Auto commissioning and energy saving lighting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9615422-B2
Application number	US-201214240142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2012
Priority date	Sep 2, 2011
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a network of luminaires for an automatic lighting system comprising at least two luminaires ( 1 ) and at least one controller, each luminaire comprising a light source ( 4 ) and at least two communication ports ( 3, 6, 9, 12 ), wherein the communication ports have predetermined configuration and orientation ( 3, 6, 9, 12 ), each communication port ( 3, 6, 9, 12 ) is adapted to be communicatively connected to a communication port of another luminaire ( 1 ) in said network in the direction and orientation of the port ( 3, 6, 9, 12 ), and wherein the identification of unused communication ports ( 3, 6, 9, 12 ) is communicated to said at least one controller. The invention further relates to a plug ( 20, 21, 24, 28 ) adapted to be inserted into unused communication ports ( 3, 6, 9, 12 ) in a luminaire of a network of luminaires ( 1 ), said plug ( 20, 21, 24, 28 ) being adapted to indicate to a controller ( 7 ) in said network that the communication port ( 3, 6, 9, 12 ) is unused for communication to another luminaire; and to a method of auto-commissioning of a network of luminaires, wherein the method comprises the steps of: identifying unused communication ports ( 3, 6, 9, 12 ), communicating identified unused ports to said at least one controller, and control at least one luminaire as a function of the received information related to unused communication ports.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A network of luminaires for a lighting system comprising at least two luminaires and at least one controller, each luminaire comprising a light source and at least two communication ports, wherein
the communication ports have predetermined configuration and orientation, and are located in at least two directions at different angles in a plane of the network of luminaires,
wherein each communication port is adapted to be communicatively connected to a communication port of another luminaire in said network in the direction of the orientation of the communication port,
wherein each communication port is adapted to identify when the communication port is unused for communication with another luminaire and communicate information indicating that the communication port is unused for communication with another luminaire to said at least one controller, and
wherein at least one luminaire of said luminaires is configured to control a light output as a function of the information.

2. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein the each communication port is adapted to receive a plug for indicating that the communication port is unused.

3. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein said communication between luminaires through said communication ports is peer-to-peer communication.

4. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein said communication is established via a network established either by wires between different ports or via directed wireless transceivers included in said communication ports.

5. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein each luminaire comprises a controller.

6. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein each luminaire further comprises at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of: a presence sensor, a daylight sensor, a sound sensor, and a movement sensor.

7. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein the light source is selected from the group consisting of: a LED, a fluorescent tube, a laser, a FED device, and an incandescent light source, and wherein the light source is arranged to provide an adaptive beam shape.

8. The network of luminaires according to claim 7 , wherein said adaptive beam shape is achieved by a cluster of LEDs wherein the LEDs project light in different directions.

9. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein the communication between communication ports of different luminaires is adapted to communicate at least one information comprised in the group of:
a human presence near the luminaire, a dimming level of the luminaire, a detected daylight level, an identification of unused communication ports, an information of equipment plugged into each communication port, and an information received from another luminaire in the network.

10. A plug adapted to be inserted into an unused communication port of a luminaire in a network of luminaires according to claim 9 , said plug being adapted to indicate to a controller in said network that the communication port is unused for communication to another luminaire.

11. A plug according to claim 10 wherein the plug comprises information on the surrounding space of the luminaire in the direction of the orientation of the communication port it is plugged into, said information being adapted to be communicated to said controller.

12. A plug according to claim 11 wherein said information on the surrounding is one contained in the group of: a window, a wall, a door, a solid door, a transparent door, a semitransparent door, a pillar, a table, a podium, a white or black board, a projection screen, a monitor or display.

13. A method of auto-commissioning of a network of luminaires according to claim 9 , wherein the method comprises the steps of:
identifying unused communication ports, communicating information on unused ports to said at least one controller, and
controlling at least one luminaire as a function of the received information on unused communication ports.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein a plug is plugged into at least one unused communication port of a luminaire and the step of controlling at least one luminaire in the network of luminaires further is a function of the information on the surrounding received from the plug.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the step of controlling at least one luminaire further is a function of information received from said sensor.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the step of controlling at least one luminaire further is a function of information received from other luminaires.

17. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the step of controlling at least one luminaire comprises controlling a beam shape of the luminaire.

18. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one luminaire is configured such that, when at least one of the communication ports of the at least one luminaire is unused for communication with another luminaire, the at least one luminaire controls the light output on the basis of the location of the unused port.

19. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the controlling comprises controlling a light output of the at least one luminaire as a function of a location of at least one of the unused communication ports.

20. The network of luminaires according to claim 1 , wherein the light output is emitted by a given luminaire of the at least one luminaire and wherein the given luminaire is configured to control the light output as a function of the information, which is communicated by a given port of the given luminaire.

Assignees

• Vissenberg Michel Cornelis Josephus Marie
• Van Gorkom Ramon Pascal
• Philips Lighting Holding Bv

Inventors

• Vissenberg Michel Cornelis Josephus Marie
• Van Gorkom Ramon Pascal

Classifications

• Y02B20/40

  Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection · CPC title

• H05B47/10 Primary

  Controlling the light source · CPC title

• H05B47/1995

  Auto-commissioning · CPC title

• H05B33/0854 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05B37/0245

  Electricity · mapped topic