Analysis and address allocation of wireless building networks

• US 10,057,876 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tridonic GmbH & Co. KG (Zumtobel Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Tridonic GmbH & Co. KG (Zumtobel Group AG)
• Inventors: Holleis, Edgar John, Zudrell-Koch, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Van Roie, Justin T
• Application Number:
  US15/441,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0087 using auxiliary channels or channel simulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/225 for indoor or short range network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/199 Commissioning of light sources

Abstract

A network node for a lighting network, the node is at least one of: a light sensor; a motion sensor; lighting means; a control device; or an operating device for the lighting means; and includes means for measuring the signal quality or signal strength of the wireless connection to all wirelessly connected further nodes, storage means configured to store connection information e.g. based on the signal quality or signal strength together with an identifier for the associated wirelessly connected further node(s), and means for wirelessly forwarding the connection information to another node, wherein the network node is configured to receive at least one test pattern and/or to re-send the test pattern, the test pattern including the network node'"'"'s identifier, e.g. the MAC address.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a plurality of wirelessly communicating nodes, at least one of said wirelessly communicating nodes being a lighting means and the remaining wirelessly communicating nodes are individually selected from the group consisting of;

a light sensor;

a motion sensor;

an acoustic sensor; and

an operating device for said lighting means,

at least two vertices, and

computing means configured for;

building a measured connectivity graph based on the connection information of said wirelessly communicating nodes, each vertex of said measured connectivity graph corresponding to an identifier of one of said wirelessly communicating nodes,

producing a simulated connectivity graph based on a predefined known spatial arrangement of the wirelessly communicating nodes as well as the building environment of the wirelessly communicating nodes, each vertex of said simulated connectivity graph corresponding to a spatial position and wherein the simulated connectivity graph uses a ray-tracing method to simulate connectivity between the wirelessly communicating nodes, and

associating an identifier of the measured connectivity graph with a spatial position of the simulated connectivity graph by matching the measured connectivity graph and the simulated connectivity graph, wherein the wirelessly communicating nodes comprise;

means for measuring a physical parameter of the wireless connection to all wirelessly connected nodes,

storage means configured to store connection information based on the measured physical parameter together with an identifier for each associated node of the wirelessly connected nodes,

means for wirelessly forwarding the connection information to another node, and

means for at least one of;

sending;

receiving;

or echoing at least one test pattern, the test pattern including the wirelessly communicating node'"'"'s identifier,

wherein measured connection information provided by a first of the wirelessly connected network nodes is combined by a third of the wirelessly connected network nodes with measured connection information provided by a second of the wirelessly connected network nodes.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the two graphs are at least partially matched.

3. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the connection information is provided as a neighbor table.

4. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein measurement of the connection information is triggered by a specific command sent to the wirelessly communicating nodes, wherein all wirelessly communicating nodes activate respective receiving means.

5. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein a test pattern is propagated to the wirelessly communicating nodes, wherein all wirelessly communicating nodes re-send the pattern, wherein the test pattern includes each sending wirelessly communicating node'"'"'s identifier and wherein the pattern messages are sent:

at different levels of transmission power, or in different sub-channels, or using at least one of;

different encoding schemes or antenna configurations.

6. The lighting system of claim 5, wherein the test pattern is used to measure time of flight.

7. The lighting system of claim 5, wherein the wirelessly communicating nodes receiving the test pattern store the originating wirelessly communicating node'"'"'s identifier and derive a channel characteristic for the communication channel the pattern was received on, and wherein, of all received test patterns, the wirelessly communicating nodes compose neighbor tables.