A method for commissioning lighting devices

Abstract

A method and a system for commissioning lighting systems using augmented reality glasses (7). During the commissioning the augmented reality glasses 7 determine the next to-be-configured luminaire (2, 4, 5) while the installer (1) is configuring the current luminaire (3). While the installer (1) is configuring or commissioning the first luminaire (3), the augmented reality glasses (7) device prompts another un-commissioned luminaire (2, 4, 5) to blink. If the blinking luminaire (2,4, 5) is in the field of vision (8) of the augmented reality glasses (7) it is selected as the next to be configured, otherwise another luminaire (4,5) is prompted to blink instead.

Description

[0001] A method for commissioning lighting devices

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to the commissioning of lighting devices in lighting systems, in particular but not exclusively to a method for commissioning lighting devices using an augmented reality device, such as augmented reality glasses.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Modem connected lighting systems may comprise a large number of controllable lighting devices such as luminaires along with the control devices for operating them. Once these lighting devices are installed, the lighting system needs to be commissioned in order to associate each physical lighting device with a room, a location, an associated sensor, or other operating device such as light switches or dimmers, etc. For this, each installed device needs to be identified during the commissioning procedure by an installer or other technician.

[0006] US2020 / 0265647 a method and an apparatus for identifying and commissioning devices using augmented reality where real time images captured by a camera of an augmented reality capable device are shown on a display of the augmented reality capable commissioning device with an overlay identifying the devices to be commissioned.

[0007] When large numbers of devices are to be commissioned it is important that the devices are quickly identified and commissioned, e.g. so as to minimize the paid time spent by the installer doing the commissioning. This in turn means that the commissioning should be done in a prioritized manner so that once a device is commissioned the installer doing the commissioning will not have to move too far, but ideally goes on to commission as the next device on a list, such as a scan list, of devices to be commissioned the one in closest proximity to the installer’s current location. This determination may be made by relying on the signal strength received by the commissioning device, i.e. the Received Signal Strength Indicator, RS SI.

[0008] It is thus desirable that the installer can quickly and easily select as the next luminaire to be commissioned a luminaire or other device that is close even if the installer cannot see the presumed closest luminaire. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to overcome this problem, and to provide a method and a system to determine the next to-be-configured luminaire while the installer is configuring the current luminaire. The installer still use the exiting method (e.g., based only on received signal strength indicator, channel state information, etc.) to select the first luminaire.

[0010] Irrespective of whether the installer is using a handheld device or, as also suggested in US2020 / 0265647, a worn device such as augmented reality glasses, the installer may be inclined to keep the focus on the device to be commissioned.

[0011] Moreover, the received signal strength indicator can only roughly reflect the distance between a luminaire and the augmented reality device but is without any directional information about the location / orientation of the luminaire. It is possible that the selected luminaire is close to the augmented reality device but not in the field of view of the installer or the augmented reality device because the focus of the installer or augmented reality device is elsewhere, i.e., the luminaire to be commissioned is blinking or otherwise signaling visually, but the installer can’t see it and has to look around to find it. It is also possible that the selected luminaire is far away so that the installer has to walk closer to it. These are obviously inconvenient and inefficient.

[0012] While the installer is configuring or commissioning the first luminaire, the augmented reality device prompts another un-commissioned luminaire to signal visually, e.g. by blinking. The un-commissioned luminaire could be selected based on received signal strength indicator, i.e., to select the luminaire with the strongest received signal strength indicator on the scan list. Once the selected luminaire started blinking, the augmented reality device checks via its integrated camera whether it can detect a blinking luminaire. If so, the selected luminaire must be in the field of view of the augmented reality device, or the installer if the augmented reality device is augmented reality glasses, and is close to the installer as well. The selected luminaire is then determined as the next to-be-configured luminaire. On the other hand, if the augmented reality device cannot detect a blinking luminaire after a pre-determined period, e.g. several seconds, it means the selected luminaire is not in the field of view and probably also far away from the installer. In this case, the augmented reality device prompts the selected luminaire to stop blinking and prompts another un-commissioned luminaire to blink. The newly selected un-commissioned luminaire could be the luminaire with the second strongest received signal strength indicator on the scan list. In this way, an un-commissioned luminaire which is in the field of view and close to the installer can be finally identified as the next luminaire for configuration, while the installer is still configuring a current luminaire.

