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US-12621918-B2 - Modules for a luminaire, luminaire and system

US12621918B2US 12621918 B2US12621918 B2US 12621918B2US-12621918-B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a module ( 1 a ) for a luminaire. The module ( 1 a ) comprises a processing unit ( 2 a ) and a transmitter ( 3 a ) for wireless communication. The module ( 1 a ) may be electrically connected with a bus of the luminaire. In response to an event and/or a command of the luminaire, the processing unit ( 2 a ) is configured to control the transmitter ( 3 a ) to transmit a data packet ( 6 ), when the module ( 1 a ) is electrically connected with the bus of the luminaire. The data packet ( 6 ) comprises information on the event and/or the command of the luminaire in association with an address of the luminaire and a packet number; wherein the packet number is incremented by a number, optionally by one, each time the processing unit ( 2 a ) controls the transmitter ( 3 a ) to transmit the data packet ( 6 ). The invention relates to a further module, a luminaire and a system comprising the module and the further module.

Inventors

  • Thomas Steffens

Assignees

  • ZUMTOBEL LIGHTING GMBH

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20220920
Priority Date
20210922

Claims (11)

  1. 1 . A module ( 1 a ) for a luminaire, wherein the module ( 1 a ) comprises a processing unit ( 2 a ) and a transmitter ( 3 a ) for wireless communication; the module ( 1 a ) is configured to be electrically connected with a bus of the luminaire, in response to an event and/or a command of the luminaire, the processing unit ( 2 a ) is configured to control the transmitter ( 3 a ) to transmit a data packet ( 6 ), when the module ( 1 a ) is electrically connected with the bus of the luminaire; and the data packet ( 6 ) comprises information on the event and/or the command of the luminaire in association with an address of the luminaire and a packet number; wherein the packet number is incremented by a number, optionally incremented by one, each time the processing unit ( 2 a ) controls the transmitter ( 3 a ) to transmit the data packet ( 6 ); and wherein the module ( 1 a ) comprises a receiver ( 4 a ) for wireless communication and a data storage ( 5 a ); the receiver ( 4 a ) is configured to receive data packets, each comprising information on an event and/or a command in association with the address of a further luminaire, which transmitted the received data packets, and a packet number; wherein the later a respective received data packet of the received data packets has been transmitted by the further luminaire the greater the packet number of the respective received data packet; and wherein the processing unit ( 2 a ) is configured to chronologically store, in the data storage ( 5 a ), the different packet numbers of the received data packets in association with the address of the further luminaire, compute for the address of the further luminaire, based on the different packet numbers of the received data packets, an error rate with regard to receiving the data packets from the further luminaire, and perform an action dependent on the information on the event and/or the command of the received data packets, in case the computed error rate is less than or equal to a threshold for the error rate; and further wherein the processing unit ( 2 a , 2 b ) is configured to perform the action dependent on the event and/or the command of the received data packets, and stop performing the action, in case the computed error rate is greater than the threshold for the error rate.
  2. 2 . The module ( 1 b ) according to claim 1 , wherein wherein the packet number is incremented by a number, each time the processing unit ( 2 b ) controls the transmitter ( 3 b ) to transmit the data packet ( 6 ).
  3. 3 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 1 , wherein in response to the event and/or the command of the luminaire, the processing unit ( 2 a , 2 b ) is configured to control the transmitter ( 3 a , 3 b ) to repeatedly and periodically transmit the data packet.
  4. 4 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 1 , wherein the action comprises converting the information on the event and/or the command of the received data packets into DALI-2 bus signals, and inputting the DALI-2 bus signals to the bus, when the module ( 1 a , 1 b ) is electrically connected with the bus.
  5. 5 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 1 , wherein the received data packets each comprise a count; and when the count of the received data packets is greater than zero, the action comprises: decrementing the count of each received data packet of the received data packets by one; generating, based on each received data packet of the received data packets, a further data packet comprising the decremented count and the information on the event and/or the command of the respective received data packet in association with an address of the luminaire and a further packet number, wherein the further packet number is incremented by a number, each time the processing unit ( 2 a ) controls the transmitter ( 3 a ) to transmit the further data packet ( 6 ); and controlling the transmitter ( 3 a , 3 b ) to transmit the further data packet.
  6. 6 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit ( 2 a , 2 b ) is configured to compute for the address of the further luminaire the error rate when the number of received packets each comprising the address of the further luminaire is greater than or equal to a threshold for the number of received packets.
  7. 7 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 6 , wherein the processing unit ( 2 a , 2 b ) is configured to compute for the address of the further luminaire the error rate based on a currently received data packet comprising the address of the further luminaire by determining, based on data stored in the data storage ( 5 a , 5 b ), the packet number of a previously received data packet comprising the address of the further luminaire, wherein the amount of data packets received between the previously received data packet and the currently received data packet is one less than the threshold for the number of received data packets, computing a difference between the packet number of the currently received data packet and the determined packet number, dividing the computed difference by the threshold for the number of received packets.
