Time-Multiplexed Localization Beacon Signals in Wireless Lighting Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Beacon transmissions used for indoor positioning can cause harmful interference with control transmissions in wireless lighting control systems, leading to degraded illumination performance due to increased packet losses.

Innovation Solution

Implementing an interference-aware beaconing solution that time-multiplexes localization beacon signals with control-related signals, allowing them to coexist without interference by scheduling beacon transmissions during allocated time slots when no sensing events are detected, ensuring that control-related signals are communicated on the same or overlapping frequency bands.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If beacon transmissions are implemented for indoor positioning, then location detection capability is improved, but control signal transmission reliability deteriorates due to harmful interference

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation detection capabilityVSAvoidcontrol signal transmission reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The wireless communication channel is segmented into distinct time slots: beacon transmission time slots and control signal transmission time slots. This temporal segmentation prevents interference between beacon signals and control signals by ensuring they do not occupy the channel simultaneously, thus maintaining both location detection capability and control signal reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Beacon transmissions are implemented as periodic actions occurring at predetermined intervals in dedicated time slots. This periodic structure allows the system to maintain regular location updates while ensuring control signals can transmit without interference during their allocated time periods, resolving the contradiction between continuous location detection and reliable control communication

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

2Measurement precision

If beacon transmissions are increased for better positioning accuracy, then location precision is improved, but packet loss increases leading to degraded illumination performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidillumination performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The communication resources are segmented into dedicated beacon time slots and control signal time slots. This segmentation ensures that increasing beacon transmission frequency for better positioning accuracy does not interfere with control signal transmission, thereby preventing packet loss and maintaining illumination performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Beacon transmissions follow a periodic schedule with predetermined time slots, allowing the system to achieve sufficient positioning accuracy through regular updates without causing continuous interference. The periodic nature ensures control signals can transmit successfully during their allocated periods, preventing degradation of illumination performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP3262339B1Time-multiplex transmission of localisation beacon signals and control-related signals
Publication Date: 2021.08.25 SIGNIFY HOLDING BV
  • EP3262339B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3262339B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3262339B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A localization system comprising a plurality of wireless reference nodes for detecting a location of a mobile device within an environment. Each node transmits localization beacon signals to be detected by the mobile device, and/or listens for localization beacon signals from the mobile device. Further, the system also provides or contributes to providing another utility into the environment (e.g. each node being a luminaire); and transmits and/or listens for control-related signals, other than localization beacon signals, related to controlling the provision of said utility, the control related signals being communicated on a same or overlapping frequency band as the localization beacon signals, one or more controllers are configured to control the transmission of and/or listening for the control-related signals to be time-multiplexed into different time slots than the transmission and/or listening for the localization beacon signals, between the time-slots of the control- related signals.