Smart

Smart Lighting, Controls, Networks and IoT

Paradigm Changes in Lighting Are Challenging Lighting Companies

Fabien Bubendorff has a Master in Electronic Engineering and has 10 years' experience in the lighting industry. He has spent more than 13 years living in China. He worked as a Product Manager for a Retail Lighting Company, for the Last 5 years he was responsible for Wever&Ducré as the Head of R&D in China and for the last years Head of R&D at XAL in Austria. Now he has founded an independent consultancy to support European Lighting Companies to deal with these future challenges. He specialized in finding the optimal balance between function and cost to increase product profitability. Read more »

Ledvance's New Portfolio Provides Smart Lighting for a Better Living Experience

An increasing number of customers are looking to integrate smart home functions in their residential area. With Professional Smart for Residential and the new Ledvance PARATHOM® portfolio, Ledvance supports professional users such as installers to achieve the full potential of connected lighting for their customers. The new Ledvance PARATHOM® portfolio for residential and garden areas can be controlled optionally by voice command or app and offers a suitable solution for a wide range of requirements. The portfolio impresses with a combination of quality, innovation, reliability and user-friendliness and is complemented by easy installation, good value for money and features such as color and color temperature change or dimming capabilities. Read more »

A New LED Controller Technology to Expedite the Next Level of Smart Lighting

Lighting installations that use artificial lighting and often deemed more comfortable and energy efficient are generally referred to as "Smart Lighting". While no clear definition exists "Smart Lighting" has become a common catch phrase. Kurt Marquardt, Senior Director LED Lighting Systems and Product Marketing, Infineon Technologies has a more accurate definition. For him, the term "smart lighting" describes the capability of the lighting system to adapt automatically to the needs of the users and the room. He presents an alternative way to implement smart lighting systems, using the new XDPL8221 digital LED-driver IC [1]. Read more »

Smart Lighting + IoT | Tools | Software | Emergency Lighting | Jul 16, 2020

Myers Emergency Power Systems Introduces Smart IoT Connectivity Solution for Inverters

Myers Emergency Power Systems (Myers EPS), a leading designer and manufacturer of backup power solutions, today announced the introduction of its IoT Inverter Connect technology, a secure and innovative communication platform that conveniently monitors and logs data from the company's central emergency lighting inverters to save time and enhance building safety. Read more »

EnOcean Adds New IoT Starter Kit to Product Portfolio

EnOcean, a pioneer of energy harvesting and wireless IoT communications, today released a starter kit that simplifies the integration of EnOcean wireless sensors with Aruba Wi-Fi access points. Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, and EnOcean have partnered to facilitate the integration of IoT sensors into existing IT infrastructure, levering IT security mechanisms to protect IoT data and devices. Used in conjunction with a separately purchased Aruba access point, the new IoT starter kit named EISKA for the European market and EISKU for the North American market includes an EnOcean EMSIx multisensor, an Easyfit wireless switch, an EnOcean USB stick, and demonstration software. All devices support the EnOcean radio standard (ISO/IEC 14543-3-10/11). Read more »

LSI Industries - AirLink Blue™ Wireless Bluetooth Mesh Network Solution for Outdoor Lighting

LSI Industries said today that it has launched its new AirLink Blue wireless outdoor lighting control system. This simple, highly-configurable product uses Bluetooth mesh technology to manage designated zones of outdoor illumination on commercial property – helping customers enhance safety, reduce energy costs and comply with applicable regulations. Read more »

Touchscreens Are Going 3D with University of Bristol's Innovative New Spray-On Technique

Inspired by the way an artist creates graffiti on a wall and using a novel combination of sprayable electronics and 3D printing, the technique, called ProtoSpray, allows the creation of displays on surfaces that go beyond the usual rectangular and 2D shapes. Read more »

Resources | Commentary | Smart Lighting + IoT | Health + Wellbeing | May 04, 2020

Personal Lighting Profiles Might Be the Key to Creating a Natural "Work Light Balance"