  8. 8 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 1 , wherein when the data storage ( 5 a , 5 b ) is full, the processing unit ( 2 a , 2 b ) is configured to overwrite the packet number stored for the longest time in the data storage with the packet number of a currently received data packet.
  9. 9 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 1 , wherein the data packet to be transmitted by the transmitter ( 3 a , 3 b ) or each of the received data packets comprises: information on whether the information on the event and/or the command of the data packet is to be transmitted by a luminaire receiving the data packet; and/or a checksum.
  10. 10 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 1 wherein said transmitter is an infrared transmitter and said receiver is an infrared receiver.
  11. 11 . The module ( 1 a , 1 b ) according to claim 1 wherein the bus is a DALI-2 bus.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application is the U.S. national stage application of international application PCT/EP2022/076068 filed Sep. 20, 2022, which international application was published on Mar. 30, 2023 as International Publication WO 2023/046668 A1. The international application claims priority to European Patent Application 21198249.1, filed Sep. 22, 2021. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to modules for a luminaire, a luminaire comprising one of such modules and a system comprising such modules. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For providing lighting to an area, such as an indoor area (e.g. an office, a private home etc.) or outdoor area (e.g. street lighting), it is known to arrange a plurality of luminaires in the area, wherein each luminaire may contribute to the lighting of the area by emitting light. A luminaire of the luminaires may be configured to emit light dependent on the environment of the luminaire. For example, the luminaire may comprise a sensor for detecting presence of a person in a vicinity of the luminaire, wherein as soon as presence of a person is detected the luminaire may start emitting light. In addition or alternatively, the luminaire may be configured to start light emission in response to a person turning the luminaire on via a light switch. Optionally, the light emission of the other luminaires in the area may also be controlled dependent on the light emission of the aforementioned luminaire. That is, in case the luminaire starts light emission in response to detecting a person in its vicinity, neighboring luminaires may be controlled to also start light emission. This provides an improved lighting of the area for the person, because the area is not only lighted in the vicinity of the luminaire detecting the person, but may also be lighted by the neighboring luminaires. This increases the part of the area that is lighted. For this, wireless signals may be communicated among the luminaires allowing the luminaires to emit light dependent on the state and/or commands of other luminaires. Thus, in case a luminaire detects presence of a person in its vicinity, the luminaire may start emitting light. In addition, the luminaire may wirelessly transmit a wireless signal or data packet indicating this event (detection of the presence of a person), in order to inform neighboring luminaires about this event allowing the neighboring luminaires to also react to this event e.g. by emitting light. Optionally, when a neighboring luminaire receives the wireless signal or data packet indicating that the luminaire detected a presence of a person in its vicinity, the neighboring luminaire also starts emitting light. However, due to environmental issues the wireless signals or data packets wirelessly communicated among the luminaires may not always be received at a respective luminaire with the same quality. In particular, in case a neighboring luminaire is arranged at the border of the transmission range of a luminaire wirelessly transmitting a data packet or wireless signal, it may happen that the neighboring luminaire merely receives a part of the data packet or wireless signal or does not receive the data packet or wireless signal at all. This may lead to a case, in which the neighboring luminaire arranged at the border of the transmission range sometimes reacts to a wireless communication from the luminaire and sometimes not. As a result, in case the reaction is light emission, the light emission of the neighboring luminaire arranged on the border of the transmission range may be sporadically switched on and off. That is, the neighboring luminaire does not behave as it is intended by the wireless communication. In contrast, this may lead to an unwanted switching on and off of light emission of the neighboring luminaire, which may be disturbing for a person in the area. In particular, the switching on of the light emission of the neighboring luminaire triggered by the wireless communication may be sporadic dependent on whether the wireless communication is received or not by the neighboring luminaire. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the light of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide means allowing to overcome the aforementioned drawback. These and other objects, which become apparent upon reading the following description, are solved by the subject-matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims refer to preferred embodiments of the invention. According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a module for a luminaire is provided. The module comprises a processing unit and a transmitter for wireless communication. The module is configured to be electrically connected with a bus of the luminaire. In response to an event and/or a command of the luminaire, the processing unit is configured to control the transmitter to transmit a data packet when the module is electrically connected with the bus of the luminaire. The data packe