Lighting device with automatic length detection

Abstract

A lighting device comprising a lighting unit comprising a termination module and a plurality of lighting modules, wherein the termination module is configured to have electrical characteristics different from the electrical characteristics of each lighting module, such that it draws a different amount of current in response to an applied drive voltage. The invention proposes that upon detection of the termination module, the number of lighting modules of the lighting unit is automatically determined by measuring the change in current flowing through the lighting unit, while the modules of the lighting unit are activated one after the other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a variable-length lighting device comprising multiple lighting units, such as pixelated lighting units. Specifically, this invention relates to automatic length detection of such a lighting device. Background Technology

[0002] Lighting fixtures are widely used to achieve both practical and decorative lighting effects. Traditionally, incandescent light bulbs have been commonly used as the light source for both domestic and commercial lighting. However, due to their low efficiency, they have been replaced by other types of light sources, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

[0003] Today, lighting installations typically comprise a large number of lighting modules connected in parallel or series. Each lighting module has a light source and can be independently controlled by a controller (e.g., via a data bus). The characteristics of the light emitted by the light source of each lighting module (e.g., intensity and color) can be controlled to produce static or dynamic graphic elements to achieve desired practical and / or decorative lighting effects.

[0004] Such lighting fixtures typically consist of lighting units with a fixed length (a fixed number of lighting modules) or a variable length. In order to control the lighting fixture to achieve the desired lighting effect, such as displaying entertainment content on a scene, the number of lighting modules in the variable-length lighting unit (the number of lighting modules in the lighting unit), also known as the length, must be known.

[0005] There are known ways to determine the number of lighting modules in a variable-length lighting unit. For example, the number of lighting modules can be counted and manually entered into the lighting fixture or the system connected to it. However, this increases maintenance complexity because human interaction is always required. Furthermore, this method is less reliable due to the possibility of errors introduced by manual processing.

[0006] Alternatively, the number of lighting modules can be automatically determined through a calibration process, for example, by turning different groups of lighting modules on and off. Since the emitted light caused by turning the lighting modules on and off is visible to the user during calibration, calibration should only be performed when the lighting fixture is not in use. Otherwise, the emitted light caused by the calibration process may degrade the desired practical and / or decorative lighting effect.

[0007] The goal is to provide a lighting device with automatic length detection that requires no human interaction and is invisible to the user. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a lighting device with automatic length detection that is imperceptible to the user.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, this and other objectives are achieved by a lighting device comprising: a lighting unit including a plurality of lighting modules and a termination module for terminating the lighting unit, wherein the plurality of lighting modules and the termination module are connected in parallel or in series, and each lighting module includes a light source for emitting light; and a controller for controlling the lighting unit, wherein the plurality of lighting modules and the termination module are independently controllable by the controller; a power supply unit for providing a drive voltage to the lighting unit; wherein the termination module is configured to have electrical characteristics different from those of each lighting module, such that the amount of current drawn by the termination module in response to an applied drive voltage is different from the amount of current drawn by each lighting module in response to the applied drive voltage; wherein the controller is configured to: individually activate at least one module of the lighting unit according to a pre-selected addressing scheme; measure a change in current through the lighting unit when the at least one module is activated; detect the termination module based on the measured change in current; and determine the number of lighting modules of the lighting unit when the termination module is detected.

[0010] These modules can be connected in parallel or in series. Whether these modules are connected in parallel or in series can depend on the protocol used by the controller.

[0011] The term "electrical characteristics" can refer to the different electrical properties of a unit or component. For example, it can refer to the resistance, capacitance, and / or inductance of a unit or component.

[0012] The term "addressing scheme" can refer to a scheme used to individually control the individual modules of a lighting unit. For example, an addressing scheme can determine the order in which the modules are controlled, and / or which state each module should be changed to (on / off, different colors and / or intensities, etc.). Depending on the addressing scheme, the controller can control the lighting unit to ensure a quantity detection process that is essentially invisible.

[0013] Using this design, the number of lighting modules (i.e., the total number of lighting modules) can be determined in an accurate and robust manner without any human interaction.

[0014] The termination module can be connected to lighting units of any existing lighting fixture with a controller that uses any type of protocol, without modifying the lighting fixture, which is flexible.

[0015] The pre-selected addressing scheme may involve sequentially activating the modules of the lighting unit from the first lighting module to the last module of the lighting unit, where the last module is a termination module; and wherein, when a change in current caused by the activation of the current m-th module is detected, the current m-th module can be determined to be the termination module. Here, m is an integer and m > 1, therefore, the number of lighting modules is equal to m-1.

