LIGHTING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A LIGHTING SYSTEM

• US 20100309016A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Wendt, Matthias, Budde, Wolfgang Otto, Lemma, Aweke Negash
• Granted Patent: US 10,045,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.22
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

A lighting system and a method for a operating a lighting system, enabling to obtain an identification tag (7) comprised in lighting design data (5) directly from an output beam (3), i.e. from the emitted light of the at least one lighting unit (2). It is thus possible to trace any unauthorized distribution of a lighting design by monitoring the emitted light without the need to directly access the controller or any other part of the lighting system.

Claims

1. A lighting system, comprising

at least one controllable lighting unit for providing an output beam of light and

a controller for supplying control commands to the at least one lighting unit, the controller comprising means for receiving lighting design data including an identification tag and configured to generate said control commands from said received lighting design data, wherein said control commands are generated so that said output beam comprises a detectable signal corresponding to said identification tag.

2. Lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said identification tag comprises information associated with individual elements of the lighting design data.

3. Lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said lighting design data comprises abstract atmosphere definitions.

4. Lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said detectable signal is invisible to the human eye.

5. Lighting system according to claim 1, comprising at least one detector, arranged to detect said signal in said output beam, wherein the detector is configured to supply information on said signal to said controller for comparing said signal with said identification tag so that the generation of control commands is stopped, when said signal does not correspond to said identification tag.

6. Lighting system according to claim 1, wherein multiple lighting units are arranged for providing multiple output beams and said controller is configured to generate said control commands so that each output beam comprises said detectable signal.

7. Lighting system according claim 1, wherein variable storing means are provided for storing said lighting design data, which supply said lighting design data for said generation of said control commands.

8. Lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the lighting design data is encrypted digital data and the controller comprises means for decrypting the lighting design data.

9-14. -14. (canceled)

15. Method for operating a lighting system with at least one lighting unit for providing an output beam of light, the method comprising

receiving lighting design data including an identification tag,

generating a set of control commands from said received lighting design data so that said output beam comprises a detectable signal corresponding to said identification tag and

supplying said set of control commands to the at least one lighting unit.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said signal is detected from the output beam and compared with said identification tag, so that the generation of the control commands is stopped, when said signal does not correspond to said identification tag.