[0013] According to a first aspect of the invention, this and other objects are achieved by a method for selecting a next-to-be commissioned lighting device while commissioning a third lighting device in a lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting devices with wireless communication capability to be commissioned, the method comprising the steps of identifying, using the augmented reality device, a number of un-commissioned lighting devices and establishing a list of un-commissioned lighting devices, prompting by the augmented reality device a first lighting device from the list of un-commissioned lighting devices to identify itself visually, determining using the augmented reality device whether the first lighting device is within the field of vision of the augmented reality device, if said first lighting device is with the field of vision of the augmented reality device, identifying the first lighting device as a candidate lighting device for commissioning (i.e., identify the first lighting device as the next to be commissioned lighting device), if said first lighting device is not within the field of vision of the augmented reality device, prompting by the augmented reality device a second lighting device from the list of un-commissioned lighting devices to identify itself visually.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the invention, this and other object are achieved by the controller of an augmented reality device, configured to identify a number of un-commissioned lighting devices and establish a list of un-commissioned lighting devices prompt a first lighting device from the list of un-commissioned lighting devices to identify itself visually, determine whether the first lighting device is within the field of vision of the augmented reality device, if said first lighting device is within the field of vision of the augmented reality device, identify the first lighting device as a candidate lighting device for commissioning, if said first lighting device is not with the field of vision of the augmented reality device, prompt a second lighting device from the list of un-commissioned lighting devices to identify itself visually.

[0015] According to a third aspect of the invention, this and other object are achieved by a computer program product for an augmented reality device, the computer program product comprising computer program code to perform the commissioning method according to the first aspect of the invention, when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of the augmented reality device.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the step of scanning, using said augmented reality device, for broadcast messages including a device identification from lighting devices of said plurality of lighting devices. This allows the automated establishment of a scan list with devices to be commissioned without any intervention from the installer.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the step of determining the received signal strength indicators of the broadcast messages and establishing a scan list comprising un-commissioned lighting devices including their respective received signal strength indicators. Thus, a scan list allowing the prioritization of some devices to be commissioned over others in order to reduce the time needed by the installer to go from a newly commissioned device to the next to be commissioned, in turn speeding up the overall commissioning procedure.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention the step of identifying the number of un-commissioned lighting devices and establishing a list of uncommissioned lighting devices comprises scanning, using said augmented reality device, for broadcast messages including a device identification from lighting devices of said plurality of lighting devices, and establishing a scan list. This allows the list of devices to be commissioned to be established in a quick and easy manner by the augmented reality device.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method comprise the step of determining the received signal strength indicator of the broadcast messages and establishing the scan list comprising un-commissioned lighting devices including their respective received signal strength indicator. Using the received signal strength indicator gives a good indication of the proximity of the lighting devices and thus aids in speeding up the commissioning process.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the first lighting device is the one with the strongest received signal strength indicator in the scan list. This allows the installer to start with the lighting device most likely to be the closest to the installer’s location, when initiating the commissioning procedure, in turn saving time.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the received signal strength indicators of the scan list are continuously updated. This allows the augmented reality device to always attempt to propose the closest un-commissioned lighting device to the installer, irrespective of the fact that the installer will be moving around the premises during the commissioning procedure.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the first and second lighting devices identify themselves by blinking. Blinking renders itself to the commissioning of lighting devices such as luminaires because no additional visual signaling capability need to be implemented. All that suffices is the inherent capability of changing luminosity, be it simple on / off or gradual luminosity variation.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the physical location of the respective lighting devices is determined during the commissioning. Knowing the physical location of the respective lighting devices may be a relevant part of the commissioning and using augmented reality glasses facilitate this as they will typically incorporate sensing means for determining their own location by also sensing and ranging means for objects within the field of view.

