Offline commissioning of a light fixture

Abstract

comprehensive light fixture: - at least one energy harvesting circuit (100) with a semiconductor element (110) for receiving light signals (410; 410'; 410'') and for generating a photocurrent when the light signals strike the semiconductor element; - at least one processing module for processing the light signals (410; 410'; 410'') received by the semiconductor element (110); and - at least a storage device (130) for storing data provided by the processing module, wherein the processing module and the storage device (130) are connected to the energy harvesting circuit (100) in such a way that they can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the semiconductor element (110), wherein the luminaire further comprises an interface for wireless communication which is connected to the energy harvesting circuit (100) in such a way that it can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the semiconductor element (110).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a lamp, a system comprising such a lamp and a device for sending light signals to such a lamp, and finally a method for commissioning such a lamp with such a device.

[0002] Lighting systems comprising a large number of controllable luminaires and lamps are known in the prior art. Lamps and luminaires in such systems are typically controlled by a central control unit, with the luminaires being connected to a corresponding network for this purpose. To ensure unambiguous identification and correct control of the luminaires within the network, unique luminaire addresses are assigned to each luminaire when the lighting system is commissioned. These addresses allow the lighting control system to subsequently control the respective luminaires.

[0003] Commissioning such lighting systems is often a complex and therefore costly process. Typically, the luminaires are first mounted and then connected to the electrical supply and a corresponding bus system (for example, a DALI system, or Digital Addressable Lighting Interface). However, as long as the luminaires are not yet connected to an external power supply and the bus system is not correctly wired, they cannot be parameterized or can only be assigned their corresponding addresses to a very limited extent. In practice, the problem often arises that the incorrect wiring of the luminaires is only discovered during commissioning. In this case, the commissioning process must be aborted to ensure the correct wiring of the luminaires.Only then can the lighting system be restarted, which in practice results in considerable time and expense.

[0004] US Patent 2009 / 0289503A1 discloses a luminaire in which two separate light receivers are provided, one of which is a receiving circuit module for receiving data in the form of light signals from a light transmitter of a remote control, and the other, separate from the first light receiver, is a charging circuit module for receiving light energy from the light transmitter of the remote control.

[0005] Based on this state of the art, the present invention aims to provide a luminaire that can be put into operation even if it is not yet connected to an external power supply and a corresponding bus system, or if the luminaire has not been correctly wired.

[0006] These and other problems, which will be mentioned in the following description or which can be recognized by a person skilled in the art, are solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims further develop the central idea of ​​the present invention in a particularly advantageous manner.

[0007] A luminaire according to the invention comprises: at least one energy harvesting circuit with a semiconductor element for receiving light signals and generating a photocurrent when the light signals strike the semiconductor element; at least one processing module for processing the light signals received by the semiconductor element; and at least one storage device for storing data provided by the processing module, wherein the processing module and the storage device are connected to the energy harvesting circuit in such a way that they can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the semiconductor element.

[0008] An energy harvesting circuit of a luminaire according to the invention thus serves on the one hand to receive light signals (e.g. by means of "Visible Light Communication") and on the other hand to generate a photocurrent when the light signals hit the semiconductor element.

[0009] The semiconductor element is preferably a light-emitting diode, a photodiode or a semiconductor thin-film system, wherein several semiconductor elements can be connected in series or in parallel, depending on the embodiment and depending on the energy requirements of the modules connected to the energy harvesting circuit.

[0010] The energy harvesting circuit can include an energy harvesting solution used in solar technology (for example, an energy harvesting circuit of type LTC3105 from Linear Technology).

[0011] The processing module serves to process / condition the light signals received by the semiconductor element, whereby the processing module may include appropriate filters, amplifiers, etc. to generate a usable / storable signal (for example, a digital signal) from the received light signal.

[0012] A storage device according to the invention serves to store the data provided by the processing module (for example, parameter data for later operation of the luminaire, a luminaire address, etc.).

[0013] A key aspect of the present invention is that at least the processing module and the storage device are connected to the energy harvesting circuit in such a way that they can be operated by means of the photocurrent.

[0014] This makes it possible to put a luminaire according to the invention into operation (i.e., to transmit a corresponding luminaire address, parameter data, etc. to the luminaire, which are necessary for the subsequent operation of the luminaire), even if it is not yet connected to an external power supply and / or to a corresponding bus system.