[0016] The term "in sequence" can refer to the modules of the lighting unit being activated one by one in order. For example, the lighting unit can be activated one after another from the lowest sequence lighting module (i.e., the first lighting module of the lighting unit) to the highest sequence unit (i.e., the last termination unit).

[0017] Quantity detection can be hidden within the desired lighting effect, such as during the initialization of the lighting fixture, making it invisible to the user because they will not perceive it. In other words, although quantity detection results in visible lighting effects, it is considered invisible to the user because these effects are part of the expected or anticipated lighting effect.

[0018] The controller can be configured to keep the active module of the lighting unit active when another module of the lighting unit is activated. The quantity detection operation may be hidden during the initialization process of the lighting device.

[0019] The controller can be configured to activate the lighting unit's activation module before another module of the lighting unit is activated. The quantity detection operation can, for example, be hidden within the moving flash effect during the initialization of the lighting device.

[0020] The predetermined maximum number of lighting modules can be N, and the number of lighting modules can be less than N. A pre-selected addressing scheme can be configured to sequentially activate the modules of the lighting unit from the last module slot of the lighting unit up to the termination module, where the last module slot is the Nth module slot; wherein, when a change in current flowing into the lighting unit is detected due to the activation of the current m-th module, the current m-th module can be determined to be the termination module.

[0021] The lighting modules of the lighting unit can be activated sequentially from the highest possible order up to the termination module.

[0022] Therefore, the number of lighting modules is equal to the number of lighting modules that have not yet been activated, i.e., m-1.

[0023] Since the termination module (module m) is the only activated lighting unit, the first to (ml) lighting modules are not activated during the quantity detection operation. In other words, the quantity detection operation will not produce any visible lighting effect. Therefore, the quantity detection operation is invisible to the user.

[0024] For example, when the term "activation" refers to "on," the user will not perceive the quantity detection operation because only the terminated module is on (without emitting light) and none of the multiple lighting modules are on. Therefore, the quantity detection operation can be performed without the user's notice.

[0025] The number of lighting modules can be determined based on the location number m of the termination unit.

[0026] The term "position number" m can refer to the number m corresponding to the position of a module within a lighting unit. For example, if a module with position number 10 is identified as a termination module, it can be known that the termination module is the 10th module of the lighting unit, which is also the last module of the lighting unit. Therefore, the number of lighting modules, i.e., the number of lighting modules in the lighting unit, is 9 (i.e., 10-1).

[0027] Since each module of the lighting unit can be independently controlled by the controller, the controller can have a unique ID associated with each module for individual module addressing. Therefore, when the m-th module is detected as a termination module, the location number m can be determined based on this unique ID used to address the termination module. Thus, the number of lighting modules can be determined without using any additional circuitry (e.g., a counter). This simplifies the design of the lighting fixture and reduces its manufacturing cost.

[0028] The number of lighting modules can be determined based on the number of lighting units that have been activated according to a pre-selected addressing scheme and / or the number of module slots.

[0029] The number of activated lighting modules and / or module slots can be counted by a counter.

[0030] The term "activation" is relative. "Activation" can refer to "turning on" a module. Therefore, "deactivation" can refer to "turning off" a module. When a module is activated, it draws current in response to a drive voltage applied to it. When a module is deactivated, it stops drawing current because the drive voltage applied to it is cut off. For example, the modules of a lighting unit can all be turned off before a quantity detection operation performed by the controller, and then they can be activated by turning them on one by one. The quantity detection operation can be performed during the initialization phase. That is, the lighting unit is off before the quantity detection operation is performed.

[0031] Alternatively, the terms "activate" and "deactivate" can also refer to disconnecting and connecting a module, respectively. Similarly, when a module is activated, it stops drawing current because the drive voltage applied to the module is cut off. When a module is deactivated, it draws current in response to the drive voltage applied to the module. For example, the modules of a lighting unit can all be turned on before a quantity detection operation performed by the controller, and then they can be activated by disconnecting them one by one in sequence.