Commentary from LpR 76: Henrik Clausen has been involved in lighting for over 30 years in both commercial and academic positions. In 1996, he became the Managing Director of Fagerhult Lighting in Denmark, and held that position until 2004, when he founded the Fagerhult Lighting Academy. In 2015 he also became Head of Research for Fagerhult. He holds a position as professor in Lighting Design at AAU in Copenhagen. He guest lectures at various Universities around the world. He speaks worldwide, primarily addressing the human and emotional aspects of light and lighting design. Read more »

Thread Group and DiiA Collaborate to Shape the Future of IoT Lighting for Commercial Buildings

The Thread Group, an alliance addressing convergence, security, power, and architecture challenges at the network layer, and the DiiA, the global DALI alliance of companies from the lighting and sensor industries, have announced a liaison agreement today with the shared intention of accelerating IoT adoption in commercial buildings. Read more »

SSL | Smart Lighting + IoT | Components | Apr 28, 2020

Douglas Lighting Controls® Introduces New Intelligent Fixture Sensor and Intelligent Fixture Controller

Douglas Lighting Controls®, a member of the Panasonic family of companies, recently introduced the new Intelligent Fixture Sensor (IFS) and Intelligent Fixture Controller (IFC) to its high-performance lighting products portfolio. Specially designed for Luminaire Level Lighting Controls (LLLC), the IFS units can be deployed as independent, fixture-mounted occupancy and daylight sensors. As an alternative, they can be networked with the Dialog® controllers and other devices in the Dialog ecosystem, including wall station switches, load controllers and low voltage ceiling mount sensors, to create a complete Bluetooth® wireless lighting control system. Read more »

Making Office Lighting Smart with HubSense from Osram

Osram presents the HubSense intelligent lighting management system, an easy-to-commission and scalable solution for retrofitting LED office lighting. HubSense is based on standardized "Qualified Bluetooth Mesh" technology and is ideal for upgrading existing lighting systems in small and medium-sized businesses. Existing installations can therefore be updated without new cabling and without the use of a gateway or any other IT equipment. HubSense is also suitable for new installations in single offices, open-plan offices, corridors and conference rooms and offers the flexibility needed to adapt the lighting to changes in room usage. Read more »

Signify Upgrades Sensor Ready LED Driver Portfolio with New D4i Standard

Signify, the world leader in lighting, has upgraded its portfolio of compact Philips Xitanium Sensor Ready Xtreme LED drivers for outdoor applications with the recently granted D4i certification. This certification program is designed to deliver standardization in the market, drive wider adoption of IoT connectivity in lighting and aid smart city or building projects. It makes it very attractive and easy for customers to switch to connected lighting or install Connect Ready luminaires with D4i certified drivers now, and upgrade to connectivity later. By Q2 2020, Signify will also upgrade the complete non-isolated Philips Xitanium Dimmable Sensor Ready driver portfolio for indoor applications to the new D4i standard, to facilitate the rapid market adoption of energy-saving technologies and drive standardization. Read more »

Zigbee Alliance and DiiA Collaborate to Standardize DALI-Zigbee Gateways

The Zigbee Alliance, an organization of hundreds of companies creating, maintaining, and delivering open, global standards for the Internet of Things (IoT), and the Digital Illumination Interface Alliance (DiiA), the global industry organization for DALI lighting control, today announced they are working together to bring further standardization and system interoperability to the IoT luminaires space. This development will help stakeholders realize the benefits of combining wired DALI lighting-control systems with wireless Zigbee networks as the IoT progresses. Read more »

Zhaga Publishes Book 20: Smart Interface Between Indoor Luminaires and Sensing/Communication Modules

Zhaga Book 20 defines a smart interface between an indoor LED luminaire and a sensing/communication module. The module connects to the LED driver, and typically provides sensory inputs or enables communication between network components. Zhaga member companies can now access the specification and certify luminaires according to the Zhaga-D4i certification program. Dekra and Intertek are the accredited test centers. Read more »

MiraOS Release 2.4 - Getting Started with Wireless Mesh Products Made Easier

LumenRadio´s focus is to develop the most resilient and Future-Proof connectivity solution on the market, but their vision is also to make it easier for development teams to implement wireless technology into their products, something that is clearly shown in the new 2.4 version of MiraOS. Read more »

Smart Lighting + IoT | Business | Company News | Partnerships | Apr 01, 2020

Lutron, Cree Lighting Collaborate to Expand Connected Lighting Solutions in U.S. Market

