Accessory electronic device for a lighting lamp, lighting system comprising said device and data and signal interaction process

Abstract

The present invention concerns an accessory electronic device for a lighting lamp, comprising: - at least one circuit board; - at least one first electromechanical connection interface (25), - at least one second electromechanical connection interface (30), wherein the at least one circuit board (35) and the two interfaces (25, 30) are connected to each other to allow the passage of electric power, data and signals.

Description

[0001] Applicant: Rebernig Supervision! S.r.l. , Via B. Buozzi

[0002] 52 - loc Cadriano, 40057 Granarolo dell ’Emilia (BO) Italy.

[0003] Title: Accessory electronic device for a lighting lamp, lighting system comprising said device and data and signal interaction process.

[0004] ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

[0005] DESCRIPTION

[0006] The present invention concerns an accessory electronic device for a lighting lamp, a lighting system comprising said device, and a process for the interaction of data and signals. The invention is made with particular reference to electronic accessories for street lighting lamps; however, its application to other lighting systems is not excluded.

[0007] PRIOR ART

[0008] Intelligent systems, i.e. comprising electronic data collection, data exchange and management systems, are known in the street lighting sector. For this purpose, the lamps used comprise not only light sources, usually of the LED type, but also driver devices and control nodes via communication with a central remote management system.

[0009] Since in general the control system can be built and operated by third parties other than the manufacturer of the lamps, or the lamps can be replaced and therefore find themselves incorporated into a third-party lighting system, standards for electromechanical connection and data exchange have arisen, the best known of which is operated by the Zhaga consortium, which allows compatibility between control devices , LED drivers and therefore lamps of di f ferent manufacturers .

[0010] For example , the Zhaga Book- 18 standard is particularly well known . D4 i or DALI2 or DALI certi fications are also known and widely used .

[0011] The Zhaga consortium ' s connection standards are now used to allow third parties to connect their control devices with electronic boards to lamps in the form of accessories , called nodes .

[0012] Therefore , lamps with Zhaga-type receptacles capable of receiving a node with a complementary Zhaga- type plug and carrying a third-party circuit board are widespread .

[0013] The problem, however, is related to the speciali zation of nodes , and the fact that lamps in general have only one connection receptacle , so they can only accommodate one node .

[0014] I f you wish to extend the functions of the lamp with other electronic accessories , it is therefore not easily feasible today .

[0015] In general , a choice is made and only one accessory is applied .

[0016] Alternatively, technology is evolving in the direction of increasing the receptacles on the lamps ; however, this encounters the problem of finding suitable spots on the luminaires and often finds the solution of only applying certain types of accessories , such as sensors , or forces one to deviate from the Zhaga electromechanical connection standards , therefore losing the characteristics of universality and interoperability .

[0017] The general purpose of the present invention is to overcome all or part of the problems of the prior art .

[0018] A preferred purpose of the present invention is to allow an increase in the functions of a lamp by allowing a plurality of electronic accessories to be attached to it .

[0019] Another preferred purpose of the present invention is to enable the easy and practical application of a plurality of electronic accessories to a lamp simultaneously .

[0020] A further preferred purpose of the present invention is to allow a plurality of electronic accessories to be attached to a lamp using the same electromechanical connection standard, preferably a Zhaga standard, for all of them .

[0021] Another preferred purpose of the present invention is to allow easy replacement or exchange of one or more electronic accessories connected to the same lamp .

[0022] Another preferred purpose of the present invention is to allow easy and practical addition of electronic accessories to a pre-existing third-party lighting management system .

[0023] A further preferred purpose of the present invention is to easily add at least one of the following electronic functions to a lamp, or to easily multiply them :

[0024] 1 . transducing, acquiring and digitising data from the sensors ;

[0025] 2 . communicating wirelessly;

[0026] 3 . communicating with lamp driver devices and / or accessory electronic nodes .

[0027] 4 . stimulate control and management actions on the lamp

[0028] Another further preferred purpose of the present invention is to increase the electronic functions of a lamp by enabling the simultaneous operation of other third-party electronic functions on the same lamp .