[0032] According to a second aspect of the invention, this and other objectives are achieved by a method for detecting the number of lighting modules in a lighting device, the lighting device comprising: a lighting unit including a plurality of lighting modules and a termination module for terminating the lighting unit, wherein the plurality of lighting modules and the termination module are connected in parallel or in series, and each lighting module includes a light source for emitting light; and a controller for controlling the lighting unit, wherein the plurality of lighting modules and the termination module are independently controllable by the controller; a power supply unit for providing a drive voltage to the lighting unit; wherein the termination module is configured to have electrical characteristics different from those of each lighting module, such that the amount of current drawn by the termination module in response to an applied drive voltage is different from the amount of current drawn by each lighting module in response to the applied drive voltage; wherein the method comprises: individually activating at least one module of the lighting unit according to a pre-selected addressing scheme; measuring a change in current through the lighting unit when the at least one module is activated; detecting the termination module based on the measured change in current; and determining the number of lighting modules in the lighting unit when the termination module is detected.

[0033] Note that this invention relates to all possible combinations of the features described in the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0034] This and other aspects of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate various embodiments of the invention.

[0035] Figure 1 A lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated schematically.

[0036] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a first example of length detection performed by a controller is shown.

[0037] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 The first example shows the current consumption.

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a second example of length detection performed by a controller is shown.

[0039] Figure 5 It shows Figure 4 The second example shows the current consumption. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The invention will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated. However, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness and are intended to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic circuit diagram of a lighting device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The lighting device 1 includes a lighting unit 2, a controller 3, and a power supply unit (PSU) 4.

[0042] The lighting unit 2 includes multiple lighting modules 5 connected in parallel at addressable locations 1-(m-1). The lighting module 5 at location x of the lighting unit 2 is denoted as 5.x (x = 1, 2, …, m-1). The lighting unit 2 also includes a termination module 6 located at addressable location m, serving as the last module 2 to terminate the lighting unit. The termination module 6 can connect to the open ends of the multiple parallel lighting modules 5. The modules 5 and 6 of the lighting unit 2 can be arranged linearly, allowing the lighting unit 2 to take the form of a lighting strip. Each lighting module 5 can be a pixelated light module. The lighting unit 2 can be a pixelated light strip.

[0043] Each lighting module 5 includes a light source 51 for emitting light. The light source 51 may include a light-emitting diode (LED), such as... Figure 1 As shown, light source 51 may include multiple LEDs connected in series. Light source 51 may also include multiple LEDs connected in parallel. Light source 51 may include an LED array, wherein groups of LEDs connected in series are connected in parallel, i.e., a series-parallel LED connection.

[0044] Termination module 6 can be physically attached. When the light source 51 is replaced, termination module 6 can replicate any lighting module 5. That is, termination module 6 can be the same lighting module as any of the lighting modules 5, but with its light source 51 replaced by a different component 61. In this way, termination module 6, like lighting module 5, can be addressable and controllable.

[0045] The replacement component 61 has different electrical characteristics, such that the amount of current drawn by the termination module 6 in response to the applied drive voltage V differs from the amount of current drawn by each lighting module 5 in response to the applied drive voltage V. For example, the electrical characteristics of the termination module 6 may include resistance. The replacement component 61 may be a load, for example having a resistance R' different from that of the lighting module 5, such that it draws a different amount of current in response to the applied drive voltage V. Based on the different amounts of current drawn, the termination module 6 may be detected when a state transition occurs, for example, when the termination module 6 is turned on and when the termination module 6 is turned off.

[0046] For example, the termination module 6 can be created by the following steps: providing an illumination module 5; and replacing its light source 51 with a different component 61 having a resistor R' that is different from the resistor R of the illumination module 5, so that the terminal unit 6 can draw different amounts of current.

[0047] Here, "component 61 replacing light source 51" can mean disconnecting light source 51 from lighting module 5 and instead connecting component 61. The disconnected light source 51 can be removed from termination module 6 or remain disconnected within termination module 6.

[0048] In the example shown, each module 5, 6 of the lighting unit 2 includes a module controller 52 for communicating with and controlling the corresponding module 5, 6. Each module 5, 6 of the lighting unit 2 also includes a switch 53 for switching the applied drive voltage V on and / or off the corresponding module 5, 6.

[0049] PSU4 can provide a drive voltage V to the lighting unit 2. Each module 5, 6 of the lighting unit 2 can draw current in response to the applied drive voltage V.

