Intelligent Connected Lighting Enhances Human-oriented Environmental Control

With the development of network technology and the advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, people-oriented lighting control technology, integrated with wireless technologies, has made digital control more sophisticated and user-friendly. It is against such a background that intelligent connected lighting has emerged. Driven by energy-saving trends and individualized demands, intelligent connected lighting not only requires automation, but also must be better able to meet the human-centric needs of being safe, comfortable and energy efficient.

The core concept of intelligent connected lighting is to form a network of transmitting control commands and sensory data by use of the lighting systems in buildings. Intelligent lighting, a result of luminaires combining the Bluetooth Mesh wireless standard of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG), allows simple single and group lighting control, on/off, and dimming, along with advanced color temperature change, scheduling, scene setting, and presence sensing. Managers can arrange group lighting and set up scenes in accordance with the needs of the site application. With data collection and sensors working together, it can send back the details of the relevant sensors for the building management system applications and create a more comfortable environment for the user.

In terms of space design, deploying luminaires with a built-in Bluetooth Mesh Profile can reduce the use of wires and saves architects from compromising the aesthetics of their original building designs to create an ideal space environment. Wireless devices are also convenient for construction, replacement, and maintenance. For system integrators, the connection between devices can be directly set up through the Bluetooth Mesh, such as the connection between switches and luminaires and that between sensors and luminaires, for easy deployment.

In addition, Bluetooth Mesh also regulates the communication relationship between luminaires and handheld devices. By connecting to luminaires empowered with Bluetooth Mesh networking via an Android or iOS mobile APP, users can directly perform settings or data display. Likewise, interior designers can make color adjustments directly using the APP either on a mobile phone or a tablet, and immediately experience the adjustment.

In addition to controlling lighting intelligently, connected lighting can also serve the entire building automation. The Bluetooth wireless lighting solution, supported by the Bluetooth Mesh characteristic of establishing many-to-many (M:M) device communications, can extend the communication structure to reach multiple stories and cover a long distance in a building environment. The Bluetooth Mesh Profile standard then enables devices that are compatible with this standard to communicate with each other.

For example, when a user swipes an access card at the gate of a building, the access card reader will collect the access control data. The Bluetooth communication then can search the database to confirm in which area the card holder's seat is, and thus directly perform lighting control for that specific working area. Another example is when a visitor rings the doorbell on the first floor, the intelligent connected lighting device directly sets off an electronic bell sent to the sixth floor as a reminder that the visitor has arrived.

Leveraging the Bluetooth Mesh feature, Delta provides intelligent connected lighting solutions as well as a Software Development Kit (SDK) for our partners to extend applications by employing the Application Programming Interface (API) for lighting control and data collection, combined with other industrial information systems.

For example, one can apply the personnel tracking and asset management functions to retail, warehouse management, medical institutions, or schools. Some Bluetooth Mesh luminaires have built-in iBeacon capabilities readily available, but with accessories from our partners, other value-added services such as indoor navigation can be provided on top of the iBeacon functionality.

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