instance information, for each user equipment device, wherein the processing unit of the controller is adapted to adjust at least one of the
the VLC quality parameter and/or the VLC control parameter; and/or
the light intensity parameter and/or the intensity control parameter; and/or
the light colour parameter and/or the colour control parameter;
received from or determined based on information received from each the user equipment devices based on the type information and/or the instance information received for said user equipment device.

18. System according to claim 14 , wherein
the controller further comprises a memory wherein for the LED units the parameters determined by the user equipment devices and/or the parameters determined by the processing unit of the controller are stored, and
the processing unit of the controller is configured to determine the aging of at least one LED unit of the lighting grid based on the stored parameters, in particular based on the evolution of the parameters over time, and
the controller is adapted to output a signal to an operator representing a replacement order for the LED unit based on the aging of said LED unit.

19. System according to

Assignees

• Eldolab Holding Bv

Inventors

• Saes Marc
• Otten Andy Johanna Elisabeth

Classifications

• H05B47/195

  the transmission using visible or infrared light · CPC title

• H04B10/502

  LED transmitters · CPC title

• H04B10/116 Primary

  Visible light communication · CPC title

• H05B45/22

  using optical feedback · CPC title

• H05B45/12

  using optical feedback · CPC title