[0050] The controller 3 can use a protocol to individually control each module 5, 6 of the lighting unit 2. For example, the protocol could be a 1-wire Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), a 2-wire SPI, a 4-wire SPI, and an I / O protocol. 2 Any of the following in C (interconnected integrated circuits). Controller 3 can independently control each module 5, 6 of lighting unit 2. Controller 3 can be connected to each module 5, 6 of lighting unit 2 in different ways, for example, via a data bus. Controller 3 can be directly connected to each module 5, 6 of lighting unit 2. Alternatively, controller 3 can be directly connected to one or more modules of lighting unit 2, while other modules not directly connected to controller 3 can be indirectly connected to controller 3, for example, via another module directly or indirectly connected to controller 3.

[0051] For example, such as Figure 1As shown, controller 3 is directly connected to lighting module 5.1 of lighting unit 2, while other modules 5.2-5.(ml), 6 are indirectly connected to controller 3 via direct and / or indirect connections. Here, Figure 1 Termination module 6 is connected to controller 3 via all lighting modules 5.1-5.(ml). That is, in this example, although the power supply to modules 5 and 6 is parallel, the data bus connecting controller 3 and modules 5 and 6 is connected in series via modules 5 and 6. Whether modules 5 and 6 are connected in parallel or in series may depend on the protocol used by the controller. Controller 3 may include sensor 31 for measuring changes in current through lighting unit 2. Sensor 31 may be an integrated part of controller 3, such as... Figure 1 As shown. Sensor 31 may be a separate device electrically connected to controller 3. Sensor 31 may include an ammeter.

[0052] The controller 3 may include an interface 32 for receiving data via wired or wireless means. This data may include instructions for the controller 3, which may include a pre-selected addressing scheme.

[0053] The lighting device 1 may include a memory unit 7 for storing information. The memory unit 7 may be a separate unit, such as... Figure 1 As shown, or as an integrated part of controller 3. The stored information may include the operating parameters of lighting device 1 and / or the parameters of modules 5 and 6.

[0054] The current drawn by the lighting module 5 can be the same or different, as long as the current drawn by the termination module 6 is different from the current drawn by any of the lighting modules 5. However, for simplicity, it is assumed that the current drawn by any of the lighting modules 5 is the same. The current drawn by the termination module 6 can be higher or lower than the current drawn by the lighting module 5. The current drawn by the termination module 6 can be at least 20% higher or lower than the current drawn by the lighting module 5. The current drawn by the termination module 6 can be at least 30% higher or lower than the current drawn by the lighting module 5, preferably 50% higher or lower.

[0055] Current I drawn from lighting module 5 模块 It can be represented as:

[0056] I 模块 =(VV f ) / R,

[0057] Where V refers to the applied voltage, V f R refers to the voltage across the light source 51, such as the forward voltage of the light source 51 (which is an LED), and R refers to the resistance of the lighting module 5. Here, since the light source 51 is an LED, the resistance of the LED is ignored.

[0058] Current I drawn from termination module 6 端接 It can be represented as:

[0059] I 端接 =V / R',

[0060] Where V refers to the applied voltage, and R' refers to the resistor terminating module 6.

[0061] The relationship between the current drawn by the lighting module 5 and the current drawn by the termination module 6 can be:

[0062] I 模块 ≫I 端接 ,or

[0063] I 模块 ≪I 端接。

[0064] The operating parameters of the lighting device 1 may include the applied voltage V and the current I drawn from the lighting module 5. 模块 and the current I drawn from the termination module 6 端接 The parameters for modules 5 and 6 may include: light source V f The voltage on the circuit, the resistance R of the lighting module 5, and the resistance R' of the terminal module 6. The operating parameters of the lighting device 1 and / or the parameters of modules 5 and 6 can be stored in the memory unit 7.

[0065] According to the present invention, the controller 3 is configured to: individually activate at least one module 5, 6 of the lighting unit 2 according to a pre-selected addressing scheme; measure the change in current (i) through the lighting unit 2 when the at least one module is activated; detect the termination module 6 based on the measured change in current; and determine the number of lighting modules of the lighting unit 2 when the termination module 6 is detected.

[0066] The term "addressing scheme" can refer to the scheme used to individually control modules 5 and 6 of lighting unit 2. For example, the addressing scheme can determine: in what order modules 5 and 6 are controlled; and / or what state each module 5 and 6 will be changed to (on / off, different color, intensity, etc.). Depending on the addressing scheme, controller 3 can control lighting unit 2 to ensure the detection of the number of essentially invisible lighting modules.

[0067] Combination Figure 2-3 The controller 3, which is configured to determine the number of lighting modules in the lighting unit 2 (i.e., the number of lighting modules 5), will be discussed in detail.