Lutron Electronics, the industry leader in smart, scalable lighting control solutions, and Cree Lighting, a global market leader in innovative LED lighting solutions, are teaming up to introduce a variety of new connected lighting products to the market: Cree Lighting indoor and outdoor fixtures offered with Lutron wired and wireless digital fixture control technologies. Read more »

SSL | Smart Lighting + IoT | Components | Controls | Mar 16, 2020

Code Mercenaries Offers a New Approach to Configure IEC62386 Buses with BusMaster

IEC62386 is a well-established option for lighting control in SmartHome and SmartBuilding applications. Costs for IEC62386 components have dropped in recent years and the selection of components has grown significantly. Though the configuration of the bus remains a challenge for the installers. The cabling is quite different from classic cabling since the bus has to run parallel to the power line. But the major problem is the usually very complicated deployment software for setting up the configuration of the bus components. Read more »

Xicato Expands Family of Smart Drivers with Wireless Control and the Best 0.1% Flicker-Free Dimming in the Industry

Xicato, the leading provider of smart building Bluetooth wireless controls and highest quality light sources, today announced a major expansion of its family of Smart Drivers for customers that want the most compact, reliable and efficient Luminaires with the best dimming quality in the industry. Building on the success of the Xicato Integrated Module (XIM), Intelligent Driver (XID), and Miniature Driver (XMD), Xicato is enabling new, sleek, compact, 1- and 2-channel designs that enable and accelerate the market adoption of DC distribution in building infrastructure. In addition to reducing energy conversion losses, these drivers enable flexibility in the placement and minimal use of AC-DC power conversion stages, thereby reducing overall cost of equipment and maintenance. All Xicato drivers feature deep, smooth, monotonic dimming to 0.1%, with fade-on and fade-off and, fully comply with and exceed IEEE 1789 compliant flicker standards that ensure occupant health and comfort. Read more »

Lumitronix Announces MiniController Casambi Classic and LED Modules for Ledil's Dark Light Optics Daisy-Mini

Among the new products prepared for Light + Building 2020 by Lumitronix are the MiniController Casambi Classic and the MiniDaisy LED modules. The control unit for LED modules with Tunable White technology are extremely compact and can be conveniently operated via smartphone or tablet using the Casambi App, while the MiniDaisy LED modules which were designed in close cooperation with the Finnish optics manufacturer Ledil are compatible with the new Daisy-Mini linear optics and are intended for use in office or workplace luminaires. Read more »

Wireless | Smart Lighting + IoT | Outdoor Applications | Luminaires | Feb 26, 2020

Venture Lighting Introduces Intelligent Outdoor Luminaires Enabled By Synapse Wireless®

Venture Lighting International has partnered with Synapse Wireless®, a leader in wireless lighting controls systems, to enhance the capabilities of several key product lines. Starting with outdoor area lighting, Venture Lighting is now offering intelligent luminaires enabled by Synapse, to the Environ LED area lighting family and VFlood product lines. Venture is working towards extending the same control capabilities to its LED highbays for indoor, industrial applications as well. Read more »

Smart Lighting + IoT | Driver Modules | Components | Controls | Feb 18, 2020

New Casambi-Enabled LED Drivers from Harvard

Casambi provides a modern wireless lighting control system based on Bluetooth Low Energy, the only low power wireless technology in all modern smart phones, tablets and even smart watches. Working with Holders, Harvard Power Systems have integrated a Casambi node into its full range of CoolLED PRO CLi Series LED drivers whilst retaining all their high specification features in their ultra-compact size – the drivers are half the size of other lower technology drivers. The key advantage of the smaller case size of Harvard LED drivers is that they fit through relatively small 40 mm or 56 mm holes in the ceiling, making them ideal as a fast-fit solution for use with LED downlights. Read more »

Vishay Launches Integrated RGBC-IR Sensors With I²C Interface in Low Profile Packages

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. broadens its optoelectronics portfolio with new RGBC-IR sensors for applications such as automatic white balancing and color cast correction in digital cameras; automatic LCD backlight adjustment; and active monitoring of LED color output for IoT and smart lighting. The new VEML3328 (top-looking) and VEML3328SL (side-looking) sensors offer better linearity and higher sensitivity compared to previous generation devices, as well as new features including an infrared (IR) channel. Read more »