[0029] Another further preferred purpose of the present invention is to provide an accessory electronic device for a lamp which is easy and inexpensive to implement .

[0030] GENERAL INTRODUCTION

[0031] The purposes are solved by an accessory electronic device , a lighting system and a data and signal interaction process according to the attached claims .

[0032] DETAILED ESCRIPTION

[0033] Further features and advantages of the present invention will best be seen from the following detailed description of its preferred forms of implementation, made with reference to the attached drawings and given by way of example and not limitation . figure 1 schematically represents a lighting system according to the present invention; the accessory electronic device according to the present invention is shown here purely schematically, while in other figures it is depicted in more realistic detail ( again by way of example and not limitation) ;

[0034] - figure 2 depicts in exploded view a preferred first form of implementation of an accessory electronic device according to the present invention ( again by way of example and not limitation) ;

[0035] - figures 3 and 4 represent two perspective views from two di f ferent vantage points allowing the electromechanical connections to be seen from opposite sides ( again by way of example and not limitation) ;

[0036] - figure 5 is an exploded view o f a second form of implementation of the invention ( again by way of example and not limitation) ;

[0037] Figure 1 shows a lighting system according to the present invention indicated as a whole with reference number 1 .

[0038] The system 1 comprises at least one street lighting lamp 5 , a central supervisory system 10 remote from the lamp, i f any 5 , at least one accessory electronic device 15 according to the present invention and coupled to said lamp 5 , at least one third party accessory device 20 , referred to in the following as a node , also coupled to said lamp 5 . Figure 1 in particular shows two third party nodes 20 on said lamp 5 .

[0039] The lamp 5 generally comprises at least one light source 7 , e . g . an LED type , and at least one of its drivers 6 .

[0040] As will be seen, one of the two third-party nodes 20 is coupled to the lamp 5 with the interposition of the accessory electronic device 15 according to the present invention .

[0041] This is made possible by the construction of the accessory electronic device 15 , best seen in figures 2 , 3 and 4 , which comprises at least a first electromechanical connection interface 25 with the lamp 5 , and at least a second electromechanical connection interface 30 , where the second interface 30 is used for the connection of the node 20 .

[0042] With reference to figure 2 , the accessory electronic device 15 comprises at least one circuit board 35 and the two interfaces 25 and 30 are interconnected with each other and with at least said electronic board to allow the passage of power, data and signals .

[0043] This can be done , for example , by connecting circuit board 35 in parallel to interfaces 25 and 30 .

[0044] According to some preferred implementation forms of the invention, the connection between the interfaces 25 , 30 and the board 35 comprises 4 connectors , for example in the form of a rigid connecting element called pin, indicated by reference numbers 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 .

[0045] For example , the four connectors have the following functions respectively : connector 40 : supply voltage - connector 41: ground reference

[0046] - connector 42: preferably bidirectional data bus connector 43: signal bus e.g. logic and / or analogue preferably input and / or output.

[0047] Each connector 40-43 is connected to both interfaces 25 and 30 as well as to at least one board, or to all boards if there are more than one, so that they are shared by interfaces and boards and generate said passage of power, data and signals between them.

[0048] The interfaces 25 and 30 each comprise at least one male (25a, 35b, 25c, 25d) or female (30a, 30b, 30c, 30d) electromechanical connection element for each of said connectors. One of the two interfaces 25 may for example have said elements, e.g. male, within a built-in seat 26, and the other interface 30 may for example have said elements, e.g. female, on a protrusion 31. Said built in seat 26 and said protrusion 31 are preferably complementary to each other, for example one is substantially circular in cross-section and the other is substantially cylindrical.

[0049] Preferably, interfaces 25 and 30 are one male and one female, more preferably their shape respects a Zagha standard, e.g. Zhaga Book-18. Even more preferably, interfaces 25 and 30 are also compatible or certified for communication via Zhaga-D4i or DALI2 or DALI standards.