[0068] Figure 2 A first example of length detection performed by controller 3 is schematically illustrated. In this example, controller 3 is configured to individually activate at least one module of lighting unit 2 by turning on at least one module according to a pre-selected addressing scheme. For simplicity, Figure 2 Only the controller 3 and modules 5 and 6 of the lighting device 1 are shown.

[0069] In this example, the pre-selected addressing scheme is to activate modules 5 and 6 of lighting unit 2 sequentially. The term "sequentially" can mean that modules 5 and 6 of lighting unit 2 are activated one by one in order. In this example, modules 5 and 6 are activated sequentially from the first lighting module 5.1 to the last module at position m of lighting unit 2 (i.e., termination module 6). Controller 3 is configured to keep the activated module of lighting unit 2 activated when another module of lighting unit 2 is activated.

[0070] Optionally, the controller can be configured to deactivate the active module of the lighting unit before another module of the lighting unit is activated, such that only one module is active during the quantity detection operation. The quantity detection operation will be perceived as a moving flashing effect.

[0071] like Figure 2 As shown, all modules 5 and 6 are turned off before controller 3 activates any module. In the first step, the first lighting module 5.1 is activated. Controller 3 can be configured to incrementally activate modules 5 and 6. In the second step, both the first lighting module 5.1 and the second lighting module 5.2 are activated. In the (ml) step, all of the first lighting module 5.1 up to the (ml)th light-emitting module 5.(ml) at the (ml)th position are activated. In the m step, all of the first lighting module up to the termination module 6 at the mth position are activated.

[0072] Optionally, when detecting the termination module 6, the controller 3 can deactivate the activated termination module 6.

[0073] Since each activated lighting module 5 will emit light, the user can perceive the length detection process as the lighting unit 2 lights up from the first lighting module 5.1 to the last lighting module 5.(ml).

[0074] Figure 3 It shows the correspondence Figure 2 The current of the example lighting unit 2.

[0075] Although the current drawn by each lighting module 5 may be the same or different, for simplicity, it is assumed that the current drawn by any lighting module 5 is the same in this example. Therefore, in Figure 2 After the activation of modules 5 and 6, the current gradually increases by a fixed amount after each lighting module 5 is activated until the termination module 6 is activated, resulting in different increases.

[0076] exist Figure 3In this process, the current drawn by the termination module 6 is greater than the current drawn by any of the lighting modules 5; however, the current drawn by the termination module 6 may be lower than the current drawn by any of the lighting modules 5.

[0077] When a change in current caused by the activation of the current m-th module (i.e., the module at the m-th position) is detected, the current m-th module can be identified as the termination module 6.

[0078] The number of lighting modules can be determined based on the location number m of the termination unit 6. The term "location number m" refers to the number m corresponding to the location of a module within the lighting unit. For example, the first lighting module 5.1 has location number 1. Since each module 5, 6 of the lighting unit 2 can be independently addressed and controlled by the controller 3, the controller 3 can have a unique ID associated with each module 5, 6 for individually addressing and controlling modules 5, 6. Therefore, when the m-th module is detected to be the termination module 6, the location number m can be determined based on the unique ID used to address the termination module 6.

[0079] The number of lighting modules can be determined based on the number of modules 5 and 6 of lighting unit 2 that have been activated according to a pre-selected addressing scheme. The number of activated modules 5 and 6 can be counted by a counter. The counter can be an integrated part of the controller. The counter can also be a separate device electrically connected to the controller 3. In this example, when the m-th module is determined to be a termination module 6, the number of lighting modules 5 is equal to the number of activated lighting modules 5, which is equal to m-1.

[0080] The quantity detection operation in this example can result in a series of lighting effects. Such lighting effects can be hidden within, for example, lighting effects caused by the initialization of lighting device 2, making the quantity detection operation invisible to the user, as the user will not perceive it. That is, although the quantity detection operation results in visible lighting effects, since these lighting effects are part of the expected or anticipated lighting effects, the quantity detection operation can be considered invisible to the user.

