editor's blog
Subscribe Now

Wireless and LED Power Combined

From where we sit in the electronics world, you can sometimes be lulled into thinking we see all that goes on around us. And then you suddenly get introduced to a whole new area that operates all on its own, with its own expectations, standards, and even language. (“Troffer” is used no less than seven times in the release I’m about to reference. It’s a portmanteau of “trough” and “coffer” – a fixture for fluorescent lights. But I digress.)

The thing is, these once-independent worlds are starting to come together. The one we’re talking today, as you’ve probably guessed, is lighting. Commercial, to be specific. And there are actually two different worlds here: the world of controls, which has largely focused on HVAC and other systems that long ago acquired more than just on/off switches, and the world of lighting.

LEDs have changed lighting forever. They provide opportunities both for savings and for control that prior technologies can’t handle. Combine that with an apparent Title 24 mandate pushing commercial lighting to be both dimmable and accessible by the utilities, and you have now brought controls and lighting together.

Specifically, we’re talking about Daintree, a company with a history in controls, and LG, a company that makes… well, we won’t list them all here, but… amongst their weaponry are such diverse elements as LEDs (and a bunch of other stuff). This not only brings controls into lighting, but also raises the possibility of merging the controls of HVAC and other systems together with lighting for more holistic energy management.

Their recent joint announcement addresses a fundamental challenge with change like this: not only the cost of installing new plant, but, in particular, the cost of retrofitting existing buildings. They claim installation cost savings of 85% and resulting energy efficiency improvements of up to 90%. Nine-oh. That’s… a lot.

And the key to this is simple: wireless. It is possible to install wireless network circuits next to existing light fixtures, but Daintree and LG have gone further than that: LG has integrated the wireless capability into the LED drivers. So a single unit will provide both the power and the networking. Which makes a ton of sense, because ultimately it’s the power that the network is controlling.

You can see, of course, how wireless saves installation money as compared to using a wired network. Not even sure I need to describe what would be needed to run a wired network to all lighting fixtures… With wireless, you install, “pair up” – basically, give all the nodes an identity in the mesh, and you’re off.

They’ve chosen Zigbee for its low cost and low power, saying it was the simplest, most cost-effective solution. Unlike some of the descriptions I’ve heard, they found it “streamlined” – as long as you’re not moving lots of data. Which, of course, they’re not. And it has a meshing capability built-in (we’ll talk about meshing with BlueTooth in a future piece).

These types of solutions will also eventually make their way to residential lighting, although they say that the sale will be different. For commercial, it’s all about ROI. I’m assuming that the ROI story would hold with homes as well, but that may not be the way they appeal to buyers.

You can read more about the joint Daintree-LG solution in their announcement.

Leave a Reply

featured blogs
Apr 26, 2024
Biological-inspired developments result in LEDs that are 55% brighter, but 55% brighter than what?...

featured video

MaxLinear Integrates Analog & Digital Design in One Chip with Cadence 3D Solvers

Sponsored by Cadence Design Systems

MaxLinear has the unique capability of integrating analog and digital design on the same chip. Because of this, the team developed some interesting technology in the communication space. In the optical infrastructure domain, they created the first fully integrated 5nm CMOS PAM4 DSP. All their products solve critical communication and high-frequency analysis challenges.

Learn more about how MaxLinear is using Cadence’s Clarity 3D Solver and EMX Planar 3D Solver in their design process.

featured paper

Designing Robust 5G Power Amplifiers for the Real World

Sponsored by Keysight

Simulating 5G power amplifier (PA) designs at the component and system levels with authentic modulation and high-fidelity behavioral models increases predictability, lowers risk, and shrinks schedules. Simulation software enables multi-technology layout and multi-domain analysis, evaluating the impacts of 5G PA design choices while delivering accurate results in a single virtual workspace. This application note delves into how authentic modulation enhances predictability and performance in 5G millimeter-wave systems.

Download now to revolutionize your design process.

featured chalk talk

Nexperia Energy Harvesting Solutions
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Nexperia
Energy harvesting is a great way to ensure a sustainable future of electronics by eliminating batteries and e-waste. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Rodrigo Mesquita from Nexperia explore the process of designing in energy harvesting and why Nexperia’s inductor-less PMICs are an energy harvesting game changer for wearable technology, sensor-based applications, and more!
May 9, 2023
41,258 views