Lighting system and method for controlling said system

Abstract

Lighting system comprising at least one lighting device and at least one control unit (20), which lighting device comprises a plurality of lighting elements (1a, 1b, 1c) electrically connected to each other and connected to said control unit (20), which control unit is configured to individually control the switching on of each of said lighting elements (1a, 1b, 1c). The lighting elements (1a, 1b, 1c) are divided into two or more modular string units (10a, 10b, 10c) arranged in cascade with respect to the control unit (20). Each lighting element (1a, 1b, 1c) comprises an integrated circuit (11) comprising a first identification code associated with the address of the lighting element and a second identification code associated with the address of the modular string unit to which said lighting element belongs in such a way that the lighting elements belonging to the same modular string unit all have the same second identification code.

Description

[0001] Lighting system and method for controlling said system

[0002] The present invention relates to a lighting system comprising at least one lighting device, comprising a plurality of lighting elements and a control unit.

[0003] The lighting elements are electrically connected to each other and connected to the control unit, configured to individually control the switching on of each of said lighting elements.

[0004] That described above is the common configuration of the lighting systems known in the state of the art, commonly used for the realization of LED strings used, for example, in Christmas-type light decorations.

[0005] In such applications, LEDs of the addressable type are commonly used, i.e., LEDs which are configured so as to receive instructions for driving the light intensity to be emitted, together with further command data, sent by a control unit connected to said LEDs, data and current transmitted through the power cable.

[0006] The well-known RGB (Red, Green and Blue) LEDs belong to such a category, i.e., LEDs which have three emitters, in particular an emitter adapted to emit a red light, an emitter adapted to emit a green light and an emitter adapted to emit a blue light.

[0007] The outer casing allows the mixing of the colours emitted by the three emitters, so as to obtain different possible colours.

[0008] The LED strings known in the state of the art have a plurality of LEDs with two metal pins connected in series and in parallel to the power cable, consisting of at least two metal conductors twisted together in a helical manner and covered by an insulating sheath.

[0009] The configuration just described gives the LED strings known in the state of the art an immediately recognizable appearance, which associates such LED strings with Christmas decorations, so that users immediately recognize such LED strings to use them to decorate their trees. Furthermore, since such LED strings have been known and used for several years in the market, the methodology and machinery are consolidated and optimized to make production more efficient.

[0010] The LED strings known in the state of the art therefore have a control unit and a determined number of lighting elements, i.e. LEDs, connected to the control unit.

[0011] At the moment, in order to cover installations with a large number of LEDs, it is necessary to use several LED strips, whose control units are synchronized with each other for the operation of a system with many strings as if they were a single object.

[0012] An example of such an electrode is described within document WO2O18 / 158671 , the content of which is to be considered an integral part of this patent application.

[0013] However, the systems known in the state of the art have a disadvantage from the installation point of view, especially for configurations with a high number of lighting elements.

[0014] In fact, the strings that allow to individually control the switching on of the own LEDs, known in the state of the art, have a predefined length, so installers are forced to make installations that have a number of LEDs equal to a multiple of the LEDs present in the strings.

[0015] This feature is a significant limitation, which entails, first of all, a waste of money and material or the need to produce custom length strings with increased delivery times.

[0016] There are state-of-the-art solutions that envisage realizing strings of defined length with progressive addresses. In practice, it is possible to create strings, for example, three strings comprising 50 LEDs each, wherein the first string has addresses from 1 to 50, the second string has addresses from 51 to 100 and the third string has addresses from 101 to 150. The installer is forced to install the strings in a cascading manner, from the first to the third. This results in the strings being different, therefore, during the design step it must be defined which string to use and calculated the exact quantity thereof. If there are differences during the installation step, it might be necessary to modify the entire installation. This solution, therefore, does not solve the problem of “mass” installation because the installer should plan the entire organization of the strings in detail and during the design step, which organization must be scrupulously kept during the installation step.

[0017] Furthermore, since the systems known in the state of the art provide for a mapping procedure, i.e. for detecting the position of the individual lighting elements, each unnecessary LED causes an increase in the timing for the execution of the mapping procedure.