[0015] To put a luminaire according to the invention into operation, it is therefore only necessary to direct a light source onto the semiconductor element, wherein the light source is preferably a pulsed or modulated light source in order to transmit the corresponding data to the luminaire. A luminaire according to the invention can thus be put into operation at any time, in particular after it has been mounted, even if the wiring of the luminaire has not yet been carried out or has not yet been carried out correctly. In other words, a luminaire according to the invention can be put into operation completely "offline," which significantly reduces commissioning costs, since providing correct wiring for the luminaire is no longer necessary.

[0016] Furthermore, a luminaire according to the invention offers increased flexibility in programming a lighting system, since, for example, an accidentally incorrectly programmed luminaire can simply be corrected by retransmitting the data via corresponding light signals. This possibility is not available with most known lighting systems, as these, for example in a DALI installation, must be programmed along the wiring run (i.e., one after the other).

[0017] Advantageously, the energy harvesting circuit further comprises at least one energy storage device for storing the photocurrent, wherein the energy storage device preferably includes a battery and / or a (charging) capacitor. This makes it possible to store the photocurrent generated in the semiconductor element before the lamp is put into operation (for example, when daylight strikes the semiconductor element after the lamp has been mounted) for later use. Furthermore, this has the advantage that, before transmitting a pulsed or modulated light signal, a constant, intense light is directed at the semiconductor element for a certain period of time in order to charge, or at least partially charge, the energy storage device. This allows any fluctuations in the photocurrent caused by the pulsed or modulated light signals during data transmission to be compensated for.

[0018] Furthermore, it is advantageous for the energy harvesting circuit to include a charge controller to adapt the energy harvesting circuit to varying photocurrents due to different light irradiance, with the charge controller preferably being a maximum power point controller. This is particularly beneficial if the luminaire includes an energy storage device that is charged before operation (for example, by exposure to daylight), as it allows for adaptation to different light intensities. Such charge controllers, especially maximum power point controllers, are known, for example, from photovoltaics.

[0019] Preferably, the data storage device comprises non-volatile memory, so that the data provided by the processing module (in particular, a luminaire address assigned to the luminaire, the parameters to be set for subsequent operation of the luminaire, etc.) can be permanently stored in the storage device without requiring any further energy from the power harvesting circuit. The non-volatile memory is preferably flash RAM.

[0020] Advantageously, the data storage device comprises a microcontroller, in particular an ultra-low power microcontroller. Microcontrollers are particularly preferred in the luminaires according to the invention because they include a variety of operators and interfaces that are advantageous for the subsequent operation of such a luminaire, and microcontrollers can be equipped with appropriate memory modules. The aforementioned ultra-low power microcontroller is particularly well-suited for the present application due to its lower power consumption.

[0021] Furthermore, the luminaire according to the invention comprises an interface for wireless communication, which is connected to the energy harvesting circuit in such a way that it can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the semiconductor element. Preferably, the interface for wireless communication is a Bluetooth interface (in particular a „ Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interface), a ZigBee interface, a WLAN interface, an Active Note (“ANT”) interface, a “6LoWPAN” interface or an “EnOcean” interface. This makes it easy to establish a bidirectional connection to a luminaire according to the invention in order to, for example, transmit device data of the luminaire (e.g. type data of the luminaire, the device-dependent parameters, etc.) to a suitably configured receiving device and to make this data available to a central control unit for later operation of the lighting system.

[0022] Advantageously, the luminaire includes a feedback element that is connected to the energy harvesting circuit in such a way that it can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the semiconductor element. The purpose of such a feedback element is to provide acoustic or visual feedback after the transmitted data has been stored in the storage device, thus immediately indicating successful data transmission to the user. The feedback element is preferably a light-emitting diode or a loudspeaker, so that a corresponding acoustic or visual feedback signal can be emitted by the luminaire.

[0023] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the luminaire includes an optical filter for filtering the light incident on the semiconductor element. For example, this makes it possible to filter out interfering daylight that impairs the accuracy of data transmission via the light signals. Moreover, this makes it possible to adapt the luminaire according to the invention to the reception of a precisely defined light (for example, the light from a laser diode). The optical filter can be permanently positioned in front of the semiconductor element, positioned shortly before the luminaire is mounted, or positioned in front of it before the transmission of the light signals. The latter approaches are particularly advantageous if an energy storage device is provided and is to be pre-charged using daylight.

[0024] Advantageously, the semiconductor element is configured to receive light from a laser light source and generate a photocurrent. Such laser light sources can be provided, for example, by means of appropriately configured laser diodes.

[0025] Furthermore, a device for sending light signals to a luminaire according to the invention is provided, wherein the device comprises a pulsed or modulating laser light source for emitting pulsed or modulated laser light. Such a device can, for example, be provided by a compact handheld device that has a corresponding laser light source (for example, a laser diode) in order to direct a pulsed or modulated laser light beam onto the semiconductor element of the energy harvesting circuit of a luminaire according to the invention.