[0081] Figure 4 A second example of length detection performed by controller 3 is schematically shown, in which it is assumed that a predetermined maximum number of lighting modules is known as N, and the number of lighting modules is less than N. Therefore, each of the positions 1-(m-1) of lighting unit 2 has a lighting module 5, denoted as 5.x (x = 1, 2, ..., m-1). Position m of lighting unit 2 has a termination module 6. And positions (m+1)-N are empty module slots because no modules exist at these positions. The empty module slot 8 at position y is denoted as 8.y (y = m+1, ..., N). Figure 4In the middle, the empty module slot 8 is shown in dashed lines, while the existing modules 5 and 6 of the lighting unit 2 are shown in solid lines.

[0082] The controller 3 can be configured to individually activate at least one module of the lighting unit 2 by turning on at least one module according to a pre-selected addressing scheme. For simplicity, Figure 4 Only the controller 3 and modules 5 and 6 of the lighting device 1, as well as the empty module slot 8, are shown.

[0083] The pre-selected addressing scheme can activate modules / module slots 5, 6, and 8 sequentially from the highest possible order of modules / module slots up to the terminated module 6 (i.e., from the Nth module slot 8.N (i.e., the empty module slot at position N)).

[0084] like Figure 4 As shown, all modules are off before controller 3 activates any module. In step 1, the last module slot 8.N is activated. However, since there is no module in module slot 8.N, no current is drawn, and no current change can be detected. In step 2, lighting module 8.(N-1) is activated. Similarly, since there is no module in module slot 8.(N-1), no current is drawn, and no current change can be detected.

[0085] In step (N-m+1), termination module 6 is activated. Since module slots 8.(m+l) to 8N are empty, termination module 6 is the first actual module to be activated. Therefore, termination module 6 will draw current, making it possible to detect current changes. When a change in current through lighting unit 2 is detected due to the activation of the current m-th module (i.e., the module at position m), the current m-th module can be identified as termination module 6.

[0086] Optionally, when detecting the termination module 6, the controller can deactivate the activated termination module 6.

[0087] Since no active module (i.e., empty module slots 8.(m+l) to 8N and termination module 6) will emit light, the length detection operation is completely invisible because it does not produce any lighting effect at all.

[0088] For example, the maximum number of lighting modules is 100, and the actual number of lighting modules is 10 (not yet known). Then, module slot 11 is a terminated module, and module slots 12-100 are empty, because terminated module 6 is the last module of lighting unit 2. However, controller 3 can still address and control empty module slots 12-100, even without current changes (even if any number of empty module slots are activated). The pre-selected addressing scheme can activate the 100th module slot, then the 99th module slot, until the 11th module slot is terminated module 6, at which point a change in current through lighting unit 2 can be detected.

[0089] For example, the maximum number of lighting modules is 100, and the actual number of lighting modules is 99 (not yet known). Then, the 100th module is a termination module. Therefore, there are no empty module slots. The pre-selected addressing scheme can activate the 100th module, i.e., termination module 6, and can detect changes in the current through lighting unit 2.

[0090] Controller 3 can be configured to incrementally activate modules and / or module slots, i.e., the Nth module slot is activated, then the Nth and (Nl)th module slots are activated, until the termination module 6 is activated. Optionally, controller 3 can be configured to keep only one module or module slot active at a time. That is, an activated module or module slot can be deactivated before another module or module slot can be activated.

[0091] Figure 5 It shows the correspondence Figure 4 The example lighting unit 2 has the following current. Since module slots 8.(m+l) to 8N are empty slots, no current is drawn by activating these module slots. A change in current is only detected after termination module 6 is activated. When a change caused by the activation of the current m-th module is detected, the current m-th module can be identified as termination module 6.

[0092] The number of lighting modules can be determined based on the location number m of the termination unit 6, as discussed in the first example.

[0093] The number of lighting modules can be determined based on the number of module slots 8 of the activated lighting units according to a pre-selected addressing scheme. The number of activated lighting module slots 8 can be counted by a counter. The counter can be an integrated part of the controller 3, or it can be a separate device electrically connected to the controller 3. In this example, when the m-th module is determined to be the termination module 6, the number Nm of activated module slots 8 will be counted. Since N and Nm are both known, m can be determined. Therefore, it can be determined that the number of lighting modules is equal to the number of lighting modules 5 that have not yet been activated in the total N module slots of the light-emitting unit 2, i.e., N - (N - m + 1) = m - 1.

[0094] In both examples, since termination module 6 has no light source, activating termination module 6 (regardless of whether it is on or off) will not cause any visible lighting effect. Therefore, terminating lighting unit 2 with termination module 6 will not affect the desired lighting effect to be generated during normal operation of lighting device 1.