[0018] There is therefore a need not met by the systems known in the state of the art to solve the disadvantages set out above, in particular to realize a mappable lighting system, i.e. of which it is possible to detect the position of the individual lighting elements, but extendable, i.e. of which it is possible to vary the number of lighting elements without excessively increasing the construction and control complexity of the system.

[0019] The present invention achieves the above objects by realizing a system as described above, wherein the lighting elements are divided into two or more modular string units arranged in cascade with respect to the control unit.

[0020] Each modular string unit is connected in parallel to the control unit.

[0021] Furthermore, each lighting element comprises an integrated circuit comprising a first identification code associated with the address of the lighting element and a second identification code associated with the address of the modular string unit to which said lighting element belongs, in such a way that the lighting elements belonging to the same modular string unit all have the same second identification code.

[0022] Based on this configuration, a lighting system is therefore obtained with a control unit to which several strings of lighting elements are connected, i.e. a system that can be easily extended and implemented, which through simple connection of modular string units, allows installers to realize complex and controllable sets in an easy way.

[0023] Moreover, installers do not know in advance the precise number of lighting elements that will be needed to realize the requested configuration, so a modular system turns out to be particularly advantageous in order to meet the implementation needs of the different possible installations.

[0024] The lighting system subject-matter of the present invention also has advantages from the commercial and management point of view of the different modular string units, as it is possible to envisage making second unique identification codes throughout the world production and entering these codes into a single database for immediate identification of the different modular string units.

[0025] According to a first embodiment, the integrated circuit of each lighting element comprises a Zener diode.

[0026] The advantages of this feature will be more evident in relation to the control method of the system subject-matter of the present invention, since the presence of the Zener diode makes it possible to achieve a constant current flow and, consequently, to realize string circuits in which all the lighting elements placed in series can always be powered, regardless of the on / off state of the first lighting element belonging to the modular string unit.

[0027] According to a preferred embodiment, the control unit comprises means for measuring the current absorbed by the modular string units.

[0028] Furthermore, in order to further increase the implementation possibilities of the system subject-matter of the present invention, the control unit may have two or more connection ports configured for the connection of two or more corresponding modular string units.

[0029] In this way, several modular string units, which require only one control unit for their management and activation, will be cascaded to each port.

[0030] Advantageously, each modular string unit has the same number of lighting elements.

[0031] Finally, according to an embodiment of the system subject-matter of the present invention, there is a user device configured to communicate with the control unit and comprising a camera for capturing a sequence of images of the environment in which the plurality of lighting elements is arranged. As will be apparent from the following description, the user device is a particularly important component of the system subject-matter of the present invention as it allows the position of the lighting elements to be identified, through detection of the first identification code and, according to an implementation form, also of the second identification code.

[0032] In view of the advantages set out above and relating to the lighting system, the present invention also relates to a method for controlling the lighting system described above.

[0033] The control method subject-matter of the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0034] - arrangement of the plurality of lighting elements in an environment,

[0035] - identification in a unique manner of the lighting elements through activation of the lighting elements according to a determined activation sequence,

[0036] - detection of the position of the lighting elements,

[0037] - determining a program for switching on the lighting elements in such a way that the lighting elements emit lights according to a lighting program, said lighting program providing for switching on lights according to a predetermined spatial order,

[0038] According to the method subject-matter of the present invention, the step of uniquely identifying the lighting elements envisages a step of detecting the second identification code associated with the modular string unit.

[0039] Furthermore, the activation sequence provides for the activation of the lighting elements according to a specific colouring on the basis of the second identification code.

[0040] Therefore, the method subject-matter of the present invention makes it possible to control a system with lighting elements whose position can be detected after identifying the address of each modular string unit.

[0041] The method subject-matter of the present invention therefore makes it possible to control lighting systems in which it is possible to provide for inserting non-repeatable strings, i.e. not to have strings with the same addresses connected to the same control unit. Based on the characteristics described and the implementations reported below, it is evident that the method subject-matter of the present invention also makes it possible to identify the presence of two modular string units with the same address, i.e. with the same second identification code.

[0042] In fact, the combination of the identification of the second identification code, combined with the detection of the position of the lighting elements, allows the presence of two modular string units with the same second identification code to be identified and associated with an anomaly.