Smart Lighting + IoT | Business | Company News | Partnerships | Jan 22, 2020

CASAMBI Extends Technology Partnership with Osram

Casambi®, the pioneer and market leader in wireless lighting controls and networks based on Bluetooth Low Energy, is deepening its technology partnership with OSRAM. An agreement has been signed that will see Osram leverage the benefits of Casambi's class-leading embedded Bluetooth module and software technology. The move will act as a solid base to develop further intelligent Casambi-ready hardware, as well as lighting control software solutions for the professional lighting market. Read more »

Xicato Expands Family of Miniature Smart Drivers with Wireless Control

Xicato, the leading provider of smart building wireless controls and highest quality light sources, today announced the general availability of XMD, a purpose-built form factor Xicato grade driver that fits into compact track adapters for elegant designs. XMD's narrow, rectangular and low-profile footprint allows Luminaire designs with minimal visual impact with deep-dimming and smart driver control with wireless BLE option. Read more »

Smart Lighting + IoT | Systems + Applications | Indoor Applications | Controls | Oct 04, 2019

Douglas Lighting Controls® Introduces DMX 4-Color Control (RGBW) Solution to Dialog® Family

Douglas Lighting Controls®, a member of the Panasonic family of companies, recently introduced the DMX 4-Color Control (RGBW) solution to their line of high-performance Dialog® framework. Designed for lobby and color change accent lighting applications, the new technology allows integration of 4-channel fixtures within Douglas Lighting Controls centralized lighting control system via WDB-RGB4. Read more »

Telensa Urban IQ Solution Connects Sensors Through Smart Streetlight Infrastructure

Telensa, the leader in connected street lighting and smart city data applications, today announced the launch of Urban IQ. A future-proof, open solution designed to connect sensors using smart streetlight infrastructure and visualise the data collected. Telensa is the world leader in smart street lighting, and Urban IQ is a natural addition. The evolution of smart city sensing is at an early stage, and cities cannot predict the mix of sensors and networks needed to support future projects. Urban IQ uses the light poles' perfect position to host multiple sensors, connected using the best-fit lighting and cellular networks. Telensa has created Urban IQ to enable cities to deploy sensors today and to support any future smart city strategy. Read more »

Highly Efficient NFC Programming Method for LED Drivers

For fast and cost-effective implementation of NFC programming for LED drivers, Infineon Technologies AG developed the NFC-PWM series NLM0011 and NLM0010. NFC programming is an emerging technology designed to replace the labor-intensive "plug-in resistor" current setting method via contactless NFC interface. Besides improving the operational efficiency by enabling automatic programming in the manufacturing line, it creates significant flexibility in the value chain. With this it reduces the LED driver variants, simplifies the selection of LED modules, and allows end-of-line configuration. Read more »

Demonstration at LpS Shows Zhaga-D4i's Plug-and-Play Interoperability of Streetlighting

Plug-and-play interoperability between luminaires and sensors and communication modules is an essential requirement for Smart City lighting. This has been the primary motivation for the collaboration between the Zhaga Consortium and the Digital Illumination Interface Alliance (DiiA) over the upcoming Zhaga-D4i specifications. Both organisations are therefore proud to announce that booth C17 at the LED professional Symposium in Bregenz showcased the world's first Zhaga-D4i interoperability demonstration. Read more »

Zhaga-D4i Certification Signals Plug-and-Play Interoperability

The new Zhaga-D4i certification program and logo indicates plug-and-play interoperability of luminaires, sensors and communication nodes, and represents an important collaboration between two major, innovative lighting-industry organizations, Zhaga and DiiA. Read more »

Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Dr. Scott Wade, Technical & Certification Manager, DiiA

Dr. Scott Wade has been the Technical & Certification Manager for DALI/DiiA since 2013 and has been an industry expert member of the IEC62386 standardization team for about 14 years. He was invited to hold a lecture at the LpS 2018 about the founding of DiiA for the purpose of taking over the DALI trademark from ZVEI and discussed measures that were taken to further develop the standard and its certification process and make the DALI concept future proof with DALI-2. Read more »