[0095] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is by no means limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Rather, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the lighting module can be constructed in many different ways; for instance, the lighting module can have light sources of different types, numbers, and arrangements. These details are not considered to be a significant part of the present invention relating to the detection of the number of lighting modules.

[0096] Furthermore, in practicing the claimed invention, those skilled in the art can understand and implement variations of the disclosed embodiments by studying the drawings, specification, and appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. The simple fact that measures are described in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that combinations of these measures cannot be used advantageously.

Claims

1. A lighting device for detecting a number of lighting modules of the lighting device, comprising: a lighting unit comprising a plurality of lighting modules and a termination module for terminating the lighting unit, the termination module being in the form of a physical attachment, wherein the plurality of lighting modules and the termination module are connected in parallel or in series, and each lighting module comprises a light source for emitting light; and a controller for controlling the lighting unit, wherein the plurality of lighting modules and the termination module are independently controllable by the controller; a power supply unit for providing a driving voltage to the lighting unit; characterized in that the termination module is configured to have electrical characteristics different from electrical characteristics of each lighting module, such that an amount of current drawn by the termination module in response to the applied driving voltage is different from an amount of current drawn by each lighting module in response to the applied driving voltage; wherein the controller is configured to: individually activate at least one module of the lighting unit according to a preselected addressing scheme; measure a change in current through the lighting unit upon activation of the at least one module; detect the termination module based on the measured change in current; and determine the number of lighting modules of the lighting unit upon detection of the termination module.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the preselected addressing scheme is to activate modules of the lighting unit in a sequence from a first lighting module of the lighting unit up to a last module of the lighting unit, the last module being the termination module; and determine that a current mthmodule is the termination module when a different amount of change in current is detected as a result of activation of the current mthmodule. wherein a predetermined maximum value of the number of lighting modules is N, and the number of lighting modules is less than N; 3. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein, wherein the preselected addressing scheme is to activate modules of the lighting unit in a sequence from a last module slot of the lighting unit up to the termination module, the last module slot being the Nthmodule slot; wherein the current mthmodule is determined to be the termination module when a change in current flowing into the lighting unit is detected as a result of activation of the current mthmodule. the controller is configured to keep an activated module of the lighting unit activated when another module of the lighting unit is activated.

4. The lighting device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the controller is configured to deactivate an activated module of the lighting unit before another module of the lighting unit is activated.

5. The lighting device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the number of lighting modules is determined based on a position number m of the termination module.

6. The illumination device of any of claims 1-3, wherein, the number of lighting modules is determined based on a number of modules and / or module slots of the lighting unit that have been activated according to the preselected addressing scheme.

7. The lighting device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, 8. The lighting device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the controller is configured to activate at least one module by applying the driving voltage on the at least one module. the controller comprises a sensor for measuring the change in current through the lighting unit.

9. The illumination device of any of claims 1-3, wherein, 10. The lighting device according to claim 9, wherein the sensor comprises an ammeter. ​ 11. The lighting arrangement of any of claims 1-3, wherein the electrical property comprises electrical resistance.

12. The lighting arrangement of any of claims 1-3, wherein each of the plurality of lighting modules is a pixelated light module, and the lighting unit is a pixelated light bar.

13. The lighting arrangement of any of claims 1-3, wherein the light source comprises a light emitting diode (LED).

14. The lighting arrangement of any of claims 1-3, wherein each lighting module and the termination module comprise a respective module controller for communicating with the controller and controlling the respective module.

15. A method for detecting a number of lighting modules of a lighting arrangement, the lighting arrangement comprising: a lighting unit comprising a plurality of lighting modules and a termination module for terminating the lighting unit, the termination module being in the form of a physical attachment, wherein the plurality of lighting modules and the termination module are connected in parallel or in series, and each lighting module comprises a light source for emitting light; and a controller for controlling the lighting unit, wherein the plurality of lighting modules and the termination module are independently controllable by the controller; a power supply unit for providing a driving voltage to the lighting unit; wherein the termination module is configured to have an electrical property that is different from an electrical property of each lighting module, such that an amount of current drawn by the termination module in response to the applied driving voltage is different from an amount of current drawn by each lighting module in response to the applied driving voltage; wherein the method comprises: individually activating at least one module of the lighting unit according to a preselected addressing scheme; measuring a change in current through the lighting unit upon activating the at least one module; detecting the termination module based on the measured change in current; and upon detecting the termination module, determining the number of lighting modules of the lighting unit.

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