[0043] In fact, the method would find two modular string units with the same second identification code, but which have different positions and this would be associated with an anomaly.

[0044] Such an anomaly can be reported to the user, for example according to a specific lighting sequence of the lighting elements, preferably belonging to the modular string units having the same address, so as to allow easy identification and replacement of one of the two modular string units.

[0045] Therefore, the control method subject-matter of the present invention provides for realizing sets by switching on lighting elements taking information about the modular units of strings starting from an unknown, as it is not possible to know in advance the modular units of strings that are connected to the control unit.

[0046] For the identification of the connected strings, the method subjectmatter of the present invention provides two possible solutions.

[0047] According to a first solution, the detection of the second identification code is performed through acquisition of a sequence of images of the environment in which the plurality of lighting elements is arranged.

[0048] Therefore, a visual solution is used, that is, logical patterns are generated, that is, the activation sequences, which depend on the address that the modular string unit knows it has.

[0049] In fact, these logical lighting patterns are customized by the control unit based on the second identification code, i.e. the address of the modular string unit. The same technology used to identify the position of the lighting elements can be used to generate the activation sequences.

[0050] Such technology is described in document W02017 / 1 15326, the content of which is to be considered an integral part of the present description.

[0051] In this case, for the unique identification of the lighting elements, a double calibration is performed, in which, in a first step, the modular string units are seen as individual lighting elements, after which in a second step, that is, once the second unique codes have been detected, the position of each individual lighting element is detected.

[0052] The two steps must be carried out separately, but can be performed simultaneously.

[0053] For example, from each point of view of the camera, the identification bits of the modular string unit and the address bits of the lighting elements can be read in sequence.

[0054] The visual solution has the advantage of finding a unique match about the address of the strings.

[0055] This methodology, however, for installations with a high number of lighting elements, has the disadvantage of the execution time, as either it will be necessary to perform two separate mapping procedures, one for detecting the second identification code and one for detecting the first identification code, or a significant increase in execution time will be required, since a greater amount of information is to be decoded.

[0056] According to an implementation variant of the control method subject-matter of the present invention, the detection of the second identification code is performed though detection of the current absorbed by the lighting elements.

[0057] In this case, the control unit is used as a current meter, i.e. an indirect measurement is used on the modular string unit attached to the control unit, which is linked to the number of connected lighting elements and to the various activation states thereof. The advantage of this methodology is related to the fact that it can be used in parallel to the procedure for mapping, i.e. the identification of the position, of the individual lighting elements.

[0058] Therefore, the times for the unique identification of the lighting elements decrease significantly, especially in the case of installation with a large number of lighting elements.

[0059] In this case, the identification of two modular string units with the same second identification code provides for the detection of a double current value for each identified bit belonging to the second identification code and therefore not to solve the sequence uniquely.

[0060] According to an improvement, the detection of the absorbed current takes place according to the following steps:

[0061] - switching off of all lighting elements and measurement of a first absorbed current value,

[0062] - activation of all lighting elements with a specific colour and measurement of a second absorbed current value,

[0063] - detection of the difference between the first absorbed current value and the second absorbed current value,

[0064] - iteration of sending the activation sequence based on the number of bits belonging to the second identification code.

[0065] These and further objects of the present invention are achieved by a system and method according to the appended independent claims and subclaims.

[0066] These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following disclosure of some exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: figure 1a illustrates a principle diagram of a possible embodiment of the lighting elements belonging to the lighting system subject-matter of the present invention; figures 1 b and 1 c illustrate two possible principle diagrams of two possible embodiments of the lighting system subject-matter of the present invention; figure 2 illustrates a principle diagram of a possible embodiment of a lighting device belonging to the lighting system subject-matter of the present invention; figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of a possible embodiment of the control method subject-matter of the present invention;

[0067] It is specified that the figures appended to this patent application illustrate only some possible embodiments of the lighting system and related control method subject-matter of the present invention, to better understand the advantages and characteristics described.