[0050] As will be seen, the accessory electronic device 15 preferably comprises a main body 50, comprising an internal compartment housing connectors 40 to 43 and at least one circuit board 35.

[0051] For example, the main body 50 is divided into at least two parts 51 and 52 which can be coupled and decoupled to allow access to the inner compartment.

[0052] The first and second interfaces 25, 30 are arranged outside the main body 50, preferably on opposite sides .

[0053] The main body can have any box shape, in the figure a substantially cylindrical shape is shown.

[0054] Preferably, the main body 50 has at least one connection opening with the outside 55 open to the passage of air and / or sound. Therefore, the at least one circuit board 35 within the box body may comprise at least one gas or sound sensor, such as for example a microphone .

[0055] Preferably the accessory electronic device 15 is at least one of the following: a - a lamp control device 5, capable of interacting with at least one driver 6 of lamp 5; b - a lamp control device 5, capable of interacting with a third-party node 20 on lamp 5 via interface 25; c - a lamp control device 5, capable of interacting with a third-party node 20 on lamp 5 via interface 30; d - a sensor device, e.g. for detecting traffic conditions, comprising at least one sensor, e.g. one or more microphones; e - a control and / or sensor device whose interfaces 25 and 30 are compatible or certified for communication via Zhaga D4i or DALI2 or DALI standards f - a wireless communication device, g - a stand-alone control device configured to stimulate control and management actions on the lamp ( e . g . twilight switching action) .

[0056] More preferably, the accessory device 15 is simultaneously more than one of the points a - g above . For example , it is a device at least according to points a+d or at least a+d+ f . Even more preferably it comprises one or more microphones and is part of a lighting system that detects traf fic status based on sound detections and / or controls lighting conditions based on sound detections , e . g . the lighting system is a predictive and adaptive system as described in the previous patent application of the same applicant PCT / IB2020 / 056305 incorporated herein by reference .

[0057] In general , at least one circuit board 35 is configured to perform at least one of the following functions : a . transducing, acquiring and digitising data from sensors integrated within at least one circuit board 35 ; b . communicating wirelessly with the central supervisory system 10 i f present, via a wireless device integrated within at least the one circuit board 35 and / or autonomously stimulate lamp control and management actions ; c . communicating with at least one of

[0058] - the lamp 5 connected to one of the interfaces 25, 30 an additional accessory electronic device connected to one of the interfaces 25, 30. The communication with the lamp may for example be to a driver 6 of the lamp 5.

[0059] According to a particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, the connection of the at least one circuit board 35 with connectors 40, 41, 42, 43 is configured in such a way that when the accessory electronic device 15 is interposed between the lamp and a further accessory electronic device, for example a node 20, it can have at least one of the following three action modes:

[0060] X. Transparent mode, where traffic on the respective data and signal buses between the lamp (e.g. at least one driver 6 of lamp 5) and node 20 is allowed to pass without interference;

[0061] Y. Slave mode, in which it allows traffic on said respective data and signal buses between the lamp (e.g. at least one driver 6 of the lamp 5) and the node 20 and can also be queried by the node 20 via said respective data and signal buses. Such queries allow, for example, the node 20 to retrieve information from any sensors integrated in the accessory electronic device 15, such as a microphone.

[0062] Z. Master mode, where the accessory electronic device is active in handling traffic on the respective data and signal bus, generating commands and read requests destined for the lamp (e.g. at least one driver 6 of lamp 5 ) and / or node 20 .

[0063] The accessory electronic device 15 therefore preferably can be configured to acquire data, e . g . on traf fic, from at least one of its own sensors , e . g . a microphone , or from the interaction with the respective data and signal bus between the lamp ( at least one of its drivers 6 ) and Node 20 .

[0064] The device in general is configured to exchange such data with the central supervisory system 10 and, as mentioned above, may include at least one wireless communication device for this purpose , and / or allow the node 20 to acquire the data .