[0024] Thus, according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the augmented reality device is augmented reality glasses. Modem augmented reality glasses include not only the reception capabilities for wireless signals, but also input facilities for voice commands, gestures, e.g. using the aforementioned sensing and ranging means, as well as multi-channel sound emitters and the augmented reality display, thus allowing the installer to perform the entire commissioning using nothing else than the augmented reality glasses.

[0025] Thus, according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the augmented reality glasses comprise user input capabilities, the user input capabilities of the augmented reality glasses being used for the commissioning.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the wireless communication capacity comprises Bluetooth® Low Energy. This is a widely used standard and implemented in many lighting devices.

[0027] It is noted that the invention relates to all possible combinations of features recited in the claims.

[0028] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] This and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing embodiment(s) of the invention. In the drawings:

[0030] Fig. 1 schematically shows an installer commissioning a first of four lighting devices,

[0031] Fig. 2 shows a scan list for the remaining three un-commissioned lighting devices with prioritized according to their received signal strength indicator, RS SI, and

[0032] Fig. 3 shows a flow chart of an embodiment of the method according to the invention. As illustrated in the figures, distances are not to scale for illustrative purposes and, thus, are provided to illustrate the general structures of embodiments of the present invention. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0033] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the invention to the skilled person.

[0035] Turning first to Fig. 1 an installer 1 in the process of commissioning a lighting system, exemplified as a lighting system with four devices in a ceiling 6. For convenience it will in the following be assumed that the devices are luminaries 2, 3, 4, 5. Each of the four luminaires is capable of wirelessly broadcasting a unique device identification, ID_4, ID_3, ID_1 and ID_2, respectively, as well as receiving such signals. Such broadcasts and receptions could be any suitable shortrange communication, such as WiFi, Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy, ZigBee or the like.

[0036] The installer uses an augmented reality device for the commissioning, here exemplified by a pair of augmented reality glasses 7, i.e. a pair of glasses allowing the installer to see a visual image with a computer generated overlay. High end augmented reality glasses 7, such as Microsoft Hololens or Apple Vision Pro, typically comprise vision cameras, audio reception, range sensing, displays for images with computer generated overlays, audio playback in multi-channel stereo, wireless transmitters and receivers for communication, such as WiFi and Bluetooth. The augmented reality glasses, like other augmented reality devices, also comprise controllers, such as data processors, allowing them to execute the necessary computer code for the desired purpose, in this particular case the commissioning of lighting systems. Such augmented reality glasses 7 will typically also be adapted for manual input, e.g. using hand gestures in conjunction with an overlay and range sensing.

[0037] The installer 1 needs to identify which luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 or other device is which in order to know which particular device the installer 1 is configuring, as part of the commissioning. Once recognized the installer 1 communicates with the luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 and configures it, inter alia coupling the device identification of the luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 to the physical location of the luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5. Input for the communication may be given directly to the augmented reality glasses 7 using e.g. the aforementioned gesture recognition, by voice commands, or via an associated input device. Once configured, or preferably already when it has been selected for configuration, the luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 stops broadcasting its device identification.

[0038] For this the augmented reality glasses 7 initially an / or continuously perform scans to discover un-commissioned luminaires 2, 3, 4, 5 in their surroundings. Once receiving a broadcast message from a luminaire, the augmented reality glasses add the luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5, i.e. its device identification together with the received signal strength indicator, RSSI, of the received broadcast message into a scan list 9, cf. Fig. 2. The scanning step lasts a certain duration, e.g. 30 seconds and a number of luminaires 2, 3, 4, 5 are then added into the scan list 9. As an alternative to simply using the received signal strength indicator, RSSI, other methods such as Wi-Fi Channel State Information, Wi-Fi CSI, could also be used.

[0039] The distance to the devices can be determined or at least roughly estimated by comparing the signal strengths of the broadcasts from the devices 2, 3, 4, 5. In the exemplified commissioning process the augmented reality glasses 7 therefore scan for and receive 7 the broadcasts of the identifications from the devices 2, 3, 4, 5 yet to be commissioned.