[0068] Such embodiments are therefore to be understood as purely illustrative and not limiting to the inventive concept of the present invention, namely that of realising a mappable lighting system, i.e. of which it is possible to detect the position of the individual lighting elements, but extendable, i.e. of which it is possible to vary the number of lighting elements without excessively increasing the construction and control complexity of the system.

[0069] In particular, figure 1a illustrates a principle diagram of a possible embodiment of the lighting elements, belonging to the lighting system subject-matter of the present invention.

[0070] These lighting elements consist of three RGB LEDs 1a, 1 b, 1 c connected in series to each other and to the control unit 20, illustrated in figure 2.

[0071] The RGB LEDs 1a, 1 b and 1 c are preferably made of Pixel LEDs, so they each have an integrated circuit 1 1 comprising a smart portion 15 configured to encode and drive the output of the Red R, Green G and Blue B emitters.

[0072] Parallel to the portion 15 there is a Zener diode 12 which makes it possible to guarantee a constant current flow.

[0073] Each LED 1a, 1 b and 1 c is preferably powered at a voltage of about 5V.

[0074] The integrated circuit 1 1 further comprises a storage unit 13, inside which at least two identification codes are stored, in particular a first identification code relating to the address of the LED and a second identification code relating to the address of a modular string unit.

[0075] In fact, the plurality of LEDs belonging to the system subject-matter of the present invention is divided into two or more modular string units, as illustrated in figure 2.

[0076] Figure 2 illustrates a possible embodiment of the lighting device belonging to the system subject-matter of the present invention, which provides a control unit 20 configured to generate command signals for activating the LEDs 1 a, 1 b and 1 c.

[0077] The control unit 20 has two connection ports 10 and 100 for connecting the LEDs 1 a, 1 b and 1 c to the control unit 20.

[0078] For illustrative simplicity, only three LEDs 1a, 1 b and 1 c are illustrated in figure 1a, but it is evident that the lighting system subjectmatter of the present invention provides a plurality of LEDs, in a number greater than three, organized and divided into a plurality of modular string units 10a, 10b, 10c, 100a, 100b, 100c.

[0079] Based on what has been described above, in fact, the lighting system subject-matter of the present invention can provide different configurations.

[0080] It is in fact possible that the system comprises one or more lighting devices.

[0081] Each lighting device may comprise a single control unit with two or more connection ports to which two or more modular string units connected to each other are connected, as in the case of figure 2.

[0082] Alternatively or in combination, each lighting device may comprise one or more control units with a single port to which a series of modular string units are connected, i.e., with reference to figure 2, a single set of modular units 10a, 10b and 10c.

[0083] Alternatively or in combination, each lighting device may consist of a control unit to which any number of LEDs 1a, 1 b and 1 c, not necessarily divided into modular string units, may be connected.

[0084] Advantageously, the LEDs 1a, 1 b and 1 c can be connected in series and in parallel, as will be illustrated below and with particular reference to figures 1 b and 1 c. Three modular string units 10a, 10b and 10c are thus connected to the connection port 10, while three further modular string units 100a, 100b and 100c are connected to the connection port 100.

[0085] Each modular string unit has a plurality of LEDs, connected to each other as illustrated in figures 1 b and 1 c.

[0086] The modular string units belonging to the same connection port 10, 100 are instead connected to each other in parallel, i.e. the control unit 20 transmits the power supply directly to each individual modular string unit, which is then connected to the modular string units adjacent to it.

[0087] As anticipated, advantageously, the LEDs of each string may be configured in series parallels or, more frequently, in series of parallels.

[0088] This configuration makes it possible to reach the characteristic working voltage of each string, for example 24V, starting from the working voltage of the LEDs, which is typically comprised between 4V and 6V. When using series configurations, the LEDs of each string, thanks to the presence of a Zener diode, guarantee a constant current, regardless of the on or off state of the individual LEDs.

[0089] Each modular string unit is connected in parallel to the other modular string units, allowing the entire system to always work at the characteristic working voltage provided by the controller. Then, each modular string unit is connected to the control unit through a parallel connection.