[0026] Advantageously, the device is configured to communicate wirelessly with a mobile device, in particular a laptop, tablet computer, or smartphone. Wireless communication between the device and the mobile device can be provided, in particular, via the aforementioned wireless communication interfaces. This allows data input to be performed on the mobile device, enabling the device itself to be relatively compact, as it only needs to be configured to transmit appropriately pulsed / modulated laser light, and no further input devices (such as a keyboard, display, etc.) are required. The mobile device, on which the data input (e.g., a light address to be transmitted, light parameters to be set for later operation, etc.) is preferably performed,If this occurs, the data can already be provided as control commands for controlling the laser light source and transmitted to the device in this way. Alternatively, the mobile device can simply transmit the entered data to the device, with the conversion into corresponding control commands taking place within the device itself (for example, in a suitably configured control module).

[0027] To input the data and, if necessary, convert it into corresponding control commands, software set up for this purpose (for example, user software set up on a smartphone in the form of an "app") may be provided on the mobile device.

[0028] Advantageously, the device includes means for widening the laser light, for example a diffractive optical element (e.g. lenses, optical gratings, etc.). Such widening of the laser light further simplifies data transmission, since the user then only needs to direct a correspondingly large cone of light onto the semiconductor element of a luminaire according to the invention, and not a point-shaped laser beam.

[0029] Furthermore, the device preferably includes means for projecting information onto a surface. This can be achieved either by appropriately controlling the laser beam using a dedicated control module or by using dedicated optical elements (e.g., diffractive optical elements, apertures, engravings, etc.). This allows, for example, a type designation of the device, a logo, a target cross, or similar elements to be projected onto the luminaire or the area surrounding the luminaire, in order to provide the user with further information during the commissioning of a luminaire according to the invention.

[0030] Preferably, the means for projecting information onto a surface comprise a digital micromirror unit. Such digital micromirror units are known, for example, from projector technology and offer particularly high flexibility with regard to the information that can be displayed. For example, the transmitted lamp address can be displayed on a surface next to a lamp during data transmission, so that the user can receive immediate feedback regarding the data being transmitted during the commissioning of a luminaire according to the invention and can check whether the currently transmitted data is correct and, for example, corresponds to a lighting plan.

[0031] The present invention further relates to a system comprising a lamp according to the invention and the device described above for sending light signals to the lamp according to the invention.

[0032] Finally, the present invention relates to a method for commissioning a lamp according to the invention using the previously described device for sending light signals, wherein the method comprises at least the following steps: - Providing a lamp according to the invention and the previously described device for sending light signals; - Sending light signals to the semiconductor element of the lamp; - Processing of the transmitted light signals by the processing module of the luminaire; - Storing data provided by the processing module.

[0033] A detailed description of the characters follows. It shows: Fig. 1 a schematic (partial) circuit diagram of a lamp according to the invention; Fig. 2 a schematic (partial) circuit of a device according to the invention for sending light signals; Fig. 3 a schematic view of a system according to the invention; Fig. 4 a schematic view of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention for sending light signals; Fig. 5 a schematic view of a second embodiment of a device according to the invention for sending light signals; and Fig. 6 a schematic view of a third embodiment of a device according to the invention for sending light signals.

[0034] Fig. Figure 1 shows a partial section of a circuit structure of a lamp according to the invention, which comprises an energy harvesting circuit 100 with a semiconductor element connected thereto, e.g. in the form of a photodiode 110, an energy storage device, e.g. in the form of a capacitor 120 and a microcontroller, e.g. in the form of a low-energy microcontroller (“Ultra Low Power Microcontroller”) 130.

[0035] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, a filter 140 is preferably arranged in front of the photodiode 110, which filters out disturbing stray light and thus improves the quality of the light signal transmission.

[0036] In the preferred embodiment shown, the energy harvesting circuit 100 also includes a processing module for processing the light signals received by the light-emitting diode 110. The data provided by the processing module is then forwarded to the microcontroller 130 and permanently stored there. Alternatively or additionally, a separate memory module (for example, a flash RAM) can also be provided.

[0037] The energy generation circuit 100 can include a charge controller, in particular a maximum power point controller. Such charge controllers are known, for example, from photovoltaics.

[0038] The filter 140 can be designed as a fixed component or, if necessary, as a movable or removable component. The latter can be particularly advantageous if the energy storage device (here, the capacitor 120) is to be charged before commissioning, for example, by exposing the photodiode 110 to daylight and storing the photocurrent in the capacitor 120. In this context, it is also possible to transmit a (charging) light signal to the luminaire before data transmission in order to charge, or at least partially charge, the energy storage device, so that any fluctuations in the photocurrent can be compensated for by the pulsed / modulated light signal.

