Device and method for controlling a lighting means

• US 10,098,207 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2015
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart City Factory GmbH
• Original Assignee: ICE Gateway GmbH
• Inventors: Mokhtari, Ramin Lavae, Ascheid, Gerd
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fernandez, Pedro C
• Application Number:
  US14/962,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20160095193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/325 Pulse-width modulation [PWM]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/345 Current stabilisation; Maintaining constant current
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3725 Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/60 Circuit arrangements for operating LEDs comprising organic material, e.g. for operating organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] or polymer light-emitting diodes [PLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light

Abstract

A device for controlling a lighting means is provided, which comprises at least one communication means, configured to receive first data and transmit second data via at least one wireless communication network and to at least partially forward the first data. The at least partially forwarded first data comprise third data. The device also comprises at least one security means, configured to at least partially decrypt the third data and to at least partially encrypt fourth data. The second data are at least partially based on the at least partially encrypted fourth data. The device also comprises at least one signal processing means, configured to control a lighting means connected to the device at least partially depending on the at least partially encrypted third data, to at least partially generate and/or to receive the fourth data, and to forward the received and/or generated fourth data.

Claims

1. Device for controlling a lighting means, the device comprising:

a communications circuit comprising a first processor, wherein the communication circuit is configured to receive first data via at least one wireless communication network and to transmit second data via the at least one wireless communication network, wherein the communication circuit is furthermore configured to forward the first data via a connection between the communication circuit and a signal processing circuit, wherein the forwarded first data comprise encrypted third data, wherein the second data are based on encrypted fourth data,

a hardware security module, which is configured to decrypt the encrypted third data and to encrypt the fourth data, and

a signal processing circuit comprising at least one of a second processor and a FPGA circuit, wherein the signal processing circuit is configured to control a lighting means connected with the device depending on the decrypted third data, wherein the signal processing circuit is furthermore configured to at least one of generate and receive the fourth data and to forward the fourth data via the connection between the communication circuit and the signal processing circuit, and

wherein each of the communication circuit, the hardware security module and the signal processing circuit comprises a different hardware module.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the signal processing circuit and the hardware security module is furthermore configured to reset the communication circuit.

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the communication circuit is configured to at least one of regularly transmit a status message to at least one of the signal processing circuit and the hardware security module and regularly forward first data to the signal processing circuit, and wherein at least one of the signal processing circuit and the hardware security module causes or cause a reset of the communications circuit, if such regular transmission and/or forwarding is absent.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein the hardware security module is furthermore configured to at least partially verify the integrity of the third data.

5. Device according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit is configured to receive sensor data from at least one sensor connected with the device.

6. Device according to claim 5, wherein the signal processing circuit is furthermore configured to control the lighting means connected with the device at least partially depending on the sensor data.

7. Device according to claim 4, wherein the signal processing circuit is furthermore configured to at least partially process the sensor data so that the sensor data are at least partially at least one of compressed, prepared, and evaluated, and wherein the fourth data at least partially comprise the processed sensor data.

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit is furthermore configured to at least partially control the transmission of the second data.

9. Device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit is furthermore configured to receive the first data via a first wireless communication network and to transmit the second data via the first wireless communication network, and wherein the communication means are furthermore configured to receive fifth data via a second wireless communication network and to transmit sixth data via the second wireless communication network.

10. Device according to claim 9, wherein the first wireless communication network is part of a machine-to-machine network, and wherein the second wireless communication network is a wireless local network.

11. Device according to claim 9, wherein the second data are at least partially based on the fifth data, and wherein the sixth data are at least partially based on the first data.

12. Device according to claim 9, wherein the communication circuit is furthermore configured to provide a local access point, in particular a webserver, which can be accessed via the second wireless communication network.

13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the first data and the second data are at least partially encrypted.

14. Device according to claim 1, wherein the hardware security module is disposed in the connection between the communication circuit and the signal processing circuit, so that the first data forwarded by the communication circuit and the fourth data forwarded by the signal processing circuit are transmitted via the hardware security module.

15. Device according to claim 14, wherein the communication circuit, the signal processing circuit and the hardware security module in each case comprise at least one different circuit block of an integrated circuit, in particular an Application Specific Integrated Circuit.

16. Device according to claim 1, wherein the first data comprise one or more computer programs with program instructions for at least one of the communication circuit, the signal processing circuit and the hardware security module.

17. Device according to claim 1, wherein the device furthermore comprises:

one or more energy supply means, which are configured to supply the communication circuit, the signal processing circuit and the hardware security module and the lighting means connected with the device with energy, wherein the signal processing circuit is configured to at least partially control the energy supply of lighting means by the energy supply means.

18. Device according to claim 17, wherein the energy supply means comprise:

a power supply unit configured to supply the device with energy, wherein the output voltage of the power supply unit is a direct voltage in the extra-low voltage range between 0 and 120 Volts, and

a driver circuit configured to provide power for operating the at least one lighting means connected with the device, wherein the input voltage of the driver circuit is the output voltage of the power supply unit, and wherein the driver circuit is controllable by the signal processing circuit.

21. System, comprising:

at least one central control device; and

at least one device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one central control device is configured to control the at least one device.

19. Method for controlling a lighting means, comprising:

receiving first data via at least one wireless communication network by a communication circuit,

forwarding the first data via a connection between the communication circuit and a signal processing circuit, wherein the forwarded first data comprise encrypted third data,

decrypting the encrypted third data by a hardware security module,

controlling a lighting means depending on the decrypted third data by the signal processing circuit,

at least one of generating and receiving fourth data by the signal processing circuit,

forwarding the fourth data via the connection between the communication circuit and the signal processing circuit by the signal processing circuit, and

encrypting the fourth data by the hardware security module,

transmitting second data via the at least on wireless communication network by the communication circuit, wherein the second data are based on the encrypted fourth data, and

wherein each of the communication circuit, the signal processing circuit and the hardware security module comprises a different hardware module.

20. A machine-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, the computer program comprising:

program instructions, causing a device to perform the steps of the method according to claim 19, if the computer program is run by one or more processors of the device.