[0040] Based on the received signal strength indicators for each luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 a list 9 of the received signal strength indicators for each device identification can be established, and e.g. sorted according to the respective values of the received signal strength indicators. In the list 9 of Fig. 2 it is assumed that the list 9 has been refreshed and luminaire 3 been deleted from the list 9, e.g. because the installer has indicated that the configuring of the luminaire 3 has been started, has been finished, or because for these or other reasons luminaire 3 is no longer broadcasting its device identification, i.e. ID_3. The remaining luminaries 2, 4, 5 are, however, still un-commissioned and broadcast their respective identifications ID_4, ID_1 and ID_2 and are thus still in the list 9.

[0041] Wanting to carry out the process as quickly as possible the installer 1 wishes to identify not only the first luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 as the candidate for next luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 to be configured, but during the commissioning procedure also the next candidate luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 for commissioning as soon as possible, i.e. during the configuring of a current luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5. The next candidate for speedy commissioning, be it the first luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 to be commissioned in the commissioning procedure or a subsequent one, is most likely the closest un-commissioned luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 to the installer 1.

[0042] The received signal strength indicator can, however, only roughly reflect the distance between a luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 and the augmented reality glasses and is furthermore without any information about the location of and direction to the luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5. It is possible that the luminaire with the highest received signal strength indicator is close to the augmented reality glasses 7 worn by the installer 1 but not in the field of view 8 of the installer 1. This situation is illustrated in Fig. 1 where, the installer 1 is configuring luminaire

[0043] 3, and therefore has it in the field of view 8. The luminaire 2 with the highest signal strength on the list 9 of Fig. 2, however is not within the field of view 8.

[0044] In the illustrated example this would mean that if during the configuration of luminaire 3, luminaire 2 is selected as the next to be configured from the list 9 and identifies itself, which is typically done by prompting it to blink, the installer 1 cannot see it and has to look around to find it, e.g. because there are obstacles in the room blocking the vision. This is obviously inconvenient and inefficient. Other visual signaling may be envisaged, but for the illustrative purposes of this description it is assumed that blinking is used.

[0045] To overcome this problem, the augmented reality glasses 7 selects luminaire 2 because it has the strongest received signal strength indicator on the scan list 9 as a candidate for commissioning and prompt it to blink several times. The assumption is that the distance of the luminaire 2 with the strongest received signal strength indicator to the augmented reality glasses 7 is the shortest among all the luminaires 2, 4, 5 on the scan list 9. This allows the installer 1 to see the selected candidate for commissioning with the augmented reality glasses 7, provided it is within the field of vision 8 of the augmented reality glasses 7. If the latter is the case, the installer 1 can easily find the blinking luminaire 2 using the augmented reality glasses 7 to complete the commissioning thereof (i..e, identify luminaire 2 as the next to be comissioned luminaire).

[0046] If, on the other hand, it is not the case and the blinking luminaire 2 is outside the field of vision 8 of the augmented reality device, and the camera of the augmented reality glasses 7 is unable to detect a blinking luminaire, the augmented reality glasses 7 will reject the candidate for now, ask it to stop blinking, and select another un-commissioned luminaire

[0047] 4, 5 as a candidate and prompt this luminaire 4, 5 to blink instead. This procedure may then be repeated, preferably in the order of decreasing received signal strength indicators, until a candidate is found blinking in the field of vision 8 by the camera of the augmented reality glasses 7. This candidate may then be left blinking for the installer 1 to detect once his focus on the luminaire 3 currently under configuration ceases. This will then normally be repeated until all luminaires 2, 3, 4, 5 detected have been dealt with removed from the list 9 of uncommissioned luminaries 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0048] All of this selection process may autonomously be carried out by the augmented reality glasses 7 without any direct intervention of the installer. That is to say, the installer may concentrate on configuring the individual luminaires 2, 3, 4, 5 one by one, while the built-in data processor of the augmented reality glasses 7 executes a suitable program in the attempt to find a next candidate luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 within the field of vision 8 and cause it to identify itself as the next candidate to the installer 1 by blinking.

[0049] In Fig. 3 the commissioning procedure using the augmented reality glasses 7 is shown as a simplified flow chart.