[0039] In addition to the microcontroller 130, a wireless communication interface can also be provided (not shown), which is configured in particular as a Bluetooth interface (especially a "Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)" interface), ZigBee interface, WLAN interface, Active Note ("ANT") interface, "6LoWPAN" interface, or as an "EnOcean" interface. Advantageously, the wireless communication interface is also connected to the capacitor in such a way that it can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the photodiode 110.

[0040] As an alternative to the photodiode 110 shown, several photodiodes, light-emitting diodes or semiconductor thin-film systems (i.e. all semiconductor elements that generate a photocurrent when exposed to light) can also be used.

[0041] In the preferred embodiment, the photodiode 110 and the filter 140 are configured to receive light from a laser light source and to generate a corresponding photocurrent.

[0042] During commissioning, a pulsed laser light source is preferably used, which can direct pulsed laser light onto the filter 140. This light is then converted by the photodiode 110 into a correspondingly pulsed photocurrent. This pulsed photocurrent is subsequently used, on the one hand, to operate the processing module integrated into the energy harvesting circuit 100, and on the other hand, to operate the microcontroller 130. The processing module converts the pulsed photocurrent into a usable signal (preferably a digital signal). This processed signal is then stored in a memory device of the microcontroller 130, which is preferably a non-volatile memory device.

[0043] Thus, a luminaire according to the invention can be put into operation “offline” (i.e. without being connected to an external power supply or to a bus system).

[0044] Furthermore, the circuit shown preferably includes a feedback device, for example a light-emitting diode or a loudspeaker (not shown), to provide corresponding feedback to the user after successful data transmission and storage. If a wireless communication interface is provided, it is also possible to read data necessary for setting up a lighting system from the luminaire during commissioning (for example, the luminaire's type designation, fixed luminaire parameters, etc.). If such a wireless communication interface is provided in the luminaire, it is preferred that it is also connected to the energy harvesting circuit 100 or the energy storage device in such a way that it can be powered even without an external power supply.

[0045] Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a circuit section of a device for sending light signals to a lamp according to the invention.

[0046] A device for transmitting light signals preferably also includes an interface for wireless communication 200, a control module 210 that controls a laser unit 220 such that the laser emits pulsed laser light. Furthermore, the device preferably includes a diffractive optical element 230 for beam shaping.

[0047] The wireless communication interface 200 serves to receive data from a mobile device (for example, a laptop, tablet computer, or smartphone). The device for sending light signals can be configured to process the data received from the mobile device and convert it into corresponding control commands for the laser unit 220, or, if the mobile device already transmits direct control commands, to control the laser unit 220 accordingly.

[0048] The diffractive optical element 230 serves to widen the pulsed laser light emitted by the laser diode 220 in order to provide a larger area that can be focused on the in Fig. The LED shown in 110 can be directed.

[0049] Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a system according to the invention comprising luminaires 300, which are in Fig. The circuit shown comprises a device for sending light signals 400, and a mobile terminal in the form of a smartphone 500.

[0050] To put the 300 lights into operation, appropriate software (for example, an "app") is first put into operation on the smartphone, whereby the software preferably provides an input interface with which appropriate data can be entered (for example, via a keyboard of the smartphone).

[0051] The data is then transmitted via wireless interfaces from the smartphone 500 and the light signal sending device 400 to the light signal sending device 400. The light signal sending device 400, which has a Fig. The circuit shown in section 2 subsequently emits a widened pulsed laser beam 410, which is directed by the user towards a receiving area of ​​the luminaire on which a photodiode 110 is arranged. The pulsed laser beam 410 transmits data and also provides power to the processing module and the storage device for storing the data.

[0052] Fig. Figure 4 shows a device for sending light signals 400, as used in the system consisting of Fig. 3 is preferably used. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the device for sending light signals 400 in the preferred embodiment shown comprises a trigger button 420 with which the emission of the pulsed laser beam 410 can be triggered. Also in Fig. The widening of the laser beam 410 by the in is clearly visible in Figure 4. Fig. 2 diffractive optical element 230 shown.

[0053] Fig. Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a device for transmitting light signals 400'. In contrast to the one in Fig. The embodiment of a device for transmitting light signals 400 shown in section 4 comprises the following: Fig. The device shown in Figure 5 for transmitting light signals 400' also includes an optical means for projecting information. In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, a logo, a crosshair, or the like is added to the pulsed laser beam 410'. The means for projecting information can be provided by appropriate apertures, lens engravings, or by special control of the laser diode 220.