[0090] The adoption of a higher working voltage than that of the single LED brings along a number of significant advantages for the system. First of all, it reduces power losses along the cables, as the current needed to power the LEDs decreases with increasing voltage, thus improving the energy efficiency and the overall stability of the system. This also allows thinner and less expensive cables to be used, as the sizes of the conductors can be reduced without compromising efficiency, lowering production and installation costs. In addition, a higher voltage reduces voltage drops along the cables, ensuring that all LEDs receive a uniform voltage, essential to maintain a constant brightness over the entire length of the string.

[0091] Finally, working at a standard voltage such as 24V or 48V facilitates integration with commercial power supplies available on the market, making the system more flexible and compatible with existing solutions. These advantages make the lighting system described particularly suitable for modular and scalable applications, reducing overall costs and improving the quality of the installations.

[0092] Figures 1 b and 1 c show two principle diagrams of possible embodiments for the modular string units, in which each string is composed of several groups of LEDs, in particular the groups 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d and 5e.

[0093] Within each group 5a-5e each LED is connected to the LEDs of the same group in series, but the different groups 5a-5e are connected in parallel to the control unit 20.

[0094] With particular reference to figures 1 b and 1 c and by way of example, each group 5a-5e consists of 14 LEDs.

[0095] These groups of LEDs in parallel are subsequently connected in series with each other to form the string module. Each string module is connected to a dedicated connector 50, which ensures the transfer of energy and command signals from the control unit 20 to the string module. The string modular units are also connected to each other in parallel, ensuring that each module works at the same characteristic voltage, regardless of the total number of modules connected to the system. This modular structure allows greater flexibility in design and installation, allowing the addition or removal of modules without affecting the overall performance of the system.

[0096] The configurations of figures 1 b and 1 c are similar and differ only in the realization of the connection cables 60, 61 , 610 and 61 1 between the control unit 20 and the different modular string units.

[0097] In the case of figure 1 c, in fact, the connection cable 61 of figure 1 b, connected to ground, is divided into two cables, 610, configured to connect the different groups of LEDs 5a-5e, and 61 1 , configured to connect the different modular string units to the control unit 20.

[0098] The connection between one modular string unit and the other can take place in any of the ways known in the state of the art, for example through specific connectors that put the last LED of a modular string unit in connection to the next modular string unit. Figure 2 illustrates only three modular string units per connection port, but it is possible to provide any number, even different, per connection port.

[0099] Similarly, any number of connection ports may be provided within the control unit 20.

[0100] Even within the modular string units, any number of LEDs, the same or different per different modular string units, can be provided.

[0101] According to a preferred embodiment, the control unit 20 has means for detecting the current absorbed by the modular string units.

[0102] These means are not illustrated in the figure, but can be made in any of the ways known in the state of the art.

[0103] According to an implementation variant, the integrated circuit 1 1 can therefore be used for series and parallel applications within LEDs with powerline technology.

[0104] In particular, according to a possible embodiment, the smart output portion 15 has an attenuation level of 256 per channel. The control signal protocol does not directly contain any address and uses a specific method to address specific LEDs.

[0105] As anticipated, the second identification code is associated with the address of the modular string unit, randomly assigned during the production of the modular string unit in order to identify different strings; this section “Address of the modular string unit” contains 10 bits in Polyfuse. The “Address of the modular string unit” must be guided in the following ways:

[0106] - unicast mode;

[0107] - broadcast mode;

[0108] - masking mode.

[0109] The first identification code is instead associated with the address of the LED.

[0110] According to a possible embodiment, the address consists of 8 bits and is sequentially assigned from 1 to 255 to uniquely address the LEDs within the same modular string unit. This first identification code, “LED Address” contains 8 bits in Polyfuse. The “LED Address” will be driven in the following ways: o unicast mode; o broadcast mode.

[0111] From what has been described above, it is evident that in order to control the lighting on of the LEDs of the system subject-matter of the present invention in order to generate luminous animations, it is necessary to identify the different modular string units.

[0112] For this reason, the present invention also relates to a method, a possible embodiment of which is illustrated in figure 3.