[0065] Figure 5 illustrates another form of implementation of the accessory electronic device 15 which di f fers from the one described above only in that it comprises a plurality of circuit boards 35 .

[0066] In this way, it is easier to multiply the functions that can be added to the lamp 5, or to add or replace them .

[0067] Preferably each board 35 has at least one of the functions a, b and c said above , and preferably each has at least one of the action modes X, Y and Z said above .

[0068] In use , a first accessory electronic device 15 is connected to the lamp 5 via one of its interfaces 25 , 30 , so as to add to the lamp 5 the functions for which the circuit board 35 is configured, and for which the circuit boards 35 are configured i f they are a plurality .

[0069] A further accessory electronic device is connected to the former via the other of the latter ' s interfaces 25 , 30 . The further accessory electronic device may be , for example : the same as the first accessory electronic device 15

[0070] - di f ferent from the first accessory electronic device 15 , being for example a third-party node 20 .

[0071] The lamp 5 , the first accessory electronic device 15 and the further accessory electronic device 20 preferably have the same electromechanical connection standard, for example Zhaga .

[0072] In general , the additional accessory electronic device 20 can be powered and / or dialogue with the lamp 5 via the connectors 40-43 of the first accessory electronic device .

[0073] In general , the connection interface 25-30 of the first accessory electronic device 15 with the lamp 5 is such that it provides both accessory electronic devices 15-20 with a power supply from the lamp 5 .

[0074] The functions of the accessory electronic devices can interact with each other or with the lamp or be independent and even simultaneous , due to the lamp, the boards 35 and the further accessory electronic device all being connected to the connectors 40-43 of the first accessory electronic device .

[0075] Therefore , thanks to the invention it is possible , for example , to implement a data and signal interaction process characterised by the fact of :

[0076] - set up a system of the type described above ;

[0077] - acquiring data on traf fic, more generally on the sound space, through the at least one first accessory electronic device (15) and communicating through it to a remote central supervisory system (10) wirelessly, if present ;

[0078] - processing control instructions of the lamp (5) by means of autonomous data processing and / or through the central supervisory system (10) if present and transmitting them to the at least one first accessory electronic device (15) ;

[0079] - transmit the control instructions to the lamp

[0080] (5) .

[0081] GENERAL MEANING OF TERMS

[0082] In understanding the purpose of the present invention, the term "comprising" and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended as open-ended terms specifying the presence of the declared characteristics, elements, components, groups, integers and / or phases, but not excluding the presence of other undeclared characteristics, elements, components, groups, integers and / or phases. The above also applies to words with similar meanings such as the terms "including", "having" and their derivatives. In addition, the terms "part", "section", "portion", "member" or "element" when used in the singular may have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. As used herein to describe the form(s) of implementation mentioned above, the following directional terms "forward", "backward", "above", "below", "vertical", "horizontal", "underneath" and " transverse" , as well as any other similar directional terms refer to the form of implementation described in the operative position . Finally, grade terms such as " substantially" , " about" and " approximately" as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modi fied term such that the end result is not signi ficantly changed .

[0083] While only selected implementation forms have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, from this description it will be clear to those expert in the field that various modi fications and variations may be made without departing from the purpose of the invention as defined in the attached claims . For example , the si ze , shape , position or orientation of the various components may be modi fied as needed and / or desired . Components shown directly connected or in contact with each other may have intermediate structures interposed between them . The functions of one element can be performed by two and vice versa . The structures and functions of one form of implementation can be adopted in another one . It is not necessary that all advantages are present in a particular form of implementation at the same time . Each characteristic that is original compared to the prior art , alone or in combination with other characteristics , should also be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including structural and / or functional concepts incorporated by those characteristics . Therefore , the previous descriptions of implementation forms according to the present invention are provided for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the attached claims and their equivalents .

Claims

23 August 202416CLAIMS1. Accessory electronic device for a lighting lamp, comprising:- at least one circuit board;- at least one first electromechanical connection interface (25) ,- at least one second electromechanical connection interface ( 30 ) ,- wherein the at least one circuit board (35) and at least said two interfaces (25, 30) are connected to each other to allow the passage of electric power, data and signals.