[0050] In box 100 it is determined by the augmented reality glasses 7 that the commissioning procedure has started. Then in box 110 a fresh scan is made to populate the list 9. In box 120 the augmented reality glasses then selects the first luminaire on the list as a candidate luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 for commissioning, and in box 130 prompts the candidate luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 to blink. The candidate luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 blinks for a predetermined time, such as a few second, so as to allow the augmented reality glasses to detect it in the field of vision 8, for example by using the built-in camera. If in box 140 a blinking luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 is detected this luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5, is in box 150, selected as the next luminaire to be configured and preferably continues to blink until the installer starts configuring it, allowing it to be removed from the scan list 9 and / or stop broadcasting and therefore disappear in the next refreshing of the scan list in box 110. If on the other hand no blinking luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 is detected by the augmented reality glasses within the predetermined time, the blinking candidate luminaire is asked to stop blinking by the augmented reality glasses in box 160. Then, in box 170, another candidate luminaire is selected and in box 130 prompted to blink. This process may then be repeated until there are no more luminaires 2, 3, 4, 5 to be commissioned. Evidently, it cannot be guaranteed that there is always an uncommissioned luminaire 2, 3, 4, 5 in the field of vision 8 during configuration, and it may be that the installer will still have to turn to look to bring some, e.g. the last or last few luminaires 2, 3, 4, 5 into the field of vision when blinking, but overall a time saving is gained by the swift identification of the preceding luminaries commissioned.

[0051] The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used to advantage.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for selecting a next-to-be commissioned lighting device while commissioning a third lighting device using an augmented reality device in a lighting system comprising a plurality of lighting devices with wireless communication capability to be commissioned, the method comprising the steps of: identifying, using the augmented reality device, a number of uncommissioned lighting devices and establishing a list of un-commissioned lighting devices by scanning, using said augmented reality device, for broadcast messages including a device identification from lighting devices of said plurality of lighting devices, determining the received signal strength indicator of the broadcast messages and establishing a scan list comprising un-commissioned lighting devices including their respective received signal strength indicator prompting by the augmented reality device a first lighting device from the list of un-commissioned lighting devices to identify itself visually, determining using the augmented reality device whether the first lighting device is within the field of vision of the augmented reality device, if said first lighting device is within the field of vision of the augmented reality device, identifying the first lighting device as a candidate lighting device for commissioning, if said first lighting device is not within the field of vision of the augmented reality device, prompting by the augmented reality device a second lighting device from the list of un-commissioned lighting devices to identify itself visually.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first lighting device is the one with the strongest received signal strength indicator in the scan list.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the received signal strength indicators of the scan list are continuously updated.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first and second lighting devices are prompted by the augmented reality device to identify themselves by blinking.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the physical location of the respective lighting devices is determined during the commissioning using the augmented reality device.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the augmented reality device is augmented reality glasses.

7. A method according to any claim 6, wherein the augmented reality glasses comprise user input capabilities, the user input capabilities of the augmented reality glasses being used for the commissioning.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the wireless communication capacity comprises Bluetooth® Low Energy.

9. A controller of an augmented reality device for selecting a next-to-be commissioned lighting device while commissioning a third lighting device, said controller configured to identify a number of un-commissioned lighting devices and establish a list of un-commissioned lighting devices by scanning, using said augmented reality device, for broadcast messages including a device identification from lighting devices of said plurality of lighting devices, determining the received signal strength indicator of the broadcast messages and establishing a scan list comprising un-commissioned lighting devices including their respective received signal strength indicator prompt a first lighting device from the list of un-commissioned lighting devices to identify itself visually, determine whether the first lighting device is within the field of vision of the augmented reality device, if said first lighting device is with the field of vision of the augmented reality device, identify the first lighting device as a candidate lighting device for commissioning,if said first lighting device is not with the field of vision of the augmented reality device, prompt a second lighting device from the list of un-commissioned lighting devices to identify itself visually.

10. A computer program product for an augmented reality device, the computer program product comprising computer program code to perform the commissioning method of any one of claims 1 to 8, when the computer program product is run on a processing unit of augmented reality device.

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