[0113] According to the variant illustrated in figure 3, the control method of the lighting system subject-matter of the present invention, comprising the following steps:

[0114] - arrangement of the plurality of LEDs in an environment, step 300,

[0115] - identification in a unique manner of the LEDs, step 301 , through activation of the lighting elements according to a determined activation sequence,

[0116] - LED position detection, step 302

[0117] - determination of a program for switching on the LEDs, step 303, in such a way that the LEDs emit lights according to a lighting program, said lighting program providing for switching on lights according to a predetermined spatial order.

[0118] The step of uniquely identifying the lighting elements envisages a step of detecting the second identification code associated with the modular string units, i.e. of detecting the address of each modular string unit, step 31 1.

[0119] This step makes it possible to detect the number of modular string units connected to the control unit 20.

[0120] Step 31 1 preferably takes place using an activation sequence configured to activate the LEDs according to a specific colouring on the basis of the second identification code.

[0121] According to an embodiment variant not illustrated in the figure, the detection of several strings connected to the same port of the control unit is detected using an acquisition, and a subsequent processing, of images of the LEDs during the execution of the activation sequence. This methodology is similar to the procedure used for detecting the position of the LEDs, step 302, also described within document W0201 7 / 1 15326.

[0122] In this case, the LEDs on each port of each control unit can be uniquely identified with the triplet (Control Unit, Connection Port, LED address).

[0123] For example it is possible to have:

[0124] • N bits for the control unit

[0125] • 3 bits per connection port

[0126] • 8 bits for LED address

[0127] During the mapping procedure each LED shows a sequence of colours associated with the address of the LED consisting of N+1 1 address bits corresponding to each LED. Based on the address, each LED is uniquely identified and then the mapping reconstructs the 3D position of each LED.

[0128] In the system subject-matter of the present invention, the modular string units are concatenated one after the other, so the addressing of the strings is not unique, and, before reconstructing the 3D position of each LED, it is necessary to identify the string address of each modular string unit. The following should be considered:

[0129] • N bits for the control unit,

[0130] • 3 bits for the connection port

[0131] • 10 bits per string address

[0132] • 8 bits for LED address

[0133] To identify the 10 bits of the String address, preferably one LED at the time of each modular string unit is activated and the process is repeated for all LEDs.

[0134] For example, it is possible to set the system to illuminate the LEDs with different colours based on the “1 ” or “0” value of the various bits of the address of the modular units of the string.

[0135] Figure 3 illustrates a different embodiment variant for detecting the code of the second identification code, i.e. the string address.

[0136] According to this variant, the principle of a different current absorption of each LED based on the lighting state is exploited. A current consumption of 1 5% more can be estimated in the blackcolour state of the LEDs, compared to the illuminated state of a different colour, such as red.

[0137] The following steps are preferably used to identify the 10 bits of the String Address:

[0138] - using the broadcast string address, setting of the black colour on all LEDs and measurement of the maximum current consumption on each connection port, step 312;

[0139] - using the broadcast string address, setting of a colour different from Neo, for example red, on all LEDs and measurement of the current consumption on each port, step 313.

[0140] Knowing the minimum and maximum consumption per string it is possible to evaluate the number of strings connected to the same connection port.

[0141] Subsequently, the difference between the maximum and minimum absorption and the average power difference per string is evaluated, step 314.

[0142] Thereafter, step 31 5, the Strings connected to a connection port of a control unit are driven with a sequence of activation of the LEDs, i.e. a sequence of colours, which encodes the address of the string.

[0143] This sequence is shown on each LED representing the following contents (masking a bit and shifting it by one position) using the colour red (or others associated with the maximum current absorption / consumption) and black (or other associated with the minimum current absorption / consumption). o N bits for the control unit, o 3 bits for the connection port, o 1 masked bit of the String Address (on both values) o 8 bits for LED address

[0144] At each cycle of the masked bit of the string address, the current absorption will be evaluated, step 315. Advantageously, using the minimum current absorption as an offset and the average current absorption per string, the number of strings having the bit with value “1 ” and the bit with value “0”, are evaluated at each cycle.

[0145] After obtaining the list of bits of the associated strings, the method subject-matter of the present invention can provide for masking several bits (for example 3) in a group and verifying the best condition.