2. Accessory electronic device according to claim1, characterised by the fact that the two interfaces (25, 30) comply with the same electromechanical connection standard .

3. Accessory electronic device according to claim2, characterised by the fact that this standard is a Zagha electromechanical connection standard.

4. Accessory electronic device according to any of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that the at least one circuit board (35) is connected in parallel to said first and second interfaces (25, 30) .

5. Accessory electronic device according to any of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that theSUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)connection between at least said two interfaces (25, 30) and the circuit board (35) comprises 4 connectors, (40, 41, 42, 43) having respectively the following functions:- supply voltage- ground reference- data bus- signal bus.

6. Accessory electronic device according to claim 5, characterised by the fact that the at least one first interface is of the male type and the at least one second interface is of the female type.

7. Accessory electronic device according to any of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that it is at least one of the following:- a lamp control device (5) ;- a sensor device, comprising at least one sensor;- a control and / or sensor device whose interfaces(25, 30) are compatible or certified for communication via D4i or DALI2 or DALI standards,- a wireless communication device, a stand-alone control device configured to stimulate control and management actions on the lamp.

8. Accessory electronic device according to claim7, characterised by the fact that it is:SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)- a lamp control device (5) capable of sending lighting commands; a device for detecting surrounding sound, including at least a microphone;- a wireless communication device to and from one or more external devices.

9. Accessory electronic device according to any of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that it is configured to perform at least one of the following functions : a. transducing, acquiring and digitising data from at least one sensor integrated in the accessory electronic device (15) itself; b. communicating wirelessly via at least one wireless device integrated in the accessory electronic device (15) itself; c. communicating via said interfaces with:- a lamp (5) connected to said at least one first electromechanical connection interface (25) ;- an additional accessory electronic device (20) connected to said at least second electromechanical connection interface (30) .

10. Accessory electronic device according to any of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that it is configured in such a way that, when interposed between a lamp (5) and a further accessory electronic device, saidSUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)node (20) , by means of the at least one first and at least one second interface (25, 30) , it can have at least one of the following three modes of action:X. Transparent mode, where traffic on the respective data and signal bus passes between the lamp (5) and the node (20) without interference;Y. Slave mode, in which traffic on the respective data and signal bus passes between the lamp (5) and node (20) and can be interrogated by the node (20) ;Z. Master mode, in which it is active in handling a traffic on respective data and signal bus, generating commands and read requests addressed to the lamp (5) and / or the node 20.

11. Accessory electronic device (15) according to any of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that it comprises a main body (50) comprising an internal compartment in which the at least one circuit board 35 comprising at least one microphone and / or a gas sensor is located, wherein said main body (50) has at least one connection opening with the outside (55) open to the passage of sound and / or air.

12. Lighting system characterised by the fact that it comprises at least one first accessory electronic device (15) according to at least one of the previous claims, a lamp (5) and a further accessory electronic device, said node (20) , wherein the lamp (20) is connected to said at least one first interface (25) and the node (20) is connected to said at least one second interface (30) .SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)13. System according to claim 12, characterised by at least one of the following:- the node (20) is electrically powered by the lamp (5) via the first electronic accessory device (15) interposed between them;- the node (20) is electrically powered by the lamp (5) via the first accessory electronic device (15) interposed between them;14. System according to claim 12 or 13, characterised by the fact that it may comprise a remote supervisory system (10) with which the first accessory electronic device (15) communicates wirelessly.

15. Data and signal interaction process, characterised by the fact of:- setting up a system according to any of claims 12 to 14;- acquiring traffic data via the at least one first accessory electronic device (15) and communicating through it to a remote central supervisory system (10) wirelessly;- processing control instructions of the lamp via the central supervisory system (10) and transmitting them to the at least one first accessory electronic device (15) ;- transmit the control instructions to the lamp.SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

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