[0054] Fig.Figure 6 shows a further embodiment of a device for transmitting light signals 400'', wherein the device for transmitting light signals 400'' comprises a digital micromirror unit. Such digital micromirror units are known, for example, from projector technology. The advantage of such an embodiment is that very flexible additional information / representations can be added to the laser beam 410'' (for example, the lamp address currently being transmitted, a crosshair, etc.).

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the previously shown embodiment of a lamp according to the invention or to the preceding embodiments of a device for emitting light beams, as long as they are encompassed by the subject matter of the following claims. Furthermore, the preceding embodiments can be combined with and among themselves in any way.

Claims

[1] Luminaire encompassing: - at least one energy harvesting circuit (100) with a semiconductor element (110) for receiving light signals (410; 410'; 410'') and for generating a photocurrent when the light signals strike the semiconductor element; - at least one processing module for processing the light signals (410; 410'; 410'') received by the semiconductor element (110); and - at least a storage device (130) for storing data provided by the processing module, wherein the processing module and the storage device (130) are connected to the energy harvesting circuit (100) in such a way that they can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the semiconductor element (110), wherein the luminaire further comprises an interface for wireless communication which is connected to the energy harvesting circuit (100) in such a way that it can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the semiconductor element (110). [2] Luminaire according to claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting circuit (100) further comprises at least one energy storage device (120) for storing the photocurrent. [3] Luminaire according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the energy storage device comprises an accumulator and / or a capacitor (120). [4] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the energy harvesting circuit (100) comprises a charge controller to provide an adjustment of the energy harvesting circuit (100) to different photocurrents due to different light irradiance. [5] Luminaire according to claim 4, wherein the charge controller is a maximum power point controller. [6] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the storage device (130) comprises a non-volatile memory for storing data, in particular a luminaire address assigned to the luminaire, wherein the non-volatile memory is in particular a flash RAM. [7] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the storage device (130) for storing data comprises a microcontroller (130), preferably a low-energy microcontroller (“Ultra Low Power Microcontroller”). [8] Luminaire according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the interface for wireless communication is a Bluetooth interface, a ZigBee interface, a Wi-Fi interface or a WLAN interface. [9] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the luminaire comprises a feedback means which is connected to the energy harvesting circuit (100) in such a way that the latter can be operated by means of the photocurrent of the semiconductor element (110) in order to give acoustic or optical feedback after the transmitted data has been stored in the storage device (130), wherein the feedback means is in particular a light-emitting diode or a loudspeaker. [10] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the luminaire comprises an optical filter means (140) for filtering the light (410; 410'; 410'') incident on the semiconductor element (110). [11] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the semiconductor element (110) is configured to receive light (410; 410'; 410'') from a laser light source (220) and to generate a photocurrent. [12] Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one semiconductor element (110) is a light-emitting diode, a photodiode (110) or a semiconductor thin-film system. [13] System comprising a luminaire according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and a device (400; 400'; 400'') for sending light signals (410; 410'; 410'') to the luminaire, wherein the device (400; 400'; 400'') comprises a pulsed and / or modulating laser light source (220) for emitting a pulsed and / or modulated laser light (410; 410'; 410''). [14] System according to claim 13, wherein the device (400; 400'; 400'') is configured to communicate wirelessly with a mobile terminal (500), in particular with a laptop, a tablet computer or a smartphone (500), wherein the wireless communication device in particular comprises a Bluetooth interface, a ZigBee interface, a Wi-Fi interface or a WLAN interface. [15] System according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the device (400; 400'; 400'') comprises means (230) for expanding the laser light (410; 410'; 410''), in particular a diffractive optical element (230). [16] System according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the device (400; 400'; 400'') comprises means for projecting information onto a surface. [17] System according to claim 16, wherein the means for projecting information onto a surface comprises a digital micromirror device. [18] Method for commissioning a luminaire according to any one of claims 1 to 12 comprising a device (400; 400'; 400'') for sending light signals (410; 410'; 410'') to the luminaire, wherein the device (400; 400'; 400'') comprises a pulsed and / or modulating laser light source (220) for emitting pulsed and / or modulated laser light (410; 410'; 410''), wherein the method comprises the following steps: - Providing a luminaire according to one of claims 1 to 12 and the device (400; 400'; 400''); - Sending light signals (410; 410'; 410'') to the semiconductor element (110) of the lamp; - Processing of the transmitted light signals (410; 410'; 410'') by the processing module of the luminaire; and - Storing data provided by the processing module in the storage device (130) of the luminaire.

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