[0146] In fact, as described above, in the case of identification by LED image acquisition, the distinction between strings mounted on the same port of the same control unit is implied by the univocal reconstruction of the addresses of the LEDs that are spatially positioned at distinct points in space and therefore it will be possible to distinguish which address bits in the order the specific LED has and therefore to reconstruct the string address.

[0147] For the identification of the address of the modular string unit through consumption of electricity, on the other hand, there is no such unique match.

[0148] By way of example, suppose there are three modular string units with the following addresses

[0149] Consequently, the LED of the modular string unit 1 will show in sequence 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 0.

[0150] In the case of measurement through current, however, an “external” recognition that guarantees uniqueness will not be obtained, but the algebraic sum will be obtained through the different consumption levels “1 ” and “0” of the occurrences of the bits at “1 ” within the modular string units connected to the same port of the same control unit.

[0151] Based on the above embodiment example, i.e. the three modular string units and the corresponding addresses, the value of 21320 is obtained, as: the value “2” corresponds to the sum of two bits at “1 ”, first bit of the modular string unit 1 and first bit of the modular string unit 2, while the first bit of the modular string unit 3 has the value “0”, the value “1 ” corresponds to the sum of a single bit at “1 ”, i.e. the second bit of the modular string unit 3, while the second bits of the modular string units 1 and 2, have the value “0”, the value “3” corresponds to the sum of 3 bits at “1 ”, since the third bit of the three modular string units 1 , 2 and 3 has the value “1 ”, the value “2” corresponds to the sum of two bits at “1 ”, fourth bit of the modular string unit 1 and fourth bit of the modular string unit 3, while the fourth bit of the modular string unit 2 has the value “0”, the value “0” corresponds to the sum of 3 bits at “o”, as the fifth bit of the three modular string units 1 , 2 and 3 has the value “0”.

[0152] Consequently, what can be deduced is that the bit sequences are 1 -1 -0 1 -0-0

[0153] 1 -1 -1 this is uniquely determined because they are all at 1 1 -0-1

[0154] 0-0-0 this is uniquely determined because they are all at 0

[0155] It is not possible to distinguish the associations between the remaining combinations. The combinations allowed are 1 1 1 10 - 101 10 - 1 1 1 10 - 101 10 10100 - 1 1 100 - 101 10 - 10100 001 10 - 001 10 - 00100 - 01 1 10, as they correspond to the following “sums”: 21320 - 21320 - 21320 - 21320

[0156] Consequently, at this point it is necessary to determine which of the 4 configurations is the permissible one. By interrogating with mask 1 1 1 10 it is possible to check whether it is the first or the third combination. In the case in question, a negative answer is obtained. So the selection would be between 2 and 4. By interrogating with 1 1 100 it is possible to deduce that the correct solution is number 4.

[0157] According to a further implementation form, in order to obtain a different current consumption depending on the brightness level, the integrated circuit of each LED must be powered with a lower voltage than standard use, in order to avoid the general limitation of current provided by the Zener protection system.

[0158] Finally, it is specified that the present invention also relates to a lighting system comprising at least one lighting element, connected to at least one control unit adapted to control the switching on of the at least one lighting element.

[0159] The lighting element comprises at least one storage unit in which information associated with one or more binary codes is stored.

[0160] Furthermore, the control unit comprises means for measuring the current absorbed by said at least one lighting element.

[0161] Advantageously, said lighting system can be realized according to one or more of the characteristics described above and relating to the lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting elements organized according to one or more modular string units.

[0162] The information stored within the storage unit can be for example

[0163] - characteristics of the lighting element (colour profiles, brightness, photometric characteristics, calibration parameters, package type, etc.)

[0164] - characteristics of the modular string unit to which the lighting element belongs (cable thickness, cable colour)

[0165] - production identifiers (foundry, production batch, assembly date, serial number, etc.).

[0166] Accordingly, the present invention also relates to a method for detecting information stored in the lighting element belonging to the system just described.

[0167] Information detection is obtained through identification of the one or more binary codes obtained though detection of the current absorbed by the element.

[0168] According to a preferred implementation variant, the detection of the one or more binary codes takes place in a manner quite similar to the detection of the second identification code associated with the modular string units described above.

[0169] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, some preferred embodiments have been shown in the drawings and disclosed in detail.

[0170] It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific illustrated embodiment but, on the contrary, the aim is to cover all the modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[0171] The use of “for example”, “etc.”, “or” indicates non-exclusive alternatives without limitation, unless otherwise indicated. The use of “includes” means “includes, but not limited to” unless otherwise indicated.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Lighting system comprising at least one lighting device and at least one control unit (20), which lighting device comprises a plurality of lighting elements (1a, 1 b, 1 c) electrically connected to each other and connected to said at least one control unit (20), which control unit (20) is configured to individually control the switching on of each of said lighting elements (1a, 1 b, 1 c), characterized in that the lighting elements (1a, 1 b, 1 c) are divided into two or more modular string units (10a, 10b, 10c) arranged in cascade with respect to the control unit (20), each modular string unit being connected in parallel to said control unit (20), each lighting element (1a, 1 b, 1 c) comprising an integrated circuit (1 1) comprising a first identification code associated with the address of the lighting element and a second identification code associated with the address of the modular string unit to which said lighting element belongs in such a way that the lighting elements belonging to the same modular string unit all have the same second identification code.

2. System according to Claim 1 , wherein said integrated circuit (1 1) comprises a Zener diode (12).

3. System according to Claim 1 , wherein said control unit (20) comprises means for measuring the current absorbed by the modular string units.

4. System according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said control unit (20) has two or more connection ports (10, 100) configured for the connection of two corresponding modular string units.

5. System according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein each modular string unit (10a, 10b, 10c) has the same number of lighting elements (1a, 1 b, 1 c).

6. System according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein there is a user device configured to communicate with said control unit (20), which user device comprises a camera for capturing a sequence of imagesof the environment in which the plurality of lighting elements (1 a, 1 b, 1 c) is arranged.

7. Method for controlling the lighting system according to Claims 1 to 6, comprising the following steps:- arrangement (300) of the plurality of lighting elements in an environment,- identification (301) in a unique manner of the lighting elements through activation of the lighting elements according to a determined activation sequence,- detection (302) of the position of the lighting elements,- determination (303) of a program for switching on the lighting elements in such a way that the lighting elements emit lights according to a lighting program, said lighting program providing for switching on lights according to a predetermined spatial order, characterized in that the step of uniquely identifying the lighting elements envisages a step of detecting the second identification code associated with the modular string unit, the activation sequence providing for the activation of the lighting elements according to a specific colouring on the basis of the second identification code.

8. Method according to Claim 7, wherein a step of activating the lighting elements according to a specific colouring is provided in the event that the step of detecting the second identification code detects two identical second identification codes belonging to two different string modular units, the step of activating the lighting elements according to a specific colouring providing for the activation of at least part of the lighting elements belonging to the two modular string units.

9. Method according to Claim 7, wherein the detection of the second identification code is performed through acquisition of a sequence of images of the environment in which the plurality of lighting elements is arranged.

10. Method according to Claim 7, wherein the detection of the second identification code is performed though detection of the current absorbed by the lighting elements.1 1. Method according to Claim 10, wherein the detection of the absorbed current takes place according to the following steps:- activation of all lighting elements with a first colour and measurement of a first absorbed current value,- activation of all lighting elements with a second colour and measurement of a second absorbed current value,- detection of the difference between the first absorbed current value and the second absorbed current value,- iteration of sending the activation sequence based on the number of bits belonging to the second identification code.

12. Lighting system comprising at least one lighting element and at least one control unit, which lighting element is connected to said control unit configured to control the switching on of said at least one lighting element, characterized in that said lighting element comprises at least one storage unit comprising information associated with one or more binary codes, said control unit comprising means for measuring the current absorbed by said at least one lighting element.

13. System according to Claim 12, wherein said system consists of a lighting system according to Claims 1 to 6.

14. Method for detecting information within the lighting system according to Claim 12, characterized in that information detection is obtained through identification of the one or more binary codes obtained though detection of the current absorbed by said at least one lighting element.

15. Method according to Claim 14, wherein the detection of the electric current absorbed by the lighting element is performed according to one or more of Claims 10 